"After several hours of exercise, the most vigorous hunter feels a need for rest; his face has been caressed by the early-morning breeze; his skill has served him well on occasion; the sun is about to stand at its peak in the sky; it is time for the sportsman to stop for a few hours, not because he is too tired but because instinct warns him that his activity is not limitless." The Hunting Luncheon from The Physiology of Taste, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, translated by M.F.K. Fisher.
My campaign manager has been keeping me on a diet of venison and peas. Yes, you read it correctly, venison and peas. You see, I have an allergy that makes me scratch, scritch and generally annoy. My constituents think I have fleas, but I don't really. My vet certified me clean. He decided I might have a food allergy and this diet is suppose to either prove or eliminate that theory.
So when I got the offer to attend a food and wine pairing at Ramekins in Sonoma, I jumped at it. You cannot imagine how dull it can be eating the same thing day in and out. My dinner companion was Peter Bacanovic the famous broker and Martha Stewart's walker until the scandal happened. Both he and I know about scandals, so it is easy for us to let our hair down and hang together. A food and wine pairing was the perfect venue for our friendship.
I sneaked away when my campaign manager was preparing my evening's dull repast. I am sure she wondered what happened as I had been so hungry of late that I'd made slobbering noises as I ate. I turned off my cell. Closed the door softly and ran to the end of the block. Bacanovic's Morgan was waiting. I hopped into the leather seat and we rushed to our dinner appointment.
What ensued was a terrific evening. Ramekins is a charming place and the decor and setup for the winemaker dinner cooking class was warm, inviting and the presentation informative. It also clued me in about sparkling wines and tomatoes, yes you read that right. Paired correctly with the right sparkling wine, heirloom tomatoes take on a whole new meaning in foods, particularly to a cat who does not eat many vegetables at all.
Let me tell you a little about the stars of the evening. The winemaker, Hugh Davies is the president of Schramsberg Vineyards. He is an affable man who could tell you more about sparkling wines than I know about catnip. Schramsberg has long history as a vineyard and the Davies family wines made history when Richard Nixon took a 1969 Blanc de Blancs to China to share with Zhou Enlai.
The Chef was Ryan Fancher the executive chef for El Dorado Kitchen in Sonoma. I have eaten his food many times and he continues to amaze me with the flavor combinations he conjures.
As far as I am concerned the focus of the whole dinner were on those tomatoes. The recipe is simple take Spanish sherry vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and combine. Slice green zebras, Burraker's Favorite and a golden tomato (type unknown)to desired thickness. Lightly dress the tomatoes with vinaigrette. Combine shallots, arugula, salt, pepper and a little of the vinaigrette and sprinkle on the now very delicate tomatoes and lay them out on a bed of arugula. The smell is delightful. The taste is sweet and herby.
The next is the topper. Pop open a bottle of 1999 J. Schram Sparkling Chardonnay and enjoy. This made my forehead tickle and the back of my tongue sparkle. It has a long finish. The wine combined with the vinaigrette tomatoes made the finish very smooth. The color was golden. I couldn't tell you what the flavors were because my mouth was filled with tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes!
Schramsburg produces only 1500 cases of this sparkling Chardonnay a year. It is a blend of chardonnay (74 percent) and Pinot Noir (26 percent) grapes that are mainly grown in the Carneros appellation. Alcohol content is 12.5 percent. It was aged five years before it was released.
As planned Bacanovic's company added just a slight hint of personality disorder to the whole affair making the evening poignant, yet nurishing. I had no idea how much I missed my old life in New York City. We finished the evening with a fast drive up and over the Trinity/Oakville Grade and dropped into the Napa Valley at about 11 pm. At home, I scooped up the waiting venison and peas laid out on the kitchen floor and sneaked onto the foot of the bed about 11:30. My campaign manager was none the wiser.
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