Monday, October 12, 2009

Autumn Braised Chicken Dinner


The weather finally turned true to the season with cooler days and nights.
Keep on grilln', but it's time to get the stew pot out!

Equipment:
You'll need an aluminum rectangle tin foil pan or a Le Cruset (Sur la table is even having a sale right now!) or other French stew pot. Let me know how it turns out.

Chicken: Choose thighs, breasts and legs and season with your favorite poultry or bbq rub.

Mix the following ingredients for the sauce:
garlic - minced or chopped to taste
ginger - chop up a small chunk and then as the sauce cooks down, you can add more to balance out the flavor.
orange juice - 2 to 1 to the red wine
sliced shallots or finely chopped onion

Grill the chicken until it is almost done - to get some color on it and to seal it.
Move chicken to the tin foil rectangle roasting pan and add the sauce.
Place the foil pan on the grill, and braise chicken on low heat, flipping occasionally, until the meat is falling off the bone.
To finish cooking in your stew pot instead of a tin foil pan, transfer the chicken to a Le Cruset or other stovetop cooking stew pot, add the sauce and finish braising over low heat on the stove.

Season with salt & pepper if desired.
Serve with roast fingerling potatoes, grilled fennel and grilled asparagus

Pair with a red wine, chilled slightly. Something from the south of France, a
rhone varietal, like a Vacqueyras.
Vacqueras is a bit rustic. See if you can taste the herbs and minerals of the terrior of the region.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Don't Heat Up The Kitchen Chicken BBQ Dinner


It's Labor Day Weekend and I don't need to say it, but I will, it's hot hot hot!
Here's a simple meal I put together to avoid heating up the kitchen
in triple digit weather.

Ingredients
- no, I don't measure things out. It's a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
  • Chicken Breasts, Thighs and Legs
  • Your Favorite BBQ Rub
  • Finely Chopped Onion or Slivered Scallions
  • Shredded Ginger
  • Chopped Garlic
  • Red Wine - I use some of my leftover garage wine -Little Anthony Syrah
  • Aluminum Pan - Make a rectangle pan out of aluminum foil, large enough to hold all the meat, or use a disposable aluminum pan
Cover the chicken with the rub and grill until it's almost done.
Let the coals cool down a bit or turn the grill on low.
Put chicken and ingredients in the pan and back on the grill.
Flip the chicken occasionally, add a little red wine as the sauce cooks down.
Cook until the meat is falling off the bone.

Serve with grilled asparagus or fennel and roasted fingerling potatoes

Wine Pairing - slightly chill some Pinot Noir or Vacqueryras (made from Syrah and some Grenache) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacqueyras_AOC

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Little Anthony and the Garagistes


Garagiste - Yes, I confess, I am a garagiste.
What's a garagiste? The name originated with a group of innovative wine makers in the Bordeaux region who wanted to make a style of wine that was less traditional and didn't take as long to age, and their wine was referred to as garage wine, "vins de garage," and so the name garagiste was born.
Little Anthony was born when I started making wine in 2003 with the encouragement from my friend and mentor, Mike Bonaccorsi, and innovation aside, it's not easy making wine that is really drinkable, especially in the garage.
But by 2005, I'm happy to say, Little Anthony received a Gold Medal at the Orange County Fair.
The 2008 Chardonnay turned out great. The grapes are from the Herman Vineyard in Carneros, California. It's clean, light, crisp, and very sauvignon blanc in style. There's no oak and no secondary fermentation.
The '07 Syrah aged 18 months in French Oak, and these grapes were from the Larner Vineyard, up in Santa Ynez, California.
This vintage is intense, with spice and enough acid for a balanced finish.
Making wine at home is fun, rewarding and it's always great to give barrel samples to friends and family.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Get Swanky-Daring Pairings-Cocktails & Cheese





We've got a long standing camaraderie with Nic's Martini Lounge and Restaurant in Beverly Hills.
Larry Nicola's our friend in the ongoing pursuit of good food, good wine, good spirits...
So you shouldn't be surprised to learn we are in cahoots on four martinis featuring cheese.

DARE TO GO THERE


1. Wine & Cheese Martini: Idol Vodka (made from Chardonnay and Pinot grapes) with Pinot Noir juice, served up with a slice of Morbier cheese. Idol Vodka is a French vodka made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes from Burgundy, France.
Morbier is a creamy cow's milk cheese from Franche-Comte, France, characterized by the flavor of nuts and fruit and an aroma of fresh hay.
The yellow-brown or pale gray rind is thick, moist and leathery with a creamy brown crust and the interior is comprised of two layers of glossy, yellowish-ivory paste, separated by a thin flavorless layer of ash, which separates the morning milking from the evening milking.

2. Maytag Repair Man: Skyy 90 Vodka served up with a Maytag Blue Cheese Stuffed Olive.

3. The Popes in Town: Mezzaluna Vodka served up, with blueberries and garnished with Gorgonzola. Mezzaluna is an Italian vodka made from Semolina grain.

4. What a Nice Pear You Have: Grey Goose La Poire Vodka. Add pear juice and top with a shave of Parmesan cheese

Friday, March 27, 2009

Wine Tip - Try White Wine With Sushi


With the warmer weather tempting our palates to lighter fare, now is
the perfect time to venture beyond traditional sushi and beverage
pairings. Try a crisp white wine instead of Saki or Japanese beer.


Trends in Wine and Affordable Luxuries


Trends for Spring 2009 Wines to Drink Now
Riesling and other light, bright whites are starting to be trendy right now. Lower alcohol and good acidity make them food friendly and perfect for cheese and light meats. Typically, there’s an about face from season to season. The big reds of winter give way to the lighter whites of spring/summer.

Cork or Screw Cap?
The screw cap works great for some wines you can drink immediately. This year, Mommessin’s Beaujolais Nouveau ‘08 came in a plastic bottle with a screw cap. The plastic bottle was cute, lightweight (cheaper shipping costs) which added a fun flair to the idea of Beaujolais, and only $10.00 a bottle. But overall, cork finished is still far superior. The wine doesn’t breath naturally without a cork. Wines do breath with a cork.
The Last Word: Decanting
To decant or not to decant, that is a good question. Most wine merchant’s wine on the shelf is for immediate drinking. Ask the wine purveyor as the starting point, as this person is probably familiar with the history of the wine. When the wine is big and tight, it needs to be opened and oxygenated. There are some grape varietal Syrahs that are ready to drink and some that need to be opened up one hour before, as an example. It all depends on the producer and the vintage. Some wines are closed and more tannic and need to age – these need to be decanted if you can’t wait for the wine to mature in the bottle. Decanting gives the wine a head start. You can always do a rough decant. Open the wine, pour it into something and then pour it right back into the bottle. Enjoy!

Affordable Luxury
Artisanal Honeys – in stressful times, people feel comfortable splurging in a little luxury to enjoy when they are spending more time at home. With the continuing problem of colony collapse disorder, honeys of all kinds will become more precious.
Green Tea Oil – made from the buds, food item du jour green tea oil works best as finishing oil. Recipes of the Pacific Rim call for it. Try it when preparing scallops, mussels and langoustines. Tip: Green Tea Oil can take a higher heat with low smoke.
Restaurant Menus – the economy is spawning lots of new small bite and tapas-like items. People like to try new things and still get some bang for their buck.