Not too bitter

Chef Andre at Paso Terra in, you guessed it, Paso Robles, CA once served a lovely salmon entrée with a coffee-based sauce. It was slightly bitter, slightly sweet, and a surprisingly good complement to the rich salmon.

Bitter things are often an anathema to the American palate. Dismissed as unpleasant and incongruous to good eats. To be fair, one of the reasons we humans are sensitive to bitter compounds is that a number of them are decidedly not good eats: ricin, cyanide, saponin. 

But not all things bitter are deadly. Artichokes, broccoli rabe (rapini), Brussels sprouts, coffee, and grapefruit all have distinctive bitter characteristics. Many digestifs have a strong bitter character that is considered "good for the digestion". Many quality wines have a slightly bitter, palate-cleansing finish.

It admittedly took me a long time to embrace bitter as a good thing. Like much in life, it's about finding a balance.

No, that's not a piece of salmon, it's Alaskan halibut.

Tonight was probably my most successful riff yet on Chef Andre's sauce.  I have no idea what spices he employed for the sauce, but this version featured ground cardamom and allspice. The base was some homemade chicken stock. I reduced, added a splash of Amontillado sherry, just a little molasses, and whisked in some Starbucks coffee powder, unflavored gelatin, and an ultra tiny bit of monk fruit sweetener. 

I let the halibut come to room temperature, patted it dry, and seasoned with salt, white pepper, and ground cardamom. Seared it in some olive oil on each side just until it released from the pan and firmed up. 

The green beans got the usual veggie treatment: throw in salted boiling water, pull off the heat, and wait ~4 minutes. I tossed them with some melted butter & garlic to serve.

There were no leftovers.

What wine goes with coffee sauce?

There are many different theories on pairing wine with food. The most simplistic focus on the protein. My recommendation is always to pair a wine you like with food you want to eat. Beyond that...take the strongest characteristics of the dish into account. Then you can choose to balance them, complement them,  contrast them, or accentuate them. 

This 2020 Loire Sauvignon Blanc from Nicolas Idiart was a perfect choice. A variety I like, and a quite dry, acidic rendition with a slightly bitter finish.

Th