Had a fun Christmas and spent time with family.
Bought some wine for my brother. Tried to keep the price per bottle in the $10 to $15 range. Here is what I bought. Shopped at the Wine Library.
Spice Route Chakalaka 2011 $15.98 Have not had this vintage but this wine is a great Rhone style blend from South Africa.
Wyatt Chardonnay 2012 $9.98 Wyatt are California wines with sourced grapes. Doug Polaner puts the wine together. A Parker fav, I have enjoyed thier wines in the past. Have not tried this wine.
Puig Parahy George 2010 $13.97- Southern France blend that I have had in previous vintages and it is a good value. 2010 was a good year in Europe.
Vina Olabarri Gran Reserva 2005 $15.98 A Spanish Rioja. Highly rated but I have not tried.
Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2012 $10.98 Charles Smith makes all types of eclectic wines in Washington State and his wines are reasonable and good. I have this wine in previous vintages. #51 in the WS top 100 for 2013. A great value for an interesting wine.
Domaine Dupeuble Beaujolais 2011 $11.98 I am enjoying Beaujolais's again and 2011 was a very good year. Have not had this wine but since it is not a cru the price was right. It is estate bottled.
Guigal Cote du Rhone red $11.98 One of my favs from the Rhone valley in France.
The Curator White $9.98 A South African blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. Look interesting and South African wines are good values these days.
Dante Robino Malbec 2010 $9.98 Argentina Received a good WA review and the price was right. I am not a big Malbec fan but many people enjoy it as it easy drinking.
Chateau la Cardonne 2009 $15.98 A vg Bordeaux that is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon. I have had this several times and really like it.Great value.
Babich Sauvignon Blanc 2013 $9.98. I find many New Zealand SB's to be good but generic. Babich is always a good wine and the 2013 should be fresh. Remember Southern hemisphere wines are 6 months ahead of us in their vintages so the 2013's are out now.
Wine buying and drinking should be fun and you do not need to spend a fortune.
Made grilled butterflied leg of lamb last night. Marinate the lamb in olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and wine vinegar for a half an hour and throw it on the grill. Cook until it is the done to how you like it. Serve it with grilled eggplant and sauteed baby bok choi and grilled potato wedges. Microwave baking potatoes until almost done. Then cut into quarters the long way (wedges). Dip in olive oil and grill for about 4 minutes on each side.
Drank a Chalone 2010 Pinot Noir that I received on Christmas. The wine was great and it was a nice simple meal.
Looking to plan a trip this winter. Anguilla is on the short list again. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
The New Year is coming up. Is going out on New Years Eve the thing to do again these days?
Enjoy.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Tis the season to eat, drink and be merry
Recipes for Desserts
Speaking with a few of my friends, the subject of good seasonal recipes has come up. These are 2 of the best and easiest desserts one can find.
Poached Pears
Peel 2 pears. Comice pears are great. Bartlett work well also. Cut in half and cut out the core. You should have 4 half pears.
Take about 3 cups of red wine, pour into a 1-2 quart pot and add a cup of sugar. Also add 12 black peppercorns. Heat the wine mixture to a simmer and add the pear halves. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until a fork easily penetrates the pears.
Remove the pears and let sit in a bowl. Continue to simmer the wine mixture watching it carefully. As it cooks it will thicken into a syrup. When the mixture coats the back of a spoon (the mixture will be reduced by more than half), turn off the heat.
Serve the pears by slicing the halves on an angle and spread out he slices like a fan. Spoon some of the sauce over the pears. Remove the peppercorns before spooning the sauce.
Watch as you cook the sauce as it can become a real mess if you cook it too much.
Passion Fruit Desserts
One of my favorite websites is Aunt Lilikoi http://www.auntylilikoi.com/ This is the place to buy all things passion fruit. Lilikoi is Hawaiian for passion fruit. The unsweetened passion fruit juice is great. BTW shipping from Kauai is not very expensive. The juice keeps unopened for a long time.
Passion Fruit Pie
Make a graham cracker crust in an 8 inch pie pan. Follow the directions on the back of Nabisco Graham Cracker Crumbs. I use less butter than called for in the recipe.
Make a mixture of 1 can of condensed milk(14 ounces), the equivalent of 2 eggs of eggbeaters, and about a half of a cup of the unsweetened passion fruit juice. Add more to taste. Mix the ingredients well. Pour into the prepared pie crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until set. Remove from the oven.
