redacted recipes

Scapes and 'shrooms

So, in an attempt to do my bit for the resistance against the intimidating onslaught of our CSA veggie bounty, I decided it should fall upon me to do something with the garlic scapes. I'd never even heard of garlic scapes until recently so I hadn't the first idea what to do with them. They looked a bit like spring onions that had been attacked by a crazed, curling-tong-wielding, veg-hating hairdresser. Thrusting that rather disturbing thought forcefully aside I did a bit of googling and came up with a very promising-sounding pasta dish - an adaptation of a recipe by Chef Dante Boccuzzi of Aureole, right here in New York. I made a few very minor adjustments to the recipe: obviously I scaled it down for two people rather than four, used about a half tablespoon of truffle oil (thanks Pasticerra!) instead of the truffle butter and I used a little more stock than Mr. Boccuzzi recommends. I also used crimini mushrooms (because that's what we had), and ziti instead of orzo. Other than that, I didn't mess with what turned out to be sheer pasta perfection.

Garlic Scape and Mushroom Pasta
serves 2

1 medium onion, diced
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
6 ounces chicken stock
1/2 pound pasta (orecchietti or similar)
About 6 oz assorted mushrooms
3 garlic scapes (trim off the 'flower' at the end and chop the remainder into half-inch pieces)
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp heavy cream, whisked until slightly thickened
1/2 tbsp truffle oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus shavings
A slack handful of arugula

Over low heat, gently cook the onion in half of the olive oil, until it's tender. Season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, heat the stock in another pan. Add the pasta to the onions and mix thoroughly. Gradually add the stock to the pasta, cover and cook at a low simmer, Stir fairly frequently to make sure it cooks evenly. It takes about 15-20 minutes, but check it to be sure.

In a large skillet heat the remaining olive oil and sear the mushrooms and garlic scapes until golden brown. Add the butter and keep stirring until it browns a bit, then strain the mushrooms and scapes; set aside and keep warm.

Drizzle the truffle oil over the pasta, add the grated parmesan and the arugula. Give it a stir until the arugula just starts to wilt. Stir in the cream just before serving. Serve the pasta and top with the mushroom and scapes. Garnish with a few shavings of parmesan.

This method of cooking the pasta (absorption) was new to me. It involves using much less liquid than the old immerse-in-water-and-boil routine. The idea is to simmer slowly and let the flavours of the stock and other ingredients infuse the pasta. I have to say, it works. I gave the pasta almost twenty minutes, stirred it often, and it was not only beautifully al dente but also much tastier than pasta cooked in the normal way. As for those scapes, what a delightfully subtle flavour! The texture was somewhat like a more yielding asparagus but the taste... just a hint of garlic and a very slight saltiness which combined really well with the earthy mushrooms, the bitter arugula, the onion and the salty parmesan. And then the smooth (but not cloying) mouth feel provided by the butter, oil and cream made the whole effect a smooth, savoury joy.  Ann and I both agreed this dish was a major hit, and we shall be doing it for as long as the CSA keep giving us these delicious, curly little stalks of delight.

The Urban Winery: Bridge Vineyards Tasting Room

During our recent Studiofeast experience Ed, one of the helpers at the event, tipped us off about the Bridge Vineyards Tasting Room, a fairly new place located at 20 Broadway, Williamsburg, down by the East River and the Williamsburg bridge. Bridge Vineyards specialises in wines from New York State, especially Long Island, and the tasting room offers a choice of "flights" or individual tastings, plus a small but scrumptious selection of savoury "food pairings".  On Saturday we decided this would be a lovely way to start our evening so we strolled over there and took a seat at the bar in the small but stylish establishment.

We elected to try a flight, rather than a "tasting" (which at this place is actually a single glass of wine, of your own choice), opting for the Reserve Flight. From left to right we were served a Lenz 2002 Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon,  a Bridge 2001 Reserve Merlot and a Wiemer 2006 Dry Riesling. We're not generally big fans of white wine but we were particularly taken with the Riesling, which was bright and fresh with hints of citrus and apple yet which - in common with many of the better New World Rieslings - avoided excessive, cloying sweetness. Greg, the co-owner, was so pleased by this that he poured us a taste of another white-- a Lenz 2006 Gewurtztraminer which had a palate-pleasing pétillance and a fruity lightness that blew away dark memories of the often excessively heavy and sugary Gerwurtzes one tended to find in less enlightened times.

