Easy Meatless Tacos

Some nights cooking a good meal just can't take a long time. When you get home from the city at 7 and back from a walk with the dog at 7:45 getting food on the table before 9 can be a challenge.

Tonight we combined a Zattarain's Low Sodium Dirty Rice Mix kit with other simple ingredients to make tasty no meat tacos.

1 box Zatarain's Low Sodium Dirty Rice Mix
1 onion
1 red sweet pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried mexican oregano
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or mexican cheese blend
4 soft tortillas or wraps
salt & pepper
salsa, sour cream
diced green chilies

Prepare the rice according to the instructions with the following exception. When using no meat we have found reducing the water in the rice mix by 1/4 cup will ensure it isn't sticky. Slice the onion and pepper, and keep them separate. Over medium heat sauté the pepper with olive oil until just starting to brown, remove from pan. Add butter and sauté onions until well wilted and beginning to brown. Add peppers back to pan. Add chili powder, cumin and oregano and mix well. Add lime juice and mix again. Sauté for a five to 10 more minutes and season with salt and pepper before removing from the heat. Assembling the tacos is more a matter of preference. In the picture above you will see that I first placed rice on the wrap, then onion & peppers and covered that with cheese. I used a medium salsa, sour cream and some green chilies for a bit of zip. You could choose to use lettuce and tomato or a whole range of other toppings to accent the core ingredients.

I attempted a wine pairing with this dish using a 2008 off-dry Gewurztraminer/Riesling blend from my own home-made collection. The wine has definitely improved since I last sat down to evaluate it. The aromas are more pungent and some tropical flavors have come through that weren't noticeable before. The wine definitely is a little hot, something I knew from a super speedy fermentation that took me by surprise at the time, a facet that was magnified with the tacos. While the pairing wasn't a huge success it was tasty and is something I will attempt again with another wine with similar flavors and sweetness.

Cheers!

Jason

Late Harvest Wine with Lavender Sugar Cookies

I caught this recipe for Lavender Lemon Sugar cookies in the Foodbuzz Top 9 today. It is brought to us by the 52 Kitchen Adventures blog.

http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/2238861-lavender-lemon-sugar-cookies

I immediately thought of a late harvest wine that is sweet, but not too sweet, with enough acidity to work well with food. I realized I hadn't had one that I could recomend first hand.

I have experimented with lavender from my own garden and with some more on the way this year I plan to try some additional preparations. Not only does it smell great during the growing season, think about a strategically placed flower box where the breeze blows into the house; it smells great during cooking and makes a wonderful compliment to both sweet and savory dishes.

After a bit of research I found a Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc made by Errazuriz from the Casablanca Valley in Chile. From the description seems like it would do the trick. The description includes mild aromas and flavors of melon and pineapple and is summarized as being a more intense version of its traditional dry sibling. I can imagine some amped up grassy and herbal notes as well that present as fresh fruity in nature. I read the review at http://www.slashfood.com/2006/12/21/dessert-wine-notes-errazuriz-sauvignon-blanc-2005-late-harvest/ as the basis for my conclusion. Both the healthy, but not super-high, sweetness and crisp acidity are mentioned which I think are requirements for these delicate cookies.

This is truly a fanciful pairing that is imaginative and inspiring. Hopefully it forms as wonderful of a mental picture for you as the experience should prove to be.

Cheers!

Jason

Fiddleheads!

I had heard of fiddleheads, seen recipes for them on the web and even seen the growing wild but I had never had them until tonight. They showed up in my local Shaws and I grabbed 3/4 of a pound intending to see what they tasted like. The recipe I pulled together below was paired alongside some simple broiled shrimp scampi. I actually paired a new beverage for me with the whole meal, Ti Quan Yin Oolong Tea. The tea went very well with the shrimp. The fiddleheads were just awesome on their own. I didn't have a chance to take a picture since I was in a rush to get dinner on the table in the 8 PM hour!

We found the flavors and textures of the fiddleheads included things we had experienced in Brussels sprouts, celery and fresh greens.

Here is some information from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension on fiddleheads. http://extension.umaine.edu/publications/4198e/

Sautéed Fiddleheads with Garlic, Green Onions and Thyme

3/4 lb fresh fiddleheads
6 green onions
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cloves of garlic
2 Tbsp butter
salt & pepper

Snip the browned ends off of the fiddleheads, set to soak in cold water for 5 minutes
Rinse thoroughly
Blanch fiddleheads (boil for 1-2 minutes, sink in ice water)
Thinly slice white part of green onions and mince the garlic
Over medium heat melt the butter in a saucepan, add garlic and thyme leaves
Sauté until aromas from garlic and thyme are easily detected
Add the onions and fiddleheads and sauté until cooked, approx 10 minutes
Season with salt & pepper

Cheers!

Jason

Pairings with Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

I found the recipe (linked below) for Grilled Chicken Quesadillas in the Daily Foodbuzz Top 9. It is brought to us by the Sea Salt With Food blog.

http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/2235642-grilled-chicken-quesadillas

This is definitely a dish that will make one happy after the onset of the warm weather in New England.

My first pairing suggestion will be beer, and Hefewiezen specifically; served with a lemon wedge. Widmer Brothers in Portland, Oregon makes what they call America's Original Hefeweizen. This is the signature beer for Widmer Brothers a brewery with a great story hailing from a city teeming with craft brewing lovers. Wheat beers like Hefeweizen are generally light and gentle which results in the ability to pair with a range of flavors including citrus, spices, greens and lighter meats. This recipe includes all of those things and I think this pairing is not to be missed.

For the wine drinkers I am going to come closer to home and recomend a dry Seyval Blanc. Another subtle beverage with light flavors, the wine should allow to food to be easily found and in good balance. The acidity in the wine can stand up to a bit of citrus and a slight hint of sweetness can fend off any spice or heat in a dish like this. LaBelle Winery in Amherst, NH makes a dry style Seyval that would be a good fit.

Cheers!

Jason

Mother's Day at Dalice Elizabeth Winery

For Mother's Day my family (wife, me, sister-in-law, father, mother, brother) converged on the Dalice Elizabeth Winery in Preston, CT. They are open daily for wine tastings, but check their web site at http://www.daliceelizabeth.com/ for specifics before you go.

I was fortunate enough to talk with several of the winery's staff and get some history on the winery that will help explain my impressions of their wines. The wine-making operation has been ongoing for 11 years, but up until October of 2009 it was exclusively a wine-making school, aka ferment-on-premises operation, where groups of people contracted to make wine by the barrel on site and then take it home when it was complete. Last October they officially opened for retail sale, on-site tastings and private wine dinners.

While they train their adolescent Chardonnay vines all grapes for their wines are sourced from California and Washington. They expect to have site grown wines in 3-5 years. Anyone who has ever ventured into wine grape growing knows how much patience is required here.

They offer a range of wines including Chardonnay, Sangiovese, Syrah, Zinfandel and a Chardonnay Ice Wine. They also make a Cabernet Franc, but it has sold completely out and won't be available again until next year.

We tasted all of the available wines. A big thank you to Blaze Faillaci for finding an open bottle of the ice wine for us to try some of. It was indeed excellent. John Wilcox got us going with the Chardonnay and explained that they make both an oaked and a stainless steel style. He indicated that we were tasting the oaked version which was aged for six months in American oak. The aroma of this wine was very subtle and I couldn't really define it. The flavors spoke of melon and grapefruit for me, which Margot agreed with. The oak was very slight resulting in a refreshing taste and a smooth, medium finish. We ended up buying a bottle of this to share at the end of our tasting.

