Follow Me To Walla Walla - Wine Bloggers Conference 2010

Join me this weekend as I, along with hundreds of other bloggers, writers, publicists and industry reps, convene in Walla Walla, Washington for the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference.  This event will be three packed days of educational seminars, keynote speeches, winery and vineyard excursions, wine tasting galore and great food!

You can follow me all weekend on Twitter at @MettD and follow all of the action by following the conference hash tag, #WBC10.

New blog posts will arise when possible!  Hope you enjoy it!

Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Tasting Music Series at Waters Winerhy

This past Thursday Waters Winery played host to the final Tasting Music event of the 2010 Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival.  The festival just finished up it's third year of bringing some of the nations top classical music performers together for two weeks for nearly 30 performances throughout the valley.

Waters has played host to the Tasting Music series each year and is a brilliant setting for the event.  The winery is situated on the south end of town just north of the Oregon border.  Surrounded by rolling hills of wheat, apples, and grapes the views to the Blue Mountains to the east and south are unmatched.

The players were performing a beautiful piece that evening, Beethoven: Septet in E Flat, Op. 20.  It featured a brilliant violinist, a violist, a cellist, a bassist, a horn player, a bassoonist and a clarinetist weaving together a stunning work.  The Tasting Music series is always fun in that the performance is both educational (featuring frequent breaks in the music to fill the listeners in on the details of the piece as it progresses) and enjoyable (culminating with a performance of the work in whole).  Plus, you get to drink wine!  What is there not to like?

Waters was pouring a few wines that evening.  They had the 2009 Substance Reisling, C.V. (this is their second label, but equally as tasty), the 2009  Waters Rose, WWV, the 2008 Waters Interlude, C.V. and the 2007 Waters Columbia Valley Syrah.  My personal favorites of this bunch were the Interlude and the Rose.

The Interlude is a delicious Bordeaux blend featuring Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with just a hint of Petit Verdot featuring grapes from vineyards throughout Washington State.  The nose is ripe with dark berries and fresh earth and the palette imbued with bright berries, subtle spice and a luscious mouth feel.  It is always one of my favorites from Waters year-in and year-out.  You should probably get to know it!

This year's Rose I personally find to be quite perfect.  I love a good dry Rose for summer and this one certainly fits the bill.  With zero percent residual sugar, this Rose is a blend of roughly 70% Syrah and 30% Viognier and is sourced from some of my favorite vineyards, Loess and Forgotten Hills.  The nose is filled with strawberry and magnolia, with a mouth of bright strawberry and rhubarb.  The finish is both bone dry and fresh featuring a nice acid profile.  This will certainly prove to be one of my go-to summer wines.

Doubleback Release Party

A couple of weekends ago my friend Christa and I attended the first release party for Doubleback, the new winery by Drew Bledsoe, former All-Star NFL quarterback for teams such as the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys.

Anyway, Drew is a hometown boy who has returned to Walla Walla to launch a winery.  He has invested wisely, securing vineyards in the exclusive Seven Hills region (at SeVein, their new project) and partnering up with winemaker Chris Figgins of the legendary Leonetti Cellar.  Currently they are producing their wines at Artifex, which is a new custom crush and production facility for about a dozen wineries run by Norm McKibben and Jean-Francoise Pellet of Pepper Bridge and Amavi Cellars.

The other weekend they had their first release at the facility where they unveiled their 2007 Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine was pretty spectacular, not going to lie.  It was a textbook Cabernet with an amazing deep ruby color.  The nose was rich with black cherry, cinnamon and a touch of licorice.  The palette was a beautifully smooth and quite elegant with a flavor profile reminiscent of cherry, blackberries, lilac, a hint of earth and some subtle oak.  The finish of this wine was long lasting and enjoyable.

The wine that afternoon was perfectly paired with sliders featuring beef from Chris' new ranch, Lostine Cattle Company, topped with goat cheese from the Monteillet Fromagerie and caramelized Walla Walla Sweet Onions.  While the wine will likely be hard to find as it is already sold out, you should do your best to secure a bottle if you happen to run across it!

