BlaringSmelly

Ktula and I were invited to a dinner party hosted by Tizzy and Michael. A writer and a chef, they were a great team and a delight to hang out.

Here are a sample of dishes we had that night:

Poolish dough loaves and plum jam.
Plums came from their fruitful backyard plum tree.

Spiced olives
I don’t like pits or seeds in my food that I need to spit it out. But that’s just me.

Spicy garden pickles
Pickled to perfection, they are crispy and refreshing. Most importantly they are not too salty like so many pickled products. I ate these bite size vegies like candies.

Pork rillettes in the jar, fermented butter inside the white cup
Michael explained rillettes is a process of preserving meat, mainly pork. He cooked the pork slowly in duck fat until it’s tender and easily shredded. There was a slight hint of pork. Other than that, it tasted just like pâté.

House-cured duck prosciutto
Paper-thin slices of prosciutto. The fat melted in your mouth as you enjoy the delicate taste of lightly salted duck meat.

House-cured anchovies in olive oil
I love anchovies. I like the texture of anchovy and its salty smell. This dish really made my day.

Butternut squash puree
This mashed yellow goodness had silky smooth texture and sweetness just enough to put a smile on your face. I was quietly stuffing my face in this. C’est si bon.

Brick-oven roasted leg of lamb

Sea bass in flaky pastry
Chef Michael put up quite a presentation with this dish. Sea bass first arrived on the table, still inside the pastry.

Michael cut open the pastry. Guests were watching Michael and the fish slowly revealing from inside the pastry in amazement.

We finished with home made apple pie topped with honey and yogurt ice cream. In my opinion, it was cheer genius that Michael substituted sugar with honey. The sweetness was so much more rich and distinct. He apologized the ice cream was too soft because it wasn’t chilled long enough. I didn’t mind it at all. The apple pie and ice cream were great combo. I had nothing to complain about it.

At the end of the dinner, Michael gave ktula a tour of chef’s kitchen. The house-cured sausages spurted ktula’s interest to make his own sausages.

The dinner was named “Savant”. According to Merriam-Webster online definition:

a person of learning; especially: one with detailed knowledge in some specialized field (as of science or literature).

The name was appropriate for this elaborate feasting consisted of 8 starters, 7 main courses, and desserts. I can’t speak for the other guests, but I learned so much and tasted so many that night.