Pick of the Month - February Wine

 

This month Andy has chosen a Lovely 2007 Riesling called Covey Run, from Columbia Valley, located in Eastern Washington. It is one of the world’s finest winegrowing regions. 

I enjoy this wine, and preferably by itself. If, however, paired with a dish, try it with something that is light and mildly flavored.  When you sip the wine it exudes such sweet fruity notes as fresh picked grapes, ripe juicy peaches, and nectarines. 

If you go to a local farm and hand-pick your own green grapes off the vine, there is a distinct uniqueness to them.  Hand picked grapes from a local farm are nothing like a grape that you would purchase from a supermarket.  A farm raised grape has a tougher outer skin, so when your teeth break through the skin it exposes the inner soft wet part of the grape.  Mostly the flavor that you get from them are a much sweeter, stronger, tart grape taste.  The inside of the grape just meshes so well with the tougher skin because it simply disintegrates in your mouth and leaves a wonderful lingering memory.

 

          

Enjoy!

Happy New Year

Hi Everyone!! I hope everybody had a wonderful New Years and are geared up to cook!! I want to let you all know that if you ever have any cooking questions, comments, tips, tricks, or anything that you would like to share, please feel free to tell me. I would love to hear from you.  Just go to the comment section, or you could e-mail me.  If you would like, I can post the questions you offered for others to view. 

                  

On another onion leaf, we have decided to add a “wine of the month”…or maybe two.  I love having a nice bottle of wine to go with dinner or lunch. When you have to decide what wine to pick it should not be a hard decision.  There are a few basic tips that I go by when pairing with food; white wine with white meat, fish and light white sauces, and red wine with red meat and red sauces.  Also always read the label and see which foods the vintner had recommended to pair together.

In the world of wines there are so many choices.  I can see why it would be overwhelming when choosing one or two for your dinner.  I would suggest starting out with a wine that is moderately priced and made in whatever country you feel moved by.  If you would like to find your favorite wine it might take purchasing and tasting a few bottles before you find it.

When choosing a wine maybe you could start with one category like a Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, etc. and then your first bottle can be from France, then Australia, and then California.  It’s a good idea to have one red and one white (example: Pinot noir and Shiraz) then every time you need a wine depending on what you are eating, choose one from a different country.  By doing it that way you already know what category to look in, now you just have to choose what country.  It cuts back on the choices, and makes the wine aisle look less intimidating. 

This month my first wine choice is going to be a 2010 Sauvignon Blanc from the Cupcake Vineyards located in Monterey County, California.  It’s price is $12-$14 depending on where you purchase your wine.  This wine is delicious, when you look at it you would immediately think that it’s sweet, not at all.  It has the flavor of citrus, Meyer lemon and key limes.  It is extremely refreshing, with a bit of a zing and not a hint of bitterness to it, in the finish. 

                       

Make sure your wine has been properly Chilled in the fridge or your wine cooler.  Your white wine bottle should be much colder to the touch then the red wine.  It’s best to open your wine an hour or two before you sit down to eat, it allows the wine to aerate and really opens up the flavor.  When you open your wine pour it into a decanter, or a glass pitcher that you have lying around your house.  Ahh, I can breathe!

 

 

Enjoy!

No Ordinary Pancake…

Happy Holidays!

We have decided to do this recipe because we think it would be something good to have around the Holidays for breakfast. It’s quick and wonderful.

About a month ago Andy was perusing his favorite men’s fashion magazine to which he subscribes, GQ.  In the December 2010 issue there is a recipe that he stumbled upon and showed to me.  They called it The High-Rise Pancake, a German pancake, technically called a Dutch Baby.  It’s not actually like a fluffy, super sweet, pancake but more like a crunchy, soft, tangy, sweet-as-you-like-it kind of pancake.  I use that hyphenated phrase because after it comes out of the oven, you can control how much confectioner sugar you sprinkle on it.  We like to use honey or syrup. We have had it all different kinds of ways.  I described it as tangy because when it comes out of the oven you also squeeze about half a lemon all over the top. You could also use lime, which lends its own distinct bit of Tang. 

