If it feels good... Last Sunday's repas found us back at our cottage in North Berkeley. Felt so good the first time, it was an easy choice. That thing called the sun was out again, a revelation from our vitamin D deprived previous lives spent in the Inner Sunset across the Bay. Guests gathered, exchanged greeting and intros, lingering a bit longer in conversation than usual perhaps to keep me company as I got the fire going early. Had to be ready for the "big fish".
Eventually we settled in, letting the seared scallops get us started, sealed with a slight golden crust, moist and medium rare inside. Katie's concern over using a pea purée somewhat late in the season faded away, the sweetness still very much there, a fine balance to the acid of her lemon oil. A silky Vouvray from Domaine des Aubuisières, Cuvée de Silex(Bernard Fouquet) fit in well, the 100% Chenin Blanc full, yet balanced in fruit to minerality. While I snuck out to bank the coals and scrape the grill, Katie continued, setting the mussels in white wine to "pop" then adding shaved fennel. Before we sat to share in the steaming bowls, we set the whole salmon on a bed of sliced onion and lemon, a buffer between the whitened wood fire and king salmon. Ambition, no doubt, had us with a fish reminiscent of the Scheider line in
Jaws, "I think we need a bigger boat." A bit of tail and snout peeking over the lip of the b-b-q proved of no concern, well tied and stuffed with thyme, dill, mint, lemon, and onion, it was cooking evenly when we turned the beauty. Back table side, the mussels were small and sweet, the fennel still with a slight crunch. The round of crusty sourdough
tartine Katie had hidden in the bottom of the bowls proved a nice surprise, soaking up all the juices and wine. Wanting something brighter and a slightly more dry, a Macon-Villages(Domaine Fichet, Maçon-Villages, Terroir de Birgy) was chosen, clean on the palate, crisp with soft citrus, not distracting from the shellfish.
With a flip and a prayer, we moved the salmon from grill to platter, letting it "rest" while clearing. The salmon falling from bone made for a plating uncomplicated: fish with a drizzle of olive oil, summer squash gratin, a couple of lemon slices. The herbs... the smoke... the lemon, had to go to Burgundy for this, an Alain Burgeut offering (Les Pince Vin, Gevrey Chambertin): Soft in tannins, good structure, fruit not overwhelming the fish. Three cheese of very different textures/flavors (Poitou de Chabichou, a classic young
crottin from our home region; a firm Gouda-style cheese; a crazy triple cream something-or-other that had me licking my plate!) led me to a wine from Fitou, a rather obscure southern spot in the Languedoc-Roussillon. Juicy, but not too heavy coming off the Pinot Noir, it offered smoke, fig, and anise in a bridge to the three cheeses.
As the meal was light all around, Katie wanted to do the same for the "sweeties": an ice cream of peaches roasted in cognac, served with ginger cookies. Playing off the deeply caramelized fruit, pulled out a bottle of Jules Gautret (Jonzac, Petite Champagne), floral, honied, some soft caramel. Coffee made a couple of rounds, the conversations showing no signs of slowing. When eventually we all made our way out to the drive way, the sun was still clear and warm. Not surprisingly, we found it easy to splash a bit more into our glasses, savoring the afternoon for a bit before tackling the dishes.
Chez Gautier Cooking School: http://www.chez-gautier.com
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