Let cool. Whip a cup of heavy cream and slowly add some confectioners sugar and some of the passion fruit juice. Serve with whipped cream.
I also make a hot passion fruit souffle that is a my favorite. Recipe at a later date or drop me a note. I also make cranberry nut bread, pignoli cookies, and anything chocolate including chocolate truffles.
I will publish the recipes with the most requests. Let me know.
Wine
This time of year is great for wine buying. It seems as if all of the wine sites are trying to out do themselves with deals. My wines of the moment are
2010 and 2011 Cru Beaujolais such Fleurie and Brouilly (around $20)
Champagne (try producers that you have never heard of ) and keep the price under $30
Guigal 2010 Cote du Rhone $12
2010 Chateauneuf Du Pape (These can be pricey but you can find them for around $30.
Lenz, Long Island, NY Merlot 2009. (Around $17) Yes it is a merlot.
Also 2010 Bordeaux. See Garys website http://garyswine.com/ . They have 25 2010Bordeaux wines rated 90 by someone for under $25.
Any of these wine would make great gifts. If you need any other wine gift suggestions, let me know. Good wine glasses are very useful. I find that good glasses make a difference and they make swirling fun. I am not a very good swirler as some of my friends will attest. Target has Riedel wine glasses that are reasonably priced. Remember that when using big wine glasses, pour small amounts of wine.
Enjoy!
Speaking with a few of my friends, the subject of good seasonal recipes has come up. These are 2 of the best and easiest desserts one can find.
Poached Pears
Peel 2 pears. Comice pears are great. Bartlett work well also. Cut in half and cut out the core. You should have 4 half pears.
Take about 3 cups of red wine, pour into a 1-2 quart pot and add a cup of sugar. Also add 12 black peppercorns. Heat the wine mixture to a simmer and add the pear halves. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until a fork easily penetrates the pears.
Remove the pears and let sit in a bowl. Continue to simmer the wine mixture watching it carefully. As it cooks it will thicken into a syrup. When the mixture coats the back of a spoon (the mixture will be reduced by more than half), turn off the heat.
Serve the pears by slicing the halves on an angle and spread out he slices like a fan. Spoon some of the sauce over the pears. Remove the peppercorns before spooning the sauce.
Watch as you cook the sauce as it can become a real mess if you cook it too much.
Passion Fruit Desserts
One of my favorite websites is Aunt Lilikoi http://www.auntylilikoi.com/ This is the place to buy all things passion fruit. Lilikoi is Hawaiian for passion fruit. The unsweetened passion fruit juice is great. BTW shipping from Kauai is not very expensive. The juice keeps unopened for a long time.
Passion Fruit Pie
Make a graham cracker crust in an 8 inch pie pan. Follow the directions on the back of Nabisco Graham Cracker Crumbs. I use less butter than called for in the recipe.
Make a mixture of 1 can of condensed milk(14 ounces), the equivalent of 2 eggs of eggbeaters, and about a half of a cup of the unsweetened passion fruit juice. Add more to taste. Mix the ingredients well. Pour into the prepared pie crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until set. Remove from the oven.
Let cool. Whip a cup of heavy cream and slowly add some confectioners sugar and some of the passion fruit juice. Serve with whipped cream.
I also make a hot passion fruit souffle that is a my favorite. Recipe at a later date or drop me a note. I also make cranberry nut bread, pignoli cookies, and anything chocolate including chocolate truffles.
I will publish the recipes with the most requests. Let me know.
Wine
This time of year is great for wine buying. It seems as if all of the wine sites are trying to out do themselves with deals. My wines of the moment are
2010 and 2011 Cru Beaujolais such Fleurie and Brouilly (around $20)
Champagne (try producers that you have never heard of ) and keep the price under $30
Guigal 2010 Cote du Rhone $12
2010 Chateauneuf Du Pape (These can be pricey but you can find them for around $30.
Lenz, Long Island, NY Merlot 2009. (Around $17) Yes it is a merlot.
Also 2010 Bordeaux. See Garys website http://garyswine.com/ . They have 25 2010Bordeaux wines rated 90 by someone for under $25.
Any of these wine would make great gifts. If you need any other wine gift suggestions, let me know. Good wine glasses are very useful. I find that good glasses make a difference and they make swirling fun. I am not a very good swirler as some of my friends will attest. Target has Riedel wine glasses that are reasonably priced. Remember that when using big wine glasses, pour small amounts of wine.
Enjoy!
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