Just had a great day (Saturday, 2/24/07) with Sharon & Bob - we started out with a brunch at our house, nothing special (fried tatoes & onions, ham, fruit platter and, of course, champagne-with a couple of Bloody Marys to get us started), but we did try a Tobin James (Calif.) sparkling wine for the first time and as all of the T.J. wines, it was very tasty!!We then moved on to the Lodi area wineries. It's so much more fun to go wine tasting with folks who also like wine.
We hit four wineries - and at three Roy & I were true to our promise to ourselves - JUST BUY ONE BOTTLE PER WINERY!! After all, I'm just a little old lady on Social Security....But, at the fourth one, Oak Ridge Winery, oakridgewinery.comwe lost our will power and not only bot multiple bottles, we joined another wine club! Even picked up a bottle of their Marsala - have never purchased Marsala at a winery before, it sure tasted nice.
(I used some of the Marsala Monday nite (2/26) in C@H’s Pasta book – Wild Mushroom Pappardelle – it’s a great Marsala and this is a wonderful dish)
After the winery tour, we headed back to Sharon & Bob's yacht...she has had to down-size so completely since the last time we were here, I have no idea how she/they do it!! But the food was wonderful and we spent the next 4 hours appreciating it!Started out with flambeed Teleme cheese with fantastic pita bread triangles which were sprinkled with the best flavored seasoning - I need to get it in writing, 'cause she told me, but no way did I remember.
Oh, before the 'mundane' ;) flambé...their friend Sarah (with an 'h') fixed us a tasty hors that we hadn't tried before....crackers with peanut butter (has to be crunchy - none of this smooth stuff!) and tabasco. Now, there is a treat! (We’ve since learned Sarah wants to go to Culinary School – so, watch out cooking world, here comes Sharon & Sarah!!)
Oh my, I almost forgot the Beef Sushi and Daikon salad!!! The flavors - man, this was a wonderful dish! I didn't get a picture of this, we ate it too fast!! This recipe is in a book that I also have at home.
Sharon has a recipe that she got from a friend for Native Indian Quinoa (Fried??) Cakes. She made them once fried and tried baking them this time. I'm still on the fence with this item, as Sharon says, it needs cheese or a topping or something. But don't know that I'll ever try making it...but who knows I may play.
But, the accompaniment to the cakes were beautiful sautéed duck breasts that Bob removed from two gorgeous (that they now get to play with!!!) ducks. She cooked them to perfection and tender?? Oh my, they were delicious. (their little friend Sarah had never tasted duck and was hoping some would be left for her.....well, let me tell you, there was none left from R & J )
Dessert - Morgan Freeman has a restaurant and cookbook that Sharon got a deep, deep, deep, deep Chocolate Sorbet recipe from. Anyone who loves chocolate will adore this! With it she served a candy cluster (chocolate, of course, nuts and dried (?) cherries?). I had brot the makings for the Raspberry Cream Cheese stuffed Jalapenos to add to the hors, but didn't finish them for that and decided to add to the dessert, which I think would have been wonderful...but, we were just too damn full to add one more thing to that dessert plate!! (hope they enjoyed them the next day!)
We struggled on back to the trailer and just rolled into bed like two beach whales - and slept like babies!Thank you again, Sharon & Bob, for a wonderful day.
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From: Morgan Freeman & Friends - Carribean Cooking for a CauseFrom the Ocean and Vine Restaurant on St. Barth's
Executive Chef :Greg Wangard
Chocolate & Port Wine Sorbet
2 cups water
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 vanilla bean halved lengthwise
1/2 c. port wine
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
In a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla bean, and wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and add the chocolate stirring just until combined. Remove from the heat and strain. Place the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice. Stir every 10 minutes until cool.
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.We served these with the sorbet!
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Cherry Almond Chocolate Clusters
1 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
6 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
In a medium bowl, toss together the almonds and the cherries. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.Melt half the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over slightly simmering water, over the lowest possible heat, stirring frequently. Make sure the water is not touching the top pan.
Remove the double boiler from the heat and stir in the rest of the chocolate. Remove the top pan with the chocolate in it, gently wipe the bottom of it and set it aside for a moment. Replace the simmering water in the bottom pan with warm tap water. Put the pan of melted chocolate on top of the warm water.
This will keep the chocolate at the right temperature while you make the clusters.Stir the fruit-nut mixture into the chocolate. Spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized clusters of the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Put them in the refrigerator to set for 15 minutes. Store and serve at room temperature.
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Greek "nachos"
Teleme cheese
1/2 to 3/4 c. ouzo
3 whole wheat pitas
3 TBS olive oil
Penzey's Zatar seasoning
Place the pitas on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Zatar seasoning. Warm in a 350 oven.Warm the cheese slightly while cutting the pitas into 6 wedges each. Heat the ouzo and pour over the cheese & flambe.Serve with pita chips.
Zatar is a mixture of sumac, thyme, white sesame seeds, and salt.
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Beef Sashimi (Gyuniku No Sashimi) from "Asia the Beautiful Cookbook"
1 lb choice beef tenderloin or lean sirloin/porterhouse steak
3/4 tsp salt (I used 3/4 tsp Penzey's Szechuan pepper-salt, roasted)
2 tsp crushed garlic
Trim the beef of all fat. Rub with salt, then with the garlic. Wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight.Sear the surface of the meat evenly in a very hot skillet or over glowing coals.
Remove from the heat and refrigerate to cool quckly.
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Daikon "noodle" salad
Grate aprox. 2 cups daikon radish. (I used a rotating slicer to create "noodles").
Place in bowl with 1/4 c rice wine vinegar and toasted sesame oil to taste. Season with Szechuan pepper-salt and add a good handful of chopped cilantro.
Slice meat very thinly and serve with the Daikon salad and wasabi to taste.
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Vineyard notes -
BORRA VINEYARDS
Tastings:
borravineyards.com
The ’03 Merlot ($16.00) and ’04 Zin ($20.00) were both very good. But with our new limit set on ourselves with so many wineries to visit, we only bot one – the ’03 Barbera ($24.00) What a wonderful wine this is!!
Tasting fee $9.28 = $35.86
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Michael-David winery –
lodivineyards.com
7 Deadly Zins winery!!!
Tastings:
’01 Michael David Cab ($18.) – great!
’05 7 Deadly Zins ($17.00) – wonderful
’04 6th Sense Syrah ($17.) – another wonderful one
One bottle of 7 Deadly Zins.
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Van Ruiten Vineyards
vrwinery.com
Tastings:
’02 Syrah ($15.) light tasting, watery
’03 Cab-Shiraz, Estate grown ($15.) – heavier, pepper tastes, very good.
’03 Cab (15.) – off flavor, somehow
’03 Petite Sirah, Estate grown ($18.) – liked very much
’02 “Old Vine” Zin ($18.) – very good.
Bot – one bottle Old Vine Zin.
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Oak Ridge Winery
oakridgewinery.com
Gave in and joined their wine club – great wines overall!!
Sparkling Raspberry – ($11.99) w/20% off. Bot this.
Silk Oak Merlot ’04 ($9.99) very good!
Silk Oak Cab ’03, wonderful and great with chocolate ($15)
Simply Red (blend of Merlot/Cab/Zin/Souzao/Shiraz) ($9.00) bot this
3 Girls Cab ’04 – wonderful! Bot 2 bottles
Conti Royale Marsala – ($11.) – bot one bottle
The above included present wine club selections also.
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