Month: September 2020

Caribbean Jerk Pork … Splendid with a Spicy Zinfandel

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Pairing:  Caribbean Jerk Pork Tenderloins Paired with a 2015 Dutcher Crossing Rockpile Zinfandel Pritchett Peaks Vineyards

Food: Jerk is a style of cooking with hot, spicy seasoning thought by many historians to have originated with the Maroons, communities of escaped African slaves living in the wilds of Jamaica in the early 1700’s.

A longtime favorite cookbook of ours is Molly O’Neill’s A Well-Seasoned Appetite. Here is her recipe for Caribbean Jerk Pork Tenderloins. What a knock-out version of this dish that she’s created for an authentic taste of Jamaican Jerk. It combines allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, scallion, garlic, a Scotch Bonnet chili (handle with rubber gloves!), and some dark rum into a thick paste. Rub the paste all over the pork, refrigerate overnight and cook it under a broiler for 12-15 minutes. Let rest for 5 more. Wow! What an unbelievable flavor! Despite the heat of a Scotch Bonnet chili, it is delicious when combined with the other seasonings. We served the pork with barley pilaf and sliced tomatoes from the garden. Perfect!

Pork Tenderloin Rubbed with Spices, Scotch Bonnet Chili and Dark Rum

Wine: Zinfandel was the first wine we ever really fell in love with, and many years later, it still holds a special place in our hearts. Dutcher Crossing, located in the Dry Creek Valley region of Sonoma was the first California winery we ever visited, and year after year we make sure to get a shipment of wine from them to enjoy and reminisce. Although they have a very nice portfolio of excellent wines, Zinfandel is their star. Rockpile is a renowned wine subregion producing some the finest Zins in all of California. And, it’s a positively gorgeous area to visit.

Please Note: Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families in Napa and Sonoma counties who have so recently lost their homes and livelihoods to the ferocious Glass Fire. Even now, firefighters continue to battle the inferno as we post this note.

Tasting Notes: Color is a deep maroon with a pretty brown tint. Nothing subtle about the nose … aromas of black currant, blackberry, and cocoa powder. A wonderfully complex flavor profile … pepper, cocoa, clove, vanilla; black cherry and wild cherry in equal parts; another layer of wild black fruit … service berry and thimble berry. Soft tannins hold it all together. An exceptional wine … by itself or in great congruence with the jerk spices and heat.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Caribbean Jerk Pork: Gewürztraminer (Alsace, France), Sparkling Wine (e.g., Champagne, Cremant, Prosecco, Cava), Sauvignon Blanc (California or New Zealand)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Zinfandel: Barbecued Chicken or Pork, Pizza (especially with Pepperoni or Hot Sausage), Ham, Grilled Salmon

View the Breathtaking Rockpile Wine Region:  Rockpile

A Source: http://www.dutchercrossingwinery.com

A French Country Omelette … Outstanding Paired with a Pouilly-Fuisse

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Pairing: Bacon, Potato and Goat Cheese Omelette Paired with a 2015 Chàteau-Fuissé Pouilly-Fuissé Tête de Cru

Food:  An omelette is the ultimate fast food … and it’s not just for breakfast. A dinner omelette is a perfect meal … optionally fancy or rustic, inexpensive (unless you are incorporating thin slices of black truffles!), and can be made in a matter of minutes. And you can make it with almost anything … well, one does need eggs. But, most any cheese, meat (terrestrial or aquatic), vegetable, mushroom, herb … the sky’s the limit. The one created here is made with some leftover fingerling potatoes, a little cooked bacon, and topped with a smear of soft goat cheese. A bit of salad on the side completes the meal. And, of course, a glass of wine.

Bacon & Goat Cheese Omelette

Wine: The Maconnais wine district is located in the southern part of the historic and highly regarded Burgundy wine region in eastern France. As one travels through Burgundy, one passes through row after row, mile after mile of vineyards stretching out before you in all directions. The scene is different in the Maconnais district. Here one sees vineyards interspersed with diverse croplands and animal pastures … much more like farmland and the more typical French countryside. Puilly-Fuisse is the premiere appellation in the Maconnais producing the very finest white wines in this district. Like all AOC designated white wines produced throughout the Burgundy region, Puilly-Fuissé is made from 100% Chardonnay.

