'Rite of Spring' - April Session

In the April session of the Goochland Gastronomes we will be studying Muscadet and Italian Super Tuscan wines as we enter into Springtime.  Muscadet is a wine from the Western Loire valley of France that is made to be drunk quite young.  Composed of 100% Melon de Bourgone grape, the wine takes on a crisp, minerally and toasty finish that has been described as the quintessential pairing for Oysters and seafood in general.  Melon de Bourgone, a relatively neutral grape, and is enhanced by a technique called Sur Lie aging, where the wine is left to age in the tank with the dead yeast that is left behind and not “Racked” or transferred to another barrel for aging.  The dead yeast and stirring of it during the aging process makes the wine take on a toasty creamy finish that is used in Burgundy and other Loire valley wines as well. 

Does Muscadet pair well with oysters? That is what we will find out. Each place setting will contain a glass of Muscadet, we will taste the wine on its own and then have two Mobjack oysters from the Eastern Shore on the half shell. One all by itself, and one with a classic mignonette sauce (Sherry vinegar, shallot and black pepper).  Will this wine change drastically between the two? Will the wine be drowned out by the vinegar or will it pair just as nice?  Then we move to the other side of the plate which will contain broiled mussels with a maltaise sauce (orange hollandaise) and now will see the wine take on butter and emulsified egg. Move from there to a scallop in a saffron broth and tobiko roe. How does the wine take on the saffron and the smokey salty caviar?  And to accompany all, will be a seaweed salad topped with skate wing and brown butter.  By the end of the course, we will have discussed how each of the items paired with the Muscadet and what was good, what was better, what was the worst, etc. 

The second round will be centered around the “Super Tuscan” wines from Tuscany, Italy.  I have had the greatest luck pairing these wines with foods coming straight off the grill, and with Easter around the corner, out thoughts turn to lamb. A Sicilian-themed recipe where lamb is cooked directly on roof tiles in a wood burning oven. The lamb will be roasted on terracotta tiles cooked over cherry wood and dried fennel stalks. Topped with a paper-thin, 2 ½ month aged, house-cured Rosemary lardo. Served with a white bean cassolet with cream and tarragon, raw shitake mushroom salad with Spring garlic and truffle oil, and arugula with balsamic and chevre. Cheers!

3rd Group Added - "The Sauternes"

We had such an overwhelming response and with so many on the wait list, we’ve created a 3rd group of Goochland Gastronomes! This group will meet on Wednesday’s from 7-9PM, and will be named “The Sauternes.” 

We will accept memberships on a first come, first serve basis until we fill this group is at capacity, and we are only able to guarantee your slot with a paid membership. You can pay for your membership in our store or from our online store at:  http://shop.nadolskisbutchershop.com/

Just check the item titled “Annual Membership Goochland Gastronome”. 

Meeting Dates for "The Sauternes"

• April 16 – Rite of Spring
• June 18 – Hello Summer
• October 15 – Fall Bounty
• November 19 – Give Thanks
• December 17 – Holiday Spirits

Two Groups Now: "The Super Tuscans" and "The Grand Cru's"

We had a great time at the kick-off of the Goochland Gastronome Society. The next meeting will be here before you know it! As you all know, the last event ended up being just a little too crowded. So going forward, we’ve divided up the members into two groups.  We will distinguish them by name: The Super Tuscans and The Grand Cru’s. This will allow for a more personal setting and we will be better able to talk about the wine and food pairings.

The meetings will continue to be on Thursdays from 7-9pm.  In addition, since we had so many people on the wait list, there is actually going to be a 3rd group which we’ll call The Sauternes’ which will be held on Wednesday’s.


Meeting Dates for The Super Tuscan's

• April 3 – Rite of Spring
• June 5 – Hello Summer
• October 2 – Fall Bounty
• November 6 – Give Thanks
• December 4 – Holiday Spirits

Meeting Dates for The Grand Cru’s

• April 10 – Rite of Spring
• June 12 – Hello Summer
• October 9 – Fall Bounty
• November 13 – Give Thanks
• December 11 – Holiday Spirits

Inaugural Meeting of The Goochland Gastronome Society

Inaugural Meeting of The Goochland Gastronome Society

We hope everyone had an awesome time at the first Goochland Gastronome Society event! Here’s the tasting menu from the opening event:

Starting off with the Tio Pepe Palomino Fino Sherry, we went on to taste out Clos de L’Oratoire Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Domaines Schlumberger Gewurztraminer. Course tastings included:

•     Goose pate with foie gras
•     Cornichons
•     18 month Serrano ham
•     Nicoise olives
•     Alaskan halibut with anisette cream
•     Mussels with wine, shallot and garlic
•     Fennel Salad with oranges, pinenuts and EVOO
•     Moulard duck with allspice, cognac and mushrooms
•     Black barley polenta with wilted spinach and Cashel Irish blue cheese
•     Bouef en Daube
•     Radicchio, raw sugar, local vinegar and marsalla sea salt
•     Turnips with nutmeg and duck fat