Issue 1247 - The Courier

Th eCourier Tuesday 6 March 2012
.13
24
Matches made
in heaven
What to drink with
what food
2nd
Matthew Higgins,
4th year
Medicine
Having spent five months working as a
professional caterer, my extensive experience
allowed me to attempt a highly creative and
challenging menu. The theme of the evening
was French and the food was as elegant and
sophisticated as one expects from “la Cuisine
Française”. The entrée was French onion: a
humble yet vibrant classic. Sweet caramelised
onions submerged in a rich earthy broth with
freshly sliced baguette topped with grilled
gruyere cheese. Delightful. Naturellement, the
main course was to be the real showcase of the
evening. Pan fried lamb chops served on a bed
of fennel and courgette with a delicate sauce
vierge. Simply divine. For dessert I always like
to offer a gentle palate cleanser. This evening
it was to be une tarte au citron. Again, an opulent
French classic done to absolute perfection!
Megan
All Gemma’s food was beautifully
presented, something I’m
hopeless at, and for me the fish
cakes were the best starter of
the week. The cheesecake was
delicious and her main equally
as good. For her entertainment
we all played charades;
there was some very dodgy
choice of actions including
Matt imitating someone have
a poo for ‘word sounds like
‘Who’’ in ‘Who Wants to be a
Millionaire’. The night was very
relaxed and everyone got on
really well.
9/10
Megan
Matt was the only one of us to make his
night themed, he picked French and we
were all asked to dress accordingly. The
dinner was all very French and the standard
of cooking was high, I was really impressed
that he’d made his own pastry too.
I’d never tried onion soup or fennel before
and was pleasantly surprised, the soup
was really well seasoned and the lamb
was cooked to perfection. For drinks Matt
made us all Woo Woos which is always a
winner with three ladies! Tres bien!
8/10
Gemma
Matt’s theme was all good fun... until I had to walk back
through Jesmond. I had never tried French onion soup
before but it will be a starter that I will choose again.
Continuing with the French theme, I really enjoyed the
main course of lamb chops with sauce vierge served with
fennel and courgette. The tarte au citron for desert was
really nice and I was impressed that Matt had made the
pastry himself and it had set well even though Matt was
sure that it wasn’t going to. Playing consequences was
another amusing choice of entertainment
for the week.
Matthew
After some pleasant conversation it was
time for our first course and having just
found out that my exam results were in the
top 1% of my year for the 4th year running
(medicine) I was naturally in the mood to
celebrate with some fine dining. Fish cakes.
My heart sunk. Main course was acceptable.
Dessert however, was literally mind
blowing: hands down my favourite dish of
the whole week (excluding my own starter
and main). A firm yet buttery, rich biscuit
base that even a qualified chef could boast
about. This was topped with a delicate soft
cheese layer which was brought to life by
subtle acidic nuances of raspberry which
cut through the creaminess to produce the
ultimate cheesecake. In all
sincerity the best I have ever
tasted in my entire life.
9/10
8/10
1st
Sally
Dressed as a typical Frenchman, I had a mild
panic attack when Matt didn’t answer the door
for a while, thinking I had drawn a moustache
on my face and just knocked at the wrong
front door. Luckily Matt was hidden in the
kitchen. The starter arrived, and unfortunately
my least favourite thing in the world is onions,
but I ate half of my bowl. We had lamb again
for the main, and I did my best to eat as much
as I could as I felt really bad for being so picky,
but the sauce was gorgeous and all the sides
were lovely. The tarte au citron to finish was
beautiful, and the fact Matt had made the
pastry himself impressed me. We had hilarious
game of consequences and were highly
entertained by Matt’s resident tagalong, it was
a moustachalicious evening.
8/10
25
Gemma Turner
third year
English Literature
For my Come Dine with Me evening I
made homemade fish cakes with a sweet
chilli dressing and side garnish for the
starter. It was the first time I’d made fish
cakes however they didn’t fall apart when I
was frying them and I think they turned out
well. My main course was chicken wrapped
in bacon with a creamy leek sauce served with
roast potatoes and broccoli. I chose to make this
main course as it is one of my favourite meals. To
finish off the meal I made white chocolate and raspberry
cheesecake. I chose to make this cheesecake for dessert as
everyone seems to have enjoyed it when I’ve made it for
occasions before. My secret ingredient is the white chocolate
and vanilla essence in the topping of the cheesecake.
Sally
I saw Gemma before her meal and she was really nervous,
which was completely unwarranted as all her food was beautiful.
We started with homemade fishcakes, a triumph on its own,
they were the best fishcakes I have ever had. The main course of
chicken in a cheese and leek sauce was lovely, although simple
it was really tasty and the sauce was particularly good, that I
actually asked for more. Gemma did my favourite dessert of
the week as I absolutely love cheesecake and she won me over
completely with her white chocolate and raspberry one (which
she injured herself to make for us), it was so yummy and I could
have happily eaten more. We played charades which just led to
realisation that none of us should ever take up acting and Matt
knows some socially unacceptable poses. Gemma’s food was so
nice, and I particularly appreciated the effort she
went to by stealing a table from across the road.
7/10
Canapes with Kir Royal
Canapés are a great way to get the evening
started before the dinner
is served, and a cocktail is the
perfect accompaniment to any
hors d’oeuvres. For example, if
you opt for some goat’s cheese
and caramelised onion stuffed
pastry nibbles or baked honey
brie with crackers, try making
Kir Royal for your guests. This
cocktail is champagne based with
a splash of crème de cassis. Kir
Royal is known as an aperitif,
which means it is usually
served before a meal to stimulate
your appetite, making it perfect to pair
with canapés.
Seafood with Pinot Grigio
Moving onto the starter. If you
choose to go with a seafood-
based course, say something with
prawns or scallops, then open
a bottle of Pinot Grigio. This
white wine sometimes gets a bad
rep for being boring, but
its light and crisp flavour is
what makes it a great wine
to pair with anything fishy.
The other plus to Pinot Grigio
is that buying a bottle wont
break the bank. At Tesco,
Pinot Grigio generally runs between £5
and £10.
Filet mignon with Pinot Noir
If you choose to cook red meat for
your main course then red wine
is the best match. A medium-rare
filet mignon is hard to resist,
and a glass of Pinot Noir will
compliment it nicely. Hailing
from the Burgundy region of
France, this wine combines
flavours of fruits and spices.
For those who aren’t keen on
red wine, Pinot Noir is generally
a lighter red, compared to
a heavier wine like a Cabernet-
Sauvignon. Like Pinot Grigio,
Pinot Noir can be fairly inexpensive.
Curry with Kingfisher
While wines are great for most
meals, let’s not overlook
beer’s ability to accompany
dinner. Light beers go well
with spicy foods, so if you’re
making a curry then try the
popular Indian beer, King-
fisher. This beer is usually
recommended alongside rich,
spicy food because of its light,
crisp taste. Light beers are also
less filling than darker beers, which make
them a better match for heavier meals.
9
Chocolate with Muscat
with spicy foods, so if you’re
8
To finish off your dinner, try a
Black Muscat wine with your
dessert. Muscat is specifically
known as a dessert wine because
of its sweet flavour, and
can go well with chocolatebased
desserts. Pair it with a
chocolate soufflé to polish off
your last course.
Alexandra Carr