Text 2510, 135 rader
Skriven 2013-07-17 22:43:44 av BURTON FORD (1:123/140)
Ärende: Sunday Picnic
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Hi folks

Our bed in the Thomas Farms B&B was the widest bed I have EVER seen.   It
was 2 three 
quarter size beds welded together.   They had to have mattress,  bedding,
pillows, etc made 
special.   Most of you know I'm 6 foot two and when I laid side to side on
the bed with my heels 
on one side and clasped my arms  over my head,  my hands just reached the
other side of the 
bed... it was hugely wide!

Please Picnic cooks ignore things out of order or forgotten.   I am
extremely human!

For instance, I left out the scrumptious pan fried duck when talking about
Saturdays bill of fare. 
In what to me was a life time event, Michael served it with a 1985 Lynch
and Bages Pauillac 
Bordeaux!   A 23 year old bottle of wine that came from a case he had from
back then.  And not 
just a wine, but a Premier Cru that is way beyond my ken or experience.   I
know nothing about 
such wines, other than trying desperately to approach it with proper
reverence.  

The cork crumbled with age when I tried to open it, and Michael  had to
rescue  it.   He did, 
without dropping cork dust in the wine.   I can describe the wine as I saw
it, but I have neither 
the experience or vocabulary to do it justice.  Read ML's review.

I was surprised at the slight aroma that seemed to disappear quickly.
Michae pointed out that I 
probably mistook subtlety for a fleeting aroma.   The tannins (which are
part of wine that I love) 
were so old and rounded that the wine was slipping around in my mouth like
oil.  The 
aftertaste was sort of medium lasting to me. Maybe 35 to 45 seconds, I was
to nervous to check 
it well.   Robert Parker rated it a 96.   I would not dare to rate the wine
that was way over my 
head but I loved it and would have drank as much as I 
could get away with if I had the chance.   

You who shared Michaels bounty should know that his gift to us sells now
for well over  $200 a 
bottle.    He would never tell you, but I can.

Thank you Michael for an exciting half  hour of my life that I was unable
to convey at the time.

I just can't recall the order of foods, So let me just comment ad-lib, out
of order, etc..

Dale blessed us with his home smoked pastromi.  I savored two sandwiches,
and stoutly 
refused to take the offered pastromi home with me, much as I wanted to.   I
ate enough of his 
offerings without sponging it to take home.   (g)

We had Rose Petal Spread with some flatbread Haffleys sent to the Picnic.  
Very different and 
not sweet like I expected,   We had escargots cooked in garlic by ML and
they were wonderful!  
I don't think any of us Had it before. It certainly  surpassed my
expectations.    We had a bottle 
of McGregors Rkatsiteli-Sereksiya wine (Russian grape & Moldavian grape ) a
very nice porch 
wine.   We also had a bottle of New Zealand Cabernet Savignon... the wine
Michael has a 
negative fixation on concerning cat piss and grass.  Which I completely
forgot when I brought 
that bottle.

We had three kinds of Dale's smoked cheese.. lets see - smoked cheddar, a
smoked Monterey 
Jack, and a smoked peppery cheese I can't recall.   They were all
excellent, and all smoked by 
Dale.  Somehow that makes things better, doesn't it.

Monday at breakfast in the B&B, and as usual Edey had edible flowers on our
plates, this time 
big 5 or 6 inch day lilies.  Gail said we should give them to Michael as a
challenge.  I, of course, 
said yes!  Lets do that!   So we did. Edey was so taken with the idea she
had Gail collect two 
other flower types from her garden.   I must say, Michael was just
thrilled.   8-(    But he gamely 
built a beautifu lookingl salad, and made it beautiful tasting with
balsamic vintager and, of all 
things, duck juice or sauce from the duck breasts.  It was very good!  I
had trouble thinking that I 
was actually eating a bunch of flowers  ... and enjoying it!    

Michael made a variation of steamed buns, to which he added hoisin sauce
and  duck 
cracklings.  That was tasty!   I  could have had three more without
blinking, they just begged to 
be snacked over and over.

There was spaghetti with a garlic and butter sauce, and squid.  I had never
had a seafood 
spaghetti with white sauce, because it sounded too reckless to spend good
money to order 
something that did not sound good.   (smile)  Now I can try white seafood
sauce and spaghetti, 
with good expectations. 

We had  escargots and duck on Sunday, and it went over so well that Nancy
and Michael turned 
up Monday with more escargots  (big ones this time) and more duck.  Such
luxury!    One of the 
very nicest part of the escargots was mopping up the garlic butter sauce
with bread!   Heavenly.

When I was a preteen or teenager a neighborhood music teacher gave me free
singing lessons. 
once she gave lunch, and it was beef tongue sandwiches.   I liked it, but
never had it again.  Until 
Nancy served it as the evening meal.   It was wonderful, better than I
remember.   It was  a little 
reminiscent of pot roast, but much tenderer and quite different  in flavor
and texture.   Way to go 
Nancy.

My memory has run down.   Please forgive me for forgets and mistakes.   

I will always remember this picnic, and the crazy great folks who made it
so memorable.   
Forgive me for being maudlin, but it was a very moving weekend.

Bur
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