Trio of Petite Sirahs

Here's a handful of Petite Sirah reviews I've been sitting on for a bit...

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Regardless of how it's spelled, I almost never pass up a Petite Sirah. The 2005 Redtree Petite Sirah is from the Lake County AVA, California. $13, 12.5% abv. The bright red synthetic cork was a surprise, and it kind of reminds me of a shotgun shell without the brass jacket. Redtree take note: you've got an untapped market of duck hunters out there.

It's rich and jammy and chock full of blackberry flavors. Fairly light tannins, though a few show up on the aftertaste. The hunting idea above made me think that this would be great with something like a wild duck breast cooked with a splash of wine and a handful of hand-picked berries, either blueberries or mulberries depending on season. Or maybe grilled quail wrapped in bacon. Mmmmm...

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Around my house, "bad dog" is more of a nickname for the two household canines than a verbal punishment. So the label of this wine brought a smile to my face and I thought I'd give it a shot. 2005 Bad Dog Ranch Petite Sirah, $10, 12.5% abv. One of the dozens of labels held by the massive California-based Bronco Wine Company. Decent enough everyday Petite Sirah, with some blueberry and coffee elements.

In the foreground is a roast acorn squash, a frequent request from The Girlfriend. The old acorn squash is pretty versatile and one of them is perfect for one person as a side dish. I slice off the stem end, scoop out the seeds and strings, and then place the squash cut side down in a Pyrex dish. Add an inch of water and bake at 350°F until soft. After that you can do pretty much anything with it, but on this occasion we added butter and brown sugar and mashed up the inner squash flesh. I've also had good luck with olive oil, parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs.

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Paul and I got together for a guys' night a few weeks ago, and I popped open a bottle of the 2003 Marietta Petite Sirah from Geyserville, California. A fun blend of 88% Petite Sirah and 12% Syrah, about $12. A little grilled steak, some blanched white asparagus wrapped in paper-thin slices of coppa crudo, and a bit of potato salad.

The wine was a little dusty on the first whiff, but after a brief period of breathing, a lovely aroma of dark fruit opened up, mostly blackberry. Deep berry flavors followed, with a velvety mouthfeel and light tannins. This is an inexpensive wine that has aged beautifully and would probably hold up for a few more years. Natalie's in Cordova seemingly has the entire line of Marietta wines and I find myself picking up a bottle almost every time I drop by.

Benito vs. the Cheese Board: Round Three

Like the Eighty Years' War (1568 - 1648), this post involves the Dutch, Spanish, and English. If I'd been particularly creative I could have recreated certain key battles using cubes of the cheese and historical dioramas. I hope that a few standard photos of wedges will suffice.

Naked Goat is, as you might imagine, a goat cheese. It hails from Spain where it goes by the local name queso de Murcia curado. Purchasing this was one of those slightly anxious moments in the grocery store when I sincerely hoped that a price check was not needed. I could just imagine the following blared over the intercom: "PRICE CHECK ON NAKED GOAT... WE GOT A GUY WITH NAKED GOAT HERE..." This is a firm goat cheese, close in texture to a standard Swiss cheese. In addition to the texture and a slight nutty characteristic, you get classic goat cheese flavors, if not as sharp as fresh chevre.

Cablanca is a Dutch Gouda variant made with goat's milk. Firm but not crumbly or hard with a nice tangy quality. A refreshing change of pace on the cheese plate, and if you're interested in all the many goat versions of your favorite cheeses, just Google "goat _____" and somebody out there makes it. In general I don't eat a lot of Dutch cheese. I respect the love of Edam and Gouda, but the aromas of each draw me back to a trip to Amsterdam. I had a great time there (museums and art galleries rather than hookers and pot), but I vividly recall walking past a cheese shop and being overwhelmed by a blast of warm, funky air. Think back to high school and the bag of gym clothes you accidentally left in the back of your locker for a month.

The British Cheese Board tells us that Red Leicester is "a good partner for beer". Not "enjoy this with a pint o' your best bitter and a heap of bangers and mash" nor "works well with a firm stout and a bit of toad in the hole", merely chow down on this while drinking beer. I had entirely different motivations. After the crazy, surrealist dreams induced by English Stilton, I figured I would attempt to induce dreams of my past with this product. I had a chunk of Red Leicester each night for four consecutive nights and didn't manage to produce a nostalgic dream. Maybe it only works if you ate it in the past? Flavor-wise, Red Leicester is virtually indistinguishable from a sharp cheddar. It was good, but if I want a great cheddar experience I'll get something aged from Vermont or Wisconsin.

Spain's most popular cheese, Manchego, is made from sheep's milk, and I've covered many goat cheeses from the country as well. But the second most popular cheese is a cow's milk queso called Mahón. It's produced on Minorca, one of the Balearic Islands off the east coast of Spain. My particular sample was fairly young, meaning that it was still a little soft, creamy, and nutty. Kind of like a cross between mild white cheddar and brie. Excellent with fresh fruit and a sparkling white like Cava. Maybe some olives and anchovies, and prosciutto and assorted tapas fare.

Hey, let's finish things off with a pink cheese. No, it didn't come with a Hello Kitty label as part of a tea party kit aimed at five year old girls. Rather it's the stodgy-sounding Windsor Red from the Long Clawson Dairy in Bottesford, England. It's based off a sharp pale cheddar that is flavored with a little Port and brandy. But the color doesn't come from the Port: rather it is produced by cochineal, a vibrant red pigment made from pulverized bugs native to Mexico. For anyone repulsed by eating dried cactus parasites, relax. Cochineal is used in all sorts of things, including cosmetics. When a woman reapplies her lipstick after dinner and, perhaps, leaves a red smudge on your cheek at the end of the evening, Miss Manners suggests that you do not describe the biological origin of that coloring if you wish to enjoy repeat performances.

