Home Restaurant, November 18, 2011

 

Photo Kate Headley

Very much enjoyed our lively guests at Friday night Home Restaurant!

Passing

Brussel sprouts, pickled ginger

Lamb sausage, fig, carrot

Egg, jowl bacon, toast, sorrel

Rabbit, apple, corncake

Roasted tomato garlic soup

Chicken, sweet potatoes, grainy mustard

Lemon Thyme Vodka Martini

Seated

Flat iron steak, parsnip, broccoli greens

(Pierre Gauthier) Bourgeuil "Soif du Jour" 2010

Spaghetti squash, celeriac, chickweed, pickled beets, chanterelle and fried chicken mushrooms

(Thevenet) Macon Pierreclos 2009

Sablefish, stinging nettles, leeks, tiny potatoes, truffle salt, fennel

(Henri Jouan) Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grain 2009

Jasper Hill Harbison cheese with walnut cracker

Huckleberry custard with salty rosemary walnut biscotti

(Eudald) 'Familia' Brut Cava NV

Squash pecan pie chocolate sorbet and cocoa nibs

Cookies: Coconut cashew, chocolate mint, gingersnap

Take home

Seeded bread

Cooked Huckleberries

Jura Wine Dinner

Last night we hosted a dinner at 1508 with Tom Calder, a wine broker from Paris and Tom Kiska, a wine importer who regularly helps us with our wine pairings at dinners.

All 11 of the wines were from the Jura region in France, 2 from the 1950's!!

Tom and Tom's combined knowledge is astounding, a wonderful group attended– a memorable night.

Passing

Rabbit with Apple on Carrot

Kobacha Squash Puree

Brussel Sprout with Pickled Ginger

Celery Root with Lemon and Argon Oil

Eggs with Jowl Bacon

(Caves Jean Bourdy) Cremant du Jura Brut NV

(Tissot) Cremant du Jura Brut Rose NV

Foie Gras Terrine on Brioche

(Tissot) Vin de Paille 2004

Seated

Cornmeal Soup with Parsnip and  Sorrel

(Tissot) Arbois Chardonnay "Classique" 2009

Scallops with Cauliflower and Vanilla, Salty Oat Bread

(Caves Jean Bourdy) Cotes du Jura Blanc 1992

Sweetbreads and Figs, Farm Bread

(Caves Jean Bourdy) Cotes du Jura Blanc 1953

Guinea Hen with Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes and Burgundy Truffles and Collard Green Sprouts, Multi-Grain Roll

(Caves Jean Bourdy) Cotes du Jura Rouge 1959

Lamb Leg with Chanterelle Mushroom and Wilted Romaine, Spelt Olive Oil Focaccia

(Caves Jean Bourdy) Cotes du Jura Rouge 1990

Franche Comte Cheese and Cracker

(Caves Jean Bourdy) Arbois Vin Jaune 2001

Chocolate Pudding with Chocolate Cookie

(Tissot) Trousseau Arbois 2009

Roasted Pear and Almond Sorbet

(Tissot) Cremant du Jura Brut NV

Cardoons

Cardoons from Path Valley Cooperative in Pennsylvania. To cook– slice (some varieties have sharp edges so take care when handling raw), bring salted water to a boil, add cardoons, return to a boil, drain.  Repeat this process until the cardoons are tender but not mushy, this usually takes 5 or 6 times.

At our last Home restaurant we made a salad with the cooked cardoons, wild capers, golden raisins, picholine olives, fresh parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper– and served the salad passed on a warm corncake.

Bandol paired with Lamb, Basil Mashed Potatoes and Cipolline Onion

I often mention Tom a local wine importer who looks at each of our menus and helps us pair our food with wines from his fabulous cellar of small vineyard, primarily European wines. Last Friday night we served a dish of Whitmore Farms Lamb Chop, Leg and Sausage with Basil Mashed Potatoes, Braised Cipolline Onion and Chard from our backyard...with Chateau Pradeaux Bandol Rouge 2003...the pairing was memorable.

