BV Napa Cabernet 2005 $17:
- Real nice dark color, pretty in the glass. Solid dark cherries on the nose, followed through in the mouth. It's got a little bit of extra on there, maybe a hint of oakiness or chocolate. It's enjoyable all around. A solid bottle of wine. It goes for around $17. If it were $14 I would recommend it all the time, but getting so close to the other $20 bottles (Simi, Clos Reserve, Franciscan, Martini Napa) I think you can upgrade to more complexity for those extra few bucks.
Douche' de Loungeville (Hard) Cider $7:
- Made from apples from Normandy, France. Real pretty golden color. 4% alcohol, so no zinger here. Finishes quite dry with a decent finish. A nice change of pace. Try it with anything that goes with apples (like the pork chops I prepared below!).
Douche' de Loungeville (non-hard) Cider $7:
- Once again, real pretty golden color on this. Noticeably more sweet than the hard cider, but not cloying sweet. Definitely more enjoyable than Martinelli's Cider, which I find to be overly sweet. It's a nice change of pace, indeed.
In other wine/food adventure related news: I got another cast iron pan! This one is a 10", flat, round skillet, as opposed to our current square 10" with grill marks. I'm quick becoming a fan of cast iron pans. Their great heat distribution, stove top to oven portability and natural non-stick qualities make the Iron Chef in me giddy. Broke it in tonight by working up some homemade pork stir fry. Excellent... Recipe follows (thanks to Albert, the China Chef at Safeway for the tips along the way!):
Pork Stir Fry, ala Albert:
2 tablespoons Cornstarch, divided
Sliced pork, thin - from pork chop or loin
8 oz. frozen stir fry veggies
cup of white wine (I use dry vermouth) or chicken broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon black bean paste
1/2 tablespoon sugar
salt, pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons minced ginger
3-5 minced cloves garlic
Heat the oil in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, toss pork with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and season with salt and pepper. When oil reaches temperature, toss pork in and brown. Don't worry about cooking all the way through, just brown it well on both sides. Once browned, remove from pan and set aside.
Throw veggie mix into the hot pan. Meanwhile, mix white wine or chicken broth, soy sauce sugar and remaining tablespoon of cornstarch. Mix well. After about 2 minutes, add the garlic, ginger and black bean paste to the side of the pan and let sizzle to bring out flavors. After 2 minutes more, when veggies are cooked through and crisp, add the liquid and mix well. Keep over heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning. 1-2 minutes later, you've should have a nice sauce consistency. Serve over rice and enjoy!
Top Tip:
When I was picking Albert's brain about stir fry he gave me the following advice. The worst thing you can do is overcook the vegetables. It makes a big difference and those frozen veggies cook up surprisingly fast in a well heated skillet.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Pork chop extravaganza!
All this Iron Chef talk has sparked the gourmet holed up in my head to peak out and want to get back into the mix. Since I had a few moments during work (slower Wednesday) I started making a shopping list. Like most shopping lists I make I end up only getting half of the things on it. My grocery list isn't so much a list but a brainstorm. I write down all the ingredients I think I might need to create a couple of different dishes and then depending on the sales and my whim I whittle it down. Here's what come together tonight.
Pan Fried Pork Chop Stuffed with Havarti, Fresh Basil and Carmelized Onion with Port Sauce:
Double breaded the chop in a mix of flour and breadcrumbs. Stuffed it with about a slice of Havarti (which melts beautifully), fresh basil and caramelized onion. Threw it in the cast iron skillet on high heat for just a couple minutes a side, until nice and browned. Then it's into the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 - 12 minutes.
After pulling the chops out of the oven I made a port sauce. Poured some (cheap) port into the skillet, scraping up the little bits. After the sauce has reduced a bit I threw in a tablespoon or two of butter and whisked. This helps bring the sauce together a bit.
Served with roasted potatoes and carrots, it turned out to be a proper dinner! I'm all about browning the meat on high in the cast iron and then finishing it in the oven. You should try it if you haven't already! It really helps to not overcook the meat.
Had it with the H3 Columbia Crest Merlot. I've discussed it before, so I won't do the whole redux thing here. I'm really here to talk about the food. And I've done that. So until next time...
Peace Love and Chicken Grease,
Matt
Pan Fried Pork Chop Stuffed with Havarti, Fresh Basil and Carmelized Onion with Port Sauce:
Double breaded the chop in a mix of flour and breadcrumbs. Stuffed it with about a slice of Havarti (which melts beautifully), fresh basil and caramelized onion. Threw it in the cast iron skillet on high heat for just a couple minutes a side, until nice and browned. Then it's into the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 - 12 minutes.
