Bite of Spring

While I may not be Stravinsky in the kitchen (or indeed for that matter on the podium) on Friday past the monthly Balintore Castle dinner party took place to celebrate the near arrival of Spring.

Clarence the lion door knocker greets guests in his spring flower ensemble.

These events were designed to cheer-up me and my friends, throughout the long, cold and dark winter season of 2019/2020. It will be interesting to how observe how these events will morph going forward into the Summer, and there have been initial discussions about holding a larger pop-up affair. However, this time round it was a small gathering: including some friends of friends who had come to last year's open day, but wanted to see the castle and more recent works in greater detail. I was only too happy to oblige.

table set for guests

Friend of Balintore, Elise, volunteered to do the flowers and the pudding. I was only too happy to relinquish control of said items.  The starter was baked aubergine with feta and pomegranate. 

baked aubergine, feta and pomegranate starter

spring flower centrepiece

The main was roast haunch of venison, with Thai sweet potato satay curry for the veggies. However, the best course was Elise's dessert. Her cheesecake with daubed with rhubarb in a ginger syrup; strawberries;  some pomegranate seeds stolen from the starter and even some dried roses brought by a friend from Iran. And to gild the lily, there was an accompanying rhubarb sorbet. One guest declared this to be a 5-star pudding, and he was not wrong. I dream of the pop-up upholding this standard. :-)

Elise's 5-star cheesecake dessert