Salad Lyonnaise

This morning the New York Times had a wonderful article on Salad Lyonnaise that I was compelled to share.

Salad Lyonnaise is one of my favorite Spring salads and deserves some serious consideration for and brunch or lunch parties in your future.  The bitter greens, salty bacon and barely poached egg are delish!

Check out the full article here to learn the tricks of a truly great Lyonnaise.  Enjoy!

Making Your Own Pickles

I think everyone loves a good pickle (well maybe not those wretched Bread and Butter pickles, but a tasty dill is always a crowd-pleaser). Whenever I order a sandwich and see a delicious crunchy pickle on the side, I have to think….which do I eat first the sandwich or the pickle?  Well, needless to say the pickle usually wins. I more-often-than-not end up with a plethora of cucumbers from the garden and try to make a ton of fresh pickles.  Fresh pickles are brilliant - tangy, salty, and crunchy, how could they possibly get any better?

Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Cucumbers
Fresh Dill
Jalapeno Peppers

Sweet Onions

Garlic
Black Mustard Seed
Whole Pepper Corns
Whole Allspice
Bay Leaves
Apple Cider Vinegar
Water
Kosher Salt

Sanitize the containers you are going to use in the dishwasher, or in the sink with hot water and bleach. Cut the cucumbers into spears. Next, add a handful of dill, sliced jalapeno pepper, sliced onions and garlic, a tablespoon of mustard seed, a liberal dash of pepper, an allspice or two, a few bay leaves, and enough cucumbers to fill the jar. To make the brine bring to boil one part vinegar, one part water and ¼ cup salt per 2 quarts of liquid and boil for 2 minutes. Pour hot brine over cucumbers to cover and place lid on container. Let sit on counter for 2 days, then store in refrigerator for several months. Pickles are best if left for a few days before serving. You can also pickle any other vegetables, such as asparagus, green beans, carrots, or celery the same way.

Drying Tomatoes to Enjoy Year Round

Last summer I ended up with literally hundreds of pounds of tomatoes.  It was awesome!  I learned all sorts of new ways to preserve them for use year-round, but one of my favorites is the oven roast them and preserve in olive oil. I use these tomatoes in pasta, on pizza, or to make a delish sundried tomato pesto. If you have seen the price of good pre-packaged sundried tomatoes, you will quickly realize that its much about the same price as making your own, but these are much better. Also, make sure to use the oil in addition to the tomatoes, it will have a delicious herby/tomato flavor after a few days, and make a really delicious bread dip.

Olive Oil & Herb Tomatoes

Tomatoes (tend to use smaller-medium size tomatoes such as Romas, Plums, Zebras, etc.)
Fresh Oregano
Fresh Rosemary
Fresh Thyme
Garlic
Salt & Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut tomatoes into ¼ inch-thick slices and lay in a single layer on cookie sheet. Next sprinkle tomatoes with the oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic and salt & pepper, don’t be shy with the herbs! 

Bake until tomatoes are dried through, and almost crisp on the edge, about 3-4 hours. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Next layer tomatoes into a clean container and then pour enough olive oil to just cover top layer of tomatoes, seal tightly and store in refrigerator for up to one month.

You can also can them by putting them in your pressure cooker to make a solid seal on the jar and be able to use year round, or freeze them in smaller freezer bags.

Spicy Asparagus and Beef Stir Fry

Lately I have been really into stir fry.  It is so easy to make and super tasty!   This particular recipe is pretty bomb.  The sauce has the perfect balance of flavor - sweet, tangy and spicy. The beef and the asparagus together is pure heaven! I will be putting this recipe in my permanent favorites collection.

Thai Beef & Asparagus Stir Fry

1 Pound Beef Chuck Steak, sliced thin
1 Tablespoon Dry Sherry
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
3 Cloves Garlic, roughly minced
1 Bunch Asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 Tablespoons Naam Pridk Phao (chili sauce)
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce

In a small bowl, combine the beef, cornstarch and sherry. Combine well and set aside.  In another small bowl, make the sauce by combining the naam prik pao, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Mix well to combine ingredients, set aside until needed.

