Category Archives: Events

November 10, 2009 · 1:48 pm

A dram with your lamb

Last week we put together a tasting panel to help us determine the menu for our big whisky dinner on November 18.

the judges

The panel, starting with the gentleman with his back to the camera and moving clockwise: Flavien Desoblin, owner of Brandy Library, Ethan Kelley, spirit sommelier of Brandy Library, Craig Koketsu, chef of Quality Meats and Park Avenue, Joe Campanale, GM/beverage guru of Dell'anima and L'Artusi, Alain Sailhac, our Dean Emeritus and André Soltner, another Dean of ours.

We had them sample 2 fish dishes, 2 meat dishes and 2 desserts.  Many of the recipes were developed by our culinary students.  I can’t divulge the winners, but I’ll share some photos with you.

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Seared trout with barley risotto, Calvados raisins and apple cider reduction

table shot with glasses

A full table. The whiskies were Glenfiddich 15 Year, Glenlivet The Nàdurra and Dalmore Gran Reserva.

Chefs Alain and André had the exact same scores for each dish and both swore they didn’t look at each other’s notes.  The concept of pairing whisky with savory dishes seemed a little foreign to them.  André said, “With the fish and the meat, I’m not there, but with the sweetness it’s very good.” 

One of the many exciting things about this dinner is that I think we’ll be able to show how successful whisky and savory food pairings can be.

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November 4, 2009 · 11:53 am

Malt on my mind

On Monday night I went to a dinner at the James Beard House titled “The Pig and The Malt”.  It was a GQ Cooks series featuring The Glenlivet and April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig (and the newly opened Breslin).

It was some of the tastiest pig I’ve had.  After my first bite of braised pork belly cotechino with fennel and mostarda di cremona, my husband asked, “Are you ok?” and my new acquaintance on my left said, “Wow, you must really like this dish.”  I laugh now thinking what face I must have made, but on with the beverage.

My favorite whisky of the evening was a single malt, cask strength called The Nàdurra, Gaelic for natural.  Intense, rich and fruity with a smoky spice.  When it came to pairing with the Pig Trio of pork terrine, head cheese and rillettes, the Riesling that was served was no match.  I was tickled that this was my favorite because I happen to have a bottle of it on my desk.

Glenlivet

I have it for research purposes. Honest.

We’re throwing a dinner together with The Brandy Library in a few weeks and The Nàdurra will be poured for one of the courses.  I hope you’ll join us.  Here’s the invite:

whiskey dinner invite

Yes, I know we screwed up on the spelling – the “e” is generally used for new world and Irish whiskies, not for Scotch.  It will be delicious just the same.

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October 22, 2009 · 12:27 pm

Decanting Champagne?

Yesterday I attended a class at the Astor Center that explored decanting Champagne with Régis Camus, winemaker for Champagnes Piper Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck, Maximilian Riedel, the CEO for Riedel Crystal North America (he’s the 11th generation of the family) and Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan, MW.

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Before we got to the decanting, we experimented with different glasses, trying the house Brut and Rosé both in Champagne flutes and white wine glasses.

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The Champagne in the white wine glass won every time.  It was rounder, fuller, smoother and more aromatic.  The glass shape impacts where the wine hits your mouth – with the flute, it hits at the tip of the tongue and with the white wine glass, it hits just behind the tip of the tongue, causing the wine to flow more evenly over your palate, allowing you to get more from it.  It’s also quite a bit easier to fit your nose inside a wine glass than a Champagne flute and smelling is often the best part.  The next time I serve Champagne at my house, my guests will be in for a surprise.

Here’s a video detailing the decanting of the 1995 Blanc des Millénaires.

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October 14, 2009 · 1:06 pm

One of my beer heroes…

…is coming to teach at my school!

brooklyn-breweryGarrett Oliver, the brewmaster from Brooklyn Brewery and award-winning author of The Brewmaster’s Table, will be leading a beer-tasting and hands-on cooking class on Friday, October 23 from 6-10 pm. 

You’ll sample 5 Brooklyn brews, including Local 1 and Local 2 and get to try your hand at a few dishes such as Spicy Curried Crab Cakes and Fettuccine with Lobster, Chorizo and Peas. 

You all know I’m a wine nerd, but sometimes a beer is just better.  After taking this class, you’ll be able to explain why.  Sign up now.

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October 12, 2009 · 3:39 pm

Malbec, Carmenere, Torrontes, oh my!

The Recreational Division at The International Culinary Center is hosting “Discover the Wines of South America” on Wednesday, October 28 from 7-9:30 pm. 

You’ll learn about terruño (Spanish for terroir), sip some Argentine sparkling wine, dabble in a little blind tasting and impress your friends with your new-found knowledge about “hot” new grapes, regions and producers from South America. 

Best of all, your instructor, Liz Caskey, has lived in Santiago since 2001, so you’ll get the scoop from an insider.  She started her own boutique travel firm and in addition to running her business, she’s worked in many kitchens, vineyards and cellars and is a food/wine/travel writer for international publications as well as her Eat Wine Blog.

