May Wedding– Dressing at The Tabard Inn and Wedding at The Darlington House

Just got some more photos today from a recent wedding...there have been a bunch ...tis the season.

I particularly loved this bouquet, much of it came from my own downtown garden...the popcorn hydrangea, mint, peonies and blueberries. My daughter was not thrilled that I cut from the blueberry plant for a bouquet before the berries had a chance to ripen! I will be sure to get her plenty from the farmers market this weekend.

Kate Headley's gorgeous photographs are below. You can find additional photographs from this wedding on her blog here. Kate shoots lots of her photographs with film, a rarity these days, at this wedding she used two of her favorite cameras the Twinlens Rolleiflex and the Contax 645--both use medium format film.





Deep in the Wedding Season, May Newseum

I have not been blogging much the last several weeks...from spring through mid-summer all my worlds collide with flowers, gardens and food in full swing.

A glimpse of what I have been up to can be gleaned through the fabulous photos below taken by Jay Premack (to see more of his photos from the wedding click here).

I really enjoyed this one. The bride was a joy to get to know, great team for the wedding–immaculate planning by Aimee Dominick and the dramatic setting of the Newseum...

There were so many fun touches including the terrarium wishing table, grass for place cards, eclectic vases with bountiful spring flowers...
More glimpses of weddings and musings about food to follow soon!






Impruneta Terracotta

I have planted several container gardens this season. One was a large outdoor kitchen and fireplace area that was begging for the warmth of plantings. I collaborated with the family who lives there and we decided to use a variety of containers made of heavy glazed pottery, copper and terracotta. They wanted all the pots to be maintenance free and durable with year round plantings. We talked about different varieties of terracotta– the inexpensive terracotta readily available vs. Impruneta terracotta.

Impruneta terracotta comes from the Tuscan village of Impruneta which is unique because the clay from there has a high concentration of minerals including iron, calcium and aluminum. The result is that the pots are much stronger than other terracotta pots and can be very large since the weight of the clay does not compromise the structure of the pot. These pots are able to withstand negative 20 degree Fahrenheit temperatures without damage. All of the pots are made by hand and are available in a great variety of sizes and shapes as well as custom sizes. One of the many things I love about these pots is that since they are hand made each is a bit different. I have used Impruneta terracotta for projects before but this time I got them from a different company, Tuscan Imports. They were efficient and a pleasure to work with and their pots are priced less expensively than others. The beauty and scale of the many pieces that I got were impressive.

3 Birthdays



We celebrated a couple of May birthdays...and one that was rescheduled from the February blizzard this past week. It is an honor to be part of celebrations. All three birthdays this weekend were a pleasure– made up of some people who we just met for the first time this weekend and many who we have been fortunate to get to know over the last year since we have been cooking at home.

We served many firsts of the season- tomatoes, baby zucchini, porcinis, celery, squash blossoms, rabbit, summer truffles...We are looking forward to another birthday dinner for an old friend this weekend.

The menus were all a bit different– here is Saturday nights food and wine:

Passing
BBQ Whitmore Farms Rabbit
Scrambled Eggs with Sorrel
Kaleidoscope Carrot Soup
Asparagus with Lemon and Garlic Chives
(Caves Jean Bourdy) Cremant du Jura Brut NV

Seated
Wild King Salmon with Beets, Beet Ketchup, Spring Onion and Summer Truffle
(Gerard Boulay) Sancerre ROSE 2008

Pasta with Baby Zucchini, Squash Blossoms, Young Garlic, and Porcini
(Vercesi) Pinot Nero Bianco "Gugiarolo" 2008

Pork Chop with Red Mustard Greens, Grits, Leeks and Celery
(Dom. des Hauts Chassis) Crozes Hermitage "Les Chassis" 2007

Tome des Recolletes with Olive Oil Cracker

Strawberry Pie with Frozen Mint Coconut and Candied Pistachios
(Grange Tiphaine) Nouveau Nez - Sparkling Montlouis 2008
Tiny Chocolate Birthday Cake

Cookies: Lavender Oatmeal, Peppermint Chocolate Chip, Salty Rosemary Walnut Biscotti

Overfished Species

We are fortunate to get both our fish as well as fish information from Jim Chambers. These days between health and environmental concerns it is complicated knowing which fish to eat.
Wanted to share a recent email he sent:

If you ever want to know which popular fish species are still in trouble (due to very low population levels) and have been listed by the federal government as "Overfished" in the annual report to Congress, see this link, then for the detailed list, choose FSSI and non FSSI Stocks.

