Pinot Noir tasting and dinner

[sara]

Hello,

I am hosting a pinot noir tasting and dinner at my home in a few weeks. Most of the pinot will be from Oregon, but I expect some to bring bottles from other places.

Specific menu suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. The only thing set in stone is a Cakelove cake.

Thanks

[Craig Camp]

Oregon pinot and pan-roasted salmon - natural partners.

[Carema]

OR pinots always (to me) had natural affinities for vinaigrette sauces, sweet onion etc.

[John W.]

Oregon pinot and pan-roasted salmon - natural partners.

Grilled salmon with a cassoulet of black-eyed peas, bacon and herbs, sauced with a reduction of red wine and shallot emulsified with XV olive oil and mustard.

I know a restaurant that does this dish, they say it goes well with Oregon Pinot.

[sara]

wow--that salmon sounds great, but maybe beyond my culinary skills?

any thoughts on lamb? i have a recipe for pan roasted lamb chops w/ a ragout of chanterelles. do mushrooms go well w/ pinot?

also, any cheese suggestions?

it now appears i'm having a bolcone dolce (sp?) instead of a cakelove cake. i believe that's meringues, strawberries, whipped cream, etc.

[vengroff]

I think I know that restaurant too. Sara, you should stop in next time you are in DC.

[bushey]

I think mushrooms are fabulous with pinot noir -- especially an earthy pinot as opposed to a more delicate one. Another favorite pairing for me is roast chicken.

[Mark Sommelier]

According to Escoffier, pinot noir, or, more specifically, Volnay is the perfect accompaniment for lamb. Pinot has an affinity for saffron, too. A great paella would work well.

[John W.]

Virtual paella perhaps?

[docsconz]

Pinot noir is the perfect red wine to build a menu around. It is perhaps the most food friendly varietal and goes with almost anything that you might think to pair a red wine with and many things you wouldn't necessarily think of. While it is fantastic with salmon (especially roasted ) it also goes great with other meatier fish such as mahi-mahi, tuna, swordfish, halibut, etc.. One thing I probably wouldn't pair it with, however, is pasta with a tomato sauce. While it probably wouldn't be terrible, it would be a waste of good PN.

[Alex]

wow--that salmon sounds great, but maybe beyond my culinary skills?

any thoughts on lamb? i have a recipe for pan roasted lamb chops w/ a ragout of chanterelles. do mushrooms go well w/ pinot?

also, any cheese suggestions?

it now appears i'm having a bolcone dolce (sp?) instead of a cakelove cake. i believe that's meringues, strawberries, whipped cream, etc.

I love Pinot Noir with salmon. In fact, for the Heartland gathering's Friday night dinner next week we've paired an Argyle Pinot Noir with the entrée of salmon in phyllo with a saffron sauce.

John W.'s cassoulet probably is not beyond your skills. But if you'd like to simplify a bit, serve the roasted or grilled salmon on a bed of lentils that have been dressed with a bacon vinaigrette: Chop some bacon and cook until crisp, adding some chopped shallots toward the end. Drain off most of the fat. Combine the bacon and shallots with xvoo, a good sherry or red wine vinegar, some mustard, and thyme. Let the lentils absorb the dressing for a bit before serving.

The lamb sounds perfect.

Tomorrow night I'm planning to make filet mignon with a morel sauce and drink the last of my 1988 Hôspice de Nuits or, if it's corked, an Eyrie Vineyards PN.

For cheese, I'd serve only the greatest of the Burgundy cheeses and one of the great cheeses of the world (in my opinion, of course), Epoisses.

[sara]

So, perhaps I'll start with a cheese course (I hear cheddar and blues go especially well with PN), followed by salmon (of some sort, maybe steamed w/ ginger and scallions, or poached, or this recipe John suggests?), then lamb (shanks, or rack of lamb, definitely with mushrooms of some variety), then this bolcone dolci thing that is merginues w/ whipped cream and strawberries. Does that sound reasonable? I'm not much at putting an integrated menu together...

[John W.]

If people knew how easy it is I'd be out of a job.

I did e-mail it to Sara. Not in recipe form but how they do it at that restaurant we were speaking of.

Cheese as a starter might coat everybody's palate and fill them up. Maybe a simple saute of mushrooms with miso? I find miso and Pinot work well together.

Lamb would be great. Maybe as braise, so you can spend some time with your guests.

Edited October 10, 2003 by John W. (log)

[docsconz]

I would suggest starting with a different appetizer - perhaps quail and leave the cheese course between the lamb and dessert. I second the motion for epoisse.

[Alex]

I would suggest starting with a different appetizer - perhaps quail and leave the cheese course between the lamb and dessert. I second the motion for epoisse.

