Check out the post that I just finished for the Gourmet Club blog!
Way back when at our Italian feast Corinne and Alyssa handed out our invitations to the next dinner.
These adorable "boarding passes" were sealed in a doilie wrapped envelope. We were so excited to be "granted permission to board the Titanic"!
When we arrived we entered through the "First Class Entrance" into the first class dining room.
This sign was made by Alyssa with a wood burning tool she bought online. It is made to look like the exact sign on the entrance to the actual first class dining room on the actual Titanic! Wow!
The table was set in very formal attire, with creams, whites, red roses and red candlesticks.
They had curtains draped all around the dining room to create more intimacy, and to separate it from the staging area. Believe me, they had a lot of "staging" to do for this dinner. (That is Kevin behind the black curtain, Alyssa's husband, who was also dressed as a waiter. He did an excellent job of serving us!) On the wall under the family picture they had framed a replica of the original menu that was served to first class passengers on the Titanic, on the last night. That was a fun reference!
They were fortunate to be able to borrow many things, including this silver tea set, from Alyssa's Mom and Aunt.
They displayed this book that they used a lot in planning the dinner. It included first hand accounts from the guests on the Titanic describing the dining room, the menus and recipes cooked on board, biographies of the guests and even ideas on how to decorate and prepare for a Titanic themed dinner party.
The music that was playing was actually played on the Titanic. It helped set the mood perfectly.
Corinne and Alyssa - Our waiters and chefs.
On the Titanic there was a different wine or champagne served with each course. Since our group does not drink alcohol they served "mock cocktails" and sparkling cider types of beverages. In order to accommodate all those drinks, each place setting had several beautiful goblets. Corinne bought the silver ones from the antique shop owned by Tori and Holly's brother. (They had borrowed them from him for the Downton Abbey Christmas Party.) They were perfect, and added a lot of beauty to the table.
On the mantel they had framed photographs of the Titanic, the musician's who played till the end, and bowls of fruit. The guests on board described "large cut glass bowls of fruit placed all around the dining room."
On the mantel they had framed photographs of the Titanic, the musician's who played till the end, and bowls of fruit. The guests on board described "large cut glass bowls of fruit placed all around the dining room."
A couple of things they learned from the book they used were that "American Red Roses" were all over the dining room, and that the candles were covered with little lamp shades. Corinne and Alyssa made these adorable little candle shades out of vellum.
Each place setting had a picture and bio of one of the first class female passengers placed in a cork. Luckily we all survived the sinking. The napkins were folded like little boats, and the place cards were simple and formal. (The cut glass formal goblets came from the Dollar Store - so if you are in need of some nice goblets check out your local Dollar Store!)
The original menu from the last night on the titanic was much longer than this, but we are not as glutinous in our modern culture. Dinner is not the same event that it used to be. They were kind to our belt lines and condensed the down to eight courses from ten.
For example they combined the "wine and cheese" course with the hor d'oeuvres course and did a cranberry mocktail with a Brie Crostini Trio. Strawberry basil crostini, roasted grape & brie crostini with honey and sea salt, grilled pear, honey and brie crostini. These were so delicious with the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
The Mushroom Barley Soup was very flavorful and hearty.
They even made labels to put on the bottles for the sparkling cider. They are a mimic of what the pictures they found of the personal label that the Titanic had for its wine. They also had a photograph of our Captain.
In order to match the custom and culture of the time, they had every course come out on huge silver platters, and let each diner serve themselves the portion they desired. Their platters with the garnish and artistry was amazing! We were excited to see how each course was going to come out.
For the Fish Course they did a shrimp stuffed salmon. It was not what was served on the Titanic. This is Corinne's mother in law's recipe, and it is much better than the steamed salmon they served on the Titanic. It was SO good!!!
The honey glazed balsamic roasted carrots went deliciously with the salmon.
For the poultry course they served the exact recipe from the Titanic. It is described as the most famous and delicious dish served on the first class menu. The chefs on the Titanic were all French, and this dish, Chicken Lyonnaise, derives from the south of France. The vegetable marrow farci is basically a stuffed zucchini. It is also the exact recipe from the Titanic. The flavors of this course were so perfectly blended.
For the palette cleanser between meat courses, the Titanic served "Punch Romaine" which was sorbet with a little champagne poured over it. Corinne and Alyssa made a virgin punch romaine, with a strawberry peach sorbet, that Corinne made from scratch, and some sparkling cider.
For the main event they plated the filet mignon with bernaise sauce on mashed potatoes piped on with a star tip (in honor of the White Star Line) with a garnish of water cress. The plates were brought out on a silver platter, and each diner chose their plate. The flavors of this dish were so sophisticated. I loved trying all the classic French sauces on this menu.
For the salad course they deserted the actual Titanic menu, and went for this Nectarine Caprese. The real menu served a cold asparagus salad at this point. It was custom to serve a cold vegetable or fruit salad with a simple composition of flavors after the main course, which was always complex and flavorful.
I am so glad they did this! These not only looked so amazing, but were truly delicious and satisfying. Who knew that a stack of nectarine slices with fresh mozzarella and drizzle of balsamic reduction could be so heavenly? (They also plated these for us to make the process of transferring them more smooth.)
Dessert was fancy and exciting! Creme Brulee, French Painted Eclairs and Waldorf Pudding with candied walnuts. They warned us that the Waldorf Pudding might not be a favorite, but that they wanted to serve it to give a taste of authenticity. It was good, but once you had a bite of the creme brulee it was too hard to go back to the pudding. And of course, the eclair was perfection!
Our beautiful group. We were sad to miss Holly, who was on vacation, but thrilled to have Tara there as a substitute.
Top row - Brittany, Alyssa, Corinne, Tara, GG, Katie, Brenda, Carrie, Mandy, Emily
Sitting - Alisha, Tanya, Tori
For take homes we were each given a White Star Line Angel Food Cake on these cute little cake stands that they made. On the back of the tags it said, "till we meet again..." Angel food cake because they are all angels now, get it? And they covered the cakes in Italian Meringue using a large star tip, and then toasted with a kitchen torch. They were beautiful!
We were also given this hand written segment of the song "Nearer My God to Thee", which was the last song that the band played on the deck that night as the ship was sinking.
"Still all my songs shall be, Nearer my God to thee..."
