The Tasting Room: Fall Favorites Cooking Class

Well folks, it’s been awhile, but I finally present you with a post dedicated solely to food.

Well food and drinks. When are there not drinks?

I had totally forgotten that I’d signed up for another Tasting Room Cooking Class with Chef Kurt Fleischfresser last night.

I was a bit late, so the SIL took over picture taking for the first half hour of the class.

She started with a Last Word cocktail, from the Prohibition Era – containing gin, vodka, bitters and charteuse.

I can’t do these kinds of drinks. Too hardcore for me, but the SIL liked it.

Instead, I stuck with wine. We started with a small pour of White Night Viognier.

At first I didn’t care for it, but as usual, it paired amazingly well with the first dish – Oyster Stew with Swiss Chard Pancakes.

If you love oysters, you would love this stew. If you hate oysters, you would still also love this stew.

It was perfectly mild, with thin slivers of leaks and the saltiness of the oyster.

The chard pancake was strange, but in a good way, and the wine really opened up all the flavors.

Delicious.

Next up was a dish that I knew would wow me – the Experimental Beet Salad - which had apparently come to Chef Kurt in a dream recently.

The beets were roasted until tender, and then sliced like an accordian to create space for thin sheets of Manchengo cheese.

To accompany the beet, there was an ouzo-soaked toast and a bed of spinach with a sweet vinaigrette of cherry vinegar, leftover pureed beet and a bunch of other stuff I’ve forgotten.

We washed it down with a taste of this Raptor Ridge Pinot Noir Rose.

I’m not usually a big rose drinker, but this wine was quite elegant and I enjoyed it a lot.

Then came the dish that I was most apprehensive to try – Braised Duck Orachetti with caramelized onions.

I’d only had duck one other time in my life before last night. It was a duck that my brother and father had shot, killed and cleaned and my mother had cooked.

I was probably around eight at the time, and my pallet just wasn’t ready for duck yet.

Sixteen years later, I’m a convert. I was shocked as to how much I liked it because I’m not a huge fan of poultry, but the dish was incredibly rich and hearty and the flavors of the onions and walnuts made it incredibly unique.

It was exquisitely paired with a glass of Lenore Syrah.

Everyone raved about this pairing, and I agree it was quite nice, although I was more impressed with the Viognier/Oyster Stew pairing myself.

As usual at this point in the “class” I was full and a bit tipsy, but I had to press on for dessert – Sweet Potato “Pot de Creme”.

That would be a chunk of cinnamon french toast on top, made with fresh-ground cinnamon. Oh yeah. It was even better than it sounds.

Then, I rolled myself home. As usual it was a wonderful night of food and I may have even learned a few things.

Maybe.

Q’s:

Do you like oysters? The first time I tried them my dad made me eat one on a saltine cracker with cocktail sauce. 1. The oyster was sandy. 2. I hate cocktail sauce. It was a disaster. I’ve since learned to semi-enjoy them on the half shell, but I don’t go out of my way to eat them.

Have you ever had duck?