The flavor pairing herein was to leverage a great white wine my wife and I came across at a recent charity benefit - 2006 Summerhouse Chardonnay from Marlborough, NZ (easily a 93+ pt wine), evolve this into a subtle loose sauce with a slightly rich but herbal and acidic presence, contrast that with the garlic-infused bitterness of dandelions greens, and find a little textural crunch from the potatoes. The halibut cheeks came from asking nicely at Whole Foods, these were gently sauteed in a mix of olive oil and butter, seasoned with Portuguese Sea Salt and Tellicherry pepper, and finished with an infusion of the Chardonnay, garlic, summer savory, Lampong peppercorn, and a touch of pasture butter - I used a cheesecloth to steep the aromatics in a cup of the wine for 20 minutes over low heat, then raised the heat to medium low and tempered the sauce by shaking the pan (a tip from Hervé This) with a tablespoon of Organic Valley Pasture Butter. As my wife pointed out, cheeks have the texture of lobster (in a good way). Get 'em while you can, perfect Spring fare. Kudos to Divino for exposing us to the Summerhouse - truly an exceptional Chardonnay with mineral and toast notes that makes you remember what Old World wines can be, and thanks for the tip on Chartreuse VEP.
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| From gastronomic guesswork |
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