More about the wine from Rosenthal the exporter of this Bandol...

There is the appellation of Bandol with its plethora of producers, some good, some mediocre; and then there is Chateau Pradeaux, the unique, inimitable, standard bearer for this ancient wine-growing district. The Chateau Pradeaux is situated on the outskirts of the town of St. Cyr Sur Mer which lies directly on the Mediterranean Ocean between Toulon and Marseilles. The estate is owned by the Portalis family which has owned this property since before the French Revolution. The domaine is currently under the direction of Cyrille Portalis, who continues to maintain the great traditions of this estate. The vineyards are cultivated in as natural a manner as possible with reliance on organic methods. In fact, during the spring months sheep are permitted to graze in the vineyards thereby eliminating any need to use herbicides and at the same time providing a natural compost. The wines of Pradeaux are brooding and difficult. Produced on the back of the noble Mourvedre, Pradeaux in its youthful stages is tannic, backward, and sometimes ornery. The wines are not destemmed; "elevage" in large oak foudres can last as long as four years; the essential blend is at least 95% Mourvedre; vines of less than 25 years of age are not used for the reds.

September 2011 Home Restaurant

 

Photo Kate Headley

Friday night we had an open Home Restaurant, fabulous group!

This is what we ate and drank–

PASSING Whitmore Bacon and Eggs on Buckwheat Toast Cardoon, Golden Raisin, Young Olive, Fennel and Caper Rabbit and Rhubarb Ketchup with French Breakfast Radish Stuffed Squash Blossoms  Roasted Shishito Peppers Cold Beet Soup with Grain Yogurt Scallop on Cucumber with Sesame and Ginger Basil Lime Vodka Cocktail (Chateau de Roquefort) Cotes de Provence ROSE 'Corail' 2010    SEATED  Black Cod with Butterhead, Okra and Shallot Dressing 48 Hour Bread (Tenuta Roveglia) Lugana Classico 2010      Baby Lima Beans, Green Tomatoes, Eggplant and Spaghetti Squash and Baby Collard Greens Garlic Bread (Villargeau) Coteaux du Giennois Sauvignon Blanc 2010  Lamb Chop, Loin and Sausage with Basil Mashed Potatoes, Cipollini and Chard Spelt Olive Oil Bread (Ch. Pradeaux) Bandol Rouge 2003  Mayor of Nye Beach Cheese and Cracker  Zucchini Cake with Frozen Winter Squash and Candied Walnuts (Tissot) Cremant du Jura "Indigene" NV   Bites: Warm Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies, Celeste Fig Take Home: Sesame Bread, Salty Rosemary Walnut Biscotti, Fresh Bay Leaves

Friday Bridesmaid Lunch and Saturday Wedding Flowers, Late April

Photo Kate Headley I had a great weekend preparing food and flowers for Andrea who got married at the Decatur House yesterday.  I met Andrea quite recently as she was working outside of the country and just returned several weeks in advance of her wedding.

I was contacted a few weeks ago by a family friend of the brides who wanted to plan a "Bridesmaid" (there were no bridesmaids in the wedding) Home Restaurant Lunch.  Late April is full of some of my favorite ingredients, many of which are only available for a moment– helleborus, fava beans, viburnum, fiddlehead ferns, morels...

I will post flower photos when I get them in a few weeks, in the meantime here is the menu from Fridays lunch.  Friday was chilly and damp, lunch was served in front of the fireplace.  For the wedding however on Saturday the sun was out and the temperature was in the 70's...

