Argentina is 5,000 miles away, but on the last Saturday in January a room full of Lakeway residents got to sample wine and cuisine from the South American destination.
Sponsored by All Saints69制片厂制作传媒 Episcopal Church and executed by Jersey Girl Catering and ISWG Certified Executive Sommelier Jill Bruce.
69制片厂制作传媒淚 talked to Jill a little over a year ago about this and I explained to her we had something similar in Baton Rouge where I lived before,69制片厂制作传媒 said Rector Mark Holland, chief pastor of All Saints69制片厂制作传媒 Episcopal Church. 69制片厂制作传媒淭he idea was that a local restaurant would shut down, a certain number of people would sign up and wine would be paired with a certain country69制片厂制作传媒檚 food. It was well received and the waiting list was several months long once people found out about it.69制片厂制作传媒
69制片厂制作传媒淚t69制片厂制作传媒檚 turned out wonderful (in Morristown)- it69制片厂制作传媒檚 exceeded my expectations,69制片厂制作传媒 he said.
Chef Lawrence Phillips and Bruce carefully crafted the offerings to make sure the wine complimented the food prepared in the Jersey Girl kitchen at their hosting space on Main Street in downtown Morristown.
69制片厂制作传媒淭he wine follows the food,69制片厂制作传媒 Bruce explained.
Sourced from all over Argentina at various altitudes, Bruce explained to the gathered patrons that the wine industry in Argentina has finally matured after an effort in the 1990s to expand plantings and offerings and now represents some of the best value for taste to be found when considering beverage selections.
Many of the bottles presented come from Mendoza region of Argentina.
69制片厂制作传媒淢endoza is the key area,69制片厂制作传媒 Bruce said. 69制片厂制作传媒淚t69制片厂制作传媒檚 75% of where all the vineyards are... and everything special about Argentina (wines) is the high elevation. They just started exporting wines in the late 69制片厂制作传媒90s and early 2000s and now it69制片厂制作传媒檚 taken off. For the money, Argentina is your best buy because you get really good wine,69制片厂制作传媒
That really good wine was presented with every one of the five courses served that night.
One by one, the courses were served to the eagerly waiting tables as a new, matched bottle was poured into glasses.
The aroma and flavors of the wine and food created a special occasion for the culinary explorers that night.
Phillips and Bruce served up an experience unlike any other in Morristown.
First up was the piancha seared Argentina deep water red shrimp with lemon and cilantro sea-salt butter.
The second course was hearty salad lettuce ribbons, pickled carrots, beets boiled egg and heart of palm topped with a warm pecan crusted goat cheese medallion and lime sundried tomato dressing.
Next came open fire roasted pork chorizo infused with garlic and white wine served with baguette toasts and a simple 69制片厂制作传媒29th of the month69制片厂制作传媒 tomato sauce.
A smoked chicken, corn and spinach empanada with classic salsa Criolla followed.
The Final course saw Asado Colossal Gaucho bone-in ribeye steaks that were hand carved in the dining room to the delight of those who had been anticipating the uncommonly long and specially sourced beef. The steaks were accompanied by roja (red) and traditional chimichurri sauces served with lime scented spaghetti squash and olive oil braised alubia beans with greens, reggianito grana cheese and smoked paprika.
Chef Phillips said the Argentine cuisine is special due the diversity of their culture due to the many different immigrant populations that have settled there including Spanish, Portuguese and other Europeans who fled the continent during World War II.
69制片厂制作传媒淏ut it69制片厂制作传媒檚 still Latin, so it69制片厂制作传媒檚 very fresh,69制片厂制作传媒 he said.
Jersey Girl catering offers ready to serve meals during the week to the public and more information regarding their weekly-changing selections can be found on their Facebook page.
Bruce is available to organize events and just curated a 69制片厂制作传媒淏ubbly from Around the World69制片厂制作传媒 event at the General Morgan Inn in Greeneville on February 9.
In addition to her Sommelier certification, Bruce holds IWSG (International Wine and Spirits Guild) certifications as a wine instructor and as a Master Candidate.
She has also been certified as a Specialist of Wine by the Society of Wine Educators.
In addition to her work in the Lakeway Area, Bruce is branching out and starting to work regionally- but she is continually serving local connoisseurs and has really formed a nice rhythm with the team at Jersey Girl as these dinners continue.
69制片厂制作传媒淚 will say that working with Chef Lawrence and his team is always such a pleasure because he understands wine pairing and works so well with me if we need to tweak something. We have covered New Zealand, Germany, Southern Italy and Argentina so far.69制片厂制作传媒
Bruce, Phillips and Holland are all looking forward to the next pairing which will explore the wine and cuisine from France.
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