Mirrasou Wine, Mia Rosa, & Polenta Fries

As a blogger, I often get emails asking me to sample products or inviting me to restaurants for dinner. The implication of such offers is, of course, that I'll write something nice about it on my blog. While I have accepted a few free products to try (like Amano chocolate, Fig 'n Ginger Chutney, & Country Bob's sauce) and given away a couple free cookbooks, most of the time I turn down these invitations.

This summer, a fellow food blogger asked me what I wanted to "get out of blogging." I was confused by the question. I don't want to get anything. While some people nearly make a living out of pimping other people's products, that's not what I want my blog to be all about. Sure, I like free dinners, but I am simply not going to sing the praises of any chain restaurants or big corporate breweries.

However, when I received an invitation to attend a wine dinner with Mirassou Winery at Mia Rosa, a local Italian bistro, I jumped at it. Here was a chance for me to not only score a free dinner but to also give props to a local chef and a family-owned winery.

Mirassou Winery is owned by the country’s oldest winemaking family; they recently celebrated their 155th anniversary. To celebrate, David Mirassou (6th generation) visited six cities in the country where he hosted wine dinners for bloggers and media folks. As part of the tour, he also unveiled an online cookbook--Taste & Toast--featuring recipes from the restaurants that housed the wine dinners.

David told us an interesting story about the start of his family’s winery. In 1854, Pierre & Henrietta sailed to California from France with their prized grapevine cuttings. They were reprimanded by the ship’s captain for using too much water to keep the plants alive, so Pierre purchased all of the potatoes onboard and inserted the cuttings into pieces to keep them alive.

The wine dinner was held at Mia Rosa (4501 Manchester). The rustic Italian restaurant is manned by chef-owner Philip Noe (who also teaches cooking classes at Kitchen Conservatory). Chef Noe took time to prepare dishes that actually paired with the wines.

Our menu for the night consisted of six-courses with seven wines:

Aperitif
2008 Pinot Grigio

Roasted Garlic & Roma Tomato Flat Bread
2008 Sauvignon Blanc

Gorgonzola Polenta Fries (recipe below)
2007 Chardonnay

Smoked Scallop Carpaccio
Pinot Noir

Warm Beet Salad with Goat Cheese on Spinach
Merlot

Veal Medallions on Garlic Mash with Tarragon Broth
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon

Zeppole with Chocolate Sauce
2007 Riesling

The food was absolutely amazing and paired quite nicely with the wines. My favorite dish of the night was the smoked scallops..so tender & flavorful. Another favorite was the polenta fries. I could have eaten those all night! All in all, I was very happy with the food. I look forward to going back to Mia Rosa for dinner sometime soon.

As for the wines, I started out the night taking detailed tasting notes but after a few glasses (ok, SEVERAL glasses), I either neglected to write stuff down or my handwriting was too ineligible. Here’s what I do remember...

The sauvignon blanc was smoother and more “buttery” than the pinot grigio.

The chardonnay had a “cleaner” mouth feel than a typical chard, mainly from being partially fermented in stainless steel.

Then I wrote something that looks like a pound sign next to the word “merlot.” At least, I THINK that says merlot.

Sheesh.

Gorgonzola Polenta Fries

(photo courtesy of Mirrasou Winery)

Makes 8 servings

2 cups water
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
6 cups canola oil

• Bring water, cream, garlic, salt & pepper to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal.
• Cook over medium-low heat until the mixture begins to thicken, then stir in the cheese. Cook, stirring vigorously, for about 5 minutes more or until mixture is a thick as bread dough.
• Spread mixture 1/2-inch thick on a baking sheet & refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Cut into 1/2-inch strips resembling French fries.
• Heat oil to 325 degrees in a large, deep pan. Carefully cook fries in hot oil until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.
  

Charleville Winery & Microbrewery

There are perks to having friends in the restaurant/bar business. Last week, I was invited to go with Sara & Jesse Jones (from Amalgamated Brewing, owners of The Rotten Apple, The Stable, & Jake's Steaks) and Jerad (their beverage manager) to Charleville Winery & Microbrewery in St. Genevieve, Missouri. The Stable features Charleville's beers on tap, so the owners' son invited us to see their operation.

