Mastering the Art of [eating] French Cooking

Showing off my hand-crafted beret, Christmas apron, and apéritif.

Alex and I hosted our first big dinner party last Thursday.  We had a lot of fun in the kitchen preparing for the meal.  But, we were a little too ambitious in our planning and had to start our cooking on the previous Monday in order to get everything done.

Our theme:  Mastering the Art of [eating] French Cooking.

Our challenge:  Cook a meal using recipes from Julia Child's book of the same title.  For twelve.  Without nuts (a good friend is allergic) or meat.

Our choices:  Oeufs à la Fondue de Fromage sur Fonds d'Artichauts - poached eggs set in an artichoke heart covered in a cheese fondue sauce; Gâteau de Crêpes à la Florentine - mound of crepes layered with cream cheese, spinach, and mushrooms; Asperges au Naturel - boiled asparagus; Ratatouille; Salade à la d'Argenson - rice and beet salad; Sauce aux Fraises - fresh strawberry sauce for ice cream; and home-made French bread.

The spread.

To get in the spirit of the evening, I used a bit of inspiration from the Sew Weekly to fashion myself a makeshift beret using a Martha Stewart tutorial.  I made a circle from the leftover wool from the Armani coat and pinned it to a black ribbon I used for the band.  Voilà!  Enough of a beret for the party.

The meal was inspired by a dinner we'd had a couple years ago with Alex's dad, Luella, and Ellie.  They prepared Gâteau de Crêpes à la Florentine for us, and it was so delicious.  I'd always wanted to try to make the dish, and I'm glad we did.  Mmmmm...

All around the meal was worth the effort.  Everything was delicious.  And, time with friends is always priceless.