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Archive for the ‘Drink’ Category
Saturday, August 28th, 2010
Lunch as provided by the IFBC…what I sampled
Chef John Howie, Seastar Restaurant, John Howie Steak, Sport Restaurant and Bar
Salmon Carpaccio
Suggested Wine Pairing: L’Ecole No. 41 2008 Semillon-Columbia Valley & 2007 Syrah-Columbia Valley
Chef Shannon Galusha, Bastille
Marinated Octopus with Chickpeas and Preserved Lemon (others enjoyed with Chorizo Vinaigrette)
*This was my favorite dish, I had two helpings! Attractive in an artistic way, the octopus was large enough to be a tiny offensive - as in do I want to close my eyes or am I brave enough to take a big bite - I chose the latter and found it deliciously flavorful and perfectly chewy. A tad bit salty, and I mean that in the best way.
Suggested Wine Pairing: Skylite Cellars 2008 Sierra (73% Pinot Gris & 27% Sauvignon Blanc)
Chef Jason Stratton, Spinasse
Zucchini in Capione with Fennel and Apricot
Suggested Wine Pairing: 2009 Carderetta SBS 79% Sauvignon Blanc, 21% Semillon
Middle photo Lemon Basil.
Posted in Drink, Epicurean Events, Travel | No Comments »
Thursday, August 26th, 2010
I did not mean to take the last couple days off from blogging, but it has been some week and tomorrow I fly to Seattle for a blogging conference (or okay to eat and hang out with a few super cool people) and then to Los Angeles. So excited to tell you about a couple of things I will be doing in Los Angeles (involve cameras and water, maybe concrete), but those will have to wait till I am back. See, I promised myself to stay away from the computer as much as possible next week and want a few gems to relive by writing upon my return. Pretty sure that will be my first almost whole week off from blogging. Almost, because I will be blogging about Seattle’s food trucks and the conference seminars Sunday. At least that is what I am supposed to do, but who knows what will happen with so many good excuses surrounding me.
Without further ado, to the topic of this post. I consider myself a researcher and seeing as how I will be touring Theo Chocolate in Seattle took it upon myself to sample some of their chocolate in advance. I mean we would not want me showing up without being knowledgeable about the product right!? We are talking about chocolate! Taking these chocolate things seriously as I do I recruited a taste tester in my friend Eli, a proud new papa who not that long ago established a fermentation center in Portland. We sat down in the Ferm (what we locals call the fermentation center) at a table made from leftover wood. Eli supplied apple juice from freshly picked apples, some of which will go into making apple cider (to be sold at the Ferm). There were large glass jugs of it in the fridge. I took a photo, but it did not do the sight justice. That apple juice might be just about the best apple juice I’ve ever had. Not normally a big apple juice person, it really has to be fresh for me to like it. This was delicious.
Eli pronounced both the 74% Organic Dark Chocolate and 70 % Dark Chocolate tasty. My preference is for the former with its “big” chocolate flavor. I look forward to sampling the Orange, Mint, and Spicy Chile in Seattle. Expect a full chocolate report in a few days.
Posted in Comfort Food, Drink, Friends, Local Flavors, Portland Maine | No Comments »
Sunday, August 1st, 2010
My aunt Emily made the best Sweet Tea. One of the great pleasures of my childhood summers spent in Magnolia, Arkansas was spending time with her in the kitchen. Emily was a true southern belle recognized by those who knew her for her grace, home (the way she kept it and the parties she commanded alongside my uncle), and culinary skills. Her dining table was a symbol of Southern hospitality. Nothing can beat her peach cobbler, the sweetest I have (and will) ever have. When accompanied by a glass of her Sweet Tea the world was okay.
Recently a friend gave me a copy of Martha Hall Foose’s Screen Doors and Sweet Tea: Recipes and Tales from a Southern Cook. Believe it or not, all these years (since my Arkansas summers) I have drunk sun brewed unsweet tea. Maybe I got by with all the sugar in the cookies that so often accompanied a glass. No more, I am back on the Sweet Tea bandwagon. Ms. Foote’s recipe is spot on. Enjoy while lounging in a hammock or resting on your porch/swing. This is meant to be drunk while taking in those summer rays we seem to be getting (thankfully) a lot of recently. xo
Sweet Tea from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea
4 pitcher-size cold-brew tea bags, or 6 Tbsp orange pekoe tea leaves in a diffuser
3/4 c sugar
Ice cubes
2 lemons, sliced
Fresh mint sprig (optional)
Place the tea bags in a large pitcher. Add 3 quarts cold water, and steep for 30 minutes (I let mine sit outside for a couple hours this morning). Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water and the sugar. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the tea bags. Add the sugar mixture and stir to combine. Serve over ice with lemon and fresh mint, if desired.
