The Pembroke College Cambridge Society Dinner Friday 19th March

The Pembroke College Cambridge Society (PCCS) comprises past and present Members of the College. Its objects are:

• to promote closer relationships among Pembroke Graduates and between them and the College;
• to compile an address book of past and present Members of the College, to publish an Annual Gazette and to issue these free to all Members of the Society;
• to make grants to the College.

Through PCCS, Members are given the opportunity to meet friends and contemporaries in familiar and sociable surroundings and in a leisurely and congenial atmosphere. To this end, regular dinners are held in London and throughout the world.

On Friday it was the turn of Pembroke to host the committee, with dinner on High Table. Our chefs selected a trio of dishes from the acclaimed Alan Murchison, and his book Food for Thought. Alan spent four years training with Raymond Blanc at Le Manior aux Quat'Saisons before opening L'Ortolan in Shinfield, Berkshire (first Michelin star in 2003) and La Becasse in Ludlow, Shropshire (awarded Michelin star in 2009).

We started the evening's meal with:

crab and fennel salad, mango salsa, lemongrass jelly and wasabi yoghurt

This lovely starter consisted off a chilled crab salad, sliced fennel, and tempura fried soft shelled crab. The combination of the sweet crab, mango, fennel and wasabi was sublime!

For the main course we served:

fillet of beef with violet potato, red cabbage, salsify and port jus

Medium-rare beef and caramelised red cabbage, enhanced with the addition of beetroot, violet potato, and glazed salsify.

 

To follow the beef we choose:

poached pear in red wine with cherry clafoutis and yoghurt sorbet

clafouti, is a baked French dessert of black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter. The dish's name derives from Occitan clafotís, from the verb clafir, meaning "to fill" (implied: "the batter with cherries"). Clafoutis apparently spread throughout France during the 19th century.

We served blackberries and blackcurrant jelly with the pears, clafoutis and sorbet. After dinner the committee retired to the Thomas Gray for their meeting.

Bon appétit!