An expatriate of New Orleans – and professional chef – who has lived in Los Angeles since her childhood, blogs about the journey from New Orleans to Los Angeles back to New Orleans, and points along the way.

”Facebook ”Twitter ”LinkedIn ”RSS” ”Pinterest” ”Google+”

Rosé Fest 2011-Part 2 and a Grand Aioli- sort of…

By on Aug 7, 2011, 9:31 am in Food and Drink, Menus, Recipes-Savory, Wine | 7 comments

Salume and Peppers_2 Salume, Peppers and Olives- Photo Courtesy of David Estep

Rosé wines embody the essence of summer. They’re refreshing, easy to drink and best consumed well chilled. While they go well with food generally (in fact, many consider them the most food friendly of wines), they are the ideal accompaniment to rustic, well seasoned, sun kissed foods- the sort of foods that I love best.

In the south of France, the stronghold of Rosé wines, they are served with another summer treat, the Grand Aioli– a meal of meats, fish, and vegetables all served with that wonderfully pungent garlic mayonnaise, aioli. In France, the meats, fish and veggies are generally poached. Here in So Cal we like to grill things, so my version of the Grand Aioli included grilled lamb, made into little sandwiches, grilled and roasted vegetables,  grilled shrimp (I am the LA 2 LA Chef after all), Cedar Planked Salmon (my first time, but I’ll definitely be planking again, and while I was at that, I planked another quintessentially summery item- Figs, wrapped and stuffed with Pancetta and Blue Cheese. Another essence of summer dish- an Heirloom Tomato and Burratta Salad- to round things out. Thanks to Greg Henry at sippitysup.com for bringing a refreshing salad of Cannellini Beans and Baby Zucchini laced with slim slices of tender green beans for a bit of crunchy textrure, and my friend Paul Borden for bringing Orzo with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto. There was a bowl of Tapenade to spread on crostini, and plates of Salami, Prosciutto, Roasted Pequillo Peppers and Olives to munch on. And because I just happen to love tarts, both savory and sweet, a Swiss Chard and Pork Salume Tart made its way on to the menu, with a Fig Frangipane Tart and a lovely rustic Olive Oil Cake with Sautéed Peaches finishing up the meal.

Tomatoes and Burrata- Photo Courtesy of Dorothy Reinhold of ShockinglyDelicious.com Tomatoes and Burrata- Photo Courtesy of Dorothy Reinhold of ShockinglyDelicious.com

You can take a look at the menu (which I’ll be sharing recipes from over the next few posts) on the next page. And to begin- my recipe for Aioli, the starting point of the meal. I like to divide up a big batch, and flavor it with various herbs and spices- think rosemary, mint, thyme, and to go with those Ancho Marinated Grilled Shrimp, I mixed in chipotles en adobo. Menu and Aioli recipe on the next page:

    7 Comments

  1. This was a wonderful party! I was so lucky to be there!

    Dorothy

    August 7, 2011

  2. That all looks delicious! So sorry I had to miss it!

    Cheryl

    August 7, 2011

  3. What a fun afternoon, Gisele. Both the wine and the food were SPECTACULAR!

    Erika

    August 7, 2011

  4. @ Dorothy Thank you. And thanks again for the lovely pics. Hopefully we’ll do it again next year!

    Gisele aka LA2LAChef

    August 7, 2011

  5. @ Cheryl We’re really sorry you missed it, too, Cheryl. Hopefully we’ll be able to do it again next year.

    Gisele aka LA2LAChef

    August 7, 2011

  6. I hadn’t had rosé in years, and your party definitely made me a convert!

    Lentil Breakdown

    August 9, 2011

  7. Happy to see all the new rose lovers seeking you out! GREG

    sippitysup

    August 12, 2011

Leave a Reply to Gisele aka LA2LAChef Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.