Make sure you have all your ingredients very close because the stir fry goes very quickly. Also, have a small dish of water available as well just in case you need to thin the sauce a bit.

Heat your wok over high heat until very hot. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable or grape seed oil, then the beef followed by the garlic. If your wok is hot enough, your beef will cook very quickly. When the beef is seared, but not cooked through, about 30 seconds or so add the asparagus. Cook for another minute. Add the sauce. It should caramelize very quickly because of the high sugar content. If it gets too thick add a little water. Serve with brown rice.

Sangria.

I have been so excited about summer and warm weather lately that I thought it was time to make a batch of sangria. I usually make a red wine sangria, but felt like that might be a bit heavy yesterday so I switched it up a bit and made it white. I love the combination of citrus with pineapple and peaches and this was my inspiration for this recipe. You can really use any combination of fruit that you like, and berries are always a welcome addition. I like my sangria a bit tart, but if you like yours a little more sweet, then add some extra sugar. The overall flavor of this recipe is peach/apricot but it could be easily changed to pineapple if you just use pineapple juice in the place of the apricot nectar. In other words, you really can’t go wrong here, just add and taste and adjust to your liking. I know it’s cloudy again today, but if you make a pitcher of this and sit on the couch with a good book and blanket it just might feel like summer!

White Wine Sangria

2 Lemons
2 Limes
1 Orange
1 Fiji Apple

3 Peaches
1/2 of a Pineapple

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/4 cup Brandy
12-Ounce Can Apricot Nectar
1.5 Litre Bottle Sauvignon Blanc (Don't worry about using nice wine for Sangria!)
12-Ounce bottle of club soda
1 Bottle Champagne

Cut the lemons, limes, orange, peaches, pineapple and apple into thin slices and place in a large container.  Add the sugar, apricot nectar, brandy and white wine, stir until sugar is dissolved and taste for sweetness, adjust to taste. Just before serving add the club soda and champagne and serve chilled, you may need a few ice cubes! This recipe is pretty large and will be enough for 6-8 people. Cheers!

Greek Food....Word!

I had a mad craving for Greek food today after a dinner party featuring Greek food at a friends house last night. I love that Greek food can be really simple or really complicated to make, and being lazy I went with the easy recipes. I decided to make my personal favorite Taziki sauce and then I just added onto that with olives, fresh veggies, hummus, pita bread, feta cheese, and some lamb burgers so we could turn this appetizer into a meal by making gyros. It was so nice to be able to just sit outside in the backyard and relax and graze on the appetizer, which so easily transitioned into dinner. Tonight I paired the meal with a delicious 2008 Sauvignon Blanc from Substance.  This would also be a great appetizer if your throwing a large party, or need a heavy snack during mid-day. Opa!


Greek Taziki Sauce

4 Cups Greek Yogurt
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice From 1/2 Lemon
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

The secret to making a good thick taziki sauce is to drain the yogurt first. Simply line a colander with 2 layers of paper towels and dump in yogurt. Let drain over a bowl for 2 hours, you will lose half the volume of the yogurt, so make sure to use the full 4 cups.

Next place the thickened yogurt into a mixing bowl, add the garlic, cucumber, olive oil, lemon and salt and stir until well combined. Cover and let rest for at least one hour before serving so that the flavors can develop (the longer it sits the more pronounced the garlic will be). Stir again and place into your desired serving dish.
To make a full appetizer plate cut up tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, feta cheese, and warm pita bread and hummus, and serve.

#WAWine Twitter Tasting TONIGHT!

Are you participating in tonight's #WAWine Twitter Tasting?  I certainly hope so.  If you aren't able to make it to one of the many tasting parties around the state I encourage you to pop open a bottle of Washington wine and tweet about it using the hashtag #WAWine.

Support Washington wine, and have a tasty evening at the same time!  You can follow my updates by following @MettD.  Hope to see your posts!

Wine and Art at Waterbrook.

Last evening I spent entirely too long enjoying wine, art and good conversation at Waterbrook Winery for the opening of a new art show, Nanology, by renowned bronze sculptor Nano Lopez.