Pouilly-Fuisse

Tasting Notes:  A beautiful gold color. A fragrant bouquet featuring melon, mango, and peach. On the palate a delicate sweetness is quietly present in this lovely dry Chardonnay. Caramel/ toffee along with ripe sweet peach, apricot and cantaloupe flavors. A delightful wine that really complements the omelette, particularly with the bacon and goat cheese elements.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Bacon, Potato and Goat Cheese Omelette: Sancerre (Loire Valley, France), White Bordeaux (France), Chardonnay (Umbria, Italy), Sauvignon Blanc (California)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Pouilly-Fuisse:  White Fish in a Cream Sauce, Pan-Seared Salmon, Prosciutto, Quiche Lorraine

Maps and Views of the Pouilly-Fuisse Wine Region:  Pouilly-Fuisse Wine Region

A Source:  www.wine.com

Mom’s Friday Fish … Paired with a Vin de Provence

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Pairing: Pan-Fried Breaded Cod Paired with a 2015 Chateau Tyrians Coteaux Varois en Provence 

Food: I grew up in a Catholic family in the 1950’s. This meant, among other rituals and expectations, you always ate fish on Fridays … always. Yes, I know that the rule was to abstain from eating meat. There is an excellent history of the evolution of the ‘fish on Friday’ rules here. Even when the church relaxed those requirements (prompting my father to bemoan “the church is going to H___ in a hand basket”) following Vatican II, our family continued to observe the “always fish on Friday” tradition. And I, for one, am forever thankful that this tradition carries on in our family to this day.

My mother, born on this day in 1909 (Happy Birthday, Mom), drew from a fine, but somewhat limited, set of options to serve her family for Friday dinner. Number one on the list (at least, my list) was lightly breaded white fish (cod, haddock, or sole) pan-fried in some butter in a cast iron skillet. This was almost always served with Harvard Beets and some type of potato or rice.

Breaded Cod with Baby Beets and Beet Greens, and Potato Salad

Wine: The wine region, Provence, encompasses the far southeastern area of France, with the appelation, Coteaux Varois en Provence, covering the most southeastern corner of the territory. Most wine drinkers rightfully equate Provence with rose which accounts for upwards of 80% of total wine production in this region. Red grape varieties such as Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsaut are the principal constiuencies of rose. The discerning wine consumer will do well to explore some of the outstanding white wines of this often overlooked wine region. Chateau Trians makes a white blend composed of 80% Rolle and 20% Semillon. Just over the nearby border with Italy, lies the tiny coastal Italian wine region of Liguria noted for its white wines made primarily of the Vermentino grape. This is mentioned here because the Rolle grape grown in Provence is often confused with the Vermentino grape in neighboring Liguria. Many growers of Rolle grapes in Provence are calling their grapes Vermentino perhaps to attract more wine consumers who are far more likely to recognize the name Vermentino. Recent DNA testing, however, has shown that they are two distinct varieties rather than two names for the same variety. It takes a real wine geek to really care about this distinction, particularly since the taste is very much the same in both wines.

Chateau Tyrians Coteaux Varois en Provence (Blanc)

Tasting Notes: A warm, golden yellow color. Complex aromas of honeysuckle, Easter Lily, and vanilla sugar. Layers of flavor including Charentais melon, peach, quince, slightly under-ripe melon, and a touch of burnt sugar. The finish carries the peach and melon. Very interesting and nice with the fish.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Pan-Fried Cod: Chardonnay (California), White Burgundy (France), Chenin Blanc (South Africa), Pinot Blanc (Alsace)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Vin de Provence: Grilled Sea Bass, Pasta with Pesto, Fried Calamari, Fritto Misto

View the Stunning Provence Region: Provence

A Source:  www. klwines.com

A Taste of SW France … Duck Confit and Cote de Bergerac

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Pairing:  Duck Confit Paired with a 2009 Chateau Thénac Côte de Bergerac

Food:  Duck Confit is one of the renowned regional specialties of Gascony in South West France, considered by many to be the quintessential French dish. Confit is a centuries-old process of salt-curing, cooking and preserving the meat (usually duck, goose, or pork) in its own fat. Curing the meat for a week or two, or preferably a few months results in an extraordinary flavor. Gascony, by the way, is the home of d’Artagnan, the legendary character in Alexander Dumas’ historic adventure novel, The Three Musketeers.

Duck Confit

Wine:   Bergerac is a small sub-region and appellation of the extensive South West France wine region. Bergerac has a long  history of winemaking dating back to Roman times. Later, around the 11th Century, monks were the first to produce some well-regarded wines. The Bergerac wine region is located just east of the far more famous Bordeaux region, arguably the most prestigious wine region in the world. Bergerac’s vineyards are planted on both sides of the Dordogne River. The river flows west emptying into the Atlantic near the city of Bordeaux. The wine made in Bergerac has a similar profile to the wines of Bordeaux … the reds comprised mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot … the whites made up of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

Chateau Thénac was built on the ruins of a 12th Century Benedictine monastery. They have added Cabernet Franc and Malbec to their red Côtes de Bergerac, while their whites include Muscadelle in their blend.