After pulling the chops out of the oven I made a port sauce. Poured some (cheap) port into the skillet, scraping up the little bits. After the sauce has reduced a bit I threw in a tablespoon or two of butter and whisked. This helps bring the sauce together a bit.
Served with roasted potatoes and carrots, it turned out to be a proper dinner! I'm all about browning the meat on high in the cast iron and then finishing it in the oven. You should try it if you haven't already! It really helps to not overcook the meat.
Had it with the H3 Columbia Crest Merlot. I've discussed it before, so I won't do the whole redux thing here. I'm really here to talk about the food. And I've done that. So until next time...
Peace Love and Chicken Grease,
Matt
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Upcoming Iron Chef Cook-off!
A Iron Chef competition is in the works with one of my roommates, Danielle. Consequently I've been reading up on different cooking magazines, cooking books and mentally planning meals the last week. What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? How could I work the things that I do well into the competition, which will invariably involve multiple servings of the same dish (i.e. translating a big pizza into separate appetizers)? for your enjoyment...
Strengths:
- I think I am a decent cook overall. I've picked up a couple of techniques that I think can help win over a crowd. One dish I will probably try to work in is a type of stuffed chicken breast. The great thing is you can stuff it with just about anything. I find the trick is browning it in a skillet on both sides and then finishing it in the oven. Otherwise it becomes too difficult to try to cook the chicken all the way through and not burn it, all while not letting the chicken sit in a bunch of oil and getting too greasy.
I also feel like I make good pizzas (something that is a few years coming). I've been kicking around the idea of making small, mini pizzas. These could serve as appetizers of some sort. I haven't tried to miniaturize my big pizzas, but figure that it couldn't be too difficult.
- Potatoes. I eat a lot of potatoes. I've prepared them many ways. I can get good hashbrowns, homefries and potato chips, besides the obvious baked/mashed dishes. I feel this gives me a good advantage and flexibility with whatever gets thrown at me.
- Italian cooking. As mentioned with the pizzas above, I've been cooking Italian for some time. Risotto is a favorite that I don't make too often and can work well with lots of different ingredients. Pastas can come together nicely, too.
- Food Network. Ok, I know as well as anyone that watching people cook on TV does NOT translate to being a good cook at home. Practice makes a good cook. That said, remembering those little tricks and tips can help make that little difference in whatever you are preparing.
Weaknesses:
- Desserts. I'm not a big dessert guy, so this could pose a problem (especially if we go with a three dish requirement, appetizer, entree and dessert). I could minimize my loses here by staying basic and simple. My trump card right now is figuring out how to make homemade caramel sauce.
- Sauces. Besides my glorious homemade chicken gravy (see below posts) I haven't made a lot of progress by way of scratch sauces. I've come up with stir fry sauces that work pretty well, thanks in big part to Albert the China Chef where I work. On second thought, however, I've experimented with making port reduction sauces that have turned out pretty well, so I might be OK here, as long as I can play towards I've practiced.
- Presentation. I cook for myself. I don't care how the food looks on the plate. I don't present to myself. I'm lucky enough if there's still food left by the time I get to the table. I'll need to work on height of the dish on the plate (thank you food network) and spreading sauces on the plate all fancy like (see above problems).
All in all it should be pretty fun. Our kitchen is set up nicely for something like this, with two burners each, an oven each and half a prep area each. Depending on secret ingredients, I think it would be fun to do a new version of an old classic. Like spiffing up fish and chips, pizza or breakfast dishes. We'll see how it all comes together. I'm excited! I'm going to try to work in wine pairings to win over the crowd, too.
Strengths:
- I think I am a decent cook overall. I've picked up a couple of techniques that I think can help win over a crowd. One dish I will probably try to work in is a type of stuffed chicken breast. The great thing is you can stuff it with just about anything. I find the trick is browning it in a skillet on both sides and then finishing it in the oven. Otherwise it becomes too difficult to try to cook the chicken all the way through and not burn it, all while not letting the chicken sit in a bunch of oil and getting too greasy.
I also feel like I make good pizzas (something that is a few years coming). I've been kicking around the idea of making small, mini pizzas. These could serve as appetizers of some sort. I haven't tried to miniaturize my big pizzas, but figure that it couldn't be too difficult.
