Mystery Dinners
I needed an excuse to hang with friends and test new wines...
First, thing first, woop woop I passed my WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) Level 2 exam! Despite being disappointed over the final results, I’m being reminded by friends and family alike, that what matters is having passed and not what score I got. As much as I would like to re-sit the exam to prove a point to myself, it’s not an option, in fact I’m not allowed since I actually passed the exam. So, here I am, onwards and upwards.
Hosting
Mystery Dinners is a monthly dinner that I’ve been hosting here at home for friends. Three names are picked out randomly from a seaweed tin box. The idea is to mix and match friends who don’t usually hangout, create a space for people to make new connections or build on existing ones. And honestly it’s been so beautiful to witness so far. Even friends who are colleagues and working together every day, may not spend time together at an intimate dinner setting.
I needed a new challenge and a way to continuously push myself, now that I’m in this strange limbo-land of unemployment. There still needs to be a space for growth and development - and cooking for others is actually something that I always dread, so in true fashion, even more of a reason to explore this territory.
This month I hosted Anna and Steffi. Usually an invite gets sent out a few weeks in advance, as it's always challenging to find a date that works for everyone - and sometimes a new name needs to be pulled out of the tin too if people decline.
Once the guests have confirmed, I start contemplating what the menu should be. So far I’ve served at least two courses, if not three. Always asking for the guests dietary requirements. Another challenge has been cooking more vegetarian, as it seems there’s always at least one guest who’s vegetarian. Since cooking for people is already a hard enough challenge, I’ve not wanted to make more work for myself than necessary. Meaning if one person is vegetarian, we shall all eat vegetarian that evening. Soz to the meat eaters.
The great thing about these dinners is that people love engaging with the concept and start brainstorming how the idea can evolve and develop. One of the inputs were on how to make the guests feel like they were getting a unique or custom experience with the food. The last couple of times, I’ve shared two menu options prior to the dinner with the guests. The menu that has the most votes will be cooked that evening.
Since one guest cancelled last minute, I ended up having to make an executive decision this time and landed on option 1 for the mere ease of wine pairing.
Setting up the table is probably one of my favourite things, although it’s always kept fairly simple. I left the camera on the table as well for the girls to take pictures freely by themselves too.
Yes rustic cannolis are homemade, I did not invest in proper cannoli cylinders to create the perfect shape.
The tiramisu was the start of the evening - a big thanks to Carlo for whipping that up before heading out for the evening.
As for the wine we had Bianchin Asolo Prosecco Superiore Millesimato Extra Brut that was served as a welcome drink and paired with the starter. The Bianchin was a gift from the Zurich Wine Academy where I took my WSET Level 2 certificate. For the main course I served nénu - vin deux mains, La Cuvée de Claude that Carlo so kindly picked up from The Bottle Shop here in Zurich.
I would highly recommend both - especially the nénu as it was really well balanced wine with lots of flavour and complexity, despite the high alcohol content it felt like a nice easy wine to drink.
We had a happy chilled evening, that ended with coffee on the couch catching up on the past few months.
New names have been drawn and it’s almost time to send out invites again.
How nerdy shall I get?
With time we shall see how nerdy the wine references will get. I’m far from being an expert at this point and my wine journey is currently more in the phase of exploration. When I think back on my time here in Zurich, I’ve become rather lazy with my wine purchasing, always repeating the same red and white knowing they were safe choices. The course has really opened my eyes and pushed me into a place of curiosity and thinking more in-depth about the overall wine experience.
I think the more fun part now has been getting pictures from friends with their wine recommendations too. Here’s two others from friends, that I have yet to try. (I now realise that I should take pictures of the wines we drink during the dinners too…)
Now every lunch or dinner out in town is becoming an excuse to check out the local wine scene here in Zurich. Let me know if that’s something you’re curious to hear more about too.
Other joys from the past month:
Made a proto of a shirt - since I need an outfit for my friends wedding in Barcelona.
Decided that shirt would be a cool birthday gift for a cool girl, I’m still waiting for her fabric choice and measurements to complete the gift.
Had friends from Paris visiting.
Hung some stuff on the walls.
Had coffee catch-ups. And surprise hugs. The element of surprise when you have a coffee or lunch with someone from On, it's like a Russian roulette to see who else you might bump into there.
Got a massive hug and chatted on a bench with a friend at the train station before he headed off to Geneva.
Returned a torture machine that helped my muscles recover, for the injured knee.
Enjoyed some sunny days in Turin and got to see some stunning vineyards in Barbaresco and Barolo.
Got some great hugs from my brotha.
Tasted some fun apple wine from Denmark.
Got blown away on Hayling Island and caught up with family.
Celebrated my Dad’s 60th!
Enjoyed being ladies of leisure with some friends over lunch.
Hosted another dinner and survived it.
Baked some bread for the smuggled Lurpak butter.
A lot Little Simz has been playing along with the Danish Radio in the mornings over breakfast.
Congrats if you made it till the end! Happy Tuesday (if that is such a thing…).
PS. Martin Ford, I hope there were sufficient photos for you.
Until next time. Not entirely sure when that will be - but I’ll swing by your inbox in due time. Perhaps it’ll be a monthly thing?
A reminder to seek more joy, if you don’t already have enough of it!