I was in the mood for Coronation Chicken Salad sandwiches for some reason, but I made do with what I had in the fridge and some sourdough from the freezer, and came up with curried egg salad tartines.

INGREDIENTS
Scallions (if not ramps or other coveted spring alliums), reserve some green tips for garnish
Crab Apple Mostarda (Casa Forcella from Lombardy, highly recommended, or sub mango chutney)
Radishes, diced
Large eggs
Unsalted butter
Madras Curry powder (or Vadouvan)
Labneh (or full fat Fage, Skyr, etc.)
Sourdough bread slices

PREPARATION No measurements needed, trust your instincts. Smash and char scallions in a dry cast iron skillet, add a bit of oil just at the end to blacken, then mince. Stir mostarda thoroughly into labneh. Dice radishes. Cook eggs in boiling water for seven minutes, then shock in an ice bath until cooled; yolk should be jammy and not runny. Toast bread. Bloom curry powder in hot melted butter, add eggs (cut in half), minced scallion, diced radish, and fold together with a fork until well combined.

Schmear toast with mostarda-labneh mixture then top with scoops of egg salad, garnish with sliced scallion.

WINE PAIRING Domaine La Loue Chardonnay 2015. This is among the few sleeper Jura whites remaining, made by Catherine Hannoun, a film producer (worked on brilliant Mondovino documentary on globalization in wine in the late 20th century) who after guidance from her friend Manu Houillon (of Domaine Overnoy) began a micro-domain of her own in the Jura.

This Chardonnay comes from parcels of gray marl in Pupillin, fermented in steel tanks then raised in neutral barrels for over a year. Open this bottle a good hour in advance of serving; there are notes of honey and buttered pastry, followed by golden apple and preserved lemon, with a chiseled mineral and savory finish. An impeccably fresh and precise wine that plays well off the pungent fruit of the mostarda and creamy/chalky labneh, along with the richly spiced and buttered egg salad.

- Saman Hosseini

The sun warms planet Earth to a perfect 72 degrees Fahrenheit and the birds signal the triumph of spring. Persephone is seemingly unfazed by COVID-19. It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon and if I ever needed an excuse to celebrate a season, this is it. Listening to my stomach as my sunbathing brain starts to shut down, I’m immediately reminded of the Ferris Wheel-style car park scene from The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift when Google confirms that Oohh’s & Aahh’s is indeed THEE spot for catfish in D.C. 

If that reference is lost, here's a recap: the Christian hip hop duo Grits' hit single “Ooh Aah (My Life Be Like)” serenades the audience just as Twinkie’s custom Hulk-themed Volkswagen Touran I cascades onto the screen. But it’s not four wheels descending onto my phone as I scroll, rather an entree of fried filets of catfish. I click ‘order now’ and watch the clock with adolescent eagerness.

Fast-forward to a platter of the house favorite fried catfish, cabbage with carrots, and the obvious side, macaroni and cheese. I hear angels as I open the Styrofoam and prepare for paradise. But first, pet nat. 

I opt for a sparkling Sauvignon Blanc from Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, Supernatural Wine Co’s “The-Super-Nat.” It pours a cloudy, honey mustard yellow and sits in the glass like Dole’s pineapple juice right out of the can. The theme of tropical fruit interlaces the aromas of apple and lemon rind. On the palate, I'm greeted with a warm spice akin to a ginger shot that just rinsed down freshly made baked goods and grapefruit. Then I'm promptly introduced to acid and minerals that remains long after I gulp. 

The crisp citric acid cuts through the fats of melted cheese and fried batter that I’ve lathered in Tartar sauce, allowing the catfish to sing a sweet solo of fresh, flakey, whitefish flavor. My lunch be like Ooh Aah…

Our friends in food and wine have had to make some very tough choices lately. And we're grasping to find ways to support them and their teams. Everyone at Domestique has spent significant time working in restaurants, so this feels imperative. This is family.

We're working on a few ways to help our friends and our first involves BENTO BOXES. Specifically, we're collaborating with Izakaya Seki to offer bento boxes from them that can be delivered along with your wine. Order by 2pm to get the bento boxes and wine that night. Anyone who knows Seki knows that the bento boxes are the real deal. And you should order them, even if you don't want wine, because Izakaya Seki is a f-ing treasure.

To order a bento box, go to Izakaya Seki's website. To order wine, go to our website. Consume together.

REBEKAH: lives in 350 square feet, an identical twin, demi-sec girl 
Takeout: Naem Khao Tod — Crispy Rice Salad from Little Serow, $15
Pairing(s): Agnès et René Mosse Le Rouchefer 2017, $45 and Vino di Anna Palmentino Rosso 2018 (coming soon), $26

During this time, sanity for me is found in looking for small positives (I still have a job, I'm learning how to cook, I talk to my mom more). Biking by Little Serow on my route home has become one of these silver linings. Sometimes I just wave, other times I linger to chat about wine, Kyle's garden, or what Meri's been up to (shouting from far away through masks). It's the firmest reminder that what makes so many restaurants great is the people. Komi and Little Serow are overflowing with talented, thoughtful, and brilliant people. 

