Fig, cheese, and prosciutto tart, excellent wine, and…Scottish beef.

We have a recipe for a tart that is fantastic.  In addition to the ingredients above, it has a reduced balsamic/brown sugar sauce and is topped with rocket which cuts through the richness.  Served on a puff pastry base, this is always a crowd pleaser and certainly a family favorite.  I wasn’t going to drink wine tonight, but ended up grabbing an ’02 Phelps Insignia, one of my favorite wines.  Both of these were tremendously enjoyable (the wine, to be honest, slightly less-so than in the past–maybe it’s going into a shut down phase?!?).  We also had Scottish filet mignon.  Once again, I’m left wanting with the beef we can get here in England.  We go to a good butcher shop–family-run, always fresh (or aged appropriately), etc.  But there isn’t a grading scale (Prime, Choice, Select) like that which exists in the US and I think it shows.  Thankfully, they offer great lamb, and that is usually what we get, but it is a bummer not to be able to get “90 point” beef here.