A reintroduction to a deliciously surprising perfect pairing

First of all - I'm WAY behind on my posts. I'll use the excuse of focusing on my certifications. Since my last post, I've completed my CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine), Court of Master Sommeliers Level 1 and 2 (I'm now a certified sommelier), and just recently I sat for Certified Wine Educator preview and I completed the Spanish Wine Academy training for Certified Spanish Wine Educator. Regardless, I'm behind - my apologies.



So, while I was in NY recently for the Spanish Wine Academy, I was lucky enough to get

a last minute reservation to The Modern - Danny Meyer's top notch restaurant within the Museum of Modern Art. Ever since I read Meyer's Setting the Table, I've been intrigued. What he stands for and what I admire is a whole different blog post altogether - I digress.



I decided to do the tasting menu because so many of the dishes sounded so good - and I just like variety - including lots of different wine pairings. I was especially intrigued by the venison - but that is not what inspired this entry. I purposely forgot about the menu since I like to be surprised. Course 5 it was...I was poured a Pinot Noir - 2005 Russian River Domaine Chandon. This property is typically known for their bubbly - I learned that they only make a still Pinot Noir in the best vintages.



Then...the plate was presented. I was shocked NOT to see a duck breast medallion or a guinea hen or a squab or...*something* that classically pairs with pinot - but what arrived was a Sauteed Sullivan County Foie Gras with Medjool Date and Lemon Confit on a Chestnut Tuile.

Foie with pinot? Date with pinot? LEMON with pinot? Needless to say, I was looking forward to the challenge. It was so delicious - so surprisingly PERFECT - that I was inspired to write about it immediately. I couldn't wait to put it in my blog. So, here it is...here is what my notebook reads...



"MUST BLOG THIS!!! Wouldn't have ever paired foie with pinot...lemon confit? Savory...not sweet pairing...OKAY! I learned an amazing thing tonight. Isn't that what's so great about wine - you never stop learning. ALWAYS changing. Dynamism...such a great thing. I digress. I had the delicious opportunity to dine at the Modern tonight - conveniently just one block from where I'm participating in the Spanish Wine Academy. So...forget everything you've learned about matching weight with weight, sweet with savory , well - alMOST - don't forget enTIREly...!



Tonight I experienced the most show-stopping pairing - 2nd most significant in my life (ironically - both were with Pinot Noir) again - I digress...tonight's 5th course of the Autumn Tasting menu had me skeptical at first. After I was presented the foie, I was wondering if they

forgot to pour the Sauternes, Tokaij or the Vouvray... Well, I was shocked to find that this wine created PERFECT HARMONY with this dish. A mouthful of flowers was created as I sipped the wine post-bite. Wow - I couldn't believe it. The savory seasoning of the foie made it not seem fatty at all. The date with the lemon sweetened it a tiny bit - but that fractional sweetness made the entire dish just flawlessly orchestrate...with the pinot. So - as I write this...I'm reminded of the main course I had at the Inn at Little Washington. I had the Tuna that wants to be a Filet Mignon. A beautifully seared 6oz slab of foie rested beautifully atop a lovely sushi-grade ahi steak. I had chosen a Vosne-Romanee to pair with this - but I had chosen it mainly for the tuna - not really considering the foie. And this pairing was a slow-down-and-pay-attention epiphany as well. Dave and I thought this dish was so good that we decided to forego dessert and have another Tuna that wants to be a Filet Mignon as our dessert - with another bottle of the Vosne-Romanee. Sadly - I can't recall the producer of this one. So - as I write this - OF COURSE pinot can sing with foie gras! How could I forGET??"



So - that was what I scribbled down that night at the Modern. I savored this course the longest (as I did at the Inn that summer of '06) and just marinated in that goose-bumpled skin that only a pairing that good can do.



Cheers!