Gluttons

It has been a quiet Christmas here at 42rvh - just me and Debrah indulging ourselves in food, wine and movies.

Debrah requested some food deliciousness and I was very happy to oblige. We started on Christmas Eve, went all through Christmas Day and didn't finish until Boxing Day because the proposed culinary line-up was just too much to fit into one sitting, even an elongated one.

We had some great wine too and for once not all local.

We finally ventured out the day after when a burst of Winter sunshine tempted us down to the coast for a walk along the beach. Of course we took a picnic along with us in a wicker hamper and sat contentedly munching sat on a beachfront bench at La Franqui, just next to Leucate. The Mediterranean looked cold but that didn't deter a couple of wind surfers or the many and varied dogs chasing about the sand.

It was back to work on Monday with much cleaning, ironing and general preparation for a group of four clients arriving for a four night stay over New Year. I can't complain - their trip has paid for all the lovely food and wine.

Here is a rundown of our self-indulgence.

Christmas Eve
- A dozen local oysters, red wine vinegar and shallot dressing or oriental dressing (rice wine vinegar, mirin, soy and coriander)
- Boiled Lobster with Simon Hopkinson's sauce for a boiled lobster (naturally) and watercress, baby chard and mizuna salad (there was a bit of bonding with Henri the Homard during the day but they are a bit impractical as a pet so in the pan he had to go)
Greca di Tufo and Fiano di Avellino, Terredora, Campagnia, Italy

Debrah chose both the wines back in London and they proved to be the perfect accompaniment to the seafood supper.

Christmas Day
- Home marinated salmon with dill and the remains of the lobster sauce which is in fact a sort of mustard mayonnaise and went perfectly with the salmon (so good in fact we are going to serve it to guests later this week)
- Tartare of mackerel with pickled cucumber and citrus cream (skinning and boning the fish is the only fiddly bit - the rest is easy to prepare and the combination of flavours is wonderful)
with both these course we polished off the remains of the Italian whites from the night before
- Chicken Liver Parfait (my day at Corrigans put to good effect - it worked a treat but maybe could have had an extra 5 minutes in the bain marie - deliciously rich and yummy though)
- Potato, Celeriac and Truffle Oil Soup (probably a bit odd to have soup at this juncture but the it's earthiness and creaminess was a perfect link between the lighter first courses and the ones to follow)
- Pigeon in Muscat with grapes (just the one bird between the two of us - we were pacing ourselves - and D isn't a great fan of game but this worked so well with the sweetness of the wine cutting through the richness of the bird - a veritable success)
La Chapelle, St Jacques D'Albas, Minervois 2004
- Braised Pheasant in pimenton and cream sauce (this was a step too far for D who isn't mad about cream sauces either - oh well, I liked it but I should have known better)
Ledogar, Domaine Grand Lauze 2004, Vin de Table, Corbieres

Boxing Day
- Pan fried scallops, boudin noir and quince (wow! - for me this was the best dish I cooked all Christmas - fantastic flavour combination helped enormously by the wine..)
Condrieu, Guigal, 2005
- Fillet steak poached in red wine with potato puree (this was good but we both agreed that as good as it was we prefer our steak pan fried and the potato didn't work as well as the celeriac puree that should have gone with this dish - we used the celeriac for something else next day)
L'Hospitalis, La Clape, Georges Bertrand 2005
- Sauternes & Olive Oil cake with bitter orange ice cream (it was supposed to be sauternes but I can't be that profligate so I made the cake with a Muscat de Rivesaltes instead - the ice cream is good and very easy to make)

Beach picnic - what a feast
- boiled and roast ham (make one every Christmas and only at Christmas for some strange reason - just delicious - can't beat it)
- celeriac remoulade (with capers and gherkins and mustardy dressing for extra kick)
- avocado and radish salad
- duck liver pate
- left over cold pheasant
- quails eggs
- baguette
no wine - bit of a shock I know but I was driving