Yes, definitely cheese after the entrée. Also, I would accompany it with one of the less expensive Pinots. As I recently learned from Mark Sommelier (Thanks, Mark!), cheese coats the mouth and mutes the taste buds, and actually can improve the taste of a lesser wine. (Bad for a taste testing but good for a party. ) Another very pleasant alternative would be to serve it with a Pinot Noir-based sparkler. (In fact, this is what I usually drink with Epoisses; the bubbles make the cheese flavor explode in your mouth, not that Epoisses needs much help in that regard.) I'm not too sure about cheddar and PN; blue should be good, though.

[Mark Sommelier]

For cheese, I'd serve only the greatest of the Burgundy cheeses and one of the great cheeses of the world (in my opinion, of course), Epoisses.

Pasteurized or un-Pasteurized? For Pasteurized I'd serve Cote de Beaune. For un-Pasteurized I'd serve something sauvage like a Madiran.

[sara]

Where can I find these cheeses y'all are talking about? (I live in Philly, am using my mom's house in Falls Church for this dinner--so somewhere in NoVA would be best). I can definitely wait and do cheeses after the lamb. Any thoughts on whether I should serve anything at all when people are arriving?

Also, I like the idea of the mushrooms & miso appetizer...but do you think there's any way to work salmon into the meal?

[Mark Sommelier]

Where can I find these cheeses y'all are talking about? (I live in Philly, am using my mom's house in Falls Church for this dinner--so somewhere in NoVA would be best).  I can definitely wait and do cheeses after the lamb. Any thoughts on whether I should serve anything at all when people are arriving?

Also, I like the idea of the mushrooms & miso appetizer...but do you think there's any way to work salmon into the meal?

Try Whole Foods Market/Fresh Fields, Dean & Deluca or Harris Teeter.

[vengroff]

Where can I find these cheeses y'all are talking about? (I live in Philly, am using my mom's house in Falls Church for this dinner--so somewhere in NoVA would be best).

You might want to try hopping across the river to Dean and Deluca in Georgetown. It's expensive, but the selection is generally pretty good, and the pre-purchase tasting policy is quite liberal.

Some Whole Foods have better cheese offerings than others. The P Street store usually has some decent offerings. Unfortunately, I don't often shop at the NoVa Whole Foods locations, so I don't know how they are in this department.

[John W.]

Also, I like the idea of the mushrooms & miso appetizer...but do you think there's any way to work salmon into the meal?

Small portions. Makes for better presentation, allows for more flavor/wine combos. You can probably get away with a 2-3 ounce portion of salmon per person if you chose that route.

A menu of say:

Mushrooms/miso

salmon with cassoulet or lentils

braised lamb

cheese

dessert

All small portions. Sounds kind of good.

As for the arrival items, maybe some salty stuff, and a blanc de noir sparkler. Get them to sit down quickly and no one will notice the lack of a million canapes. Hell, after all the slaving away you've done...

[Alex]

Where can I find these cheeses y'all are talking about? (I live in Philly, am using my mom's house in Falls Church for this dinner--so somewhere in NoVA would be best).  I can definitely wait and do cheeses after the lamb. Any thoughts on whether I should serve anything at all when people are arriving?

Also, I like the idea of the mushrooms & miso appetizer...but do you think there's any way to work salmon into the meal?

I agree with the other posts. When we visit my cousin in DC we pick up cheeses at Whole Foods. I'd call around to see who has what you want.

There's always room for salmon.

I agree with John W's small course menu.

[mighty quinn]

i'm a fan of grilled pork t-loin. i make a marinade w/ a bit of chipotle and honey and cumin. dean and deluca/sutton place for cheese. too bad you aren't in philly-reading terminal has a pretty good selection of fresh mushrooms.

[Chef Fowke]

I think mushrooms are fabulous with pinot noir -- especially an earthy pinot as opposed to a more delicate one.  Another favorite pairing for me is roast chicken.

The Chanterelle mushrooms on Vancouver Island our out and beautiful this year. I just got in ten pounds and they were dry with a beautiful, pungent aroma!

The West Coast Sockeye Salmon run is over for the year but I have seen an abundance of smoked salmon in the markets lately. It is so mild with a buttery texture that it would go perfectly the Pinot and not overpower the next course.

And rack, leg or sirloin of lamb from BC are now readily available across North American and they would be perfect. If you are going to be drinking West Coast Pinot I would recommend a West Coast lamb raised on Salt Spring Island.

It might be too big of an obstacle to procure these products but it would be really cool to serve a wine and food all from the same region...

(the cheese from David Woods on Salt Spring Island are amazing as well)

[Beachfan]

Really easy salmon

Get the gas barbeque really, really hot

Get a nice dry rub spice (I like the Asian spice rub available at Whole foods)

If it's a filet, 4 minutes on one side, two on the other.

Some people might say the Asian spice mix is too spicy for Pinot, but not me. However there are many other ones out there. People think my grilling is brilliant, but the only real trick is getting the bbq really hot so you sear the outside and keep the inside moist.

[sara]

Thanks everyone-these are all great suggestions!

If anyone has a favorite braised lamb, or mushrooms w. miso recipe they want to share, I'm all ears. I hear Costco has good lamb from New Zealand??