The list is arranged by geographic region with the Northeast first, followed by the Southeast, then Gulf of Mexico, etc.

To understand how severely some populations have declined, look at the Bmsy ratio (next to far right column). A Bmsy of 1.00 means the population is "healthy" (as a fisheries biologist would say, it's at its Maximum Sustainable Yield). When Bmsy gets down to 0.05, it is nearing extinction. Anything below 1.00 is officially "overfished," which in itself is not too bad (as it can be rebuilt by controlling fishing pressure), but when it gets down below 0.50 things are getting very serious. Below 0.10, the population may never recover even if all fishing were to stop.

Seafood Guide
For a quick way to evaluate various seafood choices, I recommend using the Blue Ocean Institute's Seafood Guide.

All the seafood Prime Seafood offers is from sustainably managed fisheries and they are free of dangerous contaminants. Did you know that the cheap farm-raised salmon which is readily available from seafood vendors contains cancer causing contaminants (PCBs and PAHs) in concentrations high enough that eating "just one 6 oz. meal a month poses a high risk" of cancer?

This time of year we are enjoying Jim's King Salmon, Ivory King Salmon and Pacific Halibut.

Last Weekends Dinner Music

We cooked a few dinners last week. Monday night was at a friend's home in honor of guests from abroad. Friday night was an open Home Restaurant with some repeat diners and some who joined us for the first time. Saturday night was a joyous 50th birthday celebration.
We love cooking this time of year, the ingredients are exciting...dinners this week included morels, fiddle head ferns, soft shell crabs, ramps, wild shallots, rhubarb, king salmon, fava beans, sorrel, chervil and stinging nettles.

Friday and Saturday nights at the Home Restaurants we dined and cooked to a great play list that John put together:

How Deep Is The Ocean?, Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton
Jeepers Creepers, Doc Cheatham & Nicholas
Stardust, Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton
Black And Blue (Aka What Did I Do To Be So Black And Blue?), Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton
Save It Pretty Mama, Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton
Lush Life, John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman
Bye Bye Blackbird, Miles Davis & John Coltrane
Kathy's Waltz, Time Out, The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Ruby My Dear (Take 3), Solo Monk, Thelonious Monk
Summertime, The Blue Note Years - Volume 1 - Boogie Blues & Bop, Sidney Bechet
Moanin', Blue Note Years Vol 2- The Jazz Message (Disc 2), Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
My One And Only Love, John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman
Everybody's Jumpin', Time Out, The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Cantaloupe Island, Cantaloupe Island, Herbie Hancock
Three To Get Ready, Time Out, The Dave Brubeck Quartet
In A Sentimental Mood, Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
Song For My Father, Blue Note Years- Vol 4 Hard Bop And Beyond (Disc 1), Horace Silver
Monk's Mood, Thelonious Monk
Freddie Freeloader, Kind of Blue, Miles Davis
Off Minor (Take 5), Monk's Music, Thelonious Monk
But Not For Me, My Favorite Things, John Coltrane
Strange Meadow Lark, Time Out, The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Misty, Compact Jazz:, Sarah Vaughan
They Say It's Wonderful, John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman
April In Paris, Thelonious Monk
The Sidewinder, Lee Morgan
Take Five, Time Out, The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Epistrophy, Monk's Music, Thelonious Monk
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat [Unedited Form], Mingus Ah Um [Remastered], Charles Mingus
Watermelon Man, Cantaloupe Island, Herbie Hancock
My Romance (fr Jumbo), Keith Jarrett Foundations, Keith Jarrett
Driftin', Fingerpainting: The Music Of Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton & Mark Whitfield
Dolphin Dance, Fingerpainting, Christian McBride/Nicholas
I Was Doing All Right, Stan Getz & Oscar Peterson Trio
Little Sunflower, Number Two Express, Christian McBride
Fingerpainting, Fingerpainting: The Music Of Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton & Mark Whitfield
Speedball, The Blue Note Years, Vol. 4: Hard Bop & Beyond 1963-1967 [Disc 2], Lee Morgan
Detour Ahead, Stan Getz & Oscar Peterson Trio
A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing, Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn, Joe Henderson
Asiatic Rates, Goin' Up, Freddie Hubbard
The Eye Of The Hurricane, Fingerpainting: The Music Of Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton & Mark Whitfield
Smells Like Teen Spirit, These Are the Vistas, The Bad Plus
If I Were A Bell, Relaxin' With The Miles Davis Quintet, The Miles Davis Quintet
As Time Goes By, The Other Side Of Round Midnight, Dexter Gordon
All The Things You Are, West Coast Jazz Box (Disc 2), Hampton Hawes Trio
Tea For Two, I Got Rhythm, Vol. 3, Art Tatum
I Fall In Love Too Easily, I Remember Miles, Shirley Horn
Big Nick, Duke Ellington & John Coltrane