I think that when you cook you can do whatever you feel is right.  You should go by the recipe but if you like something else that’s sweet, you can substitute for something else.  Or if there is a different kind of nut you like use that instead.  That is how people invent new recipes by experimenting.  It never hurts to try substituting a different ingredient, you may find that you like it better.  Julia Child said that if you mess up don’t get upset about it, just try it again. You will learn from your mistakes. 

Andy’s stomach is always finding good things for me to make. Once he spotted the recipe for the Dutch Baby, I read it over and decided to make it on the spot. It looked so scrumptious.  I know you will have all the ingredients you need because they should all be a staple in everybody’s pantry.  If you don’t have the lemon or lime juice I’m sure you could do with out and it will still turn out delicious.

The total cooking time is 20 minutes on 425 degrees F. and can easily feed 2-3 people.  But if you eat a lot then you might want to make something else to go with it like breakfast meat. For your choice of bake ware, I just use a 10” Pyrex pie plate you can use that, or an oven proof skillet.  Just choose something that is shallow and can go in the oven.

Ingredients are:

3 T. Butter 

2 Eggs(Beaten) ,   1/2 Cup Flour,   1/2 Cup Milk, 

1 t. Sugar,  1/4 t. salt,  a pinch of nutmeg (if you have it).

For Garnish:

Juice of 1\2 lemon,  Confectioner Sugar   

 

First, Pre-heat the oven to 425 Degrees F. While that is pre-heating, place the three tablespoons of butter directly into the bake ware and put it into the oven to melt. 

While the butter is melting in the oven, whisk the remaining ingredients in a bowl just until they incorporate, about 30 –45 seconds and set aside.

When the butter has melted take it out of the oven and pour in the egg mixture.

Let bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes.

*Note: if you have a see-through oven window it’s fun to watch because it puffs up.

After 18-20 minutes take it out of the oven, squeeze the lemon juice, and dust with confectioner sugar.

It’s so good, crunchy, soft, tangy, and sweet.

Serve immediately

Bon Appetite 

Take 5 Gourmet Cafe

We are always searching for great Cafes. Last night, after a Princeton University Orchestra concert, we visited the always reliable Small World on Witherspoon St. We also really like Café Fedora in Lawrenceville, NJ. As we were sitting in our apartment this morning, reading, we said how much we wished there was such a place right in our neighborhood. We know that the best thing Yardley/Morrisville has to offer is Starbucks, and that’s not an option for us. A search of the Trenton area pulled up another little New Jersey gem that shares our anti-corporate preferences when it comes to coffee.

Take 5 Gourmet Cafe VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Take 5 Gourmet Café, 1065 Washington Boulevard Robbinsville, NJ. isn’t exactly in our neighborhood, but that’s ok. It is a great spot to check out. It’s only about ten miles from Morrisville. The owners have a strong commitment to the principles and ideals of independent food establishments. You might even put them in the category of the “Third Wave Coffee” movement. That particular phenomenon, also called “Microroast”, is defined simply by a love for the production of high quality, small-scale coffee. Such purveyors are said to view their craft as an artisanal one, rather than a commodity business. From their bumper stickers “Dunkin’ Donuts…Just Say No!” and “Friends don’t let friends drink Starbucks”, to the “Dunk Free Zone” sign on the store front, Ira and Bernadette have fun while being a local business. That’s what really sets a good café, restaurant, or food business apart from the pack. A welcoming atmosphere, friendly and fun staff, and great products.
The offering at Take 5 is high quality, and they clearly take pride in it. They only carry products from premium sources, with an emphasis on local and European origins. They have been in their current location for about six years, previously running a shop in New Haven, CT. Ira told us that they chose to stop carrying anything made in China a couple of years ago when it was clear that health standards in that country are so poor. With a background in the restaurant industry, Ira knows quality foods. In addition to their private label coffees (of which they have a huge selection, with seasonal favorites), they also carry a wide array of chocolates, confections, and Basset’s Ice Cream.
After a couple of cups of their coffee you should become a firm believer in the anti-corporate coffee world. While Small World may still be the only truly “Third Wave” coffee house in the area – because they actually roast their own – Ira and Bernadette offer another great option.
Our quest to find a neighborhood coffee house is also inspired by the desire for a relaxing environment to just kick back and read with a coffee. Take 5 does have a comfortable lounge area in the front, but it doesn’t quite have that hook to draw you in to sit and hang out. Perhaps it is because they dabble in several other areas besides coffee, but we found the initial visual impression to be a bit busy. This may, in some small part, detract from the coffee house “vibe” that we were hoping for. However, from talking to Ira and Bernadette, that may not be their highest priority. They do place an emphasis on the local community, sourcing ingredients in their desserts from area providers, and sponsoring local events for community enrichment. The pride taken in each area of the business (chocolates, candies, desserts, ice-cream, and service) is clearly the top focus. We are now big fans of theirs, and Take 5.