Waterbrook's facility is one of the more visually appealing tasting rooms in Walla Walla and was a brilliant setting for many of Nano's pieces.  While Nano has his foundry in Walla Walla, he has never had a show in the valley.  Many of the pieces on display were from his Nanimals period and feature his beautiful, deconstructed signature style.

Waterbrook was pouring two of their wines officially last night, the 2007 Melange Noir and the 2008 Melange Blanc.  The wines were quite tasty, especially for the price.  I find Waterbrook's lineup to be pretty solid, and some of their wines (2008 Chardonnay, for example) give wines twice as expensive a run for their money.  The Noir was ripe with berries and tobacco and had a nice cedar-ish finish in my book.  The Blanc, while a bit sweeter than I typically care for, was rich with honey and stone fruit on the noise.  The palate was reminiscent of watermelon and peach with a surprisingly crisp finish.

The biggest surprise of the evening was a devilishly good Shiraz from Shingleback of McLaren Vale, Australia.  Precept Brands (the owners of Waterbrook) recently partnered with Shingleback and are their distribution partner in the United States.  Their 2005 Shiraz had a beautifully rich and complex nose punctuated by dark chocolate, ripe berries and pencil shavings.  The wine is extremely full-bodied and velvety, filled with rich fruit and just the right amount of oak.  This wine was amazing as it finished and lingered on my palate for quite some time after I finished it.  I would highly recommend you check this guy out if you have the opportunity!

Spring Release Weekend Dos and Don'ts - Courtesy of the Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman

It’s that time of year again, when we make our lists and we check them twice, trying to find out which wines are naughty or nice.  That’s right.  It’s Spring Release in  Walla Walla!

We love our wine tourists from near and far.  We want you to get the most of your Spring Release Weekend.  Now, you have probably heard all of these tips from me before, but here are some easy Do’s and Don’ts to ensure a great weekend for you and everybody.

Do hydrate-hydrate-hydrate. Drink lots of water and your head will thank you for it.

Do eat a big breakfast.  This isn’t the time to be all dainty and munch on a granola bar.  You are going to need some fuel to contain the wine so make it a biscuits-and-sausage gravy-kind of breakfast. Okay, if you insist, make it a Kobe beef striploin, foie gras hash browns and quail eggs paired with espresso.  But you get my point.

Do step away from the fragrance.  You may not be able to smell yourself, but everyone in the tasting room can, making their Merlot taste like grandpa’s “Old Spice.”

Don’t forget a designated driver.  And seriously, even if you have a designated driver, what is the point of visiting 15 wineries in one day?  Even after five wineries the palate begins to fatigue after several tastes and you become obnoxious.  So pimp the ride, but un-pimp the ‘tude.

Do keep your cell phone ring off and if you must keep it on so your Secret Service people can keep track of you (because we know how important you are), at least keep it on vibrate.  And if you must talk on your phone, please take it outside so your call doesn’t distract from the tasting room ambiance.  Nobody wants to hear about how many poo-poos Johnny made in his diaper.

Do keep an open your mind to wine. Seriously. Don’t be turning your nose up at the tasting room staff when they ask if you would like to try a chardonnay, riesling or a pretty pink rosé. Taste it. Who knows? You might even like it. And it’s okay for real men to drink rosés. Really.

Do join a wine club.  There are many great wine clubs in the Walla Walla Valley offering affordable memberships with discounts and special one of a kind releases.  It’s also a great way to get in on some fabulous wine club events that will leave long lasting memories.

And one more thing.  In the words of  Robert Fulgham’s  All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten :  Share everything, play fair, don’t hit people, put things back where you found them, clean up your own mess, don’t take things that aren’t yours, hold hands when you cross the streets, say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody, wash your hands before you eat and flush.

Have a great time in the Walla Walla Valley!

Visit Catie's blog at http://wildwallawallawinewoman.blogspot.com/

Egg Dyeing?

So since I have several dozen chickens I tend to have a grip of eggs on hand at any point.  Rather than do productive things with my Sunday, I spent a chunk of my afternoon dying eggs for no good reason.  I don't think I had dyed eggs in years and years, but it was extremely easy and sort of fun.  Probably would be more interesting if you had small children though.

