Muenchberg Riesling 2005 "Pineapple Tart tatin"

Last night I had a bottle of the 2005 Muenchberg Riesling 2005 from Domain Ostertag. This Alsacian Grand Cru is drinking well but I would imagine it would be stunning in 5-10 years from now.
A bit of oak comes through, but the predominant flavor is pineapple and tropical fruit. Think pineapple tart tatin cooked with butter. Nicely dry, not sweet. I'll head back to buy some for the cellar.

Trimbach Riesling Reserve 2006

I wish I could review this wine, but, to be fair, the wine was slightly corked.
Whenever I open a bottle, I always examine the wine end of the cork for flaws and that telltale grey-blue line that hints of a problem. It is not a poncy thing to do.
I once had a "perfect" looking cork, and a quick sniff revealed no issues. Then, I squeezed and smelled the cork. Yikes! A disgusting whiff of moldy cork came spewing out. The cork is your canary in a coal mine. It will more readily reveal off flavors that have bled into the wine. Always squeeze and check your corks!
Back to the Trimbach. This cork had a dark line running across the bottom. It smelled of wet cork (sometimes also not good) but not anything more sinister. The wine did have slight corky overtones but was otherwise pleasurable. If I had been in a restaurant, I'd have sent it back. If I had had another bottle, I'd have opened it.
Instead, I drank. As the wine opened up in the glass and the bottle, the corkiness became more pronounced. I've never returned a half consumed bottle to my local wine merchant. It should be interesting.

Chicken Tikka Masala & Punjabi Chhole (Chick Peas)

OK, I admit it. I cheated. I have never cooked Indian food, and I don't have an Indian recipe book (yes I know there is something called Google), so I used packaged spices to make these recipes.
Before you immediately click away in disgust, let me say in my defense that I generally do not do packaged foods. The "Arora Creations" spice blends, however, are all natural, no MSG, and gluten free. Reading the ingredients, they sounded authentic and now that I have tried these two dishes they tasted authentic.
Maybe next time I'll mix the spices myself, but then again where is the typical non-Indian family going to find and store the amchur powder, anardana, cardamon, and mace? The Arora Creations spice packets look like seed packets for your garden and have complete recipes on the back. Convenient, tasty, and efficient. I'm going to stock up.

Bob Dylan O2 25/04/2009

Despite all the recent acclaim Bob Dylan has received for his new songs, I haven't bought any, nor do any titles come to mind. So as I headed to the O2 in London, I was looking forward to hearing a mix of old and new.

Starting out with Maggies Farm (see setlist), his unmistakable voice rasped out. As he progressed into The Times They Are A-Changin', it became clear that this was Dylan but also something new. It was like coming across a long lost, old pair of favorite jeans and finding, with delight, that they still fit and felt good.

The new arrangements of old classics, brought out a richness and depth to the songs I was never aware of. Unfortunately, (or possibly very fortunately) it made them almost impossible to sing along to. The staging was very old school, there were no screens for the benefit of old eyes (most fans) and just a few 60's throwback light patterns projected onto the back curtain. For me, part of the magic of seeing these legendary performers is to be able to watch how they play and work their instruments. Without screens, it was impossible to see any detail.

Moving through Workingman's Blues and Highway 61 were highlights of the show, but the comfortable rhythms had seemingly turned the whole O2 into one gigantic methadone clinic. Old and young, gently rocked.

By the time he got to Like a Rolling Stone, and All Along the Watchtower, I was really missing the old Bob Dylan. The rearrangements of these songs lacked the punch and emphasis they had when they (and Bob) were young.

The three song encore ended with "Blowin in the Wind". It was not the frenetic finale a younger man might have made to leave the audience stunned and wanting more. It was more the gentle caresses of experience and maturity. I'd have preferred more of the younger man.

Rimauresq Rose 2007 "nice but forgettable"

Much of the pleasure we derive from wine is influenced by the surroundings, foods, and people we enjoy it with. Last night, two of those three were great, but the dinner (my fault) was abysmal.
Rimaureseq Rose is a Provencal rose made from Tibouren and Cinsault grapes. At £14, it was much more approachable than the Domaines Ott at £28.
I found the whole experience with this wine to be lacking. It was like being introduced to someone at a cocktail party and immediately forgetting their name. You have a nice but forgettable conversation and you part with vague promises of getting together sometime.
I must give this wine another chance, "let's do lunch" I suggest.

Disaster: Fish Choucroute

Somewhere in the UK, I had a fish choucroute and it was lovely. I know it sounds weird, fish with sauerkraut. This dish however was sublime: it had lovely butter notes in the sauerkraut and the smoked pork chop was replaced with a hot smoked salmon. It had pieces of haddock, and a fish sausage and I really enjoyed it. I've now twice attempted to make it: after last night, my wife has banished it from the kitchen table.

If anyone has a recipe, I would like to try it. I think with fish, all the ingredients need to be cooked separately and then combined at the end instead of cooking together like the traditional Alsacienne dish. I tried to get the deep flavors I remembered by making a very rich fish stock, that recipe is below.

