Three first-rate meals

 

Hill Court, Warranwoo, Victoria, September 29, 2014—

NORMALLY ONLY DINNER is recorded here, but today's exceptional, partly for the quality and variety of the meals, partly to reassure you that I do get three square meals a day. 

For breakfast I made three omelets, each with four eggs from John's friendly, prolific hens — just see how beautiful they are! The black iron skillet Mel had cooked last night,s duck breasts in had fortunately not been cleaned, and gave the omelets great flavor.

LUNCH ON THE PATIO was colorful and copious: a fine quiche, sliced ham, sausage, cheeses, green salad, curried egg sandwiches, blinis, sliced cucumbers and red peppers, dill pickles, beer and cider — a wonderful feast for three generations, hens clucking contentedly nearby, the cherry tree burning into bloom, the dogs lazing in the sun.

IN THE EVENING, to a neighboring town for a light supper — we're flying home tomorrow; I don't like doing that after too full a meal. It,s funny: I'd noticed some fine-looking packaged fettucine in a market in the morning, and that's what Elizabeth had chosen to serve. She made a sauce I'd never had or thought of, browning chopped onion and bacon, then throwing in chopped kale, binding the mixture with a little cream. Delicious.

Cabernet sauvignon, YerIng Station Reserve, 2008: deep, thoughtful, alive, mature, fine balance, good finish.