A dinner to remember

On Sunday we had a farewell dinner for friends moving to New York & I wanted to cook a dinner to remember.

We started with mussels & clams in a tarragon broth. Prepare the shellfish - 2 kilos mussels & 1 1/2 kilos clams for 6 -8 people as a starter. Boil together 1/2 cup white wine, 1 cup chicken stock & a bay leaf. Add the mussels & cook till opened then remove & do the clams in the same way. Set aside & cover to keep warm. Strain the cooking liquor through muslin to remove any grit. In a large pan cook in butter 100g streaky bacon & 1 onion thinly sliced, 2 stalks celery, 2 cloves garlic finely chopped, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp tarragon, until the onion is soft. Stir in 3 tbsp flour & cook for 2 mins or so then gradually stir in the reserved cooking liquor & 1/2 cup cream. Bring to the boil - season with pepper only as the cooking liquor will be quite salty. Add a handful of raw prawn cutlets & simmer 5 minutes then stir through parsley. Tip the mussels & prawns into a warmed bowl & pour over the delicious creamy liquid. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the juices.

This was followed by a navarin of lamb. Start with a boned shoulder of lamb & cut into large chunks. Brown in batches in a large casserole dish. Take out the meat & fry until golden, 2 onions, 3 cloves garlic and a carrot thinly sliced & 1 tsp sugar. Add 2 tbsp flour to thicken, 1 tbsp tomato puree & cook 2 mins. Return the lamb to the pan with a sprig of thyme, a couple of bay leaves & 600ml chicken stock. Season, bring to the boil & simmer very gently about 40 minutes. Meanwhile cook baby spring vegetables to accompany - onions or shallots, carrots, turnips, potatoes. I just boiled them until tender except the onions which I oven-roasted to add a bit of colour.

When the lamb is done, remove it & strain the liquid through a sieve into a bowl. Use a spoon to press through as much as possible and then discard the vegetables. Return the lamb & sieved liquid to the pan & add about 50g each peas & french beans. I blanch the beans first to keep their colour & because I find they take a little longer to cook. When they're nearly done, stir in the other vegetables to warm them through & let them take on some of the flavour. At the end, stir in finely chopped mint mixed with a clove of crushed garlic.

The piece de resistance was pudding which I made earlier in the day. Warm 500 ml full fat milk with 250ml cream in the microwave. Put 120g caster sugar & 2 tbsp cornflour in a largish saucepan & sieve in 70g cocoa powder. Add 4 tbsp boiling water & whisk to a paste. Whisk in 4 egg yolks one at a time, followed by the warmed milk & cream & 2 tsp vanilla. Whisk over a low heat until it takes on the consistency of mayonnaise. This took about 8-10 minutes but might take longer. Just keep at it.

Take off the heat & whisk in 120g of the best 70+% dark chocolate you can get. Pour them into small cups or other serving dishes (about 150 ml each). Chill but don't forget to take them out of the fridge in advance because you want to eat them room temperature. I served these with local macaroons. Do you think my friends will carry the memory of this meal with them to New York?