A Conversation About Greens


Today I had the pleasure to speak with a dynamic group of women about greens...some of the group had heard me talk several times over the last few years and some I just met today.
The topic greens...kind of a sprawling topic...
The hostess gathered a fantastic array of oils and vinegars for the event that we used for the demonstration. She provided mason jars so participants could mix their own dressings after lunch and take them home.
I brought a variety of spring greens from Path Valley Cooperative...mum leaves, wild cress, pea shoots, red ribbed dandelion greens, fava bean greens and spinach.
I also brought a soup that I made with stinging nettles that we served in small cups to sip on as the talk began.
I spoke about the individual greens, making salads, cooking greens and making soup. I presented the idea that having great oils, vinegars, salts and freshly ground black pepper in your larder invites experimentation and lots of greens eating. We made a few dressings but instead of giving recipes I encouraged the idea of experimentation and variety.
I also brought some wild ramps, baby leeks and red spring onions that we chopped finely and roasted quickly with a variety of greens in a hot oven.
Conversation was plentiful and jumped from relevant subject to subject including smoke point, sources, nutrition, washing methods of greens, dressings for young picky eaters, organic vs non-organic, olive oil classifications, farm market vs grocery store, how to grow your own...
After talking for a while we got plates of salad greens, wilted greens, whole wheat walnut bread and black bean spread. After the lunch we ate a rhubarb banana crumble with a mint sauce. While enjoying the food the conversation continued.

Recipe sketches from today to use as a starting point for experimentation...

Stinging Nettle Soup
grapeseed oil
1 onion finely sliced
1# clean stinging nettles (if you purchase dirty use rubber gloves to wash because they will irritate your skin)
water
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat stock pot over medium high heat. Lightly coat the bottom with grapeseed oil and cook onion until lightly browned. Add stinging nettles and enough water to just submerge the greens. Add some salt, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Puree until very smooth in a high speed blender. Re-season with salt and pepper and serve.
-You could make this soup with a variety of different greens.

Sesame, Ginger, Rice Wine Vinegar Dressing
2 part sesame paste
2 part rice wine vinegar
1 part sesame oil
1/2 part soy sauce
1 part water
drop of agave nectar
finely grated ginger to taste
salt to taste

Start with these basic proportions, mix thoroughly and then adjust to your personal taste. Sesame paste can be substituted with peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter.

Rhubarb Crumble
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/4 cup milk or soy milk or almond milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sugar plus additional sugar for fruit
2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
rhubarb sliced
banana sliced

Combine oatmeal, milk, oil, 1/2 cup sugar. agave nectar, baking powder and salt in a mixer and process until oatmeal breaks down into smaller pieces, about 1 minute.
In a large bowl combine rhubarb, banana . Toss fruit with enough sugar for fruit to be lightly coated with sugar (approximately 1 tablespoon of fruit for every 2 cups of fruit).
Place fruit in an oven proof dish and cover with oatmeal topping.
Place in a 350 degree oven and bake until top is golden brown and fruit is soft.
-This cobbler recipe can be used will all types of fresh fruit, less sugar can be used if you are using sweet fruits

Mint Sauce
juice and meat from 1 young coconut
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup fresh mint
1 tablespoon Artisan Coconut Butter
Agave Nectar to taste
large pinch of pink Himilayan salt

In a small pot combine coconut milk and mint. Bring to boil and remove from heat, let mint seep for at least 20 minutes. Remove mint from coconut milk and discard the mint.
Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender, chill before serving.
-This sauce is a great compliment to most fresh fruit and many fresh fruit desserts. It can also be frozen in an ice cream maker resulting in a delicious frozen dessert

April Birthday Lunch

Birthday Cake mid-way through being frosted

We have been cooking a lot the last couple of weeks. It is exciting as each new spring ingredient shows up. Early in the week I got a call from Katie at Path Valley Cooperative telling me that she had the first few pounds of asparagus. She asked if she should save it for me...YES! The most tender sweet purple asparagus arrived.

