“Everyone’s getting too outlandish these days in the food and wines they want to put together” complained Chef Caro. “I agree” said Restaurant Ed. Cath “all we want is really good food and really good wine and nothing too fancy.” “Oh me too” said I hastily and untruthfully, whilst scrubbing out all plans to pair Lamb Tripe and Pinot Grigio and Fricassee of Sea Urchin Gonads with Nebbiolo. “And three courses is enough” continued Caro, now getting into her stride. “All the best chefs like to keep things simple anyway, and that’s what I think we should do too.”
Big Mistake
She really shouldn’t have mentioned ‘all the best chefs’ because that gave me the inspiration for this month’s Vinatics – to invite our top cheffy guests of the year and really give Caro grey hairs and sleepless nights. So joining us this month will be trekkie-fanatic Paul Raphaely and wife Tracy Foulkes of Nomu, the ever-fabulous Pete Goffe-Wood and chef-in-her-own-right wife Elize of Kitchen Cowboys Canteen and super-foodie Sam Woulidge and husband. Cos that’s just how we roll at Food24.
The Food
After we’d thrown a bucket of water and a whole lot of tranquilizers at Caro, she eventually calmed down and came up with the following delicious dishes:
Gorgonzola crème brûlée
Deboned lamb roll stuffed with spinach and feta
Plum tarte tatin with cardamom ice-cream
The Wines
I had a virtual carte blanche when it came to choosing the wines this month which has been fabulous. The combinations are very simple – lamb and cabernet, goats’ cheese and sauvignon etc etc. So when it came to choosing the wines, I basically went for the finest examples of each variety I’ve come across in recent months. And this is what we’ve ended up with:
2010 Nederburg Winemaker’s Reserve NLH
2010 Almenkerk Sauvignon Blanc
2010 Dombeya Chardonnay
2010 Middelvlei Free Run Pinotage
2008 Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 Boplaas Chocolate Cape Vintage Port
What an amazing line-up (if I say so myself)! I literally cannot wait to share these wines and those dishes with all these wonderful foodies, talk Klingon, sing iPhone karaoke, write down terrible puns and all the other hallmarks of a great Vinatics evening. And – even though I know she is stressing – I have 110% confidence in Caro to produce the goods and give us the best food of the year. She’d better – or we’re going to put her blog back onto Lettercrash!