Having arrived on Mother's Day I think we might have been interested in more than the winery might have been planning to do for guests, but upon asking if we could get a cheese plate for six it was promptly served and was of excellent quality. The service gets high marks and for a young operation that is a wonderful thing to be able to do. The cheese plate included Parmigianino/Reggiano, blue, goat and cheddar cheeses accompanied by black and green olives, hot peppers, marinated tomatoes, a fresh tomato & green onion salsa and of course crackers. The cheddar cheese intrigued me right off the bat. I knew I had had the specific variety before, but couldn't remember where. As I write this I think it is a Beemster which hails from Holland. I never did ask.

The next wine John served us was the Sangiovese. Fans of Italian wines will know this is a the grape in Chianti as well as one part of the "Super-Tuscan" style wines. The wine was dry and had wood on the nose. I didn't ponder the flavors as I was busy talking and enjoying time with Mom. We were also celebrating my birthday (from the end of April) and my mother had purchased me a Harney's tea sampler containing four Oolong teas and a beautiful white tea pot. I was explaining how I came to know of Oolong tea and how I was going to explore it as part of my sommelier training. Back to the wines.

Blaze took over from here and served us the Syrah next. This wine was lighter than some Syrah's I have had and definitely was not the spicy, super-fruity Shiraz typical of Australia. That should not be taken as anything bad at all. For the sake of an analogy lets take Pinot Noir. Classic French Burgundy is made from this grape and is often a focused and refined example of what you can do with the grape. On the other hand you can get Pinot Noir from California and Washington states that is fruit-fotward, super earthy and full bodied. These are two different wines each with their own merits. I was recovering from eating a hot pepper so I can't say anything about the flavors of this wine. The lightness of it was echoed from around the table so I knew that much was true.

I did find that the Sangiovese and Chardonnay both went well with the cheese and olive selections. I don't think anyone else was specifically considering the pairings so I didn't talk about it much. The goat cheese was very creamy and smooth which was very nice indeed.

The next wine was the Old Vine Zinfandel from grapes sourced from Mendcino, California. From the very first sip I found this wine to have some perceptible sweetness, it made me think of my own Cabernet blend from 2008, an asset for sure. The wine was oaky with dark cherry and plum flavors. Margot also suggested blackberries. The tannins were well balanced and clean, and the finish was smooth. There were hints of hotness, but it didn't linger. This was my favorite wine of the day.

Blaze appeared with a partial bottle of the Chardonnay Ice Wine and all six of us got a small taste. I had never had one of these from the Chardonnay grape and had asserted the flavors might not be bent toward the apricot, peach and honey flavors of the Vidal ice wines I have enjoyed. There were aromas of honey and peach, but the flavors were more of orange and flowers with the honey behind them. With plenty of sweetness this wine could be savored by itself or with a flaky pie or tart containing apples and spice.

Taking the optimistic side of the local wine business I would expect that in the coming years the Dalice Elizabeth Winery will continue to find success. Once the vines on-site start producing they might be able to infuse a sense of place into their wines. Preston, despite being up the road from Foxwoods, is a rural area with farms and lot of trees. With ponds and lakes on, and adjacent to, the property the place is charming. As it is for the other New England wineries I have visited what you can grow locally offers some constraints, but with a sense of place, good service and pride in the craft the results can be very enjoyable.

All the wines are available for retail sale. The Chardonnay goes for $29, the ice wine for $55 for a split. The other wines are similar in price to the Chard.

We also got started on the 2010 Passport to Connecticut Farm Wineries program. I was familiar with this program from 2009. If you visit and get your passport stamped at 16 or more of the 30 participating wineries by November 7th you can be entered to win one of several resort trips to Spain. More information can be found at http://pressnewengland.com/blog/?p=604 and http://www.ct.gov/doag/cwp/view.asp?a=3260&q=399108.

Cheers!

Jason

Pairing with Lobster Mac & Cheese

Zenchef over at the Zen Can Cook blog brings us a recipe for Lobster Mac & Cheese. This was featured in today's Foodbuzz Top 9. Make sure you check out the rest of the recipes for some incredible eating ideas for any occasion.

http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/2232431-lobster-mac-cheese

First off, the concept of using as much of the lobster as possible in the recipe is magnificent and refreshing. You will want to click the link above and spend the time to read about this evil creation. This recipe looks like you could die from happiness just looking at it let alone eating it. Bravo!

Back here, I am going to try to offer some wine pairing suggestions ,but I am not sure if I can offer anything that will truly make the dish "better", it is pretty damn good looking as it is. I'll try.

When I first read the recipe oaky, buttery Chardonnay was screaming at me. I think this will be an obvious pairing for many and despite it being mundane perhaps, it will work and I do recommend it. In particular the Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay comes to mind as one that should offer the right balance of fruit, butter and oak flavors for this dish. I used this wine in my Sensory Evaluation course back in 2008 and was very sad when the bottle was gone. With all the great bottles of wine to try in the world I just haven't gone and picked up any more.

An alternative pairing recommendation is a Pinot Noir. I think Pinot Noir has enough nuances to play together with this dish without overpowering the elegant texture common to lobster. I think the tomato and spices in the sauce will play especially well with a balanced and subtle Pinot Noir. I'd go with the Lange Three Hills Cuvee from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I haven't had this wine, although the regular estate Pinot Noir from Lange is excellent, but the winemaker's description leads me to believe it will be better with this dish than an alternative choice form their winery.

Now that I am sufficiently hungry and not making this dish for dinner I will go and wallow in my sadness.

Cheers!

Jason

What to Drink with Steak au Poivre

I grabbed a recipe from the Foodbuzz Flavor of the Month section where they are featuring steak in May. This month's flavor is being sponsored by Beringer Wines as they announce their Great Steak Challenge. I have entered recipe contests in the past but I am going to pass on this one in favor of some other ideas we are brewing up. If you are interested in this contest check it out at http://www.greatsteakchallenge.com/

The Joseph Erdos from the Gastronomer's Guide blog posted a recipe in 2009 for Steak au Poivre with Shallot Pan Sauce. Check it out at http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/us/new_york/new_york/midtown_west/980687-steak-au-poivre-with-shallot-pan-sauce.

I am going to recomend the Thomas Hyland Shiraz from Penfolds. My friend Wayne brought this to dinner a couple of years ago and although I had fouled up my own steak recipe the wine was fantastic and gave us something else to talk about. It even paired well with the insane chocolate cake Wayne is famous for. The wine is a deep red color with full aromas of dark berries and spice. The flavors were again the dark berries, pepper, spice and even some mocha that was best expressed with the cake. The finish was nice and smooth and the bottle was empty way too soon. I think the peppered steak and the zip from the shallots in the sauce of the featured recipe will go quite well with this wine. In my area I believe this wine can be found for around $15.

Cheers!

--Jason

Food Porn?

OK, I have to admit I can't be much of a foodie if I was just introduced to the term food porn this week. I'm a wine guy so I guess can stop beating myself up about it.

Wikipedia has a nice article that describes food porn as "a provocative term variously applied to a spectacular visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, cooking shows or other visual media, foods boasting a high fat and calorie content, exotic dishes that arouse a desire to eat or the glorification of food as a substitute for sex." Check out the entire entry for more information. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_porn

Good looking photos of food can make you hungry and the elation at eating a good meal is pretty high up there. I guees I thought we already had other words and phrases to describe these things.

There is an active community of folks who try to capture their own spin on food porn. Check out these links for a little taste...

http://www.foodporn.com/
http://foodporndaily.com/
http://www.foodieview.com/views/

Hopefully I have shared a bit of my education with you and you are now wiser to one of the counter culture trends just below the surface in the food world.

Cheers!

--Jason

Julia Child's Beef Bourgogne

This post describes my experience of making Beef Bourgogne from Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1.

One point of clarification. I did see the movie Julie & Julia and thought it was pretty good, although the story about Julia Child's life is what I liked most. I am certainly not embarking on a quest to make all the recipes in her first book.

I made this specific recipe because I wanted to make a dish that I could pair with a good bottle of Burgundy. I needed the savory flavors and the earthiness from something like mushrooms and since this dish hails from the region, and can be made with the regions's wine, I figured it would be just what I was looking for.

