Fiddleheads and Ramps!!!

Spring is in the air - well, at least it was last Thursday - and you know what that means - FIDDLEHEAD FERNS!!! The world's greatest vegetable begins its incredibly short growing season in a few weeks, so now is the time to place your order. Stephanie and I first tasted these wonderful delights at Hugh Acheson's Five & Ten restaurant in Athens, Ga a few years ago, and we have been ordering them from Earthy Delights ever since (www.earthydelights.com). They're not cheap, but they're absolutely worth it.

Fiddleheads are the shoots of the ostrich fern. They are harvested a couple weeks after breaking through the soil when the plant is curled back on itself like the head of a violin. Their flavor is deep and earthy, and they are best quickly sauteed in olive oil with a bit of lemon. Or you can do like we do and order three or four pounds of them and try to invent new combinations. They're only around for about a month, so don't miss out.

And while you're at it, buy a pound of ramps, i.e. baby leeks, for grilling or pickling.

A Visit from Sir Jeffington

Stephanie and I welcomed a visit from her cousin Jeff this weekend. He stopped off in Chicago for a few days on a cross-country (car) trip to Montana after graduating from medical school. Stephanie had to work, so I had the pleasure of showing Jeff around Chicago's many gastronomic hotspots. He arrived late Wednesday evening and was greeting with grilled Praire Groves Farm pork tenderloin and a bottle of Vino Nobile. The pork was the most tender I have eaten at home. Although twice the price of the grocery store brand, the added flavor was worth it.

Thursday began with a carbo load of bagels before a bike ride to the Loop to meet Stephanie for lunch at PotBelly sandwich shop. Jeff and I then toured Millennium Park and stopped off at Up Down Tobacco for some pipe tobacco and a gorgeous 100th Anniversary Davidoff cigar. I smoked the Davindoff last night with some Lagavulin 16, and it was divine.

But back to our trip. From Up Down we rode to the Goose Island Brewery. Jeff is a beer aficionado and wanted to sample the local suds. Everything was solid, but the highlight had to be the Barleywine brewed to celebrate their 2000th batch. It was excellent with a platter of sausages. We wobbled across the street to Sam's (the wine shop not the big-box store, although you'd never know from the size of the buildings) to admire the beer selection. We chose some unusual bottles to sample at home and I got into a heated debate about Trappist ales with the beer specialist (it turns out we were both right but I was more right than he was). After a wobbly bike ride home, we settled in for some Chicago-style pizza and a fabulous bottle of Rodenbach Grand Cru. There was some risk of this Flemish brewery going out of business, but they seem to be doing well. Michael Jackson, the beer writer not the pop star, once called this sour red ale the most refreshing beer in the world, and he couldn't be more right. What a treat!

Friday also began with bagels, but our butts hurt too much to try to ride bikes again. We drove to lunch at the infamous Hot Doug's (previously mentioned on these pages). Jeff had his first Chicago-style dog, and we added a smoked pheasant sausage, a ribeye sausage with roasted garlic cloves, and an unbelievably delicious toulouse sausage with saffron rouille. Jeff was sure getting his fill of encased meats. That night Stephanie made reservations at the Green Dolphin Street jazz club. Dinner was fairly good - grilled meats with a la carte sides - but a bit overpriced. The free admission to club softened this blow, however. The wine list was very strong in American reds, and there were even a few unusual deals. The music was superb and tremendously entertaining, as was the Ardbeg 10 I drank while enjoying it.

On Saturday we met some friends for a late breakfast at Lou Mitchell's, a Chicago landmark diner. The sausages and bacon were some of the best I have eaten, but this may have been due to the free doughnut holes they used to quicken our appetites. We then went to a vintage poster show ostensibly sponsored by Wine Spectator. Although the posters were amazing, WS had no perceivable presence. That was the only disappointment in an otherwise fascinating exhibit. By mid afternoon we were running out of steam, so we lounged around the house watching the rather boring basketball. Appetites were again whetted, however, by a couple dozen kumomoto oyster and bottles of stout. Stephanie insisted that we keep dinner light, so I made linguine with mussels washed down with a bottle of dry Aussie riesling. Very satisfying.

