Corsica: Undiscovered Paradise and Foodie Heaven

What: My honeymoon
Where: Corsica, France

Red-tinged Calanches in Scandola Marine Reserve This Search takes me (and my new husband, Matt) to the amazing island of Corsica, France. Corsica is roughly the size of Puerto Rico and has around 300,000 inhabitants. It is located in the Mediterranean Sea, very close to Sardinia, Italy and about an hour plane flight from Nice, France.

Despite it's relatively small size, Corsica is divided into many distinct, fascinating and gorgeous regions. We were not able to cover all of Corsica during our ten-day honeymoon but we covered a considerable amount, focusing mainly on the Coastal South-Southwest regions and Central Corsica.

Sun setting over the ocean in the city of Bonifacio Corsica has managed to remain, in a way, off the beaten path. The island has so much to offer, from shocking natural beauty to amazing food. But you don't see sprawling "Come to Corsica!" ads in the subway or a "Cuisine of Corsica" feature in Food and Wine. There are no major hotel chains (except 2 Club Med's), no McDonald's, no celebrity-chef owned restaurants. There are tourists, but they are mostly European. There are almost no Americans and almost no English is spoken anywhere.

Corsica is uniquely self-sufficient and independent. Virtually all products in Corsica--from the wine, to the cheese, to the bottled water, to the clothing and the music--are local and can be found nowhere else but on this island. It’s hard to convey just how pervasive this commitment to local products really is. But it is one of the main reasons why this island is so special and so unusual. You become totally immersed in all things Corsican. Your travel experience is shaped and defined by this sense of being in a place that is somehow isolated from the rest of the world.

Santa Giulia: One of many beautiful Corsican beaches Corsica is an island that cannot easily be defined. It’s French but also Italian. It’s terrain is the most mountainous in Europe, featuring one of the worlds most strenuous hikes, yet its coast is lined with beaches that rival any in the Caribbean. Its people are so fiercely nationalistic, so thoroughly proud to be Corsican, that it is utterly impossible not to know exactly where you are at every moment you spend on this magical island. You are not in France. You are not in Italy, or even Europe for that matter. You are in Kalliste, the term the ancient Greeks used for Corsica which simply means, “the most beautiful.”

Sunset over the town of Porto I realize, as you read the following posts (this is the first of several Corsica related entries to come), that I may sound like I work for the Corsican tourism board. It's true I'm a little enthusiastic about this island. A tad obsessed maybe. But I have been lucky enough to travel a great deal throughout my life and I have visited many wonderful and extraordinary places. And I have never loved any of them as much as I loved Corsica.

Hopefully, these posts will inspire you to visit. If my writing doesn’t convince you, our pictures definitely will. I think everyone should put Corsica on their list of must-go to travel destinations. It's that awesome. I'm already planning my return trip…And as a famous Corsican proverb goes (In Corsican dialect):

Chi va e volta, bon' viaghju faci: He who leaves and then returns, had a good trip.

CORSICA: THE NATURAL BEAUTY

There is a reason why the Ancient Greeks called Corsica "Kalliste" or "most beautiful" and the French call Corsica "L'Ile De Beaute", or "Beautiful island." Corsica is gorgeous. And what's so cool about Corsica's beauty is the amazing variety of natural wonders it contains. There is an endless array of breathtaking scenery.

Typically narrow road on way from Porto to Corte Before I go into the many beautiful aspects of Corsica’s natural landscape, a quick word on driving here. Corsica is known for it's difficult driving conditions. Driving is stressful and you shouldn't underestimate how challenging it is. The roads are very narrow and they are often perched high above sheer drops and rocky cliffs. And Corsican drivers are fast and aggressive.

View of the Calanches on the dizzying road from Ajaccio to Porto That said, the only way you can fully explore Corsica is by renting a car (or hiring a driver). You cannot rely on the limited public transportation if you want to cover a lot of ground and really get to know the island. Yes, the drives are often terrifying. But as long as you are a good and confident driver you will be fine. And you will be rewarded with visually stunning, striking views of the terrain that you will only be able to experience from the road. That is, if you are brave enough to open your eyes!

