Japanese Cuisine

Posted on August 31, 2011 by bilrob

Japanese Cuisine

Tempura, sukiyaki, sashimi, sushi – even the words used to describe the most basic of Japanese dishes are exotic and beautiful. Japanese cuisine is easily one of the healthiest in the world, with its concentration on fresh fish, seafood, rice and vegetables. The pungent sauces and delicate flavors of fresh foods complement each other beautifully, and the methods of presentation turn even simple meals into beautiful events.

The Japanese have easily a dozen different names for rice, depending on how it is prepared and what it is served with. The most common meal is a rice bowl, a bowl of white rice served with various toppings or ingredients mixed in. So popular is it that the Rice Bowl has even made its way into the world of Western convenience foods alongside ramen noodles. Domburi is a bowl of rice topped with another food: domburi tendon, for instance, is rice topped with tempura and domburi gyudon is rice topped with beef. The Japanese adopted fried rice from the Chinese, and a century ago, when curry was first introduced, developed Kare Raisu, curry rice. It is now such a popular dish that there are many fast-food restaurants that serve several versions of it in take-away bowls.

Besides white rice served as a side dish, Japanese cuisine also features onigiri – rice balls wrapped in seaweed, often with a ‘surprise’ in the middle, and kayu, a thin gruel made of rice that resembles oatmeal.

As an island nation, it’s not surprising that seafood is featured in Japanese cuisine. Sushi and sashimi both are raw fish and seafood with various spices. Impeccably fresh fish is the secret to wonderful sashimi and sushi, served with wasabi and soya sauce. The Japanese love of beauty and simplicity turns slices and chunks of raw fish into miniature works of art. Fish sliced so thin that it’s transparent may be arranged on a platter in a delicate fan that alternates pink-fleshed salmon with paler slices of fish. Sushi is typically arranged to best display the colours and textures to their best advantage, turning the platter and plate into palettes for the artistry of the chef.

Traditionally, meat plays a minor role in the Japanese diet, though it has been taking a larger and larger role over the past fifty years as Japan becomes more westernized. Beef, chicken and pork may be served with several meals a week now. One of the more popular meat dishes is ‘yakitori’ – chicken grilled on a skewer and served with sauce. A typical quick lunch might include a skewer of yakitori and a rice bowl with sushi sauce.

In an interesting twist, Japan has imported dishes from other cuisines and ‘Japanized’ them, adopting them as part of their own cuisines. Korokke, for instance, are croquettes adopted from those introduced by the English last century. In Japan, the most common filling is a mixture of mashed potatoes and minced meat. Other Soshoyu – western dishes that have made their way into Japanese everyday cuisine include ‘omuraisu’, a rice omelet, and hambagau, the Japanized version of an American hamburger.

author:Kirsten Hawkins

Jack Daniels an American Whiskey

Posted on August 31, 2011 by bilrob

Jack Daniels an American Whiskey

The Jack Daniel’s legend starts with the eponymous founder of the distillery, who allegedly owned his first distillery at the tender age of 13, having learned his skill at the knee of Dan Call – one of those moon shining preachers who pepper the history of American whiskey. Jack was a clever operator, but it’s hard to imagine that he envisaged his brand would one day become the most famous American whiskey of all.

These days it’s Jimmy Bradford who wearing Jack’s shoes. The epitome of a Southern gentleman (unlike the short-tempered Jack, who died after kicking a safe in his office), he’s been looking after the whiskey for 32 years, which, he drawls laconically: ‘probably gives me some credibility to talk about distilling’.

They make whiskey slightly differently in Tennessee, though it’s not – as many people think – sour-mashing that sets it apart. All Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey is made by the sour mash technique: the real difference lies in the Lincoln County Process, or charcoal mellowing, which all Tennessee whiskey must undergo.

For Jimmy, it’s the combination of the limestone water drawn from Cave Spring and the mellowing that helps to give Jack Daniel’s its personality. The mellowing involves dripping the new spirit though a 10-foot vat of maple charcoal, which leaches some fusel oils and esters from the spirit, while giving it a distinct softness.

There’s only one mashbill – 80 per cent corn, 12 per cent rye and 8 per cent barley malt – for all the Jack Daniel’s brands; meaning that the sole difference between such diverse products as Green Label, Black Label and Gentleman Jack lies in the length of time they have been aged and where they have been warehoused. With a spread of traditional warehouses, the blenders can mingle whiskeys from different sites and floors to make up the desired product, and with 7,500 barrels a week being put into the warehouses, they have plenty of choice.

