Friday, March 28, 2008

Cadbury Egg Cupcakes: Master Baker Event

Master Baker Event





Easter candy was the theme for the Master Bakeshop blogging event this month. At first I cringed when I racked my brain and discovered that I've never made anything with easter candy in my life besides myself very sick, I reconsidered the assignment and realized that we didn't have to use Easter candy per se, but rather use it as inspiration. And with Cadbury Eggs in the running, what an inspiration.

ODE TO A CADBURY EGG

Even though I'm certain that Cadbury eggs have gotten considerably sweeter over the years, they are still one of my favorite sugar bombshells. In honor of the fearsome sweet and the Master Blogger Event, I have constructed my very own Cadbury egg. It is, like the original, really sweet.

The making of the Cada-Kirstin egg was a learning experience. The cupcakes were easy to make and I added chocolate chips at the end to add a crunch to an otherwise somewhat mushy dessert, which turned out to be a wise decision. The pudding I first made with milk instead of half and half. Not creamy enough. Made it again. The caramel, well, wow, I just messed up entirely on the first batch, scared myself and switched recipes to the more foolproof version (hello, that's me!) from the Tartine cookbook, and made the fresh recipe. Then, while taking a picture of the caramel, I flipped the whisk out of the pan near the sliding glass window where I was taking the picture in excellent light, and splattered the hot sugar liquid on the window, the hardwood floor, and on me. Later, on my knees with an SOS scrubbing pad in my hands, I cursed myself for caring about cleaning up the place when the manager can't even fix our leaky electric fan (yes, you read right) in our bathroom. So I learned.... to choose consistent recipes and not to get carried away taking pictures with caramel.



I paired the cupcakes with Dashe Late Harvest Zinfandel. The Cada-Kirstin eggs needed a juicy dessert wine that had some acidity, or the cupcakes would just taste flabby. And no one wants flabby cupcakes. The raspberry preserve flavors in the late Zin were delicious with the chocolate and brightened the whole Easter experience up. Cheers to Dashe, and here comes the Cada-Kirstin egg recipe:

Cupcake recipe is based off "The Old-Fashioned" Cupcake Recipe from the intensive Cupcake Bakeshop blog, the vanilla pudding recipe (link) was featured in the NY Times on Feb 21, 2007, and the caramel recipe (slightly shortened) is from the blessed Tartine Bakery Cookbook, which is a complete godsend of a book.

OLD FASHIONED CUPCAKE RECIPE
350 degrees, 8 cupcakes

¾ stick butter
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ salt
2/3 cup cocoa powdered
¾ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup dark chocolate chips (my addition, optional)

1. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition.

3. Measure the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.

4. Measure the milk and vanilla into a measuring container.

5. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
 Add chocolate chips.
6. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 3/4’s full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Note:Use high-quality cocoa powder.


NEW YORK TIMES VANILLA PUDDING
4 servings

Time: 20 minutes, plus chilling

2 1/2 cups half-and-half or whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (optional).

1. Put 2 cups of half-and-half or milk, sugar and salt in a small or medium saucepot over medium-low heat. If using a vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and scrape seeds into milk or half-and-half using small sharp knife, then add pod. Cook just until mixture begins to steam.
2. Combine cornstarch and remaining milk or half-and-half in a bowl and blend; there should be no lumps. Fish pod from pot and discard. Add cornstarch mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts to thicken and barely reaches a boil, about 5 minutes. Immediately reduce heat to very low and stir for 5 minutes or so until thick. Stir in butter and vanilla extract, if using.
3. Pour mixture into a 1-quart dish or 4 to 6 small ramekins or bowls. Put plastic wrap directly on the pudding to prevent formation of a skin, or do not cover if you like skin. Refrigerate until chilled, and serve within a day, with whipped cream if you like. Whisk to remove lumps if needed.


CARAMEL
1 1/2 cups

2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 vanilla bean
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp light corn syrup
3/4 tsp. lemon juice
4 tbsp unsalted butter

1. Pour cream in a small heavy saucepan. Split vanilla bean and empty 1/4 of seeds into cream. Over medium-high heat, Bring to just under a boil, then reduce heat to low.
2. Ina medium, heavy saucepan, combine sugar, water, salt and cornsyrup and bring to boil over medium heat. Stir to disolve sugar. Once bubbling, cook without stirring until mixture turns an amber color. Remove promptly from heat. Tartine suggest taking the pan off the stove between 5-8 minutes. I left it on longer than 5 min and overcooked the caramel. Another reason to become more familiar with your electric stove (gasp).
3. The cream will stop the sugar from cooking any longer. Slowly add cream to the sugar mix, very carefully as the mixture will bubble wildly. When mixture stops bubbling, then whisk until smooth. Add lemon juice, whisk, and leave to cool for around 8-10 minutes.
4. Cut butter into chunks and add to caramel one at a time, whisking after each piece until dissolved. Whisk caramel periodically as cooling. Caramel will keep covered in fridge for up to a month.

