We had a small, but lovely seder last night. All of the new dishes I made were delicious.
We started the meal with my husband’s salmon in a tarragon sauce. The sauce was made with dijon mustard, fresh tarragon, white wine and garlic. I could have done a better job of decorating the plate with herbs or something. I will try to remember that for next year.
The next course was my matza ball soup which I have already blogged about. It was enjoyed by all.
The main course, Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Spiced Pinenuts was outstanding. I will definitely make this again. The sauce is a beautiful blend of apricots, saffron and ginger. It has the most amazing flavor and the crunch and spiciness of the pinenuts really compliments the dish. I recommend making this dish the day before you want to serve it to allow all of the flavours to infuse the chicken. We served this with a steamed artichoke and the rice below.
The disappointment of the night was the rice. It was a mixed rice, composed of persian white rice, thai red rice and wild rice. Unfortunately, the thai red rice colour bled onto the other rice and you could not tell there were three different types of rice. The wild rice was also not felt in the blend.
We concluded the meal with Nigella Lawsons’s Damp Apple and Almond Cake which should really be renamed. One of my friends said that the name is offputting and I would have to agree with her. However, in spite of the name the cake is delicious and very moist. It has just the right hint of apple and is not too sweet. It is dead easy to make and I will definitely make this again.
We also had my husband’s wild citrus sorbet which was made with wild grapefruits as well as a little lemon and orange that he picked from the trees lining the main road to our moshav. He also added a little simple syrup. You will never want to buy another supermarket grapefruit after you have had one fresh from the tree. The grapefruit flavour is so sweet and intense. The sorbet was cool and refreshing, and went well with the cake.
Your seder looks lovely and the pictures are great. I also made the chicken tagine and loved it – you’re right – very flavourful, eye appealing and worthy of making again. At the end of the seder my son asked if there was any left over and took it all – I guess that’s a sign of success.
The apple cake looks fantastic.
Hi Gizmar,
I am so glad your family enjoyed the chicken tagine.
The apple cake is delicious.
Chag sameach,
Michelle
Everything looks fantastic – seriously! Even the rice. I love your seder plate too. Now who would think to put the word “damp” in the name of a cake? Not that it matters if the cake is delicious, of course!
Your seder table is beautiful, and I’m drooling just looking at some of the dishes you prepared – all keepers!