Chef Metcalf

Brined pork tenerloin stuffed with mushoom duxelle and coated with a goat's cheese rosemary crust. Sauteed beans, yellow and orange carrots and asparagus in butter/lemon zest/chicken demi.

As a wine lover, you couldn't be from a better area...well, you could...but we think Pasa Robles is a hidden paradise of quality grapes in an amazing micro-climate. Always excellent quality and whenever we see the name, it always sways us to purchase. We don't have that many available here in Vancouver, maybe be 6-12 on the market here right now, (unless I am just not looking hard enough) and may not be able to find them in Canada, but we go to the States a couple of times a year and it would be helpful for us too have a list of quality choices from an oenophile who lives there! So....seeing as we are here visiting...What are your Pasa Robles best bet red wines from $15.00-75.00? We like full bodied, layered, fruit forward but sophisticated, good tannin on the finish reds. Two of the names I remember (small miracle) are Tobin James 1999 Zinfandel and J Lohr Syrah and Cabernet (the latter readily available here in Vancouver). Fire away...

Whatever you serve, it should be a 3 oz. pour at the maximum. Too much sweet wine makes for ill guests and spoils the wonderful memory of having had just enough. I have to concur on the choice of riesling for the prawns. Maybe even a very restrained gewurtraminer (not too flowery and huge). Perhaps an Oregon or California Gewurztraminer? Foris Vineyards of OR or Lazy Creek in CA both make gorgeous gewurz that would pick up on those tropical fruit notes too. TBA = Trockenbeerenauslese. A designation for German and Austrian dessert wines that are left to hang on the vines until the grapes are virtually raisins. The concentrated juices make for incredibly viscous and sweet wine, but they tend to be expensive as the yields are so low. Trocken (dry) + Beeren (berries) + Auslese (picked when quite ripened). ← Thanks Katie!

But for a quarter lb (40 to 46 beans), including shipping, it still works out to only about a buck a bean Canadian. I imagine duty etc will be more but I think it will still work out a lot cheaper than the $4-5.00 I'm paying now. Well, I hope so anyway....I'll post the total cost when it arrives. cm

Enough venting.

Thanks Brad and David for the help and suggestions. D' Asti was our first choice too, but their selection was nil at the LDB that day. They kindly allowed me to taste the Moscatel Douro Reserva and while it will work, I know there was probably something better we could have gone for, but no time now. David, I did notice at Liberty today that they had Ivignaioli di S. Stefano, also a Moscato d'Asti but I don't know anything about that one. Think it was about $19.95 for a half bottle. I'll look into it later and maybe think about it for next time. Riesling, that's an interesting choice for the prawns. I'll have to try that out at home and we'll be the guinea pigs (unfortunately this menu is for a client). There is a papaya salsa with the prawns so it may be too sweet with the two paired together, or may work rather well. Maybe even a dry Erinfelzer (sp?). We'll look into that. Just as a note, the blueberry limoncello is very boozy, recipe here and not a true tiramisu, truth be told. But it's seems to be very well received. I would have done the Montrachet with the lobster and Caymus with the steak, but the clients have requested the surf and turf together (much to my dismay). The Caymus is just the regular +390849, not the SS David. What is a TBA? frances

AzRaeL They were available in Whole Foods today at Park Royal. 100 grams $2.99 In the exotic fruit department next to the pink dragon fruits. cm

CaliPoutine How did you get the shipping included in the price...assuming you are getting it shipped to Canada. Thanks CM

