Homemade Applesauce

Fresh applesauce is one fall treat that I look forward to. I make it every year and enjoy it for breakfast.

I'm going to let photos do the talking. The recipe follows.

I talked to this apple tree when I passed it on snowshoes. It was hoping for Spring as much as I was.

Apples blossoms in the Spring-time herald good things to come...

During the picking season so many apples end up on the ground!

So beautiful!!!

Apples, allspice, cloves, ginger, honey and cinnamon and some water. So simple.

Ready to eat!

Homemade Apple Sauce

15 cooking apples (Cortland, Macoun, Macintosh, etc)

8 oz water

1/4 cup honey

2 oz orange liquer

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp minced ginger

1 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cloves

Core, peel and slice the apples. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer until the apples break apart. Add more water if needed to

allow apples to break down. Let cool and enjoy.

Cheers!

Jason

Guest Post at the Spice Sherpa

Check out our guest post on infusing vodka with vanilla and the Creme Brulee martini at the Spice Sherpa.

http://www.spicesherpa.com/2010/09/14/creme-brulee-martini-with-vanilla-vodka-infusion/

Cheers!

Jason

Margot’s Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna

I first made a version of this recipe years ago when Jay and I were doing Weight Watchers. The breaded eggplant was used in a recipe for eggplant parmesan sandwiches and it healthier because it is baked and not fried. You can definitely use it for sandwiches but the recipe below has become a favorite of ours.

Breaded Eggplant Ingredients

1 Large Eggplant peeled and cut into ½” thick disks
2 Eggs lightly beaten
1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2tsp garlic salt
½ tbsp dried oregano
Olive Oil

Heat the oven to 400 and coat a baking sheet with a thin layer of olive oil. Mix 1 tsp each of garlic salt and oregano into the beaten eggs. In a separate bowl mix together breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and 1sp each garlic salt and oregano. Take each eggplant disk and coat each side with the egg mixture, then the breadcrumb mixture. While working with the eggplant place the baking sheet in the oven briefly to heat the oil. Place the fully coated eggplant disk on the heated pan in a single layer. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until golden, then flip. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden. Move eggplant to a plate and place aside.

Lasagna Ingredients

Prepared eggplant
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
2 cups part-skim shredded mozzarella
½ tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
½ tsp salt
1 egg
1 roasted onion, diced
2 roasted green peppers, chopped
1 cup pasta sauce

Mix together the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, the oregano, basil, salt and egg. Coat an 11x7 glass baking dish with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the dish with the prepared eggplant in a single layer.

Continue to layer lasagna as follows:

½ of the Ricotta mixture, spread evenly, ½ of the roasted peppers and onions, ½ cup past sauce. Then repeat: Eggplant, remainder of Ricotta mixture, remainder of roast peppers and onions, reminder of pasta sauce. Finish by covering with the remaining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Place in 400 degree oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until cheese on top is melted and golden.

The resulting casserole is very filling and has the tastes you love in lasagna with a nice twist. Jay and I both love it and even go so far as fighting over the leftovers. I like that it heats up pretty well in the microwave at work and never ceases to make my co-workers jealous!

Mangia!

Margot

Ginger Cocktails

I had a fit of creativity last night and did some trials on cocktails influenced by the flavor of ginger. I had two ginger flavored ingredients to work with, a handmade ginger syrup and ginger brandy. I didn’t take pictures of anything, simply due to being tired after coming home from a two day leadership conference. I hope the drink recipes more than make up for it. Margot helped with sampling and giving names to the drinks.

Frootsie

2 parts hand-infused vanilla vodka
2 parts Ancient Fire 2009 Pear wine
1 part ginger syrup
Splash of lime juice

Combine in a shaker with ice, shake well and pour in a rocks/lowball glass. That combination of the vanilla, pear and ginger came together to taste like Frootises, the fruit flavored Tootsie rolls. It is very pleasant to drink with enough acidity to keep it crisp.

Ginger Lemonade

2 parts gin
1 part lemon juice
½ part dry vermouth
½ part ginger syrup

Combine in a shaker with ice, shake well and pour in a rocks/lowball glass. This is a very simple drink, but by no means unworthy, especially on a warm summer day. The gin and vermouth adds some herbal notes to a nice balance of lemon and ginger.

Watermelon Jolly Rancher

2 parts hand-infused cranberry vodka
2 parts club soda
½ part ginger syrup
¼ part lemon juice
Splash of lime juice
4 drips Angostura bitters

Mix vodka, syrup, and juices in a shaker with ice, shake well and pour in a rocks/lowball glass. Add bitters and give it a quick stir. Top off with the club soda. Margot really like this one and zeroed in on the flavor before I did. I am still amazed that this combination of flavors ended up tasting like a watermelon Jolly Rancher, but some of the best things in life are surprises! With a slight fizz and crispness from several of the ingredients we will definitely be making this for friends as soon as we can.

Spiced Pear

1 part vodka
¾ part amaretto
1 part pear wine
½ part ginger brandy
1/8 part agave syrup
1/8 part molasses
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of cloves
Dash of allspice

Combine in a shaker with ice, shake well and pour in a rocks/lowball glass. This drink has a lot of complexity with the rich flavors and tastes like spiced pears common around Christmas in New England. It isn’t a drink I would go to regularly, but that says nothing about how good it is. It might even be better slightly warmed in the middle of a cold and dark winter.

Ginger Sazerac

2 parts bourbon
1 part ginger syrup
4 drips Angostura bitters

Combine ingredients in a rocks/lowball glass over ice and give it a gentle stir. I saved a spin on a classic, and one of my favorite styles of drink, for last. The ginger flavor comes through well and meets up with the smoky, woody flavors in the bourbon to create a rustic feel. I could sip on these for hours!!

