The Trump dinner used china services from both the Clinton and Bush administrations
Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla to the White House for a dinner during their state visit
- The menu was curated by the first lady and included a garden herb velouté, spring herb ravioli and a classic dover sole meunière
- The specially-crafted dessert course included honey from the White House beehives, which the King and Queen toured the previous day
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla back to the White House for a formal state dinner — but what was on the menu?
While the president, 79, is famously fond of serving his beloved McDonald's to visiting championship sports teams, the first lady, 56, headed up the menu for the dinner on Tuesday, April 28.
The first course featured a "delicate garden herb velouté, silken and aromatic, complemented by a refreshing hearts of palm salad." While velouté is technically one of the famous five French "mother sauces," made by thickening stock with a roux, it is often used as the basis for soups. The hearts of palm salad was finished with crispy shallots and "a whisper of micro mint for brightness and contrast."
For the second course, the White House kitchen staff made a handcrafted spring herb ravioli, featuring ricotta, morel mushrooms and fresh herbs picked from the White House Kitchen Garden. The pasta was dressed with "a light parmesan emulsion, which enhances the essence of the dish."
For the third course, the first lady kept to the light, spring theme of the menu and served "a classic dover sole meunière, expertly prepared and bathed in a nutty brown butter." The classic preparation, popularized in part by the iconic Julia Child, features a whole filet of Dover sole, dredged in flour and pan-fried in butter until golden. Accompanying the fish were spring ramps, snow peas, pavé potatoes, and "a vibrant parsley oil."
Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty
The dessert course centered around another special ingredient from the White House gardens. A beehive-shaped chocolate gâteau with a vanilla bean crémeux custard was set inside with an almond joconde and topped with a brown butter crumble. Complementing the cake was crème fraîche ice cream and White House honey.
The King, 77, and Queen, 78, had the opportunity to taste the presidential honey the day prior, when the Trumps showed them Melania's new White House-shaped beehive, which was recently installed to expand the beekeeping program started at the White House by Michelle Obama.
Credit: Aaron Chown / POOL / AFP/Getty
The wines accompanying the meal for the evening were chosen to honor "the shared heritage and enduring friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom, and [celebrate] the strength of American winemaking today." They included the Hopkins Riesling “Heritage” 2024 by Hopkins Vineyards, the Penner-Ash Pinot Noir “Willamette Valley” 2022, by Penner-Ash Wine Cellars and the Newton Chardonnay “Unfiltered” 2022, by Newton Vineyard.
The evening's entertainment included performances by the United States military musicians from the Marines, Army, and Air Force.
Decor for the dinner in the East Room — not the traditional State Dining Room — reflected the monarchs' and the first couple's "shared appreciation for gardens."
The Grand Foyer was decorated with cherry blossoms as guests entered — another new logistical change due to Trump's demolition of the East Wing. Inside, trees and greenery evoked English gardens while the tables were decorated with spring blooms of lilac, butterfly ranunculus, phlox, and lily of the valley.
The Trump dinner used china services from both the Clinton and Bush administrations, chosen to "reflect the long and enduring friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom."
Credit: HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP via Getty
The day prior, the Trumps welcomed the King and Queen by hosting them for private afternoon tea, before they departed for a massive garden party at the British Embassy.
The embassy's head chef, Craig Harnden, showed a bit of his process preparing British-inspired snacks for the more than 600 guests at the event in a video posted by the British Embassy Washington's X account, noting that the party served “four kinds of tea sandwiches, scones, desserts and several British flavours from smoked Scottish salmon to British Beef!”
Harnden shared that they will be making 2,500 to 3,000 sandwiches. “The calculation is based on experience and a little bit of luck,” the chef said. The kitchen's four types of sandwiches were: Scottish salmon, roast beef and horseradish, egg mayonnaise and cucumber.
They also baked fresh scones, noting the importance of serving the m“fresh and warm,” the chef said. The scones were served alongside clotted cream, strawberry jam and a strawberry on top.
Tomorrow, King Charles and Queen Camilla will continue their state visit by traveling to New York City for a series of engagements.
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They will then travel south to Virginia to meet local residents and community organizations and attend a “block party” to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
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