Xmas Roast Beef with "to bathe in gravy"
Necessities:
1 marbled prime rib roast
T bones cajun rub
beef bouillon
salt
pepper
red cooking wine
creative company
We staged the perfect xmas before xmas. My friends Len, Luanne and I designed a delightfully
decadent dinner last saturday as a rehearsal for Xmas. Len graciously opened his home to us
and spent all Saturday afternoon prepping for our arrival.
so much as "pair" it with Gewurtraminer, as inhaled it with Gewurtz. Man, that chicken had a good liver. After we made quick work of that, we moved on to the triple cream brie and cherry calvados melted concoction Luanne made. I imagine it's what God would serve when you enter heaven.
It was too rich for me however, having just returned from abroad- my stomache would've protested for days; but they looked pretty blissed out.
It was too rich for me however, having just returned from abroad- my stomache would've protested for days; but they looked pretty blissed out.
Len's roast was so perfect it was almost perverse. The gravy was so smooth it looked like melted chocolate! He cooked the roast in a healthy dose of red wine, then de-glazed the bottom of the
roaster pan with water, added beef bouillon, flour, salt & pepper. Simple, but the results were divine.
roaster pan with water, added beef bouillon, flour, salt & pepper. Simple, but the results were divine.
I paired this production with Quail's Gate Old Vines Foch. QG boasts some of the the oldest Foch
vines in the Valley- the 09 was produced from 27 year old vines. Rich meat, meet hearty, gamey wine.
It would benefit with a few years resting, but if you have meat to match the tannins, its a great duo now. Its a full bodied wine with a lot of structure, but the mouth feel was surprisingly silky. What a great contrast for the senses! My nose had a pleasant time too; any wine that even remotely smells like dark chocolate gets my undivided attention. At $24.99 it'll grab your attention too. Show up with this, either to open for dinner or a unique gift that will keep giving for 5 years, and you'll be instant rock star.
Available at the BC Wine Museum and VQA Shop in the Laurel Packinghouse.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Jackie
Salsa al fresco & Guacamole
Orange pepper
Avacado
Red onion
Plum tomato
Chopped Garlic
Cilantro
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Splash of Lemon juice
Guacamole:
Rippened avacado
Chopped tomato
Lemon juice
Inspiration: Blue Bird Beach Picnic
I love the word picnic.. simply defined as "a pleasure excursion in which a meal can be eaten outdoors". Im in. It was a lovely friday afternoon, a little mixed sun and cloud, [ which is all we can hope for around here these days] and some colleagues at the beach. We had bocce ball, a cooler full of refreshments, a table full of snacks and our feet in the sand. What more could humans ask for? The menage a trois I decided to experiment with included Pinot Gris, salsa al fresco and homemade guacamole by our very own Niki Valetta- the Rental Coordinator for the Laurel Packinghouse. Usually I prepare a dish to go along with my wine choices, but a little collaboration was in order since she had the day off and I did not! Nikki chopped, diced and blended while I brooded over which wine to bring. Charles Colk [ infamously from our VQA wine shop ] and I decided the public needed to know about the 2010 Lake Breeze Pinot Gris. Its a bold, fresh, racey little white, with absolutely nothing little about it. The wine's acidity is a perfect palette cleanser after the salsa's sharp onions, garlic and lemon. With notes of grapefruit and pineapple, it was also a surprisingly good companion to the ever- so- classy "hint of lime" tortillas we used as vehicles for Niki's delicious palette calming guacamole. Not quite the complex and heading pairings of say Food and Wine Magazine, but that wasn't my aim for the day. Had we the means on Blue Bird Beach to grill up a Halibut feast, thats what I would've done. This wine is certainly versatile and confidant enough for your most uppity foodie friends. However, if you find yourselves like I did- needing to pair something for an impromptu friday snack fest- then this is your wine. Lake Breeze's 2004 won the gold medal at the Canadian Wine Awards and was named "Pinot Gris of the Year". I loved the 2010, you can't go wrong with this wine. Like a solid wingman it will have your back in all sorts spontaneous situations; and I truly hope you find yourselves in many of those. Lake Breeze Pinot Gris 2010, Naramata Bench 17.99
Salut,
Jackie d.
