dlc
-
Posts
282 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by dlc
-
-
Rebel, Manzanillas are made at Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a town by the sea. One of the mythical characteristics of Manzanillas is that some of them have those salty notes though in a very subtle way. That's considered as very positive and a defining characteristics of Manzanillas vs Finos (both are made from the same grape, Palomino following similar techniques but in different geographical areas (Finos usually made further from the sea (exception: Finos from El Puerto de Santamaría)). However, some expert say that you won't be able to tell a Manzanilla from a Fino in a blind tasting session.
The Papirusa Manzanilla from Lustau is supposed to have this same "salty" component even more that their other Manzanilla's. I have started using this sherry more than any other as I find it so food friendly. I only wish that some of the sherries that are mentioned above were available in my part of the country.
edited because I screwed up the quote
-
Chateau La Coste was the home of the Marquis de Sade and it was from here he went to prison. His supposed last words as departing were "I will return, take care of the castle". It was also owned for a time by Pierre Cardin. You can find information on the present owners and winemaker here. I think the present owners bought the properties in the 60's.
-
I am not familiar with this wine but there is info on it here. They also have and attached B&B.
-
Try sake (when you want a touch of sweetness) or Chinese rice wine. You can keep the bottles for several weeks after opening. If you want to be more traditional, use a dry vermouth - Noilly Prat, for example. No problem there in keeping a bottle in the pantry and using a little at a time.
You are dead on with dry vermouth. In Mastering, Julia recommends using it all the time when white wine is called for. I personally like playing with the fruit flavors of various wines that would compliment the dish being prepared.
-
I have had good results with Calvert Woodley (mentioned above) and with MacArthur Beverages both in the DC area. Another great source for good provenance wines is John Hart Fine Wines in Chicago. They have a comprehensive website with inventory & prices.
-
IMHO the 3 most important things are chicken stock (preferably homemade), cornbread, and buttermilk biscuits. Then you can use whatever aromatics and additions thrill your heart.
-
I have some knowledge about wines, but in the presence of a French sommelier in a French restaurant, reading the wine list seemed always a bit like one of "these" formalities to me. I use to entrust his recommendations and I'm using the list rather as a price guide and as a an aide to discuss two or three of his proposals.
Just my $ 0.02
Boris_A, I agree with you about asking for and discussing the sommelier's recommendations but in an establishment known for an unusual wine list I have found that having an idea of the range of selections in advance helps. One of the most enjoyable wine related evenings I have had was also in a restaurant in France. I gave the sommelier a figure that I wanted to spend for wines for the evening and asked him to choose what he felt was the best wines to match our dinner. His choices were not only killer matches with the food, they were eclectic and unusual wines. They were also 10% less than the amount I wanted to spend. That 10% became his tip that evening.
-
Last, I was a guest in the hotel-restaurant whose wine-list I asked to take to my room to study before dinner, and where they wouldn't let me. If a list is serious it warrants at least 10 minutes of perusal, during which time your luckless dining companion is being ignored. So when possible I like to arrive at table with a mental short-list which lets me order my wines in seconds rather than minutes. Anyway, when they told me the somm didn't like lists removed from the dining room I offered to SIT in the empty dining room and read the list. Sometimes people need to ask themselves "What is the EFFECT of the policy?" I mean in the actual world. I'm not insisting people smash centuries of service tradition just because I'm some redneck iconoclast Yank who wants to show them up. I am claiming that in the real world some of these traditions accomplish the opposite of their intent: to provide competent and caring service to the guest.
I have had similiar experiences with wine lists in France and find them very frustrating. A year ago I stopped in a restaurant at the end of lunch service and asked to see the wine list as we were having dinner there that evening. I told the sommelier that I had heard how terrific the wine selection was and I wished to peruse the list at leisure and possibly pre-select some wines that needed longer decanting. He was astounded and was extremely short with me (I am relatively fluent in french) and seemed insulted by my request. I never had understood why as I viewed it as a compliment on the quality of the wine list and how much I was anticipating the evening.
-
I think I'll start with the quince paste, but it's great to know that there are also good uses on the savory side.
I imagine that a quince sorbet would be delightful.
Another fantastic dessert is a quince souflee. It lets the flavor of the fruit shine through. Just prepare a base using quince as you would for any other fruit flavored souflee
-
Mmmmmm.
Along those same lines, one of the best dolces I ever had was at Travigne in St. Helena; raspberries in black pepper sauce.
Best, Jim
Another dolces along these lines was a meringue filled with strawberries & ground fresh black pepper, drizzled with aged balsamic and basil chiffonade.
-
-
You have had some fantastic selections up thread. My addition for the pink stuff would be Delbeck Rose. Attractive wine with and attractive price for the style. I also like Tattinger's Compte de Champagne Rose at a higher price point.
-
Ciao tutti
in Wine
Ciao Craig. The thoughtful and gentlemanly way that this forum has been administered makes it a treat to visit and participate in. Thank you for all of your efforts and best wishes on the new projects. We will all miss you.
-
To add another good quality pinot grigio I have found the Lugano Pinot Grigio to be a suberb quaffer (19.95 per magnum here). Another Winebow product that hits the spot especially in summer is the Rose de Regali. My go to red is Guigal Cotes du Rhone which is priced from 7.99 to 9.99 locally. Just topping out over the $10 is Josemeyer's Pinot Gris from Alsace.
-
About 5 years ago I made the mistake of taking my wife to the FloraBama for lunch midweek. When she walked in and saw the place she could understand why I loved it but didn't want to be there in the daylight. It was a whole lot easier to take after dark.
-
I wonder what will become of the infamous mullet tossing contest that was a yearly ritual at the FloraBama.
-
My wife suffers from migraines also. One of the triggers for her is red wines and brown alcohols (bourbon,scotch etc.). White wines and clear alcohols do not trigger her headaches. In addition to tannins I have read about a group of chemical compounds called congeners (I think) that occur from barrel ageing that are also a trigger for these type of headaches
-
I too have enjoyed Cafe du Passage. Especially a boudin noir and apple tart with a lovely cote du rhone about a year ago
-
Varmint,
I would highly recommend Pearl's from the list above. When we go to the Assembly for a weekend it is a mandatory stop.
-
Dover,
Have you ever seen anyone put a penny in a glass before. At a winery in the Rhone we were tasting barrel samples and an English wine merchant dropped a "copper" into his glass. When I asked about it he said it reduced the hydrogen sulfide smell. This was the first I knew of this.
-
There is a long discussion of this here. Lots of good ideas on wine storage.
-
"If my memory serves me" on my last visit to Ch. Petrus they also had cement/concrete tanks. They were white-washed on the outside with all the trim painted red.
-
i think my grandma calls this poke salat, not to be confused with poke "salad"
this is po folks stuff y'all
My Grandmonther did the same. It was alway poke salat. Her's grew in a fence row about 100 yds from her back door. We only picked young tender leaves. "Honey, go get me a mess of those poke salat greens"
-
Brad,
I have had the Hengst from another producer and hought that it was one of his lesser quality products. I will have to try to find this but I don't think it comes into our market. PS I love Alsacien Reislings & Pinot Gris.
rolling out pie crusts
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
I use a marble board for rolling out short sticky pie doughs. I also use it for candy making. In the past I have been able to get scrap marble pieces from monument companies or counter top companies for almost nothing. When a large piece breaks they can rarely sell the scrap. Once at my grandmother's I even used the marble top of an old victorian end table as a work surface. If your marble board won't go in the refrigerator, icing it works great. A bag of ice or a zip-top bag full of ice just placed on top for a few minutes.