COASTAL CORSICA

View of crystal clear water at beach at Asciaghju Corsican beaches are astonishing. Absolutely crystal clear, turquoise blue waters and pristine white sand. There are literally hundreds of beaches to visit and almost all of them are worth visiting. Some of them are completely isolated. Others (and most of the ones we went to) have lovely beach-side restaurants that also rent out beach chairs and umbrellas for the day. The water is so clear that you can snorkel right off the shore. Actually, the water is so clear that you can just walk right in, look down at your feet and see dozens of pretty fishes swimming all around you. I've spent a lot of time in the Caribbean (see my post on St. Croix), and these beaches are as Caribbean as they come.

View from our room at the Hotel Goeland in Porto Vecchio The swanky town of Porto Vecchio is a great place to stay if you want to explore some of Corsica's best beaches. The main town is located at the top of a steep hill within the walls of an ancient Citadel. Our hotel was down by the Port and every night we would hike up to the old city to enjoy some of the excellent restaurants and bars this small, charming place had to offer. During the day it was a quick drive from our hotel to the nearby beaches. We had a couple of favorites but top of the list was the beach of Palombaggia.

PALOMBAGGIA AND THE SURROUNDING BEACHES

Our first glimpse of the expansive beach of Palombaggia Palombaggia is possibly the most famous beach in Corsica and was voted one of the top 10 beaches in Europe. It's a pretty long beach, about 1 1/4 miles and it is gorgeous, surrounded by rolling green hills and palm trees.

Crystal clear blue waters as far as the eye can see The sand is soft and white and the water is a delicate blue-green and clear as glass. There are a number of beach-side restaurants where you can rent chairs with umbrellas. We picked one and settled in. We spent the whole day lying around, taking swims and snorkeling right off the beach. We had one of our favorite lunches at a trendy beach restaurant called Tamaricciu (more on this in a later post).

Lunch at Palombaggia: View from our table. Not bad. Palombaggia is the ideal beach and a must go to if you're in the area. Keep in mind that if you go during the high season (June-August), not only do prices in hotels double or even triple, but beaches--especially Palombaggia--can get VERY crowded. We went in September, considered the “shoulder” season, when the weather is still warm and summery but the crowds have died down. I think this is the best time to go and enjoy Corsica’s beaches without having to worry about fighting for a patch of sand to lay your towel on.

Go to Palombaggia during the busy season and you risk seeing a lot of this kind of thing! It was hard for us not to go back to Palombaggia the next day, but there were so many other beaches to explore. I insisted we check out the beach of Santa Giulia, renowned for it's particularly "gin" clear blue waters and lovely setting. When we arrived it certainly was the warmest, calmest, clearest, most beautiful water I have ever seen. Unlike Palombaggia which is expansive and open, the hills surrounding Santa Giulia create a cove so that the beach feels very intimate and isolated.

Me walking down the beach at Asciaghju Matt however, felt that the beach smelled like raw sewage and he didn't want to stay. It's true there was an unpleasant odor that occasionally wafted through the air. I took a quick dip in the magnificent water and we left to find another spot. Luckily there is no shortage of beautiful beaches to choose from.

Playing kadima in the shallow waters of Asciaghju beach. We settled on the Plage de Punta Asciaghju. It was similar to Palombaggia but much smaller and less crowded. It was just as beautiful, with the same amazing water and sand. We spent another day lazing the hours away. For lunch we had a wonderful ham, cheese and tomato panini and french fries. We played kadima in the shallow waters while fish swam around our feet. The sun began to set as we finally pulled ourselves away to return to Porto Vecchio for dinner.

SCANDOLA

Sali boat squeezing under a rock in Scandola One of the the highlights of coastal Corsica's natural wonders is a stunning marine nature reserve called Scandola. You need to take a motor boat to get to Scandola and the most convenient place from which to leave is the little town of Porto.

View of the town of Porto from the top of the Genoese watchtoer Porto is a strange place. It is basically just a collection of hotels and restaurants with a port filled with dozens of companies offering excursions to Scandola. It's beautiful, nestled at the base of impressive mountains and right on the ocean. But there’s not much going on.

View of the Genoese watchtower in Porto. These watchtowers can be seen all over the island Porto was not our favorite place in Corsica. But it is an ideal base for exploring Scandola. We left the port at 9am aboard the Mare Nostrum. The boat first takes you past the red-tinged Calanches: bizarre, misshapen, dramatic rock formations formed by thousands of years of erosion. We first experienced the striking Calanches during our breathtaking drive from Ajaccio to Porto. At one point we even drove under and through the Calanches, so at times we were surrounded by a sort of natural and very beautiful rock tunnel.