That figure gives an idea of the sheer scale of the operation. Owner Brown-Forman may, rightly, play up the Sleepy Hollow-type imagery surrounding the small town of Lynchburg, but don’t be fooled: this is a bang-up-to-date distillery applying old techniques in a highly efficient and modern manner. Jack may recognize the site, but he’d be astounded by the three huge beer stills and intrigued by the way in which the vapour is fed directly into the doubler, making it a refined type of single distillation.

But you don’t think of Jack Daniel’s in production terms. The visitors who pour into the distillery aren’t that interested in mellowing, distillation techniques or the pros and cons of mechanization. They come because they feel part of a family. When an Australian winemaker I know went to America for the first time, the two places at the top of her ‘must-see’ list were Graceland and the Jack Daniel’s distillery. It’s that kind of loyalty that makes Jack an American icon.

These days, Jack Daniel’s is as recognizable a symbol of American rock ‘n’ roll rebelliousness as Harley Davidson. It hasn’t gone out and developed a bad-boy image, but clutching one of those square bottles with the black label brings out the rebel in even the most mild-mannered accountant, and makes him feel, if only for one drink, the equal of Keith Richards or Dennis Hopper.

You would think that being in charge of such an iconic product would prey on Jimmy’s mind, but there’s no chance of that. He approaches this onerous responsibility with the same pleasant, measured good humour as he does the rest of life. ‘It’s a pleasure to assist in making this product. Just to drive in every day and see Jack standing there down the holler gives me a sense of pride’.

TASTING NOTES

Jack Daniel’s Black Label 80°proof Very sweet and clean, with a touch of liquorice, smoke and caramel. A good mouthful with a great, sweet finish. * * *

Gentleman Jack 80°proof
Even sweeter, with black fruit and a sooty, rich finish.

Bill & Sheila’s Wine

Coffee is more than a beverage during an Ethiopian coffee ceremony

Posted on August 31, 2011 by bilrob

Coffee is more than a beverage during an Ethiopian coffee ceremony

Mebrat Hagos was only 8 when her mother taught her the rituals of the bunna, the centuries-old Ethiopian coffee ceremony. It’s a tradition steeped in lore, from the washing of the green coffee beans and their ritualistic roasting to the final, ceremonial pour.

When Hagos performs bunna at Oakland’s Cafe Romanat these days, her years of experience shine through as she pours, holding the traditional ceramic vessel aloft as the aromatic brew descends in a long, thin stream, creating bubbles on the inky surface of the coffee far below.

Bunna (pronounced “boo-nah”) is an integral part of home and social life in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee — and in the homes of the many Ethiopian emigrees who have come to this country. But Bay Area diners can experience the ritual at a handful of local restaurants as well, including three in San Jose: the Zeni, Ghion and Gojo restaurants.

“Socially, bunna is very important. The whole purpose is to bring people together,” Cafe Romanat co-owner Elyas Kefela says.

In Ethiopia, the ritual is performed at least once daily, and the communal affair, which can take up to two hours, is usually performed by a woman. Ethiopian girls learn at a young age how to prepare bunna.

“If you come to my house, it’s the first thing I would do — without asking. It goes without saying,” says Tsedey Seifu, founder of Afro Urbanites and Selam, a modern Ethiopian pop-up restaurant that “pops up” Saturdays in Berkeley.

A typical bunna ceremony begins with the host washing green coffee beans, then roasting them in a constantly swirling pan. She proffers the pan to participants, wafting the smoke so they can inhale the scent. The fragrance mingles with frankincense, smoldering in a brazier on a floor strewed with grasses and flowers.

The roasted beans are ground in a mortar and pestle, then placed in a jebena, a traditional Ethiopian vessel with a straw lid. The grounds are covered with water and set over an open fire to boil.

During this leisurely process, participants chat, snack on popcorn or bread, and enjoy each other’s company. The bunna becomes a place for family and friends to catch up, solve problems and debate politics. It’s an experience that engages all five senses, as well as the heart.

“The best thing I can remember is (coming) home from school, when my mom is making coffee. From outside I can smell the coffee and incense,” Seifu says. “It’s so comforting, I know that someone must be at home, and there is someone to take care of me.”

At the critical moment, just before it boils over, the jebena is taken off the heat and moved to a stand that cradles the pot at an angle, allowing the grounds to settle. Then it is poured from a height into small cups and served with sugar, salt or butter.

“The first cup is strong, like espresso, if not stronger. It’s got a sweet flavor,” Kefela says. “With each round, it gets lighter and more watery. By the third, it’s like American coffee.”

Each round has its own name — abol, tona and baraka — and participants stay to sip for all three, during which a family elder may pronounce a blessing as the gathering responds “Amen” or “Let it be.”

With coffee as the vehicle to bring family and friends together every day, it’s no wonder many Ethiopians miss bunna when they come to the United States, where coffee is procured in drive-thrus, absent-mindedly slurped from paper cups and consumed in solitude.

