Goan Fish Curry Paired with 2009 Delaplane Cellars LoCo Virginia Viognier and 2010 Swedenburg Estate Vineyard Virginia Riesling.

I have a long love affair with Indian food.  The amazing aromas, complex flavors, enticing textures, and beautiful colors make me all tingly inside - not unlike my first kiss with Joyce Klunder just 39 years ago.  And even better, Indian food is not difficult to prepare – except for the breads.

To date, I have conquered dhal pouri (see Curried Chicken and Potato Roti Paired with Chenin Blanc) and barra (see Trinidad Doubles, Cucumber Chutney, Trinidad Pepper Sauce Paired with 2010 Cupcake Vineyards Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc) but have not yet perfected naan.  My attempt at naan for this pairing was an admirable effort, but I am not yet satisfied.  I am fairly confident in the recipe, but have not perfected the baking part.

When I posted to Facebook about my pending attempt at this meal, good friend John Downey, mentioned that his lovely wife Ji had nailed the preparation by grilling the naan.  Once I get the grilling instructions from Ji, I will have a great excuse to prepare another Indian feast, and report back with my results. 

My next attempt at naan may be another shot at Goan fish curry.  Although our meal was excellent, and our dinner party was all smiles, the dish did not quite meet the memory of my favored experience of this dish.  A couple years back, I spent about a period working as a consultant in Abu Dhabi.  During my time there, we frequented a restaurant that in my opinion prepared the best Goan Curry…period.  Now, I am chasing.

In comparison, the recipe you will find here featured more spice and less sweetness than my memory of the wonderful Abu Dhabi Goan fish curry.  My next attempt will back off just slightly on the heat and substitute coconut milk for the water in the gravy.

As for the wine pairing, I decided to experiment with two distinct approaches to balancing the moderate heat of the curry.  I chose a Virginia Riesling intending to balance the piquance with sweetness, and a Virginia Viognier as a fruit forward approach to provide balance.  We were rewarded with two excellent pairings, but the dinner crowd nodded in agreement that the Riesling made the better pairing.

Our first wine was a 2009 Delaplane Cellars LoCo Virginia Viognier featuring aromas and flavors of apricot, peach and honeysuckle with a full rich mouth feel one would expect from a full bodied Chardonnay.  My pairing instincts were good – the fruit of the Viognier did a splendid job of balancing the heat of the curry.  The full body also did a fine job of standing up to the richness of the dish.  The only downfall of this pairing was the attenuation of the fruit flavors which faded quickly when faced with the boldness of the curry.  I would guess this wine will do much better with respect to allowing the fruit flavors to linger with the recipe modifications I mentioned earlier.

The second wine on our pairing list was the 2010 Swedenburg Estate Vineyard Virginia Riesling.  The principal characteristics of this wine that made for a successful pairing include prominent green apple flavors accompanied by a pleasant floral aroma, mild sweetness and well balanced acidity.  Unlike the Viognier, the sweetness and strong acidity led to a longer finish that lingered through each bite of the curry.  Without the sudden vanishing of flavor, we reached our unanimous agreement that the Riesling was the preferred pairing.

As a side note, in absence of the pairing, I preferred the Viognier.  The 2009 Delaplane Cellars LoCo Virginia Viognier is a wonderfully complex and rich wine featuring beautiful fruit flavors and well balanced acidity.  For my drier taste preference, the 2010 Swedenburg Estate Vineyard Virginia Riesling is too sweet – but exactly the reason it worked so well with the Goan fish curry.

Recipes

Goan Fish Curry

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fish cleaned and cut into 1 inch cubes.  Any firm white fish or tuna will work well.  I used Basa – an inexpensive Asian catfish.
• Pulp from two tamarind pods
• 2 medium onions diced
• 2 medium tomatoes diced
• 8 dried red chilies with stems removed
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh finely grated ginger
• 1 ½ cups grated coconut
• 2 tablespoons coriander powder
• 2 tablespoons cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon hot red chili powder
• 2 jalapeno peppers diced
• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 2 cups water
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Put the onion, tomato, coconut, ginger, garlic, jalapenos, dry red chillies, all the spices, tamarind pulp, and water into your food blender and blend until smooth.
2. Heat a large skillet on a medium heat, add ghee.
3. Add the blended mixture and heat for about 5 minutes.
4. Adjust seasoning (salt), reduce heat and simmer for another 10 minutes.
5. Add the fish and continue to simmer uncovered for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
6. Serve over basmati rice.

