I started with a toasted onion bagel, smeared with cream cheese and garnished with slices of red onion and Lax and capers and a sliced pickled egg.
I drank sweet lime water with breakfast.
Then at 11:00 we drove to Costco, where we bought asparagus and a quart of heavy cream and ate a Polish Dog.. We then stopped at Home Depot and Goodwill before returning home around 1:15.
We watched the last quarter of the Pittsburgh v. Jacksonville NFL game which Jacksonville won convincingly.
Then at 3:00 I rode to Montano. When I returned at 4:15 I helipad prepare the roast by
covering it with sea salt crystals and ground pepper while Suzette heated the oven to 500 degrees. Then I took a shower and then helped Suzette set up the dining room table and place the linens on it. The way Suzette decided to cook the approximately 8 lb. piece of meat was to place it in an oven pre-heated to 500 degrees and then immediately to reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and to cook the roast until it reached an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees. This turned out to be the perfect formula because it resulted in medium rare meat that was tender and juicy.
By 5:00 we were back in the kitchen. I brushed 11 potatoes clean of dirt and Suzette counted 48 stalks of asparagus to roast in the oven. The entrée was to be roasted meat, potatoes and asparagus. I then started making Sauce Béarnaise.
Here is the recipe.
I chopped 1 heaping T. of shallot and placed it in a sauce pan with ¼ cup each of white wine and white wine vinegar And added about 1 T. of fresh tarragon. I then brought that mixture to a boil and reduced it by 50% while Suzette placed 4 egg yolks in another sauce pan and whipped them until they emulsified and turned light yellow. I seized and added the vinegar liquid to the egg yolks after letting the vinegar mixture cook for a couple of minutes. The key to making Béarnaise is to avoid the sauce breaking into butter and curdled eggs. After adding the vinegar to the egg I started adding 11 oz. of cool butter in 1 oz. pieces 4 or five at a time with Suzette constantly stirring the mixture with a whisk until all the butter went into solution and thickened. I did not have a lot of time to make the sauce as we had invited Karen and Barbell to view the art collection at 5:45. The sauce went beautifully and we left it in the pan when they arrived with chocolate ice cream and 6 oz. of fresh raspberries.
As I was showing them art, Mike arrived with two bottles of wine, both produced in Cotes de Rousillon by Bila-Haut in Southwestern France; a 2014 Occultum Lapidem from Cotes de Rousillon Latour France controlle, a New Appellation for me.
I had decided to pour the 2011 Aloxes-Corton Premier Cru Mike had brought last time we got together and the bottle of 2012 Gruet Reserve Pinot Noir.
By 6:45 Cynthia had prepped the salad and everything was ready. I sliced the rib roast. It was much better this time, pink in the middle from end to end. Searing made a difference. We heated the
Béarnaise sauce and put it into a pitcher. Suzette loaded the baked potatoes and asparagus onto a platter and I loaded the slices of roast onto another platter and served everyone. Suzette fetched chives and mixed them into crema and served it in a ramekin with butter for the potatoes. We poured wine and ate and talked for three hours. After we all finished the entrée course Suzette and Barbell served dessert; parfait glasses of chocolate ice cream and fresh raspberries and blueberries drizzled with Suzette’s blueberry Quince syrup .
I then served after dinner drinks and Suzette made coffee and Willy made Earl Grey tea.
We said goodnight at 10:30 after a wonderful dinner that was memorable because everything was just right. That does not happen very often in my world of entertaining. Everyone liked the Béarnaise sauce.
Bon Appetit
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