“Here you have Thanksgiving or Christmas,” Kefela says, as an occasion to gather family and friends, “but with bunna you have your holiday every day.”

Experience bunna

Café Romanat: The bunna ceremony is offered 2-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Free with meal. Details: 462 Santa Clara Ave., Oakland; 510-444-1800, www.caferomanat.com.

Ghion restaurant: Friday and Saturday evenings. $25 for up to seven people. Details: 1015 Park Ave., San Jose; 408-298-8681, www.ghionethiopianrestaurant.com.

Gojo Restaurant: Available upon advance request. $30 for up to five people. Details: 1261 W. San Carlos St., San Jose; 408-295-9546, www.gojoethiopianrestaurant.com.

Selam, Modern Ethiopian Pop-Up Kitchen: All meals come with complimentary Ethiopian coffee, roasted on site during the coffee ceremony. The kitchen typically pops up 6-10 p.m. the first Saturday of each month at the Guerilla Cafe, 1620 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. For details, visit www.afrourbanites.com/main/food/pop-kitchen.

Zeni Ethiopian Restaurant: Reserve two days in advance. $40 per party. Details: 1320 Saratoga Ave., San Jose; 408-615-8282, www.zenirestaurant.com.

More Images

To see more photos from an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, visit www.MercuryNews.com/food-wine.

Coffee with Bill & Sheila

What’s for Dinner: A 95-year-old minister’s daily bread

Posted on August 31, 2011 by bilrob

Rev. Ken McMillan is 95, recently retired and a widower. Yet he cooks simple, nutritious meals for himself daily, like roast turkey breast with carrots and rice.

Keith Beaty/Toronto Star

What’s for Dinner: A 95-year-old minister’s daily bread

“The only distinguishing thing about me is that I’m 95,” insists Rev. Ken McMillan, somewhat perplexed that we’ve come to watch and photograph him making supper.

Well, yes — that’s an age that commands respect. But we’re here because the widowed retiree is 95, lives on his own in a condo, cooks for himself and even walks to the grocery store.

That, put simply, is inspiring.

Gallery: Dinner with Rev. Ken McMillan

“Actually what you put into your mind is more important than what you put into your mouth,” says a spirited McMillan from his armchair, determined to broaden the conversation.

“What you think determines how you feel and how you feel determines how you act.”

True, but surely what you put into your body also has impact on how you feel and act?

McMillan concedes that we have four basic needs — physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. Food is in fact one of our physical needs.

Today, like most days, the retired Presbyterian minister spends some time writing his memoir and takes his main meal at noon at his Thornhill condo.

He has already put a turkey breast in the oven to roast.

He has two stainless steel hips, but with the help of his walker, he shuffles in his shorts and sock feet into the kitchen to prepare brown rice, vegetables and cabbage slaw.

“Rice is a very economical food as you may know, and it takes 45 minutes to cook,” says McMillan. “But you’ve got to measure it right.”

He reaches up into a cupboard for a measuring cup so his rice and water proportions will be exact.

Next he scrapes carrots over the sink with a knife.

“I don’t peel them. I scrape them because you don’t lose the good stuff.”

Working in the sink instead of on a cutting board, McMillan cuts two yellow onions into chunks and puts them with the carrots in a saucepan to steam.

You can’t take the farm boy out of the urban minister.

McMillan was born in Mount Forest and raised on a farm where there was “no shortage of food, even in the Depression.” His family grew vegetables, made bread and raised cows, pigs, chicken and geese. He married at 26 and his wife Isobel continued the tradition of preparing “just basic foods” like lemon loaf, roasts and pies. They were married almost 65 years, raised two daughters, and spent many years in Lawrence Park.

Since Isobel died four years ago, McMillan has cooked for himself. His basic diet revolves around carrots, onions, cauliflower, squash and cabbage. He has given up tea, coffee and alcohol in favour of hot water with lemon.

McMillan (more formally known as The Very Reverend Doctor Kenneth G. McMillan) studied at Knox Theological College at the University of Toronto. He rose to moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada and was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1984.

He was minister-at-large for World Vision Canada until two years ago. He retired in January from St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Vaughan at the insistence of his daughters Catherine McGee and Barbara Donaldson. He has four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and countless friends and family members who check in on him daily in person or by phone.

“Actually one of my problems is that I’m deluged with kindness,” says McMillan. “Look at the fridge.”

It is full of broccoli, cabbage and eggs. There’s a half eaten cinnamon bun and homemade chicken soup. There are six mason jars full of prunes that McMillan stews for his morning oatmeal. The freezer is full of bread, meat and other goodies from generous neighbours.

“My problem is really I’m in debt to people so much, I’m embarrassed by it,” says McMillan.