Naan

Ingredients

• 1 ½ teaspoons dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons ghee
• 3 tablespoons yoghurt

Preparation

1. Add the dry yeast and sugar to the warm water and stir till the yeast is dissolved. Set aside until the mixture begins to froth.
2. Add flour, salt, yeast mixture, 3 tablespoons of ghee and all the yogurt to a mixing bowl and knead with a dough hook (or you can do it manually).
3. Cover and allow to rest for about 90 minutes or until the dough doubles in volume.
4. Punch the dough down and knead again for 10 minutes.
5. Equally divide the dough and form 8 round balls.
6. Lightly flour a rolling surface  and roll out to 7 inch circles.
7. Preheat your oven 400 F.
8. Grease a sheet pan with the remaining ghee and cook the naan (three at a time) until the Naan begins to puff out and get lightly brown. Flip the Naan and repeat.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Christmas Dinner: Stuffed Pork Crown Roast Paired with 2009 Cono Sur Cochagua Valley Chile Viognier and 2009 The Immortal Zin Old Vine Lodi California Zinfandel

Every time we get in the car to visit our secret Potomac culinary lair, I always look forward to our customary stop at Nick’s of Calvert – our favorite butcher.  During the drive, Chef Sue and I usually chat about menu plans for the weekend with the intent of visiting Nick’s to provision.  This trip occurred just in advance of Christmas weekend, and I was thinking Goose a la A Christmas Carol. 

We arrived at Nick’s, and found our goose.  Unfortunately, the $58 price tag sent me reeling.  I would really like to cook a goose, but I’m not ready to empty my wallet to do so.  If you happen to know of a source in the DC area where I can find a goose at a better price, let me know.  After dumping the goose idea, we proceeded to graze through Nick’s for inspiration.  Minutes later we came across a beautiful pork crown roast and Christmas dinner began to take focus.

For the stuffing, I adapted a recipe for bobotie (a South African meatloaf type dish) that features plenty of fruit (pears, apples, raisins), curry, and a touch of heat from pepper flakes.  Each of these components contributed to my selection of a Viognier for the pairing.  The idea was to echo the fruit flavors with the hallmark intense fruit found in a Viognier.

The 2009 Cono Sur Cochagua Valley Chile Viognier deftly fulfilled my expectations with big floral aromas and intense flavors of apricot, peach, melon, and more subdued hints of spice and almond.  This wine features healthy acidity and a crisp finish.  I found this Viognier to be much brighter and crisper than the local Virginia and Maryland Viogniers I have been tasting lately which makes it a versatile pairing wine that would work very well with spicy meals such as Asian or Indian dishes.  At $12 this wine is a great value.

Of late, I have begun a routine of pairing two wines – one a complementary pairing such as the 2009 Cono Sur Cochagua Valley Chile Viognier, and a second intended to create balance through contrasting flavors.  Selecting a wine for contrasting balance is a tricky proposition, so the complementary wine is selected as the principal pairing, while the contrasting wine is more of an experiment.  In this case, I selected the 2009 The Immortal Zin Old Vine Lodi California Zinfandel as the contrasting wine.

Zinfandels, a full bodied wine, provide complex layers of flavor with dark fruits, spice, varying levels of acidity, high alcohol content, and a broad range of tannins.  My selection in this case was based on the intent to contrast the lighter fruit flavors of the stuffing with the dark fruit and spice from the Zinfandel.

