Last night was our 2019 French dinner. Since many of the churches we saw during our December trip to Paris were built in the Middle Ages (Saint-Denis, Notre Dame, Chartres, Sainte-Chapelle), we declared that this dinner would hew to the Medieval Diet.
So what is the Medieval Diet? We eliminated ingredients that French folk would not have had access to during the Middle Ages, as they were from the Western Hemisphere. A few examples of forbidden foods:
- Tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Corn
- Peppers
- Squash
Fortunately, our friends were up to the task. Julian made a stewed chicken dish with leeks, cinnamon, ginger, and grains of paradise. He also made an appetizer of chicken livers over greens with a red wine vinaigrette. I made rice and two Medieval apple tarts out of The Silver Palate Cookbook. I had some leftover apples, so I poached them in red wine with raisins and prunes. Because great minds think alike, our next door neighbor made red-wine-poached pears. Others brought beans, vegetables, wine, pâté, and cheeses.
Some folks took the Medieval theme beyond food. The aforementioned next door neighbor wore a Medieval-ish purple velvet dress and read tarot cards. The two youngest revelers also came in costume. The Known Teenager came in an outfit suitable for Joan of Arc. We showed photos of the trip and gave out door prizes to those who correctly counted the number of dogs (real or marble) in the slideshow. It was a festive evening.
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