Birds & Pinot

So as the weather becomes a little cooler into fall my mind intuitively switches gears and starts thinking of my favorite red varietal pinot noir.  The birds that naturally pair well with pinot noir are squab, quail, chicken, pheasant, and so on. 

Squab is hands down my favorite eating bird, but for some reason, Americans give the pigeon a bad rap.  I think it has something to do with Central Park—they are not flying rats!  They are rich and meaty with a distinctively squabby flavor, and delicious. If I was allowed to in public parks, I would trap them, just as the residents of Dijon did during Nazi occupation in their town square, and then eat them with pinot noir.  Here are two classic dishes that pair well with pinot that is quintessentially, American.

Coq au Vin, “rooster in wine,” is a traditional peasant dish of Burgundy.  It is essentially vegetables, mushrooms, and whatever random chicken cuts around roasted and braised with red wine and herbs.  Naturally, since Burgundy is the motherland of pinot noir, pinot is drunk with this dish.  I prefer a rustic style that is earthy and seductive.  The more dirt I taste the better.  Volnay is a good commune to look for in the Côte de Beaune of Burgundy.

Pekin Duck

Duck à l’Orange is a French dish popularized in the 1960’s most likely by the influences of Julia Child, the Pekin Ducks raised on Long Island, and emergence of Haute Cuisine in Manhattan—Lutèce, Four Seasons, etc.  The orange sauce, Sauce Bigarade, which usually has an addition of sugar, is the origin for the modern day gastrique sauce that is prevalent in modern day restaurant menus.  (Sweet and sour sauce is another theory.) Naturally pinot noir is the perfect match for it—its acidity cuts through the rich sweet sauce.  I like a powerful style of pinot with good fruit and some muscle.  I like a nice Pommard from Domaine Parent in Burgundy or a Santa Barbara County pinot noir—grapes sourced from the Bien Nacido Vineyard stylistically work quite well.  Some producers I enjoy from Santa Barbara are Foxen and Au Bon Climat.

Terrior and Scores

The following clips show some humor, critique, and observations on why sommeliers prefer terrior driven wines. 

This video is freakin' sweet...thanks LindaMV somewhere across the pond for bringing it to my attention...terrior in Napa??? It does exist, but...

And this is the ultimate in terrior...Domaine Romanee Conti...2000 years and counting.  It goes beyond the wine, it's the culture and history.

DRC Terrior Video Click Here

Tomato Schedule for 2012

Tomatoes are a year long project to get a good crop and yield.  The following is a timeline I use to grow tomatoes.

January-Procure tomato seeds.  I get mine from www.tomatofest.com.  There are also many good catalogs out there.  I like to get several varieties including different sizes, colors and short and long season varieties.

February/March-Sow seeds in accordance with the lunar cycle.  I will purchase potting soil and sow them in jiffy pots.  The jiffy pots may be planted directly into the ground.  I will have several fluorescent lights set up wateringthem about every other day and letting the light shine for about 18 hours a day.

April-Move plants outside for several hours each day.  Progressively let them stay outside longer and longer as it becomes warmer.

May-Plant in permanent home after last frost.  Soil should be tilled prior to planting and I like to give it a boost with a fish emulsion.  Place newspapers topped with hay all around the plants for weed control and mulching purposes. 

June-Set up trellising system.  Use bamboo sticks set up like a tipi.  Trim and train the tomato vines as needed to the bamboo sticks with twine.

August/September-Harvest and enjoy—should have production until temperature drops consistantly below 55 degrees F.

October-Purchase bales of hay for next season.

Oak Joke

The following is a conversation I had on the telephone a little over a year ago...

Saturday 2 p.m.
ring ring ring...

"Good day sir," Timothy answered.
"Is a manager there?" asked the caller.
"Timothy speaking, (sommelier) may I help you?"
"Do you have Silver Oak on your list?" said the gentleman.
"No—but we have many great California Cabernets...Diamond Creek...Bryant Family...Grgich...Duckhorn," Timothy said politely.
"Whoever is doing your wine buyin' doesn't know what they're doing—I'm from the Bay Area," claimed the client.
"Good day sir," Timothy responds placing the receiver down.

When I reflect on this conversation I will always find it quite amusing.  I am always diplomatic when it comes to wine, but off the record, Silver Oak's inside joke is to call it Silver Joke.  It's not that it's a bad wine, but the people that drink it tend to put the snobbery into wine.  There's always diners that want to impress their guests and show off how much they know about wine. They want to try and stump the sommelier by chatting about the review and score they just read about in the Wine Spectator or Robert Parker.  It's always a little strange and awkward when a client is trying to tell you about all the great local pinot noir he recently drank while vacationing in Bordeaux.

