I wrote:

> Lin's and my fifth wedding anniversary will be this coming Saturday. The
> fifth anniversary is the "wood" anniversary, so the menu will have a
> slightly-wood/forest-inspired theme:
>
> APPETIZER
> * creamy nettle soup
>
> MAIN COURSE
> * pheasant with pecans and beech mushrooms
> * pan-cooked burdock and carrots
> * planked asparagus
>
> DRIFTING TOWARD DESSERT
> * goat cheese and spring greens with honey vinaigrette
>
> DESSERT
> * maple soufflé with banana crème anglaise
>
>
> Since pheasant is extremely lean, I plan to cook it at 275°F in a
> Schlemmertopf clay casserole. I have some chunks of pecan wood which
> I'll use to smoke the mushrooms before they go into the Schlemmertopf
> with the pheasant and pecans; I'd like to get just a little smoky flavor
> in there. I'll also use that wood fire to cook the asparagus.

The menu changed slightly:

1. I couldn't get burdock, so the carrots were paired with chestnuts
instead.

2. Instead of the goat cheese, we used a white cheddar which had been
infused with chardonnay and strawberries. The vinaigrette was made with
strawberry-balsamic vinegar (as well as Dijon mustard, salt, honey, and
grapeseed oil). Lin came up with the excellent idea to add some fresh
cut strawberries, so that's what we did.

3. Rather than the soufflé, I made a banana-maple mousse which was
scattered with chopped toasted pecans and drizzled with maple syrup.

4. Instead of just beech mushrooms, I used an assortment of mushrooms,
including shiitake, beech, golden oyster, and maitake (a.k.a. "hen of
the woods"). They had just the touch of smoke flavor I was hoping for.

Bob