I don't post in this forum that often, but wondered if I could ask some questions of those with far more knowledge than I. We have paired all the wines to courses for a clients dinner party and have chosen a Moscatel Douro Reserva to go with the dessert course (which is a limoncello tiramisu). Actually, a sommelier friend helped me out as $100.00 per bottle isn't really my area of expertise (although I wish it were). The dessert was a tricky one. In summer I serve it with chilled limoncello, but it's too cold for that now I think. So, we have chosen the Moscatel Douro Reserva. What do you think of this as a pairing with the limoncello tiramisu? Should we serve a two ounce pour in a wine glass or liquer glass? Serve it chilled, slightly chilled or room temperature? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Just for fun, here is the menu for the night. Passed Appetizers... Caramelized Onion and Cambozola Crostini Prawn and Scallop filled Mushroom Crowns Appetizers both with Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut Amuse Bouche... Lobster Bisque drizzled with Lobster Oil Chassagne Montrachet First Course... Prawn Martini Kaffir Lime Marinated Prawns with Papaya Mango Red Onion and Cilantro Salsa Chassagne Montrachet Main Course... Filet Mignon with Cabernet Demi and Butter Poached Lobster wtih Celeriac Puree and Assorted Organic Vegetables Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Dessert Limoncello Tiramisu Moscatel Douro Reserva What do you think of the wines we have paired to the courses? Although the wine is ordered, I would love some input, good or bad. PS....We did not suggest the Champagne, clients favourite. Thanks for any suggestions or critiquing that you may want to offer. cm (edited because I forgot the amuse)

Hi Montrachet I was at the trade tasting in the afternoon from 2-4. Too bad we didn't meet up though, it sounds like we have similar tastes in wine. All the ones you added were on my picks lists too so I'm glad you posted them! I tried the Grant Burge, it was lovely. I read it without my glasses the first time and thought it said Giant Burger! Thanks for the wonderful explanation of the syrah/viognier. Much more detail then I was able to get at the tasting. Always so rushed and crowded. Funny you said it was hot in there. In the daytime they had all the strange looking air vents that come out of the round pillars at wierd angles blowing to the point where people were complaining that they couldn't smell the wine. I missed the Katnook Prodigy (how I don't know), but did try the Cab, thought it needed some ageing though. The D'Arenburg Dead Arm was awesome (and was the only one I didn't spit)! Hey, I'm late for work..bye. cm

Goat's cheese and sage spelt macaroni. I'm allergic to wheat...but I cheat...a lot.

I've only had the commercial kind, but I've made tons of infused alcohols over the years. Couldn't be easier: Get 1.5 liter bottle of good vodka. Pour out several ounces into a jar. Stuff in a whole lot of fresh kaffir lime leaves. Top off with vodka from jar. Test a teaspoon or so every day until vodka reaches desired intensity of flavor. Remove kaffir lime leaves. Voila! Kaffir lime leaf vodka. ← Thanks for the info slkinsey! I don't drink martini's anymore but that sure would make a nice one. I could add in some simple syrup I suppose and make it into a cello (or sweet like limoncello)? What do you think? Frances

We tried the Yalumba Viognier last weekend after getting snowed in on a night we were planning to go out for dinner. Ended up making Thai food and it went reasonably well with the spicy food. I've tried it at a wine tasting event before, but coulnd't really remember what I thought of it (not much, or it would have been in my notes I guess). BF thought it was a sweet wine at first, due to the fruit, which quickly fades away to dry. First few tastes were slightly effervescent...anybody else get that? A little peach and apricot too. Kind of underwhelmed I guess. I liked the screw cap though! I don't know how I would like it on a bottle that I had aged for 5 years, but I'm glad to see them fazing out the cork. I think in the end it will work out better for the wine producers and wine store staff with less returns from corked bottles. I was at the Australian wine tasting today at Storyeum and was surprised to see that two of the wineries had a Shiraz mixed with Viognier (95% to 5%). One was from Hungerford Hills, Fishcage series (don't remember the other winery). That was a new one for me! Never heard of them mixing white to boost the taste of the red. Here are some that I liked... Angus The Bull 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon $21.95 (you can hear it screaming for a steak as soon as you open the bottle). Drinks like a $40 Napa Cab and got 90 odd points from Robert Parker. The 2002 vintage is supposed to be even better. This one has been out since last summer and is a fantastic value wine. St Hallet Blackwell Shiraz 2002 $34.95 Full bodied, lots of plum, spice and licorice with a nice finish. Normans 2001 Chais Clarendon Shiraz from McLaren Vale $45.00 Blackberry, cherry, licorice and smooth as silk. Happy imbibing