Jeff visit was a great pleasure. I was glad to introduce him to some of Chicago's best culinary offerings - mostly charcuterie and alcohol - and I was glad that he reacquainted me with pipe smoking. I purchased a new one, and I look forward to learning to smoke it.

Valentine's Day Lunch and Dinner

Stephanie and I celebrated Valentine's Day fairly quietly although very deliciously. She made reservations for us to have lunch at one of my favorite restaurants - Blackbird (see earlier post). The food there is always so satisfying, so mouth-watering to type about. Stephanie began with a spicy salmon tartare with avocado and homemade saltine. Then she had her favorite pork belly sandwich with b&b pickles. It's so good. After taking a bite, you don't even want to wipe your mouth for all the delicious flavor still on your lips. I began with the confit of suckling pig, a dish I've been looking forward to trying. My main course was a phenomenal bouillabaisse. Everything was perfect.

That evening for dinner I prepared a Valentine's themed meal. The first course was cream of tomato soup with pink shrimp served with Bellefon Cuvée des Moines Brut Rosé Champagne NV. Next was veal involtini with mushrooms in a pink peppercorn rosé sauce and mashed pink-skinned potatoes. It was accompanied by a bottle of Domaine du Joncier Lirac Rosé 2004. Dessert was a simple pink grapefruit granite. Everything turned out very well, and Stephanie seemed to enjoy it. I can't wait until my green St. Patrick's Day meal (don't worry, there won't be very many vegetables).

My Visit With Charlie Trotter

As some readers of this blog know, I am currently working on a law review article examining the copyrightability of recipes in American law. I decided that it would be useful to interview master chefs to discuss their thoughts on originality, creativity, recipes, and the Western culinary tradition to better understand how recipes function for people at the top of their profession (one might, of course, say "art"). Last week I called up Charlie Trotter's and left the chef a voicemail telling him of my project and requesting a time for an interview. He returned my call on Monday, proposing that we meet on Wednesday. I immediately accepted.

I arrived at the restaurant about fifteen minutes early and was greeted by someone on the staff. Charlie would be right out, I was told, and I was given a seat in the studio where they film Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter. The chef appeared in a few minutes, and we removed to the bar. He was a very pleasant and friendly gentleman, and he answered my questions for over half an hour. Chef Trotter likens cooking to jazz music, and he had plenty of insight into my subject matter.

After thirty minutes or so, the chef recommended that we move the site of the interview, saying that "we don't want this to be just an ordinary interview." Barely able to control my excitement, I was led into the kitchen and was seated at a table set for one. I was introduced to chef de cuisine Mathias Merges who sat down with me and answered more of my questions for another hour and a half. During this time I was served an elaborate five-course lunch with expertly paired wines.

Lunch began with a duo of olive oil poached salmon with smoked salmon roe and monkfish liver served with eel terrine. It was marvelous. The smoked roe seemed inspired by my favorite Scottish whiskies, and the monkfish live and eel expertly combined sweet and bitter components. The next course was buttermilk poached poulard breast with pomegranate gastrique paired with a delightful sauvi blanc from Justin Winery. This was followed by turbot and kumomoto oyster with watermelon radish and grapefruit served with sake. The meat course was a gorgeous preparation of roasted squab with black trumpet mushrooms, oxtail, collard greens, and braised carrots. It was paired with Brooks Pinot Noir 2004. Finally, I was presented with a light and refreshing dessert of fuji apples with butterscotch and rye crisp matched with Isole e Olena's Vin Santo 1998.

