2014 Game Dinner: Cousino Macul Antiguas Reservas Cabernet Sauvignon `10 $11.99

It has been a rough winter - cold, dark and filled with snow.  What helps me get through the seemingly endless final weeks of winter? Counting the days until the Stockbridge Sportsman's Club Game Dinner, a fundraiser that shares the bounty of the year with neighbors and brings over 200 of us all together: writers, hunters, teachers, students, healthcare activists, carpenters, tradesmen, civil servants, business owners and a transplanted Fijian. The one demographic NOT represented at the dinner was vegetarians. This was my second year attending the annual Game Dinner, and I hope that I'll be able to write about for years to come.

The dinner had a special wine pairing, a French Rhone (reviewed last year) Chapelle St Arnoux Cotes du Ventoux, and the Chilean Cousino Macul Antiguas Reservas Cabernet Sauvignon `10 above left.  There was a full cash bar for those who wanted beer, soda, juice or mixed drinks.

The fire in the member built fireplace added a glow to the room, and mounted trophies on the walls were a reminder of where our dinner came from.  This is a gathering of old and new friends sharing in the harvest, talking about the season and celebrating by raising a glass, swapping hunting stories, and online recipes while discussing schools, orchestra practice, writing groups and honeymoons. (public vs private, 9 hours practicing with 15 mins for lunch!, topics focusing on women, a B&B in Newport RI  - a fishing trip in guise of a honeymoon)

Dinner was presented in three buffet courses:

Appetizers: Smoked Trout Pâté, Smoked Pheasant, Wild Boar Meatballs with pineapple habenero sauce, Country Venison Pâté, Mini Bear Wellington with horseradish sauce, Squirrel & Rabbit Ragu, and Moose Sausage Sliders.

Main Courses: Smoked Salmon Cakes with Mango Sauce, Panko Crusted Cod and Pollack with Lemon Pepper and White Wine,  Moose and Elk Stroganoff over egg noodles, Venison Chili, Moose & Mushroom Stew, Polenta, Venison Meatloaf with a mushroom demi-glace, Grilled Moose, Smoked Bear with a Memphis Rub, Smoked Venison, Wild Fiddleheads and Winter Squash.

Dessert: Fruit cobbler, homemade fudge, and local Barrington Roasting Company Coffee.

Everything was local.  The club is set back in the Berkshire Mountain woods where generations of animals and hunters have co-existed.  The fiddleheads were harvested from a local riverbank.  Two Italian sisters made the delicious, creamy polenta, that highlighted the moose and mushroom stew.  The club's vice president made the Country Venison Pâté with pistachios, and he and his wife donated the Japanese Kabocha & Butternut squash from their garden too.

With two professional chefs in the kitchen, the Club's Peter de la Grande and David Pullano, this dinner is a meat loving foodie event.

At our table, between sips of the jammy, complex Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, as oohed and ahhd over the Venison Stew, Marc Fadding, the club VP and cook of both the Stew and Venison Pâté told us a he tweaked am online recipe for venison stew by adding red-wine and a rich, fresh venison stock he learned to make under the tutelage of Chef Gerhard Schmid. It was delicious, and the lean flavorful stew paired beautifully with the dark fruit layers of the Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon.

The real pairing highlights of the evening was the Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile's Maipo Valley with both the appetizer Moose Sausage Slider, and the main course Moose and Elk Stroganoff over egg noodles.   At 14% ETO, this Cabernet Sauvignon was well balanced, added a fruity taste to balance the meat, and was a perfect match to the sweetness in both the slider bun, and the stroganoff noodles. What a delicious meal.

I'm counting the days until next year....

A Blogger Challenge #covertocover13 #bittenword #bonappetit

After discovering The Bitten Word last year while searching the web on how to can tomatoes. (Their video is CLASSIC) I never canned the tomatoes, but did become and ardent "Bitten" and when tZach and Clay announced their "2013 Cover to Cover Challenge" (cooking the entire September issue of Bon Appetit) I signed up faster than you could say, "Cook a complicated dish on the same holiday weekend that Shea and Tommy are getting married in front of 300 people".

