They are the kind of friends that we are very comfortable spending time with...
we are all very relaxed and casual...
I think that is the sign of a great friendship... one does not need to "put on airs" or dress up.
Many conversations, walking and seeing some local sights were all part of our time spent together.
Friday evening we went out for martini's and sushi at The Oak Bay Marina.
Saturday after breakfast we did some marketing.
Cheryl and I decided that we wanted to cook a rack of lamb
to go with the exquisite 2004 vintage St Emilion grand cru that they brought home from France.
A visit to Slater's butcher shop for the Frenched rack of lamb.
Chiarelli's (the best deli in Victoria), for our assorted cheeses
Peppers Grocers for the fresh vegetables.
We also went to Hatley Castle and had a wonderful walk in the sunshine
(post to follow soon)
Olive the Senses for an olive oil and vinegar tasting and some purchases
and a quick stroll through Silk Road Tea Company for some teas.
The recipe is straight forward and has clear instructions
our results were delicious!
The racks were "Frenched" by the butcher
making it look very professional when entwined.
Truffle mashed potatoes
french style bean with almonds
Rack of lamb Persillade
followed by a cheese course
Roquefort
caramelized onion cheddar
goat cheese
Manchego
Pecorino with Pepper
The mashed potatoes were easy peasy
boil peeled spuds
drain
mash and add 1 tablespoon truffle oil
2 tbsp. butter
then fold in one shaved truffle.
Dinner was a wonderful combination of flavours
and clean up went swiftly with many hands.
We had a lovely walk at Mount Douglas Summit and looked out over the city and the Gulf islands beyond
before driving out to Island View Beach for another stroll.
We worked up an appetite for lunch and enjoyed The Noodle Box in Sidney before taking them to the ferry.
It's been a whirlwind of fun.
The leftover lamb is simmering now as Scotch Broth Soup
and the washer and dryer are humming ever so quietly.
I'm excited about The Hatley Castle Post
the stately home and grounds reminds me of Downton Abbey...
oh and it's the season finale is tonight!
Hope that you have enjoyed your weekend.
Hostess
XO
20 comments:
Sounds like a delightful day. Looking forward to reading your post on Hatley Castle
How about that final act in Downton Abbey. Cannot wait till season 4
Helen
Wow, what a fun time! Your dinner looks amazing!
The lamb sounds delicious. I love lamb but never cook it because The Great Dane ate too much bad lamb (mutton) in his Royal Roads days!
Trés joli menu avec des mets trés français Bravo!
Quelle joie de recevoir des amis et de leur faire un bon repas
Belle journée
Amicalement
MYRIAM
Your whole weekend sounds wonderful, and the dinner looks delicious. Don't you just love Manchego cheese? I would be perfectly happy to have just that with some bread and wine every night for dinner.
It sounds like a wonderful weekend. Rack of lamb is one of my favorites.
What a delious dinner ~ rack of lamb is my favorite entree. Ina's receipes are always dependable and good! I sounds like the perfect weekend.
What a beautiful time together. You will all remember your lovely dinner forever.
We had such a little dinner here. I opened red wine with smokey cheddar and Breton multi grain crackers. Then we had roasted red potatoes with olive oil, garlic and cracker pepper. Next we had red leaf lettuce with blue cheese dressing. Just a little very dark chocolate for dessert. I had some bread, too.
So now we are the humble ones! :) Basically I made dinner out of a few potatoes and leaves of lettuce.
Me, too!
Oops! I'm not sure if I've had that cheese. I thought it was goat cheese.
Sounds like a wonderful weekend with your friends. I love the menu that you cooked for dinner. I watched the finale of "Downton" and have so many thoughts but don't want to spoil if for others if they haven't seen it yet! Have a great week!
Elegant and beautiful menu! What was the dessert?
That is weekending in style just what I would expect from Hostess,great food,wine,friends + sparkling conversation.
Mine was sipping water from my sick bed stomach flu had me in its grip,hopefully not for much longer.Ida
You might have Sheree. It's a Spanish cheese made from the milk of sheep.
It is a wonderful series, I love watching it several times.
It has such a nice tangy flavour...I have used it on kale salad and the combination is pure heaven!
This is the first time I have made it and it was less intimidating than I originally thought it might be.
I love to order it when I go out and leave the cooking to the professionals!
Your dinner sounds delicious...love blue cheese on lettuce!
The cheese plate was dessert. We had a small bit of each type of cheese with grapes.
Oh yikes Ida...I do hope you are on the mend.
There is such a lot of sickness around and I think we all need some springtime weather and sunny vitamin D.
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