Harold Goes to Hogwarts

Saturday 22 February

Since Barbara had taken us all to Brasenose for dinner, Holt had to do the same for Christ Church High Table.  

Unfortunately there was not a dessert night before Harold had to leave, but Saturday did turn out to be a special occasion, as the Winklevoss twins were coming back (with the Development Office, of course, and the nice rowing coach) to have a festal dinner at their alma mater. 

We started with a meticulously-plated marinated vegetable salad with buffalo mozzarella and dabs of tomato pesto; the wine for all courses was Chablis premier cru Fourchaume 2008.

  

The main was a nice slice of oak-smoked roast salmon, topped with candied walnuts on a slice of dark crabapple (?), plus parsnip purée, gaufrette (i.e. exquisitely waffle-cut) potatoes, and green peas; the plate was daubed with what looked like chocolate kisses, but the kind Head Butler asked the chef, and they turned out to be pickled walnuts, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup whizzed up together.

Our pudding was less prepossessing, but equally tasty: mango "tarte Tatin" on a puddle of caramel, topped with crème fraîche ice cream studded with green peppercorns - a nice answer to salted caramel.

Then we proceeded back to the SCR for coffee, tea, scotch, and special plates of macarons, cherries, blackberries, dates, grapes, and other dessert-like things, which encouraged the Winklevosses to linger and chat - even with such as we.