Holt's Birthday Dinner

Saturday 22 November

As Thursday was a school day, Holt moved his birthday feast to the closest Saturday.  Our guests were Kathy and Russel (whose joint birthday just happened on the 19th), Julie, and Lauren, and all came bearing wondrous red wines as well as well-chosen gifts. 

Holt's theme for the dinner was Wraps, so everything was wrapped in or stuffed in something else (he can be subtle). 

We opened the festivities with a sparkler (Gruet de Albuquerque) and the first wrap, sushi rolls: nori wrapped around sushi rice with centers of carrot, shiitake mushrooms, and zucchini, with wasabi and soy sauce for dipping.

Next came vol au vent: Holt's puff pastry stuffed with a mix of crab, sautéed onion and mushrooms (both button and shiitake), and cream.

The main course was fillets of salmonen papillote (see yesterday's prep) with potatoes, fennel, carrot and olives.  As always, 12 minutes in the oven was enough for them, and we gave the guests a lovely facial by snipping the packets open and bathing them in fragrant fishy steam.

And for dessert, Holt made sweet cheese blintzes (mainly a pound of cottage with a half a cream cheese) decorated with blackberries and whipped cream, accompanied by Albino Rocca Moscato d'Asti sparkling dessert wine, as acquired at the Mick and Mack's tasting back in August.

This time it bubbled up a treat, as did we.