Food, Wine & Friends Page 133
September 2007
Our dear friends, Norbert and Gabriella Auth of Rodgau, Germany (who are
depicted on many pages here), celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary with a
motorcycle tour of British Columbia.
They then boarded a plane bound for San Francisco and came to Burlingame.
Their timing was fortuitous, as another "celebrity" was here for a
brief moment: Anne Rideout of Pittsburgh, PA.
We hosted a dinner for Gaby, Norbert, Anne and her Mom, Rena Koch (of Millbrae).
We began the festivities with a "schluck" of Trummer Pils beer, a
delightful brew made in Berkeley.
Anne & her Mom arrived moments later, so we got busy and opened a bottle of
Roederer Estate's delicious 2000 "L'Ermitage."
Rena Koch.
Meanwhile, the Chocolate Moose does his
impression of Gaby.
A few nibbles to go with the bubbly.
We then had some prawns wrapped with fresh
basil and Prosciutto.
We then had everyone take a seat at the
dinner table, fasten their seat-belts and hold on for a wild ride!
We began with a "Veggie Terrine with Smoked Salmon."
The terrine is a mousseline of chicken with vegetables such as mushrooms,
asparagus, red peppers and zucchini imbedded in it. I also put in a
chunk of smoked salmon.
While on their 'tour' of Canada, they enjoyed 'crab cakes'
on numerous occasions. Gaby requested I prepare some of my
"famous" crab cakes and she watched as I put together these delectable
little numbers...
Grgich Hills 2005 Napa Chardonnay was a delightful accompaniment. The wine
does NOT undergo a secondary, malolactic fermentation and I like the fruit and
oak of this Chardonnay.
So did others...
A palate refresher of a granit was also delicious.
The main course was a Prime Rib Roast to accompany a couple
of wines from some producers we visited in Spain more than a decade ago.
Okra with Portabello Mushrooms, Yorkshire Pudding and oven-roasted potatoes.
Anne was busy fishing for garlic.
Norbert enjoyed a sniff of the herbs and garlic used in roasting the potatoes.
And the beef wasn't bad, either.
Humm Baby!
Gaby enjoyed hearing Rena's stories of her acquaintances with Teddy Roosevelt
and Abe Lincoln.
Things got really interesting when she told of her visit
with John F. Kennedy.
Rena then told us about her two famous grand-daughters, The Lizard and Dr.
Erin.
We enjoyed two magnificent Spanish reds:
Costers del Siurana's 2004 Clos de l'Obac from the Priorat region and
Muga's 2003 Rioja called "Torre Muga."
The Clos de l'Obac was deep and massive...full of fruit and a big, brooding,
powerful red wine.
The Muga was sensational! It had a wonderful cedary, coffeeish element
from the oak and plenty of fruit. It is sensational right now.
Rena finally realized I was taking pictures...
Norbert saw both red wines in a good light...
Homemade ice cream and fresh, local berries & peaches...
The bottle of Huxelrebe from Darting was brown in color, but was very fruity and
zesty on the nose and palate...
Rena then told us of the time before electricity...
We all had a schluck of eau-de-vie and Anne & Rena had
a plane to catch in a few hours...
And then it was time for a schnooze so we'd have 'fresh batteries' for breakfast
in Burlingame.
And...bright and early Tuesday...
Hot cakes, bacon and an egg, sunny-side up.
Now their 'tanks' were filled and they were ready to drive north to visit Paul
and Sandy Obester 272 miles north...it's 36 miles west of Redding!
The party continues in the 96052 zip code and will resume in Sonoma...
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