The reds were nice too; both having what proved to be a rather characteristic "stony" undertone to them. The Cabernet Sauvignon in particular had a somewhat unorthodox balance of flavour notes: along with some fairly typical touches of cherry and redcurrant I thought I detected the slightest hint of something almost medicinal... but in a good way!

To accompany the flight we ordered the crostini which were beautifully composed - both visually and in choice of ingredients. The tomato and pesto (left) was a welcome preview of warm weather (local hydroponically grown tomatoes make a difference in winter!) while the Gorgonzola with rosemary honey on cranberry pecan bread (middle) made our mouths sing. The roasted pepper, capers and pine nuts sitting on creamy Hudson Valley fromage blanc (right) was perhaps our favorite, pairing beautifully with all three wines.

Our second flight (best of New York reds) consisted of (from left to right again) a Milbrook 2006 Pinot Noir, a Broadfields 2002 Estate Merlot and a Sheldrake 2005 Estate Cabernet Franc. The Pinot Noir was a shock: it was a rosé but quite unlike any we'd ever tried. I seriously doubt we'd have identified it as such in a blind tasting. It had almost none of the traditional rosé sweetness and fruitiness; it was rather more full-bodied than a typical rosé and the taste was subtle, stony (again) and even somewhat earthy. A very interesting and unusual wine. The Cabernet Franc was a pleasant enough example of the breed with hints of herbs and grass over the baseline of understated fruit, but it was the Merlot which really blew us away. This was a big, full wine with plenty of dark fruit and just enough spice and earthiness to make a really well-balanced mouthful. We bought a bottle to go. 

The cheeses were all local to New York State with the sheep and cow's milk camenbert coming from Chatham Sheepherders Company, and the Ouray (earthy and buttery and made of unpasteurized cows milk) and Eden (firm nutty washed-rind cows milk) both coming from Sprout Creek Farm.

As we prepared to leave the cook gave us a bowl of roasted rosemary potatoes with a citrus aioli for dipping. Suffice to say that we shall be ordering one of those next time we visit, which will be soon. The Bridge Urban Winery is a very welcome addition to our neighbourhood.

Tasting Note Transcriptions

We'd been saying we should do it for years, but somehow never got around to actually keeping tasting notes. After returning from our 2006 visit to California wine country, we organized the rather large number of bottles we'd shipped back and then resolved to document our responses as we worked through them and the wines we buy locally.

Our not too scientific method includes stars next to the ones we'd buy again, ranging from one to three. Here then are some of the must-buy-again highlights tasted last year:.

**Fritz 2003 Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

Opened September, 2006: Our notes start off with the observation, "drank better than remembered!" I do recall the day we tasted and then bought the wine-- it was hot and Fritz was the last stop in a long day of multiple tastings. I think both of us were suffering from weary palates, as we simply did not remember the wine tasting so damned good. Our notes go on to say, "beautiful deep purple-red with a scent of plums, vanilla custard, allspice and spirits. Plummy and spicey in the mouth with a long dry finish."

**Dutch Henry 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Opened September, 2006: On this one our note begins with "Fan-fucking-tastic!" Again, we remembered really liking it in the tasting room, but did not remember being quite so impressed as we were two months later at our table. We also noted a "caramel nose, and the taste of sweat and old world." (Whatever that means!) We noted that it balances acidity with smoothness, was great with Jack's Chorizo and Goat's Cheese Pasta, and that we'd be sure to buy more.

**Barrel 27 2004 Appellation Paso Robles Syrah

First my considered memory and then the rather incoherent notes (hey, we were into a second bottle!): Jack picked this up on impulse, and it's a terrific bargain. It's a very dark purple with great legs. The nose is full of berries and plum, very aromatic. The taste is full of fruit, but also spicey.

Opened October, 2006: "Dark fruit and leather on the nose with a hint of spice and pepper. Taste is smooth, full-bodied blackberries and plums (Ann detects violets). Tiniest tingle on the tongue. Like the ghost of petillance."

