I always add egg to my ricotta ravioli fillings, but not beaten egg whites.

For a Sauvignon Blanc, I could recommend Chatelain Desjacques (Val de Loire), which is one of my favorites, plus it is only $9.00 a bottle at my local wine shop.

Lars, Thank you for the wine recommendation. The egg white thing was my attempt at lightening the filling. I read about this technique somewhere but of course can't remember where. The recipe I have uses whole egg as well. Maybe I will just separate the eggs, use both the yolk and white but whip the whites and fold in a t the end. Hmmm...

So long as you have your kitchen management and timing scheduled, and are delegating tasks to your friends (you said casual), you're not crazy! Except, other than generalities, like this wine goes well with citrus, and that wine can stand up to a lot of spices, it's impossible to suggest specific wines without tasting the food. In fact, since you're trying out your recipes, it would be worth taking the results to the wine shop for tastings. I mean, if you're going to go to the effort, go the whole way. :)

You can do this progression any way that makes sense to you, but usually pairing menus go from lightest weight wine to heaviest, and dry to sweet. I've always been told it's to keep your palate fresh, both for the wines and the foods that pair with them, but I don't know what it's like when they're all mixed up, like your duck/chardonnay first, even if it isn't oaky. Maybe start with the consommé, with a lighter wine than you mentioned? All of your opening whites are pretty heavy. Nothing wrong with that, if that's what you and your friends like, but I'd spend some more time making the order of the foods and wines make sense as an entire pattern. This isn't written in stone, by any means, but here's a kind of standard guide which might help, if you decided to do that.

Do you have fine glassware? For all these different foods and wines, it's especially important to have glasses that make the most out of the flavor of the wines. It might be worth renting top quality for the different courses if you don't have them. The shape your mouth makes as you sip can highly affect the experience of the wine, by forcing where your tongue and nose encounter it and how air is drawn in. Though that doesn't work as well for me because I hold my mouth weirdly or something, so it might also be lost on your crowd.

Re ricotta, I always use eggs, and eggwhites have the important, sticky part. :) I'm not sure how the aeration will work, though it can't hurt. Maybe beat an eggwhite or two (either whipped or not) into the cheese to loosen it up before you try folding in the whipped. Just remember, too wet and it'll leak if it's for the ravioli filling. For shells, thinner should work.

Again, to order, I'm not so sure about scallops followed by pasta/cheese. Maybe put the salad between?

It all sounds like good food and good wine, and just needs some tightening up and editing.

It sounds like fun!

For course you are crazy, LOL!

Very ambitious for an impressive menu.

Potato puffs ( Pomme de terre soufflées ?) alone can take the whole evening to make.

dcarch

Thank you all for your wisdom, I truly appreciate it.

Pillog - Yes I have my mother's crystal stemware with a variety of wine glasses, champagne and cordial as well as water and ice tea. I hadn't thought about the order of the wines but it makes sense so I will rearrange dishes.

Linda,

Thank you for the terminology correction, I wasn't sure about that. I'm hoping to streamline the process enough so I can enjoy my guests. DS & DD are a huge help. I will work on the order of the dishes. I have been tasting wines as I experiment with dishes for as many as I can.

Dcarch,

Good point about the potatoes. I'm thinking maybe I should simplify and go with roasted fingerlings.

Sounds lovely....but I would start with a champagne with the duck breast....switch the order of cheese and dessert and serve s prosecco with the dessert.
I love a heavy red like a pinot or a cab with dark chocolate....but I don't see how to work that into your progression.
I find trying to pair a wine with salad is always problematic....perhaps a lighter red, like a gamay or a Ridge Zinfandel is wonderful if you can find it.....and perhaps a heavier bodied red with the beef...like perhaps a petite sirah.

I am a big fan of starting the evening with bubbley....and having another bubbley later!

It sounds lovely. Personally, I would not beat the eggs whites for your ravioli. It's already light, and I think It would dilute the flavour. You need a little burst of flavour bomb in a ravioli otherwise it's all pasta and sauce and no filling.

Ambitious!

Must be a way to have your hors d'oeuvre duck and cocktails by the fire before formally sitting without a plate and knife/fork. I would need social chat casually before being seated for such a long time.

Consomme as the first course sitting down

Do you need the stuffed shells? That is the only stand out being so rustic. Seems a single homemade fresh pasta 3-4inch ravioli, herbed fluffy goat cheese filling with fresh or smoked salmon? Unless you are making the shells thin and delicate. (I make paper thin ravioli as a first course, salmon and herbed cream filling)

All else seems fantastic. ....I agree cheese after dessert. After such a long sitting, I'll be stretching/standing by the fire with a Scotch, one cube.

As long as you can visualize the timing in your head, like an athlete that runs the flips and turns before the dive or the balance beam, it will go smoothly.

