Garnet or Garnets Curse

he said, handing them back to me. “ As for the curse, Paul and Ellen knew my grandfather was haunted by an imaginary curse. In fact, Ellen sat with him as his nurse. They had seen the tapestry and knew its story. Don ’ t you see they weaved it all together to trap you like a spider in a web? ”
    Aaron laughed. “ What a story has unfolded tonight. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. ”
    Robert lifted me to my feet. My knees were trembling, but my body felt airy and light. “ Come,” he said. It is getting late and dinner is growing cold. Tomorrow we will begin our plan to bring this battle to its great end. But, tonight let ’ s celebrate the end to a curse! ”

    Dinner Menu

    Aperitifs-
    Light alcoholic drinks and a toast— “ Tchin Tchin! ” (Cheers!)
    *Champagne or Pastis (an anise-flavored liqueur)
    *A tray of nuts, olives and crackers

    Le Entrees-
    ( Delectate choices of appetizers to enhance the upcoming meal.)
    *Wine: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis or Champagne

    * Roquefort flan
    4 ounces of Roquefort cheese-(or goat cheese)-1 cup of milk-4 eggs-1 cup of flour

    Preheat oven to 375 ° F. Bring cup of milk to a boil, remove from heat and add crushed cheese, flour and one egg at a time until fairly smooth. Bake for 35 minutes.
    Serve warm with crackers.
    *Liver Pate’ Recipe
    4 oz of chicken livers or livers of your choice-3 minced green onion-minced garlic- capers-butter-salt and pepper

    Brown livers in saucepan in butter and lastly add ingredients. When cool, place in food processor and blend until creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

    *Ortolans
    The practice of serving the little songbirds, Ortolans, is ancient history or outlawed in most of France. However, for your dinner party I suggest you have a little fun with your guest and go through the ritual. Traditionally the bird’s sweet flavor came from its fig- eating and being soaked in a rich liqueur. Here is my recipe for mock Ortolans.

    1 large dinner napkin for each guest to cover his or her heads-can whole pears (each person will need a half of a pear)-fig preserves-sweet liqueur and granola (for crunch)

    On a fancy little plate, slice a half of pear, spread with fig preserves, a tablespoon of
    l liqueur and refrigerate. When ready to serve heat in microwave and top with the granola, cover with napkin to present your Ortolans to your guest.

    *French Onion Soup
    Beef broth- spring onions-white onions-garlic-sugar-Swiss cheese-croutons-butter-and white wine.

    I use prepared beef broth, but you may make your own. In a large saucepan, begin browning thin slices of the white onion. Add a couple of tablespoons of sugar, garlic and a bit of white wine. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until the onions are nice and brown. Add the beef broth and simmer for additional 10 minutes. Pour into oven safe individual bowls, drop in several croutons, top with slices of cheese and bake at 400° F
    until the cheese is bubbling. (you may microwave) Garnish with chopped spring onions.

    Le Main Course
    Wine: Bordeaux

    * Beef Bourguignon
    Beef tenderloin roast-salt-cracked black pepper
    Sauce: beef broth- butter-chopped shallots-dry red wine-beef flavored and black pepper

    Pre-heat oven to 400 ° F. Trim fat from beef. Place in shallow roasting pan standing on end, (uncovered) sprinkle with salt and cracked black pepper. Cooking time will vary depending on your preference. When done, cover loosely with foil; let stand 15 minutes before slicing.

    While meat is roasting, prepare sauce. Sauté 2 tablespoons of butter, add minced shallots, red wine and stir in beef broth. Slowly add 4 tablespoons of butter and pepper to taste. Serve sauce over beef.

    *French Garden Sweet Peas
    Frozen green peas (or fresh)-minced spring onions-butter-sugar-salt and pepper
    In saucepan cook peas, slowly adding all ingredients. Serve along side of beef.
    Le Fromage
    Fresh goat cheese and fruit.
    Wine: Merlot

    Le Dessert
    *Chocolate Profiteroles
    These may take a little experimentation. If you don’t want to go to the trouble, I suggest buying them from a good bakery. If you would like to give it a try, here is a good recipe.

    Pastry : 1 cup-confectioner sugar-2 cups flour-2 tablespoons butter-4 eggs and salt
    Pre-heat oven to 400 ° F
    With stove burner on medium, heat 1/4 cup of water, add sugar and drop in butter. Once melted increase heat, add flour and a dash of salt. Remove from stove, stir in one egg at a time until you have formed the dough.

    On