Posted in Drink, Recipes | No Comments »
Friday, July 30th, 2010
John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, was an American legend who traveled the countryside on foot planting apple orchards during the first part of the 19th century. I think this folk hero would be pleased with the popularity of the apple today. Specifically as consumed in a glass as apple juice, artisanal cider or brandy.
Sweetgrass Farm Winery & Distillery in Union Maine makes an excellent apple brandy enjoyed solo or in apple pie (I personally believe most pies are better with brandy, whiskey or wine). According to the website each bottle contains the essence of 40 local apples. Divine.
Martinelli makes a good commercial apple juice, but if you can get it fresh or make your own by all means go that route. I pick up a jug of apple juice and/or cider when I pick apples or stop by one of the farmers’ markets near where I live. As the weather cools, the only thing I love more to drink in the morning than chai tea is mulled cider. I like mine even more with apple doughnuts (always purchased from a farm stand).
This weekend I am signing up for my share in the second annual Out on a Limb: Apple CSA via Rabelais Books. Each shareholder will receive 20 or more varieties of rare, interesting and highly flavored apples over the course of the season with a wide range of uses, appearances, histories and tastes. Each delivery will be a mix of dessert apples (apples meant to be eaten fresh) and culinary apples. Some of the varieties will be organically grown, others conventionally.
Each delivery of at least 1/4 bushel (approximately 10 lbs.) will be accompanied by a newsletter with descriptions, history, tidbits and lore about each variety, as well as recipes and ideas for how to best use them.
The CSA will cost $120 for the season. By my thinking that is a deal that would make Johnny Appleseed smile.
**If you sign up for the CSA at Rabelais and are at all interested in making/enjoying cider or hard cider, pick up a copy of Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider by Annie Proux & Lew Nichols.
Photo Gourmet.
Posted in Books, Drink, Friends, Local Flavors, Midcoast Maine, Portland Maine | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
Thank you once again Molly Wizenberg for having such a fun and beautiful blog that pretty much always makes me laugh and offers terrific recipes. After vodka and gin, Pimm’s is a favorite during cocktail hour. Visit Orangette, Molly’s blog, for the recipe. Cannot wait to (hopefully) see her and (definitely) eat at Delancey (restaurant she owns with her maple syrup loving husband Brandon) in Seattle.
Photo Orangette.
Posted in Drink | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
Two of the best things in life: coffee + cake (in this case cupcake)…
Ninth Street Espresso
Vanilla Lemon Cupcake at Spot Dessert Bar
Posted in Baked Goods, Drink, Travel | No Comments »
Thursday, June 10th, 2010
In New England right now we are just getting into strawberry season so my head is wrapped around this tasty summer fruit as a clever addition to the lunch table and (other times of the day) as partner to a bottle of chilled Champagne. Look no further than Jamie Oliver or Charlotte Voisey for delicious concoctions involving bubbly or gin. Every bit as refreshing as lemonade they are the perfect nightcap to a summer day.
To me there is nothing more traditional in my kitchen during the summer months than a bowl of fresh picked strawberries (sometimes picked by me, but more often than not by a local farmer). I brought a small basket of them to the office today and people ate them up.
The most intoxicating idea I have read about comes from dearly departed Gourmet Magazine: Aristocrat Sparkling Punch from the 1940s. This “zippy” punch involves sugar, sparkling water, 1 bottle Burgandy, 4 ounces brandy, 2 bottles Champagne, a block of ice, strawberries, oranges, and other fruit in season. It reasons I should make this impossibly seductive sounding formula for summertime happiness.
In the South it would seem the punch bowl is also very much on the mind according to Garden & Gun, a favorite publication of mine. Their suggestion the “Bourbon Slush” features the essential Southern ingredients strong tea, bourbon, sugar, and mint sprigs. I have now transported myself to one of those beachside houses out of Elle Decor where I am lounging away by a pool party attended by close friends glass in hand (or should it be a tea cup) with the sun shining down and the thermostat reading in the 80s.
Top image by Romulo Yanes. Bottom photo by Robert M. Peacock.
Posted in Drink, Local Flavors | No Comments »
Monday, May 10th, 2010
I love this link with an “Artisanal CheeseClock Flight” providing tips on pairing wine and cheese. How clever!!
