First Course- Lobster Bisque-
The Lobster Bisque is a pain staking ritual to prepare, it takes eight hours for the bisque to slowly simmer; basically, all day. And for the lobster meat; which is my department to pull all the meat out from the big claws (pretty easy) and the rest of the Lobster (pretty hard). What is so memorable about this dish is the combination of the lobster meat pieces with the creamy bisque. For this year, I opened a bottle of Muscat with this dish. The sweetness of the wine complements the spices used in the Bisque and it does not work against all the flavors.
Robert Mondavi 2006 Moscato D'oro Napa Valley 375ml-
Perfumed notes of honeysuckle, peach, and citrus weave through the aromas and flavors of Robert Mondavi Winery Moscato d'Oro. Served chilled, the wine's lush, sweet flavors are refreshing.
Main Course- Magret de Canard-
This is Alinda's favorite dish (and mine too), the breasts are Canadian duck breasts that are sold individually and can be found at Balducci's, sometimes Giant carries them too, but the ones from Giant are not as tender as the ones from Balducci's (less expensive as well). The key in making a great Magret de Canadrd is of course the duck breast quality and not over cooking the meat. These breasts are first placed on the meat side and the fat surface is scored by a sharp knife in a diamond pattern. They are then simply seasoned with sea salt and pepper. Next they are placed on the fatty side in a very hot skillet which then are seared for 10 to 15 minutes; depending how thick the breasts are. If done correctly, the fat is rendered down and the fatty side becomes crispy. They are later removed form the skillet and sliced thinly (using electric knife) and immediately served.
This dish was served with pan seared (extra virgin olive oil) asparagus, roasted garlic, salt and pepper. The second side dish was gratin de pommes de terre (thinly sliced finger potatoes with garlic, onions and cream.)
1994 Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon-
A wine that always works well with this course is a Saint Julien, one should not use a big Bordeaux or a big Cabernet with this dish as the wine can over power the succulent duck breast flavors. This year, however, I opened a 1994 Joseph Phelps Cabernet. This wine has aged gracefully and is not as over powering as its big brother, Insignia, but one can tell that they are related.
The bottle requires decanting since there is a lot of sediments. It is best to remove the wine from your cellar and let the bottle stand up for a week in room temperature prior to decanting. The color is clear dark red, the nose has aromas of black fruit and cassis, on the palate smooth, elegant with sweet under tone.
The Dessert Course- Gluten Free Chocolate Covered Cake-
Our Chef de Cuisine has been experimenting with the Gluten Free flour mixtures for about a year now. She finally discovered the right mixture so that the cake does no come out to be grainy and brittle. One cannot believe that this cake does not have wheat flour! The mixture is white rice flour, potato starch and Tapioca flour. But the secret, she found to be, is to double up on the egg yolk and the butter when mixing the mixture for the cake!
Cognac and Cigar, as usual, followed this meal!