Julia Child is someone I recall seeing on TV when I was a child. Her shows aired on WGBH out of Boston and I lived in northern CT which picked up the station. I have always known of her and thought she was an interesting character from 20th century America. For a brief time when I was a kid I thought of being a chef when I grew up and I am sure I would have mentioned her as a reason why. My mother and grandmother were the primary reasons and though I did not become a chef I did learn to cook well enough for it to be a passionate hobby.

This recipe has a lot of seperate steps and takes a while to make. You might not be sure it is worth it up front, but trust me it was worth every minute!

The recipe calls for a bottle of wine to simmer the beef with. I used the Louis Jadot Savigny-Les-Beaune from 2007. I tasted a bit of this wine, not one I had had previously, and found it to be focused and reserved with a good balance. The wine was a deep red color but allowed light through, almost to showcase the color and clarity. The finish was long and smooth and the teeth drying effect from the tannins was there but not real strong. Because I was cooking with it I didn't let it breathe so my evaluation may have been arbitrarily short. I didn't feel I got a good read on the aromas and flavors during this brief tasting.

I am not a big fan of mushrooms and the more reading I do the more I think I am going to have to get over this. Mushrooms are found in many dishes and the wine pairing reccomendations involve integrating with the flavors mushrooms are known for. With a pound of crimini mushrooms in this dish I wasn't going to be able to avoid them. I was hoping the wine was going to help me here.

Oprah's web site has a reprint of the recipe from the book for those who want to see what is involved. http://www.oprah.com/food/Boeuf-Bourguignon

The most intense part of the effort was browning the beef, everything else was pretty easy. A friend of mine did confirm that following the recipe as closely as possible would increase chances of happiness. Once the beef and liquid made it to the oven I was able to switch gears to something else. As the recipe suggests I prepared the onions and mushrooms while the beef was cooking.

The aroma from the oven once the beef got to a constant simmer was incredible. I was pretty sure I was in for a treat. I chose to serve it over boiled potatoes rather than egg noodles, which I hoped would be a nice twist. I also made some crusty white bread topped with a little butter which worked well to soak up the sauce.
 

I paired the Domaine Pierre Gelin Gevrey-Chambertin 2006 with the meal. This is another wine I had not had previously and was eagerly anticipating. I did decant this wine one hour ahead of time to give it some breathing time and ensure that the temperature was right. The wine struck me as more subtle than the American wines I am used to. I am finishing it as I write this. The color is ruby-red but also allows light through to accent the clarity. The aromas hint at black cherry and wood. The flavors are again restrained and balanced and while they don't overwhelm they come off as a bit spicy. The tannins are mild which speaks of a good balance. The finish on this wine is also long and smooth like the earlier selection. I selected this wine based on availability and had not checked the winery web site before hand. I looked at it while I wrote this post and in a true twist of fate the winery suggests that this particular vintage would be a good match with Burgundy Beef. I got lucky on that and it worked!
 
The wine played off of all the key ingredients including the mushrooms. I ate all of them in my dish. I tried them in combinations with the beef, the onions and all together with and without the wine. While I still think the flavors inherent in mushrooms are what I don't like, I can see how they bring some dishes together.

From the first bite to the last I savored all of my planning and hard work. Cooking can take many forms and I won't be spending this much time (or money!) on dinner every night. I have a much keener appreciation for anyone who spends their days in a kitchen at home or for work. Hopefully they get to enjoy the fruits of their labor as I have.
 
Cheers!
 
Jason

Exploring Dal

Toor Dal (split yellow pigeon peas)

The Indian word Dal (also spelled Daal and Dhal) describes the preparation of beans, lentils or peas that are dried, removed of their husks and split. From there the type of bean/lentil/pea and the method of preparation branches out in many directions. Those familiar with Indian cuisine will know that there are many regional distinctions beyond a general difference in ingredients and methods between the north and south of India.

A few years back I took a job where I met many wonderful people from India. I was under-exposed to Indian food but being food curious this didn't last long. A willingness to share their homeland's food wonders was a great privilege for me, one that I worked hard to answer with things I had learned growing up the American food culture, like Apple Pie. Back to the Dal.

I love to cook what I call Dal stews, essentially lentils cooked with aromatics and other simple ingredients like onions and tomatoes. I generally serve this dish with store-bought appetizers like Pakora or Samosa and Naan bread.

Recipes for dishes like this abound and preparing the dishes is straightforward. Trying to match the flavors to what you might find in a local Indian restaurant will be a challenge due there not being a "master" recipe, and individual cook's decisions about how much of various spices to use. I say don't both bother. Make versions at home you like and happiness will follow.

A recipe for Lentil Dal from Itsy Bitsy Foodies was featured in the FoodBuzz Top 9 today. This recipe is a very straightforward preparation and a great framework and starting point to experiment if you choose. Check it out at http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/2214277-lentil-dal.

I have tried several enhancements to recipes similar to the feature including adding onions sautéed in butter with turmeric and cumin seeds after the lentils are finished cooking. I have also added cilantro paste, bought in a container in the grocery store, a few minutes before the end of the cooking to add some flavor without having to find or use fresh cilantro leaves.

In a recurring column named The Minimalist in the New York Times Mark Bittman writes on food and beverage topics. In an article from January 2010 he wrote about this same topic with good background and lots of ideas for the curious home cook to tackle. Check the article out at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/dining/06mini.html?ref=dining.

In particular I found the definition of the enhancement I described above, called a tarka, a nice validation of the things I had learned first hand as I have come to know how these dishes are made.

If you are lucky enough to have an Indian market nearby you can find all of the ingredients you might use in a dish like this as well as sides, appetizers and chutneys to serve along with it. In the same store bread is also worth exploring. Naan is the most well known type where I live. There are other styles, several of which are layers of bread with seasoned vegetables and onions in between, that are definitely worth a look.

Wikipedia has a nice article on Dal and lists some of the names of the other commonly found legumes that form the basis of this type of dish. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dal.

The picture above is my version made today. I used the FoodBuzz recipe as a guide and experimented with some changes. I used vegetable stock instead of water, substituted diced tomatoes for the tomato paste and added green chilies and cilantro paste with the tomatoes. For the cumin and coriander I used seeds and gently crushed them together with my mortar & pestle to ensure good aroma and flavor extraction. I finished it with a tarka of green onions, butter, lemon zest and curry powder.

A note on curry powder. This is strictly a facet of the western world. It was created for the British who got used to Indian flavors and then moved elsewhere. It is not something a native Indian will use. The blends of spices used in Indian food may be similar to this but are more often totally different, and that is what makes Indian cuisine so interesting. Using curry powder from the grocery store is a good way to harness flavors you are used to and I still use it from time to time. More often I used the base spices in different combinations depending on what ingredients are in a dish.

With food and beverage pairing constantly on my mind here are my ideas of how to pair with a dish like this. The dish is not overly spicy, although you can make it this way if you like, so the standard off-dry wine may not be necessary here. I am actually going to suggest a medium-dry rosé served cold. If rosé is not your thing or not to be found then a Riesling or Gewurztraminer will pair nicely with this dish and anything served alongside. If spicy sides accompany this dish then definitely go for something with a little sweetness to balance the heat. A hibiscus tea with a touch of sugar will also pair well. If you have time make and chill the tea ahead.

My wife and I love Indian food and continue to experiment with different dishes and methods and enjoying many dinners along the way.

Cheers!

--Jason

Wine Pairing with Creamy Potato & Ramp Soup

Peter over at Once A Chef Always a Chef brings us a recipe for Creamy Potato & Ramp Soup that was featured in the Foodbuzz Top 9 today. I had never heard of a Ramp before so the description and location of the wild find was very interesting. I thought I would try a wine pairing with this recipe even though I have never had Ramp. Hopefully the simiarity to garlic will guide me well. Check the recipe out at:

http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/us/wisconsin/fond_du_lac/2214117-creamy-potato-and-ramp-soup.

