Last night Jeff Pfohl came up for dinner. We started with some Good Wives pastries, crab puffs, lobster newburg rolls, and smoked salmon profiteroles. They were enjoyed with a lovely 2004 Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet “Les Vergers” - medium yellow in color, rich nose and flavors of flowery, spicy white fruit; rich fruity mid-palate with adequate acidity; and a long complex fruity finish.
The pork belly pieces (with skin - scored) were braised for 4 1/2 hours in a light veal stock with ginger slices, smashed garlic cloves, & coarsely chopped shallots and seasoned with soy sauce, rosemary, bay leaves, & Thai fish sauce. The pork was removed from the braising liquid and placed on a rack in a broiling pan. The liquid was strained, de-fatted, and reduced. The reduction was thickened with 2 Tbs Arrowroot in 1/3 cup of Verdelho. The pork was crisped and more fat rendered in a 375F convection oven for about 30 minutes. The rice was brown rice cooked in chicken stock with orange peel and chervil. The crisped pork belly was placed on the rice and the sauce poured over all. It was very tasty with a 2002 Nicolas Potel Monthélie “Vielles Vignes”- bright ruby in color; bright nose and flavors of spicy red fruit; fruity mid-palate with good acidity; and a medium long spicy fruit finish. When the Burgundy was done, we had a 2000 Verset Cornas - dark and dense purplish-red in color; rich nose and flavors of earthy, spicy black fruits; big mid-palate of spicy berry fruit; and a long earthy berry finish. I thought the Monthélie was better with the pork belly and that the Cornas was a bit much. Others thought the Cornas was better with the pork.
Then we had cheeses, nuts, and raisins with the last of the Cornas, followed by a 1983 Cockburn Port, The cheeses were Drunken Goat, Smoked Gouda, Chaumes, Robiola, Cravanzina, and Affinois Goat Brie. This was a nice finish to a good meal.
