Chilean Seabass and Chenin Blanc

The Dish

Claes Chilean Seabass
Lemon Basil Risotto
Basil Purée
Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes
Sea beans
Tomato Emulsion

The Wine

Sablonettes Ptit Blanc 2010
100% Chenin Blanc
France, Loire, Coteaux du Layon

The Chef

Chef Paul Bauer

When did food capture you?  I was probably 19 or 20. I would mess around at home a little bit growing up but nothing where I knew “this is where I want to be.” I didn’t really see a career anywhere, but I always loved to cook at home. It was my wife that pushed me into going to school.

If you had ten minutes with a top chef, what would you do?  I would cook against him! Head to head. If i saw thomas Keller in the kitchen I would say ‘let’s go.’ Honestly, most likely i would probably lose, but I’m not afraid of a challenge at all. If i saw a top chef i would definitely cook against him, but I would also ask him questions. I would talk while cooking, I would probably talk a little shit to him as well. [He looks to his left.] ‘Chef, your onions are getting a little dark,’ or something like that.

*See all of Chef Paul’s photos, interview, and recipe at  Chef’s Insight.

 

The Wine Expert

Alice Feiring

This Dish screams for Chenin Blanc.  Sablonettes Petit Blanc 2010 is made by Christine and Joel Meynard, ultra-sweet vignerons in the Loire. The wine is perfect for this dish with its appley flavors with lifting lemon-like acidity.

Alice is a frequent speaker at literary and wine festivals and seminars, radio guest and restaurant wine consultant, she is also contributor to such publications as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, and World of Fine Wine.

Alice is the author of two books, The Battle for Wine and Love, and Naked Wine. When not on the road learning about wine, Alice is writing her The Real Wine Newsletter, and dreaming about a cellar full of Domaine Romanée Conti. You can find Alice on twitter at @alicefeiring, or her blog The Feiring Line.

 

PrintChef’s Insight is a raw, behind-the-scenes look at the culinary process and the people behind it. Photographer Bob Hodson shadows the chef—in his or her restaurant, home kitchen, backyard, favorite farmers market, wherever—shooting editorial style and capturing the details and the process… action on the line, scribbled recipes and plating notes, flashes of knife work, the flip of a pan, the beautiful symmetry of the finished mise en place