Beltaine [selectively open]
Beltaine was a very busy day for Ali. As one of the most important holidays for the fae, and the traditional day of taking power for the Seelie Court, the new duchess had the weight of tradition bearing down on her shoulders. Not to mention her first wedding anniversary. So she dressed very carefully, making sure there was nothing too likely to get in her way (ruffles plus fire festival equals bad).
Everything had been planned to the best of her ability: the menus, the decorations for the ducal estate that was now her responsibility, prizes for the contests and judges to award them. The traditional bonfire woods were waiting; birch, oak, hazel, rowan, willow, fir, apple, vine, and hawthorne (lots of hawthorne) were stacked in neat piles and waiting for the torch.
Although the real celebrating was to take place that night, a full day of contests had been scheduled both to celebrate the day and Ali's rise to power: the morning would see archery and fencing tournaments, dancing and singing and a poetry contest just before lunch. The lunch was cleverly planned to be catered by those entering the cooking contest. The afternoon would see a joust, craft and brewing contests, and then feasting beginning with tea and continuing through the awards ceremony and into the twilight.
And then the real celebrations would begin.
Tea:served at 4
seated service inside, informal buffet in gardens
entrance hall has a column of mirrored shelves holding champagne flutes and sparkling cider that's refilled throughout the night
tea sandwiches (cucumber and cream cheese; smoked salon, onion and greens; toasted ham, asparagus and cheese; herbed vidalia; cheddar chutney)
canapes (mushroom frittata bites; golden fig and mascarpone tart; caviar and wasabi-cream mini-potatoes; mini beef wellington; beggar's purses with spinach and cheese; venison and white bean crostini with black olive tapenade)
pastries, petits fours, chocolate dipped strawberries
black tea, budding flower tea, coffee, juice
awards ceremoney at 5:30, then music and dancing through the night
Dinner: served at 6:30
everything served in glasses (shot, martini, flute), on big spoons & other utensils, or as finger food
parsnip and honey soup with spicy sweet potato crisp, gazpacho shots with poppyseed and paprika twists, chilled avocado soup with red peppers, parmesan soup with truffled breadsticks, redcurrant soup with yogurt
mini fruit tartlets, fruit skewers, brie with strawberries on brioche crostini, cheese crisps, cheddar cheese puffs, basil chevre tart, caprese skewers with flowers, carmalised eggplant tartare with curried nuts, gorgonzola quichettes with red onion and thyme confit caramelised fennel salad and celeriac puree, phyllo wrapped asparagus and brie, English peas cheese tartlets, baby greens salad with quail egg, tomato and pesto mini-galettes, mushroom pizza with quail egg
oysters Rockerfeller, lobster roll, smoked salmon mousse in cucumber boats, smoked hadock and leek quichettes, tuna ceviche in corn cups, garlic shrimp cocktail, scrambled egg parfait with caviar
pork tenderloin with bell pepper marmalade, garlic and herb crusted lamb chops, beef oscar, prosciutto and spinach pinwheels, duck and apple wontons, prosciutto and sage chicken skewers with red pepper aioli, venison curry meatballs in sun-dried tomato phyllo cups, sherry-soaked roast chestnuts with sage and chorizo, foie gras with violet marmalade, escargot topped with foie gras and truffles
bouquet breadsticks, saffron buns, potato salad with bacon and cheese, marinated soba noodles with crab meat and sesame, fiddlehead and morel salad, mushroom risotto croquettes, roast vegetable quiche, mashed potatoes with toppings bar
lemon drop creme brulee martinis, maple citrus granite, mini blueberry and mini cheesecakes, cookies, chocolate dessert cups, "Turkish Coffee" chocolate
Bar:
the bar is open all day
a tunneled ice sculpture on the bar is used to chill drinks by pouring them in the top and catching them in a glass at the bottom
pomegranate martini, rose gimlet, rising star, champagne hula, watermelon wave, black apple martini, butterscotch slide
Agua de Jamaica, juices, fancy coffees
Everything had been planned to the best of her ability: the menus, the decorations for the ducal estate that was now her responsibility, prizes for the contests and judges to award them. The traditional bonfire woods were waiting; birch, oak, hazel, rowan, willow, fir, apple, vine, and hawthorne (lots of hawthorne) were stacked in neat piles and waiting for the torch.
Although the real celebrating was to take place that night, a full day of contests had been scheduled both to celebrate the day and Ali's rise to power: the morning would see archery and fencing tournaments, dancing and singing and a poetry contest just before lunch. The lunch was cleverly planned to be catered by those entering the cooking contest. The afternoon would see a joust, craft and brewing contests, and then feasting beginning with tea and continuing through the awards ceremony and into the twilight.
And then the real celebrations would begin.
Tea:served at 4
seated service inside, informal buffet in gardens
entrance hall has a column of mirrored shelves holding champagne flutes and sparkling cider that's refilled throughout the night
tea sandwiches (cucumber and cream cheese; smoked salon, onion and greens; toasted ham, asparagus and cheese; herbed vidalia; cheddar chutney)
canapes (mushroom frittata bites; golden fig and mascarpone tart; caviar and wasabi-cream mini-potatoes; mini beef wellington; beggar's purses with spinach and cheese; venison and white bean crostini with black olive tapenade)
pastries, petits fours, chocolate dipped strawberries
black tea, budding flower tea, coffee, juice
awards ceremoney at 5:30, then music and dancing through the night
Dinner: served at 6:30
everything served in glasses (shot, martini, flute), on big spoons & other utensils, or as finger food
parsnip and honey soup with spicy sweet potato crisp, gazpacho shots with poppyseed and paprika twists, chilled avocado soup with red peppers, parmesan soup with truffled breadsticks, redcurrant soup with yogurt
mini fruit tartlets, fruit skewers, brie with strawberries on brioche crostini, cheese crisps, cheddar cheese puffs, basil chevre tart, caprese skewers with flowers, carmalised eggplant tartare with curried nuts, gorgonzola quichettes with red onion and thyme confit caramelised fennel salad and celeriac puree, phyllo wrapped asparagus and brie, English peas cheese tartlets, baby greens salad with quail egg, tomato and pesto mini-galettes, mushroom pizza with quail egg
oysters Rockerfeller, lobster roll, smoked salmon mousse in cucumber boats, smoked hadock and leek quichettes, tuna ceviche in corn cups, garlic shrimp cocktail, scrambled egg parfait with caviar
pork tenderloin with bell pepper marmalade, garlic and herb crusted lamb chops, beef oscar, prosciutto and spinach pinwheels, duck and apple wontons, prosciutto and sage chicken skewers with red pepper aioli, venison curry meatballs in sun-dried tomato phyllo cups, sherry-soaked roast chestnuts with sage and chorizo, foie gras with violet marmalade, escargot topped with foie gras and truffles
bouquet breadsticks, saffron buns, potato salad with bacon and cheese, marinated soba noodles with crab meat and sesame, fiddlehead and morel salad, mushroom risotto croquettes, roast vegetable quiche, mashed potatoes with toppings bar
lemon drop creme brulee martinis, maple citrus granite, mini blueberry and mini cheesecakes, cookies, chocolate dessert cups, "Turkish Coffee" chocolate
Bar:
the bar is open all day
a tunneled ice sculpture on the bar is used to chill drinks by pouring them in the top and catching them in a glass at the bottom
pomegranate martini, rose gimlet, rising star, champagne hula, watermelon wave, black apple martini, butterscotch slide
Agua de Jamaica, juices, fancy coffees