What can I say?  I am an overachiever.... or insane.  Maybe a little of both.

This year, hundreds of "bittens" signed up to cook for the challenge. I was assigned Lamb Tatare.  Well, there were some rules (finish by 9/6 and try to stick to the recipe); so, I ended up having to "cook" my dish on Labor Day, and no one in the house will eat raw meat, and since my transplant, raw meat and raw eggs are off the menu, I made the tartare by the rules and then add a twist ending so that we could all eat it.

Gathering and assembling the ingredients was pretty straight forward:  grocery shopping in two states, - I found preserved lemons at Fairway Market in Queens, and then bought some amazing lamb loin at Whole Foods in Fairfeild, CT; my knife roll packed in the trunk, and we didn't speak of having to buy two copies of the September issue of Bon Appetit (one in NYC and one for CT after I left the first copy on the bedside table in NYC). 

For pairing, I already had a bottle of 2008 Lenz Cuvee sparkling wine from the Lenz Winery on the North Fork of Long Island (in my opinion, the best sparkling wine produced on the East Coast).

Here is how it went:

"Cooking" a tartare is just chopping really good ingredients.  My master plan was to cook it (using heat) then, after I made the raw dish per Bon Appetit, I was going to make a cooked dish.  I kept my lamb trimmings, and started a base of Greek meat sauce:  Tomato, lemon, salt & pepper, onions, olive oil and cinnamon; as I trimmed, I threw in the lamb bones and scraps.  Soon the whole house was smelling AMAZING.

I opened a  bottle of Corona, and started chopping:  shallots, capers from the cupboard, and preserved lemon, the meat was chilling in the freezer. I even had a little mint plant that I was able to harvest some leaves from to add to the mix. 

The spices were straight forward, fresh ground pepper.  I used peppercorn that V brought home from Istanbul, so I felt VERY exotic!

I tossed the ingredients with some healthy glugs of olive oil, cracked a fresh egg, strained the the whites away so that the yellow yolk could nest in the meat, and I sprinkled the whole bowl with Cypriot salt flakes.

It all went together really easily, and soon enough, with the meat sauce bubbling away, I was making toast from the baguette and styling my photograph for the Bitten Word to publish. The flavors were amazing.

But that was only the beginning.

As soon as I tried a bite of the tartare (it was delicious) I pulled the toast, soaked it in some milk, transferred the tartar to a big mixing bowl, and started to make meatballs.

The first meatballs, I served as a Tapas, with a side of green beans.  Then I set about making the Best. Shepherds. Pie. Ever.  I was serving and Irish/Mexican household, and it was a hit.  I added some pan roasted grape tomatoes for color, and I piped the rich mashed potatoes for a fancy finish, and we all dug in and loved it.  I'll make this combination of flavors over and over in the next few years.  It really was that good.

Slideshow from Lenz Winery:

Dinner at God's Mountain Estate #JoyRoadCatering

Once upon a time, I had romantic dreams of what my life would be like.  Dreams of amazing evenings with friends and strangers whose stories, by morning would add to the tapestry of my life.

Dreams came true at the God's Mountain Estate Sunday Vineyard Dinner, overlooking the mountains and Skaha Lake at sunset, drinking amazing wine, eating delicious, inventive food, and listening to stories filled with intrigue (someone meeting their secret sister for the first time), and laughter (You're from New York?  We're from New York - what train?  - and the conversation went on...) Now, a month later, I pinch myself.  "Did this really happen?" Well, according to the photographs, yes it did.  I am a very lucky woman.

We were in Penticton, British Columbia for our Annual Wine Bloggers Conference, and my friend Valerie (check out her Wine Dog Review) had found this Vineyard Dinner as part of her post conference trip.  I quickly invited myself along to Joy Road Cuisine du Terrior's Alfresco Vineyard Dinner.

