My French dinner

This weekend, I will be preparing a French Sunday lunch for four.

While living there, I was always amazed by the Sunday lunch traditions, and the effort that people went to to prepare beautiful old-fashioned, simple cooked meals. I hardly ever saw a sandwich. Once I was invited to lunch by a student of mine and his family. I was collected from my apartment at 11.45 and taken to their house. The scent of rabbity goodness filled the house.
We all sat down to eat at their kitchen table, with wine, napkins, olive oil, vinegar and crusty baguettes. The first course was a simple salad of various leaves, grated carrot and a plain vinaigrette. Eventually it was rabbit time, and the crockpot was lifted ceremoniously from the oven and placed straight onto the table. In the pot was a steaming fragrant broth that covered tender seasoned pieces of rabbit, winter vegetables and baby potatoes. We used our baguette slices to mop up the rabbit gravy from the bottom of the pot. Afterwards, there was a cheese board, with some Comte and a little piece of Pont l'Eveque. And, of course, yoghurt and chocolate to finish.
I remember being so full of food they had to roll me into the car. My stomach was rock-hard. Didn't eat for the next two meals.
Yom.


Anyway, for this lunch on Sunday I am going to take my inspiration from the above, however I will need to Australianise it and also make it reasonably light and non-stressful.

So far, the plan is as follows:

Nibbles: Not sure yet. Possibly, some proscuitto and olives.

Lunch: Roast chicken pieces, marinated first in lemon and rosemary.

Baby spinach and cos salad, with toasted walnuts, soft goat's cheese and pear. I am thinking about a dressing with orange juice, a touch of garlic and balsamic.

Pissaladiere. This is a traditional Provencal tart with caramelised onions, anchovies and black olives.

Dessert: Possibly, some crusty baguette, dark chocolate and fruit.

***update***

It went incredibly well!!I was very proud of myself, and I didn't stress or panic as much as I thought I would.
I made the caramelised onions the night before, and I marinated the chicken pieces in the fridge overnight. I squeezed over a lime (forgot that I ran out of lemons!), and then left the lime in the dish, along with olive oil, dried tarragon and some sea salt.
The next morning I got up and made the dough for the tart base and left it to rise while I went to the shop for a baguette and some unsalted butter.
The tart came out really well. I used mild Portuguese olives for the top.
I ended up not having an appetiser, just some dry rose wine. The chicken took longer to cook than I thought, about an hour and a half. This is due to my terrible oven though. The lime juice and olive oil made a liquid bath for the pieces to sit in, so they almost poached as they were roasting. Dry crispy tops and white tender undercarriages. So, we had the tart and salad while waiting for the chicken to do its thing. I lightly toasted the walnuts for the salad, and made a dressing from balsamic vinegar and orange juice.
For dessert, we were all quite full, so I just got out my cheese board, and placed on it some juicy grapes, some slices of walnut syrup cake (from the Greek bakery at West End: excellent) and a crumbled block of Club Mild and Creamy, and served it all with coffee.

I must reveal (despite my natural modesty) that I recieved rave reviews: it was divine, fantastic and delicious. I was very proud.

I also had made a table theme to match: a big white tablecloth, covered with a wide runner that I made from a length of cream and navy striped ticking from Spotlight. All glass and white tableware and cream napkins to match, and I made a centrepiece of small glass bottles, each with a green leafy twig in it, and the bottles sitting on a square white platter. Very simple, clean and effective.

For the next event, I am going to try Middle Eastern and/or Moroccan.