The greatest meal.

[Markus_S]

The meal should be four courses plus cheese.
Apart from the bread and cheese,
everything has to be something you have cooked in the past.

Too many rules!

[Victor_Hong]

As we self isolate (my son has mild, very mild Covid) I am cheering myself up with happy thoughts. What would be the perfect meal? What would I serve with it?

I think there should be rules. The meal should be four courses plus cheese. Apart from the bread and cheese, everything has to be something you have cooked in the past. And the wine….it has to be in your cellar, although you can also have already paid for prearrivals.

Still working mine out, but am curious what you will come out with.

That explains our big delivery order for tomorrow night. Sorry that the meal will likely fall far short.

Fast recovery wishes!

[Sarah_Kirschbaum]

This assumes all the necessary ingredients are magically in season at the same time:

Starter bites: Best caviar w/creme fraiche and blinis, smoked salmon with same, uni/wagyu/shiso rolls - 2008 Kikuhime BY Daiginjo
First course: Seafood assortment poached in court bouillon and chilled - 1975 Deutz Vinotheque magnum
Second course: Blonde morel mushrooms in cream on brioche – 2000 La Tache
Main course: Veal chops with pearl onions, mushrooms, cream pan sauce – 1989 Giacosa Collina Rionda

[Rodrigo_B]

This is basically a perfect meal for me too (we are doing lechón en La caja china for Christmas Eve con maduros y mojo).

That sounds fantastic. Take pictures if possible. I’d love to see how it turns out mate!

[Jay_Miller]

While I’m not in the mood for the exact thought exercise I decided to cheer myself up last night by cooking a nice meal last night after 2 wine dinners were cancelled and Arnold was stuck off by himself recovering from covid.

I made

Prime Rib (originally inteded for a Christmas dinner for A)
Yorkshire pudding
Baby Potatoes

1970 Magdelaine (from a new batch I wanted to try out)

The prime rib wasn’t at all marbled and was consequently tough. I overcooked the potatoes. And the Magdelaine was corked. I subbed in some 3 day old 2014 Olga Raffault Picasses. The yorkshire pudding was pretty good.

It didn’t exactly cheer me up but I can laugh about it today

[NED_VALOIS]

Finnan haddie; AS MY MOTHER MADE !
WITH AUBERT LAUREN !

Finnan haddie is cold-smoked haddock, representative of a regional method of smoking with green wood and peat in north-east Scotland. Its origin is the subject of a debate, as some sources attribute the origin to the hamlet of Findon, Aberdeenshire, near Aberdeen, while others insist that the name is a corruption of the village name of Findhorn at the mouth of the River Findhorn in Moray. The “dispute” goes back to the eighteenth century, although it is hard to trace, as adherents fail to acknowledge even the possibility of the alternative view. A testimonial in an early 20th century Boston cookbook describes the origin from a fire in a fish curing house in Portlethen, very near Findon. It may have been a popular dish in Aberdeenshire since at least as early as the 1640s.

Creamed Finnan Haddie (Smoked Haddock) Recipe - Food.com

Over wide noodles !

[Rich_Brown]

Was just having this convo with my wife last night. We were headed to Miami today to have a very traditional Cuban dinner with family.

Roast pork (Lechon Asado)
Yucca
Fried plantains
Black beans and rice.

This is my perfect dinner. Yes I can and often do fancy, but this is classic feel-good, down home cooking.

In this meal, even wine is secondary to me. I will normally open a higher-acid red, like a Chinon. Works well with the pork fat. Champagne wins as well.

And sadly, like you, my son just tested positive so we just cancelled the trip. Ugh. Now we are doing stone crab claws at the beach. That could be my wife’s fave.

Ughh, sorry to hear that buddy. Hope your son recovers quickly.

Side note…stone crab claws on the beach does not sound horrible, ha! Whatcha drinking with it? Champers?

[David_Bu3ker]

We’re with my parents, and having our traditional Christmas Eve meal of Lobster Crumble. Basic sides (veg, potato) plus some very good wine (Pierre Peters, Ramey) and finally my mom’s homemade cookies. It’s what we’ve done at or near Christmas for 30 years, and hopefully many more.

No rules. Just right.

[Keith_Levenberg]

Caviar & blinis
Langoustine crudo
Peter Luger ribeye w/ Belgian frites & fried kale sprouts
Reblochon/Beaufort/Epoisses/Caveman Blue
Chocolate mousse

[Doug_Lee]

For us that is a lot of courses! But per the rules:

Bruschetta topped with usual chopped fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil. Ulysse Collin Champagne Perrieres NV.
Fresh baby arugula topped with Parmesan shavings and bits of sliced avocado. JP Fichet P-M Referts 2012.
King salmon drenched in lemon juice and olive oil, then topped with lemon slices, thyme, salt and pepper, grilled until just barely cooked. Thomas Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 2011.
Simple roast chicken. d’Angerville Clos des Ducs 1996, fingers crossed.
Cheese course: Pecorino toscano with pear slices. Was thinking Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermmannshohle Riesling Spatlese 2005.

Cheers,
Doug

[David_Bu3ker]

The greatest meal I ever had in my life was four courses including the cheese, as we didn’t have a dessert. We were too stuffed. It was served in a 400 year old farmhouse in southwest France on Palm Sunday 2008 (maybe 2009…), and started with foie gras mousse from the farm’s geese served with bread still cracking from the hearth oven. We then had omelettes with foraged mushrooms, followed by duck confit from dearly departed ducks of the farm, and finished with cheeses from the farm next door.

I’ll never forget that meal, and it would be near impossible to top it.