Everything was beyond my wildest expectations. Chefs Trotter and Merges were incredibly gracious with their time and their patience answering all of my inartfully worded questions. While I ate, members of the staff wandered by and introduced themselves to me, sharing insights about food, wine, recipes, and cooking. All of their ideas will certainly appear in my finished paper. I was very lucky to have this opportunity, and I am very grateful to everyone at the restaurant.

La Chablisienne Chablis Premier Cru Mont de Milieu 2002

One of our local wine shops had a sale on French wines last weekend, and we picked up a few bottles of this Chablis to add to our cellar. Stephanie and I decided to prepare a nice Sunday dinner, however, and selected one of the bottles to accompany the meal. Stephanie began with a tasting of soups served in my new Valdrome demitasse cups. She prepared a subtle but interesting cauliflower soup and a deep and rich potato chowder with bacon and chives. The main course was one of my favorite dishes and one of the first I learned to cook - veal saltimbocca.

Chablis is the northern most region of Burgundy, and although it shares the same grape varietal with the wines of Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne, and Mersault (i.e. Chardonnay), its wine tend to be leaner and more minerally. This wine, from one of Chablis's top producers, splendidly represented the style of the region. Stephanie and I both enjoyed the balance of crisp apple flavors with the chalk and slate textures on the finish. It displayed a truly expanisive mid-palate, where the fruity opening mingled with the acidic finish. Stephanie declared it among the best white wines she has had.

We were very pleased with the wine and it matched both the soups and the veal rather well. This bottle had a faulty cork that already displayed some leaking. It could certainly stand a decade or more of cellaring, but now we're anxious about the closures.

An MLK Weekend Not to Be Forgotten

Stephanie and I were pleased to welcome my great old friend Chuck and his wife Jayne to Chicago for a long weekend of eating, drinking, smoking, and general merriment. Chuck arrived late Friday night, and the festivities began immediately with a surprisingly delicious bottle of Marguet-Bonnerave Champagne Grand Cru NV. A rich and flavorful wine, the Bonnerave is an incredible bargain at $27 for grand cru champers (this means that the grapes come from vineyards that are specifically designated as producing high quality fruit every year). The bubbles, which were accompanied by our favorite toast, "Champagne for my real friends and real pain for my sham friends," were followed by the remainder of a bottle of Van Winkle Bourbon, a house favorite.

After a late start on Saturday, Stephanie, Chuck, and I made it out to Hot Doug's for some delicious frankfurters and duck fat fries. We picked Jayne up at two o'clock and enjoyed a long afternoon of wine shopping. For dinner we ordered deep dish pizza and polished off a bottle of Duval-Leroy NV bubbly, a corbieres, and a bourgogne rouge. After retiring to the basement lounge, Chuck presented me with an incredible birthday present - a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Scotch Whisky and a humidor full of Cuban cigars! That night we stayed up late imbibing the phenomenal Blue Label - peaty and full bodied, with a lingering caramel finish - and smoking the cubans. I had a sweet and round Cohiba Esplendito, while Chuck and Jayne shared a rustic and earthy Romeo y Julieta No. 2 that actually dated from at 2002 trip Montreal that Chuck and I took.

Not surprisingly, Sunday began in the late morning. At Jayne's suggestion we had a delightful brunch at the Atwood Cafe in the Loop and then took Lake Shore Drive down to Hyde Park for a tour of the university. We then made it back to the north side of town, and after a very stressful trip to Whole Foods, returned home to begin a home cooked feast. Dinner started with prawns sauteed in butter in my new cast iron skillet. They were served in a fresh pea soup with creme fraiche. Next, Stephanie prepared Rick Tramonto's amusing and scrumptious "linguine" and clams, where the linguine are actually julienned and blanched cucumbers served in the clam shell. These courses were enjoyed with the always fantastic Domaine de Baumard Savennieres 2002 (reviewed on this blog earlier). The main course was pan-roasted woodear mushroom crusted pork tenderloin, served on a ring of mashed potatoes with roasted shitake mushrooms and a red wine sauce. For this course, Chuck ("Big playa may big play in big game") had graciously purchased a bottle of the much-anticipated Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape 2001. This is certainly the most famous and widely appreciated wine from the region, and the '01 vintage proved why. A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre, and a few other grapes, it showed great density and weight but absolutely pure flavors and a tremendous structure. It's often a bummer sharing wines like this with three other people, but I couldn't complain considering the depth of the conversation and incomparable balance of the company's wit and intelligence - not to mention their delightful aroma. That evening we again retired to the basement lounge for more Blue Label and habanas. This time I smoked a R&J Churchill, Chuck a Cohiba, and Jayne a Montecristo.

