Tag Archives: Food & Wine

From Lynn’s Kitchen

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JUNE STRAWBERRIES

My friends tease me that I was born with a whisk in one hand and a rolling pin in the other. From the time I was 5 years old I begged my Mom to teach me how to cook. I haunted her kitchen – she had no choice but to make me her little sous chef de cuisine! I loved my Dad’s vegetable garden, the raspberry bushes, his fruit trees, the grapevines and even the compost pile in the corner of the backyard that grew the largest and best squash! This early passion for baking and cooking, using fresh organic produce and healthy ingredients, remains to this day.

Our family always looked forward to June – Dad’s Birthday was the first week, and this also meant the strawberries were ripe! Dad would load all of the kids into the station wagon and we take a short ride from Wethersfield down the Connecticut River Valley to the local strawberry farm. After several hours of filling our baskets, the kids would collapse into the back seat of the car and we would head for home, sunburned, tired, and with clothes and hands stained bright strawberry red. And of course, we insisted that we have Strawberry Shortcake that night for dessert before helping Mom make Strawberry Jam the next day.

In honor of Father’s Day and one of my Dad’s favorite desserts, here is our family recipe for Shortcake Biscuits. It’s quick and easy to make, and the warm flaky shortcake biscuits just call out for fresh seasonal strawberries, whipped cream and a big glass of icy-cold milk.

SHORTCAKE BISCUITS

(Serves 6) – 400º F

  • 2 Cups sifted white unbleached All Purpose Flour
  • 4 Teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons White Sugar (I use Bakers superfine sugar)
  • 1 Large Egg
  • ½ Cup unsalted cold butter
  • ½ Cup whole milk

 

1. Mix dry ingredients together into medium mixing bowl.

2. Whisk egg and milk together in a separate bowl. Set aside.

3. Cut butter into very small pieces, and add to dry ingredients. Blend with pastry cutter, and then mix with your fingers, rolling pieces of butter into the flour. Do this quickly to keep the butter cold.

4. Add egg/milk mixture to dry ingredients and stir together with a fork. The batter will be a bit sticky.

5. Pour shortcake mixture onto lightly floured pastry cloth or floured marble rolling surface. Dust with a sprinkle of flour, and knead gently a couple of times into a round ball. Roll out to a ½ inch thickness. Flour bottom of biscuit cutter (I use a 2 inch diameter cutter, but have been known to make Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear sizes!) and cut out biscuits.

6. Place biscuits onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. Put another biscuit round on top of the first, so you have two rounds to make one biscuit.

7. Brush a little milk on top of each biscuit with pastry brush. I sprinkle the tops with a little sparkling sugar for garnish.

8. Bake on middle shelf in pre-heated oven (I do not use my convection oven) for 12 – 18 minutes (depending on size of biscuits) or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

 

Serve with fresh sliced strawberries between the biscuits, and on top of the biscuit, with whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream. Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Enjoy !

— Lynn Kathleen Adams
— RSCA Board Member since 1994

Wine Appreciation

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Much like yours, I’m sure, my palate has evolved over the years. And in the case of white wines—California Chardonnay in particular—I’ve moved away from those whose overall style is formed and fashioned by the use of oak. It was not always so, for I clearly remember years ago being particularly irked when I overheard a wine store clerk murmuring sarcastically that the evening’s Chardonnay tasting class “was filled with a bunch of beginners.” We were put down because the group’s favorite wine of the session was a golden-hued, viscous, oak-infused California Chardonnay that tasted, as I now recall, more like an alcoholic fruit drink than real wine.

That nasty clerk was, of course, correct. We preferred it because it tasted somewhat sweet, with a buttery-smooth, vanilla-like, palate-coating richness, and an in-your-face tropical fruit flavor. Given those alluring, sensual qualities, what wasn’t there to like? Interestingly, what others and I didn’t prefer or rank well that night, was the Chardonnay style that had little or no contact with oak, of which France’s crisp, mineral-laden Chablis is the reference point. That style—which I now favor—finished dead last. However, judging by the company I keep, and the stores and wine reviews I browse, it seems that Chardonnays without oak (unoaked) still rank at the lower end of consumer preferences.

