Food Wine & Friends Page 235
On a quiet Sunday evening in the middle of winter, we gathered
at the O'Poon residence for some vittles and vino.
The table was set...
There was a nice plate of various types of Bruschetta to enjoy
with the Champagnes..
Chewie was ready for the evening's festivities...
...and he was dressed for a special occasion.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Connie was checking on the Morel Sauce...
Mark was ready to "unveil" the Prime Rib...
This is a Salt Crust...
Mark is a big Green Bay Packer's fan and his team paid a visit
to San Francisco for an NFL Divisional Playoff Game...the 49ers, with youngster
Colin Kaepernick at the Quarterback position, outgunned Green Bay's Aaron
Rodgers.
In honor of Mister Kaepernick, we brought a bottle of "Colin"
Champagne.
Ralph was impressed to have Colin's Champagne...
Rachel Candy-leria.
The hostess with the mostess.
The host who can't boast (about his Packers)...
The Colin Champagne was a simple, crisp, dry and light bubbly.
The second bottle we opened was from Georges Gardet...I'd tasted one from them
earlier in the year and was struck by its richness and extremely toasty
character. This bottle was fresher and younger...medium-bodied and nice
and dry.
Constance.
Mark shows off a pan full of his famous Dungeness Crab Cakes...
These started out as three live crabs, adopted in San Bruno the previous
afternoon.
Connie then steamed them and spent hours picking through the shells...
The hostess and host...
Kareasa opened the bottle of Avanthia Godello...
Kareasa is greatly entertained by Ralph's proficiency with the salad tongs...
Under the table waiting for a taste of the crab cake was our little pal Chewie!
Yorkshire Pudding and Prime Rib...
Morel Sauce
Rachel immediately dove in to the Yorkshire Pudding!
Ralph wonders if there's enough Morel Sauce to go around the table...
Glasses were hoisted and we toasted Bob and others...
We had two vintages of Chateau Pape Clement on the table to pair with Mark's
Prime Rib.
The 2007 and 2008 were quite nice, though I didn't think either one shows, at
this stage, quite as handsomely as the 2004 from Pape Clement.
They show, to some degree, a bit more international styling and winemaker
thumbprint than particular terroir. Both had nice dark fruit notes, a bit
more pronounced with the 2008. Each had a moderately cedary character, as
well.
While these are young, the tannin level is such that you can certainly drink
them young, but I hope they will blossom over the next few years to justify
their lofty price tags.
I had tasted the 2008 before its official release and found it to be quite showy
and very good.
Kareasa thought they were both good.
Chewie had heard enough, so he went to roll around on the
floor for a minute...
"Wake me when there's more food..."
Kareasa whipped up a dynamite dessert...a cake of toasted almonds and blood
oranges...really good!
Kareasa's dynamite Blood Orange/Almond Cake with a Blood Orange filled with
Blood Orange Sorbet and a sip of La Fleur d'Or Sauternes.
We had a few holiday gifts to open...
Fwah Gwah Chewing Gum!
And even some dentifrice...
Cupcake Toothpaste!
And with all that excitement. we adjourned the proceedings until next time.
Many thanks to one and all for a delightful evening!
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