Sixth Course - Salad

The first time I did a formal dinner, I did lots of research on what goes into a seven course meal.  What I found was that opinions vary, and you do have some leeway.  I have always found it intriguing that the French serve their salad after the main entree, as a palate cleanser and digestive.  So I thought I'd try it, and I thought it was refreshing to have that break before dessert.  I have done most of my menus in the same way ever since.

The salad I chose for this meal is one I've done before.  Salad de Menthe.  Butter lettuce and chopped mint, topped with toasted walnuts and dressed with a light vinaigrette.  Very simple, very light.  You can find the recipe here.  I stayed pretty true to the recipe, using fresh mint from my garden.  

The wine with this course was 2010 Willow Crest Pinot Gris.  As a nod to Sherlock Holmes, I used my collection of souvenir glasses from the Sound of the Baskervilles Holmesian Games.

I thought it was an excellent pairing.  It was bright and crisp, not as complex as the earlier Pinot Gris, but it was accompanying a less complex dish.  A wonderful prelude to dessert.  Which I will talk about tomorrow!