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| A very welcome gift. |
With the sound of the jet engines warming to take us back to France, a few quick words of sunshine, Spring, and lamb. As the cassoulet repas of March fell amid a series of late season storms, and the less than ideal cooking conditions they instilled, Katie asked that I toss her a "softball" for our next location. No more comfortable and welcome embrace than our beloved Dopo over in Oakland. A space so well known to us, it's as if cooking at home. And so it was that we set to open the doors to a warm, sun washed day, the breeze full of budding flower and cut grass.
A friend, and very talented young East Bay sous chef, recently remarked, "It's a great time of year to be a cook." With the markets awakening, becoming more plentiful each week, his words rang true when we were making our way through the early morning quiet of Allemany Market ("The People's Market."). From full baskets, Katie began with a soup of young asparagus, a mound of baby artichoke hearts in the center that had been tossed chervil, olive oil, and lemon. For this we began with a Petite Courbu from the Madiran. Referred to as the "Viogner of the Southwest" for it's weight and rich, silky texture, there also is the added benefit of a nice natural acidity. She followed this with her lamb sausage, broken into little mounds that were sautéed with fava beans, Spring garlic, radish greens, and lemon zest, served over a round of toasted baguette. A Minervois from the 4th generation Andrieu family was seleted, the peppery Syrah well able to stay with the lamb, and the full berry of the Mourvedre softening the Calabrians (some of the last of our hanging Winter bunches) Katie tucked in before plating.
Then it was time to unveil the Spring lamb, boned and tied, studded in herbs and sea salt. Pink and lovely, she sliced it thin, and served it with the potatoes Dauphinoise; sliced paper thin, crispy brown on top, cream and butter oozing from within. The dish called for a Burgundy, and Les Dames Huguettes 2009 from Mongeard-Mugneret (Hautes Côtes de Nuits) slid into glass, mouth, and belly very nicely; well balanced, soft cherry, and a minerality that added to the finish. With a pungent and gooey Pont Levesque chosen to accompany the wild arugula, it was back to where we started (the southwest) for a Malbec from the Cohors (Georges Vigouroux). The Gouleyant (Loose translation: Gulp-able!) had the cocao and licorice you might expect, but also a fresh, bright berry to ease the intense elements of the cheese. Lastly: Gateau Fraise with Crème Citron! Ahhh... Stacked little vanilla cakes, layered with a lemon laced butter cream, the first small strawberries spilling about. Not wanting to bury the freshness, went with a slightly more light cognac (Pierre Ferrand, 1er Cru, Ambre), subtle in it's apricot, rose, and pear.
As the afternoon stretched into early evening, and guests slowly trickled off, the jazz turned to R&B, another splash of cognac tossed into the glass. Familiar faces from Piedmont Avenue appeared in passing, pulling us happily from our chairs to visit, catch up. Sunday's... Good meals, longs talks, and friends.
http://www.chez-gautier.com