Wine in the Comics

Presented without comment, click for bigger versions:

Toothpaste for Dinner, May 6, 2008



Ziggy, May 7, 2008

2005 Joseph Drouhin Chablis

As part of my desire to enjoy better white wines, here's the 2005 Joseph Drouhin Chablis from the Chablis region of France near Burgundy. Around $20.

A nose that is slightly reminiscent of buttered popcorn, but not overly so. Overall a very bright, sunny wine, with flavors of crisp pears and green apples, with a touch of citrus on the finish.

I served this with another preparation of whole rainbow trout roasted in aluminum foil, this time with red bell peppers and pineapple. The touch of sweetness and caramelized sugars was quite nice. In the past I've used chayote squash and other ingredients, but the pineapple is a great pairing.

Derby Day

I don't follow horse racing, but each year I find the Kentucky Derby an excellent opportunity to mix up a few mint juleps and toast a tradition. This year I used the Ridgemont Reserve 1792 Small Batch Bourbon, aged to smoothness for eight years. Much better on its own, but there's nothing wrong with using a couple of shots for this classic Southern cocktail. I just put the Bourbon, simple syrup, and torn mint leaves in a martini shaker with some ice, shake heavily, and then strain over ice cubes. Some club soda or sparkling water helps make it lighter and more refreshing on a hot day.

For dinner I was craving pork chops, which I haven't made in a while. I took a pair of 1½" thick bone-in chops and brined them for a few hours in apple juice, salt, peppercorns, star anise, and mustard seed. They were then dried and stuffed with a mixture of cornbread, apple, garlic, and dried figs. A bit of dry rub, a sear on the skillet, and then finished in the oven to a pleasant medium. Served simply with fresh fruit and a steamed artichoke. Side note: The Girlfriend loves artichokes, and today I bought one that had a foot-long stem on it. It turned out to be the best one I've ever cooked. Looks like it helps preserve the freshness, and it can double as a blunt weapon.

Pork and apples begs for Riesling, so I tried the 2006 S.A. Prüm Essence, a good bargain at $11. Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region, pure Riesling, 11% abv. Good fruit aromas and flavors (apple and pear), with good tartness. Lovely little mineral qualities. It's dry but not bland, and was pleasantly crisp. Excellent match for the meal.

Homemade Pizza

Years ago I used to make a lot of homemade bread. During high school and for a few years afterwards, I made all kinds of loaves: traditional baguettes, artisan European breads, sourdough, crazy experimental loaves, gargantuan Russian bread cooked in a full 5 qt. Dutch oven, and whatever else struck my fancy. It wasn't uncommon for me to keep half a dozen different flours on hand at any given time. At some point I moved on to other things, and great local bakeries have filled the need for the odder kinds of bread.

A brief mention of Mario Batali's Otto mentioned a pizza technique I'd been wanting to try. His restaurant starts pizza on a griddle and finishes it in the oven. I've read of similar ideas using a cast-iron skillet, and that's what I tried.

Making the dough was easy even though it had been forever. Recipe? We don't need no stinkin' recipe! Flour, water, salt, yeast, a dash of sugar. Allowed to rise twice, etc. While the dough was doing its thing I took some Muir Glen canned tomatoes, spiced them up a bit and reduced it all down for the sauce. The cooking method requires a bit more detail. (I've got an electric oven, so with gas this will be a bit different.)

I moved a rack of the oven to the top position and turned the broiler on, leaving the door shut. The big cast iron skillet was allowed to heat on medium high until all the metal was hot. I formed the crust into a rough disc as thin as possible (about 1/8" thick on my example but with more refined dough you can go even thinner--just cook it less). Lay out your mise en place, making sure to have everything ready. Put the pets in another room, turn off the smoke alarm, and prepare to sweat.

I spooned a bit of the homemade sauce on the dough, just enough to get the flavor and some nice chunks of tomato. Too much will make it soggy. I topped it with cut fresh mozzarella balls and a little Sriracha sauce. Dash of sea salt and pepper. I scattered a little cornmeal in the cast iron skillet and immediately slid the pizza into the skillet. Just a couple of minutes until the bottom is crispy and is flecked with a few black marks. Before the bottom burns, slide it out of the skillet (don't burn yourself) onto a plate or pizza peel. Then slide it directly onto the rack of the oven directly under the broiler. Cook until desired level of bubbling/browning/etc. For me it only took another couple of minutes.

While prep and everything took a while, the actual cooking time on the pictured pizza was less than five minutes. Five hot and busy minutes, but quick nonetheless. I threw some fresh basil and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on top and enjoyed it mere seconds after this photo was taken. Great pizza. Light and crispy, full-flavored, and the crust had those little charred spots that do wonders for the taste.

I will warn you that the potential for screwing this up is great. Don't take your eyes off the pie at any stage of the process and be prepared for some smoke. But if you're willing to bear the heat as temperatures rise here in the South, then go for it.

2006 le Rosé de Mouton Cadet

I rarely pass up a dry rosé, so I was pleased to find the 2006 le Rosé de Mouton Cadet from Baron Philippe de Rothschild at a grocery store in Twinsburg, Ohio for around $12. You have to dig a bit to get the info, but it's 65% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc. "...entirely vinified and blended at the Saint-Laurent-Médoc Winery" in Bordeaux.

Good dry rosé, very light aroma of black cherries, slightly crisp acidity on the palate with a smooth cherry cream finish. Enjoyed with a tuna salad sandwich and some fruit for a light dinner.

I'm excited to see that good rosé wine is becoming more easily available around the country and is more prevalent year-round. While I normally associate it with summer, there's no reason why you shouldn't enjoy it at any time of the year. And there are some higher-end rosés coming out, breaking the $30 mark.