I am going to reccomend two different varietals using the same guidelines. Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc that have not been oaked should work provided they have some grassy and/or citrus aromas and flavors to pair with the ramp bulb and leaves. Unoaked Chardonnay is often more expressive with the fruit flavors than its oaked sibling which breeds similarities to a typical Sauvignon Blanc. A creamy texture to the wine would would also be an asset with the creamy texture of the soup.

Try these if you can find them:

Jibe Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand
Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc - California
Louis Jadot Macon-Villages
Macon-Fuisse (some may have light oak which would be alright)

Cheers!

Jason

Enjoying Tea & Scones

Allison at A Tasteful Garden shared a recipe for scones she found at FineCooking.com and has had success with. Her post was featured in the Foodbuzz Top 9 today.

http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/2210384-the-perfect-scone

She mentions the experience of having dry tasteless scones. Whether they were made poorly or day old I can certainly say I have had this experience as well. I won't even profess to have made them well, although I have only tried a couple of times.

Tea comes to mind with the mention of scones and to pay homage to this classic pairing I will offer a couple of tea suggestions and preparation tips. Several books from my reading list these, as part of my sommelier training, have information about and from tea sommeliers which is very intriguing and worth closer study.

The traditional pairing would be an English Breakfast Tea, a blend of black teas often Assam and Ceylon. Black teas should be prepared using boiling (212F) water and steeped for five minutes for a full bodied and great tasting cup of tea. I personally use a small metal tea ball with two pieces that fit together. This can be used to place the loose tea to avoid tea leave in individual glasses. One teaspoon (thus its name) per 6-8 oz cup of tea is recomended. Tea can be made in this way in a pot for multiple servings or in a single cup.

The quality of the tea used does matter, and I am not tea expert or a tea snob, so buying loose tea of this type even from the local specialty food or coffee shop should provide a better cup of tea than the mass produced selections from the grocery store. Buying from a specialty tea merchant will most certainly be better and cost more.

Another recomendation is an Oolong tea, and specifically the Ti Kuan Yin variety, which should pair well with a range of of desserts. If peaches, apricots or apples were used in the scones instead black currants this match would be further enhanced. Oolong tea should be steeped in 190F water, higher than for green & white teas, but less than black teas speaking to its position in between the two. Steeping time should be between two and nine minutes depending on variety and desired taste. Formal preparation of Oolong tea has a fifteen step highly visual and ceremonial process to it, something I aspire to see one day. Preparing as I have described here is all that is needed for enjoyment. One teaspoon per cup is the recomended measure to this type of tea as well.

Whether you are having a tea party or a nice quiet moment to yourself a nicely brewed cup of tea and a scone will definitely bring a smile.

Cheers!

--Jason

Making & Using Jalapeno Wine

A few years ago I was introduced to cooking wine by Amy at Labelle Winery in Amherst, NH. At the time she had two different cooking wines available, one made from sweet onions and one from jalapenos. Since then she has also added an heirloom tomato cooking wine to her collection. To help buyers using the wines she also has recipe cards available with suggested uses for many of her creations, including a chili recipe using the jalapeno wine. I could not resist. The wine sat on my rack until early 2009 when I used it and the recipe to make a wonderful turkey chili that I shared with some of the guys at work. The wine was not extremely hot, I could actually take a sip and taste the flavors comfortably, but the flavors it imparted to the chili were out of sight! The chili did not last long and I have often thought of it since. Thank you Amy! Check out the entire collection from LaBelle Winery at their website at http://www.labellewinerynh.com/.

Earlier this year I happened across seven pounds of perfectly good jalapenos on the reduced produce rack on the day they were packaged for quick sale. I brought them home and promptly washed them and stored them in the freezer. I then headed over to Jack Keller's winemaking site and found a recipe for jalapeno wine. Check out the recipe at http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques32.asp. The recipe targets one gallon and with 85 clean and cut jalapenos I was going to end up with five gallons!

I am on the second day of the recipe right ahead of the yeast infusion. The aroma from the bucket is strong of fresh jalapenos and the liquid is a mildly hot sweet juice. Kind of weird, but I am sure this is going to be a very good project indeed. The solution has a greenish hue, which can be seen in the picture above. I expect the finished product to be gold in color and crystal clear. (You might be wondering what is floating in the wine at the top of the picture. That is tied off portion of the nylon bag with the peppers and raisins from the recipe in it)

You may still be asking yourself, "what can you do with jalapeno cooking wine?", and what am I going to do with five gallons of it. Rest assured I have many plans for this new batch of wine when it is ready.

I plan to try it in the following ways:

• Chili
• Spicy Bloody Mary's
• Marinades for chicken & beef
• Salad dressings
• Sauces & reductions
• A little sipping perhaps, depends on how hot it is
• Who knows what else, I am taking suggestions

Cheers!

--Jason

Beverage Pairings for Everyone at the BBQ

Continuing on from yesterday's backyard party inspired recipe I found a burger that will make guests at your party smile. Today I am going to offer beverage selections for everyone at the party, including children and non-drinkers.

Jennifer at the Wuthering Iris blog shared the recipe for BBQ Chip Beef Burgers which is featured in today's Foodbuzz Top 9. Check it out at:

http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/2205705-bbq-chip-beef-burgers

The burger will definitely have a spicy backbone so you will need some refreshing drinks to manage the heat.

Serving a medium sweet iced tea infused with peach will be cool and refreshing with flavors that will balance well with the savory and spicy beef. Lipton makes a powdered iced tea mix with peach flavoring. Using such a mix allows the maker to manage how sweet and strong the tea ultimately is. For kids and those with a sweet tooth who crave soda on a hot day, the Pure Cane Strawberry Lime soda from Jones Soda will provide the fruit and sweet to go very well with the burger.

Every day beer drinkers might not give too much thought to pairing specific beers with party food, but I have had so many wonderful experiences when I have that I believe it is well worth it to try. In 2007 I made a honey lemon infused wheat ale that paired very well with everything we served in the backyard that summer. I would recomend trying the Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale with this burger. This beer has gentle citrus aromas and flavors and a slight sweet taste on the finish. Another choice might the Allagash White. With aromas and flavors of citrus and spice and a mild wheat body it will be refreshing and subtle with any food it is paired with. Both of these beers are easily found in my area for between $7 and $9 for a 22oz/750ml size bottle.

Wine pairings with spicy barbeque food can be done in one of two ways. Medium to off-dry whites with fanciful aromas to tame the spice or fruity bold reds that join with the food to add more complexity to the flavors. I say serve both. Inevitably you will have guests that are more white or more red in their orientation and having both options will bring you much appreciation. When serving wine outdoors during warm weather you will want to keep an eye on the temperature even more than you might other times of the year. Red wines in particular do not taste any good when they are too cold or too warm, and too warm is especially an issue for reds with higher alcohol content. Storing wines in a bucket with ice coming 1/3 or so of the way up the bottle will ensure they stay cool but not cold. The Dr. Loosen QBA Riesling is a wonderful, approachable white wine with enough sweetness to manage any heat, but plenty of fruit flavors and aromas to be enjoyed on its own. This wine is also a steal at $13 and often cheaper when on sale. I have enjoyed a bottle of the Two Hands Angel's Share Shiraz with slow cooked spicy pulled pork and would recomend it here. This wine is very fruity and rich and is an wonderful example of Australian Shiraz. At $23 it is more expensive than my everyday choices, but a backyard party doesn't happen everyday!

Cheers!

--Jason

Summery Bean & Bacon Salad

The weather is starting to turn warm in New England and that is when I start looking forward to cold salads for lunch and as sides at backyard parties. Packed with fiber and protein this dish offers several good things all complimented with a little bacon. Who could ask for anything more?