View of the Calanches and the ocean beyond, on our drive from Ajaccio to Porto But now we were seeing the Calanches from a new perspective. As we sailed along, they loomed out of the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean looking like deranged sand castles.

Strange Calanches rising out of beautiful blue water at Scandola We were so busy taking pictures that it took us a while to notice the gaping marine caves and grottoes jutting out of the water all around us. To our surprise, our little boat took a turn and headed straight for one of the caves. We got closer and closer and before we knew it we were actually inside one.

Amazing blue Scandola water with grotto on the left. We are about to go in there! It seemed impossible. The walls were so close we could touch them. But somehow we squeezed in and then hovered for a moment. It was cool and quiet, with the soothing echo of gently splashing water against rock. The water beneath us was mesmerizing it was so clear and turquoise blue.

Approaching the entrance to one of the many grottoes we entered during our tour through Scandola Inside one of the Grottoes in Scandola. The walls are so close you can touch them! Looking out from within one of the marine caves. The mouth of the cave is the exact same shape as the island of Corsica. The tour through Scandola continued with more caves and grottoes and mini-mountains rising from the sea. We made a brief stop at the tiny isolated fishing village of Girolata. Girolata was once a thriving town but now has only 15 or so permanent inhabitants. It is almost hidden within the surrounding hills and seems to appear out of nowhere in the middle of the ocean. It is quiet and pretty and a little eerie as you walk around the abandoned paths.

View of the hidden town of Girolata from the sea Inside the town of Giroata looking out at the surrounding hills and port We returned to Porto after about 4 hours. The tour of Scandola was one of the most amazing experiences either of us had ever had. You just can’t believe how beautiful it is. If you come to Corsica, a visit to Scandola should be top on your list.

BONIFACIO AND ILES LAVEZZI

Houses of Bonifacio hanging over a cliff Another coastal highlight was the bizarre Iles Lavezzi, a tiny island chain that separates Corsica from Sardinia. To get to the Iles Lavezzi you take a boat from the extraordinary city of Bonifacio.

Sun set over the city of Bonifacio I can say without a doubt that Bonifacio is one of the top 10 coolest places I have ever been. It is a city built into and perched on top of striking limestone cliffs. It hovers over the sea at the Southern most tip of Corsica. The "haute ville", or the Upper City, is a labyrinth of narrow winding stone streets and medieval houses.

Limestone cliffs stretching along the coast of Bonifacio Walking around, you often forget that you are hovering precariously above the ocean. Then suddenly you turn a corner and you see you are surrounded by the enormous Mediterranean sea. Bonifacio has an almost Venetian feel to it. It is mysterious, ancient and magical.

Sunset over Bonifacio is a surreal experience. People gather at the Southern most part of the city to watch in awe The boat ride to Iles Lavezzi leaves from the port in Bonifacio. It is amazing to see Bonifacio from the water. You can really appreciate how unique and beautiful this city is.

View of the majestic city of Bonifacio from the water. Amazing We were a little surprised when our boat pulled into a tiny dock on an abandoned island in the middle of the sea. Our captain cheerfully announced we had arrived at Lavezzi.

The rocks and waters of the Iles Lavezzi It didn't seem real. The land was an expanse of dry tall grass and gigantic and unnaturally smooth boulders. It felt like we were at the ends of the earth. Or like we had just landed on Mars. There is nothing here and nobody lives here and it is very surreal.

The bizarre landscape of the Iles Lavezzi often looks like a barren wasteland We had a picnic on a smooth rock jutting out over the sea as ominous storm clouds began to roll in. We took an amazing swim in quiet blue-green waters among the alien boulders. There were no sounds but the howling wind and the crack of waves against rock. Occasionally a bird shrieked overhead.

Here I am standing under one of the many gigantic smooth rocks that dominate the Lavezzi landscape We were both a little dazed. The whole experience felt like a strange dream. When the boat came to take us back to Bonifacio we were happy to climb aboard and get back to reality. The water was rough and choppy as we headed back toward the city. The boat rose and fell in a continuous, nauseating rhythm as huge waves crashed onto the deck. We watched the Iles Lavezzi fade away into the mist that had settled with the coming storm.

View of Lavezzi as we pull away. Just a pile of rocks in the middle of the ocean We loved the time we spent on Corsica’s beaches and we will never forget our tour through Scandola or our experience on the Iles Lavezzi. But we knew there was more to see than what lay on the coast. The mountains loomed all around us, mysterious, both threatening and inviting. We wanted to see the other beautiful side of this island. And so we headed up and through the mountains, to explore inland Corsica.

