This weekend I discovered Raclette. Raclette is a mild cheese from Switzerland, but it's also a style of dining, similar to fondue. In fondue, you either use oil broth as a cooking medium, or you melt cheese and wine together and dip fresh veggies and such into the mix.
For Raclette, you use a grill to get the meats and veggies toasty warm and golden,and a broiler to melt your cheese. You pour the unadulterated, melty cheese over everything, and drink wine with the meal.
It was love at first bite.
I think that nothing will quite replace fondue in my heart, but this method comes close. It has a few advantages over fondue, in fact. One, it's easier for a large number of people to cook their stuff. Just put it on the grill and turn it, no entangled fondue forks. Two, it's great for vegans or meat-eaters. The cheese is optional and you cook it yourself, so someone who doesn't eat cheese can still participate. Three, the meat (usually smoked sausage and hams) and veggies are all pre-cooked, so you're just warming it up, so there's much less of a concern about food safety. Four, you choose whatever wine you want to drink, and aren't forced into having a certain wine because that's the wine in the fondue.
Also, it's more summery than fondue, what with the grilling and all, and can be adapted to a variety of textures and flavors.
There are, of course, specialized Raclette grills and utensils and suchlike, but it wouldn't be too hard to adapt a barbecue grill for the same purpose.
For further research, check out Raclette grills at Amazon, and some traditional and non-traditional Raclette recipes.
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Monday, May 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Ugly name, culinary magic
I got some great compliments for my potted cheese dip that I made for the Elite 8 game last Sunday. Both the flavor of the dip—kinda a winey, feta-heavy cold fondue flavor—and my improv culinary skills in making the dip were praised.
Thing is, this dip was one of the easiest things I’ve ever made. I took some leftover cheese, a bit of some type of onion, threw it in a food processor, and added wine until it was the consistency I wanted.
I felt a little bit guilty taking all the praise for a recipe that is specifically designed to be refrigerator Velcro. But hey, I’ll take the credit.
And now, so can you.
Potted cheese
1 pound of leftover cheese (I used half feta, and half milder, other cheeses)
¼ cup of something oniony (onion, shallot, garlic, chives, or a combination)
½ - 1 cup of wine (I used red, red wine)
Couple tablespoons of herbs (something strong like thyme or oregano)
Pinch of cayenne pepper (for luck)
Salt and pepper to taste
Shred/crumble cheese. Place all ingredients in food processor. Blend, then add red wine in a thin stream, a little at a time, until it comes together and gets smooth. Taste, add more salt and pepper as needed. Put into nice serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 2 days, before serving.
Thing is, this dip was one of the easiest things I’ve ever made. I took some leftover cheese, a bit of some type of onion, threw it in a food processor, and added wine until it was the consistency I wanted.
I felt a little bit guilty taking all the praise for a recipe that is specifically designed to be refrigerator Velcro. But hey, I’ll take the credit.
And now, so can you.
Potted cheese
1 pound of leftover cheese (I used half feta, and half milder, other cheeses)
¼ cup of something oniony (onion, shallot, garlic, chives, or a combination)
½ - 1 cup of wine (I used red, red wine)
Couple tablespoons of herbs (something strong like thyme or oregano)
Pinch of cayenne pepper (for luck)
Salt and pepper to taste
Shred/crumble cheese. Place all ingredients in food processor. Blend, then add red wine in a thin stream, a little at a time, until it comes together and gets smooth. Taste, add more salt and pepper as needed. Put into nice serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 2 days, before serving.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Sanguine Sangria
Zoë: You sanguine about the kinda reception we're apt to receive on an Alliance ship, Captain?
Mal: Absolutely. What's "sanguine" mean?
Zoë: Sanguine. Hopeful. Plus, point of interest, it also means "bloody".
Mal: Well, that pretty much covers all the options, don't it?
Mal and Zoe, "Safe" (Firefly, 2002)
Point of interest, Sangria also means "bloody."
But my good friend cannot drink red wine, the poor girl. Something to do with the flavonoids. But she can drink white wine just fine. So I whipped up two batches of Sangria today.
