Have I told you how much fun it is to be in the high school stage of life?! Here is just another delightful example of why this age has been my favorite! Two of Ella's sweet best friends, Ruth and Ansley, loooove to cook and wanted to give Ella and Ben a very special first Valentines Day together. They asked if they could make them a gourmet meal and serve it outside in the orchard for a romantic, memorable date night. As the girls planned, though, the idea and menu got bigger and bigger and they realized it was too much for two people, so they had the idea to include other couples too-- and we lucky parents got the invite! I mean, come on! How creative and generous is this?!
We were each sent a formal invitation and menu.
Our awesome kids were totally cool with going on a triple date with their parents.
The setting was idyllic! Ruth's family farms almonds, so their home is in the middle of their blossoming orchard. The night we did this was even the day the farmers call "Full Bloom"-- no pedals on the ground yet, ALL flowers open and still on the trees. The pretty almond blossoms plus the gorgeous poolside and candlelit table our chefs set was all just spectacular!
Another fun detail of the night was that all the little sisters were the servers! They were told to wear black and come early for training. They added levity and charm to the formality of the evening! Delia came out with this mountain of amazing herbed focaccia bread and said, "It's SO good, but don't fill up on bread! I've seen the food and you'll want to save room!" They checked on us over and over and made sure we were lacking for nothing!
It was seriously one of the best meals I've ever had. I heard the grilled salmon was to die for, but not being a big fish fan, our chefs thoughtfully served me chicken, which was also divine. My favorite course may have been the soup course, though. Spicy and sweet butternut squash with microgreens picked right from their garden (when they ran out, Delia had to quick go pick more!), crispy croutons, hazelnuts, and an artistically drizzled tart crème fraiche. Yum!
Delia ate in the kitchen and, I think, had mostly dessert for dinner! Warm Ghirardelli brownies with homemade caramel gelato and a whiskey salted caramel sauce that I could have eaten with a spoon!
Chefs and sister servers and their kitchen shenanigans! I love how much fun guests and workers alike had all night!
There was no detail that was not thought of-- from the calligraphy place cards to the suggested wine pairings to the warm blankets, fun drinks, and homemade snacks around the fire our hosts ended the night with! When I hugged Ella goodnight I thanked her for having such cool friends.
1 comment:
What a fun and creative idea! Ella has such awesome friends. How kind that they wanted to do this for all of you. It looks like it was a wonderful evening with lots of delicious food. And how fun for Delia and the sisters to serve at the meal. Wine pairings? Amazing!
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