Julana wrote:

> Because we had quite a few Muslim guests, I tried to provide a large
> number of halal dishes, and to make obvious the dishes which were haraam
> (not halal).

I wasn't aware that Australia had such a large population of distinguished
Muslims. The most vocal Aussie here tends to disparage the "Lebos". Do you
live in a mostly-Muslim area, or was this intended as a Muslim-oriented
event?


> My only help was our 8-year-old clubfooted abo Boy Friday. He circulated
> the platters among the guests with his trademark winning smile, then set
> them on the sideboards after they'd been through the crowd. He also added
> charcoal to the battery of grills as I directed him.
>
> Here is the progression of foods leaving the kitchen:
>
> - Porcelain spoons (Chinese soup spoons) which each contained a roasted
> scallop topped with seared foie gras and a hint of a verjus dressing
>
> - Oysters with ersatz caviar made by separately encapsulating cooked
> spring pea puree and chili-garlic sauce
>
> - Skewered shrimp wrapped with lemon myrtle leaves and cooked on the
> barbie

I know that shrimp, scallops, and oysters are not kosher. Are they halal?



> - Demitasse cups of peppercress-lettuce soup
>
> - Steamed sea urchin in hollowed-out peeled-and-semi-dried tree tomatoes,
> with lime wedges to squeeze over

Also not kosher. Halal?



> - Blanched asparagus spears with wild lime hollandaise
>
> - Grill-roasted barramundi on a bed of samphire
>
> - Lamb: We had butchered 24 lambs for this event, and started cooking two
> days ago. The neck bones and most of the scraps were made into a lamb
> demi-glace, which was used in various places for the rest of the lamb
> cookery. The shanks were braised with non-alcoholic shiraz and riberries
> and served with sweet turmeric rice. The shoulder chops were grilled and
> served with schug and damper. The loin chops were grilled and served with
> eucalyptus jus. The racks were given a dry spice rub, grill-roasted, and
> served with an olive-wattle-seed tapenade. The hearts, livers, lungs, and
> stomachs were made into haggis. Some of the breastplates were braised and
> then grilled, served with a curry raisin sauce. Other lamb breastplates
> and some leg meats were cut into pieces and simmered with ginger and star
> anise. The fat was removed from the broth, then the broth and meat were
> served together with cooked rice noodles and the traditional "pho"
> garnishes. The kidneys and some of the legs were made into pies. I made a
> great cauldron of ragout with meat from various parts of the lamb, onions,
> stout, and a big handful of pepper leaves. (That one had to be labeled as
> haraam.) Some of the remaining legs (meat and bones both) went toward the
> demi-glace and some was left for *me*!

Are lamb lungs and hearts (in the haggis) halal? I was under the impression
that some organ meats are not.

Did you do anything with the brains and the tongues? What about the
sweetbreads?


> - As I was cooking, one of our neighbors brought by a crate of artichokes,
> so I peeled them, quartered them, steamed them, grilled them, and sent
> them out with a lemon beurre blanc. (The beurre blanc was made using
> verjus and lemon juice so it would be halal.)
>
> The guests were getting sated by now, and my second-or-third-or-fourth
> wind was starting to wear off, so it was time for dessert. Besides, it was
> nearly 10 o'clock at night, and we don't like to put our neighbors out.
> The desserts we
>
> - Rosella white chocolate bombe sculpted into the shape of the Sydney
> Opera House. (The Japanese diplomat -- ambassador? -- looked askance at
> this one, but as soon as he tasted it, he couldn't shovel it into his
> mouth quickly enough!)
>
> - Pavlova with passionfruit and vanilla whipped cream. Not as imaginative
> as some of the other dishes, true, but a consistent winner.
>
> - Macadamia-vanilla butter tarts
>
> - Flourless chocolate torte with cherry sauce and almonds

I have a very hard time believing that you alone cooked all that for 144
people in just two days. Preparing just the side dishes for the lamb courses
would take the better part of a day. Making the bombe would probably take an
entire day in itself -- *if* it came out right the first time. And just how
many plates and other individual serving vessels do you have in your house?
Or did you serve your soup in paper "demitasse" cups?

If what you wrote is not a *complete* work of fiction, I am intrigued by the
lamb chops with "eucalyptus jus," since lamb with mint is a time-honored
combination, and eucalyptus has menthol-like overtones. Can you post a
recipe for the jus?


> One of the more "esteemed" guests ended up in the kitchen with me as I
> took it upon myself to wipe off the front of his trousers. Oh, the
> sacrifices we make in the name of hospitality...Some jobs are easy, but
> this was a hard one.
>
> At the end of the evening, I was too-right KNICKERED!

Are those two paragraphs supposed to be together?

Bob