Bergerac

Tasting Notes:  Decanted two hours ahead of dining. A deep purple color, almost black. Aromas of fresh blueberry and mace. The palate has layers of blueberry, plum, nutmeg, mace, fig, and buttered whole wheat toast. Extraordinary! Big, rich, mellow, fresh, balanced tannins. Fabulous with the salty richness of the confit. Complemented well the sweet touch of the red cabbage and the peppery roast potatoes. An amazing pairing of wine and the regional food.

Other Food That Pairs Well with This Wine:  Roast Lamb, Cassoulet, Grilled Steak or Sausage, Mushrooms (Porcini, Shiitake)

Other Wines That Pair Well with This Food:  Cahors (France), Saint-Émillon (Bordeaux, France), Merlot (Italy), Pinot Noir (California)

Views of the Bergerac Wine Region: Bergerac Vineyards

A Source:  K & L Wines

Fresh Fettuccine and Wild Mushrooms … Perfect with Barbera d’Asti

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Pairing: Homemade Fettuccine al Funghi Paired with a 2016 Michele Chiario Barbera d’Asti Superiore Nizza Cipressi 

Food:  OMG!! There are some meals (food and wine together) that transcend even our highest expectations. This dish is one that falls in with that august company.

We are very fortunate indeed to live in a region where several different edible wild mushrooms grow in convenient, accessible places to us. Woodlands with mature oak and spruce growth, old apple orchards, open verge, even our lawn. Years ago we participated in a number of mushroom identification workshops led by very experienced mycologists. Even though we have several years of mushroom gathering under our belts, we still exercise caution when we’re out on a mushroom hunt, double checking for the telltale signs of familiar safe mushrooms, as well as signs identifying unsafe (aka, poisonous) ones. As the saying goes, “There are old mushroom hunters … there are bold mushroom hunters … but … there are no old, bold mushroom hunters.”

King Boletes and Bicolor Boletes are among our favorites and are the focus of this dish. Boletes are sliced, sautéed in butter, then add a little heavy cream and mascarpone cheese with some of the pasta cooking water. Stir in the cooked pasta with the mushrooms and sauce. Interestingly, the addition of cream in the recipe tells us it’s from northern Italy. Because of that, fresh pasta is better than dry pasta. And, the accompanying Barbera wine is also from northern Italy. What synergy!

King Boletes and Bicolor Boletes
Fresh Fettuccine

Note:  The fresh pasta is just a simple combination of a cup each of all-purpose flour and semolina mixed with an egg and kneaded. The resulting dough is then cranked through a pasta machine, or cut by hand. Place in boiling, salted water. Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried pasta.

Pasta and Cepes

Wine:  Barbera d’Asti is a subregion of the famed Piedmont wine region of northwestern Italy. Records show that Barbera, native to the Piedmont area, goes back to at least the early 1600’s. It boasts a world-wide popularity  among wine drinkers and pairs beautifully with many classic Italian dishes, most notably, perhaps, pizza. Barbera d’Asti, not surprisingly, comes from the extensive acreage planted in the hills surrounding the town of Asti. It’s sister wine (so to speak), Barbera d’Alba, hails from the vineyards near Alba, to the northeast of Asti. The Nizza Cipressi area creates its own unique territorial identity within Barbera d’Asti.

Barbera d'Asti

Tasting Notes: A deep, deep maroon color. Almost black. Aromas of blackberry and blueberry with hints of sweet caramel, brown sugar and vanilla. The palate builds on the themes of blackberry, blueberry, caramel, and vanilla. Velvety and lush with slightly dusty, but perfectly soft tannins. Coats every corner of your mouth as the finish goes on and on. A nice mature wine, but with the youthful qualities of fresh berries. The stars aligned in this absolutely perfect pairing with the wild mushroom pasta.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Pasta and Wild Mushrooms: Pinot Noir (Oregon), Pomerol (Bordeaux, France), Barolo (Italy), Rioja (Spain)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Barbera d’Asti:  Pizza, Pasta with Tomato Sauce, Grilled Chicken, Lamb, and Pork, Mushroom Risotto

More About Asti:  Asti

A Source:  www.wine.com