I’ve been chatting about having arranged a class with Anne Willan for some time now, and yesterday was the big event. I chose wine pairings for five recipes which she demonstrated, each from her tome “The Country Cooking of France.” The class was fantastic, and the wines worked out quite well. I think the most successful pairing was the 2006 Francois Mikulski Bourgogne Aligoté, paired with a salt and pepper shrimp appetizer.

When sipped on its own, the Aligoté had very faint lime tones, and a bracing acidity. It was steely and austere (but not unpleasant!). In conjunction with the seafood, the citrus in the wine just blossomed and came alive, the acidity softened, and both the wine and the food were enhanced. The wine pretty much became gulpable. You can see the dishes we enjoyed in the photo below.

The Gateau Breton that Anne is holding above was paired with a bargain of a dessert wine, a Muscat from Domaine Piquemal, a winery in the Roussillon region. The wine tasted great — but in all honesty, pretty much anything would have tasted great with this buttery confection. Thanks to Anne and her staff for a great day!

I’m very excited to announce that domaine547 will be presenting a cooking class with master chef Anne Willan, on Sunday, April 26th. The class will focus on elegant entertaining in uncertain times, and will feature an array of hors d’oeuvres recipes from Willan’s James Beard Award-winning tome “The Country Cooking of France.” It will also provide a peek into the private kitchen of a renowned chef, taking place in Willan’s own Santa Monica home.

Of course, entertaining involves not just food, but wine. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to pair each of the recipes in the class with some of my recent wine discoveries — though, honestly, I feel a little bit like Anne Hathway (pre-Oscar nom) to Willan’s Meryl Streep. Whatever the case, I expect to rise to the occasion!.

This should prove to be both an informative and delicious afternoon, not to mention a unique opportunity. Space is limited to twelve students.