The infamous "blue" (purple, really) sangria has been banned for life.
There's really no recipe for Sangria--it's just wine, fruit, a proportion of hard liquor, and, if you want, a touch of club soda to lighten things up a bit.
Here's a few tips on how to make your own signature sangria without fuss.
* The sweeter the starting wine, the sweeter the sangria will be. The fruit that you add does not make the drink any more sugary, but it does give fruity flavor.
* Use a good wine, but not a great wine. By good wine, I mean a wine you like and enjoy drinking by itself. Don't go for the bottom of the jug wine just because you're going to add stuff to it.
* Always add some citrus. My ratio is one orange and a half a lemon per bottle of wine.
* Limes and grapefruits are bad, mmkay? Limes and grapefruits have skin that is very bitter-much more bitter than oranges and lemons-and will impart a bitter flavor to your sangria.
* Color-code the fruit to the wine. If you're doing white sangria, add white fruits, like peaches, pineapple, mango. For red sangria, use red fruits, like strawberries, cherries or mixed berries.
* Frozen fruit is fine, in fact it's ideal. Frozen fruit will act like flavorful ice cubes, helping to keep your sangria refreshingly cool before the sun sets.
* Brandy, orange, and rum are good, but pick one. Stick with liquors that will add complimentary flavors to the sangria. Orange liquors are especially good, like curacao or triple sec. I add about 1/2 to 1 cup of liquor per bottle of wine
* Add club soda, to taste, before serving. The club soda will add a touch of dryness, a touch of sparkle, and will lighten up your drink. If you don't do this, you run the risk of getting real drunk, real quick. If that's your aim, more power to you, but I told you so.
In honor of Independence Day, I now present to you red, white, and blue sangria. Can easily be doubled. (Again I implore you, do not drink the blue sangria. I only include it for sake of completeness.)
Red sangria
1 bottle red wine (Garnacha del Fuego is great)
1/2 bag of frozen mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries), OR 1/2 bag frozen strawberries.
1 orange, sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
1 cup Triple sec
1/2 cup rum
1/2 bottle club soda
Put fruit in the bottom of large pitcher or thermally insulated pitcher. Add wine and triple sec. Refrigerate. Before serving, taste, and add club soda, up to a half a bottle, as needed.
White Sangria
1 bottle fruity white wine, dry or sweet, as your preference
1/2 bag frozen peaches
1 orange, sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
1 cup Triple sec
1/2 bottle club soda
Put fruit in the bottom of a large pitcher or thermally insulated pitcher. Add wine and triple sec. Refrigerate. Before serving, taste, and add club soda, up to a half a bottle, as needed.
Blue Sangria
1 bottle cheap red wine
1 cup blue curacao - must be blue
1 orange
1 lemon
1 bag frozen blueberries or mixed berries
Mix. Chill. Drink. Get drunk off your ass.
Mal: Absolutely. What's "sanguine" mean?
Zoë: Sanguine. Hopeful. Plus, point of interest, it also means "bloody".
Mal: Well, that pretty much covers all the options, don't it?
Mal and Zoe, "Safe" (Firefly, 2002)
Point of interest, Sangria also means "bloody."
But my good friend cannot drink red wine, the poor girl. Something to do with the flavonoids. But she can drink white wine just fine. So I whipped up two batches of Sangria today.
The infamous "blue" (purple, really) sangria has been banned for life.
There's really no recipe for Sangria--it's just wine, fruit, a proportion of hard liquor, and, if you want, a touch of club soda to lighten things up a bit.
Here's a few tips on how to make your own signature sangria without fuss.
* The sweeter the starting wine, the sweeter the sangria will be. The fruit that you add does not make the drink any more sugary, but it does give fruity flavor.
* Use a good wine, but not a great wine. By good wine, I mean a wine you like and enjoy drinking by itself. Don't go for the bottom of the jug wine just because you're going to add stuff to it.
* Always add some citrus. My ratio is one orange and a half a lemon per bottle of wine.
