The stuff of legends
RAMON Pajares's legendary annual Christmas cocktail party at the Four Seasons Hotel, London, is an event worth looking forward to as soon as the invitation lands on the doormat.
Such functions resemble stage productions: this particular one had a pantomime theme, and was brilliantly executed. A large ice-carving of Cinderella's glass slipper was placed halfway up the staircase, and after being greeted, guests entered Aladdin's Cave.
Fried mini briques with quail eggs, and lamb and couscous were served. Mint tea was poured from an elegant brass pot and accompanied by Middle Eastern pastries.
As guests moved from room to room, wonderful cold and hot canapés were passed around, alongside more substantial items, such as cheese soufflés with sesame seeds, and steak, kidney and oyster pies.
The caviar station was a popular stop, and there was appetising and fragrant Thai food available.
Grilled oysters, mini crab cakes, haggis on tatties and fried potatoes with salmon eggs went down well with the Pol Roger Champagne, served from magnums.
What was so striking about the evening was that staff seemed to enjoy the party as much as guests.
A similar ambience prevailed when, a couple of weeks later,I attended a glamorous soiréein Paris to celebrate the 1993 Prix Pierre Taittinger, arguably the world's most prestigious chefs' competition.
It was an ambitious event, masterminded by executive chef Philippe Renard and his food and beverage manager Charles Dejean. Besides banqueting, Renard is responsible for Paris, the hotel's Michelin-star restaurant.
Bruno Cognée carved the centre-piece of a cascade of Champagne glasses; 1,500 real Champagne flutes were provided for the excellent 1985 Comtes de Champagne.
Apart from the foie gras buffet, described below, there was a buffet devoted to soups, one to oysters, one to Scandinavian specialities, one to rustic food, one to French cheeses (a small selection of 31 varieties), and one to chocolate pÆ'tisseries and desserts. o
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL
London
Robinson Crusoe buffet included: smoked salmon with garnishes and bread; marinated salmon with dill; Spanish seafood salad in shells; salad of fish and scampi with tagliatelle in shells
2nd buffet: Mediterranean prawns; Norwegian prawns; squid in lobster sauce; medallions of lobster
3rd buffet: scallops in coconut milk and pimentos, escalope of salmon
4th buffet: sushi of salmon, tuna fish, turbot
Jack and the Beanstalk buffet included: lentils, white beans, soisson peas, chick peas; confit of duck, confit of pork, confit of lamb and saffron;
Dick Whittington buffet: mini Stilton, Yorkshire pudding with rib of beef, gravy; fish and chips, goujons of salmon, lemon sole, scampi; French fries
Sleeping Beauty buffet included: banana nougat, cräme brñlée, bread and butter pudding; petits fours - truffles, tuiles, orange tuiles, palmier, madeleine, sablees
Hot food from buffet included: apple beignets, apricot sauce; pancakes with different sauces: Grand Marnier orange, Calvados and apple, caramelised banana, black cherries with kirsch
FUNCTION: Annual cocktail party, 1 December 1993
NUMBER OF GUESTS: 450
STAFF: 39 serving, 40 kitchen
CHAMPAGNE: 116 magnums of Pol Roger
ARTISTIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Rosalind Ackerley and florists at the Flower Room
PANTOMIME FEAST: Eric Deblonde, executive chef, and his brigade
STAGING ANDCO-ORDINATION: Christopher Thompson, banqueting manager, and his team
DIRECTED BY: Ramon Pajares
HOTEL LUTETIA
Paris
Sample of dishes served: une plaidoirie sur le foie gras - les matériaux et décors: fa‹ence, 5 paniers de coloquintes, 2 pyramides de pommes rouges sur un vase; piäce de glace: créature de rÁ ve et un verre; feuillage: "ruscus", laurier
"Les condamnés Á la guillotine": 5 foie gras de canard et 5 foie gras d'oie des Landes - terrines
"Les avocats": 200 marbre de volaille au foie gras; 200 terrine de ris de veau au foie gras; 200 presse de foie gras et artichaut
"La défense": 150 beurreck de confit de canard au foie gras; 150 nids de pommeaux champignons desbois; 200 risotto au foiegras
"Les amis de la victime": 5 pains de campagne; 8 pains aux noisettes; 8 pains aux noix; 4 brioches nanterre
FUNCTION:Soirée de gala,Prix Pierre Taittinger,15 December 1993
CHEF: Philippe Renard
PATISSIER: Thierry Bredon
MAITRE D'HOTEL:Franck de Weerdt
FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER: Charles Dejean
COVERS: 600
STAFF: 20 kitchen, 25 waiting from Ecole Maxim