In the building, Lynn tackles his computer problems (he’s writing his memoirs on the computer). Surjit and Mohinder drop off McMillan’s mail and pick up his recycling. Rosemary, a seamstress, fixed his pants and brought over a casserole supper. Patty makes lemon loaf. George and Nelke help with chores and transportation and drop off sandwiches, soup and muffins.

“I’m amazed at the love that’s showered upon Ken,” says Evelyn Payn, a friend from his World Vision Canada days who nominated him for this series. “To me, it’s a beautiful thing to see. He gives them all a lot of joy because there’s a lot of joy in giving.”

McMillan occasionally goes to restaurants (a friend recently took him to Wimpy’s Diner), but rarely has guests for dinner.

“I don’t think people appreciate my cooking,” he says cheerfully.

Today’s meal is wholesome and delicious, but Payn’s correct to describe it (without reproach) as “very plain stuff.” There isn’t a pat of butter, a lick of oil or a shake of salt or pepper to be found.

McMillan’s cooking philosophy is “doing things the easiest way.” His food budget is less than $20 a week. His eating advice? “Go easy on the fat, salt and sugar, and don’t get overweight.”

This is a man who thrives on frugality. He shops at Food Basics (Metro’s discount banner) and buys only sale items. He puts them in the basket of his walker and carries them home.

The items on his kitchen counter speak to health. There’s Norwegian cod liver oil, ISO Natural Pure Whey Protein Isolate, and the oats he cooks every morning for breakfast.

The items in his pantry speak to cost consciousness. There are six cans of sockeye salmon, a 5-pound jug of honey (a gift from his daughter who lives in Michigan), canned chickpeas, peach halves, lima beans and E.D. Smith Triple Fruits jam. Dad’s Classic Oatmeal cookies are a weakness (there are two bags). Selection brand Coleslaw Dressing (the house brand at Metro) is a favourite. (There are four bottles here plus another in the fridge.)

“I have to make coleslaw,” remembers McMillan. “But I’ve got a great machine for that. I recommend it highly.”

He pulls out a Hamilton Beach food processor, fits it with its shredding blade, and throws in a few green cabbage wedges. He tossed the shredded cabbage with Coleslaw Dressing.

“I have no desire to go to a retirement home,” says McMillan. “I can live here for a lot cheaper than a retirement home and I don’t mind looking after myself.”

He sits at the dining room table, in front of a portrait of his late wife, and stops to say grace before he eats everything on his plate.

[email protected]

www.twitter.com/thesaucylady

Next week

Meet Minusha Gorman on Sept. 7. She lost 110 pounds but now she’s pregnant. How does she cook for herself and husband Jason?

Healthy Lifestyle – with Bill & Sheila

Fruit fit for a kid

Posted on August 31, 2011 by bilrob

Fruit fit for a kid

For all the lucky parents whose children eagerly pop blueberries in their mouths, plead for seconds of sliced mango and jump up and down at the sight of apricots, this article is not for you.

This is for the rest of us who despite all our efforts just can’t seem to get our little ones excited about summer’s bountiful fruits.

Sure, they’ll eat apples, bananas and raisins.

And yes, you try to set a good example by throwing berries in your cereal and snacking on clementines and pears in front of them.

Sometimes they’re even willing to bite into a new fruit, say a nectarine or a blackberry, but within seconds it’s hurtling toward the floor with a dramatic splat.

“Blech!” your adorable toddler declares as you wonder whether you’re dooming your little cutie pie to a future of cake and cookie-filled obesity.

Don’t worry.

Other parents who have faced this struggle have discovered fun ways to introduce all kinds of fruit to their little ones: They make homemade popsicles and smoothies.

Made with fresh fruit, whirred to a puree in a blender or food processor, and mixed with low-fat milk, soy milk or yogurt or even just straight-up, the homemade treats can be a tasty and fun way to get your kids to eat fruit.

They’re even easy to make. For frozen fruit bars, just pour the mixtures into popsicle molds — available at just about every supermarket in the ice cream section — and freeze.

In most cases, you can use the same mixture for smoothies. (You may need to add more milk and some ice cubes to get the right milk-shaky consistency.)

Dr. Matthew F. Bartels, a pediatrician with Amherst Health Center and associate medical director at Univera Healthcare, said parents shouldn’t beat themselves up if their children aren’t crazy about fresh produce.

“If they don’t like broccoli, it’s not the end of the world,” he said. “It’s not uncommon. It’s something I have to deal with — ‘They won’t eat their fruits and vegetables.’”

He advises parents to keep trying and also to involve children in the cooking process, from choosing fruit and vegetables at the supermarket, to prepping and cooking.

Bartels said eating fruit, whether fresh, canned or mixed into something, is important for two reasons: first, for its nutritional value. And, he said, “They’re also filling. They’re filled with water, and that helps people prevent overeating later.”