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Sunday, March 23, 2008

Wine and Aioli Recipe: To Hold us Over




I hope that all will forgive me for posting photo of hens and chickens succulents bursting their first spring blooms instead of my herbed aioli, around which the post centers. My aioli is shy and does not photograph well, whilst the pretty little plants did.



March is one of those months when vendors at the farmer’s market appear so bored with their produce offering that they can’t look at the potatoes or parsnips while bagging and they post signs saying “ripe strawberries here soon, we promise.”

And I feel their pain. However, while I’m waiting for the cute little favas and delicate green beans to be released in the markets, I have something that I do every March to tide myself over. I make a delicious batch of herbed aioli (garlic mayonnaise) and feature the very dip-worthy veggies of late winter and early spring on my dinner table. Then I invite friends over and politely suggest what wine they bring (see below) to bring out the bright aioli flavors.

Quick notes: Although I thoroughly respect those who use a mortar and pestle to make their aioli, I have neither have the patience or the virtue required to partake such an arduous task. I use a food processor or have my husband whisk in the oil by hand. Also notable is that I use raw eggs in the aioli. I always do this and have not yet had a problem, but I use the absolute freshest eggs available, and buy from a reputable company.

Herbed Aioli:
Pulse one room temperature egg yolk in a food processor until yolk is broken. Add two teaspoons fresh lemon juice, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, two cloves crushed garlic and pulse for three seconds. Begin to add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a very slow stream. By the end of this recipe, you will have used a full cup of olive oil. After the first two tablespoons are thoroughly blended in the food processor mixture, continue adding the remainder of the cup of olive oil, pausing after every ounce or so to make sure that the oil is thoroughly incorporated in the mixture before adding more. After mixture is emulsified, add half a bunch each of roughly chopped fresh tarragon and chervil leaves, salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste.

What to dip: steamed artichokes, blanched asparagus and broccoli spears, fresh radish and fennel slices, hard-boiled egg slices, and even seared and sliced chicken breast (if vegetarians don’t protest). Or basically anything else you favor that won’t fall apart in the aioli.

With the fresh vegetables and lush olive oil goodness served on aioli night, a racy, high mineral wine with bright acidity is the way to go. In the realm of whites, I’m all for a lime and guava laced New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc like the 06 Blick from Marlborough. Another white that would pair nicely with aioli and veggies would be the Domaine de Peyreficade Picpoul de Pinet, whose snappy green apple, lime, and juicy stone fruit flavors of the grape keeps it as light and fresh as an aioli dinner. Then, becauseaioli is after all, a spring thing, I’d choose the 07 peach, and raspberry scented Copain Primtemps Grenache and Pinot Nor Rosé. That’s about as dark as I like it paired with a spring aioli dinner, but as I know some of you are red-centered, may I suggest the Wild Hog Pinot Noir or Scurati Nero D’Avola. They both have the perfect combination of juicy red fruits and acidity to fare well with aioli and fresh veggies.

Signing off, with three cheers in honor of garlic mayo

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Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Korean BBQ and Beer: Miz Dot Joo, Drinking Against the Wine Pairing Grain

I am happy to introduce Vin de la Table's first guest blogger, Miz Dorothy Joo!

When Dorothy's not selling tons of wine at the wine shop where we work or finishing her masters of psychology, she can be found either a) dancing, or b) writing. Luckily for us, her batteries to her walkman died and she stopped dancing in time to grace us with a lovely analysis of pairing beverages with Korean Food on Vin de la Table. And she should know. She knows some Korean people.

Thank you Dorothy

Dorothy Joo

GUEST BLOGGER ☺

What’s the perfect wine for Korean barbeque and its lesser known accompaniment, Naeng Myun (buckwheat noodles in cold broth)?
The answer: BEER.



Although Kirstin and I briefly deliberated on a possible wine pairing, in the rush to get out of the wine bar after an unusually busy Sunday, we plumb forgot.
Thank goodness for Oriental Brewery. An Un-PC name, but a perfectly PC beverage. Not only is the label, red, white and blue, Oriental Brewery was bought by InBev five years ago, the same company that produces good old Budweiser. Get a taste of the Orient, straight from Fairfield, California. Don’t worry, its probably made in a factory full of orientals.
The second bottle we tried was Korea’s own Hite beer, known for being made with 100% rockbed water. I’m not sure what this means exactly, except it tasted…clean? Regardless, both of these beverages served us well throughout the meal.

Now about the food…
Jason and Matt have joined us, and together we sip politely on the roasted barley tea, but are ready to pounce as soon as the bahn chahn (small dishes) arrives. Different types of kimchee, seasoned bean sprouts, and fishcakes are the usual suspects, but since bbq is on the way, we are also given Sahm (lettuce and spiced green onions to accompany the meat).

Out of nowhere, a man in black brings us a tray of bright orange spiral coals under a wire tray. Jason makes an Osha joke, Matt checks his bionic man meter and it’s go time.
Immediately our faces turn red from the heat. The air vent above us turns on, and we need to raise our voices to talk. A bead of sweat trickles down Jason’s rosy cheek as he compliments the waitress on her faux Burberry vest. A sip of cold beer hits the spot. Always refreshing, never filling.



