Bill Miller

I make a green chili stew using hatch chilis and pork--it has New Mexican roots. Very good.

Creamy Wild Chanterelle Soup Serves 8 as Soup. We just returned from the Pacific Northwest carrying five lbs of beautiful Chanterelles on the plane. We make a double recipe of this every year--it freezes beautifully and is an elegant first course. lb shiitakes, divided lb Chanterelles lb button mushrooms T fresh lemon juice T butter, divided med red onion, chopped,divided garlic cloves chopped, divided T fresh parsley, chopped,divided lemon, peeled, quartered tsp thyme leaves salt, pepper bay leaves c chicken stock c heavy cream c Maderia T Cognac T cornstarch T water Sprinkle mushrooms with lemon juice. Thinly slice 1/2 cup shiitakes. Cut remaining musrooms into cubes and set aside. For the garnish reserve 1 Tbls butter, the sliced shiitakes,2 Tbls onion,1 Tbls garlic, & 2 Tbls parsley. Melt 5 Tbls butter in a heavy pot and saute remaining onion and garlic until golden. Add remaining mushrooms, lemon peel and quarters, thyme, salt pepper and bay leaves. Saute over med heat until no liquid remains. Add stock and boil--simmer until reduced by 1/4. Remove bay leavs. Add cream and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in Maderia and cognac.Dissolve cornstarch in water and stir into the soup; simmer 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Mel reserved butter in skillet and saute reserved shiitakes, onion, garlic, and parsley. Season to taste. Serve soup garnished with sauteed mushroom mixture. Adapted from Rudi Lechner's original recipe--Houston Keywords: Soup, Intermediate, Dinner ( RG1444 )

I have such a hard time finding hangar steak that I'd go to the store and get a nice piece of chuck, or even use pork butt. I know beef is traditional, but anyone else ever use pork? ← I use 1/3 pork to 2/3 beef--I'll post my recipe today or tomorrow.

Well, many people in the South consider the other white meat to be BBQ, as well. There is one little niche that even loves goat as the meat of choice (but it's pretty far up North, now that I think about it-this situation could be the result of outside influence). And if it makes you feel any less like The Lone Ranger-I still don't get cooking a hog to perfect and then chopping it up and pouring vinegar all over it as if you were trying to innoculate it from some evil disease. I am trying to be more accepting of this though. It's a growth process, I suppose. ← That's why most of us in Texas don't even put sauce on our brisket. If done right it doesn't need it.

We are in full agreement on this. But such understanding is going to be limited without the vocabulary to describe one's experiences. As understanding comes, sooner or later so will the question ... "why did I enjoy or not enjoy this wine"? And without the words, there will be no explanation. Since the time of the ancient Greeks it has been accepted that the statement "I know but I cannot explain it" has been invalid. If you cannot explain something (and that takes words/vocabulary) you do not truly understand it. As to why understanding is important - and staying with wine and not the ancient Greeks in this case - sure, I'd rather have people drinking Blue Nun or Two Buck Chuck with their meals than Diet Sprite (I find wine more civilized and civilizing than soft drinks), but I'd hope their acquired understanding and learning will take them on to wines perhaps a bit more complex, a bit more interesting....... But of course, I am willing to admit that all of this may simply be no more than the problem of a person who happens to like words and at least some semblance to the intelectual life as much as he does wine. ← That is in wine appreciation the noble 2nd step. They begin to identify what makes them like it and then the miracle---they want to describe it!!! Fun to watch the progress. Regards, Bill

I did the one from the Jan 02 issue just as written. I served it as business lunch at my house (small town) for some businessmen and customers. It was a great presentation and delicious--it tastes as good as it looks! Try it!!! Four stars. Regards, Bill

We are trying to expand our circle of wine drinking friends (small town-few wine lovers). We do "open that bottle nite" every year and suggest that our guests buy a bottle of "good" wine. Result--they are afraid to spend too little. One couple brought a nice Stags Leap Cab. After the wine was shared he said he learned something--he always thought Kendall Jackson was as "good as it got"--now knows otherwise. Another guest remarked that he wanted his wine to taste like that. Progress. Regards Bill

Very dry Plymouth martini, up, in a chilled glass, garnished with a caperberry with the stem.