The 2009 The Immortal Zin Old Vine Lodi California Zinfandel was a wonderful surprise pairing.  The subdued dark fruit and cherry aromas belie the bold cherry, strawberry and dark fruit and spice flavors.  This wine is velvety smooth in the mouth and has a pleasing long finish.  The pairing was spectacular, and was the favorite of our Christmas dinner crowd.  However, I am finding it difficult to describe why.  Here is my best attempt:  The 2009 The Immortal Zin Old Vine Lodi California Zinfandel was a pleasant contrast in fruit flavors adding a layer of dark fruit to the brighter fruit flavors in the stuffing.  I found the spice flavors of the Zin played nicely with the curry and red pepper flakes, and the smooth round mouth feel seemed to match the tender texture of the pork precisely.  At $14, this Zin is a great value and an enjoyable wine anytime.

To round out the meal, we had salt boiled baby red potatoes and pureed turnips.  While quite enjoyable, the pork crown roast was clearly the star of the day.  I hope you enjoyed your Christmas dinner as much as we did.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium diced onion
• 1 pound loose fennel sausage
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups bread broken into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 apple diced
• 2 pears diced
• 1 orange sectioned with membranes removed
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 large egg

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions in the hot oil until soft. Break the pork sausage into the skillet and cook until just browned. Do not cook through. Just before finished, add curry, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl.
3. Place the milk in a shallow dish. Soak the bread in the milk. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add to the bowl with the sausage and onions. Set the milk aside. Add the bread to the sausage mixture.
4. Stir in the raisins, pears and apples.
5. Place the pork crown roast in a roasting pan just larger than the crown. Pack the stuffing mixture into the center of the crown roast and in the open spaces at the base of the roast.
6. Whisk egg with leftover milk, and pour half the mixture over the stuffing in the center of the crown roast.
7. Cover the stuffing and the tips of the rib bones with foil then place the whole roast in the oven and bake for  2 hours or until an instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone registers 150 degrees F.
8. About 45 minutes before done, remove the foil covering leaving the small bone tip foil in place.
9. Remove crown roast from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before serving.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Fennel Sausage, Latke, Red Cabbage, Sautéed Apple, Onion and Fennel Paired with 2010 Horton Vineyards Orange County Virginia Viognier

Who says you have to stay with one culture or country for a meal?  What fun is that?  Today’s pairing combines fennel sausage (unused from a recent Italian inspired meal), latkes from our Jewish friends, and a German inspired red cabbage and sauté of apple, onion and fennel.  Our little UN dinner was lubricated by the USA – Orange County Virginia to be precise.  The 2010 Horton Vineyards Orange County Virginia Vioginier represented the U.S. well.

I can’t really explain how I came to this combination – it was a moment of clarity from the food muse…and we happened to have all the ingredients.  My muse hit the mark – the flavors were balanced, each had their moment in the spotlight, and the textures added interest.  The fennel echoed in the sausage by the sauté, adds a nice suble bitterness to the bright and sweet flavors of the apple, and the red cabbage.  To add acidity, I deglazed the sauté with a cup of fresh apple cider then covered and steamed the sausages to blend the flavors.

I took a twist on the latkes (potato pancakes) and substituted turnips for potatoes.  I loved the result.  Although I am a big fan of latkes in their traditional form, the turnips brought sweet earthy flavors not found in potatoes.  If you take just one thing away from this post, take the turnip latkes with a dollop of sour cream – I promise you will be glad you did.

Although we have contributions from several cultures, I saw this meal as being most influenced by Germany.  With this in mind, I decided to select a Riesling.  A semi-dry or dry Riesling would nicely echo the sweetness of the sauté and sausage and bring a welcome level of acidity to balance the combination.  However, when I made it to the wine section I became distracted by a small group of Virginia wines.  Soon I had talked myself out of the Riesling and into a Virginia Viognier.

Like Riesling, Viognier features floral aromas often supported by fruit.  Also like Riesling, Viogniers often have a touch of apparent sweetness invoked by the bright fruit flavors although the style is dry.  Riesling and Viognier diverge dramatically when it comes to acidity.  Viognier is a low acid fruit while Rieslings often feature strong acidity.  In other words, when pairing, a Viognier can often be a good substitute for a Riesling if the food does not demand high acidity from the wine.  In this case, I went with the Viognier.

