Lobsters Mate For Life

I don't know if that's true or not. I remember an episode of Friends where Phoebe said that, so probably not the best resource for a budding writer to use. I will say, however, that I would be happy to mate with a lobster for life...at least from a food perspective (the lobster would likely not be excited about that). Lobster and shellfish is some of my favorite food and being from New England I'm in the perfect place to enjoy this fare whenever my little heart desires. As we're coming up on summer, I am preparing to set out on my annual hunt for the best lobster roll New England has to offer. Before you say it, I will be the first one to say that the above statement is extremely misleading as I would certainly be biting off more than I could chew...pun intended. The numbers of seafood shanty's and lobster shacks around New England that bloom in the warm weather is great. One person would have to spend their entire summer going around to the different states and looking in all of the different nooks to truly try every single lobster roll this region serves up every summer. I will, however, give you one very preliminary recommendation that came from the most unexpected of spots. As I live in Rhode Island, I'm used to a lot of the local family-owned restaurants and diners featuring seafood selections on their menus. The Whistle Stop Cafe in Albion, RI is hands down one of the best lobster rolls I've ever had. They do it both ways--the cold lobster salad or hot with butter. I've always been partial to the cold lobster salad myself and have become adept to dissecting the quality of the lobster meat, the amount of mayonnaise used, what seasonings are present and most important of all, how the bun is prepared. The Whistle Stop uses fresh, large chunks of lobster that is both sweet and salty with just the right amount of creamy mayonnaise. There it just enough crunch from a little diced celery. It all rests on a crisp bed of lettuce and is served in a hogie roll that they shave the sides off of to grill with butter. It all amounts to nothing short of a miracle. If you're in the area, get yourself there for an early kick off to the lobster season! Bon appétit, Tricia

I'm A Livin' In A Box

...a cardboard box. Okay folks, my complete review of the boxed wines is finally complete. I decided to do a one post round up vs. individual posts for all of the boxed wines. Let me tell you, I am very happy to start drinking outside of the box! Summer is knocking on our door here in New England and my mind is on crisp, chilled Sauvignon Blancs, Rose and lobster! For those of you in the same situation, staring down warm weather, I'm happy to tell you some of the wines in a box will be perfect for your big summer parties and barbecues as it's much easier, and at the end of the day just as good as some of the less expensive wines out there, than buying a bunch of bottles or a case. So here we go, the best of the boxes I spent the last couple of months in are as follows: Pepperwood Grove Pepperwood Grove gets two nominations on this list. Their Old Vine Zinfandel is a good red that's big with dark berries, some spice and tobacco. Zinfandels go well with your summer barbecued meats so it's always a good red when everyone's mind is going to white in the warmer weather. If you're in the market for a white their Chardonnay should satisfy. It's crisp and light for a Chardonnay (you won't get a big, oaky, butter flavor on the palate with this one) with some green apple, a little vanilla and some citrus. This will go great with your summer platters of cheeses and procured meats--think prosciutto-wrapped melon, some good salami and some of that baked feta I blogged the recipe on months ago on top of some Granny Smith apple slices (you'll pick up the green apple in the wine). Big House Wines Dave and I tried their 2008 Big House Red on a night when his parents had us for dinner. I found this wine to be pleasant and lovely with our roasted chicken with red fruits (cherry) and some spice, think black pepper. I think it's best for a novice wine drinker that is scared of trying red wines (or swears up and down they don't like 'em). This is a blend meaning there's a few grapes that go into this box including Syrah, Petite Sirah, Mouvedre, Granache and some others. Pepperoni pizza, barbecued baby back ribs and classic pasta dishes like spaghetti and meatballs will friend this wine just fine. The good news? These boxed wines stay fresh for up to 3-4 weeks and is a great way to get a good amount of wine that you can serve up without spending an arm and a leg. As for myself I am very much looking forward to rejoining the world of the bottle, but I won't forget my time spent in the box! Cheers, Tricia

Trying to Find Burgundy: A Salute to Classic French Food and Wine

Greetings fellow foodies (Dave here) and welcome to my attempt at a very classic concoction, Beef Bourguignon paired with red Burgundy wine. Beef Bourguignon (or Beef in the style of Burgundy) is a very old fashioned dish. Basically its beef stew made with red wine. But what makes it so special? For me, making regional food is an attempt to find a place or time when you can't actually be there. Going to France is not an option this afternoon, but I can cook myself a simple beef stew and imagine I am there.

Fooling myself into thinking I've arrived at a beautiful French bistro is a lot easier if I've had plenty of wine to drink. Naturally, if you are going to make food from Burgundy, you should drink wine from the same place. Red Burgundy wines are almost always made of pinot noir. Seems simple, but the variety can be daunting for even the most seasoned wine drinkers. With complex labels and so many regions who can figure it all out? If you are familiar with these wines you may know one when you see it, but if you go to a good wine shop you will usually find them clustered together.

