My all time favorite time to entertain is the beginning of the fall season when the evenings are cool and we return to more formal parties. I like to be the first to have friends over because by October everyone is ready to sit down at a table and have a whole meal. I enjoy trying old recipes and new ones that will become favorites. It's easy to fill a glass vase with curly bamboo and tie it with a raffia bow as a center piece. The silver has been polished and I have a good, not best, set of china at the ready.
Now for the menu: to be honest, our friends expect a lot when they come to dine here. This writing of cookbooks raises the level of expectations for a fantastic, low calorie, low-fat meal that men will love. To that end, I have come up with the following for which my guests had nothing but raves and there wasn't a crumb left, so another success. I selected fillet of beef because we eat very little red meat and if I'm going to indulge, I want to splurge.
The best thing about this feast is that it is easy to prepare. I made the charlottes in the morning, unmolded them, and reheated them just before serving. You can make one large charlotte if you prefer, but I found this to be an easy way to both reheat and serve dessert. The beef marinated in the refrigerator during the day. I let it come to room temperature for 1 hour before I cooked it. The potatoes I made after lunch and reheated them when I was roasting the beef. Make the spinach at the last minute to keep its bright green color. Nothing could be easier.
(for the recipes, click on The Recipes or click on the individual recipe above)
BSP
