A French Laundry Lunch (at Pembroke College)

If a chef wants to cook Michelin standard food, they won't go far wrong by purchasing the French laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller. This famous cookbook is full of amazingly beautiful and intricate recipes, taken straight from Thomas' three-Michelin Starred French Laundry Restaurant in Napa Valley, California.

At Pembroke we prepare recipes from many cookbooks, however the French Laundry Cookbook is the book we turn to for special events, such as today's Round Table Lunch, hosted by The Master.

We began today's lunch with fontina cheese and chestnut filled agnolotti. This great homemade Italian pasta was served on a smooth celeriac puree, and garnished with fried basil and Paremsan shavings.

 For the main course we served pan-fried monkfish, braised oxtail, salsify, ceps and a fondant potato. This "surf and turf" dish combines the rich, slow-cooked meaty flavour of oxtail, with the solid and sustaintial texture of pan-fried monkfish.

 Dessert was Île Flottante, or floating island in English. This well-known dish of soft meringue is served on  crème Anglaise sauce, and garnished with mint oil and chocolate tuile crisps.

We hope you've enjoyed this visit to The French Laundry restaurant, via the Pembroke kitchen!

Bon Appetite!