Just want everyone to know my wife and I had a lovely short visit to Vancouver last week. We had dinner at "C" under a bridge. My sablefish was wonderful and Jane's halibut was the best she ever had. You have a treasure there. Regards, Bill Miller

Brad I posted my visit under the more recent thread by Craig Camp re "Oregon Harvest Begins"

We toured the Wllamette Valley on the 8th & 9th. I am an "average" taster so I do not pick up all the nuances the experts do, but here goes----- Annie Amie is a lovely facility with banquet facilities--they were having a wedding that nite and were also quite busy with the harvest. It started raining, halting the harvest but lucky for us winemaker and vineyard manager Scott Huffman came in and gave a wonderful tour. We tasted several wines but really liked the Pinot Noir La Colina 03--smooth tannins, berry, bright acidity, medium body, and extremely well balanced. Scott gave us a barrel tasting of the 04--very similar, a little more tannic but smoothing out--excellent. He plans to release one of his own on a limited basis early next year--it was similar to the La Colina but with a difference that I was unable to identify. Annie Amie makes lovely wines worth seeking out. Bella Vida is a little treasure high on a hill with a beautiful view and very nice wines. They have a smooth Pinot Noir 02 with the 03 right behind it. We also tasted Erath and Elk Cove Pinots, choosing the Elk Cove to go with dinner at Canlis in Seattle on the 13th. Sokol Blosser was so crowded we gave up and left--their $7 per person fee was a little steep anyway. Lovely experience, gracious people, and worth every sip.

I had thick medium rare lamb chops at Canlis in Seattle on Thursday nite. Perfectly cooked, with a bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir, served with a wild mushroom sauce. I was full of Halibut and needed a change. You all eat your hearts out--best I've ever had.

It looks like we're coming at an interesting time of the year. Beautiful pictures of my favorite grape!

I thought I added comment, but it did not post. Here we go again. This store is huge and impressive but more "organic" than gourmet. Central market is for foodies and Whole Foods is for the "in crowd". Spinach doesn't care where the nitrogen came from.

It sounds like bad milk--how does that relate to wine?

I'm married to a pinot noir girl--we match very well. It is very sensuous to share a meal over a bottle of Oregon pinot. We also both like martinis with our caviar (different, I know,but it does things for us). A barolo girl would be very attractive. Sauvignon blanc would be a little turn on---pink zin.--we would not have a future.

Not to mention Jeremiah Tower. ← Not to mention Robert Del Grande--Cafe' Annie--he does have a PhD in biochemistry however.

We live in a small town 70 miles N/W of Houston and from time to time get in to eat at Cafe' Annie, Marks, DaMarcos, Hugo's and Simposio's among others. We have taken a different approach that we find rare today. This Saturday after Rita missed us we had 5 guests for dinner. They started with caviar stars, tomato/basil croutons, a first course of sea scallops served in the shell in a brown cilantro butter, followed by veal scallopini with a saffron cream sauce, rissoto Milanese, steamed asparagus, and a saffron vanilla ice cream. Sadly few entertain like that anymore, but it sure makes loyal friends. It is our hobby and we do like to show off. People usually take us out.

to some degree that's the nature of the mandoline. I do use my fingers (very carefully!) which makes far more of my veggies usable, and I think gives me more control for prettier slicing, but there is still a bit of waste at the end. oh and mandolines are awesome for slicing lemons paper thin for garnish, salads, tarts etc. Gotta get me one of those gloves! If nothing else for grating carrots, I'm always afraid I'm going to "add some extra protein" to my Turkish carrot salad. ← The gloves are wonderful. We make Pommes anna and have a recipe for a hash brown quiche for breakfast--wonderful!!

Jackal, Hi..... Try Alain Ducasse in Monte Carlo where they feel that matching breads with courses is as important as matching wines. ← In a little different direction---I never cease to be amazed at the quality Italian restaurants, serving excellent osso buco that do not offer a marrow spoon. The marrow is a major part of the meal.

I made a risotto Sat. nite using chicken stock. My wife was snapping asparagus to steam---I took the hard stems and made a lovely vegi stock and mixed with the chicken stock---the risotto was great!!

I agree, and sadly Bon Appetit has been in decline since the death of their editor, Wm. J. Garry.

The Texan closed several years ago. BCS is not a culinary destination.

Just a quick thought, last winter we served a creamy chanterelle soup paired with a Spanish Rioja as a first course. It was amazing , I could almost chew the wine with the mushroom pieces. The two blended without losing the flavor of either. I'm no expert but I think this combo is a keeper. We love sangivese too.

You and I are both brave. I made a "bloody" mary from a Gourmet suggestion using English cucumbers, celery, horseadish, green tabasco, worcestershire sauce,vodka, salt and pepper. It didn't please me. Glad your experiment turned out better.