Taste the Sea - Yeah I'm all that

Oh yes, video taken by ROKChoi. I think unintentionally setting the pan on fire was a nice touch. Oops . . . shouldn't have admitted to that. I'm always in control in my kitchen.

DF

Taste the Sea - 2009 Twenty Mile Bench

2009 Flat Rock Cellars Pinot Noir, VQA Twenty Mile Bench

At this point of dinner, with most of my friends having headed home, sitting in the kitchen with a buddy . . . should have called it a night. Alas, we were stupid and decided to keep drinking. Regretted it an hour later, and the next morning, and the next morning after that. But at least the wine was good.

The estate level pinot noir from this producer always represents what I regard as true Niagara wine. Very aromatic, lean, with a lovely stream of pure fruit and minerality. Finely structured as well - should be very interesting to see how these wines age. The 2009's I've been tasting are very interesting - all the floral bouquet of 2008, with riper fruit. This producer always has a good grip on alcohol levels.

Too bad I indulged a bit too much to fully appreciate it.

DF

Taste the Sea - 2007 Chablis Beauroy

2007 Alain Geoffroy Beauroy, AC Chablis 1er Cru

And now to the main event - Chablis premier cru wines are just about the most stunning examples of chardonnay in the world. Yes, there's Montrachet and the Côte d'Or, but Chablis wines are rich and sleek at the same time, brimming with electric energy and minerality. Sublime.

I love this wine. Saline minerality all around, ripe fruit, and so elegantly textured as to make you question whether your palate could be trusted. Delicious, I need to put more of these premier crus away.

DF

Taste the Sea - 2008 Chablis

2008 Domaine du Chardonnay, AC Chablis

Yes, onto the big leagues, and the reason for Taste the Sea. Chablis occupies a special place in my heart. I used to refuse chardonnay. And then I tasted Montmains, and as they say about first times . . . unforgettable.

Been hearing great things about the 2008 vintage in Chablis. Simply a village level wine with a horrifically cheesy name, but rich after a 3 hour decant, balanced, with lovely minerals dancing on the palate. Ripe fruit yet showing the austerity of proper Chablis. With our fish dishes, sublime.

DF

Taste the Sea - 2009 Mâcon Villages

2009 Château de Mirande, AC Mâcon Villages

For a wonderfully pure expression of chardonnay, look no further than the Mâconnais. Always good to me, always reliable - love you too. These wines always express the best aspects of this magnificent grape - rich yet balanced, with a lovely stream of minerality.

And this bottle was no different. Satisfying in that unctuous way that only chardonnay can do. You know they call this grape the nipple-erector, right?

DF

Taste the Sea - 2009 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine

2009 Chéreau-Carré La Griffe Bernard, AC Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie

Muscadet with oysters? Yes. Clean, crisp, simple, yet a perfect start to the meal. You don't sip on muscadet, you drink it in big gulps.

DF

Taste the Sea - Whiting

Whiting fish is a cheap ingredient, no way around it. But that doesn't make it any less exciting to work with. It's not difficult to be impressive when you cook something like tuna or bass, but when you're working with ingredients that don't have the reputation of other more highly-prized fishes, it's time to be creative.

Inspired by the cuisine I experienced in New York's Casa Mono, I got to work.

Score, season, and fry off in olive oil - I made sure to continuously baste the top facing side of the fish as I fried, to make sure that the skin would be crispy. Salad of zucchini ribbons, and the freshest lemon juice vinaigrette you can manage with grocery store lemons in Toronto, this time of year. Thick slice of lemon for the fish.

Humble ingredients, but the fish is delicate, tender, and absolutely delicious. This is the kind of food I want to cook more often.

DF

Taste the Sea - Dory

Dory fish in a spice broth of chili peppers, chili paste, and Sichuan peppercorns. You layer with fresh sprouts and gently poach the fish - it turns out tender, infused with the beautiful perfume of all the spices, and is a can't put down dish, especially when the weather turns nippy.

DF

Taste the Sea - Cockles

Cockles are a fascinating, symmetrical bivalve - these are from New Zealand, showing a lovely green hue outside, shiny purple tinges inside. Again, just a touch of white wine to coax them out of their shells. Tender, succulent, and very delicious.

DF

Taste the Sea - Clams

Clams (or any other bivalve) are tricky to cook. Easy to overcook, they can quickly shrivel into a lump with the consistency of rubber - if they aren't fresh, they can die quickly, stinking up the entire pot. But savoury clams are so fun. When you cook clams, you look for the shells to open, then immediately serve. These clams pop wide open in the most dramatic fashion. As the name suggests, they have a very delicate, sweet flavour. White wine is all you really need, with a deft touch of seasoning.

In steamed eggs, in white wine, savoury clams always win.

DF

Taste the Sea - Oysters

Oysters are becoming boring and clichéd starts to meals. So you think of ways to freshen your approach to beginning a long dinner. Kumamoto oysters, at their best, have this incredible creamy richness. Not as briny, but if they are fresh, they are absolutely delicious. Instead of slicing lemon, you make a salad of diced zucchini and lemon juice.

In one bite: creamy and rich, acidic and fresh.

DF

Taste the Sea

Let us drink and be merry. Feeling for some serious seafood, and hoping to take advantage of the shellfish coming into season, so dinner chez Fang.

Began putting together the wines I wanted to serve a few weeks beforehand - wanted to cook around a selection of white Burgundy. Made up my mind that I was going to just serve seafood. And hoping to incorporate some of the inspiration I gained after eating in New York.

Taste the Sea, coming up.

DF