Oak’s effect on wine, like many of food’s serendipitous discoveries, was observed after winegrowers began using barrels to handle, store and transport the finished product. An oak barrel was never intended to modify wine’s basic character, but it did. Also, once oak’s salutary effect was fully embraced, it was only a matter of time before winemakers began to experiment with their various “oak options.” Just as chefs used herbs, spices and additives to improve the aroma, color, flavor and texture of basic food products, so did winemakers use oak—in its variety of options—to also modify and elevate wine to a new and improved state. (They can, as well, use a whole bunch of other additives and techniques with which to “craft” wines, but that’s another story.)

If you like soft (less acidic), full-bodied, deeply hued Chardonnays (and other whites) that are rich, ripe and highly aromatic, then look for those that have been barrel fermented and barrel aged. If that seems like too much of a good thing, then stainless steel fermentation followed by barrel aging should offer a lighter touch. (Be sure to check wine bottle labels for those details.) However, if you only want a much slighter effect, then look for those labels that use the words reserve, barrel select or aged. They, most likely, have been treated—either during or after fermentation—to a tea-bag-like steeping of large, porous bags of oak chips and/or chunks; or even more creatively, a dollop or two of a “tincture of oak essence.” (I doubt, however, if those options would ever be disclosed on the bottle.)

Lastly, one of my reasons for avoiding oaky Chardonnays is their relative lack of food friendliness. I may be overly analytical (or critical) in this respect, but I feel that, on balance, a wine’s inherent and unencumbered natural profile—aroma, flavor, acidity and body style—tend to yield more food pairing options than those whose character have been masked and/or re-crafted with oak seasonings.

From Lynn’s Kitchen

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MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH

One of my dear friends usually hosts a Women’s Tea for our group of girlfriends every May, in honor of Mother’s Day. Many of our Mom’s are no longer with us, or are geographically distant and so we do not have the opportunity to be with them on their Special Day. Since she lives in a large flat in San Francisco, the weather in May is typically misty and/or foggy, so a large roaring fire is always ablaze in their living room. Furniture has been rearranged for several cozy sitting and dining areas, with small tables dressed in beautiful vintage tablecloths and napkins, china tea cups (of course), luncheon plates, and family heirloom silverware. Upon arriving, guests are greeted with a chilled glass of champagne punch, lightly flavored with fresh verbena leaves. It’s always a surprise to discover what new and delicious tea sandwiches she has made, or what fruits and pastries will be served for dessert.

Several of us were just down in Palm Springs for our annual trek to the desert for sunshine and relaxation, and we decided to make a dessert that we had wanted to try for several years. I remember seeing the special little coeur a la crème white porcelain molds at Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table many times, but never took the time to purchase them. Well, we didn’t have the proper molds, but that did not stop us from whipping up one of the loveliest desserts of all time. It would be perfect for a spectacular finish to a Mother’s Day Brunch! It’s very easy to make – just needs to sit overnight – and is luscious served with this Red Raspberry & Grand Marnier Sauce! Try it – you will not be disappointed!

 

Coeur a la Crème with Raspberry & Grand Marnier Sauce

  • 12 ounces Cream Cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 ¼ Cups Confectioners’ Sugar
  • 2 ½ Cups Cold Heavy Cream
  • 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
  • ¼ teaspoon Grated Lemon Zest
  • Seeds scraped from 1 Vanilla Bean
  • Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce (recipe follows)
  • 2 Half Pints Red Raspberries

Place the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the beater and bowl with a rubber spatula and change the beater for the whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and vanilla bean seeds and beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.