One thing I have yet to experiment with is ginger liqueur, like Domaine de Canton, and the drinks above make me think I might be missing a versatile bottle in my bar. Something for next time.

Cheers!

--Jason

200th Post!! - Fruit Wine…or Wine with Fruit?

Margot and I excited to be celebrating our 200th blog post with some wonderful tasting notes on Margot's recent homemade wine, a Blackberry Cabernet.

It started out harmless enough. We had a few big bags of blackberries from our vacation house in Vermont. Like many others we had used these blackberries to make jam, cobbler, pie and in granola, cereal, yogurt and smoothies. Unlike many other people I happen to live with an award winning amateur winemaker, and I had been watching him…and learning.

So I made the decision that those blackberries were mine and I had a devilish idea. Jay had recently purchased some cabernet grape juice, and wouldn't you know that there were a few gallons left over. Hmmmm, I think I’ll take that too. Just like any good cook I looked at what I had around and created something interesting. Little did I know where the madness would lead.

The idea really stemmed from a wine kit that I had made a few years back, a Wildberry Shiraz. It was my first stab at winemaking and it came out quite good. Jay and I came to call it “Sangria in a Bottle.” Though it was a nice light summer sipper it just felt like the berry flavors really outweighed the Shiraz. So this time I had my heart set on a red wine with blackberry flavoring to bring out the natural berry undertones of the red wine, and with that the Blackberry Cabernet was born.

The ratio used was 6 pounds of blackberries to 3 gallons cabernet juice. The results have been fantastic (if I don’t say so myself). The nose on the wine definitely lets you know that this is a Cabernet. The blackberry is present but it enhances the expected berry notes in the Cabernet rather than overtaking and masking them. Upon first sip you realize that the nose did not lie, you taste Cabernet first and blackberry second. This is no berry juice wine, rather it is a Cabernet with the jammy, berry undertones you expect, those undertones are just brighter. Though I have yet to try it with dark chocolate I am sure that it would be a perfect match. Can you really go wrong with dark chocolate and berries? I think not. Well I guess Jay just may need to watch his back at the amateur wine competitions this year….wifey is pulling up from behind.

To steal from Jay…Cheers!

Margot

Fall Is Being Fresh (does it need a timeout?)

While it isn’t technically fall yet in New England, and long timers know from the feel of the air that the beloved season is upon us. The thunderstorms that went through today brought the signature cool and dry air of fall in behind. Whether it is official or not, I present the fresh produce found all over New England this time of year, which should leave no doubt.

We spent the Labor Day weekend up in Vermont and were lucky enough to enjoy one fresh delight after another. Local apples, tomatoes and garden basil with cheeses & crackers, salsa made in time to eat, a fresh blackberry glaze on ham, candied leeks and carrots, and raspberries on granola for the breakfasts that powered us through 15 miles of country road hiking. The tastes transported us to happy places.

The Gala apples from Dutton Berry Farm in Vermont are extremely tasty this year, not too sweet and with a little kiss of acidity to bring in a clean finish. I have been eating these straight, but I’ll be cooking with apples soon enough. Look at these beauties!

Dutton’s (as we call it) has everything you could want this time of year and many items are available in enough quantity for preservation. Do stop by if you are near any of their locations in Brattleboro, Newfane or Manchester. The salad I had for lunch today was loaded with Dutton’s veggies and only needed a pepper and tomato salsa for maximum enjoyment.

The family vacation place in Vermont has blackberries on the several edges of the yard. With a tag team effort we have historically retrieved quite a bit from the bushes each year. You name and we’ve made it with our crop, jelly, pies, desserts, drinks, sauces, etc. Margot will be posting some tasting notes on her Vermont Blackberry Cabernet wine later this month. Picking had already begun prior to this weekend and I pulled another ½ gallon or so before heading home. In the next few weeks I would expect another gallon or so to be ready. Right now our grab is sitting in the fridge with some nutmeg, lemon juice and sugar; awaiting breakfast.

It was Margot’s birthday this weekend and anyone who knows her knows that her birthday does not go under-celebrated. We enjoyed family, friends, food, drinks and of course cake so she wasn’t lacking for recognition. This year I mixed up a new drink for her, something to blend the fall freshness with her sweetness.

Blackberry Sunset

Handful fresh clean blackberries
½ oz simple syrup
1 pint Ancient Fire 2009 Sparkling Strawberry Cider
ice

Lightly muddle the syrup and berries in the bottom of a pint glass. Fill with ice. Pour the sparkling cider over, gently mix and serve.

This drink has perfect balance of sweet, tart and enough acidity to make the fruit pop. Margot really enjoyed these and I expect I will be making them until the cider is gone.

Some other recipes and pairing notes from the weekend can be found at the end.

I’ll close with a collage of empty country roads. Margot and I love to walk when we are in VT. There is something about the quiet, empty roads in the woods that draws us there.

Cheers!

--Jason


Blackberry Glaze (for oven baked ham)

1 cup fresh blackberries
¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ ounce lemon juice
½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
¼ tsp Ground Cloves
2 Tbsp butter

Melt the butter and sugar over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add berries, juice and spices. Cook over medium heat until blackberries begin to breakdown. Take off heat and use as a ham glaze as you normally would.

Food & Beverage Pairings

We paired Margot’s 2010 Symphony with smoked salmon and herbed goat cheese toasts and found the nice fusion of fruit and savory flavors. This wine is very versatile with food and requires more experiments.