Ingredients:
Hot Smoked Salmon Fillet
4 Scallops (remove roe & reserve for stock)
8 lg. shrimp (clean & reserve heads and shells for stock)
1 Pink Bream (fillet & reserve rest for stock)
1 Gunnard (fillet & reserve rest for stock)

Fish Stock
4 small Carrots
2 Celery Stalks
1/2 Med. onion
Bouquet Garni
Pepper Corns
A few Juniper Berries
Fishy bits from above.

Combine all. Bring to a soft boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. Use potato masher to extract flavors and generally make a big mess of things in the pot.

Strain and simmer on low heat until reduced to appropriate flavor. While the dish above was a disaster the fish stock was delicious. I apologize to the fish that their lovely selves were wasted on an unappetizing meal.

Steak with Morel Sauce, Asparagus and Broad Beans

Ah, the British Spring is here. I was planning on a Thai beef salad for dinner but the sight of fresh morels, asparagus and broad beans had me heading in a different direction: time to feast.

Serves 2

2 Rib Eye Steaks (3/4" or 2 cm thick)
1 1/2 Cup of Morels (depending on size, I like the 1"-2" size caps.)
3-4 Tbsp Single Cream
1-2 Tbsp Butter (unsalted)
Small onion (minced)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Asparagus (for 2)

Broad Beans (for 2)

1. Prepare morels: cut off stalk, leaving cap. Look out for bugs: I like to keep my morels in a large glass bowl to capture any escapees. The less than perfect morels, I chop up in large chunks. The pretty ones, I quarter or halve.
2. Mince onions, place about 2 Tbsp worth into small skillet with about 1 Tbsp. butter and a touch of olive oil. Saute until translucent.
3. Add the morels and simmer covered, stirring gently occasionally. This can prepped ahead of time and set aside. To finish, simmer once again and stir in 3-4 Tbsp of cream. I usually finish the morel sauce as my steaks are resting as it only takes a few minutes.
4. Remove the broad beans from the pods. Cook in some boiling water for about 5 minutes.
5. Plunge broad beans in cold water and remove outer skin. If they are super fresh and young the skins can be eaten, but removing the skins will reveal the bright green inner bean.
6. Place broad beans in a skillet with a Tbsp of butter or olive oil and the leftover minced onion.
7. Preheat oven to 200C
8. Heat skillet for steaks to med-high.
9. Season steaks with salt and crushed pepper just before cooking
10. Sear the steaks about 4 minutes per side and then place skillet in hot oven to finish cooking. Depending on the thickness of the steaks, I usually put in the oven for about 8 minutes for med-rare. Note: Steaks should rest for about a quarter of the total cooking time to allow for the juices to redistribute after cooking.
11. Finish, on a medium low to low heat, the morel sauce. Add the cream, and salt & pepper to taste.
12. Start cooking your asparagus. For fresh asparagus, I think they are perfectly done when little beads of sweat start to appear. Double check by poking with a fork.
13. Saute your broad beans, butter, and onions.
14. After your steaks have rested, cover half the steak with the morel sauce, dribbling the rest along the side. Arrange your broad beans and asparagus on the plate.
15. Enjoy.

Chateau Montrose 1996 - "kissing a distant relative"

The Chateau Montrose 1996 was everything you would expect in Saint-Estephe Grand Cru.
Compared to the previous nights Californian of the same vintage, here was the beginning stirrings of a musty forest. There was still fruit, but it was riper, darker as those mushroomy notes crept in. With the alcohol at a very French 12.5%, it did not dominate the experience.

The wine was more like meeting an old distant relative: familiar and comfortable and easy to give a good hug and kiss, but the experience leaves you wondering how much longer they will be on this earth for. I hope we can enjoy each other for at least a few more years.

Cardinale 1996 Red Wine - "last bite of a great steak"

The last bottle in the cellar went last night. It was bought in 1997/8 from Dean & Deluca in Napa Valley for $98.00!
It was absolutely gorgeous. Still plenty of ripe red fruit, a bit of alcohol coming through, and a nice long lingering finish.
It reminded me of those last bites of a really good grilled steak. Chewy, slightly peppery, and so good you smear it around in the remaining juices enjoying every bite.

Perfect Applesauce

I was making applesauce to go with a roasted pork belly (you should try this recipe), as fate would have it, I almost burned the applesauce, but what I got was pure heaven. Lovely caramel notes, sweetness without added sugar. The red pepper flakes add an almost imperceptible heat to counteract the acidity of the apples.

Serves 4
4 Bramley Apples
4 Tbsp Water
1 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Rum (I prefer Angostura 1919 - nice woody notes)
2 Tbsp White wine (Riesling is a good choice)
1 large pinch red pepper flakes

1) Peel, core, and quarter apples.
2) Put apples, water, and butter in small sauce pan (something you can use a potato masher in), turn to high heat.
3) When boiling, add rum and light on fire. (careful not to burn yourself) If you have a heavy hand with the rum, the flames can get big, just take off heat and don't panic: the flames will subside quickly.
4) Cover, and turn heat to medium and let cook until apples begin to break down. Use a potato masher and mash up the apples.
5) Ok, now is the tricky part. Your time will depend on the amount of liquid produced, the heat of your stove top, and the pan you are using. It will take at least 20 minutes for it to cook down and you will notice the bottom of the pan is a dark caramelized color. Remove from heat and use your masher to mash up the apples and "deglaze" the bottom of the pan adding that color and flavor to your applesauce.