Getting married is one of the most important things that I have done in my life.  It brought together two families that have since become the village to help raise my children (and keep me sane).  For me, it was very important to have a chance for the two sides of the union to come together in an intimate way.  I am sure that you will agree, nothing brings people together better than incredible food!  This is why I asked my Claude and my brother (a.k.a. sous-chef Eric) if they would host my rehearsal dinner.  It was spectacular!  Such a perfect combination of deliciousness and personal touches.  No disrespect to the professional chef who catered an incredible and unique meal for our wedding, but Claude’s delectable rehearsal dinner blew his meal out of the water.

I could talk a lot about the flavours – the savory mixed with the sweet, the richness and the perfectly simple.  To this day my husband’s family still brings up the food from the rehearsal dinner.  Claude made these amazing gougères that I still dream about.  They sat beside a scrumptious ensemble of smoked oyster log, tourtières (a family tradition!), homemade crackers three ways, feta & lamb stuffed grape leaves, and seven-layer salmon bites.  It was all delicious and culminated with ginger cheesecake, balsamic, blue cheese, & caramel dark chocolate truffles with Fleur de Sel, and simply perfect sugar cookies in our initials.

simply perfect sugar cookies

mini tourtieres

seven-layer salmon bites

gougeres

ginger cheese cake

white chocolate truffles

Dr. & Mr. G.

Beyond the flavours, there was all the personal touches and attention to detail that made the event so perfect.  The presentation and attention to detail were the added touch on the scrumptious food that really set Claude above the rest.  He used the wedding colours and our initials as a thoughtful theme and thought not only of the adults, but what would appeal to the children who were in attendance.  I know that the months leading up the rehearsal dinner were filled with recipe trials and menu management.

I don’t know that I’ve really shared with Claude (and his fabulous sous-chef Eric) how much that evening meant to me.  It was simply perfect: filled with love and laughter, filled with a buffet of handmade, delicious food that could only be crafted by the one-and-only Claude!

(Now, when are you coming over next to feed me?!?)

– Julie (& Paul) G.