eatingmike

Two entries... 1) Toasted english muffin, fried Taylor Pork Roll slices, fried egg, grated cheddar, mustard, mayo, hot sauce. 2) Bacon, lettuce, tomato, AVOCADO, mayo, on toasted wheat. You can shoot me after I'm done eating that and I just won't care.

Student in an introductory wine class says to me (teacher): "Why does drinking red wine give me a headache?" Me: "oh, maybe because you drink too much?"

Taste an Andrew Will merlot from Washington State's Klipsun Vineyard and then tell me Merlot is a blank slate.

I had the good fortune to taste the 1991 Argyle Extended Tirage a couple of weeks ago, and it was stunning. It has this enormous hazelnut finish that lingers seemingly forever.

At the highest quality classification of German wines (there are three), known as QmP, the level of required residual sugar does increase depending on the classification of the wine. The sub-classification scale within QmP, from lowest levels of sugar to highest, goes like this (please forgive misspellings): Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Berenauslese, Eiswein, and Trockenberenauslese. The point you mention, that Kabinett might sometimes seem more sweet than something at a higher classification, can happen because each class specifies a minimum sugar level and also there is slight overlap between levels. So you could taste a Kabinett at the high end of the Kabinett sugar content scale, next to a Spatlese that is at the lowest possible sugar content amount for Spatlese. I have also been told that the sugar levels per class do vary by region within Germany.

An interesting tidbit from the Beaux Freres (Oregon) web site about decanting Pinot Noir (disclaimer - RMP Jr. is a co-owner of this winery and it shows in the wine style that is produced)... To Decant Or Not Decant This is a controversial subject, especially when it comes to Pinot Noir. Decanting is the simple process of carefully pouring a wine from its bottle into a glass decanter in order to both separate it from the sediment in the bottom of the bottle and to aerate the wine. In a wine with abundant sediment, it is almost impossible to drink the last 6-8 ounces in the bottle if it has not been decanted. Where decanting becomes controversial is that unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, or Nebbiolo-based wines, which improve significantly with aeration, Pinot Noir has such a highly nuanced, delicate perfume that these fragile aromas can dissipate/deteriorate quickly because of excessive exposure to aeration. For that reason, many old time Burgundians refuse to decant their wines regardless of how much sediment they contain. Our wines, which are never fined or filtered, begin to throw a sediment between 3-4 years of age. The richest vintages, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1994, 1993, and 1992, will consistently throw a heavier sediment than lighter years such as 2001 or 1995. Our position is that when the wine has some sediment, decanting is recommended, but only 10-15 minutes prior to serving. With respect to our young vintages, which sometimes have noticeable CO2 the same rule applies. Because we bottle our wines with low sulphur and relatively high levels of CO2, which early in life give the wines a slightly spritzy component, yet protects the fruit and perfume (we learned of this practice from Burgundy's great Henri Jayer), those who drink our wines in the first 12-24 months after bottling are advised to decant. Of course, it all comes down to a matter of taste, but as long as decanting is done ten minutes prior to service, we have not noticed any deterioration in the complex Pinot Noir aromas.

Hot Dogs & Cream Saw this once on Martha's Vineyard, complete with hot dog chunks, and ketchup/mustard swirled into the cream. Completely disgusting.

I live in Chicago and last year my buddy got me hooked on Pork Roll after bring me back a package from a business trip he took to central Pennsylvania. He grew up eating Pork Roll and was always talking about it so finally I tried it and was instantly an addict. I usually make a million variations of Pork Roll, egg and cheese breakfast sammy's (variants of bread, cheese, hot sauces, egg preparations, etc.), but recently I did something even more spectacular that I just have to share... Got this idea from something I read that people do on the BBQ competition circuit. I took what I call a "log" of Pork Roll (the tube shaped package with the membrane around it), and took a piece of 3/4" PVC pipe and cut out the core of the log, length wise, without going all the way through. I then poured into the hollowed core my favorite BBQ sauce, replaced a plug from the cut out core to keep the sauce inside, and smoked the whole thing for about three hours on my ceramic smoker while also smoking some spareribs (the real purpose of that days cooking). In a word, the Pork Roll was divine.

