The second supper event

10th August
Keen to make up for last month's debacle when I treated the Bontette's to a charred yet semi-raw dinner, and wanting to prove that the English do in fact know a thing or two about food, I invited them to join us for supper last night.

My sister wanted to make a Tiramisu for dessert and got started with laying out sponges and mixing creamy stuff before realising that we’ve run out of coffee, so she improvised.
One thing I’m starting to notice about the French is that they’re quite particular about certain recipes and can argue for many hours about the exact proportion of, for example, flour to milk for a pancake or exactly which cheese must be used in a quiche.
I decided to play safe with the main course and prepared chicken thighs roasted with lemon, honey and thyme, slapped it in the oven and went on my evening search for crickets to feed the mantids that we are keeping in the newly cleared studio.

The Bontette's arrived in all their usual glamourousness. We did a tour of the 'improved' premises, I'm not sure what impression the use of a spanner to enter a room gives, but the 'fingertip-grip-then pull' technique on a strip of metal screwed to the front door in order to leave the house didn't go down well. Mme B shows me how this is not possible with a French manicure.

The Director showed our rushes and I forgot about the chicken, by the time we're back at the table there's an acrid smell coming from the kitchen. But the guests might not have noticed because we're suddenly busy trying to find non-lethal seating. I've noticed that the chairs bend alarmingly under the stress of people-weight on all those woodworm holes so I open the doors to let the smoke out of the house and do a bit of chicken rescue work while the men search the attic for more furniture.

Once we're settled, supper is animated and goes swimmingly. It's time for the finale, dessert is served. Mme Bontette exclaims 'Ah superbe une Charlotte’, my sister corrects her

no, not a Charlotte - it’s a Tiramisu, but with fruit and jelly instead of coffee and chocolate