Line a 7 inch sieve with cheesecloth so the ends drape over the sides and suspend it over a bowl, making certain that there is space between the bottom of the sieve and bottom of the bowl so that the liquid can drain from the cheese/cream mixture. Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth, fold the ends over the top, and refrigerate overnight.

 

Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce

  • 1 Half-Pint Fresh Red Raspberries
  • ½ Cup Sugar
  • ¼ Cup Cold Water
  • 1 Cup Seedless Red Raspberry Jam
  • 2 Tablespoons Orange-Flavored Liqueur (Grand Marnier is recommended although we used Cointreau in Palm Springs)

Place raspberries, sugar, and ¼ Cup Water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam and orange liqueur into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blades and process until smooth. Chill. (You can make this the evening before serving.)

To serve, discard any liquid that has collected in the bowl with the sieve on top. Unmold the cream onto a decorative plate, and drizzle Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce around the base. Serve with fresh red raspberries and extra sauce. Enjoy!

— Lynn Kathleen Adams
— RSCA Board Member since 1994

Wine Appreciation

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It was a year to remember. President Gerald Ford lost his re-election bid to Jimmy Carter. Sylvester Stallone flexed his “pecs” as Rocky received the Academy award for Best Picture. Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley were TV’s most popular shows. And two “Steve’s” started an offbeat computer company named “Apple,” while a couple other nerds created one called “Microsoft.” It was 1976, the year of our Bicentennial celebration. It was also, as someone said, the year that “a vinous shot was heard around the world.” Actually, it was more like a few swirls/sniffs/spats, the outcome of which was widely publicized by an attending American magazine correspondent. It had to do with a theretofore unique wine tasting competition that has since been immortalized as The 1976 Paris Tasting.

Steven Spurrier, an Englishman who owned a retail wine shop and well known wine school that taught wine evaluation skills to French food and wine professionals as well as neophyte tourists, conceived and promoted a competitive tasting which pitted California Chardonnays and Cabernets against their crème de la crème counterparts from Bordeaux and Burgundy. It’s important to note that in the 70‘s, when it came to world class wine, there was French, and there was . . . well . . . there was French. Nothing else was considered close in quality. Even though California wines were made from the same classic varietals, and vinified with similar techniques, they never received the same respect. But Spurrier, who had previously visited several Napa Valley wineries, was impressed with the quality of their wines and felt that they could make a respectable showing in a competitive tasting.

He assembled a tasting panel that included nine eminently qualified, French wine-savvy professionals: one renowned sommelier, two owners of Michelin three star restaurants, two wine scientists, two wine journalists, and owners from each of two prestigious Bordeaux and Burgundy wine properties. All of them had experienced professionally trained palates. The wines were tasted “blind,” that is, they were brown-bagged so as to not be identifiable. Under the attentive eyes of journalists and other spectators, each wine was evaluated on a twenty point scale for color, bouquet, flavor, and balance. Much has been written how the judges disdainfully mocked some wines they thought were Californian, and how they praised others they thought were French. However, when the results were tallied and the wines were unbagged, all the attendees were stunned by the unimaginable: the Cabernet winner was a 1973 Stags Leap Wine Cellars, and the Chardonnay victor was a 1973 Chateau Montelena! Voila !

This stunning achievement for those California wines has since been immortalized at the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History with a detailed display, and one bottle of each has been placed in the permanent archives. But the most important unintended consequence of that tasting is that it initiated a quality-driven competition that continues unabated to this day, and that elusive quest for perfection is producing wines that have never been better.


– Tom Barras

www.TomBarrasWineCommentary.blogspot.com/

From Lynn’s Kitchen

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EARTH DAY 2012 – Mobilize the Earth!

This month brings the 42nd Anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd, 2012. Earth Day 2012’s mission for today’s youth is relatively simple – encourage as many students and young adults as possible to participate in activities that highlight the tremendous importance of both civic and environmental responsibility. You can help reduce your carbon footprint and work with your families, neighbors and community to encourage adoption of renewable energy, sustainable growth, and political awareness, all in an effort to demonstrate our environmental commitment.

