Goodchardonnay

Though my Blog title makes you think I am exclusively a wine blog, it's primarily food with some wine thrown in, here and there.  My husband stumbled upon Vine Talk on PBS.  It's hosted by Stanley Tucci, who is a delightful host.  The show moves along quickly enough to gain some knowledge and informative enough to whet your interest in a new wine.  With that I am back on a mission to discover new wines.  I have attended many pairing classes and I want to get better at it so that is another angle I am working on.  Things like, why this sparkling wine tastes so good with this sabayon.  Or why this Fume goes perfectly with this risotto.

We serve nice wines when we entertain and it's amazing how enjoyable it is when no one leaves the table and we just hang out and drink yummy wines.  My fondest memories are on a cold Christmas night, with our dining room fireplace lit, hanging around the table enjoying a red or sparkling wine with a leisurely dessert.  Ok, back to reality, it's 100 degrees and humid out there but you get the picture.

I am a wine lover and have had many opportunities to try more wines than the average bear.  My fist experience was when I was in my early 20's.  I was an assistant manager at a fine dining restaurant at the Tarrytown Hilton.  One of the assistant managers, Steve Lofredo, formerly the owner of Zoe in Soho, was attending the CIA.  I had recently graduated from IUP in Food Service Management and was hungry for information about food and wine and he provided it.  Our wine list contained over 150 selections.  On Friday and Saturday nights, we opened a white and red wine and sold the wines by the glass.  This allowed diners to each have the wine they liked with their meal or to taste a glass before purchasing a full bottle.  That was a rather new idea and it went over well.  The best part was at the end of the evening, the managers divided the open wines into glasses, if only a half of a sip, and we tasted everything we sold that night.  We began working through our wine list and I believe by the time I left there a year later, I tasted about 70 wines.

From there I moved to Atlanta where I continued drinking and recording my feelings on wine.  I ran a high volume breakfast and lunch restaurant in the Atlanta Hilton so wine was not featured and my budget was thin.  Needless to say, the wines I bought fell on the less expensive side of good.

Not to fear though, from there, I moved to SF and began making trips to Napa and Sonoma for tastings especially with out of town guests.  My perfect day began with a tour of a winery, lunch outside on the picnic tables at V. Sattui.  Then a random stop somewhere along the way to finishing up with an outdoor table at Domaine Chandon for some sparking wine.  Back then it was easy enough to learn what conditions produced good wines just by looking out your window.   When a year was good the locals knew it just as too much rain sometimes gave the pickers 24 hours to get the grapes off the vine.  These are the finer details you don't think of when you don't live there.

In recent years I haven't kept good records of what I like.  With the applications for phones available now, I am in the process of recording Vineyards, years, and prices, plus my rating of the wine and what i served it with. This brings me back to the reason I began this post.  The episode of Vine Talk I watched was on Chardonnay's.  My husbands birthday is today so I bought the wine the celebrities thought was the best of the 6 they tasted. Flowers priced at $34.99 at Acquistapace's, which by the way is the best place on the northshore to buy wines, followed by Rouse's down by the lake.  I'll let you know what we think!!!

Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura

Last night we had Shrimp Tempura.  For those on a budget, it's a cost effective meal.  I prepped 1 Small Red Onion by cutting 1/2" slices.  I like to buy individual Broccoli caps rather than the bunch held by a rubber band, so I bought 1 Broccoli Cap and cut it into "1-2 bite" sized pieces.  1 Small Sweet Potato cut into 1/3" slices.  1 Green Pepper cut into 1/2" strips. A Handful of Green Beans with the ends cut off.  I used 1 Pound Large Shrimp (16-20) with the Heads Removed.  I had to peel and devein the shrimp and I kept them separate from the prepped vegetables.
This batter recipe comes from a Yan Can Cook book that I have.  The trick to good tempura is that the ingredients are very cold.  Freeze the bowl you plan to use and refrigerate or freeze the cornstarch.  First, heat the empty wok over medium heat while you make the batter.  When wok is hot, fill 1/2 way to the top with Canola Oil.  To the cold bowl, add 2 Cups flour, 1/2 Cup Corn Starch, 1/4 tsp Baking Soda.  To 2 1/4 Cups of Cold Water, add ice cubes until the level reaches 2 2/3 Cups.  Stir and let the ice melt.  Add 2 Egg Yolks and stir.  Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir quickly without over stirring.  The batter should be lumpy. To a flat bottomed bowl, add 1/2 Cup Corn Starch for dredging.
I have learned to cook all of the vegetables first, then cook the shrimp.  Dredge the vegetables in corn starch and then quickly dip in batter and quickly place into the hot oil.  Each batch will cook for around 2-3 minutes.  The smaller sized vegetables will cook more quickly than the larger ones.  Once the vegetables float they are done.  Serve with simple Soy Sauce flavored with Red Pepper Flakes, Minced Garlic and Thinly Sliced Scallions.  This is a great meal for hanging around in the kitchen with friends.  On a few occasions with a big crowd, I have also made pot stickers, lettuce wraps and my husband has rolled sushi.  Goes very well with Sapporo Beer.  NOTE:  For reheating, preheat oven to 325.  Place a cooling rack inside of a sheet pan.  Place the vegetables and shrimp on the cooling rack in a single layer.  Place in oven for 15-20 minutes.

Flour Tortilla French Toast Recipe

Long on flour tortillas?  They are perfect for a french toast breakfast or brunch, snack, or even dessert.  Many years ago I had no bread and wanted to make french toast for breakfast.  I quickly improvised and made this delicious version.  I haven't made them in years but decided to make them this morning to add to my blog.  They are simple enough, here's what you do.
For every 5 small tortillas the following quantities will work well.  To a flat bottomed bowl, add 2 Eggs, A Pinch of Salt, 2 Pinches of Sugar, 1/4 tsp Cinnamon, and 3 Tbl Milk.  Feel free to add a Splash of Orange Juice if you have if handy.  Figure on 2 Flour Tortillas per Person.  Fully heat a skillet on medium heat.  Add a 1/2 tsp of Crisco.  Do not use butter or it will burn.  Quickly coat both sides of a flour tortilla in the egg mixture and add it to the skillet.  Turn once it is golden brown and cook 2nd side.  Roll into thirds and top with Vermont Fancy Grade Syrup, Fresh Fruit and Toasted Nuts.  Serve immediately.  For Vermont Maple Syrup, call Therrien's Sugarhouse in Brattleboro, Vermont 802.257.4013.  Their prices are excellent!

Bleu Cheese Twice Baked Potato

Place oven rack in the center position and preheat to 400 degrees.  Using a vegetable brush, scrub well the outside of small Idaho (Russet) Baking Potatoes, 1 per person plus 1 extra in case 1 breaks while filling.  Bake potatoes for 55 minutes.  While potatoes are baking, cook Applewood Bacon (1 strip for every 2 potatoes) until crispy.  When bacon cools, crumble it with a knife or by hand and set aside.  Thinly slice 2 Large Shallots (for every 4 potatoes).  Heat a small skillet and add 2 Tbl Vegetable Oil.  Add shallots and cook until golden and crispy.  Drain on a paper towel and set aside. Remove potatoes from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
Use a paring knife to cut open the tops of each potato. Make two elliptical cuts from end to end in order to create a nice size opening.  Discard the top skin and remove the insides into a bowl.  For every 4 potatoes, add 1/4 Cup of Sour Cream and 4 oz your favorite Bleu Cheese.   Stir with a fork to combine.  The potatoes should still be slightly lumpy and the cheese not completely broken up.  Refill the potatoes with the mixture.  When ready to serve preheat the oven to 350 and bake for 20 minutes or until hot all the way through. Top with shallots and bacon and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes and serve.  These can be held in a warm oven set at 250 if you aren't ready to eat.  Additionally, you can bake the potatoes and prep them in the morning and hold them in the refrigerator until ready to bake for the 2nd time.  Delicious with a sliced grilled sirloin steak and a salad.

Nutella Martini Recipe..... need I say more?

Chocolate and Hazelnut, nary a better combination.

