Second birthday party by Frederick Eckhard
23 August 2023
When our friends Poul and Niall heard that I had turned 80 in April, they invited me to lunch for a second celebration. They run the French Dining School in the tiny village of Kerrouet in Brittany. They renovated a centuries-old house in the village which serves as a home and a school.
Poul, left, and Niall.
A special treat for us would be seeing our old friend Chris. Our last time together was pre-Covid. He has a secondary home in the area and introduced us to Poul and Niall. Chris is a beekeeper, among other things.
There were currently three students in residence, two of whom were cousins, Meghana, a recently certified medical doctor with a special interest in nutrition, a graduate of the University of Chicago, and Emily, who just took a degree in economics in Dallas.
Meghana, left, and Emily.
The third student was Hillary, a judge from Sydney, Australia. Her husband was playing golf in Ireland for two weeks, so she took a detour to Brittany. She was busy in the kitchen.
It was a lovely day. Kathryn brought a treat for Scooby-Doo, a dog that Poul and Niall found abandoned in the woods several years ago. A red rubber ball. She became very popular with him.
We started with appetizers, served with champagne. This one was lump fish caviar with homemade mayonnaise and chives.
Meanwhile, Emily and Meghana joined Hillary in the kitchen. Emily was working on the first course, mussels in saffron soup.
While Meghana worked on the main course, warm smoked salmon.
The table was set on the terrace.
Niall sat at one end. He is the CEO of the Dining School—Chief Entertainment Officer.
First came the mussels and saffron soup.
Yumm.
Then came the delicious salmon.
Chris and Hillary enjoyed it.
There was the ritual assortment of cheeses.
And a strawberry tart for dessert.
We all enjoyed it immensely.
For you ambitious cooks, here are the recipes.
