Another successful dinner, albeit with two people canceling at last minute, leaving us with a smaller group of five, representing Canada, the UK, Hungary, and Russia! And, no special dietary requests, so away we went…

A slight reworking of a dish we debuted three weeks ago, mostly in plating, but also we felt it needed a little more intensity to it. So first, a change of the fish, from sole to ling cod, and we cured the fish in a mix of lemon and lime juices and olive oil for about half an hour, rather than a last minute drizzle. It’s laid over yogurt, still with grana padano cheese, but this time we smoked the yogurt lightly. Atop, the same mix of chopped pistachios, capers, sea salt, and pepper, but adding in thin strips of ají amarillo, yellow chilies. That’s the ticket!

Navarro-Correas Extra Brut

Not as pretty as I’d like, but oh so good. A soup version of one of our favorite home meals, patatas a la navarra, which I’ve written up in the past, and, of course, with some tweaks…. The soup base, a local sausage called fuet de tandil, onion, green bell pepper, rocoto chili, garlic, smoked paprika, all cooked in a mix of olive oil and butter until lightly golden, then added cubes of potato, fresh peas, and topped it off with chicken stock and a small amount of cream. Cooked it until the potatoes were tender, and then finished it by whisking in some egg yolks for richness. I think next time I’ll whisk in the cream at the same time as the yolks, so it doesn’t split as it did here.

Lagarde “Altas Cumbres” Sauvignon Blanc 2020

With some lovely summertime heirloom tomatoes popping up in the market, I decided to put a dish I’ve been playing around with for awhile on the menu. The tomatoes were sliced and grilled, then coated with a little pumpkin seed oil and grated garlic. The slices are arranged around a scoop of fresh homemade ricotta, slightly warmed and seasoned with salt and shichimi spice blend. The dish is garnished with toasted pecans, sea salt crystals, and some torn herbs – parsley, basil, mint, oregano, and chives.

Gran Delirio Rosé 2021

I don’t recall where I read about it, but a review of a restaurant somewhere along the line that talked about pairing roast pork and cauliflower with a fruit mostarda, lightly pickled fruit in syrup, vinegar, and mustard, a classic condiment from Lombardia in Italy. Here, I rubbed sliced pork loin with salt, pepper, and ground ginger, and let it sit for a couple of hours. Then seared it in olive oil and butter and cooked to medium. Served over a cauliflower and brown butter puree – the cauliflower steamed, then pureed with brown butter, salt, and white pepper, and then passed through a fine sieve. The mostarda, fresh nectarines sliced and simmered in sugar syrup, then spiked with cider vinegar and mustard powder and infused for a day. The sauce zigzagged over the top is a mix of mayo, salt, sugar, and lots of grated horseradish. Garlic rice and a sprinkling of chopped chives complete the dish. This is a new favorite!

La Liga de Enologos Cordisco-Tannat 2019

And, a perennial favorite at Casa S, our lemon and olive oil cake with cherries, with the addition of a fresh cherry and olive oil sorbet churned just before the dinner. That’s a winner, and definitely the touch that this cake needed instead of whipped cream! Or, maybe both?!

Uxmal “Bravío” Dulce Natural