Summery Bean & Bacon Salad

¾ lb fresh green beans

1 can red beans

1 can Garbanzo beans

1/3 cup roasted Piquillo peppers

2 Tbsp canned diced green chilies

6 slices bacon

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. fresh ground pepper

Preparation:

Cook bacon, let cool and crumble. Chop onions and sauté them in the leftover bacon fat until golden . Let cool. Drain and rinse canned beans. Wash and remove the stems from the fresh beans. Cut beans in half. Chop Piquillo peppers. In a large bowl, combine the beans, peppers, chilies, onion. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Then, pour over the beans and toss like a salad. Add bacon and lightly toss again. This salad is best chilled in the fridge for a few hours before serving or overnight. Before serving mix well.

Cheers!

--Jason

Spicy Food & Wine Parings

Sara from the OneTribeGourment blog brings us a recipe for Moroccan Style Chickpea Soup with a Spicy Harissa that was featured in today's Foodbuzz Top 9.

http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/2200492-moroccan-style-chickpea-soup-with-a-spicy-harissa

Pairing wine with anything can be a challenge without practice and experience, but spicy cuisine has offered me some unique experiences as I have grown to love pairing wine with food. I have found good matches for Mexican, Indian, Middle Eastern, Asian and others.

My general rules are to find a wine with nice fruity and/or flowery aromas, some residual sugar to help moderate the heat and enough crisp acidity not to destroy the flavors of the food. For this dish I would recomend the Ironstone Obsession Symphony from California. This wine has the up-front aromas, is off-dry and has a slight feel of small bubbles that are crisp on your tongue. The wine reminded me of a drier Moscato which would be another wine I would recomend trying with some spicy foods although some selections are too sweet and overrun the food.

This dish is comfort food as so many cultures define it and I think this down to earth wine will both match the food and the mood of enjoying it.

Cheers!

--Jason

Lets do Spain for Lunch!

The recipe for "Basque-Style Grilled Cheese with Etorki, Piquillo Peppers, and Chorizo" from the Foodbuzz Daily Top 9 caught my attention this morning. Check it out here.

http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/2196438-basque-style-grilled-cheese-with-etorki-piquillo-peppers-and-chorizo

I have to admit that the most familiarity I have with the Basque people is from their riders in the Tour de France each year. I am not familiar with Basque wines as a subset of Spanish wine so I won't try to recomend a regional wine with this dish. I am recomending a pairing of Tempranillo or Rioja Crianza (Tempranillo is likely the majority grape in Rioja blends) that is on the young side. The youth of the wine should ensure the fruit flavors are present which should meld well with the spice in the Chorizo and creaminess of the cheese. Varietal bottlings of Tempranillo are often low on acid which will help the peppers and chorizo be represented well.

Cheers!

--Jason

Wine Pairing with Hummingbird Cupcakes

Natalie at Natalie's Killer Cuisine has published a recipe for Hummingbird Cupcakes. This was included in today's Foodbuzz Top 9. Check it out at

http://www.natalieskillercuisine.com/2010/04/hummingbird-cupcakes.html

Now that is a tasty dessert! My wine pairing suggestion would be a Late Harvest or Ice Wine style from the Vidal grape. I have had several of these from the Ontario, Canada and Finger Lakes, NY regions. The stone fruit (peach, apricot) and honey flavors will meld well with the banana, coconut and pineapple. The sweetness in the wine shouldn't be off balance with the sweetness in the cupcakes, but if less sugar were used (if you are concerned about such things?!?) I might suggest the Late Harvest over the Ice Wine as it might be just a little bit less sweet and not knock out the cake.

Cheers!

--Jason

Foodbuzz Daily Top 9 - http://www.foodbuzz.com/top9

Blog Housecleaning

I have been making some changes to the blog as I make it a key part of my sommelier education and training program. Hopefully I will be able to increase readers and get feeds of my blog hosted elsewhere so like minded folks might read even one article. The focus has never been just wine and the tag cloud to the right will show you how I am tagging my posts for easier indexing by topic. You will continue to see posts on food, pairing, beverages of all kinds, destinations and of course my home winemaking.

If you have suggestions for things you would be interested for me to research and post here please shoot me an e-mail (jasonphelps@yahoo.com) or post a comment. I am eager to learn about many things food and drink and helping to bring that information to others, like a teacher maybe?, is a wonderful way to sharpen my skills.

I added the Foodbuzz Today's Top 9 widget to the right as well. Foodbuzz is a social networking site for foodies, and they are kind enough to offer free widgets that link back to their user published recipes and blogs. Very cool indeed. I am always looking for new tastes and textures and I expect I will find inspiration there. One plan I have is to offer pairing suggestions for recipes/dishes that show up in the list. The recipe authors are responsible for the recipe and preparation information and I hope to be able to offer up serving and pairing suggestions to make a complete experience. I'll start this off with a selection from the date of this post (4/27). You can use the link below to find the recipe after that date, but the widget lets you scroll through all of the items being featured on a specific day.

Strawberry, Caramelized Pear & Blue Cheese Salad
http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/yu/yugoslavia/2189410-strawberry-caramelized-pear-blue-cheese-salad

Salads with sweet ingredients can be a wonderful meal or meal starter, especially with the tart flavors in the blue cheese to counterbalance the sweet. We often use this mechanism with the Strawberry wine at wine tastings. My recomended pairing for this salad would be a medium dry Riesling. The wine should not be too sweet as I would expect it will overpower the delicate sweetness in the salad; a little bit will join up with the salad quite well. A drier Riesling will work, but it might oppose the salad too much so I would be careful to select from a region that is known for a bit of residual sweetness, like the Columbia Valley in WA. For this reason I would not recomend Sauvignon Blanc which is typically dry, but I would for a salad with more vegetables and some herbs in the dressing. If you try it let me know what you think.

Cheers!

--Jason

GQ's Bucket List of Beer - One Hell of a Party!

GQ just released their "Bucket List" of 50 beers to try before you die.

http://cbs4denver.com/local/best.beer.list.2.1652138.html

A quick scan of the list definitely makes me sure that any self-respecting microbrew/craft beer lover will have already strolled down this list a bit, or should.

I have only had a couple of these, but have had many of the styles made in small batches at pub only or home settings. The range of flavors, aromas, textures and varying amounts of alcohol are sure to offer lots of unique experiences. The top six list of a good place to start, but the rest shouldn't be overlooked.

Over the weekend I put back a couple of pints of the Smuttynose Imperial Stout and IPA as well as a bottle of the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. The first and third are higher on the alcohol spectrum which lent itself to more sipping and enjoyment than guzzling. Both of the IPA's had nice fruity notes in the nose and plenty of hops, but not overwhelmingly so. The Imperial Stout was truly enjoyable. It had a nice nose and was rich with some chocolate and coffee undertones. It was creamy and light which is always a surprise for such a dark beer. Having a stout with my favorite sandwich at Biederman's in Plymouth brought back many nice memories.

Cheers!

--Jason

Malbec Lineup

We gathered some friends for a mutual birthday celebration and used the occasion to taste and compare three different Malbecs. Next month I will be making my first Malbec, and I was interested in trying several different selections and collecting feedback on the aromas, flavors and textures that I might aim to created in my own wine.

We tasted the following wines:

Bodegas Escorihuela Don Miguel Gascon Malbec Mendoza 2008 (Argentina, $14.99)
Clayhouse Vineyards Paso Robles 2008 Malbec (California, $13.99)
Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Mendoza Lunlunta 2007 (Argentia, $23.99)

The food pairings included a cheese plate containing, brie, smoked gouda and dill havarti with crusty bread, oil and crackers. We moved on to dinner of Margot's meatloaf, bacon & cheddar potato skins and broiled asparagus. Dessert was chocolate cake.