Today was nomadic, not at 1508, a small birthday lunch. Perfect weather made it possible for them to eat in a small city garden. When we arrived grandchildren were decorating for their grandmothers surprise 75th birthday, spring flowers were blooming...

Buffet Birthday Lunch
April 11, 2010

Passing
Carrot Soup
Corncake and Avocado

Buffet
Pacific Halibut with Spring Onions
Morels and Fiddle Head Ferns with Wilted Pea Shoots and Garlic Chives
Roasted Baby Red Ace Beets
Small Yellow Finn Potatoes with Sorrel
Hand Harvested Wild Rice with Wild Cress and Herbs
Purple Asparagus
Shaved French Breakfast Radish with Girasol and Sunflower Sprouts
Spelt Baguettes

Dessert
Chocolate Birthday Cake with Buttercream Icing and Vanilla Ice Cream

Piano at 1508

A week ago we had a piano salon at 1508. The event organized itself somewhat by chance upon meeting a new friend who knew the pianist Sara Danesphour. Sara was looking for a small venue to perform in preparation for a larger concert. We set our front room up with rows of chairs, sent out an invitation and took the first 30 who responded. The audience ranged in age, the youngest being 5 years old. We all sat mesmerized as we listened to Sara...she is amazing. Certainly I had no idea that our piano could sound like that.

We prepared a simple buffet, with spring ingredients, and after the music all enjoyed dinner and conversation.

It was fun. Last month we did a photo opening with Abby Greenawalts images of an artisinal slaughter at Eco Friendly Foods. Recently a Home Restaurant guest told me that he would like to do a magic show at our house! Very much looking forward to that and whatever comes next!

The program from Last Sunday, April 4th:

Sonata no. 7 in D major, op.10 no. 3 Beethoven

Presto
Largo e mesto
Menuetto: Allegro
Rondo: Allegro

Variations on the name ABEGG Schumann

Concert Paraphrase of Rigoletto Liszt

Intermission

Estampes Debussy

Pagodes
Soiree dans Grenade
Jardin sous la pluie

Variations on a theme by Corelli Rachmaninoff

Toccata Prokofiev

Alice Waters support for The Healthy Schools Act

Right now there is burgeoning movement towards incorporating healthy food, gardening and environmental stewardship into the DC Public School curriculum. We have been involved in a few small projects over the years. Currently we are collaborating with new and old friends and colleagues and working on a couple school/ garden /health projects that we hope will be pilot programs that can be replicated throughout the country to holistically improve health of school children (more about all that as the projects develop).

Simultaneously The Healthy Schools Act of DC introduces exciting legislation that contains many important Farm to School initiatives, as well as other initiatives designed to improve the health and well-being of District school children and to “green” District schools.
At the end of last week there was a hearing for the Healthy Schools Act. Alice Waters wrote a statement in support of the act:

For over a decade, I have had the privilege to witness the extraordinary and undeniable effects of an edible education on children. The Edible Schoolyard at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley runs a teaching garden and kitchen that are integrated into the curriculum of the school. Through the years, we’ve learned an incredible lesson: when children grow it and cook it, they will eat it. And not just eat, but enjoy themselves at the table with their classmates and teachers. Then they graduate, and extend these values about work and the environment into their community and out to the world.

We’re not alone in Berkeley! There are programs all over the country that are working to bring all children into a new relationship with food, and in each case- whether it be in New Orleans or Los Angeles- the resoundingly positive results are the same.

From our experience at the Edible Schoolyard, my colleagues and I now understand the qualities of our program that are key to its success. First, the interaction between the garden and the kitchen is profoundly important. When children see a seed transform from the soil and end up on their plate, they make the connection between nature and their own health. And, as with any case in education, the teaching staff plays a pivotal role. It is essential to have a dedicated garden and kitchen staff, and not just for the ensured maintenance of the land. These teachers connect the subjects the children are taking in school to the garden and kitchen classrooms. They are the stewards of a simultaneous education, one in which the planting of seeds breathes life into the math lesson, or the pounding of wheat enlivens the history class.

The Healthy Schools Act understands the whole vision of schools as guardians of our children’s health. Among other things, it sees that right there, in the middle of every school day, lie time and energy already devoted to the feeding of children. We have the power to turn that daily school lunch from an afterthought into a joyous education, a way of caring for our health, our environment, and our community. When this legislation takes effect in Washington, D.C., it will signal best practices to all of us and pave the way for our nation to follow suit.