When the taxi picked us up at our hotel, we were in pioneering cowboy country, and when it dropped us off a few miles down the road, we stood looking at a huge, Mediterranean manse with an outdoor kitchen and blue striped chaise lounges by the swimming pool.

We had been magically transported to a British Ex-pat's Costa del Sol villa for Sunday Supper, catered by Joy Road, disciples of the venerable Alice Waters, overlooking the vines that grew the grapes for the Riesling that we would be drinking, under the shade of the lucky trees that get to witness this magical convergence weekly during the summer. All this just a few hours east of Vancouver on Canada's west coast.

I should preface what I write about this, knowing that you can't buy any of this Canadian wine in the United States.  There are strict import/export laws, this makes the Oliver/Okanagan region of Canada a hotspot for wine tourism.

It started with bubbly - Blue Mountain Brut.  A crisp, traditional bubbly with strong lemon overtones - I popped a field strawberry in my glass and enjoyed the view as we chatted about Sarah, our elegant proprietress with dancing eyes, and a passion for dogs, and other beautiful eclectic things.  It is no secret that I want to be Sarah when I grow up.

Dana Ewert from Joy Road led us through the evening, and started with a sublime passage from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, beginning with “Let things taste of what they are....” and then the meal started.

Roasted Spanish style olives, home made bread and a long boards of Cameron Smith's charcuterie, quince paste and mousse de foie. The wine and the conversation flowed in between oohs and ahhs of "taste this" and passing bread, pouring olive oil and and maybe just a little hoarding of the mousse de foie.

(I'm not necessarily blaming the wonderful man from Scotland, but he certainly was an enthusiast!) There was plenty of food to go around, it was just so delicious, we became proprietary!

Then came the home grown Wild Goose Gods' Mountain Riesling, paired with asparagus, and olive oil confit steelhead. As each course was set I was reminded that this moment was very special.  A dream fulfillment really.  These moments are rare in life, but need to be celebrated.  Just writing abut that evening allows me to relive it - did I mention how lucky I am?

I was surprised,because I had already had the chance to have some amazing wine,  the next wine poured was the most amazing wine that I had during my Canada trip. Pentage Hiatus, a Bordeaux blend of 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc.  WOW. I'll admit it.  My glass was perpetually full, and  I was depressed that I was leaving the next morning at 3am, so I could not swing by their tasting room to buy some contraband bottles to pack in my checked luggage.

Pentage is the vineyard next door, and their wine is estate bottled. When I asked one of the women who works for Joy Road about the Pentage, she smiled... they are friends.  The Okanagan is a small world, and Pentage is owned and run by Paul Gardner & Julie Rennie.  Visiting them is the strongest pull for my return visit.

Our vegetables were radishes, kohlrabi and baby turnips with rhubarb butter and baby chives, and there was a side of Swiss chard with pickled currents.

Our salad was a delicious blend of local greens, and there was a spring pea risotto that elevated the meal, and then, Joy Road cooks  brought out plates of braised green garlic shots with olive oil bread crumbs, lemon and anchovies.  My question to Valerie was "could this get any better?"

The main protein was a ham roasted in organic hay.  This was my first exposure to hay roasting - I grew up in the country, and the smell of newly cut hay is still a trigger memory for me.  Having that happy childhood scent memory entwined with this delicious meal was a part of the alchemy that made this a magical evening.   You really could taste the subtle flavor, it was sublime, and paired perfectly with the chocolatey undertones of the Pentage Hiatus.

Dessert was fresh picked strawberries with wild rose vanilla bean & honey cream meringues with a special hint of ginger added for Sarah (I am now a convert to ginger meringues, and I will be trying to recreate these at home)

There was a tisane of fresh chocolate mint, literally just picked from the garden, washed and put in a tea pot, with boiling water poured over it.  As I sipped, I wanted to have a mint garden to make this tea whenever I wanted it. Then it came to an end; as the sun set on our beautiful evening, our taxi arrived.

