Fifty Shades of Grape

Almost a week after Valentine’s Day, and on the coat tails of the new movie, Fleming’s in West Hartford hosted an evening boasting fifty wines for $40. Upon entry, tasters were given a large, bulbed glass and a booklet detailing the wines offered that night. Five tables were arranged around the room, each with either a pairing or an activity to walk tasters through the numerous wines.

The first table had five reds and five whites. Attendees tasted each wine, then were asked to identify primary characteristics. Varietals were varied, some, especially reds were blends. Whites ranged from bright to herbaceous. Reds were more fruit forward and juicy, yet some were more tannic and peppery, especially the cabernet sauvignon.

Table two was about food pairings. Beef skewers, fried shrimp, smoked salmon on toast, deep fried macaroni and cheese balls, and tuna tartar on fried chips were laid before us. This table had ten white wines, two for each food option. After selecting our preferred pairing, the card in front of each wine was supposed to reveal something about our taste preferences. Descriptions usually were sensual in nature (example: “You enjoy a tart and bracing nature.”)

Table three was the aromatic table. Ten red wines were poured into decanters and in front of each was a small vial of scented fluid. Scents started fruity like strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, but soon turned more savory in nature with vials containing scents like leather and smoke. I’m glad I did this table earlier in the evening, as I would guess my nasal palate would have deteriorated with additional tastes.

Table four was “spin the bottle.” Ipads were scattered across the table and tasters selected red, white, or all, touched the screen to spin, and the program randomly selected a wine for you to taste. The varietal, vineyard, description, age, etc all came up on the program. My favorite sparkling, of the evening, a Mionetto, came from this table, though I had had a few tastes by then and my palate was looking for something light, crisp, and refreshing rather than toasty as many great sparklings are.

The last table was another food pairing, this time dessert. To my disappointment, there was no ice wine, but they did have a port that was smooth and rich. It paired well with the decadently heavy truffles, of which there were three kinds, double dark chocolate, sea salt caramel, and white.

Though crowded into the back dining room, the event was a raucous blast. A few bottles were raffled off at the end of the night as (I hope) everyone got home safe.

No Mr. Bond, I expect you to dine

Once again, the second Friday of the month came, and that means another wacky-themed cooking club. Last month, we voted on “007” as a theme, so I was expecting tuxedos, caviar, martinis, and secret agent gadgets. I got 3 of 4.

The name James Bond came from an American ornithologist from the Caribbean. Ian Flemming, the author of the James Bond novels, often went into great detail about the women and adventures of the international man of mystery. But that wasn’t the only thing with which Bond concerned himself. The novels were written at a time of rationing in the UK, so sumptuous meals and extravagant descriptions of foods also fed the vicarious living of readers.

Sufficiently inspired by the famed spy, we hit the kitchen.  Smoke rose, not from a fired gun, but from a fired steak. Bond being the international traveler he is, our offerings were equally eccentric. The steak was used in a Turkish flatbread wrap and that was also filled with a spiced vegetable medley. Another member made a curry in a stone pot, made with whole chunks of chicken (the bird being a culinary nod to the original Bond being an ornithologist).

Meatballs, cooked in the pan, were flavored with Greek spices and sat beside tzatziki sauce and a sweet/hot chili sauce, one cooling the spice from the other. Using the British influence, someone brought a roast beef, cooked to a wonderful pinkish center and sliced thin. Of course, served with a horseradish sauce. As readers of the Bond novels know, James was fond of breakfast, so it was fitting that someone brought a breakfast pizza, topped with bacon and sun dried tomatoes.

My contribution was more a play on words than an ode to Bond. I made an “octopussy” salad. Spicy octopus was diced and mixed in with cucumber, onion, garlic, tomato, piquillo pepper, cilantro, lime, salt and pepper. The spicy salty sour was reminiscent of Thai food, or perhaps a ceviche. The salad was served on top of toasted rounds of baguette.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a James Bond themed dinner without martinis. Cucumber, mint, lime, sugar, and a bit of olive juice was muddled in a shaker before adding a splash of vermouth, gin, and topping the concoction off with seltzer. Refreshing, and delicious. For dessert, a chocolate martini was created by mixing Kettle One vodka, Kahlua, and a touch of Bailey’s (almost like a white Russian, but all alcohol). This paired nicely with the home made brownies that had been topped with a bourbon sugar. The sugar was made by adding demerara sugar to bourbon with a little vanilla, then baking the resulting slurry at 150 in a parchment-lined sheet pan. I ended up eating some of the excess sugar with a spoon it was so good.

Despite the unlucky date of Friday the 13^th, the evening went off splendidly. As ever, it was a great way to start the weekend, and a wonderful Segway to Valentine’s day.

Cooking for Friends

You don’t make chili for one person. If I’m going to caramelize onions, I’m going to do it with at least four. In cooking many things, making a “full” recipe is just as easy, often easier than making a miniscule serving size. Thankfully, I love my leftovers, so having extra food is never a problem. However, it’s always nice to know that what you made was so good that’s its gone, and the best way to do that is cooking for others.