- Potatoes. I eat a lot of potatoes. I've prepared them many ways. I can get good hashbrowns, homefries and potato chips, besides the obvious baked/mashed dishes. I feel this gives me a good advantage and flexibility with whatever gets thrown at me.
- Italian cooking. As mentioned with the pizzas above, I've been cooking Italian for some time. Risotto is a favorite that I don't make too often and can work well with lots of different ingredients. Pastas can come together nicely, too.
- Food Network. Ok, I know as well as anyone that watching people cook on TV does NOT translate to being a good cook at home. Practice makes a good cook. That said, remembering those little tricks and tips can help make that little difference in whatever you are preparing.
Weaknesses:
- Desserts. I'm not a big dessert guy, so this could pose a problem (especially if we go with a three dish requirement, appetizer, entree and dessert). I could minimize my loses here by staying basic and simple. My trump card right now is figuring out how to make homemade caramel sauce.
- Sauces. Besides my glorious homemade chicken gravy (see below posts) I haven't made a lot of progress by way of scratch sauces. I've come up with stir fry sauces that work pretty well, thanks in big part to Albert the China Chef where I work. On second thought, however, I've experimented with making port reduction sauces that have turned out pretty well, so I might be OK here, as long as I can play towards I've practiced.
- Presentation. I cook for myself. I don't care how the food looks on the plate. I don't present to myself. I'm lucky enough if there's still food left by the time I get to the table. I'll need to work on height of the dish on the plate (thank you food network) and spreading sauces on the plate all fancy like (see above problems).
All in all it should be pretty fun. Our kitchen is set up nicely for something like this, with two burners each, an oven each and half a prep area each. Depending on secret ingredients, I think it would be fun to do a new version of an old classic. Like spiffing up fish and chips, pizza or breakfast dishes. We'll see how it all comes together. I'm excited! I'm going to try to work in wine pairings to win over the crowd, too.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Oregon Brewfest 2008
I managed to get last Saturday off, as wedding duties called for the third weekend in a row. To my (pleasant) surprise the wedding didn't start until 6 pm. That left me with a free afternoon and the chance to go to the Oregon BrewFest. I never had the opportunity to go before, always working and such, so I jumped at the opportunity.
Here are some standouts:
New Holland Brewery (MI): Dragon's Ale
- Classified as a "strong ale", this comes in your mug looking like a porter. Nice and dark with all those stout/porter flavors you love, backed by some decent hops. The key to this one is that it is finished in oak bourbon barrels. Being a lover of Jack Daniel's for it's oaky/charcoal/sweetness on the finish I was high as a bird that the beer had a very similar finish. If you like 'em big, strong and dark, search this one out.
Surly Brewing Company (MN): Coffee Bender
- Once again, my bias towards two things I love a) dark beer and b) coffee find a winner. Full of maltiness, carmel notes and (duh) coffee, I was in heaven. Delicious.
There were other standouts, too, but alas, I left my program in the porta-potty. And I didn't take any real notes anyways. These were the two winners in my book, so search 'em out beer lovers!
Here are some standouts:
New Holland Brewery (MI): Dragon's Ale
- Classified as a "strong ale", this comes in your mug looking like a porter. Nice and dark with all those stout/porter flavors you love, backed by some decent hops. The key to this one is that it is finished in oak bourbon barrels. Being a lover of Jack Daniel's for it's oaky/charcoal/sweetness on the finish I was high as a bird that the beer had a very similar finish. If you like 'em big, strong and dark, search this one out.
Surly Brewing Company (MN): Coffee Bender
- Once again, my bias towards two things I love a) dark beer and b) coffee find a winner. Full of maltiness, carmel notes and (duh) coffee, I was in heaven. Delicious.
There were other standouts, too, but alas, I left my program in the porta-potty. And I didn't take any real notes anyways. These were the two winners in my book, so search 'em out beer lovers!
Adventures in cooking, fryer chickens
I roasted a whole fryer chicken the other day, piecing together different recipes to try to get something that interested me. I ended up going with a rosemary/lemon zest rub under the skins, then poured a olive oil/lemon juice mix over the top before hitting the oven. The chicken ended up a little on the dry side (damn it all!) but was pretty good. The killer part about the dish was the gravy.
i browned the chicken in our cast iron skillet first, then it was to the oven. After I poured the vinaigarette over the chicken I sliced an onion and placed it around the chicken. When the chicken was cooked through there was a whole lot of delicious chicken juice simmering away at the bottom of the pan. I pulled the chicken out of the skillet and threw the gravy on the stove top, put it on high and added about 1/3 cup dry vermouth. Reduced down and made one of the best damn chicken gravies I have ever, ever had. It was plenty rich (thank you chicken fat), but balanced by all the lemon juice I threw in. Rosemary for some herbage and the onions which had become deliciously moist put it all together. the white wine helped to bring it down to the right flavor mix, not too heavy, but not light.