Throughout the night, I envied Sarah's dogs.  The were loved by all, and their lives consist of being companions and frolicking in the vineyard, above all, they lived at God's Mountain. No taxi would be bringing them back to the hotel - I guess that is the ultimate sign of a perfect evening...  I didn't want to leave.

A Week on the Stephen Taber: Food, Wine and Racing: Lobster Bake

I woke up to the muffled sound of a lobster boat motor.  It wasn't the guy in cabin 3 snoring.  (that's my story and I am sticking to it) what I found when I made my way above deck was fresh hot coffee, and the smiling faces of some other early risers.  Kat and Will were putting away the oil lanterns and swabbing the deck, and I sipped my Rock City Roasters Coffee and watched morning begin at Isle au Haut.

We had adventure ahead of us.  After a delicious breakfast of galley made hot biscuits, local jams, herbed scrambled eggs and locally made sausages, we took a shore trip for a walk to Black Dinah chocolates.  Just as we were boarding Babe, the Tabor's yawl boat, Captain Barnes announced that he was going to make a call out to the local Lobster men and try to buy some lobsters for a lobster bake. (I know, they aren't baked, they are steamed....  Humor me).

Black Dinah Chocolates is a well known artisanal chocolate company run by some Silicon Valley escapees. They fled California for a remote, island off the coast of Maine, and they haven't looked back.  (even though all of the chocolates are made on the island, they did open a retail store on the mainland - but most of their business is mail order thanks making good products and praise from Martha Stewart, they have a firm foothold in the market )

After an hour or so of wandering Isle au Haut, fueled by a delicious breakfast, and some chocolate, we made it back to the dock to wait for our ride back to the Tabor.  But Becky and Andy (two of my favorite guests that week) were already chatting up a local lobsterman.  Some of us rode back in Babe that yawl boat, and Becky, Andy, Will and Lindsay rode back with our luncheon main course on the lobster boat.

As soon as they pulled aside, Kat was hauling out the Tabor's lobster pot, Captain Barnes was talking business and I had the camera at the ready.

Now Chef Anna and Meghann kicked into high gear.  As we set sail, the goal was, ready the picnic lunch, and find the perfect spot to cook it.  We found the perfect spot, a deserted island with a whole lot of history behind it:  Wreck Island.

I was surprised that Captain Barnes didn't salt it up and start telling the story of wreck Island, especially after we found a deserted campsite that looked like it was fled from.  (seriously, who leaves a full case of beer behind?  Well, it was Miller Light) The fact is, Wreck Island is Haunted.  Yes, Haunted with a capital H.  Hey, we were only there for lunch, and I didn't tell the story, but just Google it.  I was thrilled to be there, and even though I left stuffed to the gills, I never felt a chocking sensation (unlike the crew of the ship that mistakenly went ashore there in the 18th century...)

Enough about ghosts, let's talk wine and the food that pairs with it!!

The advance party set up the fire and laid out the appetizers.  Epicurious FRENCH ONION DIP.  No soup mix to be found, chef Anna made this dip from scratch, and I could have licked the bowl clean.  (but someone beat me to it!)

And, they laid out the wine.  Box Head `10 Australian Shiraz in the shade (there were some non seafood eaters in the group.  They got steak, I left the shiraz for them), and the most delicious Vihno Verde that I have had in a long time.  Some bottles of Vera Vinho Verde`10 were chilling in a bucket until I got my hands on it.  It was perfect.  Just a hint of citrus, some minerality, and with the lobster dredged in butter??? On of my top 10 meals EVER.

I'll shut up now and just leave you with pictures of lunch:

A Week on the Stephen Taber: Food , Wine and Racing: Day One

October 21, 1871 - Glenwood Landing, NY: "Launched-- the Schooner Stephen Taber was launched from the yard of Mr. Bedel.... She is a well built natty schooner--she bears a good name and no doubt will prove a profitable investment for all concerned"

January, 2012 - Glenwood (now Roslyn Harbor, NY): I'm a girl originally from Penobscot Bay, temporarily in Glenwood Landing.  The Stephen Taber is a boat built and launched from Glenwood Landing (just at the end of the street) now making her home along the coast of Penobscot Bay.  We both love food and wine, and we both had an incredible adventure for six days.  

