Feeding Her Majesty: Virginia, White House pull out all the stops
Story by Theresa Curry
White House and Virginia chefs chose springtime as the menu theme for Queen Elizabeth’s May visit, highlighting products at their peak in early May.
As Her Majesty noted in her formal address, times have changed since her last visit. The food world has changed, too: The best American chefs don’t try to dazzle dignitaries with exotic, offseason ingredients from all over the world, but focus on what’s local and in season.
At the White House, executive chef Cristeta “Cris” Comerford put together a meal that gathered the seasonal best from across the country. The menu she planned with First Lady Laura Bush featured American caviar, spring lamb, pea soup, Dover sole and tiny vegetables. California wines accompanied each course, and the cheeses at the end were American, but made in the English style.
Virginia chef Patrick O’Connell was free to focus on Virginia products when Gov. Tim Kaine asked him to prepare a mid-afternoon reception at the Governor’s Mansion in Richmond. O’Connell, who owns The Inn at Little Washington, has been cooking this way ever since he bought the first basket of Blue Ridge Mountain mushrooms at the Inn’s back door 30 years ago.
The five-star chef scrambled the mushrooms and early asparagus with Virginia eggs; sandwiched thin slices of Culpeper County cured ham in tiny biscuits; made jelly from pungent sorrel; and layered the first tender rhubarb into parfaits. Tamra Talmadge-Anderson of the Virginia Tourism Corporation says the reception featured two Orange County wines, a 2005 Viognier and 2001 Octagon Edition Red, both from Barboursville Vineyards.
The 50 or so on hand in Richmond also sipped a special ale, Anderson says. King James Brew, made in honor of Jamestown, was brewed by Legends Brewery in Richmond in anticipation of the royal visit.
The governor’s mansion and the White House offered elaborate desserts, both featuring fruit, but the chefs chose raspberries, blueberries and rhubarb rather than the more plentiful strawberries coming into Virginia markets in early May.
The chefs had done their homework well. Along with garlic and raw fish, they’re on the list of foods the Queen never eats.
Filed under: 6-July 2007 Issue
