Xmas dinner 2019

Some things were a bit different this year.

Black lumpfish caviar
Lactaris Petit Brie
Point Reyes Toma
Assorted crackers

Roast tenderloin of beef
Oven-roasted potatoes
Brussels sprouts sautéed with balsamic vinegar and walnuts
Mixed green salad with mustard vinaigrette

2014 Guenoc Valley Petite Syrah

Chocolate éclair (from Whole Foods)

Tea Forte "bleu mint"


I had been trying to decide whether to make a duck or a rack of lamb as in years past, when I came upon a recipe in the Boston Globe for a roast tenderloin that looked both very good and pretty easy. (The piece suggested accompanying it with a sour-cream-horseradish sauce, which we omitted, although I might want to try it sometime, using plain yogurt rather than sour cream, which we don't generally have in the house.) One thing I might do differently next time if I make this again: the roast was seasoned with garlic and fresh rosemary, which it said to chop very fine "until it's almost a paste", and then press onto the surface of the meat; I was not really able to get a paste-like consistency by chopping, and most of the seasoning came off in the pan when I browned the meat. (This may not have mattered, as I had followed the recommendation to put the seasonings on the night before.) I don't know why they didn't recommend crushing the garlic in a press, which I think I'd try next time.

Still, it came out very nice, flavorful and tender. The "10 to 20 minutes" cooking time ended up being more like half an hour to get to medium rare, but nothing was time-critical (and, in fact, it wouldn't have hurt to cook the Brussels sprouts a little longer).

The wine complemented the meat nicely.

The tea was from an assortment that I gave jwg of herbal teas from a brand called Tea Forte; this collection is called "Bleu", and the tea was in fact bluish -- I'm guessing they all are.