My Dinner on Saturday With Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette

For my birthday, my husband and I stayed at the Williamsburg Inn in Williamsburg Virginia .As part of our stay, we attended a dinner at the Inn called Founding Father's of French Cuisine hosted by Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette in period costume .The dinner was prepared by Executive Chef Travis Brust and Sommelier Philippe Brainos chose the wines. It was divine! The dinner was so much fun, that I had to blog about it to my fellow foodies.

The guests were greeted by Mr. Jefferson and seated at their table .When the guests were seated ,we were invited to the veranda for champagne . The guests were chatting while overlooking the beautiful gardens when a man galloping on a horse came up to the veranda and introduced himself as the
Marquis de Lafayette. Below are our esteemed hosts and Executive Chef Brust.



 

The dinner was wonderful .I never knew that Thomas Jefferson was ambassador to France after the revolutionary war and that he and the Marquis were great friends. This led to a significant French influence on American cuisine as introduced by Jefferson on his return from France. The Amuse bouche included fresh made country pate with quince and watercress ,followed by ratatouille, coq au vin and the luscious dessert Paris Brest containing almond cream and raspberry  puree. My hats off to all the wonderful and talented people who made this event so special.

More Difficult than Iron Chef

Normally I  give a little background on a recipe and follow it up with a ingredients and preparation instructions . This time I am going to propose that the network increase the difficulty of the Iron Chef competition .My suggestion is based on my recent experience at the beach with my daughter, son-in-law and 3 grandchildren .The new Iron Chef would be have the contestants in a galley kitchen at the Holiday Inn .They would be provided with one old saw edged butchers knife , one plastic cooking spoon and no serving bowls . They would only be able to buy there ingredients at the CVS across the street. The challenge would be to come up with a dinner for 7 under these circumstances. The Chef who came up with the most edible dinner would win. Now that is a competition I would like to see !