via United Tastes – Hot Stuff in a Squeeze Bottle – Series – NYTimes.com.

Plush and polished, not a big wine but it applies pillowy tannins around a core of dark berry and sassafras flavors. Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Drink now. 50,000 cases made. From Washington.-Harvey Steiman

via Wine of the Week for January 11, 2010 | Wine of the Week | News & Features | Wine Spectator.

Albertson’s has this for $6-$7 per bottle. First few I found were 2006, which I think is actually better than the 2007 – what a little age can do.

via A Myth of Grass-Fed Beef – Freakonomics Blog – NYTimes.com.

via Better BBQ Through Chemistry / Science News.

via YouTube – Vesti.

via Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch – NYTimes.com.

That’s what I call a great diet!

via Bacon Explosion: The BBQ Sausage Recipe of all Recipes.

via At the Stove, a Dash of Science, a Pinch of Folklore – NYTimes.com.

via Beef Roast Basics and Cooking Tables for One or Several Roasts– Ellen’s Kitchen.

I wanted to find out if 2 roasts (e.g. 6 pounds each) takes the same amount of time to roast as a single roast (e.g. 12 pounds).

The answer is: a bit more time than it takes for one.

I have 2 of unequal size. The meat thermometer checks the smaller one first.

Phooey – combine the 2 weights then compute as a single roast. I guess if I had 56 lbs. of roast it might be different. A 7 + a 6 took the same time as a 13.

There are two basic methods to test for how done your meat is while you are cooking it – use a meat thermometer, or press on the meat with your finger tips. The problem with the meat thermometer approach is that when you poke a hole into the meat with a thermometer, it can let juices escape, juices that you would rather have stay in the meat. For this reason, most experienced cooks rely on a “finger test” method, especially on steaks (whole roasts are better tested with a thermometer).

(Via Simply Recipes.)

This has been my method of testing for years. The examples and pictures show the technique well.

This make-ahead spice rub is delicious on grilled chicken; it makes enough to season about 16 breasts. If stored in an airtight continer, the rub will remain potent for up to three months.

Ingredients:

Directions: Combine all ingredients in small bowl.

To help ensure that each breast finishes cooking at approximately the same time, buy pieces of similar size. Barbecue sauce can replace the optional glaze in step 4.

Ingredients:

Directions: 1. Dissolve salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge chicken, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour. Rinse chicken under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Season chicken with pepper

2. Turn all burners to high and heat with lid down until very hot, about 15 minutes. Scrape grate clean with grill brush. Dip wad of paper towels in oil; holding wad with tongs, wipe cooking grate.

3. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s). Cook chicken on all sides over hotter part of grill until skin is lightly browned and meat has faint grill marks, 10 to 14 minutes. Move chicken, skin-side down, to cooler side of grill, with thicker side of breast facing hotter side. Cover loosely with aluminum foil, cover grill, and continue to cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 150 degrees, 15 to 25 minutes longer.

4. Brush bone side of chicken with glaze (if using). Move chicken, bone-side down, to hotter side of grill and cook until browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Brush skin side of chicken with glaze; turn chicken over and continue to cook until browned and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to plate and let rest, tented with foil, 5 minutes. Serve, passing remaining glaze separately.

(Serves 6)

Tender Cranberry-Raisin Oatmeal Cookies These soft, chewy cookies are packed with nuts and fruit, as well as a healthy serving of oats. They’re not aggressively spiced, so kids will like them; but feel free to double the amount of cinnamon, if you’re a fan. And what’s the rum doing in there, by the way? Alcohol is a flavor carrier; even though you can’t taste it, it enhances the flavor of everything around it.

Napa Cabbage Salad

Every year around the Fourth of July, my friends Rich and Chigiy throw a huge barbecue party for their friends, and for number two son Dashiell, a July 4th baby. Every year, the talented Chigiy (pronounced “chi-gee”) makes this terrific salad with Chinese napa cabbage, radishes, snow peas, toasted slivered almonds, and a sweet soy mayo dressing. And every year, the salad all gets eaten before most get a chance to taste it, and before I am able take a photo. This year, however, Chigiy tripled the recipe (which already serves 15) and had enough left for me to capture on a pretty plate. This is a truly great salad for large summer gatherings. Much of it can be made ahead, and then assembled when you are ready to serve. Enjoy. 2/3 cup slivered almonds 8 cups (1 lb) coarsely shredded napa cabbage 12 ounces snow peas, strings removed, rinsed and thinly sliced 1 1/3 cups thinly sliced radishes 1 1/3 cups thinly sliced green onions (including greens) 1 1/3 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

Dressing ingredients 3 Tbsp rice vinegar (seasoned or unseasoned) 2 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp soy sauce 1 clove peeled and minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder 1 cup mayonnaise

1 Spread almond slivers out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes, until nicely browned. Set aside.

2 Combine cabbage, snow peas, radishes, green onions, cilantro in a large bowl. Can make this step a day or two ahead.

3 In a separate bowl, mix together the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, ginger, and cayenne until sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the mayonnaise.