[Note here Dot's handiness with blue arrows and descriptors. I think that someone has guest blogged before.]

In addition to the barbeque and naeng myun, we order dolsot bibim bap, and kimchee dolsot bibim bap. Although not the optimal choice for people watching carbs, these hot bowls of mixed rice, veggies and meat are packed full of flavor and heat. Dolsot means rock bowl, so the rice at the bottom gets perfectly crunchy, never burned.

During all the action of mixing, grilling, picking, and drooling, the cold bottles of Hite and O.B. cool us down. I recall someone saying “Oh no, where’s my beer?” at least once. I snap photos amidst the frenzy, most of them slightly off focus due to the smoking grill.

After exactly 17 minutes the meat has been demolished and Matt picks at a bone. We have eaten like champs, but we have three minutes before we realize we’re full.
The Burberry vest comes back, but we refrain ourselves from ordering more meat. I think Matt cries a little inside.
Kirstin and I look at each other through the smoke and know that our hard earned tip monies are well spent. Although this may not be a particularly informative post, the moral of the story is that Orientals really love Burberry.

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Sunday, March 9, 2008

Selbach-Oster Rieslings: An Interview with Johannes Selbach




Johannes Selbach, right
(Photo courtesy of the Selbach-Oster website)

At a recent trade wine tasting for the Vienna Wine Company in San Francisco, I had the good fortune of meeting Johannes Selbach. Meeting the man of the husband-wife duo who runs the highly celebrated Selbach-Oster family winery in Mosel, Germany was especially elating for a couple of reasons. First of all, when I met him, he was pouring his (twelve, by the time I got to the table) Rieslings, from both of the 06 and 07 vintages, which are amazing examples of Germany's main grape. I've been taken with the wines of Selbach-Oster since I first had a sip of this bottled nectar, and being able to taste so many of them side by side was, frankly, slightly overwhelming and a mind-blowing Riesling experience. Secondly, the experience was standout because I was lucky enough to secure an interview for Vin de la Table with this very busy man. Not only does Johannes run his own winery, he acts as a negociant and broker/importer of German Riesling and at any given time can be found in a different part of the world representing and pouring his wines.

Well, I sent him some questions that reflected my curiosity about his wines, the future of Riesling, and food and Riesling pairings, and his answers pretty much floored me. To my straightforward questions, Johanne Selbach provided some of the most poetic, clear, and compelling responses that a man as busy as himself has ever taken the time to give.

That said, I'm very happy to say that this interview with Johannes Selbach of Selbach Oster kicks off the first of many forthcoming interviews with winemakers and winery owners at Vin de la Table. What a start!

Like this one, future interviews will touch upon winemaking, wine as nature, wine as a drink, wine as a commodity in the global economy, histories of wine, and wine as an accompaniment to food on the table.

My questions are in bold, and his responses follow


Although more people in the U.S. are developing tastes for German Rieslings, some still insist that they "don't drink sweet wines." How would you respond to a statement like this? What are these people missing?


The word "insist" hints of stubbornness and that is too bad because it precludes giving anything but what they think they know a try. With that attitude we'd all still be eating maccaroni & cheese or sausages with kraut and would never have discovered the intricacies of Asian cuisine or the delight of "raw fish", sashimi or sushi.

First, what is the definition of "sweet" ? Is a soda pop, sweetened with corn syrup or a diet pop sweetened with aspartame or another sweetener sweet ?? Most likely everyone would agree that such a beverage is sweet, very sweet.
Is a September apple, plucked ripe from the tree sweet, ... or a peach in July, ... or a vine ripened tomato from the garden in August ? The answer will also be yes. Is there a difference between sweetness in root beer and in vine ripened fruit ? I believe even the most stubborn " I don't drink sweet wines" blockhead would agree.
At the same time that people insist they don't like "Riesling" they reflect on their experiences with artficially sweetened beverages ( or food ) and forget that the quality of an "un-dry" wine with varying degrees of residual sugar, as long as it is balanced, has nothing to do with that feared thickly sweet, cloying sensation.

Myself, often confronted with this rather silly ( because it shows people haven't tried many Rieslings, leave alone good ones ) prejudice, usually ask them two questions:
One, whether they eat fruit.
Two, if they do, whether they prefer their strawberries green and their peaches hard or rather red and juicy.
I cringe when I imagine that these people think the poor, usually cheap most likely sweetened wines they had ( be they Rieslings or blends ) are "it".
Riesling, like no other grape, is capable of showing the full spectrum of dryness/sweetness from bone dry to very sweet and everything inbetween. Fine Rieslings, like no other grape, can weave the wine's natural sweetness, derived from ripe fruit ( not added ), into the multitude of aromatic expressions this delicately aromatic grape offers ( depending on where grown, how cropped, when and how picked ) and pack it into an always noticeable, sometimes vibrant, sometimes juicy acidity that leaves the mouth salivating in the finish even after it has tasted a touch of sweetness upfront.
That's a long, complex sentence and doesnt come close to describing the sensation a fine, balanced fruity Riesling leaves on the palate.
Pity for those who think they know it all and who, after possibly a bad experience with a cheap specimen, don't give their tastebuds another chance....
When it comes to Riesling, balance is the key. And a well balanced Riesling has almost always won determined Rielsing avoiders over into the Riesling camp as believers. You watch....

