So what does a sommelier eat for dinner at his humble abode? Usually simple things satisfy me the most…..a braise, soup, roast, or salad with some protein on it, but I think my favorite thing is a perfectly roasted chicken.  It’s one of those things that makes me drool just thinking or reading about it. I just can’t help it…..salty and nutty and creamy and sweet and …..chickeny (for lack of a better adjective).

.

This past weekend I was reading the NY Times and found this new recipe that I am testing out tonight. It calls for roasting the chicken on top of sliced stale bread. The bread collects all the pan drippings and toasts into this glorious juicy, fatty, semi-moist salty crouton.  I stuffed the cavity with a meyer lemon, whole garlic cloves, thyme, and a good chunk of butter.  For all of you butter-phobes out there, fat is FLAVOR, so just go for a run like I did before I made dinner tonight and you’ll feel like a million dollars.  The key to a good roast is making sure your meat is dry and well seasoned before it goes into the oven. Make sure you are using Kosher or sea salt, that iodized stuff tastes like a medicine cabinet. I like to rub a little butter or olive oil on the skin too. This gets everything nice and crispy and brown. If you get the chance try this with a California raised Poulet de Bresse, these are as close to the real thing that we can get here.

Hmmm, what to drink with this fine fowl? Tonight we are going to try a dry white wine from Kopke. What!? “Isn’t Kopke a port producer?” you are saying to yourself, and yes you are correct.  But they also produce dry white and red wines and have a different winemaker employed just for them. This white is made from Arinto and Gouveio grapes grown high above the Douro river on terraced vineyards. This elevation helps maintain some acidity in the grapes in this hot climate.

.

I can relate to the tasting note mentioned on the site, the crab apple in particular really stood out. Lots of lemon peel, carambola, stone, and hay also there. Not your typical glass and hitting the spot tonight.  Kopke is the oldest port house, being founded in 1638 by Christiano Kopke, a native of Germany. It has since changed hands many times — four centuries can change things — and is currently owned by the Sogevinus group.

.

I really enjoy their vintage ports as well, the latest a 2003, ripe and full of prune, blackberry, leather, stone, and spice. Well, now that I’ve digested a bit it’s time for a nightcap and a good book. Cook that chicken!!