Feeding Frenzy

So the urge was on me again (the cooking frenzy descends intermittently, this time probably caused by the latest NMRC grant call), and I strong-armed a helpless couple into coming over for dinner at short notice ("...but I hear the lamb calling my name"). Picture shows the appetizers, arranged for visual impact. Quite pretty-pretty I thought. Half the fun is in the plating and I got a kick out of using my new plates from Robinson's (square!), along with placemats I picked up from the poshy houseware store in Montreal.


Here is the menu:

Appetizers:
Buffalo mozarella with tomatos on the vine and balsalmic vinegar
Baby asparagus and proscuitto
Smoked salmon with herbs and capers
Pate de foie gras

Main:
Roasted lamb with dijon mustard, macadamia honey and rosemary
Salad greens with red wine vinaigrette
Sauteed marsala mushrooms and basil on angelhair pasta

Dessert:
Tiramisu (dusted with valrhona chocolate powder, courtesy of Shermay)

We paired the dinner with a 1999 Australian Shiraz, a little lacking in depth (disappointing) but nonetheless managed to cause hives in one of our hapless guests. Quite a nice dinner, but of course Steffi refused to eat anything except for the bread and asked for leftover mantou from lunch. Ben of course was easy, and had his epiphany when he tasted foie gras for the first time. Significant other also put foot in mouth...you mean no little biscuits with tea and coffee? No, because this was decided in the morning, and I was busy going to market at 7 am, Steffi's ballet at 9 am, brought kids to Tanglin Club to change library books , then to Cold Storage to pick up foie gras, then fed 2 grumpy kids lunch, forced them down for their afternoon nap, brought Ben to his Tien Xia chinese tuition, finished off drive home with a long lecture on how bad his attitude to work was and how he should not expect to have non-stop entertainment lined up for him in the holidays. Biscuits indeed. Sugar Honey Ice Tea (new mommy expletive learned from Madagascar the Movie).