Dinner Party: A Tribute To Jackie

A Tribute to Jackie

Jacqueline “Jackie” Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis

(July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994)

Remembering Jackie

15 Years Later

My foodie girlfriends and I enjoyed another themed dinner party. This theme: A tribute to Jackie Kennedy Onassis. I have been dreaming of hosting a stylish, elegant, graceful "Jackie" party for years, and coincidentally held this on the 15th anniversary of her passing. We wore pill box hats and pearls, toasted to her memory, and cooked recipes from various Kennedy-related cookbooks including:

• In the Kennedy Style recipes by René Verdon
  
• Cooking for Madam by Marta Sgubin
  
• In the Kennedy Kitchen by Neil Connolly

Le Menu

Welcome Platter  

French Cheeses (Saint André and Bucheron), Fruit Chutney, 

Lucques Olives and Accompaniments

Appetizer 

(Served on Vintage Glass China) 

Barbecued Cajun Shrimp, Honey Dew Melon, Midori Sauce

Soup

Cauliflower with a Goat Cheese, Pepita, Red Pepper Garnish

Salad

Petite Caesar, Anchovy Rosette

Palate Cleanser

Rose Petal and Lemon Sorbet

Main

Mini Beef Wellington 

Seared Filet of Beef, Slice of Truffle, Mushroom Duxelles, Foie Gras Pate

Baked in Pastry 

Perigourdine Sauce

and

Mini Beet (vegetarian) Wellington 

Roasted Beet, Slice of Truffle, Mushroom Duxelles,  Gorgonzola

Baked in Pastry 

 Brie and Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Vegetable 

Fancy Ratatouille 

Side 

Green Risotto (recipe here)

Dessert 

Poached Pears in Pepper and Bay Scented Wine

Handmade Vintage-Style Pill Box Hats

I am so blessed to have such amazing creative friends. Everyone perused the cookbooks and chose a dish to prepare that inspired them. And this time, talented restaurateur (and seamstress) Gina Lee chose to sew the hats for everyone with vintage materials, true to style and form. Fabulous!

Wilson gets a mini pill box hat too!

Val's Refreshingly Unique Appetizer

Great for summer dining al fresco!

Cajun Spiced Shrimp on a Rosemary Skewer

Honey Dew Melon

Barbecue and Midori Sauces

Try this Midori Sauce with Shrimp or Fruit!

Whisk together 1 c. sour cream, 2 T. heavy cream, 1/4 c. honey, 2 T. Midori (melon) liqueur.

from In the Kennedy Kitchen

Noramae's Velvety and Complex Cauliflower Soup

Gail's Elegant Caesar Salad

Anchovy Rosette

Lauren's Palate Cleanser

Rose Petal and Lemon Sorbet

(rose petals, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and zest)

Served in rose petals on a lemon frozen cap

Basil leaf garnish

Pat's Perfect Ratatouille

Lauren's Beef and Beet Wellingtons

with Faux Pearl Design

French Champagne, Wines and Perrier

All the roses were from my garden.

Sally and Yvonne's Gorgeous Poached Pears

Poached Pears

Port and Red Wines

Black Peppercorns

Lemon Peel

Vanilla Bean

Bay Leaves 

Honey

Mint Garnish

Jackie Photos and Memorabilia

"The life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was her art, a finely wrought miniature that history enlarged and then tempered and finally veiled in privacy. As a Bouvier she inherited a tradition of elegance that became her way of life and her fortress in misfortune. She had a gift of grace, an innate sense of right proportion that shaped her values and her choices. Everything she did was done with style, a style that was shaped by her mind and her heart. She was civilized and civilizing; whatever she touched, she refined."  Hugh Sidey

We've Just Returned From Paris!

A few days after the Jackie dinner we left for Paris to celebrate my sister-in-law's 40th birthday. Joyeux Anniversaire Kristy!  We were walking to the Musée du Vin (Wine Museum) located in the former cellars of the 15th Century Passy Abbey, just up the street from Avenue du Président Kennedy. So of course I had to include this photo in my Tribute to Jackie post. And I cannot wait to share our heavenly "Parisian Gastronomic Experience" with you. Please come visit Taste With The Eyes again soon for a Taste of Paris!

My Legume Love Affair

HARICOTS

 À La Graisse D'oie

White Beans Cooked in Goose Fat

Merci to all of you who have already sent me your legume-centric dish for MY LEGUME LOVE AFFAIR! It's not too late to participate in this global bean event! I'll be accepting your fabulous dishes through the end of the month. I hope you can join us, it's fun, just go here for details. 

I know I am not alone in bringing home some unique food-related souvenirs. White Beans Cooked in Goose Fat? Oh. Yeah. Baby. 

So, how about you? What interesting edible souvenirs have you brought home from your travels?