The 2009 Plum Riesling didn’t fail as a great match for the glazed ham. The sweetness in each were evenly matched and rich salty ham and fruit were incredible. I baked some apples in the pan with the ham and a bit of ham, apple and the wine tasted like an off-beat dessert.

Project Food Blog

Project Food Blog is upon us. I see this competition as the ultimate challenge to get us over some food blogging fears (video), improve our technique (photos) and learn how to step it up from the successes of others.

The Ancient Fire Wines profile is active and public and definitely needs some improvement. Do you have any suggestions? Are there any questions you have about who we are that might make nice additions to our profile?

The competition is going to be tough and the challenges themselves will certainly require thought and creativity to accomplish. Is there a dish, technique or pairing that you haven't seen anyone do that we might want to consider making part of one of the challenges?

How are my fellow competitors feeling? What challenges are you concerned about being able to complete? Are there any friendly tips or hints you might offer?

Best of luck to everyone involved. This is definitely going to be fun now matter how far we get.

To vote for us you MUST be registered on FoodBuzz, so if you aren't and want to participate the time is now.

Cheers!

--Jason

Book Review: The Town that Food Saved

It is due to our adventures in being a member of our local CSA that I have opened a door into the local food movement. Jay and I originally did not join the CSA to be a part of any type of movement; we just knew we loved fresh vegetables. As I went to the CSA pick up site week to week I realized that there is indeed a whole community out there that is dedicated to growing, eating and spreading the word about local food. It was around the beginning of our adventure that I heard of Ben Hewitt’s book “The Town that Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food”.

Hewitt’s book tells us about the Town of Hardwick Vermont. Once a thriving granite mining town Hardwick had fallen on some hard times and for any other town this may have been an issue but the people of Hardwick are a tough breed and they have taken it well. Though the town was not overly prosperous the people were not unhappy with their rural northern Vermont way of life. Like in most rural areas Hardwick (and the surrounding area) is a place where everyone knows everyone and sharing with and helping out a neighbor is common place. There may not have been a lot to go around but the community takes pride in caring for their own.

As a local resident, Gourmet Magazine writer Hewitt brings a nice perspective to the story of how a handful of residents are getting a lot of press coverage for their “agripreneurial” enterprises. These enterprises are varied: cheese, vegetables, seeds, composting and soy among them and Hewitt does a great job at explaining how this group of locals is working together to their mutual benefit. Where the conflict comes from (and you know there needed to be one) is from another group of locals that feel they are being marginalized by these few, even though they have been invited to join them. Many of the objectors take issue with the fact that the media is presenting the Hardwick local food movement as new, when in reality the idea of a local food system has been there for years, it just has not been publicized or done for profit. As a rural community the farmers have always depended on each other: to supplement what they have grown, to barter with, to help out as needed. What they see the agripreneurs doing is cashing in on what was already there.

As the author Hewitt does a good job of leading you through not only the friction amongst the residents but also into his thought process on why the local movement began, what it should do, and whether it can work. The economy and the recent food scare definitely drove a lot of the attention surrounding the food movement. When rice and other food items were scarce or extremely expensive during the recent gas price hikes many realized how fragile our cross country, cross world industrial agriculture framework really is. This has surely contributed to the increase in interest in local foods. But if a local, small producer based food system has items that are too expensive for many of the residents is it a success? Can the struggle between paying your local workers enough and making your product affordable ever be rectified? Is a local big operation any better then the industrial agriculture model?

While in the midst of reading this book I listened to a piece on The Good and Bad of Localism that was presented on National Public Radio. One of the experts, John Carrol, explained that the goal of localism is to create food security, meaning the closer the food source is the more secure it is whether gas goes up or down, or if there is a national emergency. Carroll also expressed that the local food movement comes from a need for people to feel more connected to what they eat. I think that this is true and it is very much represented in the popularity and media coverage surrounding Hardwick, an area that is trying to make it happen.

To Hewitt’s credit he never tries to say he has the answers to the big questions surrounding the Hardwick local food movement. From reading the book I can see how difficult it is to come up with the answers but I can tell you what I think after reading this book and asking myself these questions:

There is no perfect solution and there probably never will be. I am not a fatalist, just a realist. With any venture there is always some give and take, push and pull. What I do believe is that feeling more connected to your food makes you feel good and better yet, tastes good. Yes local food can sometime be more expensive but if more people buy local there is a chance that the cost will go down. What the group in Hardwick is doing is well….nothing new…actually it is something old. The idea that a community can be self sufficient in many ways is what it was like for many centuries. You knew the farmer that raised the cow and the butcher that prepared it for your pan. You bought your vegetables from around the corner rather than across the globe. People lived, worked, went to school and shopped all right in their own town. Was that better? I don’t know, but I can tell you that unlike the perfectly red and blemish free, grocery store tomatoes, the ones I got in my CSA share were ugly as sin….but heavenly to eat. And any time getting back to the basics tastes that good, sign me up!

Mangia,

Margot

Wine Region Project – Napa Valley, CA

Wine has been grown in the Napa Valley of California for one reason or another for upwards of 200 years. Grapes were first grown and carefully turned into wine in California at missions and for religious services. Commercial wineries were starting and growing by the mid-nineteenth century, and despite the roller coaster ride of pest infestation, prohibition and world wars have resulted in the Napa Valley becoming a leading winemaking region world-wide.

Home to more than 300 wineries, the Napa Valley is a magnet for people interested wine, food and the who, what , when of one of the most watched winemaking areas of the world. For this visit we decided we would focus on developing a healthy, wine-friendly menu to pair with a couple of wines we felt were good representatives of the wine vibe of the Napa Valley.