4 When ready to serve, gently combine the dressing and almonds with the cabbage mixture.

Serves 14-16.

Recipe adapted from one in Sunset Magazine, July 2004

Simply Recipes http://www.simplyrecipes.com

ACTIVE TIME: 45 MIN TOTAL TIME: 45 MIN plus 4 hr marinating SERVES: 8

These herb-marinated steaks are accompanied by chimichurri, a South American sauce for grilled meats made with olive oil, parsley and garlic. Reidt’s chimichurri has an indulgent addition to the classic recipe: bacon. INGREDIENTS

STEAK 8 garlic cloves, smashed 4 thyme sprigs, coarsely chopped 2 rosemary sprigs, coarsely chopped 1 cup dry red wine 1 medium red onion, minced 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Eight 6-ounce hanger steaks, trimmed Salt and freshly ground pepper

CHIMICHURRI 4 garlic cloves, quartered with germ removed 1/2 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves 1/4 cup packed oregano leaves 1/4 cup rice vinegar Juice of 1 lemon 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper 1/2 pound sliced bacon

DIRECTIONS

MARINATE THE STEAK: In a large, shallow dish, combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, wine, onion and olive oil. Add the hanger steaks and turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

MAKE THE CHIMICHURRI: In a food processor, pulse the garlic, parsley, oregano, vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil until the herbs are pureed. Scrape into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook the bacon in 2 batches over moderate heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels and let cool, then finely chop. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet.

Light a grill. Scrape the marinade off the steaks and season them with salt and pepper. Grill the steaks over a hot fire until charred all over, about 10 minutes for medium-rare meat. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the bacon fat in the skillet. Add the chimichurri and bring to a simmer over high heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the bacon. Pour the sauce into a serving bowl. Carve the steaks crosswise into thick slices and serve immediately with the chimichurri.

WINE Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon often has a delicate herbal note, which echoes the herbal marinade for these flavorful steaks. The 2005 vintage was terrific, as shown in wines like the berry-scented 2005 Hacienda Araucano or the juicy 2005 Viña Caliterra.

Recipe by E. Michael Reidt From Tao of Entertaining This recipe originally appeared in May, 2007.

SANDRA LEE: Pure evil. This frightening Hell Spawn of Kathie Lee and Betty Crocker seems on a mission to kill her fans, one meal at a time. She Must Be Stopped.

2001 Proprietary Red

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Vineyard Designation: Waters Ranch, Rancho Chimiles, Thorevilos Composition: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec Winemaking Notes: Harvested by the end of October from hand picked lots, the whole berries were fermented in short open-topped stainless steel tanks, cold soaked and using native yeasts. The wine then continued through malolactic fermentation in 100% new French oak barrels for 18 months and was bottled neither fined nor filtered. Availability: The Pahlmeyer 2001 Proprietary Red will be available October 1, 2004 either directly from the winery, or through our network of fine restaurants and retail merchants around the world.

Susana Balbo, making wine in Mendoza

It was 25 degrees (-6C) in Mendoza on the morning I spoke Susana Balbo last week. Nestled in the foothills of the Andes, scattered workers were in the vineyard pruning the vines down to stumps but the winery itself was in its annual hibernation as the grapes were harvested two months ago and the wines were quietly fermenting.

And a review of the Malbec (not my review yet)

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6/10/05 This has a deep dark color and a beautiful lift to the nose with an amalgam of aromas, starting with floral overtures of violets, sweet earth and a peppery spice element flowing into blackberry, currant and mulberry fruit aromatically. The intrigue of the nose carries over into palate; fuller bodied, juicy with a fleshy, broad texture that finishes dry – a great combo, with ultra-ripe, tannins, seamless, with blackberry and dark currant flavors and a touch of spice and vanilla surfacing on the finish. Quite polished this has a vibrant fruit base with ample oak that is easily absorbed into the fruit. Maybe not made for the long haul, this is very approachable now and should drink great over the next 4-5 years with ease. This is a really nice wine that is so easy to like for its accessibility, fleshy texture and excellent fruit base.

Some foods have significantly more calories than others but what does the difference actually look like. Each of the photographs below represents 200 calories of the particular type of food; the images are sorted from low to high calorie density.