Long answer to a short question !


THE RIESLING GRAPE AND SELBACH-OSTER

Your family has been making Riesling since 1661 and are said to be traditionalists. Have there been many advances in winemaking within the past 20-30 years that you have incorporated within your practices, or have you found that the way your family crafted high-end Rieslings for centuries is the way you will continue making your wine indefinitely?

Some but no radical changes. Most notable changes have occurred with the canopy management, certainly the reduction of yields and the sanity of vines and fruit. Less is more is a simple formula and it works well, also concerning our "input".
The overall vineyard work itself has become a bit more labour intensive, with more attention paid to smaller details. Everything has become "greener", geared towards a more organic approach though with the reality of viticulture on very steep slopes in a narrow river valley we are still "conventional".


The Riesling Grape is considered one of the finest grapes in the world, but demands a fair amount of attention from the winemaker. What are just a couple of the hardships Selbach-Oster experiences trying to cultivate Riesling that you believe people working with other grapes may not encounter?
Sorry but I beg to differ: The winemaking part is the less important part as there is not so much "making" in the cellar necessary but the quality of Riesling is rather determined in the vineyard. For obvious reasons, the place, the soil, the mezzo- and microclimate are of the utmost importance but apart from those, the differences are huge when comparing viticultural practices throughout the year and, now comes the most important part, the harvest.
For me, the vineyard work has to be planned and executed with a certain quality and type of Riesling in mind. Then, of course, Nature has to cooperate but it all culminates in the harvest. How to harvest ( when to pick, where to pick, what to pick and how to pick ) is immensely important. How one handles the chosen fruit and how one processes fruit and juice are of equal importance. Of course one needs to know what's needed in the cellar but the simple formula applies : The better the raw ingredient, i.e. fruit, the better ( potentially ) the end result, the wine.
Inbetween one has plenty of opportunity to screw this up but if gently pressed juice from top quality grapes runs into the barrel, most of the groundwork for delicious Riesling has already been laid. No need to spend sleepless nights over the choice of forest for the oak or how it's been dried and which toast the barrels need. No need to worry about whether or not or when to induce a malolactic fermentation. The fruit is "it" and the purer, the better.
Hardships occur when the weather doesn't want to play in tune. Hardships also occur when we gamble for 100% and overshoot the "perfect" day for picking a certain vineyard when the grapes have reached heir optimum.

It's said that Riesling truly expresses the terrior where its planted. You have many vineyards from which your grapes come. Which vineyards most expresses their terrior in the final product?

I firmly believe that Riesling truly expresses the terroir and have had ample opportunity to put this to the test.
However, caution is to be exercised: "Terroir" has become a buzzword and that horse has almost been ridden to death.
If there is too much "winemaking", forget abut terroir because many manmade interventions from aroma-inducing enzymes to the choice of yeast or new oak can override the terroir - and so does too much of a usually good thing - botrytis.
Overcropping, over- and underripeness each override much if not all of the terroir.
Where we make wines, in the heart of the Mosel, the vines thrive in a mineral rich, relatively soft and crumbly soil that is very old and dates back to the Devonian age, some 450 to 500 million years ago: Blue Devonian Slate. It's the silt from the ancient single ocean that surrounded the single continent, Pangea. The weight of the ocean compressed layer after layer of silt, forming a deposit that looks like a thin wafer, rich in minerals and with water trapped in the molecules ( which gives our slate such a smooth feel when you crumble it with your hands ). When the continents divided and tectonic plates drifted and collided, the former sea bottom was lifted and pushed, twisted and turned until it surfaced in our area where it formed a mountain range through which eventually the Mosel river cut. The roots can force their way down, courtesy of the relative softness of the rock and it's being cracked, twisted and turned, so we have rootsystems in our old vineyards where it is not uncommon to find 10 meter ( 32 feet ) deep roots. With roots deep in the mineral rich soil and with dry farming, with low yields plus a hands-off approach in the cellar, the potential for wines to show their "terroir" is excellent.

From my own tasting experience in our cellar I can say that the differences between the villages, from Bernkastel down to Graach, then Wehlen and finally Zeltingen are indeed noticeable. From amongst those, I find the different expressions of the Schlossberg in Zeltingen and the twin Sonnenuhr vineyards in Wehlen and Zeltingen ( with minor differences between the two siblings ) the most exciting. Zeltinger Schlossberg probably comes in with the most expressive "fingerprint" of minerality with some "crunch".

How do you feel about oak in Riesling?