I have been wanting to make a martini using Nutella for some time now.  Here's what I came up with.
Swirl  Nutella in a martini glass.  Before adding ice, to a shaker add 1 Jigger Frangelico, 1 Jigger good quality vodka (I used Russian Standard), 1 Jigger Milk, 1 Jigger 1/2 & 1/2, and 1 heaping Tbl Nutella.  Shake to blend.   Add ice and shake again until very cold.  Strain into a martini glass and indulge!  Lovely for the end of the evening or a dessert party.
This recipe was posted on Thursday night and I am now typing on Saturday morning.  I have never searched for, heard of, nor consumed a Nutella martini until this one, the one I made up.  I decided to do a quick search of Nutella Martini last night and sure enough I found a few.  The interesting thing is people are calling them Nutella Martini's (just like me) with a small hitch, Nutella is a trademarked name but none of the recipes I found actually contained Nutella.  They used Frangelico and Godiva Chocolate.  I think that is what trademark infringement is all about.  Well I for one am supporting the real thing!

It's just after Thanksgiving 2012 and while in The Outer Banks, my brother made these for a few of us.  Since there was no shaker, he blended them without ice first, then the ice was added to chill.  I placed a dollop of Nutella on a dish and rotated the glass through it to rim the edge.  Once the martini was chilled they were poured.  Wow, they were divine! 

Trout Pecan with Lemon Butter Sauce

Like I mentioned in my last post, I am trying to perfect my Lemon Butter pan sauce.  This was an even better try as I made a few minor adjustments.  Rinse fish, in this case Trout Fillets, 1 per person.  Set onto paper towels to absorb excess moisture.  Lightly Salt and Pepper the fillets.  Zest and Juice 1 Lemon for every two fillets.  Set aside.  This fish is larger than the Orange Roughy (if you have read my previous post).  To cook 4 fillets, I used two 12" skillets.  If you don't have two then make this 2 times and clean the skillet before making the second batch.  Rough chop Pecans and toast in 1 Tbl Butter over medium heat.  Add A Few Pinches of Sugar, 1 Few Pinches of Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper and stir while they are toasting.  Set a side.  Heat empty skillet over medium high heat.  Add 2 Tbl Butter and melt.  Add fish fillets.  When they begin to look opaque around the edges, carefully flip the fish.  Let the second side cook until the fish is firm to the touch in its thickest part.  When done, place on a warm plate and make the pan sauce.  Add the lemon zest to the pan.  Stir for about 20 seconds.  Add lemon juice and swirl for 30 seconds.  Add 1/4 Cup Chicken Broth and cook until it begins to thicken.  Turn off heat and add 2 Tbl Butter and swirl until melted.  Spoon over the fish and top with the toasted pecans.  Serve at once.
NOTE:  The changes I made to this recipe vs. the Orange Roughy were to replace the Olive Oil with Butter and to swirl in more butter at the end which gave the sauce a thicker consistency.  I also added S&P and Sugar to the pecans provide a sweet and savory compliment to the butter lemon sauce.  If you wanted to take it one step further you could add a bit on cayenne pepper to give the nuts some heat.  I would love to hear some feedback from anyone making any of these recipes.  The comments section is open without a login.

Orange Roughy with Lemon Butter and Toasted Pistachios

I have been working diligently on perfecting a pan sauce after sauteing a piece of fish.  I really sort of copied a bit of my brown butter technique for this sauce and it's tasty. But what I am really after is the light lemon butter sauce we see in local restaurants.  After many tries I am convinced they may make up a lemon butter sauce and that it isn't made with the pan juices every time they fire up a fish dish.  That will be a whole 'nother set of experiments.  For now, I am just trying to get a quickly cooked piece of fish that has some color on the outside, that can be turned without breaking apart, that can be removed from the pan without breaking apart, is tasty and has a quick 2 minutes sauce.  None of these are that simple though it sounds as if it should be.
I have many spatulas but I need to get to Simplee Gourmet on Hwy 21 (for the local gang) to get a tool for turning fish.  Any good gourmet shop will have what you need and that is our local store.  The other variable is the pan.  I am concluding that the newer pans I have (and the pans sold) are coated.  I don't feel they render themselves to the browning I am after.  I may have to invest in a larger stainless skillet for that.  In any event, when making this dish you will need to have a thick bottomed skillet.....Ok, a lot of talk, here's what I did:
First, rinse fish fillet(s) and pat dry or place on paper towels to dry.  While it is drying, heat a small skillet and toast chopped Pistachio Nuts in 1 Tbl Butter.  Set aside.  Zest and Juice 1 Lemon.  Heat a skillet, large enough to fit the fillets, over medium high heat.  After a few minutes add 2 Tbl Olive Oil and add 1 Tbl Butter. Swirl to coat the add 1 Orange Roughy Fillet per Person but don't overlap the fish.
When the fish begins to turn opaque around the edges, carefully turn it over.  Cook the second side until fish feels firm to the touch at it's thickest point.  Place on warm plates.  To the pan, add the lemon zest and stir for 20 seconds.  Add lemon juice and swirl to combine.  Add 1/4 Cup Chicken Broth.  Let this reduce for a few minutes until it thicken slightly.  Turn off heat and add 1 Tbl Butter, swirling the pan the entire time.  Pour over fish fillets and add toasted pistachios.  Serve at once.

