ABigSlice Your Daily Bread

From a Drinker to a Taster

When Clare and I conduct our wine seminars all we ask of the participants is that they slow down and take their time with a wine. In other words, we want to turn them from drinkers into tasters. The next time you have a great bottle of wine, follow these simple steps and increase your enjoyment. Get A Big Slice out of that wine!

Appearance: look for three things
a. clarity - stand up and look through the glass preferably against a white background. Wines should be clear. Murkiness can be a sign of a bad, or unfiltered wine.
b. brightness - focus on the surface of the wine, check out the brightness of the reflections. This is associated with acidity and is especially important in white wines, it gives them their structure.
c. color - be creative. Take note of the depth. Color can be a good indication of the age of a wine. White wines get more golden, and red wines more brick colored with age.

Smell: really stick your nose down in that wine.
a. still - Before swirling the wine. This allows you to detect any real subtle tones.
b. swirl - This runs the wine up on the sides of the glass, increasing the surface area, giving it a greater chance to oxidize.
c. cover and swirl - This is going to release the heaviest molecules. Be careful - often these are the most unpleasant; oak, fingernail polish, alcohol. But it can also help with a "dumb" wine.
d. nose - the smell on the way in, aftertaste - after you breathe out and the wine has been warmed by the mouth.

Taste: slow down and savor this moment, you may never have this wine again.
a. We can only taste four things, sweet, acid, salt, bitter. Nice thing is, these are things we can't smell.
b. Remember, tasting is communication. Dogs and children are more sensitive, but cannot communicate what they are tasting.
c. Tasting is more difficult than smelling, there is only a limited time we can hold a wine in our mouth. Try to gather information first, describe the wine without judging it. Then interpret second, decide what you liked or disliked about the wine.

Ted

Life's a Banquet, Grab A Big Slice!

Aspic Anyone?

I always had this vague idea of what aspic was, but I never really took the time to find out. I may have even had it. It did not, however, make much of an impression. Later I began collecting cookbooks from the 40's and 50's and I saw these dishes that looked like giant loafs of gelatin with various food products frozen inside. Almost like an ancient mosquito caught in amber.

Originally, aspic was a dish in which the ingredients were set inside a gelatin made solely from meat stock. This broth congeals because of the natural gelatin found in the meat. Egg whites were used to clarify the stock, then the ingredients and seasonings were added just before the aspic set. Recipes like this have been around for centuries. Even Medieval cooks knew that meat broth could be made into a jelly. Now packaged gelatin is usually added to help the aspic congeal.

These sorts of dishes have fallen out of style recently as health concerns have put aspic on the no-no list. But you should try this recipe for tomato aspic. It is fresh and delicious and makes a great alternative to salad.

1 1/2 pounds vine-ripened plum tomatoes
1 envelope (about 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup fresh basil or flat-leafed parsley leaves (or a combination of both), washed well, spun dry, and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small hot red chili, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves), or dried hot red pepper flakes to taste
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling over aspics

1. Lightly oil five 4- to 6-ounce ramekins.

2. Halve tomatoes and squeeze juice and seeds into a sieve set over a 4-cup measure. In a food processor blend tomato halves until smooth and force puree through sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids. Discard solids and add enough strained tomato puree to juice in measuring cup to measure 2 1/4 cups.

3. Transfer 1/4 cup tomato mixture to another bowl and sprinkle with gelatin. Let gelatin soften 1 minute. In a small saucepan bring 1/2 cup tomato mixture just to a boil and add to gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve gelatin. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups tomato mixture and other ingredients (except for additional oil) and divide mixture among ramekins. Chill aspics, covered, until set at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. Run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin and dip in a bowl of hot water for 20 seconds. Invert each ramekin onto a plate and drizzle aspics with additional oil.

Wine Writing versus Wine Tasting

I write about wine a lot! Updates to abigslice.com keep me busy, but not nearly as busy as our daily radio spot called A Year of Wine (check it out here). I am very proud of those spots. But initially, it was one of those tasks that you take on thinking, "Am I ever going to get through this"?

Well it has been six months. I am amazed. At first the going was easy. Month one, no problem. There were so many options and things to talk about. Month two, ok. By month three my inspiration and memory were beginning to slip. Had I written about shiraz before? What did I say?

But it does have its up side. I was at a tasting the other day and one of the grapes was Cortese. I had never had a Cortese varietal, but I knew all about it. Its history, what it would pair well with. At least some of this Year of Wine information is seeping into to this middle aged brain.

