Repas CG: The Aftermath... November 20

 To distract from the turkey hangover many are suffering, I'll offer a tale of three rabbits. (Or, at least, rabbit served three ways.) For the last repas before the New Year, on a day of soft and steady rain, we turned to an old friend for a warm, dry space. Dopo, home to artisanal Italian magic, opened their "home" to us and our merry band of rabbit eaters. The wet weather actually enhanced the intimacy, the way it can when the weather is cold and damp and you've escaped to a room with candles lit, the table full, and aromas pouring from the kitchen.

  Eggs en coucotte, done with chantrelles, rabbit livers, cognac, and tarragon,  was paired with a Rhône blend of Grenache Blanc,  Rousanne, and Bourboulenc. The wine proved bright and clean to handle the egg, but with fruit round enough to keep up with the livers and mushrooms. For Katie's rabbit rillette, salad of Bosc pear and radicchio, and walnut tartine, it was a Chinon (Cabernet Franc); a wine bearing depth to match the richness of the shredded meat without a lingering fruit to overwhelm the pear. Turned to Sebastian Gay's Chorey-Les-Beaune for the rabbit braised in mustard, sweet onions, and prunes; a true pleasure with it's initial bright fruit and subsequent clean finish. Lastly, for dressed arugula as well as a runny Camembert and bold Blue, went with a luscious Côtes De Nuits-Village from another very talented young wine maker, Veronique Drouhin. As the walnut cake with persimmon crême anglais settled, and the press pots were readied of our neighborhood roaster's coffee, the cognac arrived: a light and floral Maison Park, the fine marriage of the Tessendier family's old vine eau-de-vie and Dominic Park's contemporary approach (organic, no caramelized additives, etc.).

 Time now to settle in to what we hope for all will be a satisfying Holiday season. May you be safe and contented. We'll resurface in January focused on duck to begin the New Year. Until then...

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Market Day in Rouillac... France (Fall Sessions... 2011)

Open air markets dot the French countryside, but few are able to shut down a whole town. The Foire de Rouillac, held each month on the 27th day, is just such a market. A mixture of community, commerce, and just a hint of chaos, the vendors and their stalls line streets and alleys, parks and parking lots. Nearly every element of life in France is represented or on sale. Not only are there butchers, fish mongers, and sellers of produce seasonal to the time, but also available are an array of live animals to stock or restock a property: dozens of types of fowl, several varieties of rabbit, more chicken breeds than thought existed, dogs, goats, even donkeys. That is just the beginning. Tables of local artisans are loaded with cheeses, breads, wine, olives, numerous types of saucisson, and jambon cru. Snaking through the narrow streets there are hawkers of knives, kitchenwares, aprons, housecoats, socks, underwear, leather goods, music, and oil clothes for the table. If you need some chairs caned? Done. Looking to buy any type of garden/farming tool, right down to a tractor? Done. It is a true celebration of country life in it's most simple and humble form.

 Arriving in the early morning with guests who had trained down from Paris the previous afternoon (A few days well spent acclimating to the jet lag.), we dove right in. A light meal of roasted quail, and a good night's rest, and they were more than game. After initially making the rounds together, some then broke off to adventure on their own. For a few hours we wandered and explored,  stopping to collect things that would be used the next day spent playing in the kitchen. We eventually reconvened at a designated café, driven by the smells of food in the air: a wall of rotisserie chickens roasting above a fire of hard wood, grills covered in different types of sausage, fresh water eel tossed in an enormous pan with garlic, olive oil, herbs, and lemon. It was time to eat!

 We slid into the waiting arms of Auberge de Fin Bois, where we had reserved spots in the dinning room striped in long communal tables. Never known to before, they did not disappoint. A soup of roasted pumpkin and chestnuts got us started, and was followed by filets of salmon in tomato, capers, and white wine. Next came a succulent pork cheek braised in red Bordeaux until it fell apart to the fork, set upon lentils to add an earthy richness. Salad and cheese of course followed, a runny cow's milk version from a farm a few villages away proved to be my favorite of the five or so offered. Nervous laughter passed across the table, and perhaps a belt notch or two was loosened, when the pear tartes started to arrive. We wisely passed on cognac with coffee, the heat of the afternoon along with full bellies calling out for the cool water of the pool waiting for us back home.

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Autumn Turns Up The Heat... France(Fall Sessions 2011)

 Couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy for leaving a remarkable indian summer in San Francisco. The fog had eased, the sun emerged, and temperatures began to climb. Still, there was something comforting about September in France, the soft light, temperate days, and evenings that would allow for a log or two on the fire. Then... somebody turned up the dial.

Neuvicq-le Château

 The Monday morning of our last group began oddly warm, and wouldn't stop there. By mid-morning it was in the 70's, and would consistently hover about 90 degrees for the entire week. So, you get lemons... With a full group, we'd chosen well the large Maison de Maître in a hamlet a short walk from Neuvicq-le-Château. Bearing all the necessary amenities (i.e. a private pétanque court), the most appreciated aspect was the VERY LARGE SWIMMING POOL!!! An afternoon dip, a cold beer or a sip of rosé, followed by a nap proved refreshing, and set us up for the evening aperitifs and dinner that would follow.
 Gone were the deep braises of the first week, and the rich reds that went with them. The reds chosen were more light, there was of course an array of whites, and the subtlety of really well made rosé was introduced. (It helped to have laid in some crisp and dry offerings from Bordeaux and the Loire, along with a slightly more round version by local vintner Roland Vilneau made from merlot grapes.) The group was a blast, and easily took to the warm weather, with two guests even committing to daily afternoon "blood matches" on the badminton court.
 Having thought that we'd left indian summer in the Bay Area, we were pleased to have found that it had followed us to the Charente.

Chez Gautier Cooking School: http://www.chez-gautier.com