Monthly Archive for March, 2007

Raw Milk Cheese Dinner with Pascal Bellevaire

Published on March 22, 2007 in Bernardus, Events and Food. 0 Comments

Reception

2005 Sauvignon Blanc – Griva Vineyard, Bernardus Winery, Arroyo Seco
2005 Chardonnay – Bernardus Winery, Monterey County

« Rillette Aux Pommes »

Bleu de Bocage, Goat Milk, Normandy
Sidre Brut Tendre – Eric Bordelet, Normandy

Spring Vegetable Salad

organic beets, asparagus, black truffle, citrus emulsion
Courrone Lochoise, Goat Milk, Tourene
2004 Sancerre – Domaine du Rochoy, Loire Valley

Black Cod

crusted, sorrel bow tie pasta,« carbonara sauce »
Blanc Bleu de Rizet, Goat Milk, Auvergne
Bleu de Tremignon, Goat Milk, Savoie
2004 Estate Chasselas – Domaine Albert Boxler, Alsace

« Lard Braiser »

alder smoked, sauerkraut, potato, whole grain mustard jus
Pays de Retz, Cow Milk, Loire-Atlantique
2003 Moulin-à-Vent – Clos de Rochegrès – Domaine Louis Jadot, Beaujolais

Spring Lamb

Spring Lamb four story hill farm, confit shoulder, « ratatouille »
Coeur de Berry, Goat Cheese, Normandy
Brin d’Amour, Sheep Milk, Corsica

2004 Crozes Hermitage – Domaine Alain Graillot, Rhône Valley

Goat Cheese Sorbet

pistachio « crumble », yuzu, lemon cannoli, thyme, aceto balsamico di modena
Correzon, Goat Milk, Limousin Cheese « Tour de France »
2001 Estate Marinus Meritage – Bernardus Winery, Carmel Valley

Zole Takes 3rd Place in National Cocktail Competition

Published on March 13, 2007 in Bernardus, Events and Recipes. 0 Comments

Zole Andahazy, Wickets Manager/Bernardus Lodge Bar Manager took 3rd Place in the SHAKE IT UP! Cocktail Competition in Las Vegas. 30 committee selected mixologists where chosen from across the United States to compete against one another in the search for a new and unique cocktail. Each had 5 minutes to create their specialty cocktail, from there, 5 finalists were chosen to make another cocktail including a secret ingredient that was disclosed on stage. Zole was discouraged at first when they gave him Dark Crème de Cocoa to make his drink when the recipe he submitted called for White Crème de Cocoa. However, his cocktail, “Strawberry Splendor” was good enough to get him into the top-5 for the mix off. The “secret ingredient” was a Rum-Banana Jam and Zole happened to have grabbed a fresh coconut from the store on the way to Las Vegas. His drink ended up winning in the second round and earned him a third place finish over all.
Judges included SWS Mixologists and Spirit Specialists led by Francesco Lafranconi. Dale Degroff and Toni Abou-Ganim were key note speakers and also cheered on the up and coming mixologists.

Judges Included:
Bridget Albert – IL
Allen Katz – NY
David Nepove – CA
Arturo Sighinolfi – FL
Jason Girard – AZ
Armando Rosario – NV
Strawberry Splendor
.2 oz Basil Leaves (4-5 leaves)
4.5 oz of Fresh Strawberries (3-5 whole berries)
3 oz Level 1 Vodka
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
3/4 oz DeKuyper Crème de Coca White
Muddle fresh strawberries with basil in mixing glass. Add Level 1 Vodka, Simple Syrup, and Crème de Coca. Add ice and shake vigorously Double strain in to chilled martini glass. Garnish with strawberry stuffed with basil leaves.

Masters of Food & Wine

Published on March 8, 2007 in Bernardus and Events. 0 Comments

Chef Cal & David Kinch performed for a sold out crowd at their cooking demonstration on Saturday. And then each created a course in the lunch that followed which also featured Keiko Takahashi and Michel Richard.
Chef de Cuisine Christophe Grosjean reunited with the Pourcel Brothers who flew in France to cook for the Rarities Dinner. 10 years ago, Christophe was being pushed around in their kitchen, at Jardin des Sens in France. Fortunately, Chris tophe has learned a lot since then and was able to assist them at the dinner. By the end of the weekend, Christophe’s thick French accent had miraculously reinvented itself.

By Saturday night, we got word that the fisherman weren’t going to be able to go out for spot prawns – which required Cal to rethink his plans for Sunday’s lunch. He decided to grill squab instead and serve it with lentils cooked with foie gras and black truffles. This ended up being the perfect plate to treat guests with as they stepped out of the drizzling and foggy Carmel afternoon.
Although the entire kitchen staff was not able to assist at the Highlands Inn, they did get to cook for guests such as Chef Rick Tramonto, Michael Ginor, and Michele Richard who dined in Marinus during the weekend.