Our wines are the Hall 2008 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2007 Mondavi Napa Cabernet. Of course the name Mondavi is not far when we speak of Napa, without his and is family’s influence what we know as Napa Valley today would be quite different. We had to challenge ourselves to pair meal with such a well known vintner and wine.

The Hall Sauvignon Blanc has a nose overflowing with grapefruit, island fruits with a hint of sage. The wine is very crisp, but not hugely acidic, with more body than we expected. The flavors of peach, fresh greens/herbs and citrus were easily found.


The aromas from the Mondavi Napa Cabernet signaled an exciting taste ahead. The color is a dark ruby red and it smells of red fruit jams. No wood or earth aromas were detected. The flavors are again of red raspberries, dark cherries but more so those that have been cooked and reduced; their subtle sweetness comes through. Hints of freshly chipped wood were detected, also contributing s mild sweetness. This was a true delight.

Napa Valley offers wonderful wines and is also located in a diverse agricultural area with easy access to fresh ingredients. Napa is home to many different ethnicities and as a result, many different food influences. Research of the Napa Valley and the cuisine uncovered the obvious; this is an area where wine drives the food culture. It would appear that the restaurants of Napa cook as we often do, when you find a good wine you create something to go with it. With all the flavors and aromas to work with we could return to this challenge frequently and not run out ideas.

Our Menu

Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon Toasts Topped

with Crumbled Hard-Boiled Egg & Dill

Vegan Cassoulet with Local Vegetables

Mocha Bites with Homemade Raspberry Jam & Whipped Cream

Our wine pairing plans were that the Hall Sauvignon Blanc would pair with the Smoked Salmon Toasts and the Cassoulet and that the Mondavi Cabernet would pair with both the Cassoulet and dessert. We searched for any dessert pairings with the Mondavi Cab, but didn’t turn up anything. I can’t believe nobody has tried it before, so this may be that it either isn’t hugely successful or just isn’t how this wine is typically used. Just like the restaurants of Napa we are going to be creative here and see what happens.

Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon Toasts Topped
with Crumbled Hard-Boiled Egg & Dill

4 small slices of multi-grain bread, toasted
Mayonnaise
Alaskan Smoked Salmon
3 hard boiled eggs, shelled and coarsely chopped
Fresh dill
Salt & pepper

Cut the bread into squares and lightly cover with mayo. Crumble a healthy portion of smoked salmon on the toasts, top with crumbled egg and garnish with some fresh dill, salt and pepper.

Our smoked salmon appetizer was inspired by a similar item from the starter menu at the Norman Rose Tavern located on first street in Napa. This restaurant claims to be the place you can go to get a pint or a glass of wine paired with American comfort food. The menu does have lots of sandwiches and burgers on it with a wide range of ingredients and garnishes that definitely make it stand out.

We found a nice review of the tavern at http://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/article_106c6339-70d1-53eb-9b86-f00a8661c619.html

Vegan Cassoulet

4 medium onions, chopped
5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced thin
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 large red pepper chopped
2 yellow summer squash, sliced thin
4 oz shitake mushrooms, sliced thin
4 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced thin
½ lb green beans, ends cut off and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 large tomatoes, chopped (keep liquid too!!)
1 large handful of fresh picked basil, chopped
2 sprigs of fresh picked thyme, stripped
Cumin (1-2 Tbsp I believe)
Smoked paprika (about 1tsp)
Red chili powder (1/4 tsp)
Red chili paste (1/2 tsp)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Water
Olive oil

Over medium heat sauté the garlic, onion, pepper and carrot with oil until beginning to soften. Add the cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika and some salt and stir. Add mushrooms, beans, squash and tomatoes. Add water to create a stew type consistency. Bring to a boil and then reduce back to medium-low heat. Add the basil and thyme. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the red chili paste and some more salt & pepper. Allow it to simmer until the vegetables are soft, but still have some crunch. That last step can be down to personal taste.

The Vegan Cassoulet was inspired by a makeover guest post from the 5 Star Foodie Blog. I didn’t measure the quantities of the vegetables and other ingredients exactly, which would be more typical of the French roots of this dish. Most of the vegetables were sourced from our CSA share. We were on vacation last week so this week we got a double shot and boy do we have a lot of veggies to use!

Mocha Bites with Homemade Raspberry Jam & Whipped Cream

1 box sugar free Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1 can vanilla Coke Zero (room temp)
1 1/3 cup water
2 Tbsp instant coffee

Mix all ingredients by hand or with a mixer for 2 minutes. Grease mini muffin tins and till ¾ with the batter. Bake until firm. Remove to cool.
For dessert we wanted to make something that was reasonably low calorie but that could also stand up to a rich red wine. For presentation we placed the bits around the edge of a small ramekin and thin filled the center with them. We drizzled homemade raspberry jam over the top and finished with some whipped cream.

Wine Pairings

The smoked salmon toasts and the Hall Sauvignon Blanc were made for each other. The creaminess in the egg wraps the flavors of the wine and the smoky, salty flavor of the fish extends the influence of the wine in your mouth. The dill found and brought out the slight herbal flavors we detected earlier in the wine.

The cassoulet paired best with the Mondavi Cab making it taste bolder and more flavorful that on its own. The basil in the dish helped bring out grape leaf and green flavors often found in California Cabs. The mushrooms brought out the oak and earthy flavors that were not available without the food. The Hall Sauvignon Blanc was a pleasant pairing but was overpowered by the dish and tasted a bit sour.

The dessert pairing was by no means a universal match, but the red berry flavors in both the food and wine found each other. The slight sweetness in the wine was a good compliment to the dessert. The addition of the coffee to the batter helped with the wood and non-fruit flavors in the wine. A slight increase in bitterness in the finish was perceived when paired with the dish.