I'm not sure it would really be a "-cello" were it flavored by anything other than the zest of a citrus fruit. Vodka infused with kaffir lime leaf would be simply kaffir lime leaf vodka (or a kaffir lime leaf cordial after you sweetened it). Which is not to say that it wouldn't be tasty! Kaffir lime leaf vodka is very good. ← slkinsey, did you make your own KLL Vodka or purchase it? If you made it, could you give a brief description of the process. Thanks

Deborah, The cake looks great. Good for you. Looks like a lot of hours went into that. How long do you think it took you? Chef M

Hi John You may have used a ratio of too many fine cut leaves to chicken? Or the direct heat from the boiler may have overcooked a few? We like it with a lot of lime flavour, so could be the fault of my instructions too. We usually eat it with sweet chili dipping sauce so that may offset the bitterness. I still think it's best to bbq it too. Perhaps you could add a tablespoon or so of brown or cane sugar to the mix next time? Let me know how the experiment continues for you. CM

Our thanks to Chef Hawksworth and staff for a night of fantastic food and wine paired with impeccable service. The food was really outstanding and your wine list...amazing! And Tricia...thanks again for all your hard work organizing it. It was really above and beyond the call of duty to sample all those fine wines and put together such an outstanding list for us to choose from! And as Deborah said above, the 30 year old sherry was to die for!

Great post Sean...honest, insightful, informative... and reading it makes me think we better come check it out one night.

I'd give just about anything for a fresh Morton Bay Bug! I found them here once frozen from a guy selling seafood on the side of the road on Native land. Okay, but not as good as in Oz. cm

I assume you mean rub the skinless chicken with the oil and are discarding the skin? Since I love nice, crisp chicken skin, my thought is to loosen, but not remove the skin, marinate the chicken under the skin and broil the chicken skin on. Dinner will probably be around 7PM ← I would if I were BBQ'ing it as I hate those oil/skin fires that always seem to develop when I BBQ (and so do my neighbours). It permeates the meat better without the skin on it, but the method you mention above would work fine too. I'm in the market for a new mortar and pestle and have been ever since breaking mine a year ago so I haven't tried it. Sounds like it would work. Probably take the same amount of time and elbow grease as chopping it up though. I tried the spice grinder.....not! Hope the bird turns out well John. CM

Thanks Pepprye! I looked and I couldn't find it anywhere. I'll set the VCR up. I need lots of things to do when it's this cold and nasty out.

Baking the garlic in tinfoil has never made much sense to me. It gets too mushy. We like to add the whole roasted cloves to numerous dishes so I cook up large batches. I buy two pound bags of garlic and toss it into boiling water for about 5-7 minutes and then shock them in cold water. After cutting off the bottom root, you can easily pop the bulbs out from the skin (kind of like when you are blanching to peel tomatoes). Then toss in olive oil and spread on a large cookie sheet (one layer only) and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes till golden. Cool and then place the cookie sheet into the freezer. Once frozen, place into small containers or sandwich bags in the freezer and pull them out whenever you need some roasted garlic. No frozen taste to it at all either and it keeps for about three months. Yes....we eat a lot of garlic. cm

Ahhh.....limoncello on a hot day, one of our favourites along with Limoncello Tiramisu. I have been discussing kaffir lime leaf uses on another thread and I'm wondering if you could make kaffir limecello? Think it would work with the leaves or would you need the rind also? Has anyone ever tried it?

If you look closely, you can see the fine cut kaffir on the prawns. That's how finely they need to be chopped or it's too chewy.

Hi John Use as many tablespoons of the super fine cut leaves as you have the patience to cut. The more the better. About six tablespoons minimum to do a whole chicken. Cut the chicken into pieces, remove the skin and rub with peanut oil (evoo for European dishes, peanut oil for Asian). Sprinkle with kaffir and massage into the chicken. Leave it in the fridge to marinate for 1-24 hours. Then BBQ it. If it's too cold then bake it but it's much better BBQ'd. Baste it while BBQ'ing or baking with some extra peanut oil/kaffir mixture. Serve with sweet chili dipping sauce on the side (try and find Cock brand, it's seems to be the best quality as some of the others have really crunchy indigestible chili's). You could expand on that and add garlic or whatever, but just the pure kaffir flavour is fantastic. Spatchcock......I'm almost scared to ask? And what time will dinner be ready?