appetites

I have had very little time, and about as much inclination to write lately. The last few times I’ve attempted to put something together here, I’ve gotten a few paragraphs in, and quit. That includes a start on the review I’m putting up now. This has nothing to do with what I’ve been eating, or cooking lately. It’s just a function of how busy I’ve been this month.
I had an excellent meal last week at Cuvee, in connection with the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience. Dozens of local restaurants hosted wine dinners, where vintners could come and discuss wines paired with the chefs’ food. The Cuvee dinner was co-hosted by John Larchet, of the Australian Premium Wine Collection.

Our table at the dinner. The shots I took of the food all sucked.
We started the meal with a couple of glasses of wine: a Hill of Content Sparkling Red (mainly Shiraz), and a Primo Estate “La Biondina” Colombard. It was a very nice way to start; the Shiraz was particularly nice.
The dinner itself started with a crawfish and sweet corn cannelloni, filled with an herbed farmer’s cheese, and peppadews. A “corn butter” sauce completed the dish, which was served with a Frankland Estate “Isolation Ridge” Riesling, from Frankland River, 2007. The cannelloni started slow, and at first it seemed underseasoned to me, but it ended up being one of my favorites from the dinner. The fresh corn was still crunchy, and the peppadews gave the dish a little heat to balance both the sweetness of the corn and the richness of the cheese. The wine was another winner – Larchet described it as “bone dry,” and that turned out to be pretty apt. Dry Rieslings can be pretty characterless, but this was very nice, with enough acid to complement the hint of spiciness from the peppadews. Ordinarily that’s where the sweetness of a more traditionally styled Riesling would shine, so this was interesting.
The second course was porcini-crusted tuna, served over a piece of brioche toast that had been brushed with rendered foie gras and accompanied by a saute of mushrooms. The tuna (and that’s tuna, not pork) was cooked perfectly; the porcini crust came across to me as an earthy hint that didn’t overwhelm the flavor. The mushrooms had been sauteed at high temperature, and quickly, so that they maintained some texture. The foie gras toast was pretty subtle, there wasn’t all that much foie gras noticeable, though that likely had as much to do with the richness of the brioche which – as it happens, was great with the tuna. The dish also featured some wild asparagus,* which had a bit of the mouthfeel of okra, and a flavor that I found very different from its cultivated cousin. I really wasn’t sure what it was when I first tasted it, and even after our waiter returned from the kitchen to confirm my guess was right, I was still unsure. Internet to the rescue!
The wines served with the tuna were a Pinot Noir by Pike & Joyce, “Lenswood, from the Adelaide Hills, 2005, and also Hewitson’s “Miss Harry’s” blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvedre from the Barossa Valley, also 2005. I enjoyed both, though the Pinot Noir stood out.
The next coure was a duck confit, walnut and blue cheese risotto, with a Steen’s cane syrup cured duck breast. Bob Iacovone has always done duck really well; and this was no exception. The risotto was a little “busy” for me, but I was a minority of one at my table of 8 friends. The duck breast was medium rare, tender, and had a definite flavor of the cane syrup.
The duck was served with a Mourvedre, Old Faithful “Almond Grove” from McLaren Vale, 2005. Very nice, and with just enough body to match the duck.
Next up was serrano-wrapped lamb loin, served with a fava bean puree and marinated, grilled artichoke hearts. We’d had a lot of food by this point, but the lamb was still really popular. The fava bean puree was loose, a light green sauce that I really dug with the lamb and the artichokes. I love artichokes, and I’m frequently tempted to pick up a few and prepare them. Usually before I put them in my basket, I recall how much work is involved in preparing them, and pass. These were outstanding; every bit was tender, and the marinade didn’t mask the flavor of the artichokes. There was a bit of pesto between the lamb and the serrano, a good way to connect the two.
Larchet served two wines with the lamb too: a Coates Shiraz, McLaren Vale, 2004, and Elderton “Ode to Lorraine,” Nuriootpa, Barossa Valley, 2002. “Nuriootpa” is the kind of word is only found in Australia and the works of Dr. Seuss, but the wine was pretty awesome. The Shiraz was very nice as well, but I wanted seconds of the Cabernet-heavy “Nuriootpa.” Nuriootpa indeed.
Next up, dessert: Riesling-poached pears with a creole cream cheese butter cake and clotted cream. The dessert was decorated with spun sugar, but visually it didn’t exactly break ground. The pears were tender but not falling apart, and the cake was good. The combination of the cream, pear, and cake however, was greater than the sum of the parts. By which I mean it was really good. It came with a Mount Horrocks “Cordon Cut” Riesling, from Clare Valley, 2006. It was a pretty typical dessert wine – sweet, with a little of the aromatic spice you’d expect from a good Riesling.
As I said above, I enjoyed the meal, the company, and the wine. Also enjoyable: judging at the Friday evening “Grand Tasting.” We tasted 43 different dishes, and most of them were very good. I hope I get to do it again. In my favor on that point – I did not soil myself at the judges table. To my detriment: I’m a weenie.

*Hat tip to David Lebovitz, whose blog I came across in this instance randomly while google image-searching for “wild asparagus,” but who; coincidentally is someone I’m following on Twitter. Small world, no?

