America's Bday

Often, I'm surprised at how well things turn out.

—One of our chickens, tossed with olive oil, lemon, sage, summer savory, and just-dug garlic, grilled slowly, flipped frequently, and basted.

—Grilled/charred just-dug leeks with lime oil

—Grilled Cauliflower with pounded cumin and coriander seed, lime oil, and lemon

Had with margaritas—mezcal, Cointreau, and fresh citrus. Then some Bell's Oberon and fresh-squeezed orange.

The blackberries are just starting to darken—same with the raspberries. We haven't had this yet:

Go Forth.

Copper River Salmon & Asparagus

This kind of thing is sort of our schtick; we do know a good thing.

—Copper river salmon coated with dill and fennel from the garden, sautéed in a pan, basted with homemade butter and fresh Spring garlic

—A melange of veg, including asparagus, young favas and lettuces from the garden, and tons of herbs, most notably hyper-floral marjoram and borage flowers.

Enjoyed a serious bottle of premier cru Volnay — 2006 Les Chevrets from Henri Boillot. It was thick with nostalgia. Woodsy, minerally, fragrant. It evolved and I wish I could have spent more time with it before it was gone. Also, a little snip of really good pastis — just 'cause.

Kraftwerk on the radio. Sometimes the routine demands a precise shakeup.

Black Beans & Rice

Perfect day out. Mowed the lawn, gave the cows a taste of grain, trellised the peas, and enjoyed the breeze.

—Cooked black beans from Shagbark with a bit of star anise, clove, and bay leaves

—Sweated off bacon, onions, fresh Spring garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, and dried arbol chili

—Tossed in brassica greens from the boxes

—Pickled some just pulled shallots

—Served over boiled rice and garnished with cilantro, lime, and last season's hot sauce

Popped a bottle of 2008 Chateau de Lascaux, Coteaux du Languedoc Rouge by J.B. Cavalier and it's drinking like a man in a Viagra commercial. 

New Sigur Ros on the radio.

Lamb Kebab

I'm not sure how I would improve upon this. It harkens to some platonic form of doner kebab. At the very least, it brought back some memories of Germany years ago, which always means you're onto something.

At any rate:
—Took pastured lamb and ground it, mixing in cumin, coriander, Spring garlic, smoked pimenton, and some crazy-pungent marjoram.
—Made pita with our sourdough starter, local flour, and a hot cast-iron griddle
—Showered with salad and myriad herbs from our garden, plus young shallots that we pulled
—Roasted local Spring carrots with whole pounded cumin and coriander, Spring garlic, and fruity green lime oil that my parents gifted us from Paso Robles.
—And thick yogurt as well—with dill, mint, and hyssop
—Finished with some special Spanish olive oil

Paired with a generous and fruity 2009 Rioja, "Rayos Uva", from Olivier Riviére. It's Rioja, but with a deep minerality and approachable wildness. Also, finished off what was left of a crazy bottle of natural white, La Lunotte — Chistophe Foucher. It has elements of a natural cider with a refreshing sourness.

What I mean to say is, tonight it was all around the best of things.

Soft-Shell Crabs & Spring Vegetable Melange

Butter just goes well with everything Spring—especially if it's homemade from cows that are seeing lush pasture. Then it's almost obscene when you use it to cook soft shellfish.

—Made an Old Bay type seasoning with toasted-then-ground celery seed, coriander, mace, dried chili, and black pepper. Then mixed with a combo of AP flour and rice flour for dredging.

—Dredged the soft-shell crabs with the mixture and pan fried in clarified butter

—Gently cooked local asparagus, snow peas, and baby lettuces with the last of this season's ramps in butter and a variety of herbs (hyssop, fennel, parsley, and thyme). 

—Finished it all with a good spritzing of lemon.

Had with an incredible biodynamic 2010 Roter Veltliner (apparently not related to the Gruner) from Wimmer Czerny. Deep stone fruit nose with tons of acidity. I'm getting to love Austria.

Lamb Chops & Asparagus Gratin

Vegetables and cheese kind of take me back to the mid 90's and the microwave and the Green Giant. But Nigel Slater has been helping to disabuse me of the idea that this combo somehow low-brow.

—Took lightly steamed local asparagus and tossed it with cream, salt, thyme, garlic, and dried red pepper—then topped with cheddar and parm to darken under the broiler.

—Pan fried local lamb chops over high heat and basted with butter, thyme, and garlic

Had with a stunning, round, elegant, and floral (let's say violet notes that I usually associate with Northern Rhone wines) Cotes du Rhone from Marcel Richaud ("Terre de Galets"). It's far better wine than I deserve, but when life gives you a gift, the least you can do is appreciate the damn thing.

More new Beach House on the radio, btw.

Wild Salmon, Risotto Cakes

There's something really gratifying about repurposing food. Last night it was soft, tonight it was crispy.

—Made a little cake out of the leftover risotto and fried in butter
—Steamed asparagus and tossed with olive oil and lemon
—Seared salmon in grape seed oil for crispy skin, garnished with chervil

Given the crisp Spring-like weather, a very nice 2007 WesMar RRV Pinot hit the spot. Pinot is for transitions.