On Monday, Stephanie and I had to say goodbye to our weekend guests, but not, of course, before a fabulous lunch. Jayne and Chuck had been eyeing the Nine Steakhouse in Las Vegas and recommended that we visit the Chicago location. We ate splendidly although without vino, as we were all trying to rehydrate. Their visit was a wonderful success and a source of great personal joy (and decadence). We hope to soon join them in Vegas to try to outdo ourselves.

Pouilly-Fume Tasting

Stephanie had purchased a bag of split peas recently, and I decided to make them into soup last night with some smoked ham hocks and sausage. On Charlie's recommendation, I sought out wines known for their smokiness - the sauvignon blancs of Pouilly-Fumé in France's Loire Valley. As with the previous night's Cotes-du-Rhone, these wines were made in contrasting styles and, thus, provided an interesting tasting experience.

The Pascal Jolivet Pouilly-Fumé 2001 was consumed from a half bottle. It showed the characteristic P-F smokiness and flintiness on the aroma. Stephanie detected a hint of oak. Perhaps due to its age and format, the wine was relatively restrained and subtle. There were baked apple flavors and some nice acidity, but nothing flashy or racy. For me, the subtlety made for an enjoyable pairing with the smoky and somewhat muted soup.

Rather different was the Domaine Serge Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Les Pentes 2004. A bright and racy wine, the Dagueneau seemed closer to a New Zealand sauvi blanc than to the Jolivet. Of course, the wine is barely a year old so the ripe fruits and zippy acidity were to be expected. Serge and his daughters who now run the estate are cousins of the more famous Didier Dagueneau, whose P-Fs regularly appear in the Wine Spectator Top 100 and cost as much as $90. Serge's wine was more modest but still quite enjoyable. Although the Jolivet seemed a perfect compliment to the soup but perhaps little else, the Dagueneau worked nicely with the soup but would pair well with a wider variety of dishes, especially white and shell fish.

Domaine les Aphillantes Tasting

Last night I prepared campanelle pasta with smoked sausage, shrimps, and peas. It is an Italian version of low-country boil or frogmore stew. Earlier in the week I had picked up a couple of the many bottlings of Cotes-du-Rhone Villages by Domaine Les Aphillantes from the excellent 2001 vintage. The producer, Daniel Boulle, had until recently, sold his crop to the local winemaking co-op, but he now bottles the wines under his own label. Both of these wines are made from the traditional Southern Rhone varietals, Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, but they are blended differently to produce markedly distinct styles of wine.

The Cuvée des Galets is made with 60% Grenache and 20% each of Syrah and Mourvedre. It was certainly the rounder, more extracted wine of the pair. Very ripe, and as Stephanie noted, almost syrupy, the wine gave off aromas of pine nuts, bananas, and cherries. Stephanie found the wine rather tannic, but I thought the tannins were reasonably well moderated by the fruit.

The Cuvée 3 Cépages is a blend of equal parts Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, and perhaps for this reason, it struck me as better balanced. Although the varietal of most Chateauneuf-du-Papes is more like the Galets, the 3 Cepages bottling clearly seemed to mimic this wines of the more renowned appelation. Stephanie noted candied dark fruits and dried cranberries. I concurred, adding tobacco, cumin, and that characteristic citrus flavor that one finds in some Chateauneufs like Vieux Telegraphe. The finish on the 3 Cepages was longer, slightly drier, and more acidic than the Galets, making it, to my mind, more compelling and food-friendly.

