Calling all music lovers, this is a fun melodic undertaking. I asked my friends to provide me with their favorite song. Once I received the song title, I created a recipe reflective of the title or lyrics. In addition, I created a command list for Alexa to play the various songs upon presentation of the dish. Here’s how it was orchestrated:
OPENING COCKTAIL
SONG: Genius of Love
The Tom Tom Club created songs that focused on the grooves. They make this clear in the line, “Who needs to think when your feet just go?”
The Cocktail: I titled it Nirvana - It was made by adding Crème de Cassis to Champagne.
APPETIZERS
SONG: Erev Shel Shoshanim
(Translated as Evening of Lilies or Evening of Roses)
The Hebrew word shoshana has been identified with both flowers and is a poetic Hebrew love song. Its melody is often used as music in Jewish weddings. It is well known not only within Israeli and Jewish circles, but also throughout the Middle East. It is also used as a dance song for belly dancers.
The Appetizers: Goat Cheese rolled in Honey and Pistachios and Topped with Candied Rose Petals; Carrot Slaw
Both were made with a hint of rose water and served in an endive leaf.
SOUP
SONG: What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life
This is a haunting, bluesy song which states the hope that the person who is being serenaded will spend the rest of his or her life with the singer. This song embodies several themes including, love, hope and the seasons of one’s life.
The Soup: Cauliflower Soup (tinted with a trace of beet juice to make a pale pink). The color pink symbolizes unconditional love, compassion, nurturing and hope. The seasonal herbs in each of the quadrants represent the various seasons.
ENTRÉE
SONG: Vogliatemi bene - translated Love me Please
This is the last duet of Act 1 in the opera Madame Butterfly. Butterfly pleads with Pinkerton to “Love me, please.” She asks whether it is true that in foreign lands a man will catch a butterfly and pin its wings to a table. Pinkerton admits that it is true but asks, “Do you know why? It’s so she’ll not fly away.” He embraces her and says, “I have caught you. You are mine.” She replies, “Yes, for life.”
The Entree: Duet of Lamb Chops entwined with onion ring and topped with Cherry Cabernet Sauce, Roasted Potatoes in star shape and Beets in shape of butterflies (cookie cutters were used here).
SALAD
SONG: What a Wonderful World
Released in 1967, this song has a hopeful, optimistic tone with regard to the future. Graham Nash wrote the song specifically for Louis Armstrong, as he was inspired by Armstrong’s ability to bring people of different races together.
The Salad: Greens with food tidbits representing six of the continents, while the seventh continent Antarctica, is represented by a Sledging Biscuit. (i.e., Asia: sesame seeds; Africa: dried plantains; North America: Tomatoes; South America: grilled corn; Europe: EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar; Australia: Cripps Pink or Granny Smith Apples. To represent Antarctica, I made Sledging Biscuits from a recipe I found online.)
DESSERTS
SONG: I’m So Excited
The infectious Pop groove of this song disguises the extremely sexual lyrics. The singer is “so excited” because she’s looking forward to a sexual encounter.
The First Dessert: Orgasmic Chocolate Cake (topped with lighted sparklers upon presentation).
SONG: Time of Your Life
This song is about life in general, and everything that’s in it. As the song moves on, it tells us that, in the end, life itself is “something unpredictable, but in the end is right." We don’t always control it, don’t always like it, but in the end it’s what it was meant to be. And when it’s over (like this dinner), it is my hope that you had the time of your life!
The Second Dessert: Bottles of beer on the table for a final toast! The unpredictable here was that the beer was replaced with a strawberry soup topped with champagne.
I carried out the theme on my dining table by using album covers as place mats and scattered 45 RPM records down the center of the table.
As a favor, I gave each guest a long-stemmed rose as a symbol of the love that weaved throughout this menu.
The last fun surprise was that some of my guests dressed to match their favorite song.