Alice Waters
Founder, Chez Panisse Foundation
Owner, Chez Panisse Café and Restaurant
March 26, 2010

Quick trip to Mexico

We got back from a four night trip to Mexico on Wednesday night and dove right into a busy work schedule. Over the weekend we did flowers for a large wedding at the Fairfax Hotel in DC and had a great group at the house for a Home Restaurant.
Before it become too distant a memory I want to share some information and fabulous contacts from our trip...all very highly reccomended.
Flew direct from Dulles to Cancun, rented a car and drove about 2 hours south to Tulum.

Accomodations:
-La Via Laktea,ideal for us, isolated and pristine. Our palapa opened onto the sea, we slept with the sound of the ocean and the hospitable owner served delicious coffee in the morning.
Food:
-Hechizo, outstanding dinner in walking distance from La Via Laktea. The Chef comes to the table and discusses available ingredients and how to prepare them to best meet your desires.
-La Flor de Michoacan, a cafe with the most amazing assortment of house made popsicles I have ever seen including pineapple chili, tamarind, guanabana, rambutan...
-hand-made tortillas with fresh guacamole and habenero salsa, pretty much everywhere
-fresh coconuts, red papaya and mango with lime, chili and salt, all available from street vendors in every small and large town
Activities:
-Sian Ka'an Biosphere, a protected area you cannot enter without a guide...we were lucky to meet Fernando Rosado who shared his extensive knowledge of Sian Ka'an with us. He is happy to set up excursions based on your individual interests, soleil_playe10@hotmail.com. Fernando is an expert on the flora and fauna or the area as well as Mayan culture.
-Coba, rent a bike, get a guide, arrive early before the crowds
-Cinote Dzitnup, beyond refreshing...not over developed...there are many others in the area that I am sure are also fantastic, would like to spend time exploring more!
-Chitzen Itza, go early which might require spending the night in the area, we stayed at Hacienda Chiten, go into the nearby town of Piste for dinner. Try to get a private tour with the older guide named Pedro (I have misplaced his phone number but will add later if I find it...just by asking at the site you could locate him) who is an enthusiastic world traveler, knows Chitzen Itza thoroughly, is obsessed with the Mayans and full of engaging theories about not only the Mayan culture but also world history.

Bake-In NYC!


A good friend of mine shared this with me. Her good friend Elizabeth Puccini was unwilling to sit idle while the school she sent her young child to, and others throughout the city, were not going to allow home-made foods at school fundraisers and instead encourage the sale of Doritos and Pop Tarts! I wish I could be in New York on Thursday to join. This is the Press Release...

NYCGREENSCHOOLS.ORG
Contact: Elizabeth Puccini Tel: 212-674-7408 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cell Phone: 917-620-5577 MARCH 11, 2010 Email: ecini@yahoo.com
BAKE-IN RALLY AT CITY HALL THURSDAY, MARCH 18TH, 4-6PM To Protest New Chancellor Regulation Banning Home-Baked Foods from School Fundraisers While Allowing Doritos and Pop-Tarts Instead
On February 24, 2010 the Panel for Educational Policy was scheduled to vote on revisions to the Chancellor Regulation A-812 banning home-made foods from school fundraisers while permitting Doritos and Pop-Tarts instead. One mother, Elizabeth Puccini, stayed until 11:35pm to voice her opposition to the Regulation. She warned Chancellor Joel Klein and the members of the Panel that should the revisions pass, they would “incur the anger of many parents.” The Panel voted unanimously in favor of the revisions.
Now Elizabeth Puccini, whose child attends The Children’s Workshop School in the East Village, is organizing with other parents a “Bake-In” down at City Hall in Park Row Plaza (1 Centre Street) on Thursday, March 18th from 4-6pm to let the Chancellor and the Panel members see for themselves parents’ outrage. The rally will have one table featuring the approved DOE food items and another table featuring home-made foods cooked by parents and their children. The ingredients of all the foods will be on display so that the public can decide for themselves which treats are healthier for children. Hundreds of parents from all over the city are expected to turn out.
Council Member Gale A. Brewer will be attending the rally. In 2009, Council Member Brewer introduced Resolution 2300, calling on the Department of Education to amend Chancellor’s Regulation A-812, in order to repeal the City’s ban on the sale of baked goods from schools. Council Member Brewer will be reintroducing this resolution at the March 25, 2010 Stated Council meeting and will be seeking a public hearing on this important issue.
At the bake-in, parents will be echoing Council Member Brewer’s call to repeal the Regulation and to allow home-made cookies and banana bread back in the schools. Parents will also be asking the Chancellor to make parents part of the discussion when it comes to their children’s health. Parents want the Department of Education to understand that they know what’s best for their children, not Pepsi Cola or Kellogg’s, which are the major beneficiaries of the new Regulation. Parents strongly feel that junk food has no place in our public schools and is certainly not the solution to fighting childhood obesity.
Press is invited to attend the rally at 4:30pm when parents and children will be speaking about the harmful consequences of the new Regulation, why bake sales with home-made foods are so critical to preserving music and arts programs during a time of severe budget cuts, and what the Department of Education can do to genuinely improve children’s health.
*******
If you’d like more information about the bake-in or to schedule an interview, please call Elizabeth Puccini at 212-674-7408 or email Elizabeth at ecini@yahoo.com. You can also obtain information about the rally and a copy of the regulation at nycgreenschools.org.