Opened December, 2006: "Upon further reflection and drinking should add that this wine is suave and sophisticated but not shallow. Must buy more."

**Benziger 2003 Stone Farm Syrah

Opened November, 2006: "Leathery, spicey nose with notes of earthy fruit. First taste is smooth and soft and floods the mouth with leather and pepper, with the initial impression on the front of the tongue and an earthy aftertaste in the back of the throat. Makes my mouth get wet. Must. Buy. More."

*/**St. Francis 2003 Petite Syrah

*Opened November, 2006: "Needs to breath. Nose of spirits and alcohol with the barest hint of leather. Tastes of violets! Acidic tingle on the tongue. Medium body. Both  nose and mouth evolve as the wine breathes and becomes more complex and layered."

**Opened May 2007: "So much better this time around! Darker fruit and more pronounced leather. Less floral and much darker fruit. Long finish, still some tingle on the tongue. Bloody lovely!"

Ramsay at The London (follow-up)

I received an email from Shawn Paul, Chef Sommelier at The London, detailing his tasting menu pairings. They're mostly described, if not identified, in Jacks review of our evening:

Riesling ~ Kabinett, St.Urbans-Hof, Mosel, Germany 2006

Pinot Blanc ~ Les Pierres Chaudes, Julien Meyer, Nothalten, France 2005

Domaine La Croix Belle, Nº 7, Côtes de Thongue, France 2005

Malbec ~ Crios, Susana Balbo, Mendoza Argentina 2006

Grenache/Mourvèdre~ Vacqueyras, Domaine La Garrigue, France 2004

Cockburn's 20 Year Tawny Port, Portugal

Pedro Ximenez Sherry  ‘Solera 1927’ Alvear, Spain

Mr. Paul closed his email with the wish that they see us again soon. We will be happy to oblige.

Seavey Merlot 2004

Okay, I tend not to buy Merlot very often. Not because of "Sideways," but because I got genuinely tired of it in the 90s. That aside, I can't say that I don't like it. A good Merlot is a damned fine wine--dry, rich in flavor and smooth as it finishes in your throat.

One of the wineries we visited last August was Seavey. Though they are better known for their Cabernet Sauvignon, we bought a couple bottles of the Merlot. Since then we'd see it mixed in with the other bottles and wonder why we'd bought it... we're bad about taking notes on these things.

We spent the weekend in Vermont visiting my daughter at Bennington. Emotionally it was a lovely weekend-- Nora has changed a lot in the last six weeks. She is so much more confident. So clearly happy to be where she is. Gustatorily it was a bit blah... college food being provided. By the time we got ourselves onto the car for the drive home I was day-dreaming about real food. Bacon-wrapped scallops insinuated themselves into my head. The urge was strong enough to make a stop at the grocery store to buy the fixings.

While I was prepping them I asked Jack to open a bottle of something red and soft. And that is the thing about a good Merlot. It's soft. It isn't forceful. It's compatible.

I served, and we alternated between sips of wine and juggling piping hot bacon-wrapped scallops. The enticing nose of mulberry, coffee and mocha and the taste of plum, black cherry and cedar played off the saltiness of the bacon and the sweet nuttiness of the scallops to perfection.

Yum.

(Oh, and I am pleased to say that I got the texture and done-ness of the scallops exactly right. The secret there is in partially pre-cooking the bacon.)

Bacon-wrapped Scallops

Buy some sea scallops.

Partially cook half as many slices of bacon as you have scallops (so if you have 20 scallops, you need 10 slices of bacon).

Cut each partially cooked (should be flexible and no where near crispy) slice of bacon in half.

Wrap each scallop in a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. The bacon should overlap a little-- if the scallops are too big, you can cut them in half (you'll need to prep more bacon).

Broil the bacon-wrapped scallops, turning once, until the bacon is crisy and the scallops are opaque.

Grape Expectorations

[Originally written in August 2006]

Call that title punetic licence or something. Of course we didn’t spit; we swallowed, like the oenophilic sluts we are. We love wine far too much to squander the lovely stuff on the spittoon so it was case of small sips for the designated driver and sucking down every last drop for the lucky passenger.  I’m talking about our recent trip to California wine country.