Things you need:

• Eggs (hardboil them first)
• Hot Water
• White Vinegar
• Food Coloring
• Coffee Cups
• Spoons
• Tape or Vinyl
• Exacto Knife
• Paper Towels
• Crayons

First off, hardboil your eggs to make them easier to work with.  I generally put about 8 cups of water in a stock pot and add 12 - 18 eggs at once.  Turn the heat to high, and after about 15 minutes your eggs should be ready.  In the meantime boil water in a teapot to make your dye.  Collect a number of coffee mugs (one for each color you plan to tackle) and put one teaspoon of vinegar in each.  Add one cup of hot water and then anywhere from 2-20 drops of food coloring depending on how intense you want your colors to be.  

Once the eggs are boiled and you have decided on your colors you can cut decals out of tape or vinyl to apply to your eggs to achieve desired patterns, or color gradation.  You can also use crayons to draw on your eggs to keep the dye from latching on to certain areas.  Once the eggs are sufficiently decorated drop them in your dye and stir it egg around a few times.  Within a few seconds you will notice the colors start to sink in.  Keep the eggs in the dye however long you like to achieve your desired hue.  Once you are content you can remove the eggs from the dye, and dry off with a paper towel.  Remove any tape or vinyl you applied and re-dye in the same or other hues to get color variations if you like.  

#WAMerlot Twitter Tasting

Last night I participated in a great event at Otis Kenyon Wine.  Muriel coordinated a fabulous evening to tie in with the global tasting of Washington State Merlots, one of the wines that made the Walla Walla Valley famous in the mid-90's.  While merlot fell out of fashion in the 2000's what with that silly Sideways movie, it is certainly pushing its way to the forefront once again.

There were about 30 Washington merlots present at the tasting I attended from over 20 wineries.  They were mostly Walla Walla wineries, but we did have a couple of wines from other areas of Washington tossed into the mix.  If you have not participated in a varietal tasting of this nature before I would strongly suggest you do.  It was amazing to see how different and unique all of the merlots were even within the same vintage or from the same vineyards.

While there were many standouts present last night, two wines in particular made a huge impression on me. The first was the 2006 Seven Hills WWV Merlot from Otis Kenyon.  This wine was specfreakintacular!  The mouth was huge and rich, ripe with chocolate, lilac and violets.  The other wine I was very partial to was the 2007 Seven Hills Estate Merlot from L'Ecole No. 41.  This wine was spicey and sweet and full of dark cherries and earth.  Very beautiful mouth feel.  In the end my favorite of the evening was the Otis Kenyon, but both of these wines deserve some serious attention!

To learn more about last night, check out my Twitter account to follow the action.  You can also check out the notes and Vlog from the Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman from last night and see some great pictures by Matthew Zimmerman.  Thanks to everyone who participated in the event last night, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I!

Are you participating in the #WAMerlot Twitter Tasting this Thursday?

Have you heard about the WAMerlot Twitter Tasting hosted by Drinknectar.com? Have a great WAMerlot you would love to taste and tweet about?

Well, bring your favorite Washington Merlot to the Otis Kenyon Wine tasting room in Walla Walla this Thursday evening so we can all get together to Taste & Tweet! This will be a fun way for all of Walla Walla to come together and let the twittersphere know we make some world class wines!

I will provide everything needed for a not-so-virtual tasting, including some Merlot inspired snacks, just bring yourselves, your Merlot and a device on which to tweet.

If you haven't already, you can register for the event here:http://drinknectar.com/2010/02/23/wamerlottwittertasting/

Great Syrah from Russell Creek Winery

Last night I checked out a Russell Creek Syrah I picked up at YPOWW last week and was totally blown away with the quality, especially given the price!  The 2007 CV Winemakers Select Syrah was one of the yummiest wines I have had in a few weeks.  It was clear that the wine was oaked, but it was a warm, delicious oak that wasn't the least bit offensive or overpowering as they can be more often than one would like.  The tannins of the wine were subtle and refined and the wine was ripe with caramel, dark berries and spice.  On the back end the wine finished with warm tobbacco and a hint of vanilla.  The biggest downfall - a rather disturbing label!  I would highly suggest you pick up a few bottles of this wine before it sells out!

www.russellcreek-winery.com

Great Blog about the local wine business and the thick-sculled morons who blame it for everything!

