An Organic Chenin

Paul Bertolli, chef and co-owner of Oliveto in Oakland and former downstairs chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, has a cellar filled with handcrafted wines from both fabled and little-known winemakers and regions. Most chefs know only a little about wine. Bertolli has a true passion for it.

“A very successful food and wine match I’ve discovered lately is the 1985 Coulee de Serrant with salt cod and tomato tart,” he says. The wine comes from a little 17-acre vineyard that is its own appellation within Savennieres, itself a very small appellation in the Loire Valley. (In a good vintage, the entire appellation’s production of 30,000 cases is scarcely more than that of a medium-sized Napa Valley winery.)

Lacking an aged Coulee de Serrant, Bertolli recommends the 1995 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose, widely available in fine wine stores.

Coulee de Serrant is a Chenin Blanc produced by Nicolas Joly, who is a biodynamic farmer--which means he doesn’t use any pesticides, herbicides or manufactured fertilizers, other than the sulfur necessary for cleaning barrels and lines.

“The vineyard has a very favorable exposure,” Bertolli says. “According to Monsieur Joly, these wines can age up to 50 years. The 1985 is very floral, with ripe fruit and a strong minerally character. It doesn’t seem to have been aged in wood and has a very pure, unadorned appeal.

“And though it’s not something I would have imagined beforehand, the Coulee de Serrant’s lemony acidity and flavors are in perfect harmony with this salt cod and tomato tart.”

Bertolli starts the dish by making a brandade de morue. Then he spreads it on a pastry shell sprinkled with a mixture of flour and ground walnuts and puts sliced tomatoes on top; they become jam-like and sweet.

“The brandade is quite rich once you’ve pounded the salt cod and boiled potato together with a fair amount of garlic, and a little cream, lemon and olive oil,” he says. “The wine is the perfect foil for brandade’s smooth creaminess.

“When food and wine really work together, they both taste better by virtue of the match.”

SALT COD AND TOMATO TART

Allow 2 to 3 days for preparing this recipe to allow for soaking the salt cod.

SHORT PASTRY

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup ice water

Cut butter into small cubes. Combine flour, butter and salt in mixing bowl. Mix well so all butter is coated with flour. Add 1/4 cup ice water. Using 2 knives, cut through mixture to disperse water and cut up butter cubes. Add remaining ice water and continue to cut until all flour is damp.

Gather dough together by hand; knead very briefly to make certain butter is well-coated with flour; divide in half and compress halves into 2 disks. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour before rolling.

Note: Recipe makes 2 shells. You will need only 1 for this recipe; remaining shell can be frozen for up to 3 weeks.

BRANDADE DE MORUE

1/2 pound Canadian salt cod (boneless strip), about 1 inch thick at head end of fillet

Water

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small red boiling potato (about 2 ounces)

2 to 3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

Rinse cod to remove surface salt and then soak 2 to 3 days in 1 gallon water, changing water each day.

Bring bay leaves and 2 1/2 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add drained salt cod, reduce heat to bare simmer, and poach fish 10 to 12 minutes. Drain cod and cool, discarding water and bay leaves.

Gently warm olive oil in heavy pot. Add cod and stir vigorously with wooden spoon over low heat, breaking cod up until cod is reduced to matted, fibrous texture.

Boil potato until soft and mash until smooth. Add to cod and stir to combine.

Mash garlic in mortar. Pour cream over garlic, mix well and add to cod. Season with lemon juice, little freshly ground pepper, and salt, if necessary. Work mixture with spoon to fluffy consistency. Cool.

ASSEMBLY

2 tablespoons ground walnuts

1 tablespoon flour

3 tomatoes, sliced thinly, seasoned with salt and pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

Roll dough to rough 10-inch circle. Transfer to baking sheet lined with baking parchment.

Mix walnuts and flour and sprinkle over center of pastry, leaving border of about 1 1/2 inches.

Spread salt cod over walnut-flour area of pastry. Top with sliced tomatoes. Fold pastry border over salt cod and tomatoes, leaving center open.

Brush folded border with butter and bake at 375 degrees until nicely browned, about 50 minutes. Serve warm, but not hot.

Makes 8 to 10 first-course servings.

Each of 10 servings contains about:

354 calories; 1,892 mg sodium; 81 mg cholesterol; 23 grams fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 17 grams protein; 0.16 gram fiber.