I will always say that there is no substitute for tasting wine. Reading all of the books in the world won't give you the experience that sipping a glass can provide. But now I have learned there is a happy medium as well. As with great art, the more you know, the more you can get out of it. Wine should be active (tasting) and not passive (drinking). Attend some classes, take a seminar, visit a winery. You will thank yourself every time to pour another glass.

Ted

Life's a Banquet, Grab A Big Slice

The Table is a Demilitarized Zone

Clare and I started A Big Slice because we thought it was time that somebody began defending the kitchen and the table. If we would just realize that a great evening is more often than not the company rather than the food, then maybe we could ease the pain of kitchen performance anxiety. Thirty minute meals are great, but I prefer not to think of my time in the kitchen as a race. Too much pressure.

And the table, where to begin?

On a recent visit to my family home, every time one of my nephews sat down at the table, his mom and my mom began the litany of what he should do with his life and how he should do it. Does he need the help? Yes indeed! But the table began to feel like a war zone. Everyone, whether you were involved in the conversation or not, got tense.

When my mom and I were alone at the table I began talking about A Big Slice, and what was going on with my life. And I started talking about the importance of the table. How much it meant to me as a kid to have family dinners, talk about school or my dad's work. Sitting at the family table just felt right.

Later, that day my nephew came in from the patio to talk to me. I asked why was everyone outside? He said that Grandma didn't want to argue at the table anymore. From now on they would try and use that space for healing. He said it almost jokingly, but I could tell it hit home.

I said, "That sounds like a really good idea."

Edamame

OK, so what do you guys think of edamame?

If you have been to a Japanese restaurant recently, you may have seen them listed with the appetizers. Edamame is baby soy beans in the pod. When I got them they were lightly salted and you squeezed the beans from the pod, chewed and swallowed. The first one was really nothing special. But another person at the table kept raving and I though I must be missing something. I mean a bean is a bean. So I kept eating and lo and behold, I liked them. Now it could be that the service was really slow and my friend's head was beginning to look like a big cartoon turkey leg. But they grew on me!

I know they are riddled with nutrition. So there is that "healthier than thou" factor. And I take my "than thou" factors wherever I can get them. But I still thought they deserved better than the squeeze and squirt method of presentation.

So I began to search for some edamame recipes. This month's (September 2008) Better Homes and Gardens does a feature on it and they have some recipes with promise. (Here is their article on power foods) But Food Network has a recipe for edamame hummus that is truly wonderful. Their recipe is below.

So all of you big slicer's out there - do you have a good recipe for edamame... I would love to give it a try.

Thanks and grab a big slice!

1/2 pound frozen shelled edamame (green soy beans), about 1 1/2 cups
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons), juiced
1 clove garlic, smashed
3/4 teaspooon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Suggested serving: Sliced cucumbers, celery, and olives

Boil the beans in salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, or microwave, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes.
In a food processor, puree the edamame, tahini, water, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt, cumin, and coriander until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and mix until absorbed.

Transfer to a small bowl, stir in the parsley and drizzle with remaining oil. Serve with the suggested vegetables, or refrigerate, covered, up to 1 day.

And the Wine Spectator Wine of the Year is...

Clos des Papes
Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005
98 points / $80
7,500 cases made
France

In the Southern Rhône's recent trio of great vintages starting with 2003, no other Châteauneuf-du-Pape domaine has produced better wines than Clos des Papes. Under Vincent Avril, quality has improved steadily, and the 2003 (97 points) was Wine Spectator's No. 2 wine in 2005. At 98 points, the 2005 is Avril's best wine yet, displaying an enormous core of fruit and minerality along with massive structure. The Clos des Papes red (the estate also produces a white) is a blend of 65 percent Grenache, 20 percent Mourvèdre, 10 percent Syrah and other grapes from 74 acres of vines around Châteauneuf. Avril keeps yields low, picks vineyard blocks separately for ideal ripeness and vinifies the destemmed grapes in ceramic-lined vats. The wine is aged in large wooden foudres for up to 12 months before the final blend is assembled.

To see the entire top 10 click here.