There are many things that you can do in tandem with the Earth Day 2012 initiatives to keep our community of Redwood Shores green and beautiful. You can develop your own Earth Day event by organizing a family / friends hike or bike ride around the Shores, or contact our RWC Parks and Recreation Department and offer to plan a local park clean-up, or contact our elementary schools and offer to build and plant a vegetable garden for them – enlist the aid of the school children to select the vegetables and flowers that they would like to plant, and help them maintain the garden throughout the year. You can use your event as a platform to approach our Redwood City governmental officials to improve the greening of our community. Do your part for Earth Day 2012.

Here’s a very easy breakfast coffee cake recipe that can be made before your bike ride, or hike, or spring clean-up activities. It’s also a great addition to an Easter Brunch menu. This was an old favorite of my Mom’s and I had misplaced the recipe several years ago. It took several frantic calls to my Connecticut sisters imploring them to send me the recipe. They all fondly remembered the coffee cake, but had a little trouble digging through all of the Crandall Family recipe archives to unearth it! So thanks to their combined efforts, I am happy to share it with you now, and even happier to have the recipe back in my own collection.

 

MOM’S SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE

(350 Degree Oven)

  • 1 Cup Baker’s Sugar
  • 1 Stick Butter
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
  • 1 Cup Sour Cream (do not use Non-Fat or Low)
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 2 Cups Sifted Flour
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Filling:

  • ½ Cup Chopped Walnuts
  • 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • ¼ Cup Baker’s Sugar.  Set aside.

Mix-together walnuts, cinnamon, and baker’s sugar. Set aside.

Cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Add vanilla and sour cream-and mix thoroughly. Sift together dry ingredients, and add slowly to other mixture, incorporating well.

Grease and flour 9″ tube / angel food cake pan.

Put 1/2 batter in pan and sprinkle with most of the filling mixture, reserving some for top of coffee cake. Put rest of batter on top of filling, smooth evenly with a rubber spatula and then remainder of filling on top, slightly pressing nut mixture into batter.

Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until cake tester inserted into coffee cake comes out clean. Set on wire rack to cool. You should be able to remove cake from tube pan carefully with spatula and perhaps an extra set of hands from a family member to keep the circle intact. Serve with fresh coffee or a large glass of nice cold milk.

— Lynn Kathleen Adams
— RSCA Board Member since 1994

Wine Appreciation

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It’s that time of year. Short, cool days followed by long, even cooler, nights. My body is aching and I’m wondering if that glucosamine will ever kick in. In absence of that, I’ll just have to invoke my reliable, Old World remedy and pour a few extra ounces of one of my favorite reds at dinnertime. And, of course, I have numerous options to consider. There’s the ubiquitous, full-bodied choice of just about everyone: Cabernet Sauvignon. This is trailed by the mellow crowd pleaser Merlot. Then there’s the ever popular, jammy Zinfandel. And close in pursuit are the American Pinot Noirs and Syrahs. All are workable choices. But as I occasionally do, I’m gazing beyond our mainland borders, to the land of gazpacho, paella, and manchego cheese, where overconfident bulls should know better than to charge at sword-brandishing men wrapped in stylish, velvet tights.

You guessed it—Spain—the nation where some writers assert wine growing was in full bloom long before the wine-savvy Romans started their imperial march north. When I first started to explore Spanish wines, Rioja was the premier wine region in Spain. In the last several years the powerful and intense wines of Ribera Del Duero and Priorat, and a few others, have challenged that primacy. But I’m still partial to the Bordeaux-like elegance of Riojas. They never seem to fail me, or my dinner guests for that matter.

Spain has an appellation (and bottle labeling) system similar to other European countries. That is, the region’s name appears on the label rather than grape varieties from which it is made. However, if I tell you that the main grape in Rioja red wine is Tempranillo, and is frequently blended with Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano, I hope you won’t get xenophobic and not give Rioja an appearance or two on your dinner table.

