Menu
appetizer
Three Holiday Crostini Served with Bubbly:
Italian Truffle Cheese, Truffled Shiitake, Truffled Frisee
Cambozola, Cranberry Orange Relish, Walnut
Foie Gras Paté
dinner
Lori Lynn’s
Spicy Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Creme Fraiche
Garnished with Toasted Coconut, Chopped Cashews, Dried Pomegranate Arils
Gail’s
Bejeweled Endive Christmas Salad
Radish, Shallot, Basil, Fresh Pomegranate Seed
Creamy Champagne Thyme Vinaigrette
Lori Lynn’s
Roasted Cornish Game Hen
Meyer Lemon, Fennel, Olive, Garlic
Meyer Lemon Cream Fraiche “Gravy”
Pat’s
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Sally’s
Brussels Sprouts with Hollandaise
Lauren’s
Warm Chocolate Lava Cake
Peppermint Chip Ice Cream
A few days before Christmas I hosted A Foodie Christmas Dinner Party for my friends. Everyone was to bring a dish and wine. I had said that I would be making Cornish game hen and the rest of the menu was open. Without any formal planning, the menu evolved and the dinner turned out fabulous! My only direction was to let the cooks know what menu category was available. Since we are foodie friends that have been cooking together for years, it shouldn’t have surprised me that the random menu items complemented each other perfectly.
the appetizer
Paul, Gail, and Barry
Here are three delightful crostini to kick off any party which go great with sparkling wine…
Cambozola Cheese, Cranberry Orange Relish, Chopped Toasted Walnut
Italian Truffle Cheese, Truffle Oil Roasted Shiitake, Frisee Tossed with Truffle Oil
&
Foie Gras Paté on Toasted Bread Brushed with Olive Oil
the soup
The spicy curried butternut squash soup with creme fraiche was a perfect soup to begin the sit-down portion of the dinner. It is a wonderful winter soup, the small portion was full of flavor with a spicy finish from the cayenne. Garnished with toasted coconut, chopped cashews, and dried pomegranate arils made it fancy with an interesting texture. I posted this recipe a few days ago here.
the salad
This is an elegant Christmas salad with it’s bright red and green colors and jewel-like pomegranate seeds. Crunchy sliced endive and radish, with minced shallot and ribbons of fresh basil are tossed with a creamy Champagne vinaigrette and topped with fresh pomegranate arils.
the main course
Roasted Cornish game hen is a great main course for a party of 8 to 10 people. These hens were almost 2 lbs. each, so splitting them lengthwise made for a perfect portion. Thin slices of Meyer lemon are placed under the skin. Sliced fennel, smashed garlic cloves, assorted olives, thyme and Meyer lemon slices are placed in a roasting pan with the hens arranged on top. A drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper, then into the oven they go. One pan and seasonal ingredients equals a splendid full-flavored entree for a holiday crowd. I posted the full recipe yesterday here.
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Brussels Sprouts with Hollandaise
the dessert
Warm Chocolate Lava Cake
Peppermint Chip ice Cream
the wine
We thank Paul for bring both the 2002 and 2003 vintages of the luxurious Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Read more about this stellar winery and these particular wines on my post earlier today here.
the festive table
with a wire Christmas tree centerpiece decorated with fruit, vegetable and foodie ornaments
wishing you the happiest of holidays
So elegant! Everything looks truly divine.
A lovely menu and such a warm and inviting setting (as always). The only thing that makes it better is sharing it with dear friends. Priceless.
All the best to you in 2011.
All looks merry and bright. The crostini begs to be at my table. The silk, smooth soup needs a place, too.
What a fun and festive dinner party! Love that it came all together and the menu looks divine! Happy Holidays!!
Oh Lori ..amazing menu! I could not keep my eyes away because every photos is beautiful like from the magazine cover! Happy Holidays!
Your table is beautiful as always, you’re such an inspiration, you’re amazing!
What a glorious table setting and dinner. Lucky friends!!!
What a beautiful dinner and photos!
Wow, what a beautiful table you set and what delicious food was served! That sounds like quite the dinner party…How fun! And, Silver Oak cab? Lucky! That’s a favorite treat in our house 🙂 Happy holidays!
What a fabulous feast! Every dish looks incredible! A stunning table~
What a fun evening and a delicious menu! I just made curried squash soup for the first time yesterday and I have to say I really liked it. The table setting is beautiful, too. Happy New Year!
That’s a beautiful table and the food looks amazing!
Everything looks beautiful! What a feast! Great job!
And folks thought the amount of food we had at our annual party was a lot — this is a LOT!
Such a beautiful Christmas table, and the food looks yum-my! The salad and hot lava cake are so creative– looks like the whole menu was put together perfectly!
Fantastic idea, fantastic food… fantastic fun. Congrats on Top 9 too. GREG
a fab evening, I love how the food all came together. the hot lava cake with peppermint ice cream is my fav, so festive and the tablescape..lovely! happy holidays!!
sweetlife
Lovely. This is what we all imagine an elegant holiday meal would be like.
Happy new year.
Beautiful! Table setting is lovely and foods look amazing. I had Christmas Eve dinner in much much smaller scale because just two of us but next year, I will copy most of in here. Thanks!
This looks a.maz.ing. Just fabulous. From beginning to end. It looks posh but not overdone. Completely cozy with just incredible food. I had to go back and look at all the beautiful photos twice.
beautiful party and pictures
congrats on the top 9
congratulations! the photos do the menu justice. It was a delicious evening!
pz
Breathtaking table!!! and how bout that wine?! My what good friends you have! Congrats on your Top 9!
-Veronica
A gorgeous setting, lovely menu, and all the dishes look amazing! Looks like it was an excellent party!
Gorgeous party and pictures. Looks like it came straight out of a magazine.
Absolutely stunning.
Such a warm, romantic setting with a menu to match!
Happy New Year to you~
Wondering why I wasn’t invited….I would have brought something really good!?!
It looks and sounds AMAZING!
It’s like being at a five-star restaurant – no better, because the atmosphere is even more welcoming at your place. I will be trying that cornish game hen recipe. Love the lemon beneath the skin idea.
What an amazing blog post!! Love the menu and the photos!! Congrats on making Food Buzz Top 9!!!
LL,
You always know how to do it in style!
Your menus and table settings are so beautiful. I wish I could attend every party!
Happy New Year!
What a beautiful setting and such a wonderful menu…everything looks so amazing.
Wishing you a happiest of New Years!
beautiful setting – I wish you and yours a generous and abundant new year……
Just dropped by to wish you and yours a Happy New Year. May 2011 bring you all good things.
everything looks breathtaking.
the table-setting, the menu, the food, the photos.
thanks for sharing it with us.
May this new year bring many opportunities to your way,
to explore every joy of life
&
may your resolutions for the days ahead stay firm,
turning all your dreams into reality
and all your efforts into great achievements.
Happy New Year to you & your loved ones.
What a lovely and simply stunning menu, LL. I love all the truffle-infused dishes. Very nice. Hoping your Christmas was just a lovely.
This is obviously an old post, but I just wanted to say I enjoyed reading it very much. Such pretty photos!