Intermesso – The mess you make between courses?
I will warn you in advance that this is a food porn entry. If you are hungry, scrolling down can be dangerous.
We enjoyed an absolutely spectacular dinner at the Carolina Country Club on Sunday the 2nd. Besides the great food, we raised over $18,000 towards our scholarship program for a 2nd year culinary arts student in North Carolina. The plan is in our best interest, as we have to cultivate chefs to keep us properly (and sumptuously) fed into our dotage.
The misspelling of "intermesso" was the only thing that disagreed with me on the menu.
One of the pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres that really astounded us was the compressed watermelon with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, baby basil and caviar.
Foie gras, always a favorite of mine, was served with a Sauternes, not a favorite of mine. But it was so good, I didn’t care.
The goat cheese was exquisite, and a light course for these warmer days.
The rabbit loin was amazing. Two meats which are under-represented at American tables – rabbit and guinea fowl.
Scallops are difficult to serve, as they are often under- or over-cooked. This chef found the sweet spot, and gave us one of the most perfectly prepared scallops I’ve ever tasted.
If your mouth is not watering by now, immediately seek medical attention.
I did have a chuckle when one of the board members of the club cornered me during the intermezzo to talk to me about club membership. First of all, it’s a $55,000 initiation fee! And believe it or not, there is a waiting list. You basically have to wait for someone to die before you’re allowed the privilege of handing over all that cash.
I’ll pass.
When I was a child, I ate a lot of rabbit since meat was rationed during and after WW2. My mother made a great rabbit stew by first starting it on the stove and then putting the covered bowl in a box and stuffing hay all around it. It finished cooking all by itself. My parents explained the disappearance of the rabbits by telling us Hitler came in the night and stole them. I know *I* didn’t believe her and I am pretty sure my sister didn’t either!
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ok…Pavlov would be proud of me at this moment! Zs are such fun letters…why pass up a chance to use doubles of them?
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Scallops Nova Scotia style (I don’t eat this but I have): Wrap them in bacon and grill them on the barbie.
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Lovely. I’m glad you raised so much money. RYN: I don’t share your opinion. I prefer long cooked greens. Short cooked greens have a nice bite, that’s true, but the reason they get a bad rep is because they’re bitter if cooked short without added sugar. I prefer them without sugar, so I prefer them long cooked. If you have a good, short cooked, no sugar added recipe, I’d love to have it.
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A lot of the stuff there I’ve never tried but might be persuaded to do so. Watermelon and caviar is stretching it a bit for me though.
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I recall my Mother telling me about a friend of hers; a real estate agent taking a client to lunch and would you believe they served ice cream right in the middle of the meal. I was about to explain to her the purpose of an intermezzo but then thought: what would be the point of trying to explain a flavored ice to a Lutheran in Colorado.
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Compressed watermelon? That’s a new one.
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It is indeed a feast! Thanks for sharing it! Yes, I will cook the food and pass the membership fee for sure.
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