* Limes and grapefruits are bad, mmkay? Limes and grapefruits have skin that is very bitter-much more bitter than oranges and lemons-and will impart a bitter flavor to your sangria.
* Color-code the fruit to the wine. If you're doing white sangria, add white fruits, like peaches, pineapple, mango. For red sangria, use red fruits, like strawberries, cherries or mixed berries.
* Frozen fruit is fine, in fact it's ideal. Frozen fruit will act like flavorful ice cubes, helping to keep your sangria refreshingly cool before the sun sets.
* Brandy, orange, and rum are good, but pick one. Stick with liquors that will add complimentary flavors to the sangria. Orange liquors are especially good, like curacao or triple sec. I add about 1/2 to 1 cup of liquor per bottle of wine
* Add club soda, to taste, before serving. The club soda will add a touch of dryness, a touch of sparkle, and will lighten up your drink. If you don't do this, you run the risk of getting real drunk, real quick. If that's your aim, more power to you, but I told you so.
In honor of Independence Day, I now present to you red, white, and blue sangria. Can easily be doubled. (Again I implore you, do not drink the blue sangria. I only include it for sake of completeness.)
Red sangria
1 bottle red wine (Garnacha del Fuego is great)
1/2 bag of frozen mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries), OR 1/2 bag frozen strawberries.
1 orange, sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
1 cup Triple sec
1/2 cup rum
1/2 bottle club soda
Put fruit in the bottom of large pitcher or thermally insulated pitcher. Add wine and triple sec. Refrigerate. Before serving, taste, and add club soda, up to a half a bottle, as needed.
White Sangria
1 bottle fruity white wine, dry or sweet, as your preference
1/2 bag frozen peaches
1 orange, sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
1 cup Triple sec
1/2 bottle club soda
Put fruit in the bottom of a large pitcher or thermally insulated pitcher. Add wine and triple sec. Refrigerate. Before serving, taste, and add club soda, up to a half a bottle, as needed.
Blue Sangria
1 bottle cheap red wine
1 cup blue curacao - must be blue
1 orange
1 lemon
1 bag frozen blueberries or mixed berries
Mix. Chill. Drink. Get drunk off your ass.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Northern Michigan Wine Extravaganza
It's a Michigan thing--go up north, see the fall color, and do wine tastings at a half a dozen vineyards or so. The Leelanau Peninsula, also known for its cherries, is becoming more and more recognized for its wines.
There's several dozen wineries up there, including one run by Madonna's Dad. No way to see them all in a day, really, so you have to pick just a few and find yourself a designated driver to really enjoy the experience.
The leaves were great. The wine experience was mixed.
If you never been wine tasting, the first thing to know is each tasting room has a different vibe. Some, like Shady Lane, are rather elegant, with a backyard patio for you to enjoy your tastings. Some, like L. Mawby are hip and edgy, with witty sayings plastered all around and irreverent wine names, like Sex. (Insert your own sex joke here)
I can't forget to mention Boskydel winery, which is run by a curmudgeon who makes some mighty fine, yet inexpensive, wine, that he sells out of a shop a little bigger than a dorm room.
Black Star Farms, one of the more famous wineries in the area, is the exact opposite of Boskydel. To accommodate the large volume of tasters that come in, the tasting room is one big bar, and the floor is easy-to-clean concrete. Then they have a smaller, carpeted tasting room for the "good stuff," ciders, ice wines and fruit cordials.
And that, right there, sums up the problem with wine tastings in Michigan these days. Two years ago, when I went on my first wine tasting, nearly everything was free. Black Star was the only place that charged you for your samples. The other places assumed let their wines speak for themselves, and that you would buy something you liked. They assumed you cared
Now, everybody follows the Black Star model, or something similar. At Black Star, you pay for your own glass, for $5, and you get to taste the basics. Once you have the glass, you get to keep it, and can come back next week, or next season, for free. However, you have to pay extra for their "good stuff," as I stated above.
The other model is the "wine flight" model. You pay between $3 and $5 for four wines (give or take) and a little snack on the side (usually crackers with goat cheese or fish pate).