Great entry Catie!

http://wildwallawallawinewoman.blogspot.com/2010/03/walla-walla-wineries-its-all-your-fault.html

Chicks

So today I picked up a few chicks to add to the flock.  There are a few weekly egg buyers now so I want to make sure that as some of the original chickens from three years ago begin to age I have some great layers to pick up the slack.  I bought chicks at both Bordertown Feed Supply just across the Oregon border and then picked up a couple later in the day at Northwest Farm Supply on a whim.  I'll most likely add two or three more to the mix this weekend as it looks like PGG is getting some interesting breeds that I would like to add to the flock.

The new chicks are the follow breeds:

• (2) Silver Laced Wyandottes
• (1) Gold Sex Link
• (1) Black Sex Link
• (1) Cuckoo Maran (they lay chocolate colored eggs, super pretty)
• (1) Sicilian Buttercup

Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta - Killer Dessert!

Last week while reading the NY Times I ran across this deceptively simple dessert and decided to try it out this weekend.


The recipe, a milk chocolate hazelnut panna cotta, was from Karen DeMasco’s cookbook, “The Craft of Baking.”  Set with gelatin instead of egg yolks, panna cottas are lighter than most puddings. And the milk chocolate doesn’t yield as intense a flavor as extra-bittersweet.

But even so, I was curious to try it, mostly because I crave panna cottas of every stripe and had never had a chocolate one. And the inclusion of Nutella, which I’ve loved since my very first finger-full as a child, seemed like a stroke of genius.


I made the recipe and was rewarded with a nutty, light, gently flavored pudding that was so easy to eat I nearly devoured it all in one sitting.

When it was all gone, I immediately wanted to make it again and invited some friends over for dinner as an excuse.

Recipe:


1 1/8 teaspoon powdered gelatin
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup Nutella
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts, for serving.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk gelatin with 3 tablespoons cold water. Place chopped chocolate in another medium bowl. In a large bowl, combine Nutella and salt.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring cream to a boil. Pour half the cream over gelatin mixture and whisk gently to combine; stir in vanilla. Pour remaining cream over chopped chocolate; whisk until smooth. Combine two mixtures; whisk well.
3. Pour one-third of the gelatin-chocolate mixture over Nutella; beat using an electric mixer on low speed until a smooth paste forms. Pour in remaining mixture and milk; beat until fully combined.
4. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into six ramekins. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator until set, about six hours or overnight. Serve sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts, if desired.
Yield: 6 servings.

2010 Tomato Selections

I spent the bulk of this past weekend cleaning up the yard, amending garden beds and continuing to plant seeds.  The spinach, kale and radishes planted three or four weeks ago in the yard are getting huge, and last weeks flats of seeds have started to sprout in the greenhouse.  The strawberries I planted last year have taken over past of the yard, which was unexpected.  So if anyone wants strawberries let me know.  I have far too many plants.

Yesterday I successfully planted six flats of tomatoes, eggplants, greens, peppers and brassicas.

After weeks of debate I ended up with a colorful and hopefully delicious mix of tomatoes for 2010.

• Juan Flamme (small, sweet orange fruits)
• Big Rainbow (large golden tomato with red stripes)
• Black Krim (large Russian heirloom tomato, dark purple fruit with green shoulders and salty finish)
• Cherokee Purple (medium sized pinkish-purple fruit and smokey-sweet flavor)
• Super Sweet 100 (extremely sweet red cherry tomatoes)
• Abe Lincoln (medium sized round red fruit)
• Green Zebra (medium sized green and yellow striped fruit)
• Prudens Purple (dark pink skinned tomato with potato leaves)
• Aunt Ruby's German Green (large beefsteak tomato with light green flesh accented with pink blush undertones)
• German Johnson (huge meaty fruits with pink skin and yellow shoulders)
• Black Plum (dark red-purple fruits with sweet flavor and great shape) 

