Richard Haly, my drinking, cooking and poetry buddy from the years in Berkeley recently sent copy of three of the extravagant menus he and I composed, executed and then consumed, once upon a time. This kind of thing will never be seen again.
WINTER RITE (Christmas 1981)
1979 Chateau Grillet
*
Duck Liver Mousse
1973 Lassalle
Cuvée Angeline / Blanc de Blancs
*
Double Consommé of Perch Truffled at Table
1979 Meursault “Perrières”
*
Quail with Oyster Forcemeat
Cèpes and Wild Rice
1972 Volnay “Taillepieds”
*
Leg of Lamb en Chevreuil
New Potatoes with Lemon and Mint
1972 Chateauneuf-du-Pape “Vieux Télégraphe”
*
Blancmange
1950 Chateau Gillette
LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS (Easter 1982)
Champagne Brut Intégral
*
Saffron Broth with Capers
1979 Chateau Simone
*
Tea-poached Trout with Lavender Velouté
1979 Hermitage Blanc Chave
*
The Idea of a Verveine Ice
*
L’aura Amara
Roast Rabbit with Aromaticks
Wild Rice, Pistachioes, White Grapes
1978 Côte-Rôtie Champet
*
Watercress and Pine Nut Salad
*
Pasta and Kulich
1971 Gewurtztraminer Eiswein
AUTUMNAL POTLATCH (Thanksgiving 1982)
50 Olympia Oysters on Copper
Champagne Lassalle
*
Chestnut Soup with Beads and Trinkets
1975 Pouilly Fuissé
*
Poule d’Inde en Forme d’Enfant
(Turkey stuffed under the skin with morel farce, reformed
and displayed with the head of a Mexican baby Jeebus)
Yams, Wild Rice, Quail Eggs
1971 Vosne-Romanée
*
Persimmon and Apple Salad with Watercress
(served on birch bark with pine)
*
Hazelnut Cream
1921 Vouvray
*
Marc de Champagne Pommery
Indian Tobacco