Sunday Suppers at Lucques

Mr. E and I are making dinner.  It will be a multi-course, multi-wine affair.

There will be no hors d'oeuvres.  I am an iconoclast, perhaps, in believing that only spoils the appetite.  We will start with carefully poured Pol Roger Reserve Champagne.  (Does that get a big -c- or a little -c-?  I'm not sure.)  Pacing starts early so that the bubbles don't float too quickly to the brain.

First course:  Swiss chard tart with goat cheese, currants, and pine nuts.  This recipe is from Sunday Suppers at Lucques.  The chef is Suzanne Goin.  What Julie did with Julia's book, I will do with Suzanne's.  Ms. Goin makes elegant home cooking with seasonal ingredients pleasingly accessible.  I've made the warm wild mushroom salad with soft herbs/pecorino and hazelnuts.  Superb!  Duck braised in Banyuls with turnip/parsnip gratin and prunes was delectable.  The 100% success rate motivated the

Main course:  Herb-roasted rack of lamb.  I'm substituting her flageolet gratin with braised fingerling potates with fennel, sweet onion and green olives.  Mr. E and I will try the gratin on our own during a lazy weekend to make sure it works, before we try it on guests.

There will be the obligatory cheese course.  Two of the guests expect it.  Mr. E loves his cheese.

Dessert is a tart with cranberries, caramel, and sliced almonds.  Rather than a whole big tart, the recipe calls for six little ones made in tart rings. (City Bakery in NYC was run by Maury Rubin.  His tarts were famous.  Jeffrey Steingarten mentioned him and his book several years ago in one of his columns.  Our local cookbook store had three of the little books left.  Now, they are out of print, and ridiculously expensive.  I am rarely tapped into any happening pipeline because of the computer unfriendliness of my job.  I got this one, and it is better than having six skeins of Wollmeise.)

The wines:  

                  2004 Jadis, Sauvignon Blanc, Alphonse Mellot with the savory tart
                  1989 Cos d'Estournel with the lamb
                  2006 Anaperenna, Shiraz/Cabernet, Ben Glaetzer if we run out of
                  1998 Remezieres, Cuvee Emilie, Cote Rotie

Must go prep the fingerlings, fennel and onion.  Yes, Claudia, this is why I like November.    

The swiss chard tart includes a base of puff pastry, with chili de arbol infused oil.  I remember the pepper market in Barcelona at the Boqueria.  Every tourist who walks through the entry takes this picture.  One cannot do otherwise.

Comments

[Manise]

Have a wonderful dinner party. The menu sounds superb!

[Julie]

Sounds delicious and the book is of course free to borrow at the library, I've just requested it from mine so I can have a look see.

[Paula]

I really must come visit you some time!

[Gale]

Oh. My. I am salivating. Somewhere I have a dessert recipe with Swiss chard that was made once. It was a delight.

[margene]

It sounds like a ridiculously delicious dinner!

[Kim]

I like November too, but I think I would like it better at your house. ;)

[Liz]

MMmmm, can I come for dinner?

[naomi]

Sounds marvelous. And now I'm off to check the library. :)

[minnie]

i need amopnow

[Caroline M]

I think I'd like a piece of the two tarts please. I'll sit quietly in the mud room and no-one will know I'm there.

[Judy]

Fabulous! I'm contemplating the swiss chard - currant juxto. Sounds like an amazing surprise. Have fun. Sure sounds like it.

[Kathy]

Yummo.

[gayle]

The swiss chard tart sounds wonderful - when you threw in chile de arbol, too, it went right through the stratosphere. My fingers started an involuntary dance of 'gimme, gimme, gimme!'
The pepper market photo made me cry. I love/need peppers, but up here red bell peppers are considered exotic...

[Anne]

I think I gained 20 pounds just reading about it. Oh the cheese!

[kelly]

Big C for Champagne because it's delicious! Dinner sounds really good! Mmm,dinner!

[Lynn]

We're all showing up next Sunday for brunch, you know.

[Chris]

And here I was thinking myself so good for choosing marbled rye and cheddar for supper instead of cookies.

[Teyani]

wow.
just, wow.

[Sylvia]

Big C for Champagne in that instance; it's part of the name of that wine. I read somewhere years ago that it should always be a big C because it refers to both the province and the appellation (smaller than the province itself). However, I may have been reading something in France, and I think that "she spilled champagne on her bodice" works with the little c. Modern [Amuriken] usage...

Do you have the correct glassware and a bevy of wine for laters?

[claudia]

I'm dying over here.

[Hillary]

Yum, all you had to do was mention goat cheese and I was there!

[bev]

sounds amazing and well thought out. hope you enjoyed.