Three days separating Valentines from the birthday but it’s classed as holiday so we still had a good, if less up-market, time.
Difference on the Wednesday was I didn’t have to do anything but sit on a high stool and pop corks and not fall off.
What an amazing difference a three day marinade and hours in a slow oven makes to a chunk of beef. Me, I’m still sitting on a high stool while Sue turns the hunk of beef into Boeuf Bourguignon.
First course: best quality smoked salmon with a horse radish/crème fraîche sauce and a scattering of red onion and capers, good squeeze of lemon. Plus, my only contribution, a savoury brioche.
Then the magnificent main course:
The Boeuf accompanied by Sue’s perfect roast potatoes and green beans with serrano – a feast!
That was followed by the lightest of puds made of expresso and ricotta with her orange flower water macarons – not the traffic light version, just plain, simple, chewy:
Not many of those left now.
But then, middle of the feast, a loud knock at the door. Who could this be at 3.00 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon? No one. Just a cardboard box on the step. Containing:
The cheese course courtesy of my brother Bernie. Excellent and generous present but we were stuffed. Had to wait till Thursday before we started sampling.
The PArtisan Baker 