Needless to say I've been working off this chicken since tuesday. I've been the happiest so far with my roast chicken sandwhich. Throw the meat on a toasted potato bun, add lettuce, some of the gravy and onions and blue cheese and you are set to go. Sadly the gravy can soggify the bun, but it's so good you can't help but woof down the whole sandwich.
And on to the wine of the evening: Waterbrook Chardonnay 2006
A subtle chardonnay, with some pear aromas and hints of oak. Picking up on some spiciness on the finish, too. Medium bodied mouth feel. Not too shabby for the price.
Bloggers note:
I took a look at the professional tasting notes from Wine Spectator after thinking about this wine in my glass and was pretty much spot on. Must be doing something right...
i browned the chicken in our cast iron skillet first, then it was to the oven. After I poured the vinaigarette over the chicken I sliced an onion and placed it around the chicken. When the chicken was cooked through there was a whole lot of delicious chicken juice simmering away at the bottom of the pan. I pulled the chicken out of the skillet and threw the gravy on the stove top, put it on high and added about 1/3 cup dry vermouth. Reduced down and made one of the best damn chicken gravies I have ever, ever had. It was plenty rich (thank you chicken fat), but balanced by all the lemon juice I threw in. Rosemary for some herbage and the onions which had become deliciously moist put it all together. the white wine helped to bring it down to the right flavor mix, not too heavy, but not light.
Needless to say I've been working off this chicken since tuesday. I've been the happiest so far with my roast chicken sandwhich. Throw the meat on a toasted potato bun, add lettuce, some of the gravy and onions and blue cheese and you are set to go. Sadly the gravy can soggify the bun, but it's so good you can't help but woof down the whole sandwich.
And on to the wine of the evening: Waterbrook Chardonnay 2006
A subtle chardonnay, with some pear aromas and hints of oak. Picking up on some spiciness on the finish, too. Medium bodied mouth feel. Not too shabby for the price.
Bloggers note:
I took a look at the professional tasting notes from Wine Spectator after thinking about this wine in my glass and was pretty much spot on. Must be doing something right...
Monday, July 7, 2008
Homemade pizza v.02
The second in a previously unpublished post, I made homemade pizza for the second time this week! The first time was last week with dough purchased at the grocery store (pillsbury, for shame!) and was consumed with the wine from the previous post, Columbia Crest Vineyard 10 red. Well, this time I got it right and went to the closest pizza place (Pizza Schmizza) and purchased some dough. Soooooo much better! In addition to being less than half the cost of the supermarket brand, it was so much easier to work with and get real nice and thin. I purchased the amount of dough used for a 12" pizza, which costs $1 and works out to a pizza that stretches the limits of my pizza stone.
I decided to go with a straight cheese pizza. One of my favorites is sausage and onions but my onion wasn't looking too hot, so I kept it simple. Cranked the oven to 500 degrees, heated up the stone, dressed the pizza and about 8 minutes later I had a tasty cheese pizza that cost me probably less than $2 altogether. I defintely recommend buying dough from your local pizzeria the next time you make pizza at home. It is cheaper and easier than making your own and no doubt there is some kind of pizza joint nearby.
I'm still working on getting the pizza crust just the way I like it. An oven as hot as it gets and a pizza stone are surely two important factors. In addition, not overworking or overflouring have helped. Room temperature door and sauce will help to cook the dough all the way through without burning the outside. The closest I've come to recreating the pizzas I've had in Italy was placing a pizza stone on the gas grill, cranking up the heat and then using the grill like an oven. this actually worked quite well. Good char on the bottom of the pizza, golden crust cooked through and crisp with some chewiness and cheese not burnt. However, I gave up on that method after gently moving my pizza stone resulted in a three piece stone, never to be used again.
And, since this is indeed a wine blog, I suppose I should talk about the wine I had. A by Acacia Pinot Noir 2006. Retails around $16. I wasn't too impressed. It's a pretty simple California pinot noir, light red fruit (strawberries on the nose?) and light raspberries. Just a hint of spice but really no finish. Pass...but only on the wine. And pass me another slice of that pizza!