In ascending order of price and quality, there are three levels of red wine: Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. While all are drink-worthy, I’m focusing on Reservas, those polished, user-friendly, elegant ones that make cool winter nights seem like spring. They’re well balanced, silky, and appealingly aromatic and will work well with roast beef, lamb, or chicken, as well numerous other dishes calling for medium-to-full bodied red wines. Additionally, no cellaring is required, because all the barrel and bottle aging that’s required is achieved prior to release.

Some of the producers that I’ve enjoyed over the years are Muga, Murrieta, Remelluri, Riscal, Montecillo, and Rioja Alta. And at prices from $15 to $20+ per bottle their biggest selling points are their immediate drink ability, and they deliver a level of quality far in excess of their price tag. No bull, could those considerate Spaniards make it any easier for us?


– Tom Barras

www.TomBarrasWineCommentary.blogspot.com/

Wine Appreciation

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If you are like my wife and I, you enjoy having dinner with friends—no matter who is hosting. Recently, one of our friends, who are part of our multi-family, rotating “Gourmet Club,” invited us to their home. This evening it was just the four of us—not the entire group. As we sat down the husband brought out a couple bottles of wine. One was a Pinot Noir; the other, a minor appellation Bordeaux. I was excited by the variety, but upon closer inspection, I noticed the bottles were less than half-full. I commented that they appeared to be the same types of wines they served us when they hosted one of the recent club dinners.

They informed me that they were not just the same “types” of wines; they were, in fact, the very same bottles left over from the dinner they hosted six weeks earlier! They had re-corked and stored the bottles in a cabinet for the last six weeks! Other than being “pour-able,” or “roto-rooter quality,” I do not know enough wine tasting descriptors to charitably describe them. They were not just “over the hill,” they were comatose, barely on life support. The point being, other than storing them until they are dead, what does one do with left over bottles of wine? One of my brothers used to pour all leftover dinner wines, no matter how varietally different, into one bottle. A sort of Zinfandel/Cabernet/Pinot Noir, “Tailgate Red” as it were. Interesting, but . . . .

If you’re a routine dinnertime wine drinker, put your unfinished wines immediately into the refrigerator, even if it’s red. The cold stabilization slows down the oxidation. If it’s white, and is within several days, uncork it and enjoy a glass. No special treatment needed. If it’s red, uncork it, pour it into a tumbler and “nuke” in the microwave for about five or six seconds and enjoy it with your food of the moment. (Trust me, it works and doesn’t affect the wine.) If, on the other hand you’re concerned about affecting an otherwise special wine by nuking it, then remove it from the fridge and let it come down to your preferred drinking temperature.

If you drink wine infrequently and won’t or can’t do the above, then still initially put it into the fridge, but use it periodically in your cooking. Deglaze the pan in which you’ve roasted that chicken or leg of lamb. Or, add a half cup or so to your purchased or homemade spaghetti sauce. The alcohol burns off but flavor lingers. Or, if you have a near-full bottle and don’t plan to use it sometime soon, chop up some onions, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté them a bit. Add the wine and an equal amount of chicken or beef broth, a pinch or two of thyme and savory, and reduce the mixture by half. Taste the sauce along the way and adjust flavors as needed with salt, pepper, etc. Freeze it for later use. When its time to use it, add some butter to enrich it and pour over your grilled steak or whatever else is on the plate. And then uncork a fresh bottle and pour yourself a glass.


– Tom Barras

www.TomBarrasWineCommentary.blogspot.com/

From Lynn’s Kitchen

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KISS ME, I’M IRISH – PART II

Who doesn’t love St. Patrick’s Day? Great parades, Irish wolfhounds, step dancing Irish lasses and laddies, a pint of Guinness and of course, the traditional corned beef and cabbage (although corned beef is an American, not Irish, tradition)! It always seemed as though the Chicago and New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parades were the most intriguing and colorful. I couldn’t wait to see those elegant and shaggy Irish wolfhounds – it was one of the highlights of watching the parades.

