Thursday, March 24, 2011

Jam On It

Happy Thursday everyone, Tricia here. I should clarify who writes these blogs because sometimes you see 'we' or 'I'. Dave and I write these blogs together, it's truly a collaborative effort. When you read something witty and humorous that's typically me. Dave tends to be more dry and pragmatic. He will likely be mad at me for writing that but he's currently busy whipping me up some of that lobster pasta we promised you in the last post so he'll be none the wiser! (Nice try Tricia, but I can be just as witty as you......now back to the kitchen for me.....I hear Tricia cracking the whip).

There is a delicious dessert wine running amuck out there that I've now tried twice. Once at a friend's house and another at a wine dinner where they focused on South African wines. Needless to say this one is from South Africa and called Jam Jar.

I have to confess that I'm not well versed in dessert wines. I typically go for a nice port after dinner which we'll discuss in future blogs...love me some tawny port.

Not surprisingly this wine lives up to it's name. It's sweet with some big jammy fruit flavor along with hints of rich chocolate flavors. The top of the bottle reminds me of a Smuckers jam jar and you'll get just that with raspberry and strawberry. The color is also very rich and intense so it's very pretty to drink as well. Tannins in this wine are virtually non existent.

I should say that while this wine screams jammy fruit loud and clear it does not come across syrupy. As far as what desserts to have with this my suggestion is to stick with the chocolate sweets. A dark chocolate mousse with some fresh raspberries is what I envisioned while drinking it. One of Dave's specialties is his desserts and confections so I'll get him to whip up something delicious soon for you to try!

This wine is a great bargain at around $13 so go out and have yourself something sweet to drink today!



Cheers,

Dave and Trish

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Oak and Butter and Chardonnay....Oh My!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
Hey everyone, its Dave again, here to share some white wine with you. If you love white wine, you most likely have had a few Chardonnays in your time. If Cabernet is the king of the reds then Chardonnay might as well be the queen of the whites. Chardonnay can range dramatically in style depending on the method of fermentation (oak vs. steel barrel), the region and the climate the grapes are grown in.

I was graciously given a bottle of La Crema 2009 Chardonnay from Sonoma Coast by a good friend but it retails for approx. $18 per bottle so it's very affordable.
 
This wine is relatively well known within the restaurant industry. La Crema ages its Chardonnay in oak barrels, which imparts nutty rich flavors of vanilla, caramel and toasted almond. A wine like this can be difficult to pair with a large variety of foods but almost always its great with lobster, pasta with cream and cheese, scallops and roasted chicken with vegetables. Carrots and corn seem to work beautifully with Chardonnay and rich sauces tend to pair well with this wine. However, none of  this appealed to me when I was at the grocery store trying to put together a meal that would go well with this wine. I was really in the mood for something spicy, but I knew I would be taking a risk if I tried to pair La Crema with a powerfully flavorful dish.

Ultimately I decided to throw caution to the wind, live on the edge and make a vegetable curry using carrot and sweet potato with coconut milk. My thought was the sweetness of the carrot and the richness of the coconut milk would go well with Chardonnay with the coconut milk  taking the place of butter.

Sometimes I don't have the best ideas apparently. I loved the food and I loved the wine, but when paired together, I realized that the spiciness of the dish indeed overpowered the flavors in the wine. My impression was that the wine did not have enough acidity to stand up to the curry, and the richness of the coconut milk did not have the same power as butter or cream. In the end I would recommend this dish with the Gruner Veltliner that we wrote about in another post. Save the Chardonnay for my delicious lobster pasta! (coming soon)

In the meantime here is the curry recipe which I think you will enjoy (just maybe not with an oaky, buttery chardonnay).... bon appetit!                                

















Vegetable Curry with
Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk 
                                                                 
1 sweet potato                                             
2 carrots
1 shallot
1 stalk lemongrass
1 tbsp grated ginger 1 lime
3 basil leaves
1 can coconut milk
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 yellow pepper
good curry powder
tamari
honey
vegetable oil
                
