Boston's Autumn Bounty

I hope Taster Dad doesn't mind me posting his photo from Boston last weekend. This little neighborhood market had such pretty gourds for sale. I'm bummed we didn't go inside--we would have, but the checkout line was too long. I guess that means it's the place to go...

Kitchen Day

The weather is crappy this weekend but, I don't mind. It's giving me a chance to do something I haven't done in a long time--spend the day cooking. Yesterday I baked gluten-free banana bread, and apple-crisp. In case you're wondering what the point of gluten-free banana bread is, let me tell you, it's delicious. I also cut the sugar in the recipe with xylitol so we can eat it completely guilt free. I got the recipe from the Bob's Red Mill GF Mix package. The weird thing is, their website has a different recipe posted, so I'll post the one I used at the end.

Some of the ingredients I like to use are more expensive than regular grocery store items and with the rising cost of food, it can be hard to justify the upgrade to organic or additive-free alternatives. The way I look at it is prices are rising one way or the other, and I'd rather channel that extra money I'm paying toward supporting a more sustainable and healthy way of producing food than to support an un-environmental food distribution system. We're already paying a lot more for food thanks to rising transportation costs, so whenever possible, we can change the paradigm by buying more fresh local produce and maybe even cutting back a bit on processed food which is often actually more expensive when you consider the nutrition you're getting.

Yesterday, was also a good day for watching cooking shows. I was inspired by Lidia Bastianich who was making focaccia with her grandsons (she's such a good Grandma!) and José Andrés who was sipping Alberino and sampling fresh mussels. For lunch, I made a wonderful Tuscan-style cannenelli dish with sautéed diced nitrate-free fruitwood smoked BACON, diced red pepper, grated carrot, chopped garlic, ground sage, and a can of drained and rinsed cannenelli seasoned with paprika, sea salt, fresh parmesan and plenty of fresh extra virgin olive oil. My favorite Olive Oil available here locally is Paesano from Sicily. Of course, I've yet to try Spanish olive oil, and I hope to visit some day so I can try it... I also made a focaccia last night to go with some pesto stuffed lasagna.

I had a lot of leftover Béchamel from my mid-week butternut squash lasagna that I cooked for visiting family. So, I used some of it for the pesto stuffed lasagna (I threw grated cheese into the rest of the sauce and made macaroni and cheese). My downstairs neighbor is a proud Italian father and cook. He introduced me to a different way of preparing lasagna. Rather than laying out the lasagna in layers, he stuffs and rolls the individual noodles cannoli style. I had some wilting basil and a tub of non-fat cottage cheese laying around so, I made a pesto filling with it and rolled it up into four leftover lasagna noodles. You know; those four noodles that are always left because a pound of lasagna never actually fits into a 9x13 dish?

By the way, try that butternut squash lasagna recipe sometime--it's a fantastic Fall recipe (just beware the leftover Béchamel and four noodles). It's a lot of work, but you can spread it out over two days if necessary. We served it with some simple tossed greens and zucchini and summer squash cut lengthwise, marinaded in olive oil, balsamic, and tarragon, and grilled up on the old GFG (George Forman Grill). Delish.

But, what about the wine? Oh...right... Here is a little rundown of our food and wine pairings this week:

Bruschetta topped with chive chevre & caramelized onions:
Jewell Towne Vineyards Alden 2005


Butternut Squash Lasagna:
Bartholomew Park Merlot 2005


Pesto (stuffed) Lasagna:
Rijckaert Pouilly-Fuisse 2006

Bob's Red Mill GF Banana Bread

1/3 C. Canola Oil
2/3 C. Packed brown sugar
2 Large eggs
1 t. Vanilla extract
1 3/4 C. Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose GF Baking Flour
2 t. Baking powder
1 1/4 t. Cinnamon
1 t. Xanthan gum
1/2 t. Salt
1 1/2 C Mashed ripe bananas
1/2 C. Chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 9x5 inch loaf pan. Cream together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl. Add flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder and cinnamon mixture to egg mixture, alternating with bananas. Beat until smooth. Add walnuts. Transfer to pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Last Summer Fling?

I guess I should have gotten this post up a couple of nights ago--before summer officially ended but, my parents are in town from the west coast so I have a good excuse for being tardy. At any rate, we did actually drink this within the bounds of the summer season, and with Fall starting yesterday it was almost our last summer fling... Technically though, our true last summer fling was at Legal Seafoods on Long Wharf with a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

Willm Pinot Gris

Vintage: 2005
Appellation: Alsace
Alcohol: 13%
Aromas: Apple, pear
Flavors: Apple, violet, tangerine

Summary: Very apple/pear nose with nice round mouth feel of apple, yet crisp with mineral undertones and floral overtones. As the wine opens up, very distinct flavors of tangerine and zest come to the fore. This isn't a complicated wine but, it's a great white sipper. We paired it wish simple roasted chicken but it could just as easily be sipped on it's own as the perfect accompaniment to some barefoot backyard sprinkler supervision.