Inland mountains surrounding a valley below INLAND CORSICA: THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE ISLAND

Heading Inland through the mountains You could easily stay on the coast, splashing around the warm shallow waters and basking in the sun. But this is only one part of the island’s immense beauty. When you drive into the mountains you discover that inland Corsica has a totally different character, look and feel. It is just as remarkable and stunning as the coast. And it is definitely worth a visit.

Gorges, hills and mountains dominate the landscape of inland corsica When you are in inland Corsica it's hard to believe that Caribbean-esque beaches lie somewhere thousands of feet below. Glorious mountain ranges, dramatic gorges and striking rock formations dominate the landscape. There are forests of towering pine trees with delicate cascading waterfalls and natural rock pools. As we drove along the narrow winding mountain roads each turn would expose another magnificent sweeping vista. In the distance we would see a charming town nestled in the side of a cliff or an expansive valley surrounded by towering mountains.

Driving on the road to Corte. Off in the very far distance a town appears in the side of a mountain Corsica offers a lot of amazing hikes. In fact, Corsica has one of the most famous hiking trails in the world, the GR-20, which takes 2 weeks to complete. Needless to say, we did not hike the GR-20. But we did take a couple of great moderate hike/walks.

The start of our hike into the Gorges de Spelunca The first was in the Gorges de Spelunca. After we left the town of Porto we headed inland toward the city of Corte. At one point, we paused in the middle of the road as a couple of Corsica's famous roaming pigs meandered across (there are thousands of roaming Corsican pigs and it is said that each every one of them belongs to someone).

An encounter with the Corsican roaming pig To get to the start of the hike, we drove down a rickety dirt path off the main highway and came to a small bridge where we parked our car. The hike is actually an old donkey trail used hundreds of years ago to transport goods across the difficult terrain.

Charming hike in the Gorges de Spelunca over an old donkey trail It was a beautiful walk through canopies of trees flanked by the expansive gorge and granite mountains. At the end of the hike is a cute footbridge and a series of natural rock pools. We took a brief, refreshing (and by refreshing, I mean freezing) swim in the pools and then returned to our car.

Footbridge extending over some natural rock pools where we took a chilly swim We continued up the mountain with a brief stop for lunch in the sleepy mountain town of Evisa. There's not much to see in Evisa but it's a lovely place and we had here one of the best meals of our trip (you can read about this meal in the upcoming Corsica food post).

Tiny road through the tiny town of Evisa From Evisa we drove on toward Corte but not without a stop at the Foret d'Aitone, a gorgeous forest with groves of tall, thin pine trees. The forest itself is beautiful but we were headed for the extensive series of natural rock pools we had read about in our guide books.

Pine trees of the Foret d'Aitone After a 15 minute walk we arrived at a glorious rock-pool playground. Cool, clear mountain water ran over smooth boulders forming waterfalls and dozens of deep pools. The water was cold but so clean and pure that it hardly mattered. The ocean water in Corsica is lovely and warm. But there is nothing like taking a dip in a chilly freshwater pool surrounded by graceful pine trees and waterfalls.

Series of natural pools lay within the pine trees of the Foret D'Aitone Taking a swim in the natural rock pools of the Foret D'Aitone There is one more very important aspect of Corsica's natural beauty: the Maquis. The Maquis dominates Corsica's landscape--and scent. They are wild bushes composed of a collection of herbs and fragrant flowers (including laurel, rosemary, thyme, sage, mint, lavender and myrtle.) The Maquis grows all over the island, covering mountains and valleys and lining the side of the roads. It perfumes the air everywhere you go.

A view of the Maquis covered hills of Corsica I found one blog post about Corsica that I thought perfectly described the Maquis:

All around the island I’d read stories about Corsica’s maquis, but the mixture of fragrances that greeted me when I arrived overwhelmed me. Corsica’s scented maquis reaches from the sea up to 3,000 feet…Even after one visit, if you put me on an airplane blindfolded and took me to Corsica, I would know with utter certainty that I stood in the maquis. Imagine standing on a fragrant hillside surrounded by eucalyptus, juniper, laurel, rosemary…heather, myrtle, sage, mint, thyme and lavender. Add to that more than a dozen aromatic flowers that grow only in Corsica and you’ll get an idea of the heady, clean aroma that infuses the island’s air.

