ZUNI CAFE COOKBOOK DINNER

Happy Halloween! On Halloween Eve we shared a delightful evening high above Santa Clara Valley, on top of Mount Eden, appropriately named. With the glittering lights of Silicon Valley as the backdrop, we feasted on food prepared by avid home chefs from Judy Rodgers’ , The Zuni Café Cookbook. There were 9 courses in front of us so keeping the servings small was the key to surviving another gourmet meal.

We started with Sandi W.’s Gougeres with Arugula, Bacon and Pickled Onions. It was the perfect start with the contrasting flavors of a rich Gruyer flavored gougeres, the crunchy arugula, salty bacon and sour/sweet pickled onions. We only ate one each but I could have devoured several more! The magnum of 2002 Estate Chardonnay from Mount Eden Vineyard’s library was paired perfectly, standing up the rich gougeres while enhancing the salty/sour flavors. A tough job for any wine but this one championed that combination without overwhelming it. Sandi recommended that we grate or shred the cheese instead of using the prescribed cube of cheese because the weight of the cube deflated the gougeres.

We then had Sandy’s Baked Artichokes with Onions, Lemon, Black Olives and Mint. This was not a recipe that I had earmarked as I thumbed through the cookbook to try but now I HAVE to have this recipe! It was fabulous, to say the least. I’m used to the standard boiled artichokes eaten with drawn butter or mayonnaise but this version adds the word “gourmet” to artichokes. Sandy had to quarter the artichokes because they were so large and, for our dinner, turned out the be the perfect portion. The artichokes are roasted in a broth so long that they were infused with the flavors of the onions, lemons, olive oil, and hint of mint. As you can see from the photo, they are served with onions and a few olives and although the leaves look kind of dry from the roasting, it is only the outside leaves, and the roasting adds a smoky flavor to the artichokes. Another over-the-top dish! We continued with the magnum of chardonnay that contributed to the creaminess of this dish.

The next dish drew raves and reminiscences from the table. A version of comfort food, the Sage Grilled Cheese Sandwiches that Willie prepared drew groans of delight from everyone. We all remembered our first grilled cheese sandwiches made with either Kraft’s American yellow cheese (I’m not really sure that American is a “flavor”) or worse yet, Velveeta on Wonder Bread and how much we liked them and never eat them anymore. Sandy remembered as a bride, trying to make them as a request from her husband and hunting for Velveeta in the cheese section of the grocery store only to find that it wasn’t even refrigerated! This rendition of our fond memory is a grown-up version. Willie created a sage infused olive oil and then brushed the bread (he used Grace Bakery bread for the size of the loaf but prefers Acme if he could have made full servings of the sandwiches) and layered the cheese between the slices. Easy Peasy he says! This appetizer was complemented by a serving of Dry Creek Vineyard, 2009 Chenin Blanc. The acidity of this wine actually accented the richness of the Gruyer cheese while toning down the heaviness of the sandwiches.

The dish that I made was the Tomato Summer Pudding that I had raved about in a previous post. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to find enough Heirloom tomatoes this late in the season and in enough colors but Imahara’s Market and Cupertino’s Farmer’s Market provided all the heirlooms I needed. I used Acme Bread’s Sweet Batard for the bread that is broiled on one side then rubbed with raw garlic and then steamed in a bag. Although she doesn’t explicitly say to to do this, I also parboiled the tomatoes for 10 seconds to peel them and layered different colors to make a colorful dish. What I like the most about this dish is the simple salad vinaigrette that is created with the juice from the shoulders of the tomatoes and run-off from the cutting board. It is simply EVOO, sherry vinaigrette, S&P and tomato juice. It makes such pretty presentation that I am beginning to discover it is half the reason I select certain recipes and why I love to make desserts! This dish was served with a 2009 Riesling from The Honorable winery from Washington. Judy Rodgers recommends a Riesling for this dish and she is totally right on with this combo!