As you would expect, the floral and tropical fruit aromas of the 2010 Horton Vineyards Orange County Virginia Viognier are bold and enticing.  This Viognier is a medium bodied wine with a lush, viscous mouth feel.  Following the joy of the initial aroma bomb, you are greeted with vivid tropical fruit flavors with hints of peach and melon.  While not as versatile a pairing wine due to low acidity, this Viognier is an exceptional and classic rendition of the variety with a ripeness and expressiveness normally found in wines costing five times the bargain price of $16.  

Recipes

Fennel Sausage with Sautéed Onion, Apple, and Fennel

Ingredients

• 6 links fennel sausage
• 2 Granny Smith Apples diced to 1/4 inch cubes
• 1 coarsely chopped onion
• 1 thinly sliced fennel bulb
• 1 cup apple cider
• Olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Remove and set aside.
2. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté onions.
3. Just as the onions begin to brown, add apple and fennel.  Sauté for 2 minutes.
4. Deglaze with 1 cup of apple cider – scrapping all the good flavor from the bottom of the skillet.
5. Add sausage back to the skillet with onions, fennel and apple.  Cover, reduce heat to medium, and keep on heat until the liquid is reduced by 1/2.
6. Season to taste.

Turnip Latkes

Ingredients

• 8 peeled turnips (think of the equivalent of 5 large russet potatoes)

• 1 medium onion

• 4 eggs

• 1/2 cup matzo meal

• Salt and pepper to taste
• Canola oil.

Preparation

1. Grate turnips and onion by hand or the grating blade of your food processor.
2. Place grated turnips and onion in a strainer to drain excess liquid.
3. Once drained, add to a bowl with 4 beaten eggs, matzo meal, salt and pepper.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with a coating of canola oil.
5. Spoon the mixture into the hot oil forming small pancakes.
6. Cook until underside is golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Flip and cook until other side is golden and cooked through, about 2 minutes more.
8. To use all the mixture, you will likely cook several batches. You will need to add oil on occasion.
9. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Deconstructed Crab Cake Sandwich and Suggested Wine Pairing

The crabs are in!  Last weekend was spent on the water in Southern Maryland and I am happy to report we (by we, I mean Chef Sue) caught crabs!  Last year was a dismal year for crabs, but this year is already shaping up to be a banner year.  With fresh catch in hand, I decided it was time to do something interesting with my little crustacean friends.

My inspiration for this recipe comes from my true amazement of the chefs I watch on television who take a common dish, deconstruct it, and build something new, refreshing, and creative.  For this recipe I started with the idea of a crab cake sandwich.  A crab cake sandwich is comprised of a bun, a crab cake, a slice of tomato, some lettuce, and tartar sauce.  My approach was to use garlic bread instead of the bun.  The tomato and lettuce says salad to me, so the crab cakes lie on a bed of salad, and I took artistic license and converted the tartar sauce to dressing for the salad.  The crab cakes remain unmodified with the exception of size and form – I decided to go with slider size crab cakes as a better proportion for their bed of salad.

I did not make my traditional wine pairing with this recipe, but rather just grabbed a bottle off the shelf.  I would recommend either a Chardonnay, refreshing Pino Grigio, or Viognier with this recipe.  The dressing already has plenty of acid, so the acidity of the wine is not a concern – the dish is pretty well balanced.  Due to time constraints I did not have the opportunity to photograph this dish.  I’m sure I will be preparing it again and promise to do some shooting and share with you.  In the mean time, some pre-crab cake subjects will have to do.

Recipe

Salad Ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh spinach (remove stems)
• 1 avocado diced
• 1 medium red onion diced
• 2 ears fresh sweet corn (buttered, seasoned, and grilled under the broiler or on the grill - until you get some color on the kernals). Once slightly charred, cut kernals from the cob.
• 1 pink grapefruit (skinned, yes even the inside membrane - cut into wedges then halve)
• Finely minced Parsley for garnish

Dressing Ingredients

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Honey
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Easy as making salad.
2. Because I used fresh spinach, a thorough wash was necessary followed by patting dry. Too much water and your salad won't be any fun. You could also substitute the fresh spinach with a half bag of baby spinach leaves.
3. Toss the salad ingredients.
4. Whisk the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad when plating.