Corsica is a nature lover's dream. The island contains a dizzying array of beautiful sights and natural wonders. But we did not come to Corsica just to visit beaches and see rock formations. We came to eat. And drink. And we did a lot of both. What we quickly learned was that the cuisine of Corsica is directly linked to the land that surrounded us. Almost everything we ate and drank was produced on the island, from seafood and meat, to fruits, vegetables and honey. And this close connection with the land, this total commitment to featuring local products, makes the food here unlike any you have had before. The taste of Corsican food, just like the unique smell of the Maquis, reminds you that when you are here, you can be nowhere else in the world.

Up Next: The Terroir of Corsica and Corsican Specialty Foods

A Very Tasty New Years Eve....

What: An Elegant French New Years Eve Dinner

Where: My apartment, NYC

Elegant Set Table for a Very Elegant MealThis Search takes me to my apartment in NYC. It is New Years Eve and I have prepared an extravagant French dinner for 15 guests. The menu, based on recipes taken from Julia Child's: "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," is as follows:

HORS D'OEUVRES: Pate and Cornichons
AMUSE BOUCHE: Caviar on Brioche Toasts with Creme Fraiche
APPETIZER: Oeufs en cocotte (softly cooked eggs with cream)
FIRST COURSE: Lobster Thermidor (a gratin of lobster, served in it's shell with butter, cream, cheese and mushrooms)
MAIN COURSE: Filet de Boeuf Braise Prince Albert (Braised filet of beef stuffed with truffles and foie gras), Potatoes Dauphinois (cooked with butter, cheese and beef stock) and Braised lettuce
CHEESE COURSE: w/port tasting
DESSERT: Millefeuilles (napoleons with pastry cream)

The very talened Mickey Mayo of Mayo Studios (who also designed my website: www.misselisabeths.com) designed these wonderful menus for the eveningSeveral weeks before New Years Eve, Matt suggested we host a fancy French dinner party. I was intrigued. I love hosting dinner parties, especially extravagant elaborate ones. And I had never before cooked a single thing from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." (Buy it on Amazon) I felt guilty about this and I'd been meaning to try one of Julia's recipes out for a while. Particularly after reading Julia Child's inspiring "My Life in France." (Buy it on Amazon)

I went through this culinary bible, page by page, narrowing down the menu as I went along. I knew, as soon as I read the recipe for Lobster Thermidor, that I had to prepare it. It sounded so crazy and hideously complicated. I just couldn't resist. Who the hell makes Lobster Thermidor? What the hell is Lobster Thermidor? Read on.

6 lobsters in my sink, awating certain deathAnd then there was the Filet de Bouef Braise Prince Albert. I wanted this meal to be special, extravagant, memorable. And nothing says extravagant like foie gras, truffles and filet mignon. This dish, comprised of a whole tenderloin stuffed with a mixture of foie gras, shallots, cognac and madeira, along with chunks of truffles, then tied, lined with pork fat, and braised in beef stock and sauteed vegetables, was to be the centerpiece of the meal.

Tenderloin stuffed with foie gras and truffle mixture, ready to be tied...Tenderloin all tied up, with a strip of pork fat sealing the slit. Mmmmm, pork fat.I chose side dishes that I thought would go well with the meal (actually Julia suggested serving the beef with the "braised lettuce"). The starter of eggs cooked in cream served in individual ramekins was inspired by that very same dish I had as my first meal in France during European Vacation Part 2 (see blog post). It took me a while to decide on dessert, but I finally settled on homemade Napoleons. This happened to be one of Matt's favorite desserts, and I was also eager to make homemade Puff Pastry, something I hadn't made since culinary school (I'll post the recipe for this soon). My menu was complete.
Unbaked Potato Dauhpinoise. As you can see, butter and cheese played a large part in this dinnerA week before the dinner, I went on vacation to St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands (blog post to come!). We were coming home the night before this massive feast. I knew that as soon as we got home, that I had to start cooking immediately and not stop until the meal was on the table the next night. So while I was on vacation I studied the menu and recipes, reading through them over and over again. I visualized the meal--from chopping the vegetables, to cooking each component of every dish, to plating and serving the dinner. And I made lists--and a schedule--of every task that needed to be accomplished.