With my new job, and lack of travel, I find that I have many more nights locally to spend with friends. Last week, after a long day at work, I stopped by a friend’s house for a personal chef, pantry raid dinner. I was given a list of ingredients available that any “Chopped” competitor would have celebrated: 12 frozen shrimp, breakfast sausage, frozen chopped spinach, blueberries, cooked chicken breasts, peas, cooked quinoa, raw cauliflower, carrots, celery, kale, cilantro, purple sweet potatoes and homemade sauerkraut.

My culinary creativity cranked into high gear as I pondered over the variety of combinations. I started by chopping onions, carrots (some of which were purple), and tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a little red pepper flake. Kale was also chopped and sat atop the other vegetation to cook first, roasting at 450, creating kale chips, something to munch on while the rest meal was cooked. The spinach was sautéed with parmesan cheese and cracked pepper, then stuffed into a split chicken breast. These were placed in a pan and braised with cashew milk for a creamy finish. Last, cauliflower and garlic  were also roasted (I was in a high-heat mood, it was cold outside), then put into a food processor with a little butter and milk and pureed to create a mashed potato substitute that had toasted notes and a creamy texture.

Saturday night was another cooking adventure. We hit the grocery store and followed our fancy, having no pre-conceived notions of what we were in the mood to nosh upon. We walked out with parsnips, crab meat, spinach, and old bay (didn’t have any in stock). Returning to the kitchen, we cut the parsnips into coins and crushed garlic, tossed in olive oil and roasted. We blended them much like the cauliflower mentioned above, but the starchier tuber had a nutty note and hearty richness that the vegetable couldn’t muster. The spinach was lightly sautéed in a pan that had already toasted chopped almonds. Some crumbled cranberry goat cheese melted into the pan and a splash of white wine finished the side. Finally, the crab meat was tossed into a mixing bowl with Old Bay, lemon, dried parsley, red pepper flake (not sriracha because of the garlic and not tobacco because of the vinegary liquid) and vegetable chips (carrots, squash, and sweet potato) that had been ground in a food processor. The cakes were fried to golden brown perfection in a shallow pan with canola oil. Paired with a crisp pinot grigio, it was a great way to spend a Saturday night.

Superbowl, Super parties, Super Weekend

It’s a cold, snowed-in Monday. While cabin fever will set in soon, I don’t mind the day in, this past weekend was filled with parties, gatherings, and food of all kinds. It all started Friday night.

One of the Meetup groups to which I belong hosted a white elephant gift exchange and potluck. Unlike some of the other meetups, the key to this particular event was to bring food already made, no cooking on-site. My offering was a dessert, rice pudding. White rice was boiled with coconut water until it reached its usual consistency. Lightly scented with the tropical fruit, I then added whole milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg coconut flakes and raisins and continued to cook it over low heat until creamy goopyness. However, my dish was not the star of the show. Another member brought a curry that consisted of yams, onion, garlic, tomatoes, peanuts and peanut butter, curry powder, roasted red peppers, paprika, and other things that I can’t remember, all stewed together in a crock pot. It was a sweet/savory, Thai/African dish that everyone loved. Needless to say, there was none left.

Saturday was a birthday party, but dancing was more of a focus than the food.

Sunday was back to back parties. The first was a “healthy lunch” party. A friend of mine recently changed her diet and has been reaping some serious health benefits, so she invited people over to share wealth. Sunday proved that healthy and delicious are not mutually exclusive. Among the appetizers were baked kale chips, homemade hummus with no oil (my concoction of garbanzo beans with ½ the reserved liquid, lemon, salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, chili powder, a little onion, and garlic, blended in the food processor to a smooth consistency. The onion and garlic give enough liquid to replace the oil) There was a Shepard’s pie made with ground turkey, fresh vegetables, and topped with a blended cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes. The host made a pulled chicken that was stuffed with apples, cranberries, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cooked in a crock pot, it was pulled and had the consistency of pork, but with a light, sweet flavor as well. One person brought a lasagna whose “cheese” was made from pureed, soaked cashews and coconut milk. It was rich, creamy, and provided a nuttiness to the vegetable layers that replaced pasta.

Sunday night was the super bowl. Before I go into the food, let me just say that the game, for once, was far better than to commercials, but I digress. As expected, wings, sandwiches, nachos, and pretty much the polar opposite of everything I mentioned above was present. Much was store bought, which for the purposes of a Super Bowl party, is completely acceptable. My submission was a simple chili cheese dip, warmed in the oven to get some browning on the cheese, then topped with sriracha. My favorite dish may have been the chicken mole quesadilla. The pulled chicken was a dark brown from the spice rub and was thickly layered between the two tortillas. Then again, home made wings, drowning in a sauce of A-1, Worcestershire, Italian dressing, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and baked (basting the wings in their own juices of course) was quite the contender.

Good food, good friends, good times, great weekend. Too bad it had to end in a snow storm.