Crab Cake

Ingredients

• 1 lb jumbo lump crab meat
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 bunch of finely diced green onions
• 1/2 of a small onion - diced
• 1/4 cup minced parsley
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 to two cups bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons of butter

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.
2. Add Old Bay seasoning, cayenne and add fresh ground pepper to taste and stir until mixture is well blended.
3. Add the green onions, diced onion, parsley and mayonnaise.
4. Role up your sleeves and use your hands to gently fold in the crab meat and breadcrumbs. This is a critical part of the operation with respect to the quantity of breadcrumbs. First, if you have some stale bread hanging around the kitchen, use it. The point is to avoid using pre-seasoned bread crumbs that might add unexpected flavors. The quantity is also important. You need to add enough bread crumbs to absorb much of the liquid leaving you with something that is easily formed into patties before heading to the skillet. On the other hand, you want to use as few bread crumbs as possible - the crab is the star, and breadcrumbs can dilute all that crabby goodness.
5. Divide the crab meat into golfball size balls - I used an ice cream scoop. The idea is to make something like crab sliders rather than full patties.
6. If you have enough time, it is best to cover with plastic and refrigerate for about an hour before cooking.
7. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and adjust heat to medium low. Sauté crab balls about 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. The heat is important. The idea is to keep it low enough to cook all the way through without overcooking the outside.  I listed 4 tablespoons of butter in the ingredients because due to the size of my skillet, I had to make two runs to sauté all the crab – in other words, 2 tablespoons for the first batch and then another 2 for the second batch.
8. While sautéing the crab balls, have your assistant prepare some garlic bread. I did this by cutting a baguette in half, lathering with butter and minced galic, then putting it under the broiler until toasted (thanks Chef Sue!).
9. Plate and dress the salad. Artistically place three crab balls on the salad and enjoy.

Curried Pumpkin Risotto with Chicken and Peas Paired with 2008 Cuvée De Peña Viognier

Photo Buddy John (John Andrew Downey II Photography) was in town this week so of course we decided to have some fun with a wine pairing.  And with John in the house, we had a guest photographer for this pairing.  While it is always fun to cook, pair, photograph, eat, and drink, it is a much easier endeavor when I can cook while John shoots.  This pairing presented a couple of interesting surprises, but not to worry, gastronomic joy was experienced by all.

The Food

I love curry.  If you take a minute to look through some of my past posts, you will find a bunch of pairings and recipes featuring curry – curried duck, roti, curried chicken, curried butternut squash soup and on, and on.  I offer no apologies – I love curry.  Throw in some coconut milk with all that curried goodness, and I get emotional.

Pumpkin risotto is a bold dish that combines sweet earthy flavors with rich, creamy textures and a coconut enhanced spicy lingering on the palate at the end of each bite. The pumpkin adds a heft to each morsel that takes this from being just another rice dish to becoming marque worthy.

This dish is another example of the curry smile that appears on my face when the sweet aromas begin to fill the house.  In addition to the holy marriage of curry and coconut milk, pumpkin (like butternut squash) introduces another flavor that marches comfortably in unison with the precision of a military parade.

The first surprise from this recipe was the way in which each component stood out as a distinct flavor.  Often, many components become lost in the combination like an oboe lost in an orchestra.  Clearly, the dominance of the curry was a feature flavor, but the cinnamon, cayenne, turmeric, chicken, pork belly, parmesan cheese, cilantro and coconut each had their moment in the spotlight.

This was my first attempt at risotto.  The risotto played the perfect role as the foundation on which all the luxurious flavors were built.  However, I have to admit that while certainly enjoyable, the risotto was slightly on the al dente side.  Live and learn.

The Wine

The wine for this meal came from my monthly purchase of a mixed case from Schneider’s of Capitol Hill.  Honestly, the pair was inspired by the wine.  I had the wine in the rack, and said “what would work will with this bottle of 2008 Cuvée De Peña Viognier?”

With a light sweetness and flavors of citrus and mango, I hoped this Viognier would stand up to the bold flavors of the curried pumpkin.  I will talk about the pairing in a moment, but on it’s own, the 2008 Cuvée De Peña Viognier was very pleasant and enjoyable.  At $10 – $12, this wine is a reasonable value and an easy drinking wine.