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October 6, 2009 · 6:34 pm

New sommelier competition announced

Top SommThe Guild of Sommeliers just announced a new U.S. Wine Championship.  Master Sommeliers will be the judges and the competition will follow the service standards outlined by the Court of Master Sommeliers. 

It’s $25 and you have to be 21, an American citizen and some sort of wine professional.  There’s an online testing component as well as regional competitions before the grand finale. 

Here are the dates to know:

10/6/09 registration opens
11/15/09 entry deadline
1/23/10 online testing begins
March-June 2010 regional competitions
August 2010 championship

For more info and to sign up, click here.

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September 4, 2009 · 3:55 pm

4th annual Salud!

wines-of-chile-vinos-de-chileSeptember 18-30th, 2009 marks the 4th annual Salud! Chilean Wine Fest.  Restaurants in NYC and D.C. will be pouring Chilean wines by the glass or doing special tasting menus and retail stores will be offering free tastings.  For a full list of the goings-on, click here.

We’re going to feature a Sauvignon Blanc and a Carmenère:

Chilean wines

tasted today and approved

A little on each:

The Sauvignon Blanc is from Veranda, a project overseen by Pascal Marchand, who has an impressive background, including time at Comte Armand and Domaine de la Vougeraie.  It hails from a single vineyard, Miraflores, in the Bío Bío region of Chile.  In addition to being fun to say, Bío Bío is one of Chile’s southernmost winemaking regions.  We’ll be featuring the 2008 vintage and it’s a perfect Sauvignon Blanc for fall because it’s got some meat on its bones.  Sure, the citrus and herbaceous qualities are there, but floral, honey and some anise notes are, too.  Another bonus: the winemaker is working biodynamically. 

The Carmenère is produced by Errazuriz and is also a single vineyard, this time from the Don Maximiano Estate in the Aconcagua Valley.  Carmenère is to Chile what Malbec is to Argentina.  Thousands of acres of vines in Chile thought to be Merlot turned out to be Carmenère instead.  Jancis Robinson has described it as combining the charm of Merlot and the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon.  Many I’ve had have been too herbaceous, but the 2007 from Errazuriz had black fruits, sweet spice and some tobacco notes.  Errazuriz has an impressive winemaking history in Chile – they’re on their 6th generation right now.  I’ll leave you with a quote from their founder, Don Maximiano:

“Grapevines should be carefully tended and treated like a work of art, since their life span runs parallel to that of humans. A vine should be educated, cared for, and trained like a man; it should not be allowed to grow unoriented, because to bear proper fruits, it must not extend its branches in vain.”

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September 3, 2009 · 3:31 pm

Eat drink local week

eedlw-webadMark your calendars!

Edible Magazines are partnering with NYC Greenmarkets for an appreciation week of all things tasty we can find within close proximity of our dear city. 

Join us at L’Ecole, where we’ll be featuring specialty cocktails made with spirits from Finger Lakes Distilling, beer from Brooklyn Brewery and Blue Point, wine from Paumanok, Hermann J. Wiemer, Bedell Cellars, Wölffer Estates and more!

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August 17, 2009 · 3:07 pm

Thirsty got hitched

Really,we eloped to Aruba last summer , but this past weekend we threw a party for our friends and family with our good buddies at Finger Lakes Distilling.  Just for fun (and as a surprise for everyone), we had FLD’s master distiller get ordained on the internet and we did a three-minute ceremony during the party. 

Thomas hammed it up for us – he donned his overalls, a plaid shirt and a straw hat and took the stage with his southern Alabama drawl .  He even offered to get out his shotgun, but I didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. 

We had cups customized for the event that said “Alexis and Noah got married and all I got was this lousy cup” and we served a lavender basil lemonade (enhanced by the spirits of FLD), Gruet, Domaine Houchart Blanc and Rosé, Gilles Ferran Côtes du Rhône and kegs of Michelob Light. 

We’re off to Spain for two weeks with some friends for our “honeymoon”, so I’ll post when I can.  I hope you’ll keep tuning in and I’ll fill you in on all the Cava and vino!

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August 7, 2009 · 7:06 pm

The Judd

Nils chilling a glass with liquid nitrogen
Nils chilling a glass with liquid nitrogen

This past Tuesday at FCI we hosted the first party in a series titled “Cocktails for SoHo Friends”.  Our goal is to honor the creative folks who have lived and worked in our neighborhood.  First up was Donald Judd (1928-1994), an American sculptor, whose work still lives on thanks to the Judd Foundation.   101 Spring Street, in addition to serving as the current location of the foundation, was also Donald’s home since he purchased the building in 1968.  It’s the only intact, single-use, cast-iron building remaining in SoHo. 

For this party, we served two signature cocktails  – one was aquavit and grapefruit juice and the other was tequila and cassis – and asked the attendees to vote for their favorite, which would become the Judd Cocktail on the L’Ecole summer beverage list. 

judd cocktail

I’d give you the specifics of the recipe, but it would require you to clarify cassis at home.  All you really need to know is that it’s delicious – sweet and tart from the cassis, with nice herbal tones from the tequila and the Lillet.

I can’t promise that someone will chill your glass with liquid nitrogen, but I can guarantee good company and tasty food.

Isn’t she a beauty?

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