Adults should get about two full cups of fruits and vegetables a day. Toddlers don’t need as much, closer to about one to 11/2one-and-a-half cups, said Mallary cq Whipple, a registered dietitian for Wegmans supermarkets.

Smoothies and popsicles made with fresh fruit and healthy additions like low-fat or nonfat yogurt or milk are good ways to get fruit into children, said Whipple.”

Pureeing fresh fruit, she said, rather than using juice is especially healthful.

“We want to limit juice to 100 percent fruit juice and only half a cup a day,” Whipple said. (Juice is high in natural sugar.)

The key to keeping smoothies and popsicles a good snack — and not a dessert — is to make sure you’re not adding unhealthful ingredients, like sugar or ice cream.

Using non-fat or lowfat yogurt is a great nutritious tool, and you don’t lose any probiotic benefits by freezing, Whipple said.

Frozen fruit can be more nutritious in smoothies than fresh fruit from the market, she said. “Our food in the supermarket is really, really fresh but it’s been on the shelf a day or two,” Whipple said. “Frozen fruit is flash frozen.”

She did advise against using frozen fruit in popsicles — meaning, refreezing it. “Once food is thawed and held above 40 degrees, bacteria can start to grow,” she said. So if you’re making a mixture for popsicles, she said, stick to fresh fruit.

Whipple pointed out that many parents have tried “Sneaky Chef” methods, making purees of vegetables and fruits that are folded into foods such as meat loaf and cookies to “sneak” vegetables into children’s mouths.

“It’s a great idea,” Whipple said. “As a parent, if you wanted to do that, I would say go for it. We can’t deny that if you put cauliflower into mac-and-cheese, they are still getting cauliflower.”

Whipple said it’s also important to continue offering unadulterated fruits and vegetables at meals to get children into the habit of eating and enjoying them.

As a mom who took great pains to feed my babies a healthful array of organic baby foods and homemade purees, I was chagrined to discover that when they were ready for “real people” food, they had little interest in any fruits or vegetables save apples, bananas, clementines, raisins, carrots and sometimes celery, so long as it was slathered with peanut butter.

They seemed to like crunchy produce, but had no interest in anything mushy. If they were willing to try it, they’d often gag and spit it out. Earlier this summer I offered some fresh mango I was cutting up for myself to my little guys. They both balked, but when I asked my 4-year-old if he’d like to just lick it, he was game. He said he liked it and he even took the piece of fruit on a fork and licked it for a while.

Bells went off in my head and I started experimenting. They like the taste of fruit. Just not the texture. First came smoothies: chunks of fresh mango, blended with kid-friendly banana and reduced fat soy milk.

Both my preschooler and my toddler went for it.

Then mango and pineapple, with banana and low-fat vanilla yogurt.

Another hit.

Strawberries, yogurt and some low-fat milk to thin it out? They weren’t that into it. But when banana was added, the boys were back on board.

Smoothies made with other berries weren’t all that successful.

Popsicles were the next experiment. Bananas once again proved to be a key ingredient in the yummy factor.

Melons of all varieties were a hit just on their own. Scoops of watermelon or honeydew went straight into their mouths.

But I wanted to try berries again. I pureed blueberries from the farmers’ market with bananas, vanilla yogurt and a touch of honey, then strained it through a sieve to get rid of the skins — the culprit “ick” factor.

It worked! The same technique worked for raspberries, too.

“Good,” the older one declared, doing his best Henry the VIII, as he devoured the concoction.

It was music to this mommy’s ears.

[email protected] null

Grow your own fruit with Bill & Sheila

Wine Column: Challenges of the ‘heartbreak grape’

Posted on August 31, 2011 by bilrob

Wine Column: Challenges of the ‘heartbreak grape’

When wine grapes were first planted on Long Island in the 1970s and ’80s, most growers chose to plant the most important grape varieties of France, including chardonnay and pinot noir. The chardonnay was universally successful as a variety that consistently produced high quality fruit on plants that were easy to tend, but pinot noir proved to be far more challenging, and many acres of this grape were ripped out, replanted to merlot, cabernet franc or more chardonnay.

Experience here proved pinot noir’s reputation as the “heartbreak grape.” Even in Burgundy, where the medieval monks who cultivated the Cote d’Or selected, bred and celebrated pinot noir as their finest red wine grape, the variety is difficult to ripen and even more difficult to make into great wine.

The viticultural problem with pinot is that berries in its clusters are tightly packed, so that if one single berry is damaged by insects, birds or fungus, the entire cluster will quickly rot. It also ripens sooner than most varieties, which should be an advantage, except that it’s the first to attract marauding pests like finches, robins, raccoons and bees. Given a choice between ripe pinot noir and slightly unripe anything else, you can guess where the pests will go. This applies to people, too; pinot noir fruit is exquisitely delicious, and a vineyard planted along a road where pilgrims stroll will be soon denuded, as happened along the route to Santiago de Compostela in medieval times.