A trip to India…New Jersey

Andy’s Mom, Audrey, has had a long-time friendship with her neighbor Jayashri. Occasionally, they will accompany each other, along with Jayashri’s son Vineet, to Edison, NJ for a Sunday shopping trip all things Indian. Kim has been interested in joining them for one of these trips for a while now, and she had the opportunity to do so this past weekend.

Jayashri is one of the kindest, most hospitable people our family has ever known. Andy’s parents have been neighbors with her for 23 years. She has always shown us, Audrey in particular, what it means to share one’s culture. Over the past couple of decades we’ve known her as a wife, mother to a intellectually handicapped son, widower, and friend. She is always quick to invite us to her home for dinner,or on a Sunday drive to Edison, and, eventually, to India itself!

We started the trip with a buffet style lunch at Chutney Mary, 3793 US Highway 1 South, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey 08852. We knew we were in for well made, “real” Indian food with Jayashri as our guide, and it was exactly that. On Sundays, they offer a full buffet for $20. This isn’t your local Chinese buffet, this is good Indian food.

		Chutney Mary VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

After lunch we continued North to Edison where we were taken on the tour of “little India”. This is a town full of Indian shops. They range from salons specializing in thread hair removal, to jewelers, to souvenir/trinket shops, to dollar stores, to bakeries, to restaurants, and most importantly grocers. We did a bit of it all.

		Edison, NJ VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Raisin Pie

Kim made this for her Grandpa yesterday. He mentioned his affinity for “Raisin Pie” on Black Friday when we were visiting. This was a new one to us. We asked if it had anything other than raisins in it. He and Grandma both said, no, just raisins. They were quite clear.

A quick internet recipe search gave us some more insight into the history of this particular pie. It is old-fashioned, often being requested by people’s Pennsylvania bred grandparents. It turns out that the American roots of this recipe are linked to the Amish and Old Order Mennonite communities. It is a traditional dish served after the wake of a funeral, giving it the nickname “Funeral Pie”. Traditionally, although Kim didn’t make it this way, it is double crusted with a lattice work top. It still turned out well. Grandpa was ecstatic when presented with it as a surprise…

A thing of the past, becomes a thing of the present!

Tortillas–the right way

A walk down the grocer’s “international foods” aisle can be an interesting, yet daunting, experience for most people. Perhaps, if not daunting, then at the very least perplexing. Should you try some of the Goya products besides canned beans? Are the eastern European sauces or other little condiments worth the effort when the old standards are two aisles over? Yes, try stuff you haven’t thought of picking up before. Here’s why you should…

Tortillas. These little corn discs are absolutely magical. A pack like this has something like 30 soft tortillas and it costs less than $2. You will quickly notice that these are the same kind that you get when you go to an independent Mexican food restaurant. I’m not talking about On the Border, Chile’s, or any of those places. Real Mexican food. The key to using these really well is to heat them before you eat them!!!  For instance you can coat your skillet with some oil and heat them up on both sides until they get a bit crispy, or if you are feeding more than a couple of people, before you are finished cooking your filling (meat,fish,eggs,veggies,etc.) lay your tortillas on a sheet pan and place them in the oven at 375 and bake them for 5-10 minutes.  Then, the possibilities are endless. Make tacos, breakfast burritos, just about anything you can think of.

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