The Pairing

And now on to the second surprise – the pairing was not as successful as I had hoped.  Although we (Photography Buddy John, Chef Sue and I) all enjoyed the wine, it did not stand up to the intense flavors of the curried pumpkin dish.  The wine seemed to lose all flavor in the face of such a daunting opponent.  These strong flavors demand a wine that is equally bold in either sweetness, HUGE fruit, acidity or a combination of these three.  Of these components, high acidity is most important – fight power with power!  If I were to do it again (which I will!) I would look to a big fruit and high acidity Sauvignon Blanc.  As a side note, be careful of high alcohol wines which cause problems with the big spice of a curried dish such as this.

Final Words

This dish is a delightfully indulgent trip into big flavor.  I highly recommend it, and will be back for a better pairing soon.  Be careful and bold in your selection of wine with this recipe.  Finally, I can’t promise I will lay off the curry, but will do my best to offer you some new and exciting options in the near future.  With crabs now in season, I see some seafood in our future as well as a culinary trip to Venezuela.  Stand by for a few of my favorites.

The Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb cubed chicken breasts
• 6 oz smoked pork belly (cubed to 1/2 inch) - alternatively use country bacon, or just plain bacon - it's all bacon and oh so good.
• 6 oz. butter
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 quart of chicken stock
• 1 cup of water
• ¼ cup sherry
• 1 finely chopped shallot
• 15 oz. canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling – just plain puree)
• 1 1/2 cups risotto rice
• 1 bag of frozen peas
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated fine
• 2/3 can coconut milk
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh cilantro (garnish)

Preparation

1. In a sauté pan over a medium-low flame, render smoked pork belly until firm. About mid way through the rendering, add the cayenne pepper and season with salt. Increase the heat to medium, add the curry, and turmeric, and sauté the chicken with the pork belly and pepper mixture, until browned on all sides. Set aside.
2. Pour the chicken stock and one cup of water into a pot and bring to a simmer.
3. Whisk 10 oz. of your 15 oz can of pumpkin puree into the warm stock.
4. When you are ready to make the risotto, place a medium size pan over a medium heat. Add two ounces of butter.
5. Once the butter melts, add the shallots, a pinch of salt and allow the shallots to sweat.
   When the shallots have sweated and begun to turn translucent, add the rice and stir.
6. Increase heat to medium and continue to stir vigorously for two minutes but don't let the rice take on color or brown.
7. Add the sherry and stir it into the rice until it cooks off.
8. Return the flame to medium-low and add the last half (6 oz.) of pumpkin puree and the cinnamon. 
9. Stir to combine completely and add your first ladle full of stock. As the stock reduces and the mixture turns creamy, continue to add stock (one ladle at a time - about 12 minutes to incorporate) continuing to stir for a total of 18 minutes. I recommend you have a glass of wine at the ready - this is tedious.
10. At 18 minutes, add the peas, chicken, bacon, coconut milk, and 1/2 of the cheese, and stir in completely and taste on the minute until the rice is done. There are lots of variables here, so you have to use your judgment on when you feel the rice is done.
11. Season with salt to taste and plate with cilantro garnish and cheese.

Feedback on Shrimp and Grits Paired with 2009 Cuvaison Chardonnay

I really enjoy when I hear from you and your adventures in trying either the recipes, wine, or pairings from Craig’s Grape Adventure.  I would even love to hear about your recipes and pairings!  Just send them my way, and I will be glad to feature them here.

Just yesterday, my friend Jay made a full on run at the Shrimp and Grits (See Shrimp and Grits Paired with 2009 Cuvaison Chardonnay).  Jay, being a brilliant man, was preparing the shrimp and grits for his wife – a big fan of grits.



Jay was also kind enough to share some thoughts about his experience with the pairing.  Here are some paraphrased thoughts from Jay:


“I thought it was an excellent recipe, there were a variety of flavors going on in each bite. It's got some nice complex stuff there…and yet it is pretty easy to put together -  we are going to make it again (for guests next time). “


“It was interesting with the creaminess, the bacon flavor, countered against the more bitter tastes of the lemon juice and the parsley.  My dinner guests said they would like to cut back on the lemon juice by about half next time and see how that compares - though they did like it.”  


