Humans have a fascination with food. Well, humans and Labradors. Yes, I know. I am part Lab, but that gene isn't as strong in me as it is in some. Food is not my obsession. I do have my obsessions, but food is not one of them.
Not so with my human and some of my canine friends. Case in point...humans watch the Food Network channel. Dogs, while they may be in the room, are simply there to enjoy the company of humans NOT to watch competitions involving food...humans throw dinner parties for each other. Dogs don't.
Such a dinner party was thrown on New Year's Day. I was not informed until after everyone arrived, but apparently, the party had been in the works for the previous week with a menu laid out by Gretchen and our good friend, Jessica.
I love Jessica and I even love her dog, Quillette. Yes, that's Quillette humoring the humans by wearing a chef's hat at the beginning of this tale. They'd never try to put that hat on me. Never.
So the menu consisted of salmon (wild Sockeye to be exact), orzo, ratatouille, and fresh Italian bread -- one of Gretchen's specialties.
But the
la piece de la resistance was Jessica and Gretchen's attempt to make a Gateau Basque or a Basque cake like the kind Gretchen and Ann ate in France this summer (yes, a whole vacation around food!).
Apparently, these cakes are quite involved and difficult to make, but Jessica was very excited about it and though a tad nervous, Gretchen was happy to play sous chef. She got out ingredients, she softened the butter, and she separated the 6 egg yolks from their whites while Jessica worked through the recipe with expertise and precision.
The cake consists of a crust into which a very particular cake batter is poured. By particular I mean that the process and ingredients are intricately balanced and whipped into something fluffy and rich. There's almonds in everything, ground by the spice grinder and then mixed with the flour and a hint of lemon, a zest grated into both the crust and the batter.
Next, the crust is pressed into a large tart pan and though we don't have one, everyone agreed that a spring-form pan would work.
Meanwhile, the guests arrived and though I wasn't thrilled by all the focus on food (and not on me!), I was overjoyed when more of my favorite people and their dogs showed up!
First, was Richard and his wild girl, Ginger!
Then Colleen and my best buddy, Monty!
Yes, I know this is not Monty, but rather pushy Ginger who not only had to be in every picture, but had to try out every piece of furniture we own...without regard to the humans occupying it!
Of course, all canines got some love...
...until it was time to sit down to dinner...
All the canines behaved remarkably well. I wasn't that interested in the meal so I slept on my bed, but the others -- Monty, Quillette, and Ginger -- they did their best to nudge a human arm or two in hopes that something would fall to floor.
It never happened.
Meanwhile, Jessica fiddled with the Gateau Basque, worried that something didn't look right. She even enlisted Ann to help her figure it out.
But they didn't figure it out until after dinner was done and Jessica asked, "What am I supposed to do with these egg yolks? Do you want to feed them to the dogs?"
Monty, Quillette, and Ginger's ears all perked up. I cocked my head. They were excited about the prospect of cooked egg. I was worried, but none of us got to eat any because Gretchen said, "Those are supposed to go into the cake batter!"
Whereupon a discussion ensued: Egg whites got mixed in and not egg yolks. Should the yolks just get added or should the whites stand on their own? The consensus was to put the yolks in as well with the hope that everything would turn out okay.
Did it?
Well, apparently the whole thing puffed up way more than anyone expected and the middle jiggled like Jello, which is not what it's supposed to do. In fact, it jiggled so much, Jessica had to be careful pulling it out of the oven.
Jessica felt awful. Everyone else tried to reassure her. All the canines just looked at her and wondered, "What's the yolk?"
In the end, it seems like it turned out to me, but then again, what do I know?
They sliced it up, scooped some ice cream on it, and not one of them left a scrap behind. Well, there was a little scrap in Richard's bowl -- ice cream, I think -- but he let Ginger lick that up.
The rest of us? Well, we just took in the dregs from the salmon dish fed to us by Richard and then lounged around while the humans rubbed our backs, scratched our ears, and laughed at their silly human mistakes.
In the end, it was a wonderful evening, I must admit. Even though I didn't understand all the rigmarole about Sockeye salmon and ratatouille or egg whites versus egg yolks, I sure had fun hanging out with my favorite humans and canine friends!
We walked Jessica and Colleen home, along with Monty and Quillette and on the way, Jessica vowed to "get it right." I think she was referring to the cake, but I'll have to wait and see when the next dinner party rolls around.
And here I thought it was going to be a typical lazy Sunday.
Little did I know that I'd be coming home to a bath, but getting to play in all the dirt and mud and cold river water made it all worth it.