Greenhouse Up and Running

Over the weekend I spent a bit of time getting the new greenhouse in order and getting ready to plant.  This afternoon, after gathering together all of my seeds left over from last year and making a list of the new things I need to order, I planted a few of flats of seeds.  Thus far I have planted the following:

• Arugula
• Chinese Cabbage
• Lista de Guarda Eggplant
• Thai Green Eggplant
• Ming Choi
• Celery
• Red and White Marbled Cabbage
• Brussels Sprouts
• Swiss Chard
• Mache
• Ferry Dutch Cabbage
• Blue Ridge Kale
• White Vienna Kohlrabi
• Broccolini

Sprouts in the garden!

A couple of weeks ago I decided to plant radishes, spinach and mache.  I had been getting concerned since nothing had sprouted, but this morning when I went out to work on the garden beds I saw little sprouts all over the place!  The weather this weekend (upper 50's to the lower 60's) should be perfect for keeping them growing quickly.  So excited for fresh treats from the garden in the coming weeks.


I have also spent some time going through all of my old seeds from last year and cataloging everything to determine what needs to be picked up this spring.  It looks like I have a pretty good base to work with, but I'll probably mix things up with some new varieties.  


Later today I will likely start planting early season seeds and plotting out the garden.


I'm particularly excited about adding some cool new eggplants from Birch Creek Heirloom Seeds (www.rareseeds.com) as well as some Asian bean varieties.  


What are you planning on growing this year?

A Weekend of Pizza.

Somehow my weekend featured more pizza than I'm sure if healthy for a person, but I have to admit it was a very comforting way to graze.  Friday was a busy day at work and the evening was packed with far too many errands.  By the time I even was able to think about dinner it was nearly 9:00 and I was in no mood to cook so I ordered out.  Apparently sometime in the last few months Dominos has changed it's recipes.  Whatever changes were made have resulted in a pizza far better than before.  I enjoyed a jalepeno-pineapple pizza alongside a 2007 Riesling from Washington Hills, a refreshingly decent pairing.  


Saturday evening I had been invited to a couple of parties, one being a crawfish boil (pizza-free, thankfully) and the other a wine and flatbread thing.  My friend Alex had been trying his hand at various pizza doughs and wanted to have people over to try his creations.  We had a selection of lovely flatbread/pizza-things including a basil, apple, fontina pizza and an arugula, chevre and panchetta pizza.  I enjoyed my bites with the a 2006 Bogle Petit Syrah and the 2008 Waterbrook Sauvignon Blanc.  


As Sunday rolled along I decided to have a small dinner party for some friends and in the process of figuring out what to prepare discovered that there was plenty of starter from a bread project that needed to be used, and so many random veggies, cheeses, sauces I had canned last summer, etc. that needed to be used up that flatbread became the easy choice!  We prepared a wide variety of pizzas last night including the following:

• Crimini Mushroom, Fresh Mozzarella, Caramelized Onion and Date
• Red Pepper, Sweet Onion, Sun Dried Tomato, Ham and Chevre
• Beet, Chevre and Green Onion
• Potato, Cotija, Mozza and Rosemary

I would strongly encourage you to make an evening of flatbreads soon.  It is easy, varied and enjoyable!  Below is a dough recipe for you, you can top it off with anything you desire.

Simple Pizza Dough:

Makes enough for one small, thin crust pizza. Double it if you like your pizza thick and bready.


1 1/2 cups flour (can replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more)
1 tablespoon olive oil


Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil, stirring mixture into as close to a ball as you can. Dump all clumps and floury bits onto a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a homogeneous ball.


If you are finding this step difficult, one of the best tricks I picked up from my bread-making class is to simply pause. Leave the dough in a lightly-floured spot, put the empty bowl upside-down on top of it and come back in 2 to 5 minutes, at which point you will find the dough a lot more lovable.


