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Well, my multi-course French dinner was, in my opinion, a success. Everything did not go exactly as planned, but that was only to be expected with something so new and ambitious. The biggest problem was the timing, which was not a success at all. I got everything prepped before I began even cooking the soup, and that was smart. However, I did not realize that when the recipe said the soup was supposed to simmer for 30 minutes, it would still need constant attention. It was a very complex soup, which I would love to try again. I liked the flavor, but it did not turn out exactly like it was supposed to texture-wise. I love the nit-pickery of it! As the soup is simmering, you have to beat oil into egg yolks one drop at a time until they stiffen and turn creamy. (That's the part that didn't work out so well.) Then you have to add the first ladleful of broth one drop at a time. My ladle didn't do one-drop-at-a-times very well...  So the taste was good, but I think the texture was a little off, and I don't think the oil was supposed to be floating on top the way it was...

The chicken, beans, and potatoes turned out great! The only problem was that they arrived nearly one full hour after the soup course was eaten... I must say, Julia knows a thing or two about cooking chicken. It was very flavorful and juicy, and perhaps the best part of the meal.

The fruit and cheese were lots of fun. Everyone tested different combinations of brie, gouda, asiago, green pears, red pears, apples, and grapes. It was fun to find the best flavor combinations.

By the time the fruit and cheese were done, I realized I was missing a key ingredient for the mousse, and it was getting late. We turned to our ever faithful standby, a good bowl of ice cream, for dessert. Myrtle also introduced us to Nutella, which may in fact be my new favorite thing. During dessert, we pulled out a game of Phase 10 and played and talked into the wee hours of the morning. I mean the really wee hours. At 4:00 we finally turned in after a very enjoyable evening of good food and great company. :-)