Passing

Wild Rockfish Cake with Grainy Mustard

Chicken with Tarragon on Sweet Potato

Fennel, Caper, Golden Raisin and Lucques Olives on Endive

Scrambled Egg with Sorrel

Girasol Soup

Roasted Beet, Stem and Green with Pickled Beet

(Moutard) Brut Grand Cuvee NV

Seated

Blond Morels with Fava Beans and Fiddlehead Ferns on Arugula dressed with Chive Banyuls Vinaigrette, Whole Wheat Farm Bread

(Domaine de la Feuillarde) Saint-Veran V.V. 2008

Lamb Shoulder and Lamb Suasage with English Peas, Pea Shoots, Carrots, Leeks, Tiny Potatoes with Herb Leek Broth, Spelt Foccacia

(Domaine des Hauts Chassis) Crozes Hermitage, Les Chassis 2007

Winnimere Cheese on Walnut Cracker

Banana Cake Frozen Coconut Sandwich with Champagne Mango and Candied Macadamia Nuts

(Moutard) Brut Grand Cuvee NV

Chocolate and Vanilla Shortbread

Take Home: Salty Rosemary Walnut Biscotti

Wine, "Les Chassis"

Photo Kate Headley

At Friday nights dinner thanks to Tom, a wine importer we work with, all the wines were stellar.  Tom looks at each Home Restaurant menu and helps us pair wines that complement the food.  He imports wines from small vineyards, lots from France and some from Italy and Spain.  His contribution to our dinners is enormous.  We share the belief that wine should highlight food and food should highlight wine– the combinations should work in concert.

The final savory course on Friday night was lamb shoulder with canellini beans, a sauce of girasol and salsify puree, wilted spinach and shaved black oregon truffles.  We poured Domaine des Hauts Chassis, Crozes Hermitage "Les Chassis" 2007 to go with that and the Winnimere cheese course that followed.  The wine was a stand out.  I asked Tom if he had any additional information to share about the wine, this is what I got from him–

Frank Faugier of Domaine des Hauts Chassis in Crozes Hermitage took over the family's 12 hectare domaine in 1998 and made the decision to leave the local co-operative and go it on his own. His first official vintage was in 2003, and luckily for us, all of his hard work has paid off. On predominantly large galets size stones over coarse sand and red clay, Frank produces 3 deliciously distinct wines. Last spring I was fortunate enough to meet and taste with Frank at the domaine located in the commune of La Roche de Glun. Although I was most impressed by the purity of fruit throughout the range , my hands down favorite was the 2007 "Les Chassis".   This 100% syrah hails from vines that are more than 50 years old. Deep and intense with beautiful structure (i.e. rich fruit, ripe medium tannins and excellent underlying acidity) this is a syrah that in my estimation could only come from the northern Rhone.

Home Restaurant, Friday September 11

We still have a few spots open for our first Home Restaurant of the fall, next Friday September 11th.

Since we started doing these Home Restaurants last spring we have had many questions...

John Cochran and Sidra Forman were the former chefs of Rupperts Restaurant, a downtown Bistro that operated from 1994 to 2002. We were featured in Metropolitan Home and John was named one of the best new chefs of food and wine in 1997. Now we are cooking dinner out of our house for anyone who wants to come for a pre-set requested donation. Our home is located in Downtown DC in the Shaw neighborhood. We set specific dates or you can reserve a date of your own choosing for groups of 10 or more.

We have thought about doing this for a long time. It is a pleasure to cook for a small group of diners in an intimate setting using the best available ingredients, with wines picked for each course and attentive service. We rely heavily on farmers, a wine importer and other purveyors that we have worked with for years. This time of year we supplement our supplies with food from our garden. We are committed to using best food practices.

The menu will probably include:
beets, eggplant, okra, and black eyed peas, wild mushrooms, FIGS, cucumbers, tomatoes, chard and calaloo…Georgia Shrimp from Prime Seafood, Meat and Poultry from Eco Friendly Foods.

Reservations: sidraforman@gmail.com
Please share this email with any potentially interested diners.

Let us know if you would like to come on September 11th. We will let you know if there is available space, the specific time, address and the requested donation. Also let us know if you would like to plan a private date of ten or more for a night of your choice.

Please advise if you have any food restrictions, vegetarians are more than welcome!

Sidra,
sidrapractice.com
sidraforman.com