Now, I'm all for snacks with wine, but a wine tasting it is not. And it kinda ruins the real experience for people who actually like to learn about wine and taste different things.
My first wine tasting ever, was more than five years ago at a place called Bel Lago,. We got to try as much as we wanted for free, and the person pouring actually talked about what the wine tasted like. This Riesling tastes like flowers, she said, and I could taste the flowers (and hated them, but at least I could taste them). Now, compare and contrast this oaked Chardonay with this one that was fermented in steel barrels. Taste the difference? What do you like? What don't you like?
With the new model, it's all about economics. They figure most people aren't serious wine drinkers--they're just up there to get trashed and to have a good time. They don't value you as a consumer, so they can't trust you to buy anything, thus the paid tastings. No one tries to educate you about the wine--they only tell you the name, and any awards its won to try to impress you. And nobody spits.
And I didn't spit either. I wasn't up there for a fine wine experience--I was up to see some old friends and enjoy the company and the weather. But even though I enjoyed it, I still need to criticize the lesser points of the day. I'd like to see more places go back to the older model, where they actually teach you something about wine, and trust you, instead of being focused on the line-out-the-door-of-the-tasting-room and their own Bottom Line.
Whitefish pate be damned.
There's several dozen wineries up there, including one run by Madonna's Dad. No way to see them all in a day, really, so you have to pick just a few and find yourself a designated driver to really enjoy the experience.
The leaves were great. The wine experience was mixed.
If you never been wine tasting, the first thing to know is each tasting room has a different vibe. Some, like Shady Lane, are rather elegant, with a backyard patio for you to enjoy your tastings. Some, like L. Mawby are hip and edgy, with witty sayings plastered all around and irreverent wine names, like Sex. (Insert your own sex joke here)
I can't forget to mention Boskydel winery, which is run by a curmudgeon who makes some mighty fine, yet inexpensive, wine, that he sells out of a shop a little bigger than a dorm room.
Black Star Farms, one of the more famous wineries in the area, is the exact opposite of Boskydel. To accommodate the large volume of tasters that come in, the tasting room is one big bar, and the floor is easy-to-clean concrete. Then they have a smaller, carpeted tasting room for the "good stuff," ciders, ice wines and fruit cordials.
And that, right there, sums up the problem with wine tastings in Michigan these days. Two years ago, when I went on my first wine tasting, nearly everything was free. Black Star was the only place that charged you for your samples. The other places assumed let their wines speak for themselves, and that you would buy something you liked. They assumed you cared
Now, everybody follows the Black Star model, or something similar. At Black Star, you pay for your own glass, for $5, and you get to taste the basics. Once you have the glass, you get to keep it, and can come back next week, or next season, for free. However, you have to pay extra for their "good stuff," as I stated above.
The other model is the "wine flight" model. You pay between $3 and $5 for four wines (give or take) and a little snack on the side (usually crackers with goat cheese or fish pate).
Now, I'm all for snacks with wine, but a wine tasting it is not. And it kinda ruins the real experience for people who actually like to learn about wine and taste different things.
My first wine tasting ever, was more than five years ago at a place called Bel Lago,. We got to try as much as we wanted for free, and the person pouring actually talked about what the wine tasted like. This Riesling tastes like flowers, she said, and I could taste the flowers (and hated them, but at least I could taste them). Now, compare and contrast this oaked Chardonay with this one that was fermented in steel barrels. Taste the difference? What do you like? What don't you like?
With the new model, it's all about economics. They figure most people aren't serious wine drinkers--they're just up there to get trashed and to have a good time. They don't value you as a consumer, so they can't trust you to buy anything, thus the paid tastings. No one tries to educate you about the wine--they only tell you the name, and any awards its won to try to impress you. And nobody spits.
And I didn't spit either. I wasn't up there for a fine wine experience--I was up to see some old friends and enjoy the company and the weather. But even though I enjoyed it, I still need to criticize the lesser points of the day. I'd like to see more places go back to the older model, where they actually teach you something about wine, and trust you, instead of being focused on the line-out-the-door-of-the-tasting-room and their own Bottom Line.
Whitefish pate be damned.
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