I'd never been to St. Genevieve, which is about an hour from St. Louis, before but I'd heard that there were good wineries down there.

We followed Mapquest's directions, which took us about 9 miles down a gravel road. We were all wondering where in the heck the place was, since there were no signs. Come to find out, there is a main road that leads you right to the winery.

The tasting room is set back in the hills, past their vineyards. It is absolutely gorgeous out there. It was also a beautiful, warm & sunny October day.

We got to taste their wines & beers. I liked the dry whites, the Chauvin & barrel fermented Chardonel, the best. I also liked their seasonal brew, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reinbeer...an amber ale with hints of peppermint!

Jack & Joal, the owners, made a delicious lunch for us. We ate on the porch of their bed & breakfast, an 1800's cabin next door to the tasting room, overlooking the grape vines and rolling hills.

Their son, Tait, then took us on a tour of the winery & brewery. We met the winemaker, Tony, who took us next door (in the back of a pick-up, through the vineyard, down the hill) to Chaumette Winery, where he is also the winemaker.

This is my favorite picture of the day!

It was such a great day! The food, beer, wine, and people were awesome. It really is such a gorgeous place that I didn't want to leave. We are already making plans to go back.

Fabulous photos by Sara Jones.

Caramelized Pineapple & Bleu Cheese Tartlettes

Once again, I participated in the They Go Really Well Together event. This month's ingredients were pineapple and bleu cheese.

When I emailed the Port Club members to entice them to make recipes with me again, Sam replied, "Just pineapple and just bleu cheese sounds good to me!"

While I thought of all the things I could do with those two foods (I seriously considered a souffle!), I decided that Sam was right...just pineapple and just bleu cheese would be perfect.

So, I put together a simple snack for us to enjoy with our wine: I filled phyllo tartlette shells (the kind you buy in the frozen foods section) with a slice of fresh pineapple and a crumble of gorgonzola. I zapped it with a brulee torch to slightly melt the cheese and caramelize the pineapple.

The fire added a pleasing smokiness to the acidic pineapple and the tangy bleu cheese.

Sharon played along and made a delicious bleu cheese cheesecake topped with pineapple pepper jelly to eat with crackers.

Pineapple and bleu cheese didn't seem like such an odd combination to me, since I've always liked sweet fruit and strong cheese together. I was more curious to find out what kind of wine goes best with this combination. Red wine or port is a classic pairing with bleu cheese, but I had no idea what went with pineapple. I did some research online and discovered that many people suggested a late-harvest riesling. I just happened to have one in my fridge (a Hogue 2006 Late Harvest White Riesling from Columbia Valley), so I took that with me.

All in all, I tried four varietals: a sparkling Bouvay, a late-harvest Riesling, a dry red (I forget which kind; we had several open that night!) and a ruby port.

I liked the Riesling the best, even though I am not typically a sweet-wine drinker. The port was good, also. I thought the Bouvay and red wine were both too acidic for the pineapple.

A Day In The Kitchen: Dessert

I've been really into the whole cooking/blogging community, reading several different blogs each week. Over the weekend, I came across Culinate's Death by Chocolate contest. And I thought, "What the hell, I'll give it a go!"

Here's the deal. By voting, you and I could BOTH win trips to Napa Valley! Cool, huh? You see, Culinate will send one reader AND one blogger to the Copia Center’s annual Death by Chocolate Festival.

You can vote for me by clicking the icon above (you will have to register first, so that you are entered into the contest, too!).

When thinking about what to make, I decided on a flourless cake because I'd never made a flourless cake before. While researching recipes & techniques, I decided that I wanted to add dry red wine to the batter because red wine is my favorite thing to pair with chocolate. The dry fruitiness of wine goes so well with the bitter sweetness of chocolate. I decided to top the cake with a sweet and savory ganache that I saw recently on Martha Stewart's website.