First Course Strawberries & Asparagus, Spring Brunch
Recipe Ingredients:Steamed Organic Asparagus
Strawberries from wherever available
Black skinned Asiago cheese- Valoroso Foods
Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette [ Kraft ]
salt and pepper to taste
mint garnish
The Inspiration:
It was tough with the combination of Easter, Wine Fest, and Mother's Day all vying for my attention. However, it was Asparagus season that got me. A bunch came my way via the urban harvest box and I just giggled as I lifted the lid. A skinny little bunch stood in the corner, all tightly confined like a grouping of "emo" kids all huddled together at a local music show.
I shall have to liberate them I mused. I initially wondered about Sauvignon Blanc at first, but that immediately seemed too obvious. I like contrasts, but complimentary contrasts. The dish would need red. Anyone who has ever cooked with me knows the plate needs color. And what goes best with green? Why red of course, and strawberries are the best red. So my line of thinking then immediately leads to Rose. What pairs with strawberries better than Rose? Not much, but would it work with asparagus? I was going to find out. Lets be honest, we wine types dont tend to tear our hair out trying to understand the complexities of Rose. It is meant to be fresh and fruit forward and zippy and crisp. The term "easily enjoyed" would be a huge understatement.
I chose the 2009 Thornahaven Rose. It was delightful! Beautiful, clear bright pink colour, with a dab of orange- as if the winemaker squeezed a blood orange into it just before bottling. Big, bold strawberry and cranberry on the nose, a "meli melo" [ for our bi-lingual readers] of fruit on the palette and refreshing soft acid to balance the sweetness on the finish. We here at the Wine Museum thought it all blended together quite nicely. And if you've never tried black skinned Asiago before, like emo kids all standing stiff and at a live show- you're missing out my friends.
Proust,
Jackie.
The Thornhaven Rose from Summerland was perfect.
2011 Soup Champion pairs delightfully
with Quinta Ferreira Viognier
Earlier in the afternoon I'd sauntered into the kitchen as she was simmering and stirring telling her mom on the phone back in Winnipeg that she didn't think it would be dead last, but that it wasn't the Best either. I'm pretty sure the recipe came from her mother and I KNOW she
brought the farmer sausage back from the Peg with her
a few days before. The authentic sausage, the overall "PAT" factor [ presentation, aroma, taste ] and homemade buns easily placed Amanda in the top three. Yours truly came in third with a smokey chipolte cauliflower puree and Derek, the host, took the middle podium with his Thai curry soup [ and one of the most bizarre yet arty video votes of the evening ]. It was a pretty hilarious and unique event, thank you Hoa and Derek!
I gambled on the versatile and luscious [ 2010 Bronze Medalist at the BC Wine Awards ] 2009 Viognier by Quinta Ferreira in the hope it would pair well with a number of entries. It absolutely delivered! I initially chose it to match the velvety texture of my pureed soup, because the 2009 Viognier is pretty much the Eyptian cotton of "mouth feel". It also went sublimely with Amanda's Summer Borscht filled with potatoes and boiled eggs.
The wine's aroma however, hints that a more zingy taste is about to come my way- with honey, lemon and a hint of spice. Which spice? Im not positive, but I suspect its something that sprouts up along the Black Sage Bench where the grapes are tended. The wine is subtley oaked in both French and American barrels, and the tiniest hint of vanilla escapes the glass. You're getting an elegant wine here people; and at $19.90 a bottle- its pretty much as cheap as borscht too.