We always celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with the traditional boiled New England dinner of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots, yet even as a youngster, it seemed to me that everything tasted the same, i.e. of boiled corned beef. I longed for more distinctive flavors. It wasn’t until I moved to Mill Valley, CA that I started my quest to discover more flavorful presentations. I longed for succulent corned beef, but finished off with a little more pizzazz and distinction. Hence discovery of a few ingredients to make a tasty glaze to cover the cooked corned beef for a few minutes in a hot oven to set the meat and give it a little more sophisticated taste. Boiled cabbage bored me to tears, but sautéed red and green cabbage with red onions, olive oil, butter, salt & pepper, a few caraway seeds, fresh egg noodles (precooked), a splash of vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar livened up the taste and presentation. I adore fresh baby carrots, and whole carrots with their trimmed green stem, sautéed with a little butter, brown sugar, as splash of Guinness and freshly chopped dill enhance their delicious sweet flavor. Ho-hum on the mashed potatoes, or even Colcannon – I opted instead for a potato casserole that could be prepared ahead, with grated russets, butter, sour cream or crème fraiche, Dubliner cheddar cheese, sprinkled throughout with freshly chopped chives and green onions for that touch of green. And Maureen’s Irish Soda Bread, of course. All of these ideas finally came together beautifully with the start of the traditional Adams Annual Irish Dinner.

ADAMS’ FAMOUS CORNED BEEF WITH SPECIAL GLAZE

  • 2 3-Pound Corned Beef Briskets
  • 1 Tablespoon Pickling Spice
  • 2 12 Oz. Bottles Guinness Stout

Rinse corned beefs under cold running water. Place them into large stockpot and cover with cold water; bring to a boil and continue rolling boil under medium high heat for 5 – 7 minutes. You’ll see a cream colored “scum” forming on the top of the water. Remove corned beefs and set aside. Dump out the boiling water, and wash and rinse pot. Place hot briskets into pot, add cold water to cover, 1 Tablespoon of pickling spices, and put back onto burner. Again, bring to boil, being careful not to let pot boil over. Reduce heat to low and add two (2) bottles of Guinness Stout (and yes, it is OK to taste the stout!), bring heat up to medium for a slow rolling boil, then cover pot and reduce heat to simmer. You will need to simmer approximately 1 hour per pound, so two briskets should be fork tender after 3 – 3 1/2 hours. Turn the briskets over a few times during their simmer, and make certain they remain covered with the cooking liquid. When done, remove briskets and place into large roasting pan. Preheat Oven to 375 degrees, and make glaze (recipe below).

ADAMS SPECIAL CORNED BEEF GLAZE

  • 1/2 Cup Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2Cup Honey
  • 1/3 Cup Sherry Wine Vinegar
  • 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

Combine all ingredients into small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce heat to simmer while whisking glaze, and continue simmering for approximately 8 minutes. Pour glaze over briskets, cover with foil, and pop into preheated oven for approximately 15 – 20 minutes until glaze has caramelized. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes, then carve against the grain and drizzle a little of the glaze over the corned beef. Serve with your favorite St. Patrick’s Day side dishes or try the suggestions above for a yummy and satisfying dinner.

And now those Irish eyes are smiling!

— Lynn Kathleen Adams
 — RSCA Board Member since 1994

From Lynn’s Kitchen

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AUTUMN FOOTBALL FARE

October brings our best weather to the SF Bay Area, as any good Californian knows. The days are usually bright and sunny, and then our wonderful fog creeps under the Golden Gate Bridge and brings cooling relief to the many microclimates adjacent to the Bay. It’s great hiking or cycling weather, or for visiting with friends and watching Saturday college football and Sunday NFL games.

This is a great chili recipe that is easy to make, fragrant while simmering away, and yummy as a good mid afternoon or early evening lunch or dinner.

