12.31.2012

What I’m Drinking: Gramona Cava “Gran Cuvee” 2008

It’s only fitting that my final post of the year involve bubbles, especially since I’ve been crazy for sparkling for the better part of the past month.  And, of course, there’s nothing better for celebrating the New Year, even if it’s the only celebrating that you do.  A single flute of sparkling wine?  Sounds like the perfect New Year’s Eve to me.  Well, maybe more like two...

There are actually several good budget-friendly options, so it took a minute to narrow it down, but I finally settled on this Cava from Gramona as the way to go.  Kevin and I drank it on Christmas night this year, and it was the perfect thing.  I often like Cava in general as a sparkling option because of its tendency to be relatively inexpensive even despite being made via the traditional method.  This Gramona Cava goes a bit further because it also has a little bit of age on it, which adds some toasty, creamy, nutty notes that are perfect for the holidays and rich winter fare.

Hailing from Penedes Spain, the Gramona is made with two of the traditional Cava grapes, Macabeo and Xarel.lo, but also with the traditional Champagne grape Chardonnay, which is an interesting twist.  I love its golden straw color and streams of smallish bubbles in the glass, but am even more enthralled with the nose of this wine - all baked yellow apples, caramel and butterscotch, topped with a sprinkling of toasted almonds.

The palate does not disappoint - the caramel, baked apple, and almond are all there.  They are joined by some brighter notes, however, including lemon zest, lemon custard, and even some herbaceous apple skin.  I enjoyed this with cauliflower crudite, but think that it would be dynamite with some rich, caramelized roasted root vegetables, or even a cauliflower gratin topped with some breadcrumbs and a little parsley.  In the end, though, the good news about sparkling wine is that it pairs well with just about everything.

Happy New Year!

11.26.2012

Chestnut and Celery Root Soup

Thanksgiving was at my house this year, and I took it on as an exciting opportunity to integrate some new and interesting dishes into the holiday routine.  Tangy and refreshing pomegranate seeds were stirred into the cranberry sauce.  Instead of stuffing or dressing, we had butternut squash and kale bread pudding.  And to start?  Soup and salad of course.  But not just any soup and salad.  Brussels sprouts and red cabbage, pine nuts and dried cranberries were dressed in a chile and honey mustard vinaigrette to play the salad role.  For the soup?  I revived this chestnut and celery root soup recipe from a couple of years ago...and then wondered why I hadn’t been making it the whole time.  Not only did our Thanksgiving guests love it, with its creamy texture, earthy depth, and just a touch of chestnut sweetness, but it was a breeze to put together, and even could be done the day before.  It will surely be making an appearance again over the holidays, and probably once more in January or February, when its hearty warmth will be most welcome in the dead of winter.

Use a sharp Y-shaped peeler to peel the celery root without going mad.  And season liberally, but don’t sweat the heavy cream if you’d rather not add the extra fat - I think it’s perfectly delicious without it.

You can find the recipe for Chestnut and Celery Root Soup here.

7.09.2012

What I’m Drinking: Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare

About a month and a half ago, I had the good fortune of being invited to attend an afternoon wine tasting with Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard. He was delightful, and it was fascinating to meet him and to hear his (often unique) ideas about grape growing, winemaking, and everything in between. We tasted many, many delicious wines, but, surprisingly (or maybe not), the 2011 Vin Gris de Cigare was the wine that resonated with me most. Randall Grahm spoke of it as a rosé that was made to be a rosé (as opposed to a rosé that is a byproduct of making red wine). Minimal skin contact is permitted, resulting in a paler color, retained acidity, and more elegance. While the strawberry and raspberry aromas and flavors still popped, a slight minerality and lightness was notable. It instantly transported me 11 months back in time to a balcony in Aix-en-Provence, where Kevin and I quaffed a similar rosé while we enjoyed an impromptu picnic of charcuterie, cheese, strawberries, olives, and baguette, all procured from the market that morning.

Cheese at the market in Aix-en-Provence
And so began my summer 2012 obsession with Provence-style rosés. I currently have no less than five different varieties in my possession, as has been a running trend for the past month. The best I could do when it comes to purchasing the Vin Gris de Cigare locally right now was the 2010 vintage, which is juicy and lush, with ample acidity and that same mineral vein. It is a gorgeous pale salmon hue with both flavors and aromas of strawberry and raspberry, cherry, peach and apricot, zingy lemon, and just a touch of spice. At 12.8% alcohol, this blend of 71% grenache, 16% roussanne, 11% grenache blanc, and 2% mourvedre has body, but without being overly weighty. And at under $20 a bottle, it is a delicious wine that is also easy on the pocketbook, which is typical of Provence rosés as well. With the 100 degree temps that have been all-to-common in Chicago recently, these wines are the perfect thing.