Finally, we come to our first “main” course for the evening. Annie prepared the Mock Porchetta with Root Vegetables. She also prepared a simple polenta to go with her dish. The real Porchetta (as contrasted to the “mock”) is made with a whole pig that is flavored with fennel seeds and other herbs and then spit roasted to create crispy skin. The chef slices it right off the pig to give you a simple panini of bread and pork. It was one of my favorite meats in Italy and found everywhere even in trucks that travel from place to place, kind of like our local “roach coaches,” that, BTW, are becoming gourmet and worth a try! The meat was pink and tender and very flavorful from the fennel, pepper, herbs, capers, lemons and salt rub. Annie was worried that it wouldn’t be tender because this pork shoulder didn’t have a lot of fat in it but it turned out to be very tender so it’s the long slow cooking that does it. If you want a blow by blow with photos for this dish, I found one at cookingzuni.blogspot.com/2008/07/mock-porchetta.html

The wine for this dish deserves a little story because it was the 2009 Zuni Café Pinot Noir! It turns out that Jeffrey makes a special cuvee for the Zuni Café to sell under its own label. It doesn’t taste like a Mount Eden Pinot because the co-owner of Zuni selected with blend for his restaurant bottling. This wine was made to go with this dish even though Judy Rodgers recommends a Barolo or Cabernet Sauvignon. In keeping with Judy’s recommendation, Bill selected a 1997 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon to go with the pork as well as the beef dish to follow.

As an intermezzo between our two meat dishes, Janis prepared Lamb’s Lettuce with Raw Asparagus, Pistachios, & Parmigiano-Reggiano. This was another recipe that most of us did not earmark in our cookbooks but now want to try on our own. It was a wonderful contrast of flavors and textures; the soft mache leaves against the crisp asparagus slices and crunchy pistachios. We also learned from Judy, via Janis, that it’s the stems of the asparagus that has all the sweet flavors and that the tips add a bitterness to this vegetable, so no tips in this salad! For those smart diners who kept a bit of the chardonnay in their glass, Jeffrey’s chardonnay is the wine that could have complemented most of this meal, including this fabulous salad.

The second meat dish was a Brasato that Jeffrey made at a much lower temperature (225º) than Judy recommended. The result of his decision was a braised chuck that was still a bit pink inside but as tender as could be. This full flavored brasato was served with a heavenly Braised Fennel that Marianne prepared to go with Jeffrey’s dish. The fennel was braised in a broth of vermouth and wine and so soft that it just melted in my mouth. I have always avoided fennel and won’t even order a dish at a restaurant if it is served with fennel on the side but this dish has changed my mind about fennel. I never liked the licorice flavors in this vegetable but didn’t know that once it’s braised for a long time that flavor is so muted that it almost disappears. The Brasato and Braised Fennel were well paired. The Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon actually went better with this entré than the porchetta, adding a bit of soft fruit to the flavors in the beef. Ahh, what a dinner we are savoring while gazing over the entire South Bay lights!

Our last serving was Shortcake with Summer Fruit, prepared by Sharon who was the only one spunky enough to come to this dinner in costume! The fruits, strawberries, red and white raspberries, are macerated in a fruity Riesling and served with a scone-like shortcake and Chantilly cream. A very light dessert that ended our heavenly evening high in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Bill selected a Beerenaulese to drink with Sharon’s dessert. The Weingut Sankt-Urbans-Hof ,1976 Riesling Beerenauslese had enough acid as well as sweetness to go with the berries. It was a rich dessert wine that was the perfect choice for this ending. I’d have to say, in fact, that the wine pairings for this dinner, throughout each course, was at a sommelier level! Thanks, Bill, for sharing your deep cellar and thanks Jeffrey for sharing Mount Eden’s bounty with our group.

Our next event is our Annual Holiday Buffet: Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 4 p.m. at Annie and George’s home. Spouses/guests are invited to join us. Appetizers or desserts from any of the cookbooks we’ve used since 2006. And, don’t forget to bring a kitchen white elephant that no kitchen should be without or, perhaps ALL kitchens should be without! This tradition actually brought us our Crowing Coq, a chicken timer that crowed spontaneously in Bob and Diane’s kitchen, enough for them to want to give it away. It currently resides with Janis and Bill, it’s 4th set of foster parents!

In the meantime, enjoy your thanksgiving dinner. I’ve found that this meal is not the time to be creative because it’s not Thanksgiving without the traditional dishes that we all remember from our childhoods. Like stuffing made with Wonderbread....