Chateau Souverain Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 1999

I discovered this wine languishing at a corner liquor store and thought I might give it a try. It dates from the days when Souverain used the lovely green bevelled bottles, and it was in fine form for a six year old zin. It shows that when zinfandels are not too highly extracted (the bottle says it only has 14.5% alc./vol.), they are capable of substantial aging. Although was holding on to enjoyable berry and currant flavors, it had picked up some lovely depth from the bottle age, showing earthy and spicy notes. Unusually for us, we drank this wine without food, but it would pair perfectly with roasted duck or grilled quail. F.F. Coppola has recently purchased the Souverain winery facilities, so it will be interesting to see what happens to their wines when made at the new digs.

Cod in Spicy Fennel and Orange Tomato Sauce

Last night I adapted a cod recipe from Patricia Well's excellent and easy-to-use Provence Cookbook (recipe follows). Fresh cod is gently poached in a tomato sauce accented by fennel seeds, chili flakes, and a bunch of orange zest. It was really delicious with a baguette and a green salad.

After discussing a wine pairing with Charlie, we agreed that I should ignore Well's advice to choose a red Cotes du Rhone and instead select a nice rosé. I chose the 2004 Domaine des Aphillantes Cotes du Rhone Rosé. It was highly extracted and very dark, and the aroma seemed to blend candy, cranberries, and ozone. The wine was a nice match for the food. Hints of sweetness from the ripe grapes paired well with the spicy sauce. It was not your Daddy's tavel, however.

Recipe:

EVOO
Chili flakes to taste
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced lengthwise
1 tsp. anchovie paste
1 tsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. sweet vermouth
28 oz can of whole tomatoes passed through a food mill
1/2 tsp. fennel
Zest of 1 orange
Bouquet garni
Fresh cod fillets
2 tbsp green olives, chopped
Parsley for garnish

In a sauce pan, heat chili flakes and garlic in olive oil. Add onions and sauté over low heat until soft but not brown, about 8 minutes. Add pastes and cook until dissolved. Deglaze with sweet vermouth and reduce to a glaze. Add tomatoes, fennel, zest, and bouquet garni and simmer for a while (half an hour would do, but longer is better). Add cod fillets to barely simmering sauce and poach gently for 5-6 minutes depending on thickness. Remove to plates and garnish with sauce, olives, and parsley.

Birthday Dinner at TRU

For my birthday on Saturday, my loving fiancé Stephanie made reservations for us at Chicago's most popular restaurant TRU. She and I have been enjoying Chef Tramonto's amuse bouche cookbook for a few months, so it was with great anticipation that we arrived for our reservation. Despite a couple of stumbles, we were not disappointed.

First the stumbles. Although the restaurant received a 27 Zagat score for its decor, I was thoroughly underwhelmed. The white curtains covering floor to ceiling windows and the stick lamps that could have doubled for emergency exit lighting did not create a particularly inviting scene. The bathrooms, however, were lovely.

Stephanie and I each chose to dine from Chef Tramonto's special degustacion menu, giving us each eight different courses. We began with tasty acorn squash panna cotta served on spoons and then moved on to the famous four-taste amuse. It included borscht soup on a spoon, squash terrine, carmelized shallots over cumin gelee, and cucumber juice shooter. My first course was the famous caviar staircase, the restaurant's signature dish. I was informed by the waiter that they were still serving caviar harvested in 2005 and thus not affected by the recent export bans by the US and EU. Stephanie opted out of the caviar course and was instead served four bento boxes of salads and terrines, each more enjoyable than the last. Next I had seared yellowfin tuna with tapenade and Stephanie enjoyed peeky toe crab over beets (the second time in two courses that she was served beets). With these courses we enjoyed Domaine des Baumard's Trie Speciale Savennieres 2003. We are big fans of Baumard (whom you have seen reviewed on this blog before), and the Trie Speciale was as good as I've had from them in a dry chenin blanc.