First up was the Gascon which due to lack of aeration, bad serving temperature or something else tasted flat to everyone. It presented itself with very low acidity, mild aromas and flavors and Richard comment it tasted "rusty". Pete and I returned to it later and it had opened up a bit, but still tasted off and lifeless. As I write this, the next day, I am tasting it again and it is more aromatic and flavorful, although still a bit understated. All of this suggests some air is necessary before serving this wine. This wine was underwhelming enough that no food pairing notes were taken.

Next in line was the Clayhouse, which from the very first sniff caught everyone's attention. Dark purple in color it was a pleasure to pour this wine and imagine what aromas and flavors awaited me. I found this wine a bit drier and more acidic than the Gascon, but with the intense fruit in this wine those attributes were well needed. The group shared thoughts on the fruit with my suggestion of raspberry garnering some objections. Cindy suggested black currants and Wayne added choke cherries, with currant being widely agreed upon. This selection went very well with the dill havarti for me, the spiciness of wine matching very well with the hit of dill in the cheese. I finished this bottle earlier today and found it even more pleasant with some air.

The final selection was the Catena Lunlunta. I specifically selected this more expensive wine to evaluate how price affected our experiences with the wines. The aromas of the wine were less pungent than the Clayhouse, but felt cleaner and more focused. This wine had the fullest body of the three and offered more refinement in the flavors as well. This wine was spicier than the two previous and slightly more tannic with a noticeable "teeth cleaning" sensation. It paired well with the brie matching the mild earthy flavors in the wine with the usual funky brie flavors. Wayne clearly enjoyed this bottle, specifically asking for it to be passed his way again during dinner. I very much enjoyed this wine and would buy it again for a special occasion, but I would be more apt to stock the Clayhouse as my house Malbec.

In the end the Clayhouse inspired the most conversation. Pete and I returned to it a bit later and found that although the air had helped it open, the increase in temperature made it taste harsh and hot.

This was a very fun and rewarding experience. I took a away a good impression of the range Malbec can span and a better understanding of where I can hope to take my home crafted version.

Cheers!

--Jason

Belgian Beers On Deck

I decided I would add some beer to my slate of beverages for summer enjoyment. I have brewed some amount of beer every year since 2003, but it has certainly declined in volume since I really got into the winemaking.

First up is a Belgian White made with wheat malt and infused with coriander and orange. I am using a traditional recipe and Belgian Wit yeast in hopes of sticking close to the style here. This is a lighter beer that can be enjoyed with or without food, but the citrus and spice does provide some pairing opportunity that I will not miss taking advantage of. I brewed it yesterday and it is already fermenting away happily.

Today I am going to make what I plan to call Jay's Belgian Trappist Monster. I am starting with a trappist dubble recipe that will get a secondary fermentation with two pounds of dark brown sugar and some additional Saaz hops. The Trappist/Abbey style yeast is going to go nuts with all the sugar, but you won't hear any complaints from me. I expect this guy is going to be high in alcohol, aroma and flavor. While it will definitely be enjoyable on its own I expect the food pairing opportunities, including with dessert, will abound. I'll be out in the front yard brewing this one this afternoon, so if you drive by throw a wave my way and I'll lift my glass of whatever I am enjoying as I brew!

Once tasting comes around I will post an update.

Tonight we are hosting a multi-birthday/anniversary party with and for some friends and I am using the occasion to do a Malbec tasting to get some feedback to feed into my first Malbec batches next month. I'll definitely take notes and post the feedback this week.

Cheers!

--Jason

Don't support H.R. 5034

House Resolution 5034 brought by beer & wine wholesalers nationwide is designed to ensure they are the ones who control what wines and beers are available in your state and that direct shipping is no longer permitted. This is greed at its finest. Don't let this BS shut down small businesses in our and other states and let fat cat idiots decide what we can access in our local stores and have shipped directly to us.

The video below explains this and reminds us that if we care we should act.

Cheers!

--Jason

Montreal's Food & Drink - April 2010

From the last post you can get a feel for the mission we were on to experience some of the distinctive beverage offerings found in Montreal. That mission is continued here.

Before I left for the trip I was reading a recent issue of Imbibe magazine that did a lineup of coffee stouts including the Imperial version from Dieu Du Ciel! based in Montreal. I planned to seek it out, try it and bring some home. Oddly I had forgotten when I organized the pub tour that this brewer does have a downtown location, as well as retail distribution, but had chosen locations closer to the hotel so we missed a visit. We did end up finding the beer at the IGA.

We also picked up the Rosee d’Hibiscus at the same time and sampled both at the hotel and brought the remainder home for future tastings.

Peche Mortel Imperial Coffee Stout ( 9.5% ABV)
6 pack for $14 CAD + tax

Smells like a Starbucks mocha!
Tastes like high cacao (85%+) dark chocolate
Strong smoke and coffee tastes
Triple chocolate cake with espresso dark chocolate sauce
Small sharp bubbles, but not overpowering
Will enjoy the remaining ones of these for sure!

Rosee d’Hibiscus ( unfiltered what beer infused with Hibiscus and spices, 5.9% ABV)

Pale red color
Strong floral and citrus nose
Tastes of flowers, spice and orange
Tastes like a hoppy/grainy rose wine

Next up was dinner...

Le Milsa
1445 Bishop St.
(514) 985-0777

Le Milsa is a churrascaria style restaurant with rodizio service. In Portuguese churrascaria is roughly translated as “barbeque”. Rodizio represents a fixed price offering where “meat waiters” bring various grilled meat offerings to the table until patrons signify they are full/done.

Le Milsa does not disappoint in the above definition. With ten meat offerings including, chicken, chicken sausage, pork, lamb, filet mignon, rib roast, sirloin, prime rib, strip steak, and turkey wrapped in bacon, you can be sure your cholesterol and salt numbers are going to go in the wrong direction! Served along with salad, bread, rice, sweet potato and spicy mushrooms many flavor combinations are possible.

All four of us, Margot, Gerry, Eloy and I, went with the standard menu and paired our meal with the following wines.

Bodega Norton Malbec Mendoza (vintage not acquired)
Errazuriz Estate Shiraz 2008 from Chile

The strategy I had for the wine was to have two different reds. For the first I looked for a subtle and focused wine to complement the richness of the grilled meats for which the Malbec did performed nicely. For the other I wanted a wine with more fruit and a bit of spice to counter balance the seasonings and take the flavors in another direction. The original choice was a California Zinfandel, which was not available, so the Shiraz was selected and played the part well. All of us agreed that both wines paired with the different meats differently and that all pairings were enjoyable.

One of the other experiences I was hoping for at Le Milsa was to try cachaca or a drink made from it. Without fail the Brazilian national drink, Caipirinha, similar to a traditional white rum daiquiri from the Carribean was on the menu. This drink contains cachaca, muddled lime and sugar served over ice. Somewhat sweet with good lime flavors, this drink was very pleasing and made for a great post-meal digestif.


We weren’t quite finished. With dessert, which was a choice of ice cream or grilled pineapple, we all also tried a strong coffee drink that included Gran Marnier and Crème de Cacao. Though I was originally worried that the coffee and pineapple flavors would not pair well, Margot was surprised by the perfect match due to the cinnamon coating on the pineapple. The flavors of the coffee were fantastic and its ability to promote laughter all around propelled us out on to the streets of Montreal for a brisk walk home.

Now that is making memories!

I did try a couple of other beers during the trip that are also worth mentioning.

Unibroue Ephemere - a tribtue to the green apple.

The green apple aroma was present right away and was unmistakable. It faded fast however, something I do believe to be a flaw. As for flavors I would say that my taste buds were still working, but were not picking up the fruit. It tasted like a typical light unfiltered ale without any other tangible flavors or aromas. This was not terribly memorable, but Unibroue makes many other styles I do like and will return to frequently.

We stopped at the Vermont Pub & Brewery in Burlington Vermont for lunch on the way home. I tried two of their house brewed beers that had unique descriptions on the menu.

