In this memoir, Santa Cruz corporate lawyer and cooking enthusiast Leslie Karst writes about the time she prepared dinner for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG).
Author Leslie Karst
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
It happened like this: Leslie's father Kenneth Karst, a professor of constitutional law at UCLA, invited his 'warm colleague' Ruth Bader Ginsburg to speak at the law school. Hearing about the invitation, Leslie blurted out, "Ohmygod, if she does say yes, you and Mom should invite her for dinner and I can come down to your house and cook."
Ginsburg accepts the invitation and Leslie has nine months to prepare for the big day, scheduled for January, 2005. Karst, who up to now has limited herself to small stylish dinner parties for friends, observes: "This momentous event called for a sophistication and grandeur on a scale I'd never even considered attempting." Serendipitously, Leslie and her partner Robin are going to Paris for a month, where - among other activities - Leslie will seek out the very best recipe ideas for her 'dinner with Ruth.'
In Paris, Leslie and Robin sample as many dishes as they can, such as steakfrites (steak and fries); pan-fried duck breast; mussels and oysters; foie gras; goat, cow, and sheep's cheeses; frisée salad with lardons and poached egg; and much more. For dessert the women try a variety of sweets, including crème brûlée; chocolate mousse; tarte tatin, and coupe chantilly. Of course everything is washed down with glasses of delicious French wine....which cost less than Coca-Cola in Paris restaurants.
Coupe Chantilly
Karst realizes she needs to know the food preferences and dietary constraints of her guests of honor, RBG and her husband Professor Martin Ginsburg - who's an excellent cook himself. Leslie emails Martin, who responds: "How nice of you to ask. I eat anything (except poi); RBG likes fish and shellfish (as do I) and does not eat red meat. We have no known allergies."
This information informs Karst's menu for the dinner, and Leslie scours cookbooks; peruses the internet; asks friends; consults foodies; speaks with oenophiles; tastes wines; tries out recipes; obsesses day and night; and finally comes up with five courses.....and matching wines.
The food menu consists of:
➤ Appetizer - seared sea scallops with ginger-lime cream sauce;
Seared Scallops
➤ Soup - roasted butternut squash soup with brown butter, garnished with crème fraîche, walnut oil, and chopped walnuts;
Roasted Squash Soup
➤ Salad - baby spinach salad with blood orange, red onion, dried cranberries, gorgonzola cheese, pine nuts, and Dijon vinaigrette dressing;
Spinach Salad
➤ Main Course - blackened ahi coated with a dry rub of spices and black sesame seeds, served with wasabi mashed potatoes and sautéed snow peas;
Blackened Ahi
Wasabi Mashed Potatoes
Sautéed Snow Peas
➤ Dessert - pastries from a fine bakery, including chocolate mousse and praline tart; chocolate ganache tart; lemon chiffon tart; strawberry and crème fraîche tart; and cheesecake.
Chocolate Tart
Once the food and wines are chosen, Leslie - with help from her partner Robin and mom Smiley Karst - focuses on the china, stemware, and silver needed for each course. Some items come from Leslie's parents' house in Santa Monica; some from Leslie and Robin's home in Santa Cruz; and some are purchased online or from department stores. On the 'big day' Leslie collects edible flowers to decorate the plates, and even steals a few nasturtiums from a flower bed outside an apartment building.
During RBG's visit to Los Angeles in January, the justice speaks at the law school and has a Q&A session; is the guest of honor at a reception at the dean's house; attends an opera with Leslie's parents; and is a dinner guest at the Karst home, where Leslie's food is delicious and the conversation is stimulating.
Left to right: Professor Kenneth Karst, Dean Michael Schill, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband, Martin Ginsburg, at UCLA law
Author Leslie Karst (left) and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Karst also writes about her personal life; her family and friends; her partner Robin; her work as a corporate lawyer; her other interests, like music and singing; and more. Leslie laments she doesn't love the law like her father and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and mentions her intention to become a fiction writer. In fact, Karst now pens the 'Sally Solari' culinary mystery books.
The narrative is interspersed with 'interludes' about RBG, including the justice's schooling; jobs; husband Marty; interest in equal rights; ascension to the Supreme Court; judicial philosophy; affection for Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Antonin Scalia; writing style; caustic wit; love of opera; stylish wardrobe; and more. Speaking of style, RBG was named one of Glamour magazine's Women of the Year in 2012.
RBG is one of Glamour magazine's Women of the Year
Recipes for the scallops, soup, salad, ahi, potatoes, and snow peas are included.
I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to foodies and fans of RBG.
Thanks to Netgalley, Leslie Karst, and She Writes Press for a copy of the manuscript.
Rating: 4 stars
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