Eric Ripert's Dinner Social - A Meal in Photos
Via his wonderful site, Avec Eric, Le Bernardin chef Eric Ripert challenged food-lovers everywhere to throw a dinner party with a seasonally influenced menu, pair it with wine, and photograph the results. Here is a visual account of our delicious evening.
First, the participants:
From left to right: Tiffany (The Garden Apartment), April (The Food Scribe), Colleen (FoodieTots), and me.
Now, the menu, so you know what you’re getting into here:
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Pumpkin soup with creme fraiche and toasted pumpkin seeds
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Caramelized onion and olive croustade
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Endive stuffed with prosciutto, bleu cheese, and pomegranate seeds
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Roast leg of lamb with fingerling potatoes and marinated vegetables
- Maple-roasted pears with bourbon-chocolate sauce and chestnut ice cream
Beyond picking our wines, I was responsible for the endive starter — the easiest dish by far. The pomegranate seeds added a lovely dose of color and flavor. (Note: We substituted prosciutto di Parma because Ripert’s suggested duck prosciutto was hard to find. Next time, I’ll order ahead with my neighborhood butcher.)
April put together the onion croustade, which puffed to an almost out-of-control size before coming back to earth. It was delicious! We agreed that we’d probably roll out the puffy pastry a bit next time.
That’s me prepping the croustade for its close-up.
For the first course, we demolished Colleen’s pumpkin soup with herbed crème fraîche and spiced pumpkin seeds. She used a Japanese Kabocha squash for the soup, and served it in hollowed-out Celebration squash “bowls.” It made for fantastic presentation.
Our main course was a Tiffany’s hearty roast leg of lamb with marinated seasonal vegetables — parsnips, carrots, Brussels sprouts, green beans… Very satisfying. Plus, there’s nothing quite like walking into a house filled with the scent of roasting meat.
To end the evening, we had April’s fabulous pears — roasted in butter and maple syrup, then drizzled with bourbon-chocolate sauce. The deal-sealer? Homemade chestnut ice cream. It was sublime. A lovely Moscato d’Asti aided digestion and sent us into the night rather content with ourselves.
Cross your fingers for us — we submitted some of these drool-inducers to Ripert’s photo competition. If you click on over to Avec Eric, you can see our submissions in the photo gallery, under “The Scribe.” (Thanks, April!)
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By Alison L. McConnell
Alison L. McConnell is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. A native of New Jersey and upstate New York, she attended Bowdoin College in Maine and the London School of Economics before settling in Washington, where she works as a financial reporter, food freelancer, and studies at L’Academie de Cuisine. Some of her favorite things to make are risottos, roast chickens, and cakes. She abides by a long-standing family motto: McConnells always finish their desserts.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is published the first Friday of each month, edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
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Andrea
November 19 10:52 a.m. 1You guys are sure to win.
heather
November 19 11:36 a.m. 2everything looks so yummy! it looks like you guys had a blast :)
Alison
November 20 12:13 p.m. 3It was quite a fun evening. I'll post in this space if we hear any good news from the Avec Eric team.
Alison
November 21 4:16 p.m. 4And we indeed heard some good news!