 

Beef Chili with Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits

(Serves 6)

  • 2 large onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 carrots, small dice
  • 3 pounds boneless beef chuck, ground coarse or 3 pounds ground beef
  • 1/4 cup chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoon crumbled dry oregano
  • Dried red pepper flakes, to taste
  • 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce or 2 cups fresh tomato sauce or tomato puree
  • 1 1/4 cups beef broth
  • 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 3/4 cups or 1 19-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 green bell peppers, chopped

In a large pot (I used a 5-quart, and just fit it all), heat the oil over moderately low heat and cook the onions in it for 5 to 10 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and carrots and cook for one minute more. Raise the heat to medium and add the beef, stirring and breaking up any lumps until it is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth and vinegar and simmer the chili, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes (if you used ground beef) or 50 to 60 minutes (if you used coarse chuck). Add the kidney beans, bell peppers, salt (I used 2 teaspoons to get the seasoning right for my tastes) and pepper to taste and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, until the bell peppers are tender.

 

Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
  • 1/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Either cut the butter pieces into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or rub them in with your fingertips until well-combined. Stir in the cheddar and sour cream until the mixture forms a sticky dough. Pat it out to a 1/2-inch thickness on a very well-floured counter and use a 3 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut six rounds. Bake on an ungreased (or parchment-lined, if your baking sheets are as “weathered” as mine are) for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden on top.

— Lynn Kathleen Adams
— RSCA Board Member since 1994

Wine Appreciation

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When I was growing up, one of the breakfast rituals that my brothers and I performed virtually every morning was reading the back of the cereal boxes while we slurped and crunched our way through Rice Krispies, Quaker Oats, and our enduring favorite Wheaties.  We were convinced, of course, that our daily bowlful of the Breakfast of Champions would develop us into major league baseball talent like Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio or other athletes whose images were emblazoned on the front of Wheaties.

“But what have cereal boxes to do with wine,” you ask?  Well, it seems the same old habit is reappearing—at least an adult variation of it.  But it’s not the back of cereal boxes I’m perusing these days; it’s the back label of wine bottles.  I still browse the front labels, for I’m always fascinated by the photos, drawings and artwork that are designed to trigger a “feel good” buying impulse.  However, today’s pontification is about the typically unexplored and underappreciated back label, which often contains voluntary but nonetheless vital information about a winery and its wines.

Some back labels inform us that the winery is family owned and operated.  That’s important to me since I’m an entrepreneurial type, and I always like to support the risk takers.  Others refer to the wine being estate grown (from their own property) and bottled.  That’s important to me since I can rely on a continuity of type and style.  Still others are telling us about their sustainable and/or organic winegrowing programs that hint at our environmental benefits.

Other labels specify winemaking methods and their effect on the wine’s style.  A well known Sauvignon Blanc indicates that it “Combines both cold tank and barrel fermentation to create a wine that delivers intense fruit with a hint of oak.”  That describes it perfectly, and you now know about two fermentations and how they affect flavor and taste.  For those into winespeak tasting descriptors, many labels state evocative fruit, flower and other metaphors, which allow you to compare your palate to the winemaker’s.

If you find yourself really savoring an imported wine, be sure to scan for the importer or distributor’s name on the back label.  They generally have a regional area of expertise and/or a portfolio of wine producers that they represent.  An Internet search of their web site will detail other wines and producers you may wish to explore.  For domestic winegrowers, their Internet site is typically on the back label, and virtually anything about them can be found there.  One of the bonuses of visiting their web site is discovering details about specific wines

In closing, I have always considered a wine’s back label to be a producer’s silent salesperson, a quick search for further details, and the last information stopping point before taking the bottle to the check out stand.  If you already know and understand what is on the front label, browsing the back label can only increase your chances of making an informed purchase.


– Tom Barras

www.TomBarrasWineCommentary.blogspot.com/