Other wines that remind me of a sunny balcony in Provence:
2011 Commanderie de la Bargemone (Coteaux d’Aix en Provence)
2011 La Courtade L’Alycastre (Cotes de Provence)
2011 Chateau Margui Perle de Margui (Coteaux Varois en Provence)


4.17.2012

Chia Seed Pudding

I always say that you can’t argue with busy.  We are all busy in our own way, and everyone feels the effects of that “busy-ness” everyday.  Unfortunately, the area of our lives that tends to suffer when we are feeling particularly busy is in the kitchen.  After recently returning to the world of the full-time student, I’ve been feeling particularly busy lately.  And as a busy person, I urge you, another busy person, not to overlook the recently trendy chia seed.  In particular, I’d like to endorse this recipe for Chia Seed Pudding from the March issue of Food & Wine.  I overlooked it at first myself, but, at the urging of one of my restaurant co-workers, pulled it up again and tried it.  I’m so glad I did.  It is amazingly quick to make, pleasant to eat garnished or on its own, healthful, vegan (bonus if you’re into that), and easy enough to memorize and thus put together that much faster.

Chia seeds are available at stores like Whole Foods (and yes, if you’re wondering, they are the power behind a Chia Pet) and, according to Bob’s Red Mill, whose chia seeds I purchased, they were a staple food of the Mayans and Aztecs.  They also are reportedly a good source of Omega-3 and fiber.  But what I’m most concerned with is that I can combine them with almond milk, a little agave, and a small amount of lemon zest and (poof) I have pudding.  Despite the instructions in the recipe, I find that I can put all of the ingredients in at once and shake, and everything disperses quite well.  The really important thing about this recipe, though, is the shaking during the first 30-45 minutes.  I have found that if the pudding is agitated at about 15 minute intervals for the first 30-45 minutes, the seeds will not clump together and will thicken the pudding nicely.  After that, the shaking is less critical.

The finished pudding is both crunchy and creamy, with a mild melon-like flavor.  I am looking forward to varying the zest, trying lemon, lime, orange, and perhaps even grapefruit.

You can find the recipe for Grace Parisi’s Chia-Seed Pudding here.

3.21.2012

What I’m Drinking: Kunin 2010 Pape Star

While this wine does push the limits of my self-imposed bottle budget, I appreciate the fact that it is consistently delicious from vintage to vintage, always a crowd-pleaser at parties and get-togethers, and topped with a convenient screw cap!  Always a Rhone-style blend, the 2010 vintage consists of 46% Grenache, 27% Mourvedre, and 27% Syrah, and is a brilliant and clear ruby hue in the glass.  At 14.4% abv, there are some faint legs, but the alcohol is not overpowering.

The clean, youthful nose bursts with fruit aromas - cherry, strawberry, and red plum - but also maintains more complex undertones of cola, oak, mineral, and wet earth.  Likewise, juicy, fresh raspberry and black cherry lead on the palate, but are complemented at the finish with black pepper spice and a notable minerality.

This wine is dry and well-balanced, with a healthy acidity and light to medium tannin levels to off-set the fruit and alcohol.  The result is a medium-bodied red with a lengthy finish that drinks well alone, and pairs well with a variety of dishes.  A bottle of this is worth snapping up for a weekend occasion!


1.22.2012

Roasted Potatoes with Lavender

Some of the most picturesque moments of our train ride from Aix-en-Provence to Paris this past summer involved whooshing by brilliant swaths of the purple and yellow lavender and sunflower fields that checkered the French countryside.  So, when I happened across a small bag of dried lavender at a local spice shop not long after we returned, I couldn’t resist purchasing it, in a moment of slight wistfulness.  Admittedly, I had no idea what I was going to do with it in the kitchen. Thankfully, serendipity intervened, however, in the form of an article in Saveur about edible lavender, complete with this recipe for Roasted Potatoes with Lavender.  

While I originally discovered this recipe in the summer, I have been holding onto it especially for this time of year, since this is about the time that heavy root vegetable preparations start to feel ubiquitous, and a dried flower is an easy pantry item that will keep.  Simple as this side dish is, the addition of the lavender flowers to the buttery, roasted potatoes creates a light and unexpected flavor that is a welcome departure from the familiar, and a reminder that winter is finite.

You can find the recipe for Roasted Potatoes with Lavender here.  High quality dried lavender flowers can be ordered easily from The Spice House at this link.