I also chose this recipe because--my god--the cake calls for 2 sticks of butter, a pound of chocolate, and 8 eggs while the ganache is made with 9 ounces of chocolate and a cup of heavy cream. If ever there was a "death by chocolate," this would be the cause!

So, without further adieu, here it is...

Flourless Chocolate & Red Wine Cake with Chocolate Rosemary Ganache.

For the cake, you'll need:

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped.
1/4 cup dry red wine (I used Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin).
8 large eggs.
1/4 cup sugar.
1 teaspoon vanilla.
1/2 teaspoon salt.

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Cover bottom & sides with foil and set in roasting pan.
  
• Combine chocolate, butter, & wine in a metal bowl over simmering water. Stir constantly until melted & smooth. Set aside.
• Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, & salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until frothy & doubled in size, about 5 minutes.
  
• Fold 1/3 of the chocolate into the egg mixture until combined. Repeat with another third, and then the final third.
• Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Add boiling water into the roasting pan to come 1/2 way up the springform.
  
• Bake until slightly risen & the edges are set, about 25-20 minutes.
• Remove from roasting pan & cool springform on wire rack.
• When cool, remove cake from springform.

For the ganache, you'll need:

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped.
1 cup heavy cream.
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary needles.

• Place chocolate in medium bowl.
• Warm cream & rosemary in a saucepan on low. Bring just to a boil, then strain over chocolate.
• Cover the bowl with foil for 5 minutes.
• Stir to melt.
• Pour over cake.

POSTSCRIPT: Be sure to chill the cake before serving, so that it firms up. I didn't do that originally, and the pieces were like pudding! However, it was delicious--rich, chocolately, with a hint of herby sweetness from the rosemary--when it was chilled!

Shopping, Science, a Sandwich, & Sustainability

My yesterday started with a trip to The Wine & Cheese Place in Clayton, where I bought some new beers to try (like a blueberry lager & a sparkling ale!), a French rose wine (2006 Commanderie de la Bargemone), some Prosciutto di Parma, and a wedge of L'Edel de Cleron cheese.


Then, I was off to the St. Louis Science Center to see the Body Worlds exhibit. I couldn't help but notice how the thin cross-section slices of brain tissue looked remarkably like the prosciutto that I had just purchased. I also kept thinking about how tasty some of the exhibits looked. Sick, I know. But I've had food on the brain a lot lately, and I guess I was in a weird Hannibal Lector sort of mood. Still, it's not hard to understand that our bodies are not physically that different from the animals that we eat. Muscle is meat, no matter the species. And--I just couldn't help it--those muscles reminded me of steak.


Ugh.

I wasn't very shocked by the bodies on display, but it was interesting to see the differences between healthy lungs and a smoker's lungs. The fetal development display was the most intriguing part, but I was disappointed to noticed that it was hidden behind a black curtain. I guess those conservative right-wing pro-lifers had that put up so as not to offend anyone. I am staunchly pro-choice, but if there's anything out there to make someone question the beginning of life, it's seeing how completely formed an 8-week old fetus is. Crazy. Amazing.


My next stop was lunch at Iron Barley, a place I've been wanting to try for a while. (Check out my review.) Though I was craving steak (go figure!), they were out of prime rib. So, I went with "7 greens" soup, a "peppered pork" sandwich, and "pear crunch blaster pie" for dessert.


Afterwards, I drove out to St. Charles to visit Benne's Best Meat, an organic farm where you can drive right up to purchase beef, pork, chicken, & eggs. I discovered this farm through the Slow Food St. Louis website, because I've been interested in finding places to buy fresh, local foods. I bought a 4 1/2 pound chicken, 2 pounds of bacon, and 2 dozen eggs. Jolene, the owner, greeted me outside as I pulled up. She didn't have enough eggs in the fridge, so I walked down to the barn with her to get some of the eggs she had collected that morning. They were still a bit warm when I brought them home. My total bill was about $30. Not cheap, but I'm going to see if it makes a difference in taste, especially with the chicken.