Chop up all the veggies and set aside. Chop the shallot very fine and put in a small bowl. Using a zester or microplane, zest about half of the lime then juice the zested lime and put the juice aside. Grate the lemongrass and the ginger. Add the ginger, lime zest and lemongrass to the shallots. Saute the peppers and carrots in a little vegetable oil for about a minute. Then stir in the shallot ginger mixture until fragrant. Add a heaping tablespoon of curry (more if you like it really hot) then stir around for a few seconds. Add the coconut milk and the vegetable broth. Throw in the sweet potatoes and the squash. Bring to a simmer and add about 3 tablespoons of honey. Add about 3 tablespoons soy sauce. Test the sauce for saltiness and sweetness. You may need to add more honey or soy sauce depending on your taste. But don't add too much. You can always add more but you can't take it out once its in there. Simmer until everything is tender. Stir in the basil leaves at the end. Serve over brown rice and garnish with some more basil.

Enjoy,

Dave and Trish


Piedmont's Dolcetto-Little Sweet One



 Hi everyone, Dave here. It was Wednesday night, Tricia was working and I was bored, so I decided to drink. I was perusing the shelves at one of my favorite wine shops in Providence called Bottles when I stumbled upon a Dolcetto d'Alba.  Nothing says "Dave drink me" like a great bottle of Dolcetto d'Alba...it's a lighter to medium bodied wine that's compatible with palettes of all experience levels.  There was no reason to get too heavy with a big wine...it was only Wednesday after all.

Dolcetto is the grape and Alba is the town in Piedmont, Italy where the wine is produced. Working at Bacaro, I have become familiar with this style of wine. Typically a Dolcetto (literally meaning "little sweet one") is very fruit driven. They are best drunk young in order to preserve the fresh bright flavors of the wine.  The variety I  tasted (2009 Renato Ratti) had flavors of ripe strawberry, blueberry and violets with an assertive tannins and an earthy dry finish. If you normally like fruit forward wines like Syrah or Pinot Noir from California, you might really like this wine.

Average retail price:  $18 per bottle

It is best served with Italian appetizers or if you want to make a light meal for two, try it with a healthy vegetable and tofu gratin with San Marzano tomatoes and fresh cheeses. 

Tricia is a huge fan of an antipasti.  This is so easy to throw together and make for a light meal or starter at home.  Pull together some prosciutto, salami, provolone, fresh mozzarella, olives and roasted red peppers.  Arrange all of this on a platter, open your Dolcetto and enjoy!  For a bit more substance I've included my vegetable and tofu gratin recipe below...vegetarians delight!!





Tofu and Vegetable Gratin

1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 jar of good tomato sauce (or homemade, see below)
1 package extra firm tofu drained. 1/3 of tofu sliced off, save the rest for something else
salt and pepper
olive oil
1/2 cup cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese
A round gratin dish or shallow round baking pan

Heat the oven to 375. Take the slice of tofu (1/3 of the block) and pat it dry. Place between lay in the bottom of a strainer and place in sink or bowl. lay several layers of paper towels on top of the tofu. Lay a brick or something heavy like a rock on top of the tofu and allow it to drain thoroughly. This could take some time, maybe a couple of hours or so but its even better if you do it overnight in the fridge using the bowl instead of the sink. You basically want to get as much of the water out of the tofu as possible. This is an easy thing to do ahead of time.

Unwrap the tofu and season it liberally with salt and pepper. Have your squashes sliced thinly. Toss the squash with a little olive oil and salt to taste. Heat up a non stick saute pan on high heat. Drizzle enough oil to coat the pan. Allow the oil to become smoking hot then lay your tofu in the pan and do not touch it for a couple minutes or until the edges are brown. (**your pan must be incredibly hot or the tofu will not brown). Flip the tofu and brown the other side. Set the tofu aside. Pour some tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. Add the tofu in the middle. Layer your squash slices around the tofu. Cover with more tomato sauce and top with the shredded cheeses.

