May Menu from Beast

Reporting back from Dara's and my fancy 12th anniversary dinner at Beast in Portland, here was the menu on Saturday, May 14, and an account of the moments of inspiration we experienced.

One major "a-ha" area was the wine pairings...mostly white, and all beautiful, aromatic and perfectly springlike. They were so food-friendly, it was almost as if each dish were created for its wine.

• New Potato & Leek Soup with Chive Blossoms and Chive Oil. (Birgit Eichinger Hasel Gruner Veltliner 2008, Kampal, Austria.) A fairly simple soup, this reminded me to use our garden's own pink-purple chive blossoms as a lightly spicy and herbaceous garnish not only for soups, but also for salads, fish, potatoes and other savory dishes. I wish this soup had been served in a more elegant fashion -- rather than swishing messily as it landed in front of me -- so that was a reminder to myself to prepare individual portions of cold summer soups by arranging the solid ingredients in shallow soup bowls, and then pouring the liquid tableside from a pretty teapot or pitcher. 
• Charcuterie Plate: Foie-Gras Bon-Bon with Sauternes Gelee; Chicken Liver Mousse on a homemade cracker; Steak Tartare & Quail Egg Toast; Olympic Provisions Salami; Pork Pate with Fennel, Chili Flake & Coriander. (Weingut Salomon Riesling Kogl Trocken 2008, Kamptal, Austria.) This was lots of fun. I love a good progression of rich flavors, and loved ending with the super super smooth, creamy bon-bon. And I love eating courses that would take me two or three days to make at home!
• Kookolan Farm's Chicken, Maple-Glazed Easter Egg Radish, Goat Butter & Demi-Glace. (Henry Fessy Moulin-a-Vent 2009, Beaujolais.) The chicken thighs were braised in duck fat and covered in the demi-glace, so they were crispy and of course highly flavorful. I loved the sweet earthiness and crunch of the roasted radishes underneath, along with their greens, and the finishing pat of earthy goat butter swirled into the sauce was perfect with the wine. This course was a good reminder that roasted radishes are a summery, garden-fresh alternative to heavier roasted root vegetables -- particularly when you're serving a heavy, rich protein.
• Little Gem Lettuces with Creamy Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette, Smoked Sturgeon, Spring Herbs & Crispy Proscuitto. (Giles Buisson St. Romain Blanc Sous-la-Velle 2006, Burgundy.) These gentle, tender little lettuces got such a punch from all the layers of strong flavor here -- concentrated doses of lemon, fish, herbs and pig. Like the chicken course, this was an instance in which the wine picked up on all the elements and rounded out so well on the tongue. The inspiration for Dara and me: We want to make more flavorful summer dinner salads of local vegetables punched up with herbs, meats, cheeses and pantry ingredients -- layering those flavors of salty, sweet, bitter, sour and unami in creative ways. 
• Selection of Cheese; Anise & Fleur de Sel Shortbread; Bittersweet Farms Honey; Poached Apricot & Candied Hazelnuts. (C. Schleret Pinot Gris Herrenweg 2005; Alsace.) I didn't take notes on the cheeses, but this was another fun progression course, and I liked that the accompaniments were decidedly feminine. Overall, in fact, this menu demonstrated a delicate and playful quality that made it clear a woman was behind the counter...you know how sometimes, somehow, you can just tell? Although it contained a sweet shortbread, this course reminded me of some recipes I have for savory shortbread, and how fun it is to serve with cheese or charcuterie. I forsee that showing up at one of our summer get-togethers.
• Strawberry Cream Layer Cake with White Chocolate Ganache & Fresh Mint Ice Cream. (Domaine Bottex Bugey de Cerdon "La Cuielle" NV, Savoie.) Maybe it was because I have pastry experience, but this course was disappointing...just messy and amatuer. The strawberry jam filling was nice -- I'm guessing local berries from last year -- and the fresh mint ice cream was creamy and refreshing rather than cloying, but basically this was just a layered white sheet cake cut into squares and plopped on a plate with ice cream on the side. It would have been so much nicer to bake individual cakes, or cut circles in the sheet cake, or decontruct the dessert to lend it some elegance. As it was, it seemed to convey the chefs were tired, ready to be done with their last seating of the night, and not very comfortable with dessert. I did love the sparkling rose wine, though -- that ended the night on a sweet note.