Tulach Leis

Flemish style sour red ale
Fermented with Brett (also used in the Saison at Le Cheval Blanc)
Complex beer with pronounced aromas and flavors
Definitely sour and a bit yeasts
Not an everyday drinker unless this is your bag
Paired well with sweet potato fries and onion rings

Forbidden Fruit

This is big beer competition winner for them
Brewed with 500 lbs of local raspberries
Strong beer – no ABV determined
Sour mashed and oak aged
The fruit is unmistakable in the nose and flavors
Good on its own and would be good with fruit pie
No real pairing attempt was made, just enjoyed it solo

It was a drag coming home from such a whirlwind tour, but there was little choice. We have already started scheming up where we will go the next time.

Cheers!

--Jason

Montreal Pub Tour - April 2010

Our first Montreal pub tour was back in May of 2009. Here is the link to that entry and the fun we had.

http://ancientfirewineblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/beer-drinker-update-for-montreal.html

The plan this time was to hit a few new places and of course try some new beers. We ended up choosing 3 places, including Brutopia from the first trip, and tasted 12 styles of beer before the night was through.

809 Rue Ontario Est
(514) 522-0211
Sherbooke Metro Stop (Orange Line)

Le Cheval Blanc offers a combination of house brewed and unique import beers. All selections written on floor to ceiling chalkboard adjacent to the bar. The pub was nearly ½ full when we arrived around 5 PM, new patrons at a pretty good clip.

Euro feel / dark with a punk edge. Maroon and green color palette with funky feel, café or diner like with an eclectic collection of musician pictures hanging on the wall. We could not help feeling like Kerouac could start reciting at any time while the crowd snaps their fingers in approval. Our waitress with her bright red hair and combat boots made us feel surprisingly at home. Though her English was spotty and our French limited we managed to speak the language of beer quite easily!

Cream Ale ( 5.4% ABV )
Creamy – bitter + strong after taste
Smells like warm butter
“Repeat favorite in the making”
Would be great with hot buttered popcorn

Cask Drawn Warrior IPA ( 6.4% ABV )
Yeasty and hoppy nose
Served at cellar temp
Smoky, rich and strong

Margot – ”A serious beer drinkers beer; not for the faint of heart.”

A contemplative customer enters and walks right to the chalkboard
and thinks, “Maybe I will try something I have not had.”


Blonde Lager ( 5% ABV )

Sharp and refreshing
Neutral aroma
Slight citrus taste in the finish
Would be good with a slice of orange/lemon
This feels like a classic “I wanna drink beer” beer

Noire ( stout, 4.1% ABV)

Strong mocha nose
Low carbonation
Margot – “I never like dark beer, but could drink a pint or two of this”
Tastes like a dark chocolate latte
This feels like an “experience beer”

Saison Blanc ( 6% ABV)

This beer is re-fermented with the while yeast Brettanomyces
Perfect for fish, fried or not
Clove and banana nose reminiscent of other Belgian styles
This is a “pairing or food” beer
Very dry, not as rich as Belgian dubble and tripel style

245 Sherbrooke West
(514) 543-9750
Place-des-Arts Metro Stop (Green Line)

Benelux is located in an old bank with the vault used to create a more private space in the back. Definitely a place to see and be seen with a very different clientele, think younger and hipper, than Le Cheval Blanc. Busy on a Friday night after work.
We added some food to the mix here.

Tex-Mex Chicken Panini (contained mushrooms and a spicy sauce which was light). Green olives on the plate as well – it was good with crunchy bread, but not super-special. Hit the spot with and after the beers

Chips (didn’t find out if they are made on site or not). Kind of like Cape Code plain chips

Bock ( 6% ABV )
Mild nose and medium body
Somewhat earthy, a little chocolate flavor
Bitter

Olives and mushrooms paired very well with it

Lux Rouse ( Red Ale, 5% ABV)
Standard red ale.
Good but not memorable, we both agreed
Did not pair well with panini

Moonboot ( Belgian, 9% ABV )

Very clean, served in snifter so good aromas were very accessible.
Aromas and flavors were on par with typical Belgian double/triple fermented styles
Metallic smell from the glass was a little weird
The alcohol was not perceptible, but did not take long to make itself known!

1215 Rue Crescent
(514) 393-9277
Lucien-L'Allier Metro Stop (Orange Line)

Bruopia was the only stop that was a return visit. This choice was based on the solid selection from prior visits and close proximity to our hotel. It turned out that, with the exception of the Raspberry Blonde, the beers didn’t impress as much this time which might mean we would only come here to drink the selections which we know and could expect to be safe. Those are good and are worth it.

Smoked Porter
Subtle flavors, mildly bitter
Woody, reminds a bit of maple sap (not sugar)
Lighter smoke than expected
Didn’t pop, I actually didn’t finish it

Raspberry Blonde
This is our current and continued favorite in Montreal
“Will it beat the Noire?”
Smells like raspberries
Tastes of raspberries and citrus
“Raspberry lemonade OR iced tea?”
Grain and malt flavors are very perceptible and in balance

Gingembre
Smells like ginger sautéed with butter
Mild/low carbonation
Smells better than it tastes, not spicy and no perceptible sweetness
Medium dry
Better as a late drinker when unique tastes are not as crucial
Needs a little sweet and a little citrus

One observation is that the lighter beers made for better night drinking, which makes sense but was obvious in practice.

We weren't finished yet, but I'll save that for my next posting.
Cheers!
--Jason

Sommelier Away!

I met a recently certified Level 2 Sommelier last week. Thanks to Margot and her networking through Leadership Greater Manchester, we had a wonderful evening out with new friends.

Over dinner at Mangia in Hooksett we talked about wine from what seemed like A to Z. We covered making it, paring it, serving it, prices and quality, favorites, interesting regions and seeking out new styles and of course drinking it! I was also lucky enough to get some gracious feedback on the Ancient Fire 2008 Amarone #2 and 2009 Pinot Grigio. Both are drinking well right now and for a made-at-home product both seemed to be very well received.

The big outcome from the conversation was that I have decided to pursue Sommelier certification. This is something I looked into several years back, but not knowing anyone who was on the path, I had prematurely concluded that without restaurant/food service experience I would be at a disadvantage for this challenge. This myth was debunked with supporting evidence that suggested many of the people who pursue this certification do NOT in fact work in restaurants, his own story is one of a food & beverage manager for a local country club, and that with what I already appear to know I may be better prepared than I had thought. What a huge boost this was.

The next day I reviewed the curriculum available on the web site of The Court of Master Sommeliers and have already begun putting a plan to gain necessary knowledge and experience into action.

This choice sets me on a path to sit for the two days of instruction and exams to complete Level 1 in the summer of 2011 in Boston. If I feel ready sooner I could travel to another city to complete this level ahead of that schedule. Completing Level 1, and 90% of people do on the first attempt, will not earn me the title of Certified Sommelier, a designation reserved for Level 2 and above. The four level program culminates in an invitation only final evaluation that only 178 people have passed worldwide to date. With years of study (both textbook and practical, woo hoo!) ahead of me I am thoroughly excited and expect to be sharing this with all of you as willing students of science!

For now I am pursuing additional experience in the following areas:

• Worldwide Wine Regions
• Sales & Service, including Beverage Program development
• Food & Wine Pairing
• Mixology

My blog will figure prominently into this adventure as a place for me to share my experiences, recipes, pairing highlights and drinking recommendations. Of course I will still be making wine and keeping you all up to date on that, but I will be scaling back a bit in order to free up time and resources for this new challenge.

Cheers and wish me luck!

Jason

Cider Celebration

The conclusion of the Ancient Fire 2009 cider making was a gathering of friends a few Saturdays back. There was good friends, good food and of course, cider.

We sampled several of the finished ciders, including a batch made from the Rudesheimer yeast and a batch made with Traditional Cider yeast right from the spigot! We also sampled the three flavored ciders, strawberry, cherry and raspberry.

