By Wendy Monro

We had another party at our house this weekend. This time it was a welcoming of Ella and my friend Amy’s birthday party. Yes, another combination party. Claud and I discussed what we would cook. He was certain that he would grill some ribeye steaks and make dauphinoise potatoes. I wanted to find some really good side dishes to make, something new.

Claud asked if I would grab some of our Conran cookbooks out of the cabinet. He wanted to see how Terrance Conran makes dauphinoise potatoes. Terrance Conran is Claud’s best friend, Ned’s, father. He has been creating beautiful cookbooks since Ned was a child. He also has owned some of the most amazing restaurants in London. In fact, everything Claud learned about cooking, he learned in Terrance Conran’s restaurants.

So, I grabbed Classic Conran and the Bibendum cookbooks. I knew one of those would have the dauphinoise recipe. In fact, both books had the recipe. He also found a recipe for an anchovy and herb butter to be eaten with the steaks. I looked through the Classic Conran and started writing down the dishes I wanted to add to our celebration. I decided to make tomatoes vinaigrette, Mediterranean pasta with scallops, seasoned olive oil for bread, and leeks vinaigrette. I also decided to make a pineapple and cucumber salad, baked macaroni and cheese, carrot cake cupcakes, and some queso dip. However, these recipes weren’t from the Conran books.

I created a list and Claud, Ella and I headed to the store. Claud went straight to the meat department while Ella and I found the items on my list. Claud was under the impression that I was making far too much food. I knew this wasn’t true. I’d grab an item and he’d say, “What’s that for?” I’d tell him and he would reply, “You’re making that too?” This went on throughout the store until I finally told him to stop it and that I knew what I was doing.

When we got home, I grabbed the aprons from the cupboard. We each chose an apron, except for Claud who refused to wear one. Guess who was the only one to splash food all over his clothes and had to change before anyone arrived? Yes, Claud. I don’t know what we would have done without Daphne and Ella. They helped cook and we finished everything right on time without a second to spare.

Ella made the tomato vinaigrette. The recipe calls for blanching the tomatoes and then peeling the skin off. This was funny because just the day before she and I were laughing and singing “The Guacamole Song”. If you haven’t seen this video yet, you’re in for a treat. Go to Youtube and search for “Dr. Jean’s Banana Dance (aka The Guacamole Song)”. It’s hilarious. In the song, Dr. Jean tells us to, “peel the tomato”. After hearing this, Ella said, “Who peels tomatoes?” I told her that some recipes have you peel tomatoes. Ella sang the song as she peeled the tomatoes for our party. If you are my friend on Facebook, you can see a photo of her peeling away. It’s really cute.

We also made leeks vinaigrette. I love leeks and had never seen them prepared this way. I usually just add some butter, salt and pepper. Sometimes, I will make them with cream too. This recipe was in the Classic Conran book. The photograph was so beautiful; I had to make it myself. Most of the Conran recipes are simple. He has a knack for creating uncomplicated, elegant dishes. This was a very straightforward recipe of leeks, hard-boiled eggs and vinaigrette. I am happy to say this dish turned out to look just as good as the photo and tasted delicious.

When we were finished making all of the dishes, we cleaned up quickly and people began to arrive. In no time, we were sitting at the table, eating, drinking and laughing. Everyone raved about the food. I guess Claud’s steaks were grilled to perfection and the butter was amazing. Our guests couldn’t stop talking about how good all of the food tasted. At the end of the party, we put any leftover food into the refrigerator. Even I was surprised that there was barely anything left. A little of the macaroni casserole and some potatoes were all that remained. Claud admitted that I really did know what I was doing when I planned all of those dishes. I asked if he might consider an apron next time. He said, no.

Leeks Vinaigrette:

Time: 35 minutes

Serves: 4-6

4-6 medium leeks

4 eggs

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Carefully wash the leeks. Cut off the root and the top portion of the leeks. Boil until tender (10 15 minutes). Hard boil the eggs. Peel the eggs and chop them. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, oil, and mustard. Mix well with a whisk. Season with salt and pepper. Place the leeks onto a platter. Pour half of the vinaigrette on the leeks. Top this with the chopped eggs. Drizzle on the remaining vinaigrette.