Bake away for about 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown! Yum!

* note: if you don't love tofu substitute it for sauteed mushrooms. Layer them around the pan with your squashes and follow the rest of the recipe. This would also be great with sauteed Italian sausage tossed in instead of tofu...use your imagination and have fun!

Enjoy,

Dave and Trish

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc--Clearly One Of The Best



These days, even the most novice of wine drinkers is familiar with Sauvignon Blanc. Even if you haven't had it, you've likely heard of it. The field of Sauvignon Blanc is a vast one. With many different parts of the world producing wine from the same grape, it can seem daunting as to where to look for a great selection.

We have stumbled upon a fabulous Sauvignon Blanc that comes to us from Marlborough, New Zealand.

It's important to know that not all Sauvignon Blancs were created equal, much like most wines out there.  This wine can range dramatically from region to region. In France, a Sauvignon Blanc might be grassy, herbal and even minerally. When you taste a minerally wine, you will notice a flinty almost smoky flavor in the backround. This often adds a balance to the fruit flavors of the wine.

In California, these wines might taste more citrus-y, meaning you will pick up notes of grapefruit, lemon and other types of citrus flavors. A Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is often very fruity, accented by flavors similar to mango, pineapple and tangerine. The Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc beautifully exemplifies these characteristics. A lot of this has to do with both the terroir, (that's our wine buzz word of the day to you newer wine enthusiasts!) which is the soil, climate and other natural factors that affect the grape while it's growing as well as what us wine enthusiasts call the vinification process...which quite simply is the way it's made.  This wine is fermented in steel barrels.  Wine is most commonly fermented in either steel or oak barrels and you can definitely taste the difference between the two.

The flavors of this New Zealand variety are very tropical and lively. We found it to be simply delicious.  We also pictured ourselves on Dave's mother's patio in Bristol, RI on a warm summer day with water views...that's what this wine makes you want to do...always a good selling point.  And at $20 per bottle it's probably the cheapest way to transport yourself to a nicer place.


Now what do we drink this with?

This wine is tricky because it isn't great with everything. But some of our research shows that it is fabulous with lemony seafoods, orzo salads, chicken and a handful of other things. We found it best with seared sea scallops. Here is our impressive but incredibly easy scallop dish.....enjoy!

Seared Sea Scallops with Lemon and Garlic


10 sea scallops (to serve 2, if you want to feed an army you'll have to get a lot more)
1 lemon
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp EVOO
sea salt to taste
black pepper

-Rinse the scallops and pat dry with a paper towel, be sure there's no water left on them
-Add the EVOO to the pan (if it's not enough to coat the bottom of the pan add a little more)
-Once the heat is HOT (in Dave's word "you wanna see smoke comin' off of that pan!"), add your scallops one at a time to the pan and DO NOT TOUCH--that's the secret to searing you see
-Allow the scallop to cook for 2-3 minutes until the edge becomes golden brown (NOW you can touch them...the searing action has detached them from the pan at this point)
-Flip those little suckers over and do the same on the other side--don't forget the 'no touch' rule
-Add one smashed clove of garlic (take the clove in it's peel and place your knife on top of it and use your hand to smash...the peel will come right off) to the pan and let it brown slightly then take it right back out so it doesn't burn (discard)--turn the heat down to a medium-low at this point
-Squeeze in half of a lemon's worth of juice and add your 2 tbsp of unsalted butter. Swirl around the pan, and cook for a minute more.
-Season with salt and pepper at the end and finito!!

*Note: Scallops do not usually need much salt. This dish takes a little technique but once you've tried it, you will realize how easy it is. It is also very impressive. I recommend making them on your next date (Disclaimer--If your date, like the majority of Daves, does not go well we are NOT responsible).

Serve this with your new friend Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc and some other fun side dish!

Cheers,
Dave and Trish