Food, Wine & Friends Page 127

In an effort to raise money for the local high school, I donated an item to
the annual fund-raising auction...

W-10 Vittles & Vino with Gerald Weisl of Weimax
Wines & Spirits
A Wine-Tasting Dinner for Six
Join Burlingames own wine guru and bon vivant Gerald
Weisl for a home-cooked meal and wine pairings.
This dinner for six features a series of courses, each matched with a
couple of Geralds wine picks. The soire will begin with special
Champagne & nibbles and proceed merrily over the gastronomic
and enological countryside, from surf to turf, spanning many miles and
countless calories.
Well roll up our sleeves at the dinner table after
the a couple of bottles of bubbles from small, prestigious
domaines in Champagne and start with a white wine course, followed by a
couple of well-cellared reds before
moving on to the cheese course and further, appropriate vinous
accompaniments. Then, on to dessert and a sip of dYquem and
post-prandial potations. |
And so we prepared a little culinary excursion for six
guests...

The menu...


Lisa got busy, pairing some Foie Gras with the Pierre Moncuit Champagne.

Joe Baylock was, I think, playing Rock-Paper-Scissors with someone for another
sip of the Champagne.

I had help with preparing the meal and with the wine selections as Dr. Diane
lent a hand...
The first sit-down course after the "nibbles" was a terrine featuring
chicken and fresh vegetables...


We dressed some salad greens from Burlingame's weekly "Fresh
Market" and plated the terrine...

This was paired with an Austrian Gruner Veltliner from Karthauserhof and a
Malvasia from the Venica & Venica winery in Italy's Collio region of Friuli.
This was followed by Salmon in Parchment Paper...


The
salmon was served on a bed of chopped fennel and peppers...

...and we paired it with two Chardonnays:
2006 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay from South Africa
2005 Eric Kent Chardonnay from Sonoma's Russian River appellation.
Next...

...a little palate 'cleanser' of a Beaujolais 'ice'.
Then a couple of 1994 Napa Cabernets were opened and decanted.

1994 Forman Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
1994 Chateau Montelena Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
The main plates:

Duck Breasts, Duck Legs, Duck Sausages.

Oven-roasted Cauliflower.

Grilled Polenta Stars with Pesto.

Stan surveys the plate...


The two Cabernets were neck-and-neck...both were about at their peak, deep
and rich.
Following this, we had a cheese platter with some breads purchased at the Fresh
Market...



We
had a couple of 'nice' Pinot Noir wines to pair with the cheeses...

1995 Dehlinger Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
&
1997 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg
Then...Dessert:

1997 Chateau d'Yquem.
Next...the "second" Dessert...

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and Fresh Market berries...

La Montecchia's sparkling Orange Muscat...Yum!

The total line-up...
Thanks to everyone for participating...
Thanks to Joe Baylock for ponying up some money for the school...
Thanks to Dr. Diane for her assistance...

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