This July, Jeff and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary – and we thought our family reunion would be a great time to open the large format 2000 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon that our family and friends signed at our wedding. While the wine was decanting, Jeff seasoned and grilled up some amazing lamb chops and our Lamb & Large Format night was on its way.
2000 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon
(6L bottle – can’t figure out whether this is called a Methuselah or an Imperial)
My dad opening the bottle…
Decanting was a must…
This lamb was beautiful and Jeff paired it with some rosemary fingerling potatoes
and a salad picked right from the garden.
Lamb & Large Format Night at Vineyard 511
This year we spent Christmas with Jeff’s family in Cleveland - and Jeff spent most of Christmas Day (and part of the day prior) prepping and cooking up a meal that was greatly enjoyed by family and friends. And it’s a good thing we enjoyed ourselves on Saturday because the next day we spent 12 hours driving back to NYC in the blizzard.
Christmas Dinner:
Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad (me)
Au Gratin Potatoes (Jeff)
Sweet Potatoes (Alma)
Beef Wellington with Red Wine Reduction and Cognac Peppercorn Sauces (Jeff, of course)
Christmas Cookies (Alma)
Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad
Jeff prepares the Au Gratin Potatoes
Prosciutto that will be wrapped around the beef tenderloin
Beef Wellington ready to go in the oven
Cognac Peppercorn Sauce
I think Jeff has perfected the Braised Short Rib. Period.
Dinner at our place always starts with a cheese plate.
But before the cheese, Jeff spent hours in the kitchen preparing the short ribs…
Step 1 – season short ribs with salt and pepper
Step 2 – sear short ribs
Step 3 – sautee carrots, onions, celery, garlic and thyme
Step 4 – add wine then stock and braise the short ribs
Step 5 – reduce, strain, and reduce liquid further
Step 6 – Add short ribs back to the sauce
Jeff also prepared cheesy polenta, baby onions, and roasted brussels sprouts.
Sooooo delicious – a perfect winter dish.
Oh, and we might have opened a bottle of Peter Michael.
I’ve been neglecting my blog for at least a few weeks now – I blame my recent Kindle purchase and Stieg Larsson’s Trilogy
among other things - and so I feel bad for not posting these pictures sooner. A few weeks ago, Jeff and I decided to stay in and have a healthy-ish dinner of fish and veggies. And if you know Jeff, you’ll know that “fish and veggies” really means a beautiful plate of perfectly cooked fish and not-so-ordinary veggies. This dinner made me want to stay in more often…as long as Jeff is cooking!
Pan Seared Salmon with Sautéed Snap Peas and Cauliflower Purée
Pan Seared Ahi Tuna with Sautéed Snap Peas and Cauliflower Purée
Today Jeff and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. On Saturday we’ll be dining at Le Bernardin, but tonight we enjoyed a perfect evening at home together – Jeff cooked a wonderful dinner and we indulged in one of our favorite bottles of wine, Peter Michael Ma Belle-Fille Chardonnay.
We started with some cheese…
…and some meat.
Our favorite cheese accoutrements – honey and fig jam.
And we opened a bottle of 2007 Peter Michael Ma Belle-Fille….
…this wine is delicious, each sip is full of layered flavors.
And for dinner, Jeff made roasted cauliflower…
…corn and chorizo…
…which garnished the salmon with reduced balsamic vinegar and mashed yukon gold potatoes.
A wonderful night with my wonderful husband.
On Saturday of our July 4th weekend, Jeff was inspired to cook up some fantastic food for all of us – 10 people! We decided on grilled pork tenderloin along with Jeff’s roasted corn salad. Thanks to Jeff’s hard work in the outdoor kitchen and a wonderful selection of Pinots from my dad’s cellar, our Pork & Pinot night was a hit!
We started off with some cheese and Chardonnay and a beautiful view of Vineyard 511 -
pretty much how we started every evening!
Aged Gouda…
…and La Tur, one of our favorite cheeses. This creamy goat, sheep, and cow’s milk cheese from Piemonte becomes a runny piece of heaven as it warms up.
Jeff’s Roasted Corn Salad – always a crowd favorite!
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
marinated in mustard, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, and olive oil
Grilled to perfection…caramelized marinade on the outside and moist on the inside.
And the Pinots…
2004 Alfieri San Germano Pinot Noir
2007 Chasseur Freestone Station Pinot Noir
2008 Kesner Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
2007 Michel-Schlumberger Le Fou Pinot Noir
2006 Michel-Schlumberger Le Fou Pinot Noir
All of these Pinots were great, but the Chasseur was our favorite.
I think Pork & Pinot night should become a permanent addition to our July 4th family reunion.