 


“As far a prep, I drained off about a 1/3 of the rendered bacon fat before I put the shrimp in and I think I would like to cut that even more next time.  I'd say I had about two tablespoons of grease in the pan after the bacon was done and I could have gotten by with quite a bit less which would have made the parsley/garlic/onion combo not get drowned out as much.”


“I had some Chardonnay with it and it was a decent match but I think I'd like to find one that had a little more butteriness than the one I had which was more fruit forward.” 

Jay’s comments are thoughtful and appreciated.  And I like the thought on the wine…a buttery Chardonnay would meld into a sensual slow dance with the creamy grits and the shrimp.  And I just recently found a wonderful value in a Chardonnay that would do just this – 2008 Sebastiani Chardonnay, Sonoma County.  This wine is a true delight with well balanced fruit flavors, moderate acidity which makes it a good food pairing choice, subtly present minerality and an understated oak profile.  A friend brought this wine to a recent event and I was hooked.  I quickly began my search and found this wine at Harris Teeter for an amazing $10.99.  This is a super value.

I have several pairings to write about, including one from just a couple days ago – Curried Pumpkin Risotto with Chicken and Peas Paired with 2008 Cuvée De Peña Viognier.  Wow!  Soooooo good.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Curried Duck with Ginger and Mango, Seared Duck Liver with Plum, Turnip Puree, Duck Gizzard and Heart Salad Paired with 2007 Mayo Viognier

This meal is all about making the most of the rest of the duck.  Recently I wrote about a duck breast pairing “Glazed Duck Breast Quinoa, Cipollini Onions, Black Trumpet Mushrooms Paired with 2006 ZD Carneros Pinot Noir.”  The pairing under consideration in this post is a result of the rest of the duck.  I had carcasses (including legs and thighs intact) and all the other bits and pieces so decided to use every quacking piece.

My results were mixed.  As I have always promised, I will share the good and the bad – even when the “bad” is my own doing.  So lets get on with the blow-by-blow.

The Food

With all the bits and pieces of duck, I decided on a three course meal.  To start, a salad of sautéed duck hearts and gizzards over mixed greens with a plum vinaigrette.  This was followed by seared duck liver over sliced plum and a plum caramel sauce.  And finally, curried duck with ginger and mango accompanied by a puree of turnips.

The salad was very tasty, but the texture was horrible.  I was not able to get the gizzards soft enough – no, they were just plain chewy.  So we pushed aside gizzards and enjoyed the hearts, greens and plum vinaigrette.  I will include the preparation instructions when I get it right.  If you can make gizzards sufficiently tender, you have a winner.

The seared liver was very nice, and the caramel plum sauce and bed of sliced plums added a bit of sweet contrast with the plum flavors swimming in unison with the seared liver.  Unfortunately, you will have to take my word for it; Chef Sue is not a fan of liver and politely declined my offering.

The curried duck with ginger and mango was really all I needed.  The rest of the meal was just taking up space.  This was seriously good, and perfect use of the unused duck.  The dominant flavors came from the mildly gamey duck, curry spices, coconut milk, slight hints of ginger, and sweet fruity mango.  Surprisingly, the flavors were well balanced.

Finally, the turnips.  Just stinking awful.  I have prepared turnips plenty of times.  These were fibrous and nearly inedible.  This was a real disappointment because I enjoy turnips.  I can’t say for certain, but I believe it was the turnip and not the cook.  But in the end, I was enjoying the duck and the wine sufficiently to completely forget about the turnip abomination (as a matter of fact, I almost forgot to write about it).

The Wine

The 2007 Mayo Family Winery Russian River Valley, Saralee’s Vineyard Viognier comes from our membership in the Mayo Family Winery wine club – a recent delivery.

I found the description on the back label of the bottle entertaining, and I thought you might enjoy it as well.