Honestly, I constantly read reviews , but I really don't care about scores and numbers.  I am not a critic.  I am a service professional trained to objectively assess wine and serve wine warranting a client's preferences.  Wine doesn't have to cost a lot of money to be good.  I would rather serve a complex, obscure, food-friendly $50 bottle then a $500 bottle that is overpriced, high in alcohol, and one-dimensional.  Wine doesn't have to be expensive or have a high score to be great!

Sauvignon Blanc for Fall

When I think sauvignon blanc, I usually begin to think of fresh cut grass, all things green, and spring—but —towards the end of September there is a toony hither of brown and dead grass. There is the first of fallen leaves in the mix as the grass is mowed that makes me think to drink sauvignon blanc.

Sauvignon is incredibly diverse.  The styles I drink in spring are different than the styles I drink in the Fall.  I like to think of sauvignons with extended lees contact; influenced by neutral oak; definitively terroir driven; rich and complex; or aged for several years. 

Some Sauvignons that I think meet some of the criteria:

Quivira “Fig Tree Vineyard” Dry Creek Valley Sonoma County 2009

Biodynamically farmed with neutral oak and stainless steel fermentation with extended lees contact

Cloudy Bay “Te Koko” Marlborough New Zealand 2007

Oak aged, lees contact, left to mature for three years before release

Pascal Jolivet Sancerre (at least 5-7 years old) >2005

May seem strange, but acidity preserves things, and the general racing acidity and grassy notes of Sancerre mellow into brown grass and hay—I have strange tastes… I also love things that smell like diesel fuel…

First Cookbook Written in America

I often look to Europe, and more specifically France, for century old texts on cooking—and—America has a better evolving cookbook history.  The first cookbook in American was published in 1798 by Amelia Simmons entitled American Cookery.  Its mere 48 pages is a good preface for cooks in America.  Typesetting is definitely an art into itself.

Ingredients utilized back in the day were a little different than they are today; you had to preserve many fruits and vegetables. Procuring loaf sugar nowadays may be a little difficult.  They didn’t have stoves, but fire and cast iron pots.  I don’t see many turtles at the local supermarkets and for economy sake, every part of an animal and ingredient had to be used.  It took several weeks and much patience to cure bacon.

The way cookbook writing has evolved from a narrative of instruction to a more specific ingredient list and method displays are evolution of science, mechanization, and technical writing.  The narrative allows for fluidity, creativity, interpretation, and utilizing what ingredients are around.  Cooks today should learn to be creative with recipes and adapt them to what is locally and economically available.

To read American Cookery click here

Apple Butter Time

The following is a recipe on how to make Märzen Apple Butter for autumn.  I prefer to pick my own peck of apples at a local orchard. I like to get as many varieties as possible, especially ones that are more acidic, like Granny Smith.  I have refined this recipe over the last few years. It is definitely geared towards applications of cocktail making and beverage service.

I always like to research old recipes and learn the ways of our American cooking heritage.  There is nothing more American then apples.    The following is an excerpt from American Cookery by Amelia Simmons published in the 1790’s on preserving another great pom fruit, the quince.

Retrieve a large stock pot.  Core and slice the peck of assorted apples, leaving the skins on, and place them in the stock pot.  Cover them with apple cider and a couple of bottles of Märzen style beer (Oktoberfest), a few cinnamon sticks, and a cup of apple cider vinegar.  Let this come to a simmer and let the apples cook until fork tender.  Strain the apples, reserving the cooking liquid, and process the apples through a food mill.  The leftover liquid makes good hot cider.  Remove the skins, measure the resulting pulp, and place back into the stock pot.  For every cup of apple pulp add a half cup of granulated sugar.  Stir this over a simmer until everything is dissolved, add a little more Märzen, add cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice to taste.  Utilize a Microplane to grate the baking spices fresh and add just a pinch of salt.  If there happens to be some Calvados around, add that too. Cook it down stirring every few minutes until it caramelizes and becomes thick—this will take a few hours.

When it is ready, store it in sterilized mason jars.  It will last several months refrigerated and almost a year frozen.  I like to use it for many winter cocktails.  It makes a great base for Hot Toddies and whiskey based cocktails.  It is great as a condiment with toast and cheeses.  For a hot toddy, add a couple heaping tablespoons of the apple butter to a cup of boiling water, a measure of whiskey, and garnish with a lemon twist.