A few years ago, I wrote a short story about a magic iBook that when you set the clock on the computer, it would transport you in time. This adventure really is a variation on that story, only, it really happened.  After a few e-mail exchanges with Jane, the NYC sommelier and captain's wife, then through the magic of a credit card, I booked passage on the Stephen Taber for the Maine Windjammer Association's Great Schooner Race in Penobscot Bay, Maine. 408 miles down east from Glenwood Landing, NY.

Sunday July 1:  After a Young's Lobster Pound send off in Belfast, I drove to Windjammer Warf in Rockland to join the crew and guests on the Taber.  My cabin was a small aft single, #8, just off the library.  We joined the Captain on deck, he went over the basics for the week "This is adventure travel"! (hey it was an adventure rolling out of my bunk in the morning)  We then moved on to a Fiore olive oil and vinegar tasting.

We spent the first night at dock, and woke to coffee and our first meal on board, breakfast which included fresh baked muffins prepared by Chef Anna Miller and her assistant Meghann. Coffee and muffins.  I was already in heaven and we hadn't even left the dock. (seriously, a breakfast of fresh fruit, blueberry pancakes and bacon was over the top, after the coffee and muffins, I was blissed out)

After some prep and final provisioning, we cast off from the dock. It was a quick sprint (even for a boat built to haul freight) past Vinalhaven when I took a look at the chart and realized that we were heading to the edge of Penobscot Bay, Isle au Haut.  Captain Barnes out ran some nasty weather, we stopped in the sunshine for Beef Bourguignon, a fresh green salad, bread and peanut butter squares. This is where I should tell you that al though the Taber is Adventure Travel, it is an epicurean adventure.

The Taber partners with high end local providers and presents its guests with Michelin standard fare.  All cooked on a wood stove in a galley on a boat built in 1871.

And so we sailed on to Isle au Haut.  The coast of Maine is beyond words.  We sailed close along the rocky coast, framed by pine trees beaten down by weather, surrounded by the cold Atlantic waters - it was July, but I still needed long sleeves.   It was only fitting that as we sailed past a large house flying the American flag, they saluted us by firing their cannon. we were in a world where people still used cannons!!!  There was no cell phone service, I was unplugged and FINALLY on vacation.

We anchored at Isle au Haut, there was plenty of wine being poured, and my pairing for dinner was a New Zealand  Marlborough Valley Arona Sauvignon Blanc`10.   Chef Anna presented us with a dinner of crusted halibut, broccoli with lemon olive oil and rice pilaf.  It paired really well with this light crisp wine.  I was happy.

Of course for dessert, Chef Anna had made a Boston Cream Pie, my favorite dessert. Even though the crew threw her overboard (a birthday tradition) Soaking wet and freezing, she was a pro and she still fed us.Over the course of the next five days, Anna Miller was my own personal hero.

Sunset, Day One:

Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut NV $13.99 ***

My last bottle of wine for 2011 was this Gloria Ferrer.  What a good, middle of the road, appeal to everyone in the crowd bottle of bubbly.  It is light, creamy and very easy to drink.

I could easily make this my go to champagne style wine for entertaining.  Creamy enough that Mum would like it, complex enough that my wino friends would like discussing the layered flavors (hint of crisp green apple and ripe honey pear) & slight bit of toast and cheap enough that the wallet won't complain too much if I splurged on a few bottles.  Win/Win in my book.

Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut is 91.2% Pinot Noir and 8.8% Chardonnay.  I served it with almonds and small bites on crackers:  Salmon with a creamy dill sauce and pork rillette (from Thomas Keller's Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing). At 12.5% ETOH, there's  not even a hint of a headache on New Year's Day. (did I already say win/win??)

