What do you give a gal who pretty much has it all?
I was struggling with that question after some friends took me on a very special getaway for my birthday….I wanted to get them something to say thank you, but just couldn’t think of just the right thing.
Then I visited the Remoldisita show in Seattle and saw these beautiful cork bowls. Years before, I had spent a memorable afternoon at Club 55 in St. Tropez, having lunch at this wonderful restaurant with these same friends.
Amongst other things, we enjoyed the spectacular crudités, served in a rustic cork bowl with a bottle of village rose.
Club 55 is so unique it is nearly indescribable…. rustic, elegant, relaxed, and a feast for all of the senses.
The crudités is probably their most famous dish, the rough cork bowls arrive at your table loaded with whole vegetables, a few hard boiled eggs, some sharp paring knives and anchovy dip {I always request a side of aioli as well}. It’s really quite a perfect thing… everyone starts cutting up the vegetables, dipping, sharing, sipping….it’s a beautiful way to start a splendid meal.
I had never even imagined the possibility of owning one of these wildly natural and beautiful vessels at the time. So, when I met the owners of Bitters Co. and felt one of these lightweight bowls I was beyond intrigued.
I learned a bit about cork that day….okay, this may seem obvious {given that this material has been used to stop wine for, I don’t know how many hundreds of years… } but cork is pretty much impervious and extremely sturdy. They suggested that these bowls could be used for soups, pastas and stews. They say that the sauces, oils and flavors do not penetrate the appearingly absorbent cork, and that they can be easily washed with soap and water. They also suggested they could be left in the garden to collect rain and become weathered….they seemed too delicate to me, but, well… it is just bark, right?
Another one of the beauties of cork is that it is a renewable material. To make these bowls, the thick bark is carefully peeled off of a section of the cork tree. The bark grows back on the tree, and is ready to be harvested again approximately 9 years later. Click on cork to read an interesting story from the BBC on the cork harvesting process in Portugal.
I have used my bowl for dressed salads, and it’s worked beautifully. I must admit, I haven’t been brave enough to fill it with any stews yet.
However, I did feel comfortable loading a couple of bowls up with plenty of fresh, whole vegetables ala Club 55,
and some rosé, just for the memories, to give to my kind girlfriends.
By the way, many of you have asked for French rosé recommendations, and here is one I’d like to share with you. I usually just shop for rosé by the color instead of the label, since many of the producers are smaller and distribution is limited. I look for light coral colored wines, they are usually drier and crisper, as opposed to those that are a deeper red, which I’ve generally found to be too sweet and heavy. Domaine Sorin seems to have had a steady distribution in the US for the past couple of years, I’ve been able to find it at several major outlets in Seattle, as I recall it is $11 – 13 per bottle.
In addition to the bowls {which come in 3 sizes}, Bitters Co. sells these terrific vases/umbrella stands, also made of cork,
and these chunky cork stoppers,
and these lovely, rustic coasters.
Love those cork bowls – so rustic chic. And have always wanted to go to Club 55 – lucky you!! I haven't tried the Domaine Sorin – will have to check it out since I love rosé. I did a post a while back about the cork situation and why so many of the wineries are moving away from it – very interesting. Will try and watch the BBC piece as well. And finally I must add that I received my wonderful Splendid Market items – thank you so much – they're lovely!! As soon as I take a shot of them, I will post it on facebook!! Wishing you a wonderful weekend!!