Large casks of old oak - wonderful, they permit the wines to exhale some of their fementation aromas and also permit a tiny bit of oxidation, something that the "nouveau" winemakers have rediscovered and now artificially induce in their stainless steel tanks ( microboullage ).
New oak only once in a while and only for lending some exotic to a blend but this has to be done very skillfully or else the otherwise subtle and delicate Riesling carries way to much makeup and smells of foreign perfume...and becomes hard to recognize ( and enjoy).

Some readers may not be familiar with the superior aging abilities of German Riesling. Why are they such excellent wines to age? What is the oldest Riesling you've tried and do you have some set aside for younger family members or friends? How long do you plan to age them?

High quality German Riesling can indeed age for a very long time and often baffles even experts with it's relative freshness and added complexity it develops over time. Here, "don't like sweet" drinkers listen up, the wines with residual sugar greatly outperform their dry counterparts. Why ? Because sugar is a preservative just as acidity is. It's the combination of good acidity, relatively low pH, usually moderate alcohol and a varying degree of residual sugar which make for a winning combination for longevity.
The fact that the grapes in the northern German wine regions ( that Riesling calls home ) mature over a long time in a moderately warm climate, rather than a hot and arrid one, make for a unique concentration and diversity of flavours, always healthy acidity and, at the same time comparatively lower than average alcohol levels.
The oldest Riesling I have been privileged to enjoy was an 1864 Schloss Vollrads which the late Count Matuschka Greiffenclau opened and shared with a number of colleagues in the summer of 1986.
We have some old bottles, certainly from all family members' birth years set aside, though no serious quantities as we adhere to my late father's advice that fine wines are made to be enjoyed while both we and the wines are alive, rather than to be locked away from their destiny ( that is to be consumed and to give pleasure and stimulation of the senses ).
Having said that, I hope I'll live the day to drink the best bottles and the big question - always - is to find the "right" opportunity.
Seems I am on a good path to find more and more "right " opportunities.

FOOD AND WINE PAIRING:

Due to the success of your winery, you have had the opportunity to travel all over the world, talking about, pouring, and enjoying your wines with people of other countries. At the wine tasting where I met you, I heard that you and the other winemakers at the event would be enjoying a dinner later at a celebrated San Francisco restaurant. With what different foods do people pair your wines in various countries?
France, Germany, United States, Spain, Italy, China, for example...


With almost everything they eat. Riesling, contrary to widespread belief, is an immensely versatile companion at the table. Ask any chef in a top notch restaurant and you'll be surprised how often Riesling comes up when food friendly wine or the wine of choice is mentioned. The question is not whether Riesling but rather which Riesling with a certain kind of food !
Many people still confine Riesling to the ( very wide ) spectrum of Asian cuisine. Because the yin of fruit and yang of acidity marry so well with the multitude of flavours and preparations of Asian or Fusion cuisine this is understandable but the choices are many more. I dare say almost everything but a thick, bloody steak or leg of lamb & Co. works with a Riesling but you have to have some selection.
Think American traditionals from turkey with all the trimmings to crabcakes to simple pleasures like summer greens with a mild vinaigrette or just sweet corn on the cob and I can think Riesling from left to right.
Go to Italy and think of sweet, vine ripened tomatoes ( which always come with a nice dose of...acidity ) and think the unthinkable...Riesling. Fettucini Alfredo with that creamy Alfredo sauce that certainly has a touch of richness and sweetness...Riesling and when you eat Gorgonzola or melt it over meat or fruit, think Riesling again...
It is not just duck liver or goose liver for sweet Rieslings but also rustic, flavourful patés and, of course, aromatic cheeses, particularly ones with a soft, washed or cured rind ( ... ever tried ripe Epoisses with mature Riesling Spaetlese ? ) and the whole range of blue cheeeses from Stilton to Roquefort. Fruits and dishes prepared with fruit, redcutions sauces, caramelizd things, you name it...Riesling works.

What has put Riesling back on th food map are several things:
One, it's delicacy and relatively low alcohol ( compared to most other wines ) and the fact it is unoaked and with a crisp finish let the food live that's served with it. No competition but live and let live - if not complementing each other. That is why chefs and sommeliers and "foodies" love Riesling.
Two, it's diversity: Most kinds of food and even preparation styles find a matching Riesling and that can range from austere and pure and dry to flamboyantly exotic, rich and sweet.
Three: The much better availability of high quality Riesling . Today's consumer has much better access to more choices of quality Riesling than 10 or 20 years ago.

But, beware of cheap Riesling. It can be as one dimensional and flavourless as a "middle of the road" Pinot Grigio.

What is the worst Riesling pairing that you've experienced, perhaps because someone was so smitten with your wines, they believed they would fair perfectly with everything?


My biggest fear in wine dinners where the pastry chef doesn't know Riesling or thinks ( like many) that riesling is syrupy sweet: Elegant, regular Riesling Auslese with it's traditionally moderate level of residual sugar put against opulent, super sweet desserts ....