I decided to go with a straight cheese pizza. One of my favorites is sausage and onions but my onion wasn't looking too hot, so I kept it simple. Cranked the oven to 500 degrees, heated up the stone, dressed the pizza and about 8 minutes later I had a tasty cheese pizza that cost me probably less than $2 altogether. I defintely recommend buying dough from your local pizzeria the next time you make pizza at home. It is cheaper and easier than making your own and no doubt there is some kind of pizza joint nearby.
I'm still working on getting the pizza crust just the way I like it. An oven as hot as it gets and a pizza stone are surely two important factors. In addition, not overworking or overflouring have helped. Room temperature door and sauce will help to cook the dough all the way through without burning the outside. The closest I've come to recreating the pizzas I've had in Italy was placing a pizza stone on the gas grill, cranking up the heat and then using the grill like an oven. this actually worked quite well. Good char on the bottom of the pizza, golden crust cooked through and crisp with some chewiness and cheese not burnt. However, I gave up on that method after gently moving my pizza stone resulted in a three piece stone, never to be used again.
And, since this is indeed a wine blog, I suppose I should talk about the wine I had. A by Acacia Pinot Noir 2006. Retails around $16. I wasn't too impressed. It's a pretty simple California pinot noir, light red fruit (strawberries on the nose?) and light raspberries. Just a hint of spice but really no finish. Pass...but only on the wine. And pass me another slice of that pizza!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Columbia Crest strikes again
Columbia Crest, one of the biggest producers in Washingston state, had done it again. They have recently released two different labels that you need to check out. I'll start with the cheap one. Vineyard 10
Vineyard 10:
Produced in both a red blend and white, this bottle should ring in around $7/btl. While the white blend was plenty good for the money (can't remember the blend, but perhaps some sauv bland, semillon, etc) I'm here to focus on the red. Vineyard 10 red is a blend of mainly cabernet, syrah and sangiovese (with touches of grenache, my new favorite grape). You'll be pleasantly surprised by this inexpensive red. It's got good simple red fruit on the nose. But where it earns it's buck is in the mouth. It's surprisingly rich in the mouth (and easy to drink thanks to what must be some residual sugar). Try it out, then buy it by the case. This is your new house wine. You're welcome.
H3 (Horse Heaven Hills):
Alright, so if you follow the ratings on wines you probably already know that the H3 chardonnay was rated 91 pts by Wine Spectator ("one to buy by the case") and that the cabernet also garnered a 90 pt rating. The great thing? You can find these wines for under $15! Sometimes on a volume discount you can get them for under $11 (which I did last week). The wine that has not been scored by WS yet is the merlot, and honestly I think it is the best of the bunch. Easily a 90 pt wine. It has the softness and fruitiness that you expect of a Washington merlot, but with a little something extra. This wine has an element of earthiness/smokiness that really did it for me. This is a wine that I recommend quite often during the work week (along with the chardonnay) and haven't had any complaints yet. Brought it to a family get together, too, and it was quite well received. It's one of those bottles that drinks like many $20 plus bottles, and that's why I love it.
Vineyard 10:
Produced in both a red blend and white, this bottle should ring in around $7/btl. While the white blend was plenty good for the money (can't remember the blend, but perhaps some sauv bland, semillon, etc) I'm here to focus on the red. Vineyard 10 red is a blend of mainly cabernet, syrah and sangiovese (with touches of grenache, my new favorite grape). You'll be pleasantly surprised by this inexpensive red. It's got good simple red fruit on the nose. But where it earns it's buck is in the mouth. It's surprisingly rich in the mouth (and easy to drink thanks to what must be some residual sugar). Try it out, then buy it by the case. This is your new house wine. You're welcome.
H3 (Horse Heaven Hills):
Alright, so if you follow the ratings on wines you probably already know that the H3 chardonnay was rated 91 pts by Wine Spectator ("one to buy by the case") and that the cabernet also garnered a 90 pt rating. The great thing? You can find these wines for under $15! Sometimes on a volume discount you can get them for under $11 (which I did last week). The wine that has not been scored by WS yet is the merlot, and honestly I think it is the best of the bunch. Easily a 90 pt wine. It has the softness and fruitiness that you expect of a Washington merlot, but with a little something extra. This wine has an element of earthiness/smokiness that really did it for me. This is a wine that I recommend quite often during the work week (along with the chardonnay) and haven't had any complaints yet. Brought it to a family get together, too, and it was quite well received. It's one of those bottles that drinks like many $20 plus bottles, and that's why I love it.
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