Well, all good things must come to an end and as a result of
life, travel, moves, etc. I made the decision to end our Crowing Coq Cookbook
Club after 13+ years of gourmet dinners.
The decision was made in December, but because Janis lives in Australia for
4 months, we delayed our last dinner together until April 27th.
Since Bill & I just returned from a trip to Milan where we view Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper, I thought it so appropo to name our final Crowing Coq Cookbook Club's dinner "The Last Supper"
The 10 Founding Members of our club created yet another
gastronomical feast to toast to 49 dinners we’ve prepared together over
13+years. 2019 would have been our 14th
year.
Mary started our feast with a Caramelized Garlic Tart recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi, who has
become one of our group’s favorite cookbook author. This tart is specifically a loved recipe. It’s easy to see why….puffed pastry filled
with 6 full bulbs of individually caramelized garlic cloves. Mary said that it
took forever to peel that many cloves and then to caramelize them but the end
result certainly made her efforts worth her hard work. I thought that the 2006 Launois Champagne "Special Club" Brut Blanc de Blancs was a perfect
pairing that allowed the garlic tart to shine
Thank you Bill!
The Rabbit
Tostadas tasted as good as the first time Sharon made them….She used
chicken thighs this time and TBH, I
think I like the thighs better. It
seems like a simple thing to prepare but making the black beans, slaw and
braised thighs is in reality, making 4 separate dishes. Topped with crème fraiche and cilantro not only makes for a
beautiful presentation but a very tasty
first course. Cindy Pawcyln’s cookbook, Big Small Bites, is one of my “go to”
cookbooks. We’ve had so many good
cookbooks with which I’ve learned new flavors, techniques, and combinations; some
easy, some very complicated, all very delicious! Bill contributed a 2006 Domaine Louis
Boillot Pinot Noir Premier Cru "Les Fremiers" from Pommard, France. I thought it worked well with the spice and
Mexican flavors of this dish.
Our next course comes from the salad and vegetable queen
of our group. Janis prepared the Beetroot & Avocado Salad, again
from Yotam Ottolenghi.. She has
consistently chosen recipes that I would not have picked but that are so tasty
that I subsequently use those recipes over and over again as a result. I love beets so this dish will become a new
favorite of mine. The flavors are very subtle but so
delicious! Bill selected a 2016 Balletto Vinyards, Sauvignon Blanc Estate wine from the Russian
River Valley. Bill consistently
selects great wines to go with each dish and this pairing was no exception/
Jeffrey prepared our fish course from an Alan Wong recipe, Steamed Opakapaka
& Gingered Vegetables. He put black cod into parchment packets and steamed them and then
blanched some veggies. After blanching the
veggies for a bit, he poured extremely hot oil over them. I could hear them sizzling and the aromas
were heavenly, filled with ginger and bok choy aromas.
Our main course was a Guy Crosby recipe, Slow-roasted Pork Shoulder with Cherry
Sauce. I
actually have made this recipe but mine was nowhere as moist and flavorful as
Annie’s. Maybe mine wasn’t slow roasted
enough? She made the cherry sauce from
frozen cherries so it’s good to know that we can all make this dish any time of
the year. Her dish was accompanied by
a Julia Child recipe, Sliced Potatoes
Simmered in Cream & Basil that George
prepared. A very creamy and rich potato
dish that beats mashed potatoes hands down!
Bill paired the main course with a 2006 Chateau Pontet-Canet Red Bordeaux Pauilllac. I love old
bordeaux’s and this one was well-cellared and enhanced the cherry flavors and
was a good foil for the richness of the pork dish.
Have you noticed that there were several 2006 wines
served at this dinner? 2006 was the
first year of the Crowing Coq Cookbook Club!
What a very thoughtful gesture on Bill’s part to take the time and
energy to find these special wines for us.
Bill’s wines over the years made each dinner especially gourmet. His
wine pairings set our cookbook club apart from others and made the dinners
memorable. Not many people have large
wine cellars and are willing to share 8-10 bottles of outstanding wines for
each dinner.
I made a very simple Paula Wolfert Flaugnard with Pears & Whipped Cream for
our first dessert course. I like her
recipes and am always searching for desserts that aren’t too sweet. It’s a last minute dessert because it’s
supposed to be served warm. Each time
I’ve made it, it is always received with enthusiasm. I am sure the Pears can be substituted with
apples, or other fruits. Bill chose my
favorite sauternes to pair with my dessert, 2006 Chateau Rieussec. Once again, he
chose the perfect wine to go with the rich but delicate flavors of the pears
and buttery flaugnard.
The piéce de’résistance for the dessert course was
Sandi’s Le Gateau Victoria au Chocolat,
Mousseline from Julia Child. It was
one of those decadent desserts whose chocolaty richness clings to my palate
long after I’ve consumed it. Sandi was
disappointed that it stuck to the bottom of the pan and got some ideas of how
to avoid that if she makes this dessert again….parchment is the magic to put on
the bottom and sides of the pan
that prevents the gateau from
sticking. But oh my goodness, the
chocolate gauteau and mousseline just melted in my mouth. She served
it with crème frâiche. There is
no wine that goes really well with chocolate but Bill thought that a 2006 port
from Prager Port
Works, Royal Escort, Paladini Vineyards might
work. While it was okay, I personally
think that FroZin is the only wine that goes really, really well with dark chocolate! Bill actually thinks we ought to eat the
dessert sans wine and then end the evening with a good port.
We all agreed that our cookbook club created new
friendships, taught us all new cooking techniques, increased our confidence to
tackle any recipe or cookbook and made many memorable dinners that we will
never forget…unless this blog disappears from the web!
I certainly hope that you will all continue to
challenge your culinary talents and share your cooking skills with family and
friends.
Cook on!
Sandi