With what foods do you eat with your Rieslings at home, and are these typical Riesling pairings in Germany?

Almost everything and that explicitly includes roast red meat where we use aged Riesling ( at least a dozen years old ) .
Same here as said before: The rack of lamb or he thick steak grilled rare usually come with matching reds.

WINE AND RIESLING ABROAD

Who do you count among your favorite winemakers in Germany? In the U.S? France?

Germany: Helmut Doennhoff, Hans-Guenter Schwarz
France: a plethora of Burgundians, too many to single one out and I can't afford DRC...
US: Warren Winiarski for his ability to make lasting, impressive Cabernets at 13% vol and below .
Paul Draper for his Zins but more so Monte Bello Cabs for their "terroir" and relatively moderate alcohol.
Steven Kistler and Mark Bixler for big but balanced and very long lived single vineyard Chardonnays.
Larry Turley and Ehren Jordan for always puzzling me with delicious, aromatic alcohol bombs, big but still elegant Zins, that belie their analyses and don't tasted the slightest bit alcoholic nor hot but rather fascinating.

PS: I must confess I have been bitten by the Zin bug and I believe this is the truly unique "American" wine.

At least in the U.S, Austria has been receiving much attention lately for their Rieslings. What are your thoughts on their Riesling style?

Very fine examples of big, aromatic, dry Rieslings that carry their high alcohol well. The best in the league of the "heavy hitters" from warmer climates.

Are there Rieslings in the U.S. that you particularly like or dislike? Any thoughts on the Rieslings from the Fingerlake regions or from Washington?

I greatly dislike the abundance of simple, cheap domestic ( and imported ) Rieslings, semi-industrially made made from overcropped vines planted in unsuited terrain and too hot a climate with no finger to point into one particular region. The sweet cheap ones are the worst since they ruin the image for the entire category!
However, I do want to point a finger to a region whose Rieslings I have been following since the early eighties and that is the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. Great potential there, never understood why they weren't known by a larger crowd.
I believe there is also still unexploited potential for Rielsing on the West Coast, in cooler areas. If the valley floors are too hot, there are higher altitudes or the proximity to the ocean. It will take a few more years and some more people with a vision and a will ( and the stamina to hold on for several years - - after all it didn't happen in just two generations over here !) .

YOUR RIESLING AND WINEMAKING

The typical Riesling style in Germany has residual sugar. At the tasting, one of the ten or twelve Rieslings I tried of yours was dry. How long has Selbach-Oster been making a dry Riesling, and what inspired you to do this?

We have been making dry Riesings for as long as I can remember and that's the answer I got from my father, too. Speaking of my father, who was one of the true grand old men of the Mosel with an immense wealth of knowledge and even more experience, far beyond the valley, he, like his father, firmly believed in the regional and single site typicity of the wines and also of maintaining a consistent style rather than going with the "Zeitgeist", hence they made the whole range, from dry to sweet, depending on what the individual vintages yielded. So the question dry versus sweet ( or instead of sweet ) never was an issue here and dry wines coexisted with sweet wines for as long as I can think.
Dry wines, trocken by definition of the German Wine Law, however, have never accounted for 50% or more at Selbach-Oster. Roughly a third of our production qualifies as dry wines today.
What he and I always considered "typical" Mosel and I still prefer as our house style, are Rieslings that offer ripe but not overrripe fruit ( the French would say "à point" ) with an infusion of (slaty) minerality and a similarily present, invigorating and balancing acidity, where the wine pleases with a blend of fruits and stones, a refreshing touch of acidtiy but never lets sweetness nor acidity become obvious or take over the palate. None of the ingredients should dominate: ...inner tension...balance ... pleasure. The ideal reflex is "swallow"... and ..."more!" .
That unique sensation of a wine drawing one's attention and being fruity but not sweet is most easy to experience in very good Kabinett from a ripe but not overripe vintage.

I overhead someone asking you about Boony Doon Rieslings at a tasting. What is your involvement with the company, and what inspired you to work with them?

Both Randall and I are nuts about Riesling. In 1996 Randall and I started, after he visited and on his initiative, blending Mosel Riesling ( occasionally from yet another German region, like the Nahe ) with his California and Washington components to make an even better "Pacific Rim Riesling". It worked!
Randall is a man with a vision and it was he who forecasted the coming out of Riesling a long time before that happened. We also published the "Riesling Manifesto" together with André Ostertag from Domaine Ostertag in Alsace in 1999 and stuck our head out and our bodies in straightjackets in the "Riesling Asylum" in Bordeaux during Viexpo in 1999.

GERMAN WINES

Which German wines do you hope will receive more attention abroad in the future, and why? Do you think red German varietials such as St. Laurent or Lemberger could develop a large fan base in the U.S, for example?

My focus and hope is on Riesling, Riesling and Riesling. That's where Germany is unique and where I dare say we ( the northern German regions ) lead the rest of the world. German reds may get a little more attention in the future because the quality is still making progress but for quality I believe this to be Spaetburgunder/Pinot Noir.

