Course one was something that reminds me of our family holidays in France in the 1970s - plain artichoke with some thick, mustardy dressing. I love these, the others ate theirs but weren't really fussed about it.
For the main course, the bit that none of us were really that keen on was the chicken - this was spatchcocked and stuffed with a puree of black olives, garlic, and parsley under the skin, before roasting .
The dish of Provencal Tomatoes that went with it, however, were a huge success.
I did a tomato sniff test when buying them to get the ones that actually smelled of something. These were then halved and fried cut side down until brown, then placed in the serving dish. cut side up.
They were then seasoned andsprinkled with breadcrumbs mixed with chopped garlic, parsley and tarragon, drizzled with olive oil and baked for about half an hour.
These were served with the chicken and some new potatoes.
For Dessert, a 'Trio' of things that all of us like.
Lemon Panacotta - I added a splash of limoncello to this along with the gelatine to give it a bit more of a lemony flavour.
An orange compote made with sliced oranges and tangerines, in a caramel syrup with a touch of cinnamon, and a dash of Grand Marnier.
To go with these, a bit of a treat - some homemade Baklava - this is surprisingly easy to make.
Layers of butter brushed filo, topped with plain chopped nuts - I used pistachios and almonds and pulsed them in the food processor. Then another 4 or 5 layers of filo on the top.
The pasty was scored and then baked until crisp. While still warm a syrup of sugar and water was made - I added some rose water and a good squeeze of honey to this, although it wasn't in the recipe.
The syrups was then poured over the still warm pastry.
Once all three components were cold they were served - and went down a lot better than the main course!
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