After a little debate, I decided to get the spicy, crispy rice salad. It's an all-time favorite and my apartment is always brimming over with off-dry whites. I biked home and pulled the Le Rouchefer, purchased almost a year ago at Domestique, from my wine fridge. A distant memory of a moment in time when I was falling in love with the Loire Valley and people still hugged on the street. And it was AMAZING. The heat from the salad balanced perfectly with the nutty weight of the Chenin. It was a nice reminder of how sometimes you don't need complete opposites to pair. The Le Rouchefer has a tiny bit of RS, but it's barely noticeable. Complex and nutty with a dried curry powder backbone that's reminiscent of old Riesling. The ginger and sour pork in the salad became more pronounced with the slight oxidation of the Chenin. The pairing was freaking perfect and electric.

I also had a sample bottle of the Palmentino from Vino di Anna and a three-day-old bottle of Frantz's Melon in my fridge. It was really fun to play around with what paired best with the extreme flavors and how the wine/food changed so dramatically. Little Serow snuck in two Salapao (steamed pork buns) that crushed with the Palmentino. It was an opposites attract kind of situation. The crunchy red fruit and zippy acid made the buns seem even more opulent. A total delight of an evening. Thanks, LS and Komi...I love you. 

- Rebekah Pineda
p.s. order the Olive Oil Gelato & Cocoa Crumble, it's genius and a fat kid's dream.

Sichuan nourishment for pandemic quarantine. This recipe, adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, is effective at getting the fundamental flavors from off the shelf pantry items, without taking the deep dive of cooking your own mother sauces. Refer to Chinese Cooking Demystified to witness absolute mastery. The small handful of Chinese pantry items you’ll need will probably still cost less than a container of cashew milk and cold pressed juice; well worth the investment.

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces ground pork
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
fresh ground white pepper (preferred, but black pepper is ok)
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
4 tablespoons tahini or peanut butter
2 tablespoon rice vinegar
1-1/4 cup low sodium chicken stock (or use the pasta water if you must)
1 tablespoon neutral oil (preferably sunflower or peanut, canola is gross)
1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated about 1 tablespoon
6 medium cloves garlic, grated (use Microplane) about 2 tablespoons
¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or aleppokorean chili flake for milder/fruitier heat if desired)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tsp prepared Chiu Chow chili oil or homemade Sichuan chili oil (or more neutral oil)
16 ounces linguini (bronze die cut please)
3 or 4 scallions, green and white parts separated, sliced thin.

optional
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns, toasted in small dry skillet until fragrant, then pounded fine in a mortar and pestle (be vigilant with removing any seeds from the peppercorn husks)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted in small dry skillet until fragrant

PROCEDURE

1. Combine pork, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, shaoxing wine, scallion whites in a small bowl, season generously with cracked white pepper, stir well with a fork and set aside while preparing other ingredients. Whisk together oyster sauce, remaining soy sauce, tahini/peanut butter, vinegar, and more cracked pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in chicken stock and set aside.
2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large stockpot over high heat. Cook pasta very al-dente, then strain in a colander. Once fairly dry, return to the stock pot, toss with Chiu Chow/chili oil until strands are loose and well separated.
3. Heat 12-inch skillet over high heat until hot. Add neutral oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add pork and cook, scraping along pan bottom and breaking up pork into small pieces with wide metal or wooden spatula, until pork is in small well-browned bits, about 5 minutes. Stir in ginger, garlic, and red pepper; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add peanut butter/chicken stock mixture; bring to boil, whisking to combine, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer to blend flavors, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Stir in sesame oil.
4. While sauce simmers, portion noodles among individual bowls, ladle a portion of sauce over noodles, sprinkle with scallions, sesame seeds and/or ground Sichuan peppercorn.

WINE PAIRING
Good, racy Mosel Riesling, like the 2017 Stein Palmberg Trocken; the numbing tingle of sichuan peppercorn with the electric minerality of the Riesling feels so right. If you’re drinking a feinherb or sweeter, later harvest style, go strong on the chilis. Or for those raised in old wood fuder, more toasted sesame and scallion would highlight their earthy musk. A Riesling with skin contact and more barnyard-y aromas might warrant a boost of shaoxing wine. Lean into high acid with more grease when oiling the noodles. Drink all the Riesing and adjust accordingly.

- Saman Housseini 

Poulet Vallée d’Auge: a low fuss Normand braised chicken, tailor made for cold winter nights and white Burgundy. Basically pan roasted and braised chicken with apples, cider, and calvados, with mushrooms, plenty of butter, and creme fraiche. I loosely followed the recipe from Bon Appetit, but I can’t be bothered with ‘sprigs of thyme’ these days.

2014 Simon Bize - Les Perrières, made from Chardonnay planted in the 60s, on a cool northwest facing hillside, northwest of Savigny. Fermentation in barrel lasts upwards of 6 weeks, then it's further aged 6-12 months on fine lees. There’s an unapologetic old-school demeanor to this wine. Not so much salty and flinty as it is densely packed, possessing both apple pastry (basted with Calvados as in the patisseries of Normandy) and fresh Golden Delicious apple fruit. The barrel regimen here extracted all the complex, resinous, and mineral qualities of fresh varnished wood without the cloying vanillin opulence of less talented producers. All well integrated and finishing with tension after years of bottle age.

This Chardonnay is especially poised to marry the cream, maillard, and apple flavors of this chicken, all while leaving the palate refreshed.

- Saman Hosseini