Why do you think that you don't see more German Pinot Noir in U.S. wine shops? Where do you see them, besides Germany?


I believe you don't see more German Pinot Noir in US wine shops because
a) most of them, certainly the majority of the top tier, are bought and consumed in Germany
b) prices for the high end Pinots Noirs from Germany reach Burgundian levels and whilst a German wine lover is willing to spend that money, an American would ( understandably ) think twice .

If touring the wine areas of Germany for the first time, what major areas or wineries would you suggest people visit?

Major areas to visit first: Mosel, Rheingau. Mittelrhein as cradles of Riesling with the added benefit of a breathtakingly beautiful landscape but the remainder of the German wine regions is definitely also pretty and worth a visit.

Winery visits are difficult as the system here works much different from what you know in California. Most wineries are small, family operated businesses who do not give tours and who don't have a hospitality person or a tasting room where one can pop in for a tasting or tours. When the family is in the vineyard or in the cellar or on tour, nobody will be available to answer the door, leave alone do a tasting or a tour. There are producers who are set up to receive guests, offer tastes and sell wines and they advertise with signs "Weinverkauf - Probe " ( Wine Tasting - Sales ). The better, more desirable estates, however, are solely by appointment and, due to the fact most are small shops, run by the family, they are hard to get in.
Always try to make an appointment in advance to avoid disappointment.

Many restaurants, wine bars and little shops, however offer the opportunity to taste a selection of the village's or vicinity's wines.
In Zeltingen we have the Weinbar "Ratsschaenke", near the church and marketplace which not only serves a great number of Selbach-Oster wines but wines from top estates from all over Germany, incl. a selection of Pinots Noirs, The Ratsschaenke also serves tapas and local delicacies that complemet the wines and offers three very comfortable guest rooms in their recently renovated 1550ies walls. Contact: www.ratsschaenke-zeltingen.de ( hosts: Andrea & Willi Settelmeier ph +49 6532-954273 ).


If people wanted to read more about German wines, is there a book that you'd suggest they read?

The English journalist Stuart Piggot has written a couple of nice books on Rieslings with special emphasis on German Rieslings which are higly recommendable. Then you have the German Wine Atlas by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson and certainly the yearly catalogues written by the venerable Mr. Terry Theise are certainly worth seeking out. Those are not available in book stores but rather through Michael Skurnik Wines ( www.skurnikwines.com ).

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Monday, March 3, 2008

Chateau D'Oupia Minervois: my Comfortable Safety Blanket & Cheese

MASTER BAKERS,
Click here.




As you may have guessed from my last post, I'm getting quite a thrill from blogging events. Or at least, the last one (my first) was really fun. Now I'm trying another event, one that is more wine focused.

Joel at Wine Life Today is heading a group called Wine Blogging Wednesdays, and he shouted on the top of a mountain that this week's theme would be comfort wines. What is your comfort wine, he asked. We'll, as I'm really excited to be part of a wine or food group of a fun caliber that will have me, I decided to answer. Of course, I'll also pair it with a food.

Chateau D'Oupia is my wine blanket. I don't know how many other bloggers will also call their favorite comfort wine their blanket, so I'll also phrase it another way to further explicate.

Chateau D'Oupia's Minervois blend is both my mac and cheese and hot cocoa on a cold winter's night after a long day trying to ski the bunny hill but failing because I keep running into snow banks since I haven't yet learned a successful snow plow.

Made of Carignon, Syrah and Grenache, the Oupia is just the seductive wine that I want after a long day's pretending that I don't care that my family skies the diamond hills without me. Then again, the Oupia is just the sort of wine I want, anytime.

The comforting blanket mainly lies in the wine's straightforward yet charming flavors. Dark berries, pepper, minerals, slightly sanguine and sometimes even meaty, the Oupia is the wine that I want to sip after trying to explain the varying nuances of three different Barbarescos to a customer. Gosh, I don't know, they're all different, but this one is better. It is a wine that needs very little explanation. Its just amazingly good, and it is even better two days after opening. Thereby I know that if my husband doesn't get to it, there will be a mighty fine tasting glass waiting for me at home. That's comfort.

The best part, however, is that the tasty comfort that is Oupia is a great food wine. Nice acidity, a touch o' tannin, and a slightly meaty character that absolutely loves..... cheese. Almost as much as I do.

In fact, the Oupia is the best red wine I've ever had with cheese. Most reds like to play in the danger zone with cheese- will they pair well, will they not- but Oupia is relatively safe. It loves funky sheep's cheeses just as well as fresh chevres and Mt. Tam.

It's also amazing with fresh pastas served with Brussels sprouts with garlic and bacon (last nights dinner), or lasagna (yeah, Oupia's acidity take on the tomatoes), mac and cheese, or BBQ potato chips. Really.

What's comfort in a bottle not beginning with Southern? I say Chateau d'Oupia's Languedoc, Minervois basic red blend.

Thank you winemaker winemaker Andre Iche, for introducing us to your fabulous, sincere wines. You'll also be missed.