Overall we were very pleased at the array of flavors we were able to present and the pairings we were able to experience. Our menu was a nice representation of the Napa melting pot and how to bring food and wine together for an enjoyable experience.

Have you been to Napa? What are your thoughts on the wine and food? How did we do? Did we create dishes you would expect to see in Napa? Are our wine pairings something you would like to try? Give us some feedback from your own wine country experiences.

Cheers!

Margot & Jason

p.s. one blog we came across during our research is Between Meals by Michael Bauer. Definitely a good read for the food and wine scene in the area around San Francisco.

Book Review of Kitchen Confidential

In May of 2000 when Kitchen Confidential was published I did not know of Anthony Bourdain. I have come to know him through his show No Reservations (the book is also on my reading list) and found that I enjoy his mélange of food, culture, personal stories and intellectual meanderings in each episode. No matter what you think of Anthony Bourdain I will make one simple assertion, he is real.

In a recent interview I saw with him he went back and thought about who he was and what his life was like during the times chronicled in the book. He claims it wasn’t pretty and assures the audience that he was perpetually one step away from disaster. I wanted to know more.

Kitchen Confidential is a moderately quick read, broken down into sections like a good multi-course meal. While not strictly chronological, it does flow largely in that direction allowing the reader to get a good idea about where the personality comes from.

Before I read the book I took a shot at what I expected my premise of the review to be. A wild story about the expansion of his personality from all of his real-life adventures. I believed that through all of it he was still that hot headed, addiction-prone, life on the edge guy, but with more appreciation of how to pull it all off with grace, skill and class.

Jackpot!

The other theme which is taken literally from the book’s title and notes is a picture of what really goes on in restaurant kitchens around the world. I don’t actually think that story is all that surprising, or it shouldn’t be. Office buildings are also full of real people with sordid stories, e.g. sex, drugs, failure and all that. Kitchens can’t really be that different.

Bourdain makes it clear that restaurant kitchens are as much about people as they are about food. The necessary skills of the people who make up a good and real kitchen staff are explained to be varied and include, working long hours away from family, the ability to give and take shit from everyone, a fondness for booze and drugs, the desire to share details of one’s life well beyond “too much information”, a low threshold for pain, uber multi-tasking and finally an air of unpredictability in every waking moment. Artistry with food or refined culinary skills aren’t the primary focus of the characters in the book, although many do have culinary passions and are really good at what they do. Just not in that celebrity chef sense. These are real chefs, cooks, service and cleaning staff; the ones who actually do all the dirty work to get restaurant meals on to tables. In the end Bourdain paints himself as the ring-leader of a merry bunch of misfits who wouldn’t be pegged by anyone to be doing what they do.

Along the way he makes specific mentions of how much he had to learn about the people themselves, their cultures and their lives in order for him to be able to make use of their talents. Knowing what one particular person sounds like after a notable weekend bender, or how much money a line cook makes on the side selling dope to the staff or even which cultures accept jokes about sex with their mother don’t really seem like the things we would think of for an chef to worry about. But that is real life and why the stories were so fun to read. He does reflect on these teachings and how it helped him appreciate and deal with many things that would serve to frustrate most of us in his position.

There are also some nice tips for the restaurant patron to consider, like not ordering fish on Monday as it is likely the dregs from the prior week. It is also noted that specials are often the vehicle to get rid of things hanging around rather than use some unexpected ingredients. Again I don’t see any surprises here. Restaurants are businesses and many of them have to be concerned with the bottom line rather than haute cuisine and absolute freshness.

With this book in the bag I am very much looking forward to No Reservations picking up the trail of more stories from Anthony Bourdain.

Cheers!

--Jason

Heading Home from York

Saturday. Our cleanup and packing went smoothly. Margot and I left the keys on the table, locked up and bid farewell to our beach house for the last week around 9 AM. With only an hour ride home and fantastic weather we decided to hang out on the beach for a while before hitting the road. The cool breeze across the beach was lovely and we did several circuits along the beach before the tide came up too far.

We grabbed take out breakfast at the Sun ‘n Surf Restaurant located right on the beach. Their egg sandwiches (on toast, bagels or English muffins) and home fries are cooked to order and were really good! We had eaten at the restaurant before, but something about grabbing it at the counter and sitting outside overlooking the ocean made it special.

Before leaving town we headed back to the Nubble Lighthouse and took some really nice pictures of the lighthouse and surrounding waters. We stopped at Brown’s (again) for ice cream, enjoying their raspberry chocolate truffle ice cream on a bittersweet ride home.

I’ll leave you with some vacation smiles.

Cheers!

--Jason

Lobster & Steamer Night in York

You have to love friends who have a food ritual when they vacation. Our last night at the beach is lobster and steamer night. No frills, and none needed! Lobsters, steamers, corn, lots of butter and stacks of napkins!

We tortured Lenny by steaming his family members. We tried to distract him, but to no avail. He was sad, but likes hanging out with us so he went along. Merv invited her parents over to join us for dinner, resulting in lots of good conversation amongst family and friends.

I purposely saved several dry white wines from my vacation supply to pair with our seafood dinner. In particular I held back the 2008 Viognier and the 2009 Pinot Grigio. I also brought along the newly bottled 2010 Viognier to try side by side with its sibling from two years ago. It turns out we bottled it early and it is a bit hazy. The haze definitely has a taste component associated with it, and as such I capped the bottle and brought it home. Both the wines went very nicely with dinner, although I preferred the Viognier.

I also cracked a couple of sweeter wines for idle drinking, and was greatly rewarded with the feedback. The 2009 Plum/Riesling and the 2010 Blackberry Cabernet were greatly enjoyed. I never got any of the Blackberry Cabernet which tells you much everyone enjoyed it.