I had planned to roast the chicken for dinner last night, but it was frozen. Instead, I boiled a couple of the eggs, which had more orangey yolks than store-bought eggs, and ate them warm. I prefer a medium-boiled egg:

• Put the eggs in a small sauce pan. Don't stack them.
• Add enough cold water to cover them.
• Place on medium heat and bring to a rolling boil.
• COVER & REMOVE FROM HEAT.
• Let sit 8 minutes.
• Immediately drain and rinse with cold water.
• When they are cool enough to handle, peel under running water.
• Dab dry, slice open lengthwise, & sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.

The eggs did taste somewhat richer than store bought eggs. They are also much larger, barely fitting in the carton.


A few hours later, I made a platter of pinata apple, anjou pear, procuitto, the new cheese, aged gouda, dried figs, & rosemary crackers to enjoy with the rose wine...which was dry but light-bodied. I don't think I would drink it alone, but it went perfectly with the fruits and cheeses, particularly that L'Edel de Cleron. It is a creamy brie-like cheese with a rind thicker than brie. It is so soft that it is aged with a wood ring around the outer-rim to keep it from oozing. It is not as pungent as brie, but has an earthier taste.

This morning, I ate a fried egg with a few strips of the farm's bacon. It is thick bacon, so that it doesn't curl up when you cook it. It is also leaner than some grocery store varieties.

Are these foods worth the price and the drive? We'll see on Thursday when I roast that chicken!

Dinner Plans: Wine Braised Chicken with Garlic

The Beef Bourguignon I made earlier this week was my first braised dish. It's perfect for a cold winter evening, like we've been having around St. Louis. In fact, it's been in the single digits & teens for the past week. Frigid enough that my pipes froze last weekend. So, a steaming pot of fragrant & hearty slow-cooked stew was just the thing for a comforting, warming dinner.

It's cold again today. I've been huddled upstairs in bed with my laptop, because the first floor is chilly. Big, old houses tend to be a bit drafty in winter. But, the second floor is nice and toasty. So, I'm hibernating with my kitty and a pot of peppermint tea...planning some meals for next week.

I think another braised dish is in order, so I am going to make a recipe I found in Wineries & Bed and Breakfast Recipes of Illinois, a cookbook by David Alan Badger that we sell at the winery. This particular recipe was actually created by Bridget Kelly of the Kelly Twins.

This is my submission for the Think Spice event over at Sunita's World.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil
16 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 cups dry white wine (I'll use a chardonnay)
2 cups chicken stock
1 sprig thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 sprigs rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

Season chicken with salt & pepper. In an oven-proof skillet or large dutch oven, brown the pieces in olive oil, skin side down first. Remove.

Saute the garlic in the same pan until golden. Pour off oil. Add wine & bring to a boil. Lower the heat & simmer until reduced by half.

Add stock & herbs. Bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan. Place in the oven for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from the pan. Reduce the sauce left in the pan on the stovetop. Add cream.

Serve chicken over mashed potatoes or greens, with sauce poured on top.

Divvy up the garlic cloves with each serving. Or hoard them all for yourself. Mash them into the potatoes, smear them on crusty bread slices, or just savor them alone.

And try to stay warm.

Boeuf Bourguignon

I just finished reading Julia Child's autobiography My Life in France. I didn't think I would like it, because I kind of think she's annoying. I always wondered what the big deal was with Julia Child. However, now that I've read her book, I get it. She was one amazing woman!

What I find so inspiring about her is that she was 36 when she and her husband moved to Paris, where she learned to cook at the famed Cordon Bleu cooking school. After her graduation, she and two of her friends began teaching their own cooking classes. Together, they wrote Mastering The Art of French Cooking, the first publication in either French or English to feature classic French recipes.

I was inspired most by Julia's passion. She absolutely loved France and the food there. She was determined to create a masterpiece of a cookbook, testing each and every recipe diligently and lovingly.

