Cabernet Day ~ Sept 1, 2011

Now after many days of recovery under my belt, I’m finally able to share what was The Biggest Cabernet Day Ever within my household!
With a whopping 20 hungry, Cab lovin’ foodies in attendance and a backyard set only for the finest of September days – the 7 course feast that I designed and cooked with all ingredients pairing to Cab – was one that will most likely go down as legendary.
All that was asked of each guest was to bring one bottle of Cabernet – from any region and really, from any pricepoint.  The menu was sent out ahead of time so that each guest had time to find just the right Cab to pair to their favorite course.  Instructions beyond were to tin foil your bottle so that the wines were initially served blind, leading each guest to form their own opinions of the Cabernets before unveiling their favorites.
Appetizers included my first handmade Parmesan Tuile – super easy to put together and really, very pretty – with a gorgeous array of chopped Heirloom Tomatoes and fresh chives that sat atop the crispy Parmesan crisp.  The wine that really paired best here was a nice, juicy, yet slightly tomato paste-like Cab from Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Cold Creek Vineyard’ – Columbia Valley, WA. Next, came a recipe that I sort of put together last minute, including fresh fall figs, wrapped in Italian  Prosciutto, grilled and topped with a honied goat cheese.  YUM.  Not bad for a last minute throw together!  Wildly, the round sumptuous Plumpjack Cabernet from Oakville, CA hit the figs and the goat cheese perfectly.  Notes of blackberry, roasted fig and chocolate melded magically with the crispy, yet juicy wrapped figs.
Heading into a full plate of herb encrusted lamb lollipops – the appetizers warmed the palate up for what was about to come.  My husband, acting as head Grill Master for the nite, charred the pops just right leaving the lamb a beautiful juicy red on the inside – a perfect medium rare.  Here, one of my favorite Italian producers, Villa Cafaggio, made the pairing round out this enormous plate of gamey goodies with the producer’s single vineyard, Cortaccio, made exclusively from 100% Cabernet grapes.  The herbal notes of the wine and rich, chewy tannins instantly made friends with the fatty insides of the lamb, leaving us all licking our lips for more.
Course three included a simply cut eggplant round – which I rubbed with a pink sea salt and slathered with a delicious worcestershire, garlic, honey marinade – grilled and topped with fresh Parmesan.  Again, the Italian  (“What Grows Together, Goes Together”) Cabernet, a heavenly pairing with the herbs, marinade and Italian cheese.
Course four was, and could sincerely be, the most impressive course of the nite – a course made by my friend Jennifer – was a hand-built three layer Duck Confit Salad.  Fresh stewed fruit, arugula and the sweet notes of the confit’d duck breast were mouth-watering.  One of our household favorites, made the pairing complete – Ladera Vineyards Cabernet, Napa.  Notes of raspberry, earth and spice rounded out the plate splendidly leaving only the fresh notes of the salad’s arugula to cleanse the palate.  Delicious.
Course five – a very simple, yet strikingly decadent course – included fresh center cut Ahi steaks, which I rolled in pink and black peppercorns, and then quickly pan seared leaving the centers of the fish a brite cherry colored rare temp.  The topping – a lemon and parsley herbed compound butter – made this dish a succulent plate.  Without expecting this to occur, I think the best Cabernet pairings here were the South African wines brought to the party.  Both full Bordeaux Blends, seemed to fill the peppery cracks to the tuna, leaving only the fresh briny notes of the fish to appear.  Again, immaculate!
Course six – I guess you could say, was my main plate – and really, quite pretty again – was a simply salt n peppered flank steak grilled to another perfect medium-rare, accompanied by salt roasted beets topped with goat cheese and caramelized balsamic onions.  C’mon!  This was an amazing course…  The beets, which I swore took over two hours to roast, along with a plate full of two hour slow sauteed onions were both great sides to the grilled flank.  The pairing- an earthy, raspberry centered Cab from St. Emilion, Bordeaux.  I feel, aged just right, to pair – the wine paired wonderfully to the rare sides of the beef and the sweet sides of the roasted beets.
My favorite wine unveiled at this point of the evening – a 1984 Chateau Montelena Cabernet.  With a bit of decanting, this wine turned out to be the favorite of the nite.  The nose youthful and lively with scents of fresh rose petals and dark cherry fruit led into a round, supple mouth-feel of kalamata olive and briar patch fruit.  With just a slight ‘over the apex’ palate – the wine was rock solid!  Perhaps enjoyed best at its tipping point, I would guess a year to two ago, I was most impressed with the longevity and complexity of this Napa Valley Cabernet.
Last, but certainly not least, came a decadent multi layered flour-less chocolate torte.  My recipe left instructions to serve as one layer – yet I thought if I were to really take this dinner party over the edge – I might as well layer the cakes with a rich chocolate ganache.  The best part?  Each slice was topped with crumbled blue cheese and paired to a lovely Chilean Cab, Ecos de Rulo.  Notes of boysenberry, chocolate and syrup rounded the glass as the dessert melted perfectly upon the palate.  Again – splendid!
The party went on into the late hours of the nite as more bottles made their way to the table from the piles of wine that were brought.  A nice candied Washington Cab called Sweet Spot was the last I remember tasting of the evening.  It seemed to fit the last bites of the chocolate torte left on my plate and all at once, became the mantra to the memories of a fabulous evening with friends.  My life – One Sweet Spot .  Filled with friends who love food as much as I do, appreciate the wines I pour and love up on food/wine pairings almost as much I do and just simply, make me smile.  Happy Cabernet Day, to me!