OMG, Great Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches!

When I was a kid, we had a store around the corner called Urban's Market.  We used to get penny candy (for a penny) and candy bars and popsicles for 5 cents.  When you walked in, on the left, there was a freezer with a siding glass top that contained all of the ice cream novelties.  What I loved about their ice cream sandwiches was that the cookie was crunchy, not because it was frozen, but because it was a crisp cookie and it didn't get soft and stick to my fingers.  This summer my son and I have tried Blue Bunny and Blue Bell ice cream sandwiches, hunting for the kind I grew up with.  Though not perfect, Blue Bunny was the winner when it comes to the crispness of the cookie.  Blue Bell stuck to my fingers when unwrapping the paper, though they are good otherwise.
As a jumping off point, I found a chocolate dough recipe in my Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.  I made the dough yesterday and it is in our Man-Frig (named because it contains beverages, one of which is beer, though there is a drawer with snacks for my son) and it is set at the coldest setting.
Today, I have to roll out and bake the dough.  It has a few steps so I'll be busy. Then I'll scoop ice cream in order to get real tall sandwiches.  My husband wants Blue Bell Fat Free Strawberry Cheesecake Yogurt  but he'll have to settle for Raspberry Sherbert since that's all I found.  I am looking for some sort of White Chocolate that I am going to squish Fresh Raspberries into and I think my son wants something chocolatey.  (I got Dutch Chocolate for my son and I found Black Raspberry, so we are all in heaven.)  Once assembled,  I'll wrap them in parchment paper.  Hopefully I'll get the results I am looking for and if not this go around, it's sure fun trying!
In the meantime, here is the dough recipe.  In a bowl, measure 1 1/4 Cups Flour, 1/4 Cup + 2 Tbl Dutch Process Cocoa Powder, 1/2 tsp Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp Baking Soda and 1/4 tsp Salt.   Using a wire whip, stir to combine the dry ingredients.  In a mixer bowl with a paddle, beat 1 Stick UnSalted Butter, 2/3 Cups Brown Sugar and 1/3 Cup Sugar.  Add 1 Egg and 1 tsp Vanilla and beat to combine.  With the mixer on the lowest setting, add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.  With floured hands, divide in half, flatten and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for a least 1/2 hour.
Remove from the refrigerator 1 at a time and roll out dough to 1/8" thickness and freeze.  Cut out 2" circles and freeze the circles.  Gather the scraps and repeat the process until all the dough is cut.
Preheat the oven to 350 and bake for approximately 12-14 minutes until the cookies feel firm.  Once cooled, fill with ice cream and freeze until ready to serve.  Thank you Mrs. Urban for all the childhood memories!!
In the end, my son ate 2.  Need I say more?

Skinny Chicken

Years ago, my husband would order Skinny Chicken at Macaroni Grill every time we ate there.  I don't know if it's still on the menu.  I tasted it once and recorded in my kitchen cook book (the book where I write all kinds of stuff down) what I think was in the glaze/dressing.  The other day he mentioned feeling fat so I decided to review my notes and make this for dinner.  He was so appreciative that I listened and delivered on something low fat.  Last night as I was prepping the plates with the greens for my photographs and my mother-in-law walked over (we live next door) with a huge bag of garden Roma tomatoes, the perfect compliment.