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Sunday, March 2, 2008

Cinnamon: Master Baker Group







Although I'm a trained, practicing cook and had the fortune of learning the ins and outs of baking with very fine pastry chefs while in culinary school, baking is not my thang. In other words, yeast and everything that the different genres of yeast involve, give me butterflies in my stomach. I feel like I'm about to take a final exam at UC Berkeley for a class that I never signed up for when I tear upon a package of dry active yest. In addition, when it comes to the step in a baking recipe when something needs to be measured, I develop a slight case of hives. Truly. I have an itchy feeling on my leg right now and I clearly attribute it to the fact that I've been measuring flour and sugar a lot recently, and it scares me. Unlke baking and pastry, once one is accustomed to certain cooking techniques- searing, sauteeing, blanching, braising- they don't have to measure much, and I've always appreciated this.

Truth be said, if a baking recipe requires me to weigh from four to five ingredients, put them in a bowl, stir, and lick the spoon, I'm good to go. If I can add chocolate chips to the recipe, man, I rock.

But I need practice, and I'd like to be better.

It is for these reasons and because I'd like to become a bigger part of a blogging community that I joined the Master Baker group. Master Baker blogging is a group that bakes whatever a pretty lady tells them. Basically, a glorious baker at Master Baker picks an ingredient. Anyone interested in joing the blog group cooks a dessert with that ingredient. Any dessert, any time before the event ends. Sounded awesome to me. And then, I thought, I'd pick a wine to pair with the dessert. Delicous.

This post is my first entry for Master Bakers. Ingredient: Cinnamon. Rules: Few (i.e, I don't know them yet).

My Cinnaminoliscios Dessert: CINNAMON ORANGE ZEST GELATO/ PISTACHIO PILLOW COOKIE SANDWICH

Note to readers-
*The Gelato Recipe is based off a Saveur Silician Recipe featured in "Saveur Cooks Italian".
*The recipe for the cookies comes from the "Farmhouse Cookbook," by Susan Herrmann Loomis. This is one of my favorites, simple and straightforward cookbooks. However, I would suggest using the original recipe and not my adaption if interested it having an excellent cookie without sweet gelato sandwiched between. My adaption used less sugar, brown sugar instead of white, and pistachios instead of walnuts. They were meant to mellow out the sweet, decadent gelato.
All altered ingredients are marked with a *.

Farmhouse Pillow Cookies:

20 cookies, 350 preheat

2 1/4 cup AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly (really) grated nutmeg
1 stick unsalted butter- room temp.
1 cup brown sugar *
1 lg egg
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, mixed with water for a glaze
1/2 cup or so shelled, chopped pistachios *

1. Sift dry ingredients on wax paper, set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugar in large bowl. Add egg, beat well. Add sour cream, vanilla, and mix. Stir in flour mixture - but just until incorporated. If over beat, the cookies will be tough.

3. Sprinkle flour onto a work surface and over dough. Divide dough into half and roll out dough until 3/8 inch thick. Use a cookie cutter (3-inch) or a glass to cut cookies. Place on Silopat.



4. Brush cookies with glaze, then top with nuts. Bake no more than 15 minutes, cookies are ready with they spring back when touched. They'll be cake like when finished.






Cinnamon, Orange Zest and Cardamon Gelato

4 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp cinnamon *
2 sticks cinnamon *
the zest of one orange*
5 cardamon seeds *
2 star anise seeds *

1. Heat 3 cups of milk and all ingredients marked with a * in medium, heavy bottom sauce pan until milk starts to bubble around pan's edges.

2. While milk is heating, mix cornstarch with two tablespoons of milk in a small bowl. Once completely blended so there are no remaining lumps of cornstarch, add sugar and remaining cup of milk.

3. After milk has bubbled, take milk off heat and combine with the cornstarch mixture.

4. After mixed off heat, return to low heat so gelato base only bubbles occasionally around edges and heat for 8-10 minutes., stirring frequently. Mixture will thicken slightly.

5. Let cool, pour gelato base into a bowl and cover with plastic. Chill overnight to fully incorporate flavors

6. After chilled overnight, pour mix into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's directions


WINE PAIRING:
Although full-flavored, this is a light dessert. Absolutely no cream, few eggs, and fluffy in composition and texture. Due to the airy light nature of the cinnamon creation, I decided to keep the dessert wine also light so it wouldn't compete with the bright and airy flavors in the dish.


After some thought, I chose the Raymond-Laffont Sauternes. A Semillion-based wine, the Raymond-Laffont has apple, apricot, orange zest and even slight mint flavors. I knew that this wouldn't drag the fluffy dessert down like a Madeira or Port would. And it didn't. The flavors in the wine and dessert highlighted each other harmoniously. Orange zest to orange zest, and apricot to star anise. Sigh... Who said ice-cream sandwiches don't like dessert wine? Oh, ..... no one?


This is what I chose, but I'd like to know what YOU would bake with cinnamon as the star....

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