My friend Cynthia Nims and I go way, way, way back. She hired me for some of my first writing assignments when she was the editor at Simply Seafood way back when. And in 2001, together, we wrote the Best Places Seattle Cookbook.” Cynthia is always, and I mean always cooking. As a contributor to magazines like Sunset and Cooking Light, as well as writing cookbooks of her own, she is constantly throwing dinner parties to test her recipes. Most recently however, was the 2^nd annual “Open the Bottle Night,” Inspired by the Wall Street Journal article, by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, Cynthia and husband Bob asked the 12 guests to bring a reserved bottle of wine waiting in the wings for their time to shine. Some of these things were really old! I’m talking from the 60’s!

With that, Cynthia set a fantastic 8 course meal, including a delectable carrot thyme soufflé, and elegant duxelles egg custard in egg cups. My husband John and I made the salad course – it was a warm salad with duck confit, from my mushroom stash: tiny morel mushrooms that I had sautéed and frozen last spring, green lentils, red cabbage, goat cheese and hazelnuts with a sherry vinaigrette and oh so good with a 92,93 and 94 flight of Chinook Merlots.

But the piece de resistance was an incredibly delicious lamb that I am still thinking about today accompanied with a 1966 Chateau De Pez, St Estephe and 1962 Chateau De Camensac Grand Cru Classé, Haut Medoc- wow, what a fantastic pairing! Here’s the evenings menu:

Cynthia Nims and Bob Burns
2^nd Annual Open That Bottle Night
February 23^rd 2008

Menu

Juana Palo Cortoda Jerez Xeres Sherry