"No one really sucks the heads on these crawfish, do they?", she wondered fallaciously.

Got this recipe from Smoke & Spice... Marinate chicken thighs overnight in plain yogurt, lots of chopped fresh mint, and a healthy pour of Bourbon Grill (or smoke) over medium heat until done. Very easy and delicious. And perfect for Derby weekend (match to the mint juleps)

"I wanted my eggs sunny side up, and these are over-easy!", he flippantly told the waitress

"These ribs are skimpy!", he said disparagingly.

The blonde teasingly nibbled her amuse-bouche as her date precipitously declared, "it sure is warm in this joint!"

Oven fried chicken on the box of plain Melba Toasts Disclaimer - I was first directed to this recipe from an article in Cooks Illustrated. It's darn good and easy.

Michael judiciously savored every bite of his matzo ball.

I like to use my OXO potato masher for making guac, it's a bit easier to keep some chunks alive than fork mashing, at least for me...

I plan to cook Steak Diane for my wife and I to celebrate an anniversary, but I've only ever seen the dish prepared on TV. I looked at a few recipes and saw lots of variation -- shallots, onions, mushrooms; cognac, vermouth, brandy; brown sauce, stock; corn starch, cream... etc. etc. Can anyone suggest a version that would qualify as most classic? I realize this is similar to debates over Caesar Salad but I thought I'd ask anyway.

At the time of the release, the US government did not officially recognize the grape "Albarino", therefore Louisa settled for "inspired by Spanish Albarino" on the back label. However, in March 2002, the BATF approved using Albariño as a varietal designation on domestic labels. The wine is beautiful, with much of the floral, fruit and mineral character of the Spanish bottlings. It's also quite crisp and a wonderful pair with seafood.

In the Spring of 2000, Bob Lindquist (of Qupe) and Louisa Sawyer Lindquist released their first Albarino under the Verdad Wine Cellars label, from Albarino vines that they planted on the Ibarra-Young vineyard in Los Olivos, California. Verdad also produces a lovely Tempranillo-Grenache Rose.

I roasted a duck tonight for the first time, and saved upwards of a cup of the rendered duck fat. I've read it's great for potato preparations. I thought I'd throw this one to the group... what's your favorite way to use rendered duck fat in cooking?

Just curious, does pickled garlic "stay with you" for an extended period as does an excess of raw garlic cooked into a dish?

Now I know why they cure chorizo! The fresh chorizo stunk up my fridge and my kitchen to high heaven, even wrapped in plastic and inside a ziplock bag. It was so bad that I pitched the whole bag and now I will go buy some cured chorizo.

I'm going to cook a paella for a group this weekend (chicken, shrimp and chorizo), and I'll be following a recipe that was printed in the NYT about 2 years ago. It calls for 1/2 pound of chorizo, "peeled and into small cubes", and in the cooking process it is sauteed until "warmed through". Today I went and bought some fresh chorizo from a Spanish market, it is in a natural casing and is obviously totally raw. But the more I read the recipe, I think it implies the use of cured chorizo. Any thoughts? Will the dish still be good if I use the crumbled fresh instead?

I'm fairly certain that CT's does offer expensive Cognacs by the glass (to this day). Spirits, no?

Funny story... I was mailed a half-pound of Jamaica Blue beans from a family member as a gift one year, but almost threw them away because there was no gift card, so I thought it was a promotion because I buy espresso capsules through the mail. Just before I threw them away, I called the company that sent them, and asked whether it was just marketing, and they assured me that they didn't send out $20 worth of beans as marketing, it was in fact a gift but the card had been left out. For the record I enjoyed the coffee very much because of the rich flavors, and smooth textures, without any bitterness or harsh acidity. Yum.