Dinner With Danny -
Solo
©
By Michael Vaughan
Saturday,
October 27, 2001
It's
Saturday night and I am batching it! Rosie, my wife is in Montreal and I am
confronted with reality of having to fend for myself. I have been invited to a
special Saturday night winemaker’s dinner
and am tempted to go. But the taste of bad fish from the last visit still
lingers on the palate.
 It was one of those winemaker dinners
where things obviously had gone awry. In this case, the good wines from Henry of Pelham
were put at risk by the rather uneven cooking. Perhaps it was this disconcerting
memory of the fish that prevented me from attending. Now I know it’s
a privilege to be invited to such events and gratefully count my
blessings. However, when I saw some good looking pieces of pork on sale at my local
IGA my fate was sealed. I
decided to eat in and do a Fall dinner in homage to CBC radio raconteur Danny Finkleman of Saturday night's Finkleman's 45s.
Being old guy, I love Danny’s outrageous program complete
with inane commentary on our day-to-day insanity! Tonight, he can’t figure out
why he wasn’t able to buy cases of 24 of his favourite pop at the local
grocery store this summer. He asks: "how is it possible that our modern supply management
has failed us?" I wish he were here so I could blurt out that it
hasn't! It’s really a case of perfectly orchestrated supply management. In this
case, the suppliers simply run short of the less expensive larger formats
of 24 cans. This forces you to buy the pricier and more profitable smaller
packages of six or twelve! It’s supply management at its
best!
 So what did I cook, you ask? I
went out and bought a mess of tenderloin end pork chops at $4.39 a kilo (that’s
$1.99 a pound, Danny). What costs $1.99 a pound? How can good meat cost so
little? Well, the colour is bright and the cuts looked moist and felt tender.
The secret, however, is the basting sauce. I had a half-litre bottle of Nuó’c
Mam Pha San (a Vietnamese Spring Roll Sauce), which cost $2.49 at a local
Oriental grocer. I took a large glass bowl doused the pork in the sauce, covered
them in plastic to hold the sauce in and threw them into the fridge for a couple
of hours.
About half an hour before the
designated dining time, I did my two for one basmati rice number. Two parts
boiling water into which I plunge one part rinsed rice. The secret to making
perfect rice it to take the metal top and cover it with a fresh dish cloth which
is folded on top. As I am cooking with gas, I always place a weight on it to
prevent any unexpected fire. The heat is turned down and after 15-20 minutes –
voila – perfect rice.
 I get the BBQ on a roar and the
marinated pork hits the grill. As usual, the butcher cuts the pork too thick
but it will have to do. I aim to crisp, perhaps slightly burn, the outside as
quickly at possible. And so there it is. A simple dish of BBQ pork and
rice – simple but very tasty.
And now comes the best part. I
do a light dusting with garlic and coarse sea salt. Gadzooks, this is delish!
Danny plays High Noon by Frankie Lane!
This is really scary. Did I see this film when it first appeared at the Carlton
Theatre on College Street in1954? I dig into an open bottle of a $27 Chardonnay that gives great pleasure.
 It's
probably too fancy for Danny, I think. I wonder how
those other less expensive wines would marry with this dish? “Other” in this case means
less tasty – stuff that I had previously tasted and decided not to drink. And
so out comes a South African 2000
Fleur du Cap Chardonnay ($10.95) at less than half the price. “Hey,
this is pretty good,” I think to myself. It’s loaded with sweetish
canned pear flavours – a surprisingly yummy combo.
 And then comes the big
surprise. About a week ago I received a bottle of Bouchard
Père & Fils 2000 Mâcon Supérieur (also $10.95). At that time,
it didn’t quite cut the mustard; it was very crisp, dry and light-bodied without much flavour or
structure. I stuck it down by my wine cellar door where it sat at 13 C for two
weeks with the cork tightly in place.
Between bites, I go downstairs
and retrieve the bottle. I throw a splash into a glass and suck it up with a
morsel of the tangy blackened pork. Holy cow - (well at least pig) - this simple
red Macon is bright and refreshing with lots of tangy red cherry flavours (where
were they before?). It’s a perfect match and even works better than the Chard.
And
so I give a quick salute to Danny Finkelman and his 45’s. They have once again
provided even delicious evening and me with the excuse of a self-indulgent,
casual, low-cost. Thanks for the memories Danny!
|