Pinot Envy, Mapping the Pinot Noir Genome

A national wine magazine once posed a question to wine drinkers. What is your favorite type of wine? The number one answer was Pinot Noir. Then a second question was posed. What type of wine most often disappoints you? The number one answer was again Pinot Noir. Surprised? You shouldn't be. The Pinot Noir grape is finicky at best. It is extremely difficult to vinify and is very prone to disease and mutations. It takes a true artist to handle the testy Pinot Noir.

In an effort to better understand the grape a team of researchers from France and Italy undertook the quest to map its genome. Their results? This grape, used to make some of France's most elegant reds and Blanc de Noir Champagnes, contains about 30,000 genes in its DNA. Here's the revelation. That's about 5,000 more than humans! Suffering from pinot envy? They also determined that the grape has an unusually high number of genes dedicated to the creation of flavor (100 in Pinot Noir as compared to about 50 for other plants). This certainly helps to explain why wine made from this grape has such a wide variety of smells and flavors.

Practically speaking, researchers think that Pinot Noir could eventually be biologically manipulated to produce specific and unique flavors, but they admit that this is many years away. For wine drinkers, this just supports what they have always known; when well made, there are few things, even humans, that can touch the class of a great Burgundy.

Harvest Report 2007 : Italy

As we reported in the French Harvest Report below, 2007 will be remembered as having one of the earliest and leanest grape harvests in the past 30 years. The Union of Italian Winemakers said that grape picking began some 15-20 days ahead of normal due to a massive heat wave and drought this summer. But take heart wine drinkers, the reduce yields and lack of rain can mean superior quality wine with higher than average alcohol.

Local sources have noted that Nothern and Southern Italy have had dramatically different experiences. In the north the yield is essentially normal. The best qualtiy appears to be in Northeast in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Tuscany appears to be good not great, but growers are not even that optimistic in Piedmont, makers of Italy's premier wines. A hail storm on May 29 ravaged the vineyards in the heart of the Barolo producing region. They are keeping their fingers crossed and are anticipating low alcohol and high acidity in the Nebbiolo grapes.

The South has fared significantly worse. The makers of some of Italy's best bargain wines have had a horrific summer. The drought of 2007 has left the vines withered and leafless. Enologist Riccardo Cotarella said that it looks more like January than August in some vineyards. So for them it is a waiting game. Overall not very good news coming out of Italy - now it is up to the artistry of the winemaker.

Inland Seafood and Quality Wine and Spirits Show

On Monday, September 10, I attended one of the best wine and expos ever! The show was co-hosted by Inland Seafoods (click here for more information), and Quality Wine and Spirits (click here for more information). The show is aimed at the hospitality industry and features a winde range of food (and not just seafood) and spirits (and not just wine).

Everyone that I met was extremely nice and well-informed about their products, with a special shout out to Moto Vino, (click here). Mr. Pennington took the time to explain his delicious wines in detail as my host and I strolled past his table.

A Big Slice would also like to thank Vickey Murphy for including us in her invitation. It was a spectacular event and we are already looking forward to next year.

Harvest Report 2007 : France

This was a crazy year for grape growers throughout France. The hottest April in 30 years had vines flowering and had most forecasters predicting an early harvest. But somehwere along the line, Ms. Nature decided not to cooperate. A horribly wet, and cool summer left most just scratching their heads. Roussillon, in Southeastern France, did start picking on August 2 which was the earliest ever. But overall August was very uncharacteristic and some of the grandest of of the French regions are still waiting for the skies to clear.

For most of France, the soaking started in May and, like many vacationers, decided to stay put for the summer. The unfortunate result was a widespread vine mildew that affected greatest of the wine producing regions, the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Beaujolais, and Champagne. It even reached as far south as Languedoc which usually manages to stay clear of such problems.

Is there a bright spot? The Rhone Valley, which includes the venerable Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Hermitage regions, benefitted from a hot dry summer, unlike the rest of France. Both the Northern and Southern Rhone are looking to begin harvesting ion September 5, which is only a few days before normal.

Not so for the rest of France. Results seem to be mixed in Burgundy and Champagne. Early reports suggest that the cool summer will allow Chardonnay to retain a level of good acidity that hasn't been seen in years. But Bordeaux has been one of the hardest hit by the mildew. And the clay soils of the lovely St.-Emilion (a merlot-based Bordeaux wine) have fared much the worst as the clay component just retains the water.

Hope springs eternal! There is a saying in Bordeaux,"Wait until the last grapes are in before making a judgment." A week of warm dry weather could turn things around. But at a certain point Nature takes over, and they are left with no choice.

To view the full report click here.