Through both independent study and instruction from friends/associates who are also extraordinary resources, my education of wine and (goat and sheep) cheese continues. As a university student I knew two things about cheese and wine by the time I graduated (1) I was lactose intolerant (thank my stars not till AFTER a semester in France) and (2) I preferred beer (Budweiser to be exact) over any kind of wine. Several years, a few excellent samples of artisanal cheese and glasses of outstanding wines later I feel a bit differently. Granted I still will admit to loving a cold bottle of Budweiser every once in a while, but now I am actually fascinated by wine labels, wine making, and the influences that affect the final product. This is likely due to the fact that I am no longer drinking airport quality wine (disgusting).
As for cheese, well I have gotten to know a couple goat cheese makers and am intrigued by the cheese making culture and what a proper cheese plate should look/taste like. Though I missed a home cheese making workshop this past winter I even hope to participate in one next year.
My “cheese road” if you will has been a bit bumpier ride than the one I have taken to the corner of an excellent German Riesling and Oregonian Pinot as I am more limited in what I can digest (minimal cow’s milk). That said I have had an amazing companion in Galaxy Nutritional Foods in the passenger seat. Okay, stop there I know you are thinking “product placement” or “way to drop a client into a post”…well fine yes, but I have also been eating their alternative cheese slices for over a decade. Before I ever met anyone from the company, before I even knew the words “Galaxy Nutritional Foods” I was intimately familiar with Veggy (green label) and Rice (blue label) slices of Cheddar and American. When someone loves cheese as much as I do and suddenly their dairy bar of bleu cheese dressing, brie, and camembert is taken away you become desperate to find an alternative source of creamy goodness.
I don’t remember who introduced me to Galaxy’s cheese alternative slices, it might well have been someone at Trader Joes, since that is where I used to shop. Anyway, I have been putting them on tortilla chips, chile, soup, crackers, apples, veggie burgers, vegetables, in burritos and omelets, and melting onto tuna sandwiches for a long while. My favorites are the Rice Mozzarella and the Veggy Pepper Jack flavored slices. You can find them in most traditional grocery stores (natural or produce section) and natural food stores.
Posted in Comfort Food, Drink, Epicurean Events | 1 Comment »
Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
I hope you had a wonderful weekend. My friends and I embarked on a mini drinking and eating adventure in Portland. We started out at Nosh Kitchen Bar (the space formerly occupied by The White Heart, the only place you could dance and get food in Portland), which I was excited to try out after a friend’s rave review of the sandwiches. The restaurant features mini portions of charcuterie, cheese, seafood, and vegetables. I want to go back for the chocolate stout and more of the horseradish mayo, which I received an honest portion of with my Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper Fries.
The next night, having enjoyed the Kentucky Derby earlier in the evening we honored the racing activities by drinking really good mint juleps, the traditional cocktail of the event, at Katahdin. I was surprised to find out they were made with Jack Daniels, not bourbon (usually the drink is made with mint, sugar, water, and bourbon and garnished with spearmint). We have decided to rent an RV and get tickets to the race next year, that will be such fun!!!
Posted in Drink, Portland Maine | No Comments »
Monday, April 19th, 2010
Last week, I played in Oregon’s wine country and hung out at the best source for chocolate and salt (I know this store is heaven sent!!) in Portland’s most wonderful neighborhood with two of my closest friends. We tasted delicious wines, chatted away, and picked up some seriously good wine and chocolate.
Upon the recommendation of a friend we went to Elk Cove Vineyards, an award-winning (and more importantly to me anyway family owned and managed) source of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc. From there we went to the nearby Adea Wine Company, where truth be told I spent more time playing with the vineyard’s St. Bernard than tasting the wine. What I did try was “toasty” and “big”. My friend Annie, who used to be a partner in a wine shop, gave us a wine tasting tutorial. She helped elevate our wine tasting by teaching us about the “nose” of a wine and encouraging the use of more descriptive adjectives such as “earthy” and “stinky foot” to evaluate the character of the wine. Little by little I am learning to branch out from Malbec wines, which I know I enjoy, and to be more adventurous when purchasing and trying wine.
I thought a wonderful way to wrap up an amazing day would be at the little, and very precious, gourmet shop The Meadow in Portland. They specialize in dark chocolate bars, sea salts, wines, and flowers. They even have a chocolate blog! I wished I had brought a bigger suitcase. Just writing about the shop has me venturing back into my kitchen for another Sahagun Caramel. By week’s end the Byrne & Carlson Orange Cherry Chocolate Bar and Askinosie (probably my favorite chocolate bar maker) Davao Philippine Bar will be history.
It was an amazing trip, one of the best I have been on in a long time.
Posted in Comfort Food, Drink, Travel | 2 Comments »
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