Christmas comes but once a year – and when it comes, it brings good cheer! We certainly enjoyed good cheer with fine food and wines at our annual Christmas dinner in 2017. This year we returned to the venue of our 50th Anniversary gala celebrations – the Vancouver Club, where we were again treated royally. Our evening began with Chef's canapés and a glass or two of Gardet Champagne Premier Cru Brut before sitting for our first course, a Squash Velouté with crème fraîche and pumpkin seed pesto paired with a tasty 2013 Domaine Vincent Delaporte Sancerre Blanc. We enjoyed a few Christmas carols led by our own choral quartet, Larry and Maggie Burr, and Ed and Dorothy Chiasson with a special guest Maggie's sister Diane Cooney.
Next followed a Dungeness Crab Cake with micro lettuces, lemon confit and herb aïoli together with a 2007 Louis Jadot Chassagne-Montrachet, then a Slow Cooked Turkey Ballotine with foie gras and chestnut paste paired with a fruity 2013 Clos des Fous Pinot Noir from Chile. Following a Lavender Lemon Sorbet our main course comprised Angus Beef Wellington with pomme purée, roasted roots and horseradish cream with a well-structured 2005 Château Batailley and a Selection of Cheeses and a 2011 Julia Kemper Dão Branco.
Our multi-course meal finished with a magnificent Vancouver Club Signature Christmas Pudding – a 100 year old secret recipe – flambéed at table and accompanied by a glass of Blandy's Colheita Madeira Single Harvest 2002, an excellent ending to an excellent dinner.
Our thanks go to the Vancouver Club's Executive Chef Sean Cousins and Food and Beverage Director Tim Ellison for their imaginative menu and fine service, to Cellar master Kim Mead who spoke to the wines during the evening, and to our photographers Alvin Nirenberg and Milena Robertson.