My next course was the highlight of the evening, and it is the best reason to introduce the exceptional service we received from sommelier Scott Tyree. I was anticipating my foie gras course and was considering a glass of Sauternes to accompany it. Mr. Tyree politely suggested that while the Sauternes would be a classic pairing, given the preparation he would recommend another wine. The gras was served barely sauteed with cabbage confit, raspberries, and blueberries. Mr. Tyree brought a glass of botrityzed rosé from Kracher in Austria. The berry flavors from the red Zweigelt grape perfectly matched the berries in the dish. I was stunned. Stephanie declined the foie gras course and was served ricotta gnocchi with about a pound of shaved black truffles. (Don't tell them, but she saved one and served it to me with scrambled eggs the next morning.)

We then moved on to soups served capuccino style in demitasse cups. Stephanie had pumpkin and I had cauliflower. These were followed by rather disappointing fish courses. My salmon with salsify lacked interest although it was paired with a perfect pinot noir from Rivers-Marie in Sonoma. Stephanie received delicious butter-poached lobster, but it came with the very same gnocchi she tasted two courses earlier. This upset us, but the chardonnay from Faila that Mr. Tyree selected to accompany the dish more than made up for it. It's subtle and restrained nose (I can only speak of the bouquet because Stephanie wouldn't share a taste with me) was an ideal match for the lobster. Stephanie remarked that it was the first time when she tasted a wine that worked as an ingredient in the final dish. I guess I have to try harder.

Our meat courses were superb. Stephanie enjoyed prime ribeye with mushrooms and I had venison loin with chesnut puree. She was recommended the romantic Chateau LaLagune Haut Medoc 2000, and I was introduced to a new wine - the Trinoro Le Cupole 2003 from Tuscany. I was told that it was primarily Cab Franc blended with indigenous varietals modeled on the great Cheval Blanc of Bordeaux. What a wine! The typicaly tobacco notes from the cab franc were present, but they smelled more like a Havanna than any I've ever experienced. Thank you Scott.

By this time, we were quite full and perhaps did not pay enough attention to Chef Gale Gand's desserts. We had creme brulee and semifreddo along with cheeses, truffles, chocolates, and lollipops. I finished the meal with the Cuvee Ste. Catherine Coteau du Layon from Baumard, and Stephanie drank half of an enormous glass of Banfi grappa. We left, perfectly sated, after four hours.

It was a wonderful birthday celebration thanks to the kitchen staff at TRU, sommelier Scott Tyree, and mostly to my beautiful fiancé.

Chateau Meyney Mini-Vertical

Although I have not fully recovered from the head cold that has afflicted me this week, I thought it would be a good idea to begin to get back in shape for our exciting weekend of gastronomic joy with our friends. To that end, I braised a beef pot roast for four hours and served it with new potatoes. Stephanie produced another enjoyable green salad for a side.

We had consumed all of the wine we purchased last week, so I dropped by one of the local wine shops on my way to pick up Stephanie from work. They had a variety of solid Bordeaux wines from the mid-nineties at nice prices (especially considering what many of those wineries' new releases go for these days). I chose a bottle of Chateau Meyney St. Estephe 1995 and a half bottle of the same winery's 1996. These two vintages are both highly regarded among Bordeaux drinkers and highly debated. While to most tasters they don't have the style or concentration of 1990 or 2000, they are generally well liked. Often tasters do not agree on which vintage produced the better wines.

