President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will dine on a three-course menu planned by first lady Melania Trump on Thursday night as the White House welcomes Xi for a State Dinner. Xi is visiting the U.S. this week for the first time since 2015. Xi and Trump will meet during a time when tensions remain high over trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and global prices.
Discussions are expected to revolve around those topics. On Thursday, the Office of the First Lady released details about the dinner menu. Melania Trump and Xi's wife, Madame Peng Liyuan, also will attend the dinner in the East Room of the White House, set for Thursday evening, alongside technology executives, official delegations and business officials.
Although an official guest list has not been released, attendees are expected to include Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former Apple CEO Tim Cook. The meal will be kicked off with a toast of Schramsberg "Blanc de Noir," a nod to the "Toast to Peace" shared by President Richard Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1972 in Beijing. "The same American sparkling wine served at that historic gathering continues to be enjoyed at White House functions today," the press release said.
The toast will be followed by a three-course meal. "The menu showcases American ingredients with subtle Chinese influence, bringing the culinary traditions of both nations together," the release said. It includes a first course of yellow squash velouté, a type of French sauce or soup that will feature wild mushrooms and fresh herbs, as well as crispy pancetta and a drizzle of scallion oil.
The velouté will be followed by a second course of sesame crusted sea bass, braised baby bok choy and roasted garden eggplant, finished with a "vibrant sauce verte of fresh herbs, which add brightness, acidity, and a garden character," according to the release. For dessert, attendees will enjoy a vanilla crémeux featuring White House honey ice cream, walnut frangipane and sour cherry confit. In April, Melania Trump announced that the White House beehives expanded to allow for an additional 30 pounds of honey to be harvested each year.
It is often featured in White House culinary dishes. The dinner's entertainment is headlined by Christopher Macchio, as well as military musicians from the United States Marines Corps and the U.S. The tables will be decorated with symbols of Chinese culture, such as the color red, and flowers like dahlias and ranunculus.
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