We closed out the night around the campfire, lamenting the early morning of cleaning and packing up the next day. Vacation can’t last forever, but when you are really enjoying it the prospect of the end really sucks!

Cheers,

--Jason

Biking Around Peaks Island

The first time Margot went to Old Orchard Beach with her sisters they all took the ferry from Portland to Peaks Island and rented bikes to tour the island. The stories sounded cool and the pictures were awe inspiring. Needless to say Margot and I went last year when we stayed in York. The weather was fantastic and we ended up having a wonderful time.

This year we weren’t sure if we would make it, depending on how many nice days we were going to get. Friday was our second beautiful day so we ventured to the island once again.

We left early planning to find some trek-worthy breakfast in Portland before jumping on the ferry. I did some quick research and came across lots of mentions of Becky’s Diner on Commercial Street about ¼ of a mile from the ferry terminal. The menu looked like it was from an old school diner serving all meals all day. We were not disappointed. The parking lot was full and guests were moving in an out at a brisk pace. Good signs all around. We were seated within 10 minutes and had fresh coffee sitting in front of us in another two. Margot ordered a mushroom and cheese omelet and I ordered the Hobson's Wharf Special breakfast plate hoping to try a few different things and see how they spin them. The food was cooked very well, hot and tasted great. The potatoes definitely get talked about and the Texas toast style bread for the French Toast rocked. The price was great and service was awesome for so many diners and the busy pace. We had smiles thinking about that meal powering us around Peaks Island in an hour or so.

The ferry ride to the island is only about 15 minutes and offers views of the oil transfer station, an old prison, several lighthouses and whatever boats are moving about. Right up the ferry dock street are several restaurants and an inn. More on those later. Take a left and head down two blocks and rent a bike, from Brad & Wyatt’s Island Bike Service, at $10 for up to 3 hours.

The route around the island provides an initial tour of the main village in either direction. If you head back the way you came you do reach the open views and ocean quicker, but either way you are there soon enough and the views are excellent everywhere.

My photo plan for the day was to get some nice wave splashes on the rocky shores of the island (at end of post). I snapped quite a few and got several really nice shots. We explored a few areas where the small rocks, driftwood and shells collect; pretty cool stuff! We did two circuits of the island and then dropped our bikes off and went out in search of a cold drink and a snack.

The Inn on Peaks Island sits at the top of the hill right up from the ferry and has a beautiful façade and views, both indoors and outdoors, of the Portland harbor. We settled into the air conditioned bar and checked out the beer selection from Shipyard, a Portland Maine brewer with considerable attention.

I tried two beers, the cask conditioned (didn't get the name) and the Blue Fin Stout. Margot went with Coca-Cola and we ordered some boneless buffalo chicken tenders for a snack. The quiet time before the ferry ride back was very relaxing. The ferry ride back always seems really short and we spent most of the time comment on Dixie, an obvious Jack Russell mix, sailing home with her companions. Back to York and lobster and steamer night with friends!!

Cheers,

--Jason

Guest Post - What’s for Lunch?

The Ardent Epicure has graciously provided a guest post to finish out our vacation. This dish looks fun, educational (learning a new trick?) and tasty. I brought a homemade Belgian White beer on vacation this week. I am betting it would be a good pairing for this dish. Make sure you stop by the link above and check out the other posts on the blog.

What’s for Lunch? - Cheese Quesadilla’s with Handmade Cilantro Tortillas, Tomatillo Salsa and Fresh Guacamole

Hello everybody, we are very pleased to be doing a guest post here on

Ancient Fire Wines. We would like to thank Jason and Margot for having us.

Although tortillas are very simple to make, several people that we know

have never tried them at home. So we thought we would make some here for you today.

What you will need:

For the tortillas

3 cups unbleached flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/8th cup warm water

¼ bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

For the salsa

10 medium tomatillos

1 jalapeno pepper

2 large garlic gloves

2 teaspoons cumin

2 limes, juiced

½ bunch of cilantro

1 small shallot

Salt and pepper to taste

For the guacamole

2 medium avocadoes, diced

2 fresh tomatoes

1 jalapeño

1 teaspoon cumin

½ lemon

½ lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Let’s get cooking:

For the tortillas

In a large mixing bowl add flour and baking soda (note you can lessen

or omit this for thinner tortillas if you do not have a tortilla press)

Add remaining ingredients except water, and mix until completely incorporated.

Slowly add your warm water until you achieve a firm dough, add more if needed.

Once you have firm dough, dust a cutting board lightly with flour.

Knead your dough for about 5 minutes, and then allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

With slightly floured hands, begin to knead your dough again for 5 minutes of so.

Now allow to rest again for 10 to 15 minutes.

Cut dough into sections and roll each section into a ball.

*You should have 8 sections for small sized tortillas

And can uses larger sections for larger tortillas.

With a lightly dusted rolling pin, roll dough and shape into circular pattern.

In a hot frying pan or cast iron skillet, head each tortilla for a few minutes

on each side until lightly toasted.

Easy!

For the salsa

Remove top portion of each tomatillo, and place in a blender or food processor.

Add all remaining ingredients and blend on high until incorporated.

Really easy!

For the guacamole

Using a mortar and pestle or mixing bowl if you do not have one.

Add chopped avocado and tomato, and crush until avocado begins to smooth.

Add remaining ingredients and mix with a fork or spoon until blended.

Continue with your pestle until desired texture is achieved.

Super easy!

I am pretty sure you do not need directions for the quesadilla, but here they are anyway…

Now place a small amount of oil in a frying pan, placing one tortilla in the heated pan.