When pinot noir succeeds as wine, there is nothing to compare with its aromatic allure, its finesse, subtlety, complexity, silken mouthfeel and nuanced finish. Unfortunately, these qualities do not come easily or automatically as the fruit, even undamaged fruit, is transformed by fermentation into wine. In many ways, it is highly unstable, and the techniques that might be used to stabilize one desirable quality may harm another desirable one.

The deep blue-black color of pinot noir fruit is a cruel ruse because the pigments (anthocyanins) that give it this gorgeous hue exist in equilibrium with a colorless version of the same pigment. Pinot noir is different from most other black or red vitis vinifera wine grapes in that it lacks amylated (stabilized) anthocyanins. I’ve seen a tank of pinot wine that was pitch black when it was first crushed but transformed into the equivalent color of cranberry juice after six months’ aging.

To add insult to injury, pinot’s tannins (astringent particles derived from skins and seeds) have shorter molecular chains than most wine grapes, and are bitter. Many winemakers cold soak pinot noir fruit before fermenting it, in order to extract softer tannins. But in reality, heat and alcohol are needed to maximize color, and the extra time in cold soak also gives the fruit extra time in contact with its seeds, which are the bitterest part.

Most pinot noir is encouraged to complete a secondary fermentation, transforming its sharp malic acid into buttery lactic acid. This effectively softens the wine, but also raises the pH, which further damages its hue. Barrel aging smooths out the edges and adds the flavors and aromas of oak to the wine; it also steals some of the delicate fruit aromas, and accentuates harsh tannins, thus requiring more time in the bottle to soften again.

Despite these challenges, or maybe because of them, the temptation to make great pinot noir has obsessed many winemakers, myself included. After trying for 27 years, with a few years of triumph and many of settling for a blanc de noir or Beaujolais style, I am still obsessed with how to make what every pinot fancier wants — that “iron fist in a velvet glove.”

On Long Island, a few wineries (including Borghese, Laurel Lake, Jamesport and Osprey’s Dominion) persist in producing pinot. The Old Field, Lenz and Sparkling Pointe grow it for rosé and sparkling wines.

In Cutchogue, Russell McCall has 11 acres of mature pinot noir, planted 15 years ago. He believes that the cluster stems must be brown before he harvests so he waits, anxiously, while birds and botrytis threaten his crop. He sorts berries for soundness and ferments in small containers, with punch-down of skins also done by hand. Following the methods used by Burgundian monks in the 13th century has, for him, proved to be the best way to create wines that are subtle, meriting meditation.

What better way to explore one of the world’s most compelling wines?

Ms. Hargrave was a founder of the Long Island wine industry in 1973. She is currently a freelance writer and consultant.

Bill & Sheila’s Wine

Pa. audit says overhaul costly wine kiosks or scrap them

Posted on August 31, 2011 by bilrob

Pa. audit says overhaul costly wine kiosks or scrap them

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s oft-criticized wine kiosks have cost taxpayers more than $1 million and should be scrapped unless dramatic improvements are made, according an audit by state Auditor General Jack Wagner.

“We think the wine-kiosk program has failed, and it needs dramatic, radical changes if the program is going to continue to exist,” Wagner said Tuesday at a news conference in the Capitol.

The audit found that wine-dispensing machines fell short in large part because of numerous mechanical problems late last year that, in an embarrassing move, forced the LCB to shut them down for a month.

Beyond that, the audit also found that the machines never lived up to the goal of making it more convenient for customers to buy wine, nor did they deliver on the promise of making money for the LCB and state government.

As of this summer, the LCB has spent more to operate the 32 kiosks than it took in, resulting in an operating shortfall of about $1.1 million, Wagner said.

The LCB is locked in a nasty dispute with the Conshohocken-based contractor that provided the kiosks to recoup the money, leading to the real – and increasingly likely – possibility that the kiosk program will end.

Joe Conti, the Liquor Control Board’s chief executive officer, said Tuesday that he thought Wagner’s audit was “very fair and very balanced,” and added that he agreed with the bottom-line finding that the kiosk program needed to change or be put on the chopping block.

“We will see what happens, but it’s certainly a troubled program at this point,” he said.

Since the kiosks were placed last year in supermarkets across the state, there have been problems.

On the consumer end, it took time for shoppers to get used to buying wine from a machine – one that required them to show ID and take a breath test.

Then, there were the myriad mechanical problems that forced the LCB to abruptly shut the kiosks down last year right before the winter holidays. That shutdown prompted Wagner’s audit.

