Experience #12
Birthday Celebration
Experience #12 was an after-party for M's 40th birthday. A few weeks earlier we had celebrated properly: close friends, food, drinks, mixing and dancing late into the night.
This dinner brought the same circle back together, this time around Algerian family recipes prepared and hosted by Sonia and family. Hmiss, Berboucha and Mouhalabieh made the table feel different from the usual KCS rhythm, which is exactly why this Experience matters.
We included part of the live set from M's birthday because it was too much fun to leave in the room. The main music page is Birthday Mix (Live). We also included Apero In The Alps, the chill set from the same evening, for the aperitif part of the night.
Menu
Hmiss
Condiment made with roasted peppers and tomatoes
Berboucha
Algerian meat stew served with couscous
Mouhalabieh
Milk pudding with orange blossom
Wine Selection
Cuvée Laurent Combier Crozes-Hermitage 2022 was paired with the Hmiss. It is a young-vine Syrah from Domaine Combier, full of black and red fruit, with smoke and black pepper on the palate.
That mattered because Hmiss has roasted pepper, tomato, spice and smoke. The fruit kept the starter generous, while the pepper and smoky notes echoed the dish without flattening it. Serve slightly cool, around 15 to 17 degrees Celsius.
Michel Magnien Coteaux Bourguignons 2020 is a useful regional Burgundy Pinot Noir: light, bright, good value, and easier to open at the table than a more serious bottle.
The red fruit and acidity worked with the lamb and spices in the Berboucha, while the lower tannins kept the pairing from becoming heavy. It is not a Grand Cru, and it does not need to be. For this table, drinkability mattered.