A few notes in are order to help with the reactions as described below.
All of the ciders ended up being between 8% and 10% ABV which is a bit higher than originally intended. No harm I guess…

The cider made from the Rudesheimer yeast is gold in color, has a good apple nose and is medium-dry. With plenty of apple flavor and a good balance of sweet and tart it is very pleasing to drink.

The cider made from the Traditional Cider yeast is about the same color and has a similar nose. This batch is a drier style which ends up being a bit more tart, but no less pleasing.

The flavored ciders are sweeter and were intended to have a serious infusion of fruit flavor. The strawberry appears to developed a flaw which has resulted in it being drier and flatter in taste than when it was bottled. As long as this doesn’t continue it will be drinkable. The cherry and raspberry don’t appear to have the same flaw and were both easily recognizable. The raspberry is much sweeter than the other two which serves to mask the alcohol, which may be dangerous down the line.

The response to the two unflavored styles was very positive with a pretty split decision on whether the medium-dry or the dry style was better. The flavored styles also received mixed reviews, with the strawberry being the least liked and for good reason.

We didn’t plan any specific pairings, but the hit of the evening was the candied bacon, thank you very much Cindy!, with the raspberry cider. I can’t really say much except you had to be there. It is the national food and drink pairing of Ancientfirestan, an emerging world power.

The experience of making several distinct styles of cider was truly rewarding and this reward will continue to pay off for months to come. I will not likely make cider again in 2010 and thus will have to ration it to carry its loyal consumers into the next year and next adventure.

Cheers!

Jason

A Peach Of A Wine

Last night Margot and I hosted Julie and John for another of our monthly dinner dates and I was particularly excited to plan a meal with a peach theme.

I specifically chose this theme because we had purchased a bottle of Hopkins Vineyards (CT) semi-sweet peach wine last August and had also made a similar wine of our own last summer. I was very interested in the side by side comparison.

The verdict on the side by side comparison is that Ancient Fire wins having the most peach expression and a longer and more pleasing finish. The Hopkins selection was less like a fruit wine than a heavily peach flavored white wine such as a Gewürztraminer or Vidal. While not a bad thing at all it the wine also went flat too soon and was not as reminiscent of eating a peach as our home version. The nose on the Hopkins selection was an initial give away that it might be very different, and before taking a sip I could think of several other wines that it reminded me of on aroma alone. The wine was very good and would be one I recommend, but when compared to our peach bomb it didn’t match up. The Ancient Fire selection was slightly sweeter and had peach aromas and flavors throughout. The finish was longer and actually felt a bit thicker as it coated the tongue. We will definitely make the full six gallon batch of this again come summer time. Last year we split the batch and blended some with Moscato which is quite good, but not good enough to repeat.

Both wines were paired with our meal which consisted of slow cooked Peach & Tarragon Chicken over Apricot Ginger Rice with Honey Soy Brussels Sprouts. Both of the wines fit well with the meal but the added peach flavor in the Ancient Fire selection created a more enjoyable pairing.

We have done side-by-side comparison of commercial wines with our own several times and it is clear this time we hands down favorite. Doing this has served several purposes for us including, helping us determine how close to varietal character we have come, using tasting notes of commercial wines to better understand similarities and differences we observe in our wines, and lastly because it is just so damn fun! Why open only one bottle of wine when you can open two or three or more and compare them?

Cheers!

--Jason

Spring Is On The Way

Several themes are evolving for Ancient Fire’s activities this spring. While not everything we are hoping for is likely to come to pass, more on that to follow, we are nonetheless excited.

This past weekend a lineup of twelve Ancient Fire wines were used in a tasting to raise money for the Relay For Life. Some of the selections hadn’t been tasted in a few months which ended up being particularly exciting for some of our 2008 reds that are now drinking very well. The Cab Blend and Ruby Cabernet are both showing their individual character and Amarone #2 is developing and should continue to do so for another year or more. Margot’s Symphony was the star of the day and as our youngest wine it is sure making a statement. With nice floral notes on the nose, obvious fruit flavors from the first sip, and a balance seldom found in our wines we think we have a competition success in this wine. Everyone who tried it had something, and very positive somethings, to say about this wine where other very good wines didn’t attract nearly as much attention. We raised around $350 with this event which is a nice bump for our annual Relay For Life event.

The Sake experiment was a bust, I grew other fungi than I wanted so I threw it out and will focus my efforts where I am already successful, fruit and grape wines!

Our spring winemaking plan is partially tied to receiving a shipment of Chilean grapes, which after the earthquake is no sure thing. While our supplier is proceeding with optimism they have not yet confirmed what will be available and have extended the pre-order deadline so we must wait patiently and see. If the grapes do not work out we will acquire some frozen must (pressed grapes from last year’s fall harvest) and make some of the wines in our plan, but will reserve budget for the 2010 west coast harvest later in the year.

We have also begun receiving our WinExpert Special Edition kits including the Australian Petite Verdot and the hugely popular Pacific Quartet white blend. When these get started will depend on the outcome with the Chilean grapes. Obviously we will give an update when they get going.

Otherwise we are almost done with the ciders which have also been bringing smiles for all who have tried some. Summer here we come!

Cheers!

--Jason

V-Day = Dessert Wine

Dessert Wine of four types in one day?

To pull this off you must know people who make it, make it yourself, and/or know where to buy it.

For Valentine's Day in 2010 that was a combination of all of those. We started with a brunch finisher and then went on to homemade and then to back-in-the-day Montreal with some ice wine.

At Sel de la Terre we had a wonderful brunch. We started with a bottle of Lange 2007 Pinot Gris, an excellent choice. It paired well with both barbequeued salmon and fried egg and duck confit hash. We led off with a cheese plate and goat cheese dip, great matches with the breads, apples and nuts paired with them.

The Sauternes and Late Harvest New Zealand Sauv. Blanc were kick ass! What a great way to finsh a meal.

We then returned home and indulged in a bottle of the 2008 Plum Dessert wine from our own collection. This is still drinking mighty good and won't last forever!

The final selection was the Magnotta Vidal Dessert wine from Quebec made in 2005. We bought several bottles of this to bring home in 2006 or 2007 and it is still as good now as it was then.

I had hope to write more in this entry, but it got lost in my drafts so I just decided to quickly finish it and ship it.

Cheers!

Jason

Cider Update

I am racking and back-sweetening the remaining six (of seven) carboys of cider this weekend. The first one was flavored with strawberry and has already been bottled.

I started with seven buckets of cider from Lull Farm in Hollis, NH in the first week of October. They were inoculated with 3 different types of yeast which was a new twist in my home brewing journey. Three with traditional cider yeast, two with sweet mead yeast and the remaining two with rudishiemer yeast. From the beginning there were differences in the pace of the fermentation and tastes between the evolving products.

Now at the point of preparing them for bottling the differences are very obvious and quite interesting.

A couple baseline notes. I prefer my cider without carbonation and thus I allowed the fermentations to complete and used sorbate and sulfite to retard further activity. I didn't make any cider in 2008 which is why I went nuts with 35 gallons; I hope it lasts.

As expected the traditional cider yeast yielded a dry cider which will get treated in three ways, with strawberry flavored syrup, dry and medium dry.

The sweet mead batches ended up with some residual sweetness, as expected, and will be treated in two different ways, medium dry and with raspberry flavored syrup (3 gallons). These should be a hit all summer!

The rudishiemer batches expressed a nutty flavor early on and it has remained, although to a lesser degree in the finished product. There is also residual sweetness similar to the sweet mead, which is a pleasant surprise. These batches will be treated in two ways, medium dry and with cherry flavored syrup (3 gallons). The nut and cherry flavors should meld nicely.

In the end I will end up with seven different styles that should easily be differentiated. This is by far the most interesting home brew project I have taken on to date.

Cheers!

--Jason