Guess I should trade my peanut butter for apples.

Tri tip and sauce: One tri tip roast, about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds Olive oil Salt and pepper 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced 6-8 large cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 1 to 2 cups fine dry red wine, such as a Cabernet Salt and pepper

1 Prepare the marinade by putting the marinade ingredients into a food processor, and pulsing for 7 to 10 seconds. Coat the meat with the marinade paste on all sides, place in an airtight plastic bag. Place in refrigerator and let marinate overnight.

2 Remove meat from refrigerator and still wrapped, let come to room temperature.

3 Pre-heat oven to 500°F. Remove all marinade from the roast and discard. Rub olive oil all over the roast surface. Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Place on a roasting pan, fat side up. Bake in oven for 20-40 minutes (depending on the size of the roast) until the internal temperature is 130-135°F for rare, 140-145°F for medium. If you have a smaller roast (1 1/2 lb), take it out on the low side of the range of temps. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Note that the internal temperature of the meat will continue to rise for another 5 minutes or so.

4 While the roast is resting, you can prepare the mushrooms. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and bring to medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, and sauté for several minutes, until the mushrooms give up some of their moisture. Add the sliced garlic and sauté 30 seconds more. Add a cup of wine. When the roast comes out of the oven, pour off the excess drippings from the roasting pan into the skillet with the mushrooms, garlic, and wine. Reduce the wine and drippings, adding more wine if needed if the mushrooms absorb it all.

5 Slice the roast against the grain and serve slices with the mushrooms.

Serves 4-8, depending on the size of the roast and your appetites.

Links: Beef Tri-Tip notes from about.com

Roasted Garlic Chicken

The trick to this tender, succulent roast chicken is the overnight brining. We usually roast chickens breast side down to ensure tender breast meat. But with the overnight brining in a roasted garlic and lemon juice marinade, the breast meat was perfectly moist, even cooked breast up. The garlic flavor is subtle, not strong or overwhelming, due to roasting the garlic first.

1/2 cup roasted garlic cloves 2 cups water 1 Tbsp salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 lemon, cut into 4 wedges 2 bay leaves 1 (3-4 pound) whole roasting chicken

1 Prepare the brine by combining garlic, water, salt, pepper and olive oil in a blender. Squeeze the juice from the lemons into the brine, blend. Stir in the bay leaves.

2 Place chicken in a large, resealable plastic bag, or in a large non-reactive bowl. Pour the brine all over the chicken in the bag, or in the bowl. Add the lemon wedges. Squeeze out all the air from the bag and seal, or place plastic wrap over the chicken in the bowl. Refrigerate overnight – 12 to 24 hours.

3 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the chicken from the brine. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the chicken. Place the chicken on a rack, in a roasting pan, breast side up. Roast for about an hour, until the juices run clear from the thigh when pierced with a fork. (Breast meat should have an internal temperature of 165°F, thigh meat should have an internal temperature of 175°F.)

Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

Recipe adapted from The Marshall Field’s Cookbook 2006. (Sometimes available on eBay.)

Simply Recipes http://www.simplyrecipes.com

We recently had sherry potatoes (potato slices baked in sherry and butter) at Selland’s, our favorite local cafe. They were so good that we spent many tries attempting to recreate them in our kitchen. I scoured the Internet looking for a recipe but only came up with some German sites that mentioned sherry potatoes, but no recipe. We have, however, finally arrived at a method that works, and recreates the divine potatoes we enjoy so much at the cafe. It’s very simple, baking sliced potatoes in butter and dry sherry, salting generously, and sprinkling on a little parsley. The dry sherry truly enhances the flavor of the butter. 1 lb russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, sliced into 1/4-inch slices 1/4 cup butter (1/2 a stick), melted 1/4 cup dry sherry Salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1 Preheat oven to 375°F. 2 Arrange potato slices in layers in a gratin pan or baking pan, sprinkling salt and pepper over each layer. Pour sherry over the potatoes. Pour the melted butter over the potatoes. Make sure the potatoes are well coated. 3 Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are cooked, but not mushy, and they are slightly browned on top. Remove from oven, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Serves 4.

Daily Bread Andrea kneads her way through bread and wine, first turning slices of focaccia into a Havana Panini delight, followed by simple pita pockets stuffed with a tangy cabbage slaw. Grilled cheese also gets a makeover with creamy Gouda, Quince Paste and Nut Bread and there’s even bread with dessert in her Oatmeal Raisin Sandwich Cookies. Andrea gives her picks for both a red and a white that are sure to match up.