Christmas celebration..Cafe elysa & d+b wine

CEBU, Philippines - This early Christmas dinner was organized by the Cheese and Wine Club of Cebu last November 13, 2010 with the theme “Pairing Diner with Loire an Rhone Valley Nectar” and the venue was Café Elysa, one of those emerging dining destinations in Cebu with a speciality on local and travel inspired cuisines.

Loire Valley lies west of Burgundy and is famous for white wines like the Pouilly-Fumé made from chardonnay grapes and is said to be Marie Antoinette’s favorite. Another famous wine region is the Rhône Valley and its most popular produce is the Châteauneuf-du-Pape or sometimes known as the Pope’s wine. In 1308, Pope Clement V moved from Rome to Avignon and for 70 years the church hierarchy made popular the consumption of wines produced in this area.

And this is what makes the study of wine very complicated. You have to know the history of the country, the geography of the province, including the microclimate of the vineyard where the wine is produced and the chemistry in the production process. Very serious indeed this business of wine drinking!

First entrée was Liver Pate with Cornichon, Grana Padano with Garden Greens and Apple paired with the Domaine de la Perriere Sancerre 2009. Cornichon is the French word for cucumber (or gherkin) and the Sancerre was the favorite of Ernest Hemingway in his travels in France. He is said to have even bought a case and chilled it because he likes his wine “crackling cold.”

Fish Fillet in Brown Butter with Tarragon was the second dish and with it, the La Chasse Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2009 was served. The fish was very delicious and when taken with this wine from the Rhone Valley, you feel well, complete satisfaction!

Main dish was the Braised Beef Chunks with Rhone Wine and Garrigues Herbs and it was paired with a red wine, La Chasse Côtes du Rhône Rouge Organic. The beef was very tender and delectable. And the red wine did its job with its wonderful tannins to cushion the luxuriant taste.

At this point, I took a glance at the proprietor of Café Elysa, Steve Aznar, and indeed this man has gone a long way to produce these dishes. Years ago, we shared a book on Chinese Cooking (published by the Hong Kong Gas and Light Company) given to him by his father, Bombi Aznar. He had the original and your favorite food columnist had to have a copy, so Xerox na lang. I decided to replicate many of the dishes found in this book and since then, I was captivated by Chinese cuisine. Steve Aznar, excuse me, ventured much deeper into the fascinating world of food.

Dessert was Tarte Tatin accompanied by a dessert wine; the Laurus Gabriel Meffre Muscat Beaumes de Venis. Legend says that the dessert was the result of an accident. It began as an apple pie but the apples burned in the butter and sugar mix and to save it, a pastry base was placed on top and this was served as an upside down tart. The Tatin sisters were surprised when the guests in the hotel were delighted with the dessert and since then, the tart carried the “Tatin” brand.

Happy New Year and I wish the best of everything to all the wonderful people who have been faithfully following this column. (FREEMAN)