Why did I choose Gloria Ferrer as my New Years Eve wine?  Firstly because it is USA grown and produced:  Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards, Sonoma County, CA (a Freixenet company).  Secondly,  I liked their Blanc de Noirs when I tried it at WBC 11 ( I am sentimental that way); Third, you can't beat the price $13.99 a bottle.

It was a quiet night saying good bye to 2011.  A year full of highs and lows;  some great wine: Jacquesson Rose and the beginning of my love affair with Banfi.   Travel: London (February), Maine (May, November), Virginia wine country, WBC 11 & Monticello, Colonial Williamsburg (August), Euphora in Greenville South Carolina (September) and then back to London (November). I am a very lucky girl.

I'm looking forward to 2012: What's to come?  Some North Fork Long Island Vineyard visits(Spring); A week on a boat (July), Napa and my CSW exam (July), a trip to Oregon Wine Country (WBC12 August) and in between... many many sips of wine.  Hopefully I'll be writing about them all along the way.

Cheers!

Anniversary Post: Four years, 326 bottles and more....

Four years ago tonight, in an act of frustration and desperation, I started this blog. I was alone, staring at my dialysis machine thinking "What can I do" and then the light bulb flashed. That was Christmas Eve, 2007. I opened a bottle wine, cooked myself Christmas Eve Dinner and then blogged about it.

Little did I know that I was part of a much larger population.  My friends over at Wine-Vine Imports.com gave me this graphic that puts it all into perspective.  (click on it to make it bigger) As a nation, it is safe to sat, "Americans like wine!".  Which my 2011blog stats show, you are not only drinking wine, you're on the net reading about wine and I am so happy to be a part of that.

That Christmas Eve four years ago, this was my review:  Osborne Solaz `04 *** $3.99

What I wrote:
Spain, Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon

I bought this on the recommendation of one of the helpful sales clerks. I'm going to mull it. He said that it was an excellent choice - spicy , not too fruity. I'll let you know what I think...

There was more, but now, all I can think is "You've come a long way baby, and you have an even longer way to go".

Today I am driving to Connecticut to have Christmas with friends.  I am bringing the wine for Christmas Dinner:  two reds, two whites and two sparkling.   I'll review them and describe WHY I chose the wines that I chose. Three were sentimental, and one was a Christmas present.

This is going to be a short post.  I need to pack and get on the road.  (a lot has changed in four short years!)

Cantina del Taburno Falanghina `09 DOC $14.00 ****

Unique, interesting, delicious.  Long finish.  Fruity, yet dry.  Crisp, with the ghost of effervescence that tingles the sides of my tongue.  I'm loving it.

This was my second venture into the world of Falanghina, and so far both have been great wines.

JPH bought this Cantina del Taburno Falanghina at Greenvale Grapes to go along with a sword fish/bluefish riff on a classic zuppe de pesce Marcella Hazan recipe that he cooked for dinner (I made the saffron rice). It was great in the dish and in our glasses.

As we talked about the wine and compared tasting notes, S. reminisced about Naples, I got hung up on Vesuvius, and JPH pondered Benevento.  For one meal, via the sense of taste, we were transported to Southern Italy - even though we were in suburban NY on a cold, wet Fall evening.

For over 15 years a little white dog was there,
watching dinner being cooked, hoping for leftovers.

Nell was a companion, a critic, a calamity and
a reluctant comedienne. 
Countless times after a few glasses of wine,

we would "talk" for her in funny voices.
When we gave her voice, she sounded goofy but loving.
When she protectively barked in her own voice,
she could be intimidating (many a FedEx Man kept clear).
Nell sacrificed a few wine bottles
when digging under the wine rack to get at the cat's food.
(No chardonnay would go unbroken
in the pursuit of Queenie's Fancy Feast )
She haunts this blog as a recurring character in so many posts.
We miss you little white dog. 
R.I.P