I like California. The weather in summer manages to be warm, but not too warm. It’s sunny, but not oppressively humid. There’s often a cooling breeze. The beaches are long, open and strewn with patterned pebbles, shattered crabs, surf-smoothed jetsam, and tangled clots of marine plant life that look like a nightmare conglomeration of overcooked lasagne verde and slimy alien birthing pods. It reminds me of parts of the British coast and yet it’s also so different that I never feel at home. The waves swell and heave more impressively. The hills stretch back higher and further. Little terns or petrels or - hell, I don’t know what sort of birds they were - pick frantically at the slick, wet sand exposed by the receding foam and wait until the last second before trotting comically away from the next incoming wave. Gulls wheel and squeal and bully. There are surfers, and they chase away the OC and bring the Beach Boys back.

On the first day we headed south from San Francisco, down to Bonny Doon Vineyard. We made a special detour here because this is the place that initially persuaded me that my previously dismissive attitude to Californian wine needed a serious rethink. About a year ago we visited some friends who insisted we try a bottle of Bonny Doon’s 2002 Cigare Volant. I was sceptical. I am an old-world wine snob. For me, it doesn’t get any better than a damned good Bordeaux or a big, sweaty Rioja. I like the earthiness of old-world reds; the complexity of them. I like that they are not overly laden with sweet fruit and jamminess and all those sickly top-notes which so often swamp new world wines; especially Aussie and Californian ones. Too much fruit flavour in a wine is like too much of any good thing: too much. French wines are subtle and difficult and sleazy and dark and polluted. Californian wines used to strike me as being like candy and gum and Coke and Barbie dolls as opposed to dark chocolate and spices and brandy and sex. And then I tried the 02 Cigare and experienced the revelation of a new breed of Californian wine.

The guy who runs Bonny Doon is an enthusiast and an amiable nut. He has wines called “Big House Red” and “Cardinal Zin” and “Domaine des Blageurs” and (my favourite) “Heart of Darkness”. Some of the labels feature Gerald Scarfe drawings – how cool is that? He is clearly a lover of French wine and the French way of making it, and yet he doesn’t try to slavishly replicate Cotes Du Rhone, Claret and Burgundy. He takes an old-world approach to winemaking and applies it to California grapes and California methods. The results are an absolute bastard crossbreed joy. You get the best of both worlds. You get toppiness and big fruit but undercut with leather and tobacco and pepper. The best Bonny Doon wines are explosive on the palate and leave a lingering afterglow in the mouth. With the hindsight offered by our trip I can say that while they may not be the “best” wines in California, for my taste they’re some of the most inspired, surprising, experimental and original. And the folk in the tasting room are so nice,  so enthusiastic, and so keen for you to enjoy their wines it’s really quite touching. None of the rote litany of method and grape combination and vintage comparison you find at so many better-known wineries, just “Woah, you HAVE to try the 03, dude. On a scale of one to damned good it’s… damned good!”

Bogle Phantom 2002

There is a word missing. I know what it means. I swear I once knew what it was, but I can't remember it. The word means risky, teetering on the brink, slightly corrupted, nearly in decay, almost over-ripe... but at the top of the game.

These are positive attributes. You find them in cheese. In certain scents. In music, too (think of David Bowie covering Wild is the Wind on his Station to Station LP... you're sure he's going to go over the top into the absurd, but he never does... he just balances in that tension). You find these attributes in the sensual.

You find these attributes in wine. You find them in Bogle Phantom 2002. Phantom is a dark blend of zin, syrah and mourvedre-- surprisingly light on the latter. Open it well before you're ready to taste it-- it improves with air and time.

Stick your nose into the glass and smell the forest... smell a hint of melon, a little caramelized blackberry... and something unknown and unnamed that grows in the dark mulch under a fallen tree.

Taste it. It's dark, it's brooding, it's dangerous and it's suave as hell. Start with concentrated and intense blackberries, and move on to pepper, smoke, tar, and caramel. Run your tongue around your mouth and taste the finish-- spice, tobacco and (strangely) a meaty flavor.

There is a word missing. I know what it means. I swear I once knew what it was, but I can't remember it. The word means risky, teetering on the brink, slightly corrupted, nearly in decay, almost over-ripe... but at the top of the game.

Or maybe the word never existed.