For weeks, my mom has been begging me to come up with a menu to serve at her Christmas Work Ladies Lunch she's throwing for some of her co-workers. The only problem is, that one of her co-workers doesn't eat gluten. I gotta say, no cookies, cakes, baked goods, most soups, and any number of things that have gluten in them has gotta suck!
This is a perfect time to try out my skills, especially since this meal is inspired by the one and only Julia Child. I am making Cream of Mushrooms Soup, Sauteed Spinach Quiche, House Salad, and a luxurious Vanilla Creme Anglaise with Fresh Berries.
I started the Creme Anglaise the night before so that it would have time to set in the goblets I served them in. It was not as difficult as I thought that it would be, although I think that having a candy thermometer definitely helped a lot. I had to cool down and reheat the custard like 3 times to get it to work right. No fear! It was phenomenal.
The salad was plain tomatoes, lettuce...you know the typical salad. The Mushroom Soup was amazing too! The secret to great mushroom flavor it to squeeze out the mushroom essence to release its aroma and flavor into the soup.
The Spinach Quiche, you know I love quiche, was a real winner. S even loved it and she hates spinach. Sauteing blanched spinach with butter and shallots can really work wonders to mask the rotting smell of cooked spinach.
