Birthday summer lunch (3)

I'm stretching it a little when I say 'lunch', or rather it's the lunch that's stretched.  When my guests are staying the night and thus there's no need to worry about an inappropriate mix of driving and inebriation, I like to plan the meal over a stretch of many hours. Say, from about 3pm to 10pm. Someone really needs to make up a word that describes a very late lunch that stretches on into dinner.

Hors d'oeuvre in French means outside the work (of art),  i.e outside the meal, but I don't see why the hors d'oeuvre can't also be a work of art. I mean, just take a look at this cheese that my friend Andrew brought along with an sourdough olive loaf. A total work of art. French, of course.

 

We also had stuffed olives (a mix of almond, anchovy and sun dried tomato) and smoked salmon and prosciutto with a sour cream,  dill and caper dip, which was also great with the olive bread.

I wrapped chicken legs in proscuitto with a dab of quince paste and oven roasted them with olive oil and fresh thyme.  Here they are lurking in the foreground with the other hors d'oeuve essential...my favourite, Veuve Cliquot. Well, it was my birthday.

And here's everything ready to devour.

 

Pics by Nina