Five course meal

So clearly I have failed miserably at my resolution to post on my blog every day. I couldn't even make it one month! I just don't think I have enough blog-worthy material, and posting for the sake of posting wastes everyone's time. But I really had to write something because I wanted that uncouth title of the last post to stop being the first thing you see when you come here.

William, a coworker, had invited me and several other coworkers over for dinner on Saturday night. His fiancee is French and is a very talented cook. We were told to arrive promptly at 6pm, so as not to throw off the timing of the 5 courses in the kitchen.

We started with individual herb souffles, prepared by William himself, that were perfectly aloft. They were served alongside a field greens salad with a simple vinaigrette. Next was my favorite: fresh scallops and shrimp sauteed with garlic and butter, served alongside sauteed wild mushrooms prepared in much the same way. The scallops melted in your mouth! The third course was a pasta dish: penne tossed with olive oil, herbs, some sort of chile powder, and olives. Following that was the cheese course: four types including brie and ricotta (which was solid, not creamy) and two others I don't remember the names of because I'd never had them before. This was served with fantastic country bread sliced from a gigantic round. The dessert course was two mochis garnished with blueberries and currants. I'd never had a mochi (or currants for that matter!) but they were delicious in both flavor and texture. And Trader Joe's carries them so I will have to add them to my cart next time.

The conversation over the meal was delightful and background music alternated between French songs and classical piano. It was quite an enjoyable evening for everyone.