Random November Thoughts

We had a terrible October snowstorm in NJ and we had to take down our beautiful 60 foot maple tree in our back yard. We will miss it this summer when the shade is appreciated.

Traveling last week allowed me to taste some interesting wines.
Schramsberg blanc de blanc 2007 sparkling wine. Nice flavor and balance. Tasted like Champagne.
Taittanger Brut Francaise - decent Champagne.
Vina Cobos Malbec Lujan de Cuyo Bramare 2008 Argentina $30 retail; $80 in a restaurant ; fruity, balance malbec that we enjoyed.
I also had a glass of Chablis and a glass of Sancerre. These are 2 of my favorite white wines.
Chateau Greysac, St Emillion; mostly merlot based wine. Enjoyed. Nice balance with expected bouquet of a St Emillion wine. Not sure of the vintage of the last 3 wines since they were by the glass and the restaurant did not specify the year. Annoying.

At home we had a Provenance 2010 sauvignon blanc. California. Another favorite. $13.
Also Domaine Andezon; Cote de Rhone 2007. Terroir with some fruit. Enjoyed.

I am into kale these days. Toscano kale and red russian kale. Chop up and saute with some olive oil in a non stick pan. Surprisingly sweet. My kale farmer says that frost makes the kale sweeter.
Dinner tonight-- kale with shitake mushrooms, lightly seared NJ tuna, rice and some Thai shrimp gyoza from Trader Joes. Healthy and delicious meal.

Yesterday I used a 7 inch tarte pan and made some pie crust. Rolled out the crust and lined the pan. Peeled and cored 3 apples and 2 pears. The pears were Comice (try them, let them ripen, the best pears). The apples were a mac, macoun and mitsu. I love to blend different flavored apples. I  sliced the the fruit added lemon juice, cinnamon, and brown sugar. I piled the fruit very high and then covered with some more rolled out pie crust. Baked at 350 for about 40 minutes. We really enjoyed. The pears gave it a nice flavor.

The 2007 Barolos and Barberescos are coming out. They are wonderful but cost in the $25 to $40 range. Try one and see. They need more time in the bottle but even now you can taste the quality.

Thanksgiving is approaching. It is my favorite holiday. I will discuss my menu next week. Wines to drink with the Thanksgiving meal is an interesting topic. Let me know of any favorite recipes.

Enjoy.