All About the Inauguration Luncheon
The 2009 Inaugural Luncheon china. Image from inaugural.senate.gov/luncheon
After Barack Obama takes the presidential oath of office tomorrow, he will be escorted to Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol for a three-course luncheon: seafood stew followed by pheasant and duck (with sour cherry chutney and molasses sweet potatoes) and apple cinnamon sponge cake for dessert, each paired with a wine. To eat in solidarity with the new administration, download these recipes.
You'll also need a copy of "View of the Yosemite Valley" painting by Thomas Hill hanging—which represents the majestic dawn of a new era—as well as Hot Lady roses and blue and purple hydrangea arrangements. Check out menus, recipes, and even video footage of past inaugural luncheons.
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11 Comments:
Oof! I need a siesta just reading about it. That's lunch?? I guess it's warming if they'll be standing outdoors in the cold for a couple hours.
emilydev at 10:35AM on 01/19/09
The first ingredient in the dish called "Winter Vegetables" is asparagus. Is asparagus a winter vegetable now?
Tombolo at 10:58AM on 01/19/09
I read all the menus of the luncheons and all I have to say is what happened to the pastry chef?
I never see any cake or pastries. Just cold souffles and pear crips. Is it bad White House manners to have some cake for lunch? Do they serve the cake or pastries later at the dinners?
I am thinking if you are paying a chef to make desserts over 60,000 bucks a year I want to see some damn cake. I am calling bullshit on this one.
My tax money wants to see some cake and or pastries and some damn good ones on the table. A croquembouche or something ffs.
JerzeeTomato at 11:29AM on 01/19/09
@Tombolo - That was my first thought too! I was under the assumption that asparagus is a spring veggie, but I guess if you're the White House you can call it whatever you want?
And bread slices?! BREAD SLICES?! Come on - bread slices do not a sponge cake make! It's the presidental inauguration and they can't even man up and make a real sponge cake, oy.
ElspethAdair at 11:56AM on 01/19/09
When I saw "apple cinnamon sponge cake" the first thing I thought of was Sandra Lee's kwanzaa cake. I guess I wasn't too far off.
RegrettableFoodie at 1:11PM on 01/19/09
I wonder if they ask the Pres what he likes and they prepare it, or if he has no say. You'd think he would have some say...
Cassaendra at 1:26PM on 01/19/09
I think they may ask, because looking back on the menus the ones for a few of them (Clinton) were very very simple, and the rest were very out-there for their time.
Tahitinova at 4:38PM on 01/19/09
@Tombolo: I was pretty apalled at that...and the wax beans. Couldn't they have just called it something different so that it wasn't blatently incorrect?
Also not a fan of the canned bing cherries in the "sour cherry chutney".
And what part of the dessert is a cake? Did I miss that in the ingredient list? Isn't it really a bread and butter pudding?
So sad...
Soigne at 10:20PM on 01/19/09
The inauguration caked is from Eli's Cheesecake and was flown in.
So here you have it. Gov't civil service pastry chef makes bread pudding and no cake. What a great freaking job. I hope he baked the bread.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/01/13/inauguration-watch-one-giant-cheesecake-coming-up/
I see pork already. You have a pastry chef and he is not baking any cake.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Yosses
They are lucky I am not running the White House. They would be baking for days.
JerzeeTomato at 8:13AM on 01/20/09
Bake the bread? You're kidding, right? It's brioche, after all, and the civserv pastry "chef" would've been too busy making phone calls to Eli's.
K9Lover72 at 12:55PM on 01/25/09
If I was President, I would definitely have insisted on something else...
I totally agree with JerzeeTomato, where is the pastry chef?! Feed me cake! Or something yummy!!!!
ddvierra68 at 4:21PM on 01/27/09