The Salvador Dali Dinner

"In the grandest of culinary traditions, I propose to prepare and serve a ten-course meal cultivated entirely from the very rare, out-of-print, Salvador Dali cookbook."

"This dining experience is not for the faint-of-heart or anyone concerned with their arteries. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience which could only have occurred in the splendid days of old - in the days of Balzac and Brillat-Savarin - in the days of Salvador Dali"

chef Carolyn Tillie

Celebrated on

January 10th, 1999

by 12 adventurous souls





Salvador Dali Cookbook

Enjoyed as an all-day festival of great food and drink,

in addition to a celebration of good company and conversation.



Lets begin:



*Veuve Clicquot



QUAIL EGG TARTLETS WITH CAVIAR:

Small, delicate tartlets filled with a

poached quail egg, chives, Beluga caviar, and a touch of fresh cream.

"These tasty little fellows ... were so good I could have eaten

them for the rest of the afternoon and been content."



CRAYFISH CONSOMME':

Young veal and tender shrimp married and

transformed "Chinese Style" to a smooth perfection.

"After being driven to our seats, we were served up

bowls of veal & shrimp consomme' Egrave;' w/the cutest li'l ol' crawdaddy caught in

the act of escaping."



*Cupresse, 1994

TRUFFLES "CINDERELLA" IN FLAKY PASTRY

Full, black truffles sauteed in champagne and sherry with ham and

foie gras, wrapped and baked in puff pastry.

"For this, my second "date" with black

truffles, I was even more happy than on my first."



OYSTERS A LA BROLATTI

Shallots, butter, and wine sauteed to accompany freshly poached oysters.

"Now I must admit up front that I am not an oyster lover,

having had a number of disappointments ....

That being said, I was pleasantly surprised as I tentatively

nibbled my way through a couple of these babies."



*Zamo Zamo Pinot Grigio 1995

ESCALOPE OF FOIE GRAS WRAPPED IN CHICKEN

Tender ballotine of chicken, stuffed with sliced foie gras, lightly

sauteed with cream and sherry, served with morels.

"When the escalope of foie

Gras in chicken with morels arrived, it took my poor, by now bewildered

taste buds right over the top. I had to leave the table to rest."



CHAMPAGNE SORBET

To clean the palate...

"Fortunately, along came a champagne sorbet, just in the nick of time, and I

was able to regain some of my usual composure."



*Gundlach Bunschu Merlot, 1995

POTTED DUCK WITH OLIVES

A cold confit of duck and chopped assorted olives.

"And not a moment too soon, as it happens, for next out the chute was a hefty

cold confit of duck and olives ... I'm back on my back."



*Le Clos du Cailleon Vieilles Vignes Cote du Rhone, 1995

VEGETABLE PIE

A masterpiece of eggplant, carrots, and mushrooms, and more hidden in pastry.

"But pulling me back from the abyss of satiation was a delicious - not

to mention awesomely presented - vegetable pie."



ROAST LEG OF LAMB

The leg itself of injected with Brandy, Madeira, and spices then

roasted and served with a sublime garlic gravy.

"My new-found commitment was to be sorely tested

when, egad! appeared a roast leg of lamb, injected with brandy Madeira and

served up with a salivatiatious garlic gravy. Well, by now I was not the

only one feeling the effects of overindulgence. We got up - those of us

what could still move - & stretched our legs."



*Lenteiro Port 1947 - As well as various Grappas, Cognacs, and

Brandies

"a 60-year-old Port, and grappas and brandies and cognacs, oh My!"



ASSORTED CHEESES

Etorki Sheep's Milk, L'Edel de Cleron, Swiss Appenzeller, Champignon

Montagnolo, Goat Gouda, Boar Piet (a 48-month Raw Milk Gouda), Currant

Voucheese, Parrano

"An assortment of delicious cheeses kept us from losing our edge, however,

as we milled about the room drinking coffee or tea, engaging in brief conversations,

or just trying to coax enough room in our bodies to welcome desert."



*Coffee or Tea



TIMBALES "ELYSEE"

Amazing little edible Valrhona chocolate cups filled with Kirsh-soaked

genoise, vanilla ice cream, Kirsh-soaked fruit, and Chantilly cream,

crowned with a golden cage.

"And welcome it was, ... delicious."



"It was deliriously delectable! Stupendously scrumptious! Surrealistically

savory! I've never tasted anything like it before. Carolyn Tillie is a shaman

in chef's clothing!" Ralph



"... Certainly the event of the season. The

only way she could have improved on it was to have several

attractive, very buff half dressed young men -oiled, of course- carrying

the platters in when a gong was struck. (actually the cooking was so

amazing we wouldn't have cared if we were competing with wild hyenas....)" Marguerite



"We arrived about 2:00 pm and were greeted with Veuve Clicquot & quail egg

tartlets. ...By the time 10:30 pm rolled around, 8 & 1/2 hours of food, food, food. I

was full filled." Leroy



e-mail Chef Carrie

e-mail Rob - Gastric adventurer & webmaster