Knead it for just a minute or two. Lightly oil the bowl (a spritz of cooking spray perfectly does the trick) where you had mixed it — one-bowl recipe! — dump the dough in, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in plastic wrap and leave it undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.


Dump it back on the floured counter, and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hands. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under that plastic wrap for 20 more minutes.


Sprinkle a pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal and preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Roll out the pizza, toss on whatever topping and seasonings you like.


Bake it for about 10 minutes until it’s lightly blistered and impossible to resist.

Raising a Cow

This year I am seriously considering raising a cow.  The more I read about the cattle industry in the United States the more disturbed I become about meat available in most grocery stores.  While I have a number of wonderful local resources for locally grown organic meats, I would really like to know exactly what inputs have gone into everything I consume.

I have got a few friends with ranches in the region that would let me put a cow on their land to roam which is what really gave this idea some serious thought.  Recently I found a person who is selling year old calves for a fairly reasonable rate so I'm very intrigued.  Give the size of the potential ranches, the cow could just roam for the spring, summer and early fall and eat as much grass as it could possibly stand without the need for supplemental food.  The biggest downside would be the fact that a cow produces a crazy amount of meat, probably four or five times more than I could use in a year.

Have any of you raised your own cows in the past?  While it seems pretty fool-proof perhaps there are things that I am overlooking so far as care is concerned.

Pound for Pound

Light on effort and heavy on flavor, pound cake has earned is long-lasting popularity.  The name is derived from the traditional ingredients - one pound each of flour, butter, sugar and eggs - which remain essentially the same to this day.  The recipe isn't difficult, but it tends to be a bit finicky if not made with care.  


Classic Pound Cake

• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 1 pound of butter (4 regularly sized sticks at room temperature)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 9 large eggs at room temperature

Topping

• 2 cups of berries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Whipping cream

Preheat oven to 315 degrees. Butter two 5'' by 9'' loaf pans.  Combine flour and salt together in a bowl.  Thoroughly cream butter and sugar together in a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy for about 8 minutes.  Reduce speed to medium and add vanilla.  Lightly beat the eggs by hand and add to butter-sugar mixture in 4 batches, mixing thoroughly and scraping down sides of bowl between each addition of egg.  Reduce speed to low and add flour in 4 batches, mixing until just incorporated.  Divide batter between the two loaf plans and tap down to ensure even distributions, smooth tops with spatula.  Bake loafs for 65 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of each loaf comes out clean.  Let loaves cool in pans for about 30 minutes, then remove cakes and allow to cool completely.  

For topping combine berries, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and let sit for 1 hour.  Meanwhile beat the whipped cream until slightly firm.  Top slices of pound cake with the berries and cream.

  

Brussels Sprouts

Many people may have not-so-fond childhood memories of brussels sprouts, but in my old age I have begun to fall for them.  Brussels sprouts have become a staple vegetable in my winter cooking and there are thousands of ways to prepare them!  My favorite is roasting in the oven, as it really helps to caramelize the sprouts a bit and char the outside.  Last weekend I made the following version for a dinner party and even those who don't care for brussels sprouts were impressed.  I would strongly suggest you check them out!

Bacon-Ginger Roasted Brussels Sprouts:

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels Sprouts
• 1 large sweet onion
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon rosemary
• 2'' chunk of ginger
• 3 strips of bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut any brown ends off the brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.  Roughly chop onion, garlic, ginger, rosemary and uncooked bacon.  Mix these ingredients in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper.  Pour the sprouts on a lined sheet pan and roast them for 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.  Shake the pan every 10 minutes or so to brown the sprouts evenly.  Sprinkle with more sea salt when you pull them out of the oven and serve immediately.  

Dig Indian Food? Make Your Own Garam Masala.

Garam masala is a seasoning blend used in Indian cooking. I have seen many different recipes for it. I have always been able to buy it already premixed but I always prefer to make my own stuff when possible.

Garam Masala
1 tablespoon cardamon seeds
1 inch stick of cinnamon
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/3 of a whole nutmeg


Roast all the ingredients until slightly browned.  Let cool.


Combine the spices in a blender or coffee/spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.