Me?, I would have to snip some seating time off the beginning and the end to pull of the middle.

lindac92 - I will consider the champagne with the duck. As far as a heavier red with the beef, that will be a struggle as this group are not heavy red fans. I'd love a nice big red with the beef but I am a minority of one. LOL

Islay Corbel - I think you are right. I will do a ricotta stuffing with lots of fresh herbs for the ravioli. Garlic oil sauce or a simple fresh tomato sauce?

sleevendog - I could do the duck breast as a bite size on a pastry round. I was trying keep everything in the dining room and avoid the living room as the men are "heathens" and tend to put the TV on. Of course it doesn't make much difference as the two rooms are open concept and flow together. LOL

No stuffed shells, I changed it to ravioli but failed to make the edit in the menu. Love the goat cheese idea! It will depend on which cheese is available from our local farms i.e. ricotta or a usable goat cheese. Salmon is out with this group.

I do keep timing in my head but I also write a plan for the evening so if I get distracted, I can still stay on track. I prep as much as I can ahead and stage the serving dishes and utensils.

I will move the cheese and fruit to after dessert and serve it in the living room around the fire. I had noted either port or sherry with this BUT I much prefer a good cognac or armagnac after dinner. Would that work?

It sounds very ambitious and fun. What time should I plan on arriving?

Sounds like a wonderful, elegant evening! Your friends and family are very lucky.

I'd attend! LOL! I don't contribute much to the Cooking forum but read through your post and replies.....lovely menu. My only contribution is adding that pairing wine with asparagus is notoriously difficult and changes the taste of many wines. If you keep the roasted asparagus, you could pair the course with an unoaked Pinot Noir.

Mmmmm, tourtiere! My ex-hubby was from Quebec City, and he'd make that every Christmas Eve. He and I were the only ones who really enjoyed it though. I wonder if I should try making it this year for myself and hubby.

We got a DVD from the library Essential Jacques Pepin. He made potato puffs and they looked delicious, and really no time at all.

Jasdip,

I love Tourtiere BUT my family does not and as we age our friends eat less pork. The last few years I have made Cretons which is similar to the meat filling of the Tourtiere without the pie crust so it's basically a Pâté. I've served it with baguette slices, dijonnaise and sweet gherkins. That's the way my family served Cretons.

I will check out the Jaques Pepin recipe. Thanks.

.

Oh he loved Cretons, but I didn't like them at all. Also he loved Tarte du Sucre. Yuck. LOL

I think switching to cognac at the end sounds great. And stinky cheese. Taste buds will be dulled, anyway, and something that requires little sips and more just glass holding sounds good.

Re the heavy reds, sometimes you have to serve your menu. With the progression you have, a good cab with the meat sounds great. Even with small servings and sorbet, people's tasters will be tired and mellowed. Something bold is called for. This might be a time to try modern tech kinds of glasses, but if not, definitely aerate the wine. It makes a huge difference. If they will just pass, rather than giving it a chance, maybe try an old vine wine, like a Spanish granacha? Very full bodied and flavorful, very "red", some tannins but not heavy with tannins like a cabernet. Excellent with beef.

Jasdip,

I love Cretons BUT my recipe for Cretons is the same as the meat filling for Tourtiere. I do not use milk or breadcrumbs in my Cretons.

Pillog,

Spanish Granacha sounds lovely. I have to do some digging and go through my notes from previous wine dinners I have attended. I do believe there was a Granacha I liked.

Found the Granacha in my notes:

ergo
red blend, rioja, spain. (tempranillo + granacha)

Interesting blend. :) Tempranillos are more tannic, if I remember right, but can also be quite good (or plonk). I cook more with them than drink them--they stand up well to heat. If you go that (Garnacha) direction, I really do suggest getting the old vine. I read an explanation that it was because the old vines become gnarled and produce less, allowing more sun and water, etc., to the grapes without a lot of fussing around. Whatever the reason, the flavor is very rich. And good bang for the buck, too. :)

Surely there will be enough white something or other left in a bottle or 2 so that those who really don't like a big red don't HAVE to drink it....but it would be so perfect....and maybe some just might find that they love it. Expanding tastes just a little is a good thing. I have taught many to love blue cheese and rare beef....by just saying try it...if you don't like it I can get something else ( or put your meat in the microwave!! EWW!)

Actually the old vines' roots go deeper...nothing to do with gnarled stock, but the roots and the lesser reaction to variations in rain....too much producing great juicy watery fruit and in dry years the grapes not maturing. The old vines deep roots allow for less dependence on water in the first few feet of the surface. And some say that those very deep roots find minerals and mysterious things in their travels deep into the ground!

Well, the article I read about it said that the gnarling let in more sunlight.

Can't see how a gnarled stem could have anything to do with sunlight. most of the top growth, up to 90% is pruned off every year.

Garlic oil with a crisp fried sage leaf to decorate.

Hmm, now where did you say you live??

Prosseco or champagne with the duck.

If you have a red with the meat, a Spanish red may be acceptable to most of the guests.

A liquor with the dessert (I'm up for chocolate cream brulee, which I would not pair with more chocolate).

Cognac would be great with the cheese and pear plate.