Add desired amount of shredded cheeses and place another tortilla on top.

Flip quesadilla over once the bottom becomes golden, and cheese begins to melt.

Cut each quesadilla into fours and serve with salsa and guacamole.

Serves 4

Enjoy~

Long Sands Cocktail

York Beach has two separate sections, Short Sands and Long Sands. We vacationed on Long Sands last summer, fell in love with it and came back this year. To commemorate I created a new cocktail and named it the Long Sands.

When I was dreaming the drink up the word “long” in the name kept making me think of a Long Island Iced Tea, which I don’t actually drink. Tea sounded fun to work with and we brought some I could use, so I went with it.

We didn’t actually get this right the first time and sat around later talking about what we would have changed. The recipe that follows is what we all agreed on and will be looking forwarding to recreating in the future.

Long Sands Cocktail

3 oz Ancient Fire Peach/Moscato wine
1 oz simple syrup
1 oz citrus infused vodka
½ oz fresh lime juice
½ oz strong black tea (cooled)
2 canned peach slices
2 mint leaves
Club soda

Muddle the mint and peaches in the bottom of a shaker. Pour everything but the soda into the shaker, and shake with ice. Pour into two highball glasses and top off with the club soda.

This drink was inspired by a day of sitting on the beach with friends. We all hope you try it and enjoy it as we did.

Cheers!

--Jason

Dinner at Lobster in the Rough

We took Lenny out with us for seafood on Thursday night. Lobster in the Rough on Route 1 in York is the out-back take out counter with open seating to its sit down version out front. With good weather you have to sit and enjoy for a while. They have a full service bar out front, live entertainment and bocce.

Last year Margot and I killed a couple plates of fried clams, scallops, shrimp, onion rings and a mound of fries. We had already had all of these things earlier in the week so we opted for lobster rolls with smaller portions of fries and onion rings. We were not disappointed at all. The pieces of lobster were massive, they were seasoned well and not drowning in mayo. The bun was toasted and the fried snacks were cooked perfectly.

We knew we were going to be tormenting Lenny this week so we blindfolded him while we ate dinner.

After dinner Lenny had a couple of beers and got in on giving Merv a hard time. Some friend!

We look happy, and we were. It was one of those beach days you dream of.

We finished the night with some Ancient Fire wine sitting around a bonfire and telling stories. Here’s to vacation!

This week we drank Amarone from 2008, Pinot Noir from 2009, Syrah/Mourvedre from 2009 and some of all of our whites late 2008 to early 2010.

Cheers!

--Jason

York Beach Maine - Trip Update

As you may have gathered from Wednesday’s post, we didn’t quite have the best weather to start our beach week. It finally changed and with only two days to salvage vacation we have been off having fun. Not before we saw this though,

These two photos were taken at Soher park and the Nubble Lighthouse from inside the car with a Blackberry phone. Anyone who knows this area knows what it looks like when the sun it out. The rain and wind was so heavy our whipped cream topping from our Brown’s ice cream sundaes was blowing away! If you haven’t been to York or Brown’s in the summer, put it on your list.

Thursday the sun came back and we packed up to hit the beach. For breakfast we cooked up some sausage from our 2009 pig and paired it with fruit, cheddar cheese and toast. It was a nice bump for a day on the beach.

Margot and I went up early before breakfast to find a good spot. It was cool and breezy and

everyone seemed to be taking their time getting to the beach. Not us!

Here we all are getting some beach time!

I was digging the shade and cool ocean breeze.

Cheers!

--Jason

The Luck in Finding a Good Beach Diner

Lenny is back today sharing a few details from the last couple of days. On Monday night we mixed up a new drink with our SavvyHost Bartender-In-A-Box set, the Raspberry Beret (thanks Prince!). Merv and Phil are experiencing some cabin fever on the third day with clouds AND rain at the beach, and thus the names Zombie Apocalypse and Cabin Fever were offered. Lenny can be shown displaying the ingredients to the new drink below.

 Raspberry Beret

1 oz Pomegranate Vodka
1 oz Grenadine
4 oz of Lindeman’s Framboise
Slice of lemon

Shake vodka and grenadine. Pour over lemon slide. Top up with Framboise.

John, Julie and Kora came to visit us last night in York. The wind was blowing and the low clouds and beach spray made it look a lot darker out than it really was. We had planned to hit an age-old Italian place on Long Sands, but they weren’t in service this night. It was even BYO, something we could happily do! We took off north towards Ogunquit figuring we would find a restaurant to sit and laugh for a while. We happened upon Bessie’s at the four corners downtown where found a nice eclectic mix of home-style comfort foods and all sorts of sides and appetizers to mix it up. The food was good to excellent, the service was prompt and accurate, but the conversation is what made the night. Kora didn’t weigh in on any of the hot topics. I suspect she is still collecting information on the players to feed her master world domination plan that will be debuted later. The giraffe she was playing with was pretty cool though.

Resuming our monthly dinner dates John and I (I forgot Julie and Margot, or did I?) talked about everything, and from some people watching earlier in the day I had some great stories to poke fun at. Colorful alliterations, crazy outfits, kids hopped up on sugar and other fish out of water never fail.

We walked down to the beach to take some photos and enjoy an unusual summer day. The beach wasn’t completely deserted, but did offer opportunity for some good photos.

I’ll end with our group photo from the beach. Kora did such an excellent job taking the picture… I asked, she just laughed. She was too busy playing with her own hand.

Cheers!

-- Jason

p.s. Lenny hung out for breakfast this morning. Bacon, sweet breads, cheddar cheese and bananas made for a nice slow meal to start the day. He wouldn't say what he was up to while we were all out last night...