My own passion for cooking borders on obsession. In fact, a friend recently pleaded with me to "please stop talking about food" and asked me if all I thought about was cooking. The answer is YES. When I go to sleep at night, I drift off thinking about recipes I could make. I read through cookbooks so fast the pages smoke.

Julia had a similar appetite for cooking and learning, which--along with unwavering support from her husband and friends--lead to a career of successful cookbookery, television shows, and a cult-like following.

So, in honor of Julia Child--and since I had a whole day off--I made Boeuf Bourguignon...which is Frenchy-speak for beef in red wine sauce (aka Beef Burgundy).

I learned from the Eggs Sardou disaster that it is essential to use fresh ingredients and to take the time to prepare them correctly. So, I took 2 days to cook this stew.

I started by making beef stock Sunday night...the easiest beef stock! I roasted four soup bones and a couple onions, carrots, & garlic cloves in the oven (at 350) with a little olive oil, salt & pepper for 30 minutes, turning the bones after 15 minutes. All of this then went into the crockpot with celery, peppercorns, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, salt, & enough water to almost cover everything. I set the crockpot on low and let it simmer overnight (at least 12 hours).

In the morning, I strained the stock (saving the tender beef for open-faced sandwiches later!) & let the stock sit so that the fat came to the top. I spooned off as much grease as I could before I used the stock.

Beef Bourguignon
(recipe adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris)

Why, you might be asking yourself, didn't she use Julia Child's recipe?Well, to be quite honest, her recipes are very dense and step-intensive. I did lots of research and decided that Ina's recipe is very close to Julia's original but seems to be a bit updated.

You'll need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 ounces good bacon, diced (I used Schnuck's brand thick-cut bacon, which is surprisingly delicious!)
• 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
• 1 (750-ml) bottle of good dry red wine, such as Burgundy (I used Smoking Loon Cabernet Sauvignon, not the Decoy as pictured)
• 2 1/2 cups beef stock
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 pound frozen small whole onions
• 1 pound white mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned (about 10 minutes). Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon.

Make sure the beef is dry, then sprinkle with salt & pepper. In single-layer batches, brown the meat on all sides in the hot bacon grease (about 5 minutes). Remove to a plate until all the bacon is seared.

Toss the carrots, sliced onions, 1 tablespoon salt, & 2 teaspoons pepper into the same pan and cook until the onions are lightly browned (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.

FIRE HAZARD NOTE: At this point, Ina says to add a 1/2 cup of Cognac or brandy, "stand back, and ignite with a match." I didn't want to buy an entire bottle of cognac for this--and I didn't think to get a couple airplane bottles--so I had planned to just skip this step. However, as I was cooking I wondered if this was a crucial step in the bourguignon process, and I worried about leaving it out. Since I didn't have either cognac or brandy, I decided to use bourbon. I turned off the flame, poured in the liquor, stood back, and lit a match. The fumes instantly ignited and shot up way passed the microwave over the stove. I screamed and tried to blow out the flames. Bad idea. They whooshed even higher! I finally had enough sense to put the lid on the pan. Whew! (I am guessing that bourbon has a higher alcohol content than cognac, which accounts for the scary flameage and awful burning stench.)

So, skip that part if you don't want to burn your house down.

Next, put the meat and bacon (with their juices) back into the pot. Add the wine (yep, the whole bottle) and beef stock (add more stock if needed to almost cover the meat). Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a boil, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and place in the oven for 1 1/4 hours (or until the meat and veggies are very tender when pierced with a fork). Remove from the oven & place on the stove.

Combine the flour with about 1 tablespoon of water to form a thin paste & stir it into the stew. Add the frozen onions.

In a medium skillet, saute the mushrooms in the butter for about 10 minutes. Add to stew.

Bring the stew to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Season to taste (I added a bit more salt, pepper, & thyme).

Serve with crusty French bread (a must!) or boiled potatoes (the classic accompaniment), and a glass of red wine. I also had a salad of baby greens, pears, walnuts, feta, lemon juice, balsamic syrup, & pepper with mine!

All in all, I think Julia (and Ina) would be proud.