NEW YEARS EVE SCHEDULE:
Take my advice here. It may sound crazy (and ok, maybe I'm a tad OCD), but if you are ever planning to host a major dinner party, I highly recommend meticulously going through and imagining the meal and making a detailed schedule. When it's game time, you can get right down to business. It will make the whole affair less stressful and ultimately much more enjoyable for you.

Thanks to my brother, Peter, when I arrived home the night of December 30th (after a 5 hour delay in the San Juan airport), all of the ingredients I needed for the dinner were waiting for me. Including 6 boisterous live lobsters. I threw down my bags, rolled up my sleeves and got right to cooking. Within 2 hours, the lobsters were killed and dismantled, vegetables were chopped and cheeses shredded. I had laid a solid foundation for the marathon cooking day ahead.

My sister, Caroline and our friend, Brien, cracking the eggs into ramekins for the Oeufs en CocotteI woke up at 6:30 am. And from 6:30 am, until 7:00 p.m. when the first guest arrived, I cooked like a mad woman. I was well organized and focused, but it was intense and a little bit frantic nonetheless.  

Wine ShrineI had asked John Humphreys, a very talented Sommelier who was, at the time, working at Union Square Wines and Liquors (he has since moved to Vestry Wines) to pair each course with red and white wine. And he did a FABULOUS job. For the first course, Oeufs en Cocotte he selected a lovely, faintly sweet 2008 Scheurebe Kabinett. Unfortunately, fearing that my oven had broken and the eggs were totally raw, I left the eggs in the oven for an extra 5 minutes and they were tragically overcooked--basically hard boiled eggs in cream. It still tasted great, but was certainly not as Julia intended. Despite my failure, the wine cut the richness of the cream wonderfully, and the dish was, though not perfect, very tasty.

Tasty spoonful of eggs in creamThen came The Lobster Thermidor. This dish was VERY time consuming. You cook the lobster, split it in half, remove all the meat, chop up the meat, push the tomalley and coral (roe) through a sieve and then make a crazy sauce with that plus egg yolks, cream and various other seasonings, cook the lobster in butter, then cognac, then mix it with the sauce, return meat to empty shell, top with cheese and butter, and bake. Woah. You have to be mentally prepared to embark on this recipe. Also, it's important to note that I cut down on Julia's suggested cooking time, feeling that boiling the lobsters for the full 20 minutes called for in the recipe would result in tough and chewy lobster meat. I cooked them for about 12 minutes, and the end result was perfectly tender and moist.

The Glorious Thermidor. It's hard to believe so much work went into that little lobster shell.Luckily, all of this insane work produced what was pretty much unanimously agreed to be the best lobster dish of all time. John paired it with a wonderful Chardonnay (Louis Latour Montagny Premiere Cru La Grande Roche 2006) that was really excellent. And damn this lobster was DELICIOUS. Creamy and rich, it almost tasted like a big hearty lobster bisque. Incredible dish. If you're ever looking to blow people's minds, and you've got some time on your hands, make Lobster Thermidor.

Though the Thermidor was the stand out dish of the evening, the Filet de Bouef Braise Prince Albert was also pretty awesome. The dish was accompanied by my new favorite red wine, the very reasonably priced and flavor packed: Chateau Cote Montpezat Cuvee Compostelle 2005, The meat was juicy and tender with the gentlest lovely gaminess from the foie gras. The sauce covering the beef was deep, rich, beefy and unctuous and really brought the whole dish together. Accompanied by the delicate Potatoes Dauphinois, (thinly sliced potatoes cooked with cheese and beef stock) and the braised escarole (which, to be honest, was not worth the effort) this made for a fantastic and very special main course. We were living very large.

The main plate--Beef, Potatoes and Braised EscaroleWe then moved on to a small cheese course (overkill? Hell's no. Everyone loves cheese!) and then the Napoleons. The crispy napoleons were smothered with layers of sweet and creamy pastry cream and drizzled with excellent dark chocolate. As my first attempt at making homemade Napoleons, I did pretty well.
An elegant photo to suit an elegant dinnerMy first experience cooking from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" was a very memorable one. Intense cooking, complicated recipes, but excellent results. It was a wonderful way to ring in 2010, STUFFED with great food and wine. I hope you'll try cooking from this book if you never have--it's an experience.

Happy Belated New Year! 

If you want to have an interesting dinner party, try introducing a Theremin into the mix. It's a very bizarre instrument. Here's Justin, making some crazy sounds.