Nuts About Granola Review

Today I am reviewing a sample pack of Off Road Edition granola from NutsAboutGranola.com. The fee-free sample was provided after I contacted them indicating I would be interested in trying their product and writing about my experience on our blog. Nuts About Granola is a Pennsylvania based company with product placement in a number of retailers in their local area and an online storefront for those of us living elsewhere.

I have enjoyed granola and similar products like trail mix, dried fruit, roasted nuts, etc for the majority of my life. Granola isn’t in my grocery cart every week, but when I do crave it I tend to try different and new products wherever I can find them. Local, organic and natural products tend to satisfy that craving better, primarily because they actually have good flavors that aren’t overrun by things you wouldn’t want in a snack.

Eaten plain the Nuts About Granola granola presents a nice balance of sweet, salty and aromatic spices. The sweetness is not overwhelming, a very nice asset for a granola. There is a mix of oats, nuts and dried fruit including almonds, peanuts and walnuts in addition to dates and cranberries.

I finished my sample with some vanilla flavored almond milk which served to enhance the spices in the granola making me think of using it as a crumb topping for an apple pie. The product is very fresh with nice crispy edges to the oats and nuts while the dried fruit still contains a bit of moisture making it easy to eat. A great breakfast on a rainy day at the beach!

I would definitely recommend checking out the entire product line from Nuts About Granola for your snacking and cooking needs. At a recent #FNI TweetUp I was told they also sell granola bars, something I am definitely going to have to try on our autumn hiking expeditions. And to be sure, an apple pie using the granola in a crumb topping will be made real soon.

Thank you to Sarah and the staff at Nuts About Granola for offering a sample of their product. I'll be back for sure.

--Jason

Guest Post - Cassoulet From A Busy Mom

A special guest post today from our college friend Jen. She shares a recipe for cassoulet that works for the busy family. Something everyone might learn a few things from.

I first met Margot and later Jason back in the days of dinning halls, take-out food, and cheap drinks. Ahh college! My how our food and beverage worlds have changed! I was very honored when recently these same dear friends asked me to guest post on a topic I know very well, food and the busy mom.

First off I feel I should explain my culinary point of view, the one of the busy mom. Sorry if that sounds too "The Next Food Network Star" (I love that show btw! Did you guys see the finale?!). Anyway, I grew up having nightly family dinners with a mom who cooks and bakes like nobody's business. My family owns restaurants and I have done every job imaginable from the front of the house to the back. I read cookbooks like some people read the latest Oprah Book Club selection. And as a child I was the pickiest of eaters. Since becoming a mom to my twins over four years ago I think I've lost count as to how many times I've apologized to my parents for my childhood dinnertime theatrics! All of this has played some part in influencing my culinary point of view.

As a parent I am a firm believer that my husband (who by the way cooks too!)and I are not short order cooks. We make one meal and the kids eat what we prepare. Sure we have nights where there are protests, it's not perfect. We only ask that they try one bite of each item on their plate. And there have been nights when someone has refused dinner and gone to bed hungry. And you know what? It wasn't the end of the world.

Okay now on to the food! The dish that I have selected to share with all of you for a weeknight family dinner is quintessentially French, a cassoulet. I know you just read the word FRENCH and you are now rolling your eyes like how easy is this going to be? Won't it have to cook for hours? Hold on before you wave your white dish towel and surrender to the drive-thru window for another family meal... keep reading. Over the years I have adapted a version of this traditional slow cooking bean stew from a recipe in Rachael Ray's very first cookbook, 30 Minute Meals. Cassoulet is common in the south of France and incorporates meat, white beans, herbs and other vegetables.

Quick Cassoulet

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
4 sweet sausages
2 carrots peeled and diced
1 celery stalk peeled and diced
1 small onion peeled and diced
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 cup of dry white wine (ask Jason for recommendations here)
1 can (15 oz.) cannelini beans, rinsed
7 sprigs of fresh thyme - strip the leaves
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (14 oz.) of chicken broth

Dice chicken into bite size pieces. Heat a deep pot or skillet on medium high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the whole sausages and diced chicken to your pot. Brown for 5 minutes then remove chicken and sausages from the pan. Add a second tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Now add to the pan carrots, celery, and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and then add the wine to the pan. Scrap up all the good "bits" on the bottom of the pan. Once you have done this now you can add the beans, thyme, bay leaf, salt & pepper, diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Slice the sausages into bite sized pieces and return them to the pot along with the chicken to finish cooking. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Garlic Croutons

1 French baguette
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, smashed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice 1 whole baguette and place the rounds on a cookie sheet. Bake until toasted about 7 minutes. Combine olive oil and 2 smashed garlic cloves and heat them either in the microwave from 45 seconds or on the stovetop for a minute. Then baste both sides of the bread rounds with the garlic infused oil. Serve the bread with the cassoulet.

Mom’s tips: I like to rinse my canned beans before I add them to the pot. I also prefer to use canned tomatoes with no added salt so I can control the salt in my dishes. I love Kitchen Basics stocks, flavorful and not filled with MSG and other things that I can't pronounce or spell. The leftovers for this dish are amazing since everything has had a chance to sit together for a spell. We love to place a few of the garlic croutons in a bowl and then heap the cassoulet over them. The juices from the cassoulet seep into the bread and well it's really delicious!

My husband and I spent our honeymoon traveling the French countryside and now as busy parents we rarely get out for a date night. With this recipe I can easily recreate a delicious French meal that can take me back to that moment in time before kids. Ahh! Seriously people a classic French dish on the table in 30 minutes! Who needs a bag of food from the drive-thru window now?

Enjoy,

Jen