Field Recordings

Andrew Jones

Talk about wine is inherently fraught with problems.  To those who drink it, words can be too mediating.  Even those who possess potent abilities at expressing wines’ delights and the potential joy that you can derive from them, can seem pedantic.  One wonders why they can’t put down the pen and get on with it? 

That said, there is still a mission for words and wine to the degree that they can aim the drinker at the wine artist, the person that provides the pleasure.  Isn’t that more to the point?

We want to share some info on the winemakers who provide the wines at Allumette.  They are like good doctors.  “I’m sick, doc, fix me”.  And they do.

Andrew Jones of Field Recordings, Fiction and Wonderwall is one such.  His realm is the Central

Coast and he knows his territory well.  I’ve had most of his wines and they are all expressive, original and incredibly reasonably priced.

The wine that speaks to me the most is his Field Recordings Chenin Blanc from Santa Ynez which we have offered at Allumette since day one. It is unfiltered and comes out a little cloudy. With this wine, it’s lack of clarity triggers in me a Pavlovian response that this wine will be special, rather than the opposite. It has everything that I want in a white wine. I can drink it with almost anything and it will have something to offer. It

has a mellow yet extracted fruit character braced with acidity

and savory flavors from the barrel but none of that pesky oak (he uses acacia barrels). Andrew’s reds are terrific and we have sold Wonderwall Pinot Noir when we can get it but the Chenin haunts me as it will you. Was this too much talk about wine?

Here are links to learn more about Andrew’s wines.

http://fieldrecordingswine.com

http://www.205food.com/best-of-November-2012/field-recordings-jurassic-p.html

http://talk-a-vino.com/tag/andrew-jones/

Soy Sauce

Soy sauce is a major part of Miles Thompson’s cooking palette.  It not only provides Asian flavors but also seems to cleverly move within European tradition in the ways that it is used at Allumette.  Actually, as Miles observes no strict priority with regard to base flavorants, disparate traditions are often combined in his food.  In the same way that one might use stock, wine or vinegar as a base ingredient, various soy sauces can be used as well.  There are wide-ranging flavors and textures that fermented soy can provide.  In the following, Chef Miles expounds on several of these.  The dishes that he refers to are currently on the Allumette Menu. 

KOIKUCHI or "Regular Soy Sauce" is used in the Lime Ponzu for the Fairy

Koikuchi

Squid intermezzo (this is a baby squid from Japan.  It is offered as a complimentary between regular courses)).  It has a nice brewed flavor that works well with the Rice Vinegar, Lime Juice, and Ginger to yield a well seasoned but ultimately identifiable Ponzu.

Usukuchi

USUKUCHI or "Light Flavored Soy Sauce" is used in the Rosemary Emulsion that is on the Fried Green Tomato Dish.  Despite the name, Usukuchi is higher in salt than standard Soy Sauce; its bracing salinity coupled with a high proportion of Lemon Juice and juiced Rosemary lends an assertive amount of seasoning and flavor to the sauce.  This emulsion coupled with Black Vinegar Vinaigrette heavy in alliums and Vietnamese Spices are what season the Soft Egg whose yolk craves highly salted/seasoned sauces to achieve balance in the dish due to its apparent fat.

MARIDAIZU or "Extra Fancy Whole Bean Soy Sauce" is used in the Black

Maridaizu

Garlic Syrup that glazes the Octopus Confit.  I learned about Maridaizu while working at Nobu.  It was the Shoyu given with Sashimi.  Its deep and fully actualized umami quality pairs nicely with sweetness and funk making it the natural candidate for a sauce comprised of Palm Sugar, Champagne Vinegar, Lime Juice, and Fermented Garlic.

YUASA SHOYU is a type of Soy Sauce or Shoyu that is barrel aged for 3

Yuasa Shoyu

years after is has completed its fermentation.  Yuasa is a town located in the Arida District in the Wakayama Prefecture in Japan and it is said that it is the original town in which Shoyu was produced.  We use this particular Shoyu in an equal ratio to Pumpkin Seed Oil to make the sauce for the Flat Iron Steak dish.  Both the Shoyu and Oil have an incredibly complex viscosity that really pair well together.  The Yuasa Shoyu borders on tart while having a distinct but ultimately balanced salinity which seasons the Pumpkin Seed Oil and as with any roasted meat dish supplies the necessary forward level of salt; the apparent tartness also links up well with the Aleppo Pepper, Sherry Vinegar, and Lemon Juice that the Steak is dressed with prior to serving.