Food & Wine

This past weekend I was shopping at a farmer's market and couldn't resist buying a flat of beautiful fragrant strawberries. They were spectacular, nothing like the terrible out of season, shipped in from the other side of the world, strawberry look-a-likes peddled in grocery stores 12 months a year.

When I got home from the market I was inspired to make something light, but just a bit decadent. Since the Mrs. was out of town I was free to exclude chocolate from my selection criteria, as it is her opinion that dessert just isn't worth having unless it's choco-centric, and even plan around one of life's great pleasures, a glass of Sauternes.

After flipping through a few cookbooks including a new favorite, Tartine, I settled on a simple recipe from the William Sonoma Pie & Tart cookbook. The recipe was good, but not worth repeating here, but I hope that this inspires you to go out this weekend, buy some beautiful fruit during its proper season, and make the most of it by trying a new recipe and un-corking a special bottle.



#003 – Chateau Doisy-Vedrines – Sauternes, 2003, Barsac, France. Cork: natural. Color: honey gold. Nose: ripe apricots, honey, melon Taste: A bit simple for a wine of this pedigree. Honey, apricot, a slight bit of spice, candied lemon peel. Finish: Dull, sweet, fleeting. Price: $32.00. Recommendation: In spite of the 92 points Robert Parker gave it in 2005 I wouldn’t recommend it. Perhaps I let it go a bit long in the cellar, though Sauternes is one of the few white wines that truly benefit from ageing. As a side note, I opened a bottle of 2005 Chateau Violin (a play on one of the world’s original cult wines: Chateau d'Yquem, which easily exceeds $100 for a half-bottle) initially to go with my tart, but it was unfortunately corked.