Mid March at 1508

Last night we had a bunch of firsts...all first time Home Restaurant guests, first of the season- shad roe, morels, fiddle head ferns and a sparkling wine that we were the first to serve in the US! Thank you to everyone who joined, we enjoyed your company.

March 13, 2010

Passing

Shad Roe with Mustard, Lemon and Arugula Micro Greens
Salsify with Caramelized Onion
Shiitake and Leek Soup
Arepas with Avocado and Cilantro
Roasted Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Seeds
Roasted Parsnips

Bay Leaf Martini
(Ch. de Roquefort) Cotes de Provence ROSE 'Corail' 2008
wine notes-Corail’ is the domaine’s rosé and it has classic Provencal characteristics: bright strawberry/ raspberry fruit with a lively palate and a clean finish. The wine is made from Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan and Clairette.

Seated

Smoked Chicken Broth with Handmade Noodles and Red Spring Onion

(Tessier) Cheverny Rouge 2007
wine notes-Philippe Tessier started working with his father at a young age and took over the domaine in 1988 when his father retired. Certified organic since 2004, every parcel is harvested by hand and vinified individually, with natural yeasts. Cheverny is in the north central Loire valley, pretty much in the middle of no-where.
The wine is mostly pinot noir with some gamay noir. It is terrific with food. Flavor is tart cherries, plenty of fruit, but not a hint of sweetness.

Black Walnut Toast with salad of Fiddlehead Fern, Black Radish, Sunflower Shoots and Fennel

(Dom. du Bagnol) Cassis Blanc 2007
wine notes-Jean-Louis Genovesi has a jewel of an estate on the French Riviera in the charming town of Cassis. This bold white wine is a blend of Marsanne (50%), Clairette (35%) and Ugni Blanc(15%). Another great versatile wine to pair with food.

Braised Short Ribs with Morels, Small Potato, Baby Carrot, Baby Beet and Pea Shoots

(Ch. Les Valentines) Cotes du Provence Rouge "Le Punition" 2007
wine notes-This winery was begun by Gilles and Pascale Pons-Massenot in 1997. They sold their graphic design firm in Paris to move to Provence and work with the land. They wanted to begin making wine immediately, so purchased a 100 year old estate (gorgeous land!), whose previous owners always sold the grapes to the local co-op. When the Pons bought the 10 hectare (24.7 acres) of vineyards, there was no winemaking facility. They built a modern winery, and called the domaine Les Valentines after their children, Valentin and Clémentine. They now have 23 ha (ca. 57 acres) of vineyards in AOC Côtes de Provence on clay silex soils. The soil is worked mechanically (no synthetic chemicals are used, the fertilizer being Alpine sheep dung!) and the harvest is by hand.
This wine is about equal parts Mourvedre, Syrah, Cab Sauv, Carignan and Grenache.

Winnimere Cheese and Olive Oil Cracker

Avocado Lime Ice
(Grange Tiphaine) Nouveau Nez - Pet'nat Montlouis 2008
wine notes-Damien Delecheneau is a young enthusiast who is doing precision work at his family's Domaine just outside of medieval Amboise in the Montlouis appellation, having taken over from his father in 2002. 'Everything comes from the vines,' ... he explained his philosophy of careful triage (4 times through the vineyard before the vintage) - using the best quality grapes so as to not have to touch the wine - no yeast, no enzymes, never chapitalized (meaning no sugar added).
This sparkling wine, from Montlouis, across the river from Vouvray, is all chenin blanc. Last night was the first time it was served in the US!

Chocolate Biscotti Tart with Coconut Cream, Fresh Oranges and Vin Santo

Cookies
Lavender Oatmeal, Pistachio Cardamon and Bay Leaf Vanilla