I have had very little time, and about as much inclination to write lately. The last few times I’ve attempted to put something together here, I’ve gotten a few paragraphs in, and quit. That includes a start on the review I’m putting up now. This has nothing to do with what I’ve been eating, or cooking lately. It’s just a function of how busy I’ve been this month.
I had an excellent meal last week at Cuvee, in connection with the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience. Dozens of local restaurants hosted wine dinners, where vintners could come and discuss wines paired with the chefs’ food. The Cuvee dinner was co-hosted by John Larchet, of the Australian Premium Wine Collection.

Our table at the dinner. The shots I took of the food all sucked.
We started the meal with a couple of glasses of wine: a Hill of Content Sparkling Red (mainly Shiraz), and a Primo Estate “La Biondina” Colombard. It was a very nice way to start; the Shiraz was particularly nice.
The dinner itself started with a crawfish and sweet corn cannelloni, filled with an herbed farmer’s cheese, and peppadews. A “corn butter” sauce completed the dish, which was served with a Frankland Estate “Isolation Ridge” Riesling, from Frankland River, 2007. The cannelloni started slow, and at first it seemed underseasoned to me, but it ended up being one of my favorites from the dinner. The fresh corn was still crunchy, and the peppadews gave the dish a little heat to balance both the sweetness of the corn and the richness of the cheese. The wine was another winner – Larchet described it as “bone dry,” and that turned out to be pretty apt. Dry Rieslings can be pretty characterless, but this was very nice, with enough acid to complement the hint of spiciness from the peppadews. Ordinarily that’s where the sweetness of a more traditionally styled Riesling would shine, so this was interesting.
The second course was porcini-crusted tuna, served over a piece of brioche toast that had been brushed with rendered foie gras and accompanied by a saute of mushrooms. The tuna (and that’s tuna, not pork) was cooked perfectly; the porcini crust came across to me as an earthy hint that didn’t overwhelm the flavor. The mushrooms had been sauteed at high temperature, and quickly, so that they maintained some texture. The foie gras toast was pretty subtle, there wasn’t all that much foie gras noticeable, though that likely had as much to do with the richness of the brioche which – as it happens, was great with the tuna. The dish also featured some wild asparagus,* which had a bit of the mouthfeel of okra, and a flavor that I found very different from its cultivated cousin. I really wasn’t sure what it was when I first tasted it, and even after our waiter returned from the kitchen to confirm my guess was right, I was still unsure. Internet to the rescue!
The wines served with the tuna were a Pinot Noir by Pike & Joyce, “Lenswood, from the Adelaide Hills, 2005, and also Hewitson’s “Miss Harry’s” blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvedre from the Barossa Valley, also 2005. I enjoyed both, though the Pinot Noir stood out.
The next coure was a duck confit, walnut and blue cheese risotto, with a Steen’s cane syrup cured duck breast. Bob Iacovone has always done duck really well; and this was no exception. The risotto was a little “busy” for me, but I was a minority of one at my table of 8 friends. The duck breast was medium rare, tender, and had a definite flavor of the cane syrup.
The duck was served with a Mourvedre, Old Faithful “Almond Grove” from McLaren Vale, 2005. Very nice, and with just enough body to match the duck.
Next up was serrano-wrapped lamb loin, served with a fava bean puree and marinated, grilled artichoke hearts. We’d had a lot of food by this point, but the lamb was still really popular. The fava bean puree was loose, a light green sauce that I really dug with the lamb and the artichokes. I love artichokes, and I’m frequently tempted to pick up a few and prepare them. Usually before I put them in my basket, I recall how much work is involved in preparing them, and pass. These were outstanding; every bit was tender, and the marinade didn’t mask the flavor of the artichokes. There was a bit of pesto between the lamb and the serrano, a good way to connect the two.
Larchet served two wines with the lamb too: a Coates Shiraz, McLaren Vale, 2004, and Elderton “Ode to Lorraine,” Nuriootpa, Barossa Valley, 2002. “Nuriootpa” is the kind of word is only found in Australia and the works of Dr. Seuss, but the wine was pretty awesome. The Shiraz was very nice as well, but I wanted seconds of the Cabernet-heavy “Nuriootpa.” Nuriootpa indeed.
Next up, dessert: Riesling-poached pears with a creole cream cheese butter cake and clotted cream. The dessert was decorated with spun sugar, but visually it didn’t exactly break ground. The pears were tender but not falling apart, and the cake was good. The combination of the cream, pear, and cake however, was greater than the sum of the parts. By which I mean it was really good. It came with a Mount Horrocks “Cordon Cut” Riesling, from Clare Valley, 2006. It was a pretty typical dessert wine – sweet, with a little of the aromatic spice you’d expect from a good Riesling.
As I said above, I enjoyed the meal, the company, and the wine. Also enjoyable: judging at the Friday evening “Grand Tasting.” We tasted 43 different dishes, and most of them were very good. I hope I get to do it again. In my favor on that point – I did not soil myself at the judges table. To my detriment: I’m a weenie.

*Hat tip to David Lebovitz, whose blog I came across in this instance randomly while google image-searching for “wild asparagus,” but who; coincidentally is someone I’m following on Twitter. Small world, no?