The machines, which stock more than four dozen varieties of wine, were brought back online. But consumer confidence had lagged, along with sales in some of the locations.

And over the summer, in a major blow to the LCB, Wegmans pulled out of the program. The supermarket chain said the machines often malfunctioned, leading to a significant number of customer complaints. Wegmans was host to 10 of the kiosks; those 10 included stores in Warrington, Downingtown, and Easton.

Wal-Mart also announced recently it was abandoning plans to install kiosks in its stores.

Contact Inquirer staff writer Angela Couloumbis at 717-787-5934, [email protected], or @AngelasInk on Twitter.

Bill & Sheila’s Wine

Jack Daniel's Tips for the Summer Grill | Jack Daniels

Posted on August 31, 2011 by bilrob

Jack Daniel’s Tips for the Summer Grill

There is nothing that says summer like grillin’ and chillin’ at the backyard BBQ. Steaks, chicken, ribs or burgers, they all seem to taste better when cooked on the grill. But as good as they taste now, there are a number of “tips” that can help you make the most of your summer grill.

Jack Daniel’s has long been a part of BBQing in the US, sponsoring a number of BBQ contests and being a key ingredient in some of the best BBQ sauces. We’ve assembled a few of the tips that have helped past winners of those competitions, and have listed them here for you:

Start with a clean grill. Although that salmon you prepared last night was the best ever, it probably won’t enhance the taste of the hamburgers you’re having today. Scrub the grill with a wire brush and abrasive pad to remove all remnants of your past successes. You’re about to create a new masterpiece!

Oil the grill with a good vegetable or olive oil. You’ve paid good money for the food you’re about to cook. Let’s not leave part of it stuck to the grill!
Pre-heat the grill on high for at least 10 – 15 minutes, or light the charcoal about 20 – 30 minutes before you start the cooking. You want to be sure the grill is hot enough to sear the meat to seal in the natural juices.

Place a foil pie plate half-filled with extra marinade mixed with water on the searing surface (flavourizer bars, lava rocks, etc) directly under the part of the grill where the meat will be. Used with thicker cuts of meat, this will help to add flavour and keep the meat juicy.

Season the food lightly before placing it on the grill. Food has wonderful natural flavour that BBQing enhances. If you like a bit of spice, try a dry rub or a marinade (which will also help to tenderize less expensive cuts of meat).

After quickly searing the meat on both sides, reduce the heat to medium (raise the rack if using charcoal) and close the grill cover. Resist the temptation to open the grill cover more than just twice more…once to turn the meat, and then for the final five minutes. Doing this will make the food wonderfully tender.

Put sauces on the food in the last 5 minutes of grilling time. Most sauces have fats and sugar in them which will burn if put on too early. The fire department has better things to do than helping you cook.

This sauce is great for perking up any simply grilled meats, poultry or fish. Brush it on just minutes before you pull the meat off the grill.

Jack’s Secret Weapon All-Purpose BBQ Glaze

1/2 cup Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Jack Daniel’s Brownies and Glaze

This recipe was prepared by Camelback and Central, 1403 2nd Avenue, New York, New York.

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons sweet butter
3 ounces baking chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ounces Jack Daniel’s Whiskey

Jack Daniel’s Glaze

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Melt butter and chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water. Remove from heat; add sugar, eggs, nuts, vanilla, flour mixture and Jack Daniel’s Whiskey; mix well. Preheat oven to 350ºC. Pour batter into a greased 8×10-inch cake pan. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until firm. Remove from oven; top with Glaze.

Jack Daniel’s Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water
1 1/2 tablespoons Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients; stir until smooth. Brush on or pour over brownies.

Even If Chocolate Doesn't Ward Off Heart Disease, It's Still Yummy

Posted on August 31, 2011 by bilrob

chocolate

Paul Bratcher Photography/Flickr

Lots of MMs were sacrificed in the writing of this post.

Even If Chocolate Doesn’t Ward Off Heart Disease, It’s Still Yummy

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, but the tools to fend it off — low-fat diets, exercise, statin drugs — leave a little bit to be desired in the charm department.

Then there’s chocolate. It’s hard to resist the notion that eating lots of one of the world’s most delicious foods could be the key to cardiovascular health.

But is chocolate “good for the heart”? That’s just one of the pro-chocolate news headlines sparked by a rather wonky review just published in the British Medical Journal.

To find out, Shots called up Oscar Franco, a clinical lecturer in public health from the University of Cambridge, who was in Paris delivering his chocolate-and-healthy-hearts paper at a conference.

He confirmed that based on his analysis, and the seven studies it reviewed, there’s no proof that chocolate prevents cardiovascular disease. What he did find is that people who told researchers they ate lots of chocolate were about one-third less likely to have heart attacks, strokes and diabetes.

