Adrian had invited me to his Royal Wedding Garden Party. It was the second chilly day in a month and it was threatening rain so everyone was inside. He had proclaimed that the women should wear long dresses and headgear, but I had nothing to compete with the real English hats. Gorgeous starched straw concoctions of vast pastel airiness. My,my!
The men just had to wear a jacket and shiny shoes. Dick obliged with his shoes shined and a a hat, and he looked dandy.
I had made the Coronation Chicken as Adrian had sent me a last minute message asking if I could make it. I had no idea what it was, but I handmade a stink about it once he mentioned it.He'd said in the invitation that he might make Coronation Chicken and I replied, I would not come unless he did, knowing full well that I had not clue what it was. Then he implored me to make it as he had a last minute meeting.
Uh, oops, one joke gone awry, what is Coronation Chicken anyway? Google to the rescue! It turns out to be, as far as I could tell, a curried chicken salad. No problem. For 10-12, well,okay, it's a bit of work. And where do you get good curry powder in Paris, anyway?
Dick had gone to the Tang brothers market in Chinatown and come back with a serviceable tin of curry powder, but I was not satisfied. It was too generic, I wanted something that smelled sweet and fragrant, like it was made to marry the chicken breasts I was going to poach. So, we ended up running around all Thursday looking for the right ingredients to match the several recipes that I had found on google. From Gordon Ramsay to anonymous, the common thread seemed to be chicken, mayo and curry.
Mangoes, cashews and chutney seemed to be optional.
So, I entered the party with my home made ceramic bowl of curried chicken salad with mangoes, cashews, chutney and fresh ginger, a long dress and my Parisian excuse for a hat. All of the ladies were seemed in awe of the bride and all I could think of was how poor William had gone bald since the last time I'd seen him. The poor kid was beginning to look more like his unfortunate dad and less like his unfortunate mom.
I was petrified that I would say something that would be considered insulting to the royals as I had no reverence for the whole institution.
As it turned out, the whole group seemed to be in love with the idea of a wedding, which I could certainly understand. And as the afternoon wore on, things got a little more jovial and less reverent.
And what of Coronation Chicken? It went very well with the champagne , nibbles and the sausage rolls Adrian had picked up at the Chinese bakery. One of the other guests had brought the cucumber sandwiches mounded in watercress,which was a lovely way to keep the white bread fresh and soft. Adrian had outdone himself with fresh strawberries and cream, smoked salmon, and a fluffy white cake.
He was in a black suit with glorious medals that he insisted were earned in service to the queen,although they were clearly knock offs. But, his tiara took the cake.
At one point, everyone started to tell tales of their horrid experiences with the dreaded Coronation Chicken of their youth. It turned out to be an overly mayonnaise-y, sodden, goo that was always served at garden parties and every one hated it. It was a joke. That's what I get for being American at the Royal Wedding Garden Party.
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Hi KT! I loved your account of the Wedding Party. I remember watching Chas and Di's wedding on tele long ago, and I, too, was the token Yank. Thank god no one asked me to bring a THING except myself and a good appetite (no problem on either account.) I was up at 4.00 a.m. to see Baldy Prince Will and Beautiful Kate's nuptials uninterrupted (my Aussie beloved is no Royal Watcher ~ or Pommie fan either, despite his familial roots. LOL) I toasted them with green tea, and then it was back to bed for me. And what? No pictures of YOUR hat?! Congrats on getting rave reviews for your Coronation Chicken too (great idea about the watercress keeping the bread fresh.) We will have to arrange another coffee morning via Skype with the crew lined up to talk to you.
ReplyDeleteHappy Spring!