[Joshua_Kates]

Big ossetra caviar and san diego uni; Ulysse Collins Champagne Les Maillons (2012 base)
Saute of Asparagus, Morels, and Onions on Polenta (Lucques); Robert Ampeau Puligny Les Combettes 1993
Slow-grilled baby back ribs (Ad Hoc recipe), black truffle corn pudding; Dujac Echezeux 2007
Rosemary lamb, chanterelles custard (Chez Panisse); Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1985

These are all courses and wines we have had during the pandemic; the Keller rib recipe is well, keller, whoops, killer! (Fewer veggies and more sides than we would usually serve, but what the hell.)

[lleichtman]

Was just having this convo with my wife last night. We were headed to Miami today to have a very traditional Cuban dinner with family.

Roast pork (Lechon Asado)
Yucca
Fried plantains
Black beans and rice.

This is my perfect dinner. Yes I can and often do fancy, but this is classic feel-good, down home cooking.

In this meal, even wine is secondary to me. I will normally open a higher-acid red, like a Chinon. Works well with the pork fat. Champagne wins as well.

And sadly, like you, my son just tested positive so we just cancelled the trip. Ugh. Now we are doing stone crab claws at the beach. That could be my wife’s fave.

Sort of worked out. Stone Crabs on the beach sound great.

[Robert.A.Jr]

Was just having this convo with my wife last night. We were headed to Miami today to have a very traditional Cuban dinner with family.

Roast pork (Lechon Asado)
Yucca
Fried plantains
Black beans and rice.

This is my perfect dinner. Yes I can and often do fancy, but this is classic feel-good, down home cooking.

In this meal, even wine is secondary to me. I will normally open a higher-acid red, like a Chinon. Works well with the pork fat. Champagne wins as well.

And sadly, like you, my son just tested positive so we just cancelled the trip. Ugh. Now we are doing stone crab claws at the beach. That could be my wife’s fave.

Sort of worked out. Stone Crabs on the beach sound great.

Wonder how this will taste. Nick just dragged him up….

[Ron_Erickson]

Was just having this convo with my wife last night. We were headed to Miami today to have a very traditional Cuban dinner with family.

Roast pork (Lechon Asado)
Yucca
Fried plantains
Black beans and rice.

This is my perfect dinner. Yes I can and often do fancy, but this is classic feel-good, down home cooking.

In this meal, even wine is secondary to me. I will normally open a higher-acid red, like a Chinon. Works well with the pork fat. Champagne wins as well.

And sadly, like you, my son just tested positive so we just cancelled the trip. Ugh. Now we are doing stone crab claws at the beach. That could be my wife’s fave.

Sort of worked out. Stone Crabs on the beach sound great.

Wonder how this will taste. Nick just dragged him up….


38FFB709-9927-45C9-BAD8-98421C06FD74.jpeg

Where’s the Land Rover?

[Robert.A.Jr]

Caviar & blinis

You do like those for sure!

Not sure why we skipped that last time at Berns!

[D_W_i_l_l_i_g_e_r]

The greatest meal under your constraints. Tonight where I am and who I am spending tonight with is the most important aspect. So simple is better and there is more time to be together.
So. A little Caviar with Blinis and a dash of Creme Fraiche. Cristal 2008. Yum.
A salad of mixed greens, comice pear, blue cheese ad pecans, lightly dressed.
While starting with this a dry aged prime rib roast with a light mustard crust was cooking away. And an egg pasta tagliolini with a porcini sauce, and some simply cooked asparagus. Giuseppe Rinaldi 2004 Barolo Brunate La Coste. My last bottle. Wish I had more.

[Tom_Reddick]

This was a fun one to think about Mark- took me back to my early days of wine tasting when I was in college, went home for the weekend often to taste fine wine with Dad, and also started cooking finer foods on my own. The following meets all of your requirements and is also quite an accurate picture of the sort of meal I would present to my parents in those days.

Vichyssoise
Basic green salad with homemade vinaigrette
Rock lobster tails sauteed in garlic and butter
Beef tenderloin (butt end) with bearnaise and bordelaise
Cheese course

A 15-20 year old Dom Perignon with soup and salad
Drouhin Corton Charlemagne with the lobster
Lafite-Rothschild or Magdelaine with the Beef tenderloin
An “off-vintage” mature high acid Bordeaux (1967 for example) with the cheeses. Chateaux that routinely generate good candidates- Lafite, Lafleur-Petrus, Trotanoy

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

Too many good choices, but how about this, all of which I have made at home (food) and cellared (wine), dinner for four

Welcoming pre-dinner cheese course, Baked Brie en Boule with fig jam, 2006 Pol Roger Churchill

Appetizer Course: Gravlax cured with lemon and lime zest, PYCM Puligny Montrachet and SQN Aparta.

Main Course: Crown roast of lamb stuffed with veal sausage meat; roast brussel sprouts with home cured lardons, 2001 Rayas and SQN Shakti

Second main course: Flannery Dry Aged Ribeye; Potato latkes fried in duck fat; 2013 Myriad Elysian

Dessert Course: Chocolate marble cheesecake flavored with just a dash of 15 year aged George T. Stagg Bourbon; 1975 Barbeito Boal Madiera.

[Scott_Brunson]

Seared foie with peach compote and butter biscuits (1989 Yquem)
Charleston shrimp & grits, Sauce Nantua (05 Chandon de Briailles Corton Charlie)
Roast chicken, my grandmother’s Mac & cheese, fresh green beans (01 Fourrier Clos St Jacques)
Banana bread pudding with warm Bourbon Sauce

My wife’s fave meal, so my fave meal
I left a wine slot open so she can decide Champagne or dessert wine.