“The salt enhances the flavor of the food we are making,” says Jeanine Falvo, chef at Carneros Bistro and Wine Bar. Photo by Ryan Lely.
Janine Falvo and Chris Sawyer – chef and sommelier, respectively, at the Carneros Bistro and Wine Bar – have put a spin on the traditional approach to winemaker’s dinners. Instead of selecting a winery first and building a menu around their offerings, they start with a stellar (in this case, perhaps we should say cellar) ingredient and then look for a winery that can provide pairings with each course.
The idea of a salt dinner originated just over three years ago. “Chris and I were tasting sparkling wines, and immediately thought of caviar,” said Falvo. “We thought what a fantastic treat it would be to have salty foods paired with sparkling wines. We started thinking of all the ways we could use salt.”
“Salt and sparkling wine is one of the greatest pairings in the world,” Sawyer said. “When you think about it, pommes frites (French fries) are a joyous thing. The French got started with wines coming out of the Champagne region and have been pairing them for over 500 years.”
According to Sawyer, the chardonnay and pinot noir used in sparkling wines have the richness, vibrancy and acidity to handle salty foods.
The concept was not something so pedestrian as salting a platter of French fries, but something far more advanced. Instead of using salt as a final touch, which is the custom, they found fresh ways of incorporating different salts into dishes, such as curing meat or infusing other ingredients with house-flavored salts.
Falvo explained that the food does not taste salty. Rather, she said, “The salt enhances the flavor of the food we are making.”
American cooks have long since graduated from iodized salt to Kosher salt to gourmet options such as fleur de sel (French for “flower of salt,” which is sea salt harvested by hand by workers who scrape off the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of big salt pans).
Few home cooks have easy access to such high-end salts; even those who can afford them often can’t find dependable sources. Specially flavored salts are often harder to obtain, but locally, Matanzas Creek Winery sells high-quality Himalayan Pink salt, enhanced with lavender flowers.
However, creating flavored salt is not a problem for chefs like Falvo, who is not only imaginative but also has professional equipment at her disposal.
The idea of infusing the foie gras torchons on next week’s menu with strawberry salt was inspired by a comment made by Eileen Crane of Domaine Carneros. “She mentioned the strawberry notes (in the brut rose),” said Falvo, who saw the chance to underscore the flavor in both the torchons and the wine. Instead of curing the meat in kosher salt, as is customary, she decided to use strawberry salt instead.
To make her own version, Falvo availed herself of the restaurant’s liquid nitrogen tank to freeze the strawberries to the point that she could grind them into a powder. After mixing the powder with salt, she dehydrates the mixture in the oven. The next step is to wrap the foie gras torchon in cheesecloth and bury the package in the salt mixture for 24 to 36 hours. The salt absorbs moisture from the foie gras – essentially curing it, while imparting the intense strawberry flavor.
Home cooks don’t have to even attempt such a complex process; they can simply sign up for the third yearly salt dinner at the Carneros Bistro next week, when Falvo and Sawyer will elevate the ancient seasoning to a new level. The Salts and Sparkling Wine Dinner on Sunday, March 1, from 2 to 5 p.m., will feature six courses paired with wines selected by Domaine Carneros’ Eileen Crane. The cost is $95 per person. For reservations, call 707.931.2042. (Previous salt dinners have sold out.)
The menu is as follows:
Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Napoleon with potato latke, smoked salmon and quail egg paired with Domaine Carneros 2005 Brut Vintage
Artisan Foie Gras, featuring strawberry salt-cured foie gras torchon paired with Domaine Carneros NV Brut Rose “Cuvee de la Pompadour”
Live scallop with popcorn and chardonnay salt, paired with Domaine Carneros 2002 “Le Reve” Blanc de Blanc
Dr. Pepper-braised bacon with spiced sweet potato fries paired with Domaine Carneros 2006 Estate Pinot Noir
CK Lamb with salt-cured olive flan and wild mushrooms paired with Domaine Carneros 2006 Famous Gate Pinot Noir and Chocolate-covered pretzel-caramel tart and fleur de sel ice cream paired with Domaine Carneros 2004 Vermeil Demi-Sec
