A Study in Champagnes

David and Michelle were inspired by some recent champagne tastings and decided to host an all Champagne dinner.    We all brought courses and champagnes and as a result, 4 Hors D’Ouevres, 6 courses and 18 champagnes.   The dinner started at 6 p.m. and ended at 12:30 AM and I can hear you all saying , “OMG!” but yes, it took us six and a half hours to consume this dinner.

We started with Sashimi (Otoro, Maguro, Hamachi and Uni), Smoked Salmon Crisps, Potato Cakes with Cilantro dipping sauce and Smoked Salmon.  So, of course, we had to have more than one champagne to go with all of these appetizers: Collard-Picard Cuvée Dom Picard Blanc de blancs, Andre Cloquet Brut Nature, and a 2002 Pascal Doquet Blanc.   These champagnes were well chosen to go with these dishes. . .or, more likely, the dishes were prepared to go with the wines.

Our first course was Dungeness Crab, Avocado, Radish Sprouts, Tobiko & Toasted Quinoa with miso beurre blanc.  This dish was David's creation to introduce us all to Toasted Quinoa, an ingredient that he and Michelle discovered at the Farmhouse Restaurant in the Sonoma area.   It’s an ingredient that I will definitely start using.  It was especially good as they used it:  the avocado chunks were rolled in it.   His Miso Beurre Blanc dressing was wine friendly and oh so umami-ly delicious!  The champagnes for this course and the next soup course came from everyone’s cellars and together we drank a vertical of 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002 & 2004 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne and a 2002 Pascal Doquet Blanc de Blancs.   The 1996 and ‘98 Comtes changed over time and became richer as they warmed up in our glasses and refreshers brought all the wonderful flavors back to the glasses.

The next dish was Tartine Bakery Sourdough Bread and Kerrygold butter.  I know, you may not think that bread should not be a course but Tartine Bakery’s bread is baked in my favorite style of bread:  chewy inside with a thin crispy crust and so very flavorful.  To further heighten the butter, David brought out some fleur de sel and truffle salt.   Like Manresa Restaurant’s bread course, I could just dine on bread and butter!!

We then had Cauliflower, Bacon and Ginger Soup with white truffle oil that Vai prepared.  It was oh so-o-o smooth and creamy.  I’ve asked for the recipe so if you too want to try this soup (and you won’t regret preparing it), let me know and I’ll share it with you.   We all wanted seconds but knew we had several courses to go and declined another helping but were so tempted!  (Sorry about the photo. . . my iphone did not do this soup justice.  It was very white but I couldn't get Photoshop to make the changes)  So far we are finishing the bottles of champagne. . . A-mazing!   I was tasting and spitting as were a couple of others around the dining table, otherwise I’d be “four sheets to the wind” or passed out by now.

The next course was a new introduction for me to farro.   After bad experiences with barley, I’ve not tried many grains but after tonight, not only has quinoa joined my list of ingredients but farro as well--especially David's preparation of Farro Risotto with Maitakes & Porcini Mushrooms, Bolete Powder and Poached Egg.   My serving used a poached quail egg but some had a duck egg.   David suggested an additional drop of a liquid concoction that he called “Anchovy Ick” that definitely added another layer of umami.  This liquid is fermented anchovies and he suggested that we add one drop without smelling it first because the smell is “icky” to most people.   This dish was my favorite, I think because it was such a pleasant surprise to find that I liked it – loved it actually!   But, I digress…onto the champagnes.  Another vertical of Veuve Clicquots: 1990, 1995 & 1996 Grande Dame AND a 1995 Dom Perignon.  Again, these came from various cellars.  We had not tasted a vertical of Grande Dames before and it was amazing to taste the signature Veuve Clicquot across the three years.  Very recognizable in each year. 

Our next dish illustrates how wine friendly a salad can be.   Susan prepared a light  Fennel, Citrus and Olive Salad using the oranges from her yard for the dressing and olive oil cured olives.  You'll notice the use of avocados rolled in the toasted quinoa (see right side of salad) again here.   This salad was a perfect intermezzo between two heavy dishes and not only went well with the champagnes but was so refreshing at this point in the evening.  I loved the raw fennel slices that added a touch of sweetness to the salad.  

David prepared the Roasted Rack of Lamb with rosemary flower fleur de sel and a side of Duck fat Roasted Potatoes.   What’s not to like about a rack of lamb!  Perfectly roasted and the rosemary salt was a nice added accent that enhanced the lamb.  I must tell you a story about the duck fat. David Kinch’s version of Foie Gras Torchon requires the foie gras to be submerged in duck fat so our David bought a huge vat of it.  I got several pints of it to take home and the King’s had duck fat in their diet for several weeks…in fact, so much, that they needed to take a break from it. The good news is that it keeps for months!   There is nothing as delicious as potatoes cooked in duck fat.  I used it in a Jacques Pepin potato dish last weekend and everyone loved it!   We HAD to open some more champagnes to go with the lamb so we forged on to four Rosés.  Barnaut Rosé Authentic, Bruno Michel lieu-dit Les Roses, Fleury Rosé de saignee, and a Larmandier-Bernier Rosé de saignee.  I know you were wondering about what champagnes would go with red meat but these rosés were surprisingly compatible and I loved the varying shades of pinks and roses as well as the rich fruit and complexity of the wines.

It is now 11:30 p.m. so I thought I’d better get the dessert together.  I made Wine Poached Pears with raspberry coulis.  It’s a light dessert that is brightened with the raspberry sauce.  I passed a dish of Chantilly Cream for people to add to the dish if they wished.   It’s a beautifully presented dessert that was enhanced with two more champagnes:  Laurent-Perrier Demi-sec and a Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec.   Michelle noted how they complemented the vanilla in both the poached pears and Chantilly Cream but still able to stand up to the tart pears and raspberries.

Now here’s the amazing thing!  The timing was so good that I wasn’t uncomfortably full at the end of the evening and I ate everything…. everything!   Tired but content, we headed home at 1:00.   What an evening, whew!

COOKBOOK CLUB NEXT DINNER:  I hope you are trying out various recipes from David Kinch's Manresa Restaurant cookbook.  Now that this dinner is out of the way, I will start working on my Arpége Egg.  Don't forget, March 8th for this gstronomical feat.  I will talk with Kinch tomorrow to hear how to prepare his recipes without a sous vide although my idea of the ziplock freezer bag with the air sucked out of it and using a rice cooker's "warm" setting might just work.  Stay tuned on this part.

Cook on!