Tuesday, January 20, 2009
TV Dinner The First Look at the Menu for the First First Luncheon
Posted by Nicki Wood on Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 11:15 AM
When the new president sits down to lunch after he is sworn in, he and his dining companions will feast on a menu of American bounty prepared in classical style.
White House menus are interesting to dissect. They have to do so many things simultaneously. They should be a tribute to the guests' heritage as well as a marketplace of American products. Sometimes they champion the newest cuisine trends or health trends. Other times they have to avoid offense or cater to traditional foods or special diets. Imagine planning a tricky dinner party every day.
This one seems to be a repertoire of the classics prepared from a sea-to-shining-sea shopping list. Seafood from the coast, duck and molasses from the South, cream from the Midwest, pheasant from the Plains, apples and cherries from Washington state, and wines from California.
It's a subtle process, so it is hard to tell whether the sweet potatoes were selected as a Southern ingredient, or as a doff of the toque to the president's African heritage.
In some ways, the meal seems quaintly dated: no smoked paprika, tomatillo salsa, or black vinegar. And the dish descriptions lack the flavor profiles we expect now on menus: "prepared with thyme and garlic," or "Vietnamese style." Like what kind of seafood stew is it?
Still, it looks promising. The White House provided downloadable recipes, and the look plausibly cookable.
If you make it, report back to Bites--especially if you find pheasant for sale.
Comments (6)
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according to the TV commentary, it's actually a throwback meal ala Lincoln's inaugural luncheon.
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Mmmm, that Goldeneye pinot noir is some good stuff; I've been there and it's a really beautiful place. Barack doesn't drink, though...does Michelle?
At our house, lunch while watching the coverage was omelets with Swiss, salsa, and guac, accompanied by Yuengling in the can.
LMcK, do I know you? Because I know a disproportionate number of people who drink beer at lunch.
Some neighbors and I watched the replay and the inauguration address last night with plates of bacon/country-ham biscuits, Trader Joe's rice crackers, bubbly and sparkling apple juice for the Pinklets. It was wonderful, even with a sick little boy on the couch.
