Potluck at the Pedernales

Our Cuisines staff meetings are usually held around a big table with only coffee and breakfast pastries for sustenance. We pitch ideas and plan future assignments, but there isn't time for too much socializing. A desire to spend some quality recreational time with the diverse and talented group of writers whose contributions to the Cuisines section help make my job so much easier prompted me to suggest a holiday dinner party. I requested that each writer bring a dish or two, something with special holiday significance or a new dish they were eager to try. Luckily, they all agreed to set aside a Sunday evening during the busy holiday season. Even luckier, Wes and Emily Marshall invited us to gather at their home near Spicewood, overlooking the recently refilled Pedernales River. The week before the party, everyone submitted recipes to Wes so he could set about the task of pairing wines to each dish.

We gathered at the Marshall home on December 10, covered dishes in hand. Mick Vann is caught up in global recipe research working on his forthcoming Appetizer Atlas, so he brought soup from Morocco and salad from Guam. From her entertaining repertoire, Barbara Chisholm chose a party appetizer that never fails to please and a perennial holiday favorite side dish. MM Pack, Rachel Feit, and Rebecca Chastenet de Géry whipped up fascinating new side dishes using the best of seasonal produce: mushrooms, winter squash, fennel, oranges, chard, and potatoes. Since I'd already published my dishrag turkey recipe a few years back (auschron.com/issues/vol18/issue16/food.holiday.html), I opted for pork as a main dish with a seasonal fruit filling. Rachel's dessert came from a treasured family heirloom recipe. We sipped wine and chatted in the Marshalls' comfortable, well-equipped kitchen while Chronicle staff photographer John Anderson shot each dish. Then the eating and wine-tasting commenced.

We understand that it's not exactly standard practice to pour different wines with each dish in a meal, but we weren't expecting readers to duplicate the meal as a whole. Our goal was to provide an informed wine match for each recipe so they could be saved individually. What follows are the recipes and photos of dishes the writers brought to our holiday potluck supper, each with its own very good wine pairing by Wes. It was a remarkable meal in excellent company. Happy holidays from our table to yours.