“Consider this wine a real showoff…with a secret.  It’s the aroma that makes the statement.  The wine is explosive and exotic.  Perfumed aromas of honeysuckle, ripe apricot and sweet summer peaches will knock your socks off as this is not a typical, cloying Viognier with a simple sweet greeting.  Once on your palate, you’ll love its fresh, crisp structure not usually found in Russian River Valley Viognier.  Balanced on its well-structured frame is an array of peach, lemony and floral flavors that finish forever.”

I may not be quite as energetic as this description, but I honestly cannot disagree with it – this is a wonderfully intense wine that leaves you with thoughts of “wow, where did that come from?”  The parts that stood out for me were certainly the apricot and peach aromas, a well balanced sweetness, nice crisp acidity, and the peach flavor taking center stage.  This is a great wine for food.  The sweetness, acidity and pleasing peach – apricot flavors will stand up to demanding and highly spiced foods such as Indian and Thai.  At $35, this is a fairly priced wine.

The Pairing

This was a roll your eyes back in the head palate dislocating intense experience.  No kidding.  Forget about the salad (tasty, but lets just give it an honorable mention).  Forget about the seared duck liver with plum caramel sauce (super tasty and the sweetness melded perfectly with the wine) - just a warm-up band for the main event.  The curried duck came out of its corner punching with big flavors of duck, coconut, and curry supported by a ring crew of sweet ginger and mango.  This is a heavy weight contender.  They Mayo Viognier is no light weight and returned the punches with matched intensity.  Oddly, after the first punches were thrown, they both decided to dance and sing rather than fight.  The fruits fused.  The sweet notes sang in harmony, and the acidity of the wine balanced the spice of the curry. 

Final Words

This was a prize fight match contrived by Don King, fought by the iconic heavyweights, and concluded with a Broadway musical.  This was not my plan, but I liked it!

Recipes

Plum Seared Duck Liver

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 sliced plums
• 3 duck livers

Preparation

Over medium heat add butter and sugar to a sauté pan and heat until caramel forms. Add basalmic vinegar and plums. Cook until beginning to thicken. Remove from heat and leave at the ready for plating with the duck liver.

Heat pan over high heat, and add livers seasoned with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Place plums on plates, top with seared liver and drizzle caramel around plate.

Curried Duck with Ginger and Mango

Ingredients

• Six legs and thighs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 large mango cubed
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• Garnish with Fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Season duck legs and thighs with salt and pepper.

2. After taking the breasts off your ducks and using them in another recipe (see Glazed Duck Breast Quinoa, Cipollini Onions, Black Trumpet Mushrooms Paired with 2006 ZD Carneros Pinot Noir) season the balance of the duck with salt and pepper and place in a roasting pan and into a preheated oven (350).  Remove from oven when internal temp reaches 160.  Alternatively, oil a sauté pan over high heat, add duck and brown on both sides.  Either way, the legs and thighs need to end up in the sauté pan.

3. Blend one onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, vinegar, cayenne, turmeric, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water in a blender until smooth.

4. Add one onion and a large pinch of salt to the sauté pan with the duck drippings on medium heat . Sauté until soft. Add the product of your blender sidetrack and cook for two minutes.

5. Add coconut milk and 2 cups water, and bring to a simmer. Add mango, brown sugar, and duck. Bring to a boil, cover and turn heat to low and simmer for one hour turning the duck every 15 minutes. Turn duck again, and let simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

6. Plate with fresh cilantro as garnish and serve.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Duck Three Ways with Mayo Viognier

Last minute invite…I am doing duck three ways tonight, and if you have a good bottle of wine, come on over and we can all share.  Tonight’s duck is “the rest of the duck” from a wine pairing we did earlier in the week – that pairing only used the breasts.  So I have three ducks in the oven rendering down some great duck fat (every freezer should have equal parts ice cream and duck fat). I will be making an adaptation of plum foie gras, the hearts and gizzards will be sautéed and featured in a micro green salad with vinaigrette, and the legs and thighs will become curried duck with mango and plum.

The remaining bits and pieces (bones and neck) will be turned into stock.  In the end, my goal is to use every possible morsel of these brave ducks.

I’m posting this at just after 5pm on Friday, 1 April.  You have about two hours before the tasting begins.  Photos and the full blow by blow should be posted next week.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig