Max and Simon's 21st Birthday Dinner Wednesday 18th November

Last Night, Max and Simon, two of the nicest guys you're likely to meet, jointly celebrated their 21st birthdays with a special dinner in the Old Library. Leaving nothing to chance, the birthday duo chose a lovely menu, worthy of such a special occasion!

We began the birthday dinner with a smooth duck liver and rosemary pâté, accompanied by apricot chutney and sliced ciabatta. Pâté (pronounced pah-TAY) is French for "pie." It is traditionally served baked in a crust (en croûte) or molded as a terrine. The crust, interestingly enough, was not originally intended to be eaten, but to hold the pâté together. 

 Not forgetting their vegetarian friends, the boys chose a lovely red pepper and mozzarella tart as the meat-free alternative.

 The birthday boys spared no expense with their main course of pork tenderloin (the tenderest and most expensive cut of pork), served with dauphinoise potatoes and caramelised red cabbage.

Dauphinoise potatoes are a rich and indulgent example of French cuisine, and the perfect accompaniment to the lean, sweet-tasting pork, and the tangy red cabbage!

Vegetarians were served a main course of ricotta, sweet potato and spinach ravioli. However, the chefs were to busy to photograph this dish, hence the file photo below.

For dessert, Max and Simon chose to serve the famous French sweet, crème brûlée with raspberries and chocolate shortbread. In Britain, a version of crème brûlée (known locally as 'Trinity Cream' or 'Cambridge burnt cream') was introduced at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1879 with the college arms "impressed on top of the cream with a branding iron",The story goes that the recipe was from an Aberdeenshire country house and was offered by an undergraduate to the college cook, who turned it down; but that when the student became a Fellow, he managed to convince the cook to give it a go, the rest is history!

Bon Appetite!