Dinner Menus – Second Sunday Supper Circle

There are many things we could be celebrating this weekend – the birthdays of Georgia O’Keeffe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Petula Clark, Anni Frid, Cluade Monet, Jawahal Nehru, Robert Fulton, Veronica Lake, Brian Keith, McLean Stevenson, and Prince Charles – the first shipment of canned pineapple exported from Hawaii – the first streetcar takes to, well, the streets, in New York – Moby Dick was published – the first aircraft flew from an aircraft carrier – and Apollo 12 was launched. But why not just celebrate the fall harvest…

Back in the day before things like Skype and Vonage, or even instant messaging, there was a period that one can only think back on as the 10-10- days. The was a sudden spate of new phone companies offering cheap long distance calling, and they all had 10-10- numbers that you called to register and setup your account. It was a thing. Unfortunately, I don’t remotely recall what most of these dishes were.

The theme started with an historical event relating to the Sandwich Islands – and the idea built from there.

On August 8, 1860, the Queen of the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii) became the first foreign queen to set foot on U.S. soil, here in New York. While I’m sure she never ate this on a pu-pu platter back in Hawaii, we’re having my version of Shrimp Toasts with Daikon Sauce and a bottle of Paul Cheneau Blanc de Blancs Cava.

Explorer John Cook set in to what he named Cape Sandwich (now Hichinbrook), Australia. If he’d had a decent galley cook, he no doubt would have enjoyed a bowl of Coconut-Pumpkin Soup with Sea Scallops and Pumpkin Seed Focaccia washed down with a flagon of 1990 Philippe Pichon Condrieu.

Sandwich Bay, Newfoundland, is about as far north on the Atlantic Coast as I’d care to find myself. A simple “Mic-mac Sea Jelly” terrine with flounder, turbot and asparagus might be served with a bottle of 1991 Silvio Jermann “Piccolo Sogno”.

Sandwich, Kent, England, is a quaint town dating from early in the millennium. The earliest mention of the town is from 640 A.D., but the town is clearly older than that and is named for the Saxon term for sand. A proper main course at a local inn might (if they had a cook who was up to it) be Pan-Fried Lamb Steaks with Red Currant and Rosemary Chutney. The English are big on Bordeaux and would likely accompany this wiht a bottle of 1986 Chateau d’Issan Margaux.

Sandwich, Massachusetts is a perfect place to explore the New England Coast. It’s also a great place to explore the blue cheeses of the area like Worcester County Goatsmilk Blue, Great Hill Cowsmilk Blue and Hubbardston Blue Cow, with a bottle of 1983 “Le Pergole Torte” from Montevertine.

Let’s face it, the South Sandwich Islands are completely uninhabited, and nobody has really bothered to take any pictures. Unless you count raw fish and penguins the diet of local seals, there’s no cuisine. I have full license to create my Mocha Sandwich with Hazelnut Butter, Shiro Plum Jam, Mascarpone and Bay Leaf Syrup. 1996 Jessandra Vittoria Port accompanies.

In theory, this was a “white trash dinner”, or “trailer trash dinner”. The menu was presented with the first side face-up, and I believe I didn’t tell people that the backside had the “translation” to what they were actually being served. I left that for them to discover as the evening went on. Whether anyone did, or whether I finally told them at the end of the night to flip the menu over, I don’t recall. We had fun. Menu and “real” menu side by side, below:

April showers bring May flowers, and all that. Playing with edible flowers in my cooking.

You see, I bought a chair. I don’t really know why. I just spotted this chair in a sort of antique shop/flea market kind of spot, and liked it. It turned out to be Swedish, made of oak, and had been crafted in 1880. Who knew? I still have it, although the seat needs repair, and it’s currently stuck in a corner of our bedroom with some boxes piled on it. One of these days. But hey, a Swedish chair… perhaps the first of many new chairs (not, as it turned out). We went, semi-Swede.

Trio of Home-Cured Fishes,
 Radish Toasts, Horseradish Creme Fraiche

Chandon Reserve Cuvée 491

Jannson’s Temptation
 & Eye of the Sun

Egon Müller Riesling Scharzhofberger Kabinett, 1975

Fresh Peach
 & Butternut Squash Soup

Dom. Bruno Clair Marsannay Rosé, 1996

Lobster Soufflé,
 Wasabi Hollandaise

Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio, 1975

Cheese Plate: Himmerland Blue, Castello Blue,
 Gjetost, Jarlsberg, Dill Havarti

Giuseppe Quintarelli “Alzero”, 1988

Thousand Leaves Torte

Saracco Moscato d’Asti, 1997

The fact that a group of us were having dinner together on this date says much about our respective love lives at the time. I don’t think I was dating anyone…. It was also an opportunity to play on the theme of hearts and love with both the dishes and the wines, including a trio of wines from Ch. Calon-Ségur Saint-Estephe (big heart on the wine label).