Holiday hosting made easy

Planning on hosting over the holidays?  Still searching for tantalizing holiday menus?  Look no further.

fig. a:  Team Foodlab

As you can see, Seth and Michelle are featured in the December 2014 holiday edition of Châtelaine, and they've put together a wonderful (and wonderfully simple), sure-fire holiday menu featuring AEB's off-oven roast beef (pictured below); creamed horseradish; a purée of potatoes, celeriac, parsnips, and white turnips; braised endives with mornay sauce; radishes & crème fraîche; a green salad with apples, pecans, and cranberries; Foodlab's elegant variation on cheese & crackers (homemade oat crackers, fresh fromage blanc, honey, herbs, and flowers); and, last but not least, Bourbon-soaked pear crêpes.

fig. b:  rosy roast beef

Frankly, the most involved recipe is probably the cheese course (pictured below), because it calls for you to gather a bunch of herbs and flowers and make your own oat crackers, but you could easily find a store-bought alternative, like Walkers Highland Oatcakes, if baking your own crackers seems like too much trouble (trust me:  it isn't).

fig. c:  Foodlab's crackers & cheese

None of the other recipes require any specialized techniques, many of them could be prepared well in advance, and all of them are guaranteed crowd-pleasers.  As the accompanying article puts it, these dishes are beautiful, delicious, creative, and perfectly designed for a holiday dinner party that's full of good cheer.

fig. d:  bourbon-soaked pear crêpes

You can find the entire menu HERE.  The recipes are in French only, but you'll be able to figure them out easily enough with just a basic grasp of French, and the entire spread comes with both metric and imperial measurements.

But if you'd like Seth & Michelle to prepare this menu for you themselves, all you have to do is visit them at the Foodlab sometime between now and December 19--they've got this exact menu on tap until then, and they'd be happy to host you.

And, yes, Michelle's authentic Bohus sweater did take two years for her to knit, and she does wear it proudly at every occasion she can, including holiday parties.

Tout le monde à table!  BYOB!*

aj

* Bring your own Bohus!

Oysters & Gumbo? Ya! Ya! (rev. ed.)

fig. a:  the oyster-stand

You heard right:  Oysters & gumbo.  

At the Foodlab.  This Friday, October 3rd, from 7:00 p.m. on.

And it's all for a great cause.

fig. b:  smoked cajun sausage

You see, Michelle & Seth will be shucking $2 oysters (12 for $20!) all night and I'll be serving smoked turkey & sausage gumbo (while quantities last!), and all the proceeds will go towards the Ange-Aimée Woods Memorial Bursary at Concordia University.  

We've said it before, but we'll say it again:  Ange-Aimée was a fantastic journalist and a devoted friend.  She loved great food and good parties.  She was also a big fan of the Foodlab.  We can't think of a better way to honour Ange-Aimée's memory and to benefit a bursary that will continue to share her incredible warmth & generosity with others for years to come.

Eat, drink, & be merry!  Give Generously!  And laissez bon temps rouler!

Oh, yeah.  One last thing:  There's going to be a raffle, too!

Among the many prizes:

--dinner for two + wine at Foodlab

--a Prospector Films Prize Pack (featuring DVDs of Rhymes for Young Ghouls and Last Woman Standing and posters for Last Woman Standing and Sorry, Rabbi)

--a haircut at Salon Sweet William

--a signed copy of Sean Michaels' Us, Conductors

&

--a Beaver Shepherd Prize Pack (featuring two limited-edition and out-of-print Beaver Shepherd LPs, 1 limited-edition Beaver Shepherd t-shirt, 1 limited-edition Beaver Shepherd print, AND 1 $40 gift certificate for dinner and drinks at Bethlehem XXX!)

Feelin' lucky?

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Oyster & Gumbo Feast

Friday, October 3, 2014

7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Foodlab

1201 St-Laurent Blvd.

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aj