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I'd like to start this with an apology.  I am about to embark upon a description without any photos.  I am an extremely visual person, so this is by no means a small apology.  But, think of this as a story.  A story about friends.  About coming together.  About an impromptu dinner.  Aren't they often the best?  It is also a story about summer and the bounties of fresh produce on hand.

About a week ago I was lucky enough to have David Nemarnik of Alloro Vineyards join Ksandek and me for an informal "dinner".  It was more a collision of schedules than a dinner; by no means planned, but hunger took over, we all threw in what we had and a superb, yet simple dinner emerged.

If you aren't familiar with Alloro Vineyards, you might want to search them out.  David's property is amazing and he is genuinely one of the most open, compassionate people I have met in the wine industry.  We get a few tons of Pinot noir from him because I love the fruit so much.  In a year like 2007, David's fruit came to us ripe and jammy.  That was no small task.

Alloro.  A

Ksandek had some artisanal cheese he'd picked up at the store and Taleggio, my absolute favorite.  It is so oozy and to me smells of the seashore. Mmmmmmmm.  Such a great cheese.  I had made homemade chevre from raw goat's milk.  It really is about as easy as curdling milk- a skill I have mastered.  I am so surprised more people don't make it.  Someone ran and picked some fresh figs off David's trees which are literally dripping with ripe figs this time of year.  Have you ever noticed how much a fig looks as if it were a drop of something sweet and ripe, heavy and waiting to fall from the tree?

Goat cheese was smeared on figs.  Taleggio was paired with a crusty, chewy, sourdough.  Olives and marinated vegetables materialized.  Fresh green beans from the garden were gathered, eggs were cracked, olive oil sizzled, and moments later an omelet with Cambazola crumbles came steaming from the skillet.  David carved a Capocollo he had made himself.  I opened a bag of Bing cherries I had dried the week before. All this was all piled on a barrel head that Ksandek had made into a serving platter.

Within minutes plates were loaded, rose' was gone and Amrita was cracked open.  Amrita, with its chameleon-like quality matched so well with the rich flavors of summer.  It stood up to the green beans and blue cheese.  It carved through the richness of the Capocollo; it accentuated the figs and fresh chevre.  It is a great supporting actor to the flavors of summer. 

Much of what we ate was made by us.  Many of the things on our plates came from within a few miles, if not right on the property. Summer- when sunsets seem to linger on the horizon for hours. A time when inviting the outdoors indoors is encouraged. Throw open the windows. Invite a few friends over. Improvise a dinner with what you have on hand. Talk and laugh until you are too tired to do so any longer. Soon it will be autumn.

Alloro. A

Amrita. A

A toast to summer from your friends at

Anne Amie.

Cheers,

Thomas