Cross Post, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sanderlings

This is a being posted simultaneously on SMU.


This is my home office space. That is my monitor and my wine. The other day, I came across a flock of Sanderlings feeding at low tide with the sun going down. This creates dramatic colors and an opportunity to get some great shots. In these lighting conditions, shutter speeds become slow and the depth of field become shallow. This makes for difficult shooting conditions, especially when working with active, twitchy birds. Such is wildlife photography.

The 50 Sanderlings were feeding and being “relatively” quiet. I couldn’t pass this up especially because they were quite content to allow me to approach them and with patience, I was able to get a working distance from 10 to 50 feet. But hand holding 300mm lenses, kneeling in the mud and getting down low, the best policy is to over shoot.

Taking pictures can be a joy, and I shot 100 or so knowing that the majority were going to be blurry because of the activity of the subject and the low light. That means hours of culling through pictures, sending them to the “cutting room floor”. Then deciding on the best of the best that are worthy of posting becomes a laborious task. A nice glass of wine will help.

Cabernet Sauvignon
Michel-Schlumberger
Sonoma County
Blended with Cabernet Franc and Merlot
Vintage: 2004
AVA: Dry Creek Valley
Alcohol: 14.4%

Color: Garnett
Intensity: Dark
Aromas: Cherry, plum, jam, raisin, violet, rose, mint, tar, allspice, anise
Flavors: Strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, cherry, currant, mineral, anise, allspice, coffee, chocolate.
Body: Full
Acidity: Moderate
Sweetness: Dry
Tannins: Suede
Finish: Long

Summary: This is a very highly extracted wine, very dark and rich. The wine is what you would expect from Dry Creek Valley, it is fruit forward, well balanced, very intense in its flavors. The finish goes into a very pleasant spiciness with mineral and earth on the mid finish then back to cherry and blueberry. There is a slight mint quality that shouldn’t surprise. What does surprise me is a lack of a eucalyptus component that is very common in the region. This isn’t a flaw, just an observation.

I think the Cabernet Franc and the Merlot bring a great deal to the table. The fragrant qualities of this wine stay right to the end of the glass.

I would have this with big foods. Pizza, roast beef, grilled mutton dishes, barbeque, grilled Portobello mushrooms or you can do as I’m doing, enjoying it while posting. Summer is about over here in New England. It is starting to cool off. I’m ready for a big wine again. Yah, I’m enjoying this.


Post Script: Just a few photos for the SMU post.

Taster B's photography.

This is a team wine blog. Most of my contribution has been in the area of photography. Photography is an integral part of our blogging style.

Recently, I’ve notice a lot less, “Honey, have you done the photo shoot yet?” from the office. It seems that Taster B has been taking her own shots. I’m very please with what she has been doing and that she has warmed up nicely to the Nikon D80. We just got in a second body and I was chastised for grabbing both cameras to do a recent shoot after work. (Ooops!, Taster A has to learn to share.)

In all seriousness, I want to take this opportunity to point out that Taster B shot the following:
Saucy Pouilly Fuisse
Mendoza Bonarda
Another Bodacious Bordeaux
Stop and Smell
Hugel - Twitter Taste Live

Saucy Pouilly-Fuisse

We tasted a 2006 Rijckaert Pouilly-Fuisse recently that provided a surprising twist. On the nose were of course, melon, wet stone, and a bit of butter and, there was something else there too...bacon?
But, it was in tasting this wine that expectations were turned on their heads: Béarnaise. Pure unadulterated Béarnaise sauce. So, what is Béarnaise? Well, it's a sauce comprised of eggs, tarragon, and vinegar. Perhaps, this wine exhibited a touch of lemon too which technically would be more of a Hollandaise. A very rich, and very meaty white wine, even for a Chardonnay. Not a fan of buttery chards? Well, I would suggest trying the Rijckaert Pouilly-Fuisse regardless just for this unique (and yummy) taste sensation.

Bianco Aldo Barbaresco

Had a little guilty indulgence with a 2004 Barbaresco last weekend. I wouldn't call it infanticide (it is drinking well already)...maybe more like watching a preteen beauty pageant. It would be okay let this one collect a nice layer of cellar dust before breaking it out again.

Bianco Aldo Barbaresco

Vintage/Vendemmia: 2004
Varietal: Organic Nebbiolo
Price: $39.99
Aromas: Smoked meat, sarsaparilla, marzipan, Turkish delight
Flavors: Strawberry, cherry, cola, licorice


Summary: Just a little bit of Eau du County Fair comes off the nose to kick off the parade of aromas. From there it runs the gamut from savory to sweet. Just as many flavors take turns jumping into the spotlight starting with the berry, and mild livestock, smoked meat, and spice. Nicely balanced acidity and tannins--and plenty of it. The Piedmont wine equivalent of a fluid stroll through a vivid street bazaar.