First, rinse and pound, 1 Chicken Breast per Person in order to tenderize.  Whip up the glaze/dressing.  This is enough for 3 chicken breasts so double or triple as needed.   To a  bowl, add 2 Tbl Honey, 1 Tbl Rice Vinegar, 1 1/2 tsp Stone Ground Mustard (such as Zatarains), 1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar, 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, freshly Ground Pepper, and a Pinch of Kosher Salt.  While stirring with a wire whip, blend in 3 Tbl Olive Oil.  Divide the glaze in half, reserving enough to drizzle on the finished salad since there is no dressing otherwise.  I reserved 1/2 in a neat ceramic pitcher that I have so it can be poured easily.

Preheat grill and while it is preheating, wash and spin enough greens for the number of people you are serving.  I found a nice Arugula/Spinach Mix that was perfect.  Arrange greens on the plate and add any vegetables you want, for example, my father-in-laws Roma Tomatoes.

Cook the chicken.  Baste 1 side of the chicken with the glaze and place on grill, glaze side down.  Glaze the upward facing side.  After a few minutes, flip the chicken breast.  Glaze the upward facing side.  After a few minutes, you are going to flip again but you want the grill marks to create a cross pattern, so the chicken needs to be rotated by 90 degrees to the first set up marks.  Glaze upward facing side.  In a few minutes you will flip for the final time, again, 90 degrees to the set of marks you have already.  Let rest for 5 minutes and slice on an angle.  Place hot chicken on the fresh greens and drizzle with reserved glaze.  Depending on how thinly you pounded the chicken breast and how hot your grill is, this should take about 2 minutes on all sides.  If the chicken is not releasing from the grill, it is not ready to flip but note the honey can be sticky so don't get fooled.

Also, consider adding any of these: shredded Carrots, thinly sliced Red Onion, thinly sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms or colorful Sweet Bell Peppers cut into strips.  I also think it would be nice topped with a crumbled Fete Cheese.  As I am listing all these accoutrement's, you may be thinking what I am thinking, which is this entire meal can be served at a buffet.  In the event of a buffet, make certain you have lots of salad dressing because people tend to take more than might be needed.  Again, the point is keep it fresh, keep it light and keep it skinny!

Baby Back Ribs

I really like to roast ribs in the oven because they come out extremely tender.  The other night I racked my brain to create something new as either a dry rub or a glaze. I came up with this wonderful glaze.  Truly my creation.

Often when I tell my husband "I made it up", it's code for, 'you won't see this again, because I didn't write it down'.  When he tasted these ribs, he told me he hoped I had recorded what I did... which I did.   I admitted to him that they smelled good in the oven and that I had photographed them just in case they tasted good.  Normally if I think a made up recipe will be a success, I write down what I did and snap a few photos.  If I don't, not only will I forget I made something but I surely won't remember what I did. So with that, here goes.

These will cook for about 2 hours depending on the thickness of the ribs.  Mine were on the meaty side.  Preheat oven to 350.  Line a sheet pan with heavy duty aluminum foil.  Rinse and pat dry a rack of ribs.  Grind Pepper over the ribs and add a very small sprinkle of Kosher Salt.  Place ribs in the oven on the center shelf.

For the glaze, using a 1/2 package of dry Good Seasons Garlic Cheese (as in the Salad Dressing dry mix), add 2 Tbl Honey, 1 tsp Soy Sauce (for gluten free, use gluten free soy), 1 tsp Water, 1 Tbl Stone Ground Mustard such as Zatarain's.  Mix together.  This should make a runny paste.

After 1 hour and 20 minutes brush some of the glaze on the ribs and return to the oven.  Reduce oven temperature to 325.  After another 20 minutes, glaze again and return to the oven.  They should be done at the end of 20 minutes.  Let rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

The above will work just fine and I encourage it.  Honestly, the exact way I cooked these is that,  I had to leave in the middle of cooking dinner.  I know, crazy, happens all the time!  If you are like me, maybe this method fits into your busy schedule when you have to leave briefly.  I turned the oven off after the second glazing and headed off to my son's guitar lesson.  We got home about 45 minutes later.  The ribs were hot and fall off the bone tender!!  If you understand cooking, you can leave things at the right moment and come back home and they are perfect.  Try it and see!  Happy 4th of July and happy summer!!