Meadowood's 12 Days of Christmas, Day 11: David Kinch, Manresa
The Restaurant at Meadowood’s annual 12 Days of Christmas guest chef series is winding down. Here at Inside Scoop, we’re reviving our own tradition of individually tracking each night’s charity dinner — and the exploration of cuisine from the chefs from around the world, through their words and their food. You can check out past years here: 2012, 2011 and 2010. And catch up on this year’s prior dinners here.
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It was about a year ago that David Kinch attended the Catbird Seat dinner at last year’s installment of Meadowood’s 12 Days of Christmas. That night, Christopher Kostow asked Kinch if he’d like to cook a dinner in the 2013 12 Days series. Kinch obliged, and on Friday night, Manresa came to Napa Valley.
“I’m always a little bit nervous about not cooking in my kitchen and not cooking with my products,” says Kinch. “But everything at Meadowood is so well organized.”
So within the confines of the Meadowood kitchen, Kinch imported versions of several familiar dishes from Manresa, like the infamous tidal pool, his Belon oyster in seaweed ice, and the petit fours. But the pièce de résistance was something new. Actually, it was something old.
“We’re doing a couple signature dishes, but since it’s so close to Christmas, we’re doing a game tourte,” says Kinch. The tourte consisted of aged venison, pigeon and ducks, marinated for 48 hours with Armagnac, truffles, port and Madeira. Then it was all roasted together with duck liver, black truffles and homemade pastry.
Says Kinch: “It’s from another century … and I’m not talking the 20th.”
Here’s the full menu, along with the wine pairings:
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Day Eleven of the Twelve Days of Christmas
December 20, 2013
Sunchokes, Brillat-Savarin and caviar
David Kinch
Aji winter escabeche, parsnip cream
The Restaurant
Oyster in seaweed, citrus ice
David Kinch
Potato cooked in beeswax
The Restaurant
A late autumn tidal pool
David Kinch
Chilled pork broth, juiced lettuce, mustard
The Restaurant
Bavette fermented onion, Asian pear
The Restaurant
Game tourte and black truffle
David Kinch
Chocolate cherry tart, preserved cherries
The Restaurant
Petit fours, strawberry and chocolate
David Kinch
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Malbec and Malbec
Alienor
Sauvignon Blanc
lake county 2010
Alienor
“Grand Vin”
Lake County 2008
Notre Vin
“Clos Camille” Pinot Noir
Sonoma Coast 2008
Notre Vin
Cabernet Sauvignon
Howell Mountain 2004
Alienor
“Luna de Miel” Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc
Lake County 2010
Previously
· Day One: Andy Ricker, Pok Pok (Portland)
· Day Two: Rodolfo Guzman, Boragó (Santiago)
· Day Three: Carlo Mirarchi, Roberta’s (Brooklyn)
· Day Four: Tim Cushman, O Ya (Boston)
· Day Five: Ashley Christensen, Poole’s (Raleigh)
· Day Six: David Chang, Momofuku (New York)
· Day Seven: Matthew Accarrino, SPQR (San Francisco)
· Day Eight: Mark Ladner and Brooks Headley, Del Posto (New York)
· Day Nine: Rasmus Kofoed, Geranium (Copenhagen)
· Day Ten: Nicolaus Balla and Cortney Burns, Bar Tartine (San Francisco)