My suggestion is to keep it simple when choosing a wine to cook with. Burgundy wines can be made from grapes grown throughout the entire region but there are also bottles made from grapes grown on specific sites. Burgundy wines which are labled Appellation Bourguignon Controlee are made from grapes grown all over Burgundy. These wines are not considered to be as refined but many are delicious and perfect for braising beef. As an added bonus, they can be more affordable varieties. Be sure to drink a glass of anything you are cooking with just to make sure you approve it. Try not to down the whole bottle. If your friends are anything like Tricia, be sure to hide the wine you intend to put in the stew or quite frankly, there won't be much liquid in the pot.

Choose something special to drink with your meal. Many of the premium varieties are labled by the specific area they come from, with some regions boasting better wine than others. Some good wines that I have tried include selections from Gevery Chambertin, Marsannay, Santenay, Corton and Pommard but keep in mind that is less than a handful of what's out there. Just have fun with it and try a few of them! Burgundy wines are getting better and better and now is a great time to try them.

The wine I chose for this dish: Maison Louis Latour Marsannay (2006) worked out wonderfully. This wine is a robust example with lots of deep red fruit and a pleasant mineral quality which balances the flavors. Bad red Burgundy is often very acidic and this one is not. I found it for $18 which is a great deal considering how good it was. If you can find it try it, but I encourage you to explore this region without reserve. Try them all and then we'll talk about it.

Now back to the Beef! There are soooo many recipes for Beef Bourguignon, some great, some dissapointing. Many of them take forever to cook, but I decided to cheat and use beef tenderloin. This cut of meat is so tender that it doesn't need to cook as long, giving you more time to do other things. It also makes this meal even more special. Heres what I do:

Beef Bourguignon

2 lbs beef tenderloin cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
4 slices thick cut bacon, diced
1 1lb carrots, thickly sliced
2 onions sliced
1 1lb mushrooms, quartered
2 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup brandy
1 bottle (more or less) of burgundy red wine
2 cups of beef broth
1/3 cup of crushed tomatoes
1 good size sprig of thyme
2 1/2 tablespoons flour or cornstarch to make it gluten free
1 bag of frozen pearl onions, thawed) or 1 1lb fresh
a chunk of butter (however much you dare)
some vegetable or olive oil


Heat the oven to 275*F. Cook the bacon over medium heat in a dutch oven or deep oven proof pot with a wide bottom and tight fitting lid. Cook until crisped then remove and set aside. Salt and pepper the beef chunks. Turn the heat up to high and when very hot, sear the beef on all sides. Remove the beef and set aside. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions, carrots and mushrooms, cooking for a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the brandy off the heat then add it back to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, beef broth, wine and thyme. Bring to a simmer and then add the beef and bacon back to the pot. Cover the pot and place in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and place the pot on the stove. Remember not to touch the pot. It seems obvious but I do it every time. Mix together the cornstarch or flour with some butter to make a smooth paste. Add the butter mixture and the pearl onions and bring to a simmer until the onions are cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened, a few minutes. Serve with grilled bread, mashed potatoes or noodles.

Boxes, Boxes Everywhere!

Tricia here, blogging the first of the boxed wines series reviews as promised in the last post. Let me say this, choosing the first wine was not as easy as I had thought, there are so many out there now! It wasn't easy picking--red or white, which varietal, what producer...my liquor store had a whole row dedicated to their selections.

I'll also say this, I knew there was more volume in the box vs. the bottle but with the amount equal to four bottles this could be a very dangerous journey I've just embarked on, happy President's Day weekend to me!

After 30 full minutes of perusal, I walked out of the store with a 2010 Bota Box Cabernet Sauvignon from Bota Box Vineyards out of Manteca, CA. I knew I was in the mood for red based on what I was planning on cooking today (see recipe below) and this caught my eye based on one thing: it won the gold medal at the 2009 California State Fair with 94 points. Now, I know that isn't the Wine Spectator 94 points, but the criteria are the same and let's be honest, it's not like it won at the Rhode Island State Fair (it's my state, I can make fun of it). California is the capital of the State of Wine so I figured it had some credibility.

I wasn't disappointed. The wine had a nice aroma of black cherry with a lot of dark plum and dark berry on the taste without being real "jammy" (yes, that's a technical term). It's a very smooth, balanced wine and can be enjoyed during any season, if you throw steaks on the grill for supper in the summer, this box is your friend. If you're bundled up in the cold weather and cooking up some rich comfort food, well, box it up with Bota Cabernet. At $17 for the box, you really can't go wrong! I was making a chili today with some new ingredients that were really hefty (dark chocolate, dark beer and dark roast coffee) and I chose a Cabernet based on that, see below for the recipe:

Dark Chili
1 lb ground beef
1 lb cubed sirloin
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bottle dark beer (think Porters, Stouts or dark Lagers)
2 cans of peeled and diced tomatoes, include the juice
4 cans of kidney beans, drain them first
1 can of beef broth, your own or store bought, whatever blows your hair back
2 cans tomato paste
1 cup strong brewed coffee
4 hot chile peppers--remove the seeds and chop 'em up
1/2 cup brown sugar
A few square from a good dark chocolate bar, or a handful of dark chocolate chips if that's what you have
Healthy pinches of each of the following: cumin seeds, cocoa powder, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, coriander, salt and pepper

Brown the beef and veggies including the garlic for about 10 minutes, then add the rest but hold 2 of the cans of kidney beans. Let that all simmer together for an hour or so, then add the rest of the kidney beans and let it go at least another 45 minutes, but you can simmer it all day if you like.

