My tomorrow's soiree

[Arteum]

Hello, everyone I need your advice.

Tomorrow I'm throwing a soiree, there'll be 12 people and I want everything to be perfect. I've already chosen the music, and bought a new snow-white tablecloth, but I still have to decide what's gonna be on the table, and there isn't much time left! I feel like Bridget Jones in that first movie, when she had to rustle up something for her b-day dinner, remember?

I have a plan, and I want to know what you think of it, ok?

- we'll start off with Champaign
- then a little bit of Greek salad
- then Hot Mushroom Cream Soup with croutons + three kinds of French bread + white Muscat wine
- then turkey fillet with Tkemali sauce + mix of white and brown rice + red wine
- for afters: an apple pie and mulled wine

dear me, it'll cost £180 ($360)

so, I need your opinion.

 

[Arteum]

Oh, if I can resist the temptation.

 

[Swellegant]

Is this a sitdown dinner for twelve? My, that's ambitious!

If it's not a sitdown (and by sitdown I mean all twelve of you around a dining table, not sitting on sofas and easy chairs), I would definitely forgo the soup course, there's nothing messier than soup.

I'm no longer an expert on wines, but I don't remember champagne being a good starter... it's a little too palate-dulling, and definitely doesn't go with Greek salad. If you're definitely sold on the champagne, serve it with a cheese and fruit appetizer, and then serve the salad between the soup and the entree. Especially since your soup and your entree are both "white," you'll want something zingy in between.

I'm also not too sure about a red wine with turkey, no matter what color the sauce. You'll need advice from an expert on what red could be served with turkey.

I am, however, something of an expert on desserts, and apple pie with mulled wine sounds a little too rich. Cognac and coffee would be a better accompaniment for a sweet, I believe.

My main piece of advice, however, is to abandon the idea of perfection. Serve food that tastes good to people you think will get along, and that' all you need for a party to go.

 

[Arteum]

Did you buy all the ingredients yet?

Yes, except for Tkemali sauce, but you can buy it everywhere in Moscow, it's quite popular

Robert~Marlénè

Yes, it's a sitdown dinner

I've read all I could find on wines, and they say that both white and red wines go well with turkey, though white is preferred. BUT, we've already got mushroom soup that only white wine goes well with, so I think for turkey I'll have red wine - for a change.

Apple pie with mulled wine are so... good together, aren't they? Do you really think it'll be too rich?

and_rew

Thank you foryour advice! The point is, my guests think I'm a really good cook. Not that they're absolutely deluding themselves... but I'm nervous.

 

[Arteum]

And of course I've heard of Soup A L'Oignon! )) But it's not exactly what I want, you see.

 

[Endlight]

If you must have a red wine for colour, then go with a Beaujolais or something that light with turkey. This is a wine that will complement the sauce and not try to compete.

If I were you and making this diner, I would try and please my guest by serving at least one Russian wine, but very light.

I am sure you can get a light red of Russian vintage and will they be impressed; unless you bomb by getting a wino wine.

Good luck.

a graduate vignoble en résidence,

 

[dpnice]

My opinion is a slightly supicious one.

You joined JUB today just to ask about an evening meal you have planned for tomorrow. I honestly haven't had any experience of 18yr old boys organising and cooking such a dinner party.

So is this your first dinner party? How often do you cook? Who taught you?

I cannot provide suitable advice for a formal dinner party given by an 18yr old as it really doesn't seem correct that at your age you are hosting such an event.

Who are your guests? Mixed or all gay? Ages? Social background?

All these questions affect the "bonne deroulement" of a "soirée".

 

[Arteum]

dpnice

Hello! ))
I think I have to explain myself. Here in Moscow we don't normally throw parties. We do meet, of course, but it's not like a house full of total strangers, drinking and dancing. I mean, I woudl very much like to throw such a party, but I live in a flat (an apartment?), so it's either a calm sitdown dinner - what I call a soiree )) - or the neighbours calling police because of the noise.

I really like cooking, tome it's sort of an art. So my friends are used to hearing me talk about Coq-Au-Vin or Soup a L'Oignon )) Even though I'm 18.

My guests are my friends, most of them are older than me (20-26), two of them are actually younger (17). All of them are either gay or bisexual. Not upper-class.

Endlight

Russian wine? I didn't know there were wineries in Russia...

 

[justsimon]

I wouldn't start with champagne, unless it's well before the food.

 

[Endlight]

dpnice


Endlight

Russian wine? I didn't know there were wineries in Russia...[/QUOTE]


What I drank at the Russian Embassy on Charlotte street in Ottawa came from the Caspian region and if I recall, some also came from a region close to the Baltic.

I was sober but who in hell can tell the name when it's all scrolled and in Russian.

By the way, as someone said above, you sure gave us a lot of leeway for suggestions. I mean like the night before ??????

Maybe your friends would prefer a nice Vodka wine lol.

Good luck by the way

 

[flyingfree]

Russian wine? I didn't know there were wineries in Russia...

I can assure you that the Russian Federation produces wine because I had it for dinner every night for 2 weeks on a Volga River cruise. Wine is produced in the southern part of the country. It is very good (especially the red). I do not need to tell you that Moscow is a very expensive city so spending 9,000 rubles on your dinner guests is a very nice gesture on your part.

My russian is very bad but I wish you udachi and uspeh and my apologies if I used the wrong words. Na zdarovie to you.

 

[landers]

With the time difference it must be getting close to sunrise in Moscow but I hope you get this in time.

You should definitely get some kind of antipasti platter, a little fruit and cheese. Maybe even some prosciutto if you can get it, just don't go for the cheap stuff and make sure it's sliced thin. If you want something really good to go with desert and can find it, get some icewine. Germany makes a pretty good icewine I've heard, but if you want the best go with a Canadian icewine. It will probably be rather expensive seeing as you live in Russian, but it's worth it.

 

[Arteum]

Well, I knew that Ukraine made wine (actually, only its one part - Crimea), and that there were many wineries in Moldova, but Russian wine... I've heard something of Krasnodarian wine (it's a region next to Black Sea), but Baltika (a region next to Baltic sea) is too cold. It's like having wineries in Canada )

Thank you all guys, I've just got up, still sleepy, I shouldn't have gone to bed that late.

My russian is very bad but I wish you udachi and uspeh and my apologies if I used the wrong words. Na zdarovie to you.

Спасибо, тебе того же)

 

[landers]

There's lots of great, world renowned wineries in Canada. And we use the cold to make the world's best Icewine.