“These are promising results,” Franco told Shots, but we need to do more research to confirm these findings.” That would require scientists to feed people chocolate in a randomized controlled trial, and then monitor their health.

Franco and his co-authors were candid about the shortcomings in their study. For one thing, it didn’t measure how much chocolate the healthier people ate. And since the people had reported their chocolate intake themselves, it’s impossible to know if they told the truth. Obese people tend to underreport their eating in surveys, and they are also more likely to have cardiovascular disease. So it could be that fat chocolate-eaters are much worse off than we think.

Unfortunately, Franco doesn’t advise eating scads of Scharffenberger or Valrhona while we wait for science to do its job. “The advice is not to start eating chocolate,” Franco says. “But for people who are already eating chocolate, to eat it in a moderate manner, on a regular basis, and not in a single gulp.”

Why the moderation? Because chocolate is almost always mated with sugar and fat in candy, ice cream, and desserts. Those treats are hardly a heart-healthy delivery system. Tasty chocolate products that are less dependent on sugar and fat “would be a great benefit for the prevention of cardiovascular disease,” Franco says. So get on it, food scientists.

Given the hype surrounding Franco’s study, it’s not surprising that more than a few readers, and journalists, thought that chocolate has been given science’s seal of approval as the perfect health food. A headline on a press release from BMJ touting the study said as much.

“The headline for that release said ‘It’s official!’,” says Kevin Lomangino, editor of Clinical Nutrition Insight, a newsletter for physicians and nutritionists. “The problem with that of course is it’s not official. It didn’t come from the Institute of Medicine, or the World Health Organization. It’s one group of researchers with one study. “

Lomangino was so steamed over the BMJ release that he wrote a blistering blog post for the health journalism watchdog site Health News Review. His screed may have had some effect; news headlines posted later in the day have been more likely to tone down chocolate’s potential benefits.

So, chocolate still isn’t health food. But the bag of MMs consumed in the writing of this blog post was motivating, and delicious.

Chocolate with Bill & Sheila

Italian Cuisine: In The Heart Of Tuscany

Posted on August 31, 2011 by bilrob

Italian Cuisine: In The Heart Of Tuscany

When an American conjures up an idea of “Italian cuisine,” often what comes to mind is pasta, red sauce, and garlic bread. Pasta, no doubt, plays a large part in most traditional Italian regional cuisine, and few cultures know how to employ a tomato the way that Italians can. However, there are so many distinct styles and trademarks within the different regions of Italy that it is hard to lump together all Italian regional cuisine into one general type of cooking. In reality each region has a very distinct style and taste, and there is really no way to appreciate Italian regional cuisine without visiting restaurants and eateries all over the boot.

Tuscany is a region of Italy that takes up a small piece of the western coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Since a large border of the Tuscan region is coastal, seafood plays a large role in the regional cuisine of Tuscany. A coveted destination for tourists, Tuscany is overflowing with cultural experiences, with roots stemming from the Renaissance. Florence, Pisa and the busy port of Livorno all lie within this modest region. Like it’s simple but beautiful landscape, Tuscan cooking keeps things simple. Tuscan bread, for example is a saltless crusted compliment to their judiciously spiced entrees.

While many people think of Italian cuisine as being very salty and filled with garlic, onion, and basil, Tuscan cuisine uses seasoning very sparingly to bring out the natural flavours of the vegetables, beans, and grains that make up their traditional regional cooking. Chefs of Tuscany are renowned for their rice dishes, and a fish or duck dish in Tuscany is often not complete without a risotto base. They also blend wine seamlessly into these dishes, evaporating the alcohol content and leaving the fruits to mingle with the grains and filled pastas that complement the meat and fish entrees that bring the rich and famous from all over the world to Tuscany.

Along the coast, seafood plays an integral part of the cuisine. A trademark of the Tuscan coast is a soup called caccuccio. Caccuccio is a rich soup made from a tomato and fish base. The secret is to use many different types of fish, pureed bones and all directly into the base of the soup. This soup, served with a hearty Tuscan bread is filling enough to constitute an entire meal. While the coast of Tuscany is home to many a delicacy, it is the varied nature of the Tuscan landscape that provides such variety in the regional cuisine of Tuscany.

The cattle and boars that are particular to the region, for example, make for a taste that you cannot find anywhere else, in soups, grilled dishes, and hams. While Tuscany is responsible for only four per cent of Italy’s overall olive oil production, Tuscan olive trees can live to be hundreds or even thousands of years old. So while each tree produces less of an oil yield than trees customarily found in other regions of Italy, the trees have a much more rich history. This simplicity grounded in a rich tradition is only appropriate for the Tuscan region.

author:Terry Lowery