Pair it up with the same dark beer you used in the recipe or, of course, a glass of your boxed wine :)

Bon Appetit!

Tricia

**PS--I'm serving this up to Dave tomorrow so we'll get his thoughts on both. See you next week for another review!

To Box Or Not To Box, That Is The Question

I have many fond memories of my college roommates and me on Thursday nights hitting up the liquor store for a box of wine. Don't judge...it was the only way to get the most bang for our buck and purse strings were tight back then. Obviously we have graduated not only college but on to a higher level of wine indulgence. Over the years since school we have enjoyed many a bottle of fine wine not only on our own but when we can with each other :)

In today's day and age of a heightened palate where food and drink has become trendy, stylish, fashionable and cutting edge boxed wines are no longer the shunned product it once was. Suddenly wines by the box are popping up all over, put out by many a wine producer and in most of my favorite little wine shops.

Therefore, I have decided to embark on a journey through the field of boxed wines. Is it just hype or is there really great merlots and cabernets out there that come in cardboard vs. glass? In an effort to not only educate myself but my friends and readers, I will be trying and reviewing these wines over the next couple of months. Dave has no idea that I'm doing this but I'll let him know over dinner next week...maybe I'll deliver a box to his doorstep and get him involved. Trust me, if he can drink it he will partake.

So stay tuned and maybe you'll be picking up your favorite box soon! Of course as you try or if you even have a favorite square shaped wine please share!

Also be on the lookout for my review of the most creative and delicious cocktails (and where to find them) in RI!

Cheers,
Trish

Grapes For Tailgating!

You will never hear me say that Dave is a genius, never...not even now. You will, however, hear me say that Dave is a culinary genius, that I will shout from the rooftops. Not only has he inspired us all with his creations that err on the side of sophisticated, but he proved he could make a classic tailgating treat amazingly delicious with just a few tweaks.

We got together to watch the AFC Championship game last Sunday. Dave not a big football follower, this involved play by play explanation from me as to what was going on in the game. Thankfully he made it worth my while with his take on a sausage and pepper sandwich and of course his company too :)

I'm not even going to suggest a specific pairing for this. It's football...hopefully you're in your sweats at home with your feet up and you can eat and drink just about whatever you damn well please. I will say this could go nicely with your favorite pale ale, an oaked Chardonnay or a nice light Pinot Noir.

Dave's Chicken Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches

-1 package of portabella mushroom chicken sausage (any variation of this will do really, even if you want to stick with traditional pork sausages) sliced 1/2 inch thick
-2 bell peppers, pick your colors
-2 cloves of garlic chopped fine
-1 cup marinara sauce--make your own or find a good jarred one, up to you
-Good olive oil, balsamic vinegar and red wine
-pinch of dried oregano
-provolone cheese, sliced on the thinner side
-classic grinder rolls (hoagie, sub, whatever you call it)

Start by browning the sliced sausage in olive oil with garlic, just a few minutes on each side then remove from the pan and place on a paper towel. Slice your peppers then deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar and a little red wine. Sautee the peppers about 5 minutes then add the sausage back in along with the marinara sauce. Let it all come together then turn the heat down and let it simmer approx. 20 minutes.

Now, get your buns ready! Fill them with your sausage and peppers, top with the sliced provolone and toast off in the oven until the cheese is melted.

One bite and you'll swear off chili forever!

Cheers,
Trish and Dave

Tricia and Dave Had a Little Lamb

Happy Saturday everyone! It's freezing here in the Ocean State today, and everyone in New England is gearing up for the big Patriots/Denver AFC playoff game going down tonight.

I myself am looking forward to staying in to watch the game and have been thinking all week about what delicious dinner I can cook up for it. I haven't settled on the specific dish just yet, but I did want to share what I whipped up for lucky Dave last Saturday when he came over to blog.

I love lamb anytime of year, but in the winter it's a great alternative when you're craving a steak and potatoes kind of dinner, makes dinner a little fancier me thinks. So I headed out to my butcher shop and picked up 4 lamb chops with the bone. This was super easy to throw together, I marinated them for a couple of hours in the following:

-olive oil
-chopped mint
-chopped garlic, fresh
-lemon zest
-salt and pepper


You can throw these on a grill pan, medium high heat until your desired doneness.

What to drink with lamb you ask? Any one of your favorite reds will do, lamb is pretty red wine friendly. Dave and I washed our lamb chops down with some pinot noir.

Enjoy!

Cheers,
Dave and Trish