Chateau Meyney is a "cru bourgeois" estate on the left bank of the Gironde River. The "cru bourgeois" appelation means that in 1855, its wines were not highly enough regarded to merit classification among the best wines of the region. Nonetheless, it regularly produces wines of excellent quality and value. Like its neighbors in the Medoc, it is made from mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with smaller amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

The 1995 was very nice. It was still dark plum colored, with a medium-full body and lots of nice fruits remaining on the nose. While some signs of maturity were setting in, they made for a pleasantly balanced wine ready for current consumption. It was a delicious, classic Bordeaux for a great value (~$26).

The 1996 was not holding up as well. Because half bottles allow in the same amount of oxygen as whole bottles but distribute it over only half as much wine, they tend to mature much more rapidly. This seemed to be the case for our bottle. Its color was tinged with more rust than was the 95, but it still appeared to be healthy. The aroma and flavor, however, indicated otherwise. The wine smelled and tasted of truffles, earth, and malted barley syrup. Stephanie described it as molasses. While I wouldn't normally find these characteristics objectionable, they completely masked whatever fruit the wine may still have had to offer. Although the 96 Meyney might still be delicious in whole bottles (or better yet, magnums), this half bottle was not doing well.

Stephanie's Sunday Dinner

I was feeling a little under the weather on Sunday, so Stephanie offered to prepare another multi-course feast to cheer me up. Again, I was barred from entering the kitchen after about four o'clock. I spent the afternoon watching football and trying not to notice the enormous amount of noise coming from the kitchen. For all her beauty and talent, Stephanie can be a bit clumsy.

When the first course arrived, I completely forgot the sound of clanging pots. She presented shrimps steamed in parchment with parsley-garlic-smoked paprika sauce and a roasted orange pepper sauce. The sauces married perfectly, and the shrimp were tender and delicious (not to mention artistically plated).

Stephanie's main course offering was seared lamb loin chops with a wine and cream pan gravy served with a puree of potatoes and white beans. The lamb was perfectly cooked and delicious in its own right, but when paired with the rich sauce, it was truly outstanding. This was Stephanie's first attempt at a pan sauce, and it was a resounding success.

Dessert, a course that we don't often take, was a delightful chocolate-raspberry-oreo "truffle." Stephanie prepared oreo crusts, upon which were placed raspberries and a covering of chocolate ganache. They were simply scrumptious (and they have continued to be for the past couple of days).

Due to my cold, I took it easy on the wine, although we did pour a nice value Cab Franc from the Touraine region of the Loire Valley. While my illness prevented me from appreciating half of the taste of the food, Stephanie's fine cooking made that half really wonderful. I only wish I had been healthy enough to taste the other half.

Dom. Jean-Marc Bouley Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chenes 1996

I must begin this post by apologizing for the lack of blogging on my part recently. It's of course not due to any decreased wine consumption, but rather increased post-meal laziness.

This Bouley is a nice one to get back on track with. Stephanie and I found this nine year old wine from one of Burgundy's southern regions for only $10 at the House of Glunz. I guess they were trying to unload some old stock. Normally, this wine would have sold for $20-30. Ninety-six was a great vintage for red Burgundy, so I expected that even a wine from a lesser vineyard would still be holding up pretty well. I was mostly right.

As red wines will tend to do, this one had lightened significantly in its color, turning a pleasant rust color along the edges. Older wines also lose much of their fruit flavors and aromas, as these are morphed into mature notes of earth and leather. Such was the case for this pinot. What must have been bright bing cherry flavors had now become dried fruit and damp earth. Only a medium-bodied wine to begin with, this one as mellowed considerably, with little remaining tannins and reasonable acidity.

I was a bit surprised by how mature this wine seemed. Other 96s have not tasted so old, but I don't think it's anything to worry about. Probably just the producer's style. Nonetheless, it proved an enjoyable match with Stephanie's finger sandwiches, made to mimic the ones we'd had at High Tea that afternoon at the Peninsula Hotel. I'd also recommend it with coq au vin or braised pork.