So there was this pork shoulder in the freezer. It had been there for a very long time (properly vacuum-sealed, don’t worry) and the warm, burgeoning gorgeousness all around- plus the fact that the smoker is right next to my studio, so I see it 20 times a day- inspired me to thaw it and do things to it. To begin, the espresso-based rub, and then a bit of time to sit while I lit…
Category: Awesomeness
I had some requests from the gang for more of my barbecue sauce; I made some for last year’s holiday party and it was enthusiastically received. So I pulled out the big pot and got to pouring, stirring, tasting, and adjusting. The main ingredients are molasses, tomato and tamarind pastes, balsamic and cider vinegars, and red wine, with smoked espresso, sriracha, ponzu, and various dried spices adding complexity. It’s a little different every time, but…
The numbers: 8 adults, 11 courses, 7 bottles, 6 hours. The pictures: Duck and pear: Melons are long since out of season, so these are local organic red bartlett pears. This duck took about three months to cure, but was SOOOO worth the wait. Leek & Gruyère tart: A dribble of truffle oil and grating of Indonesian long pepper on top put this one into orbit. Celery root-leek-potato soup: Local milk, veggies from the garden,…
Home-cured duck prosciutto, red bartlett pear, maple-balsamic glaze Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru brut rosé Leek, gruyère, and pine nut tart Celery root-leek-potato soup 2001 Guigal Hermitage blanc Winter salad of mâche, claytonia, minutina Walnut-Sherry vinaigrette Kimchi juice-marinated diver scallop with braised pan di zucchero Quail egg, guanciale, kimchi, pan sauce 2001 Lucien Albrecht Gewurtztraminer Cuvée Marie Ham “ravioli” with squash-apple-walnut filling Clear squash consommé, togarashi Beef marrow bone Buckwheat “risotto”, beef-saffron reduction 1983 Joseph Drouhin Bonnes-Mares…
Fans of Patton Oswalt (he was the voice of Ratatouille, you know) might recognize the title for this post. Today, because I’m the daddy, and it was an impeccable crystalline warm fall day- with all those fleeting perfections of smell and light and feeling that fill one at once with both pure distilled joy of life and sad dread at its evanescence- a meal to celebrate the exact intersection of those two emotions. At Daniel‘s…
On short notice, Kris invited me down to the city to join them for a celebration. It was well worth the trip. Excellent food, wine, and company. Here’s the menu: Crab Cake and Smoked Trout on Toast 1997 Bollinger Grande Cuvée Mushroom Soup with Bellota Ham of Joselito, Shiitake Mushrooms, 7-day cooked egg yolk & Arbequina Olive Oil Air 1951 Barbeito Sercial Riserva Velha Madeira (from his birth year) Alaskan Wild Scallops with Corn Sauce,…
A de rigueur trip to the farmer’s market was different in one notable way this time around: we bought no vegetables. Our garden provided salad and cooking greens, plus herbs and radishes to last the weekend, so all we needed was cheese, jam, bread, snacks to get us through the market, and of course some of Pascal’s mighty sausages. He has recently reopened in a new location, and his charcuterie is as good as ever.…
A fantastic party, up at Allaire studios, on top of a mountain, on a freezing night. Colin from The Tasting Room in NYC came up to make about 20 of us a crazy dinner, and we brought wine to go with. The meal began with oysters, then crostini of smoked trout, accompanied by Sine Qua Non’s “Backward and Forward” which tasted like mutant Sherry, as well as some Kistler Chards, and then we sat down.…