Beifall,
Jackie
Summer Borscht
1 link of farmer Sausage
(Pioneer brand recommended)
Water
1 onion (chopped)
Salt
Bay leaves (about 2 or 3)
Peppercorns (small handful)
Dill or summer savory
3 to 4 potatoes
2 cups sorrel leaves
(may be substituted with beet leaves or kale)
4 eggs (cooked and cooled)
1/3 cup whipping cream
Cut the farmer sausage into bite size pieces; pre-brown in pan with margarine or butter to give flavor. Transfer to soup pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Add the onion, salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, and dill; cook for about 30 minutes. Add peeled and cubed potatoes; cook for 10 minutes. Add the chopped green leaves (either sorrel, beet or kale leaves). If using kale, remove the inside rib stalk. Allow the soup to simmer. Chop the cooked eggs and add to the soup with the whipping cream. Check for seasoning, add if needed. Let simmer till taste is to your satisfaction. Serve warm with chopped dill as a garnish.
Larch Hills Lemberger with Organic Winter Salad
(This wine is in stock. Order now!)
Ingredients:
3 slices peeled and squared organic watermelon radish
4 pieces red leaf lettuce
1 organic carrot- use a veggie peeler to make thin strips
3 pieces pickled beets
Organic alfalfa sprouts
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Cilantro for garnish
Dressing:
1 organic carrot- use a veggie peeler to make thin strips
3 pieces pickled beets
Organic alfalfa sprouts
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Cilantro for garnish
Dressing:
Olive oil
Gewürztraminer vinegar from Vinegar Works (Valentine Farm)Organic honey
Mix three parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar, and add honey to taste.
The Inspiration:
Every second Wednesday I receive an organic veggie box delivered straight to the Laurel
Packinghouse VQA Wine Shop from Urban Harvest. When I opened it up I noticed what I thought was a rutabaga, but the content list said it was a watermelon radish. Cool, I'd never heard of it before. I immediately ran upstairs to grab a knife and cut it open. It was bright pink like a watermelon, and smelled like fresh air, seriously. The taste hinted at being sweet for a nano second, then immediately evaporated with a quick spicy finish.
I couldn't wait to experiment with this bizarre new veggie that came my way! I checked the content sheet to see where it came from- the Shuswap. Innaresting. I immediately thought of a cool climate wine from the same region to see if they'd be friends.
The 2008 Lemberger, by Larch Hills Winery (Salmon Arm) is what came to mind.
Their Lemberger (Austrian Varietal) is a beautiful, light ruby colour, with a sour cherry
and slightly earthy nose. Its like Pinot Noir's little, less sophisticated sister. The sour
cherry came through on the palette and left a hint of raspberry too. It had a great
acidity that cleansed the palette and matched the crispy watermelon radish perfectly.
Prost,
Jackie
Previous Recipes
Quinta Ferreira Viognier with Parmesan Stuffed Chicken with Melted Strawberries
(This wine is in stock. Order now!)
3 cups fresh strawberries (halve or quarter if large berries)
2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/4 cup strawberry jam
Sea salt or salt and black pepper
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 3 lb.)
3 oz. Parmesan or white cheddar cheese
6 large fresh basil leaves
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Snipped fresh basil
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a 3-quart baking dish combine strawberries, vinegar, and jam. Sprinkle salt and pepper; set aside.
2. Cut a horizontal pocket in each chicken breast half by cutting from one side almost, but not through, to the other side. Cut Parmesan cheese in six 3x1/2-inch pieces. Wrap a basil leaf around each piece of cheese; stuff into chicken breast pocket. Secure pockets closed with wooden toothpicks or skewers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. In 12-inch oven-safe skillet cook garlic in oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Transfer to oven. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes. Add baking dish with the strawberry-jam mixture to oven. Bake 10 to 13 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F) and the berries are softened and jam mixture has thickened. Serve chicken with melted strawberries. Sprinkle with basil. Makes 6 servings. Serve with a glass of chilled Quinta Ferreira Viognier.
