What was on the menu?
MAINS
• Fillet de Barbue Gallieni (grilled brill with wild mushrooms and truffles and sorrel sauce).
• Ballotine de Faisan aux Artichauts, Compote de Coings, Sauce au Porto (ballotine of Windsor pheasant filled with artichokes, quince compote and port sauce).
Brill may be the slang for chuffed but in this case it refers to a fish found in the waters surrounding the UK. It is an elongated flat fish — think of a sole — speckled and light brown in colour and has white flesh. It is said to make very good eating and the delicate flavour was enlivened with the umami flavour found in mushrooms and truffles, the latter a delicacy and strong-smelling underground fungus found with the aid of trained dogs or pigs. Sorrel is a leafy, pungent herb and sourish, which works well with mushrooms to enliven the flavour and colour of the dish.
Ballotine is a word used to described meat, poultry or fish which is deboned, stuffed traditionally with vegetables and rolled up and tied into a bundle before cooking. A pheasant is a game bird with a long tail, which in this case was deboned for easier and more delicate eating and stuffed with a mixture of artichokes. My guess is it would have been artichoke hearts, the most tender part of the veg. The richness of the meat of game birds works well with some sweetness and sharpness, and this came from the quince compote (the fruit is cooked in a syrup) and port sauce.
THE SIDES
• Panaché de Carottes de Chantenay: Selection of assorted Chantenay carrots, which are a short and stubby variety.
• Chou Frisé et Potiron Rôti: Kale and roasted butternut squash.
• Pommes de Terre Fondantes: Braised fondant potatoes. This a French-style potato dish where they are cut into cylinders using a cutter and then pan fried very gently in butter and/or olive oil and finished off in the oven in a stock and buttery sauce.
• Salade: Salad
DESSERT
• Parfait de Vanille et Pommes Caramélisées: Iced vanilla parfait with caramelised apples. A parfait is almost ice cream-like but has a much smoother, velvety textured cream made with cream, eggs and fruit - in this case the very English apple.
• Cafe et Petit Fours: Coffee with a selection of dainty small cakes.
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Decoding Ramaphosa’s meal at Buckingham Palace
What did the president eat at the state banquet in London?
Image: Aaron Chown/Pool via Reuters (Pool)
It was the first state dinner since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, and the guest of honour was President Cyril Ramaphosa, who sat alongside King Charles III and his wife Queen Consort Camilla while he rubbed shoulders with the best of British royalty.
By the pictures we know it was a sumptuous affair, each course accompanied by an excellent selection of French wines and finishing on a high note with a rare vintage 1983 English port, said to be one of the finest. If you can find it, it sells for the equivalent of R1,500 a bottle.
We know there was a hint of South Africa in the proteas, created out of sugar and painted with edible colouring and used as a decoration, and another favourite, butternut.
We know our president enjoys meat, chicken and fish so he was OK, but considering the menu, what about vegetarian and vegan options?
What was on the menu?
MAINS
• Fillet de Barbue Gallieni (grilled brill with wild mushrooms and truffles and sorrel sauce).
• Ballotine de Faisan aux Artichauts, Compote de Coings, Sauce au Porto (ballotine of Windsor pheasant filled with artichokes, quince compote and port sauce).
Brill may be the slang for chuffed but in this case it refers to a fish found in the waters surrounding the UK. It is an elongated flat fish — think of a sole — speckled and light brown in colour and has white flesh. It is said to make very good eating and the delicate flavour was enlivened with the umami flavour found in mushrooms and truffles, the latter a delicacy and strong-smelling underground fungus found with the aid of trained dogs or pigs. Sorrel is a leafy, pungent herb and sourish, which works well with mushrooms to enliven the flavour and colour of the dish.
Ballotine is a word used to described meat, poultry or fish which is deboned, stuffed traditionally with vegetables and rolled up and tied into a bundle before cooking. A pheasant is a game bird with a long tail, which in this case was deboned for easier and more delicate eating and stuffed with a mixture of artichokes. My guess is it would have been artichoke hearts, the most tender part of the veg. The richness of the meat of game birds works well with some sweetness and sharpness, and this came from the quince compote (the fruit is cooked in a syrup) and port sauce.
THE SIDES
• Panaché de Carottes de Chantenay: Selection of assorted Chantenay carrots, which are a short and stubby variety.
• Chou Frisé et Potiron Rôti: Kale and roasted butternut squash.
• Pommes de Terre Fondantes: Braised fondant potatoes. This a French-style potato dish where they are cut into cylinders using a cutter and then pan fried very gently in butter and/or olive oil and finished off in the oven in a stock and buttery sauce.
• Salade: Salad
DESSERT
• Parfait de Vanille et Pommes Caramélisées: Iced vanilla parfait with caramelised apples. A parfait is almost ice cream-like but has a much smoother, velvety textured cream made with cream, eggs and fruit - in this case the very English apple.
• Cafe et Petit Fours: Coffee with a selection of dainty small cakes.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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