The Road to Napa is Paved with Good Intentions

Beringer Vineyards

When your career and your passions intersect, there are many benefits. For one thing, you can combine business with pleasure for multi-purpose travel. (While some may look at this as a drawback, I look at it as an excuse to travel more, for business purposes, of course.) I visited Napa Valley last weekend. It was beautiful- more so than I expected, and the vineyards, wineries and landscape were breathtaking. I spent most of my free time eating (always good), and accomplished very little otherwise. I had grandiose plans to buy lovely trinkets for everyone at home, visit every winery on my list, go to the museums in St. Helena, the parks, all of the big restaurants, and the significant stores (like Dean and Deluca). Unfortunately, I only had three days in which to achieve these goals, in addition to the other things I still needed to do. However, I did manage to eat at a few good restaurants, visit a winery or two, and collect tiny souvenirs for friends. I brought back pictures, lavender from COPIA, menus, brochures, and lots of ideas. The good news is that I'll be back soon, and hopefully this time I'll do better at checking things off the To Do list.

-Josie

Riesling Week

In the third annual Riesling week (sponsored by the organization The Wines of Germany), wine lovers can discover (or rediscover) the unique qualities of German Riesling. In participating restaurants in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Chicago, there will be special food and wine pairings, tasting menus, flights and by-the glass selections. Promotions also include introducing new wines and wineries.

Riesling wines are elegant, and fragrant, and are often reminiscent of peaches or apples.

I’m pretty excited, and plan on hosting my own mini-Riesling week here. Riesling is a great wine for summer; many of them have lower acidity and alcohol content, a light crisp flavor, and complement the lovely seasonal produce we’ve all been looking forward to. Riesling pairs well with goat cheese, salads, and shellfish.

To celebrate, I’m going to start the weekend with a bottle of Argyle Riesling from our cellar here, and to accompany it, I’m going to make a sun dried tomato and Chèvre tart.
-Josie

Sun Dried Tomato and Chevre Tarte

National (insert title here) Day

Everyday it seems, is a national food holiday. If not national, regional. Not that I need inspiration to think about food (it pretty much occupies my thoughts no matter what), but those little nuggets of trivia that come with each new food holiday never cease to give me more ideas. Today, for example, is particularly good in my mind: National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. Mmmmm... two of my favorite things in one cool, creamy combination. In honor of such a special day, I'll be making a dark chocolate ice cream with rum and raisins (it's worth a try). I'll let you know how it goes. And if all else fails, a new ice cream shop is opening just around the corner.....
-Josie

An Evening in Morocco

I love “theme” nights- transforming an evening and meal into a true adventure. Sometimes it works out better than others, but it’s always interesting and fun. I recently sampled lovely Moroccan mustard from Dulcet cuisine that we carry here at the store. The flavor profile is complex- deep undercurrents of curry and cumin. I created recipes and a menu to showcase the mustard. To extend the theme, I set the table with small votive candles, played Moroccan music in the background, and arranged vases with brightly colored flowers around the room. While I cooked, my guests nibbled on fried almonds and marinated olives with orange zest and red peppers.
My menu was simple, flavorful and delicious (based on the happy sounds emanating from them, my guests agreed with my opinion). The dessert was a little intense, but it’s hard to say no to chocolate.

To Drink- A rose like Penner Ash- the sweet finish stands up to spicy flavors

Salad of Arugula, Oranges and Avocado with Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette

Chicken with Moroccan Mustard

Couscous with cinnamon and dried fruit

Chilled Dark Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Strawberry Coulis

To try the chicken recipe, click here. Chicken with Moroccan Mustard

A few suggestions for the chicken recipe:
-If you’d like a smoother sauce, strain it before you serve it. It’s not necessary, but it does give a better presentation.
-You can marinate the chicken in the mustard up to an hour before, for a more intense flavor
-Use a hotel pan or a baking sheet if you don’t have a large glass baking dish
-You can also use a whole chicken, broken down into eight serving pieces. Double the mustard and sauce quantities, and cook the chicken longer, about an hour.

-Josie

Just like Winnie the Pooh

As a child, I was fascinated by bees. My neighbor had a beehive that he would collect honey from. I would watch it cautiously (from a substantial distance), mesmerized by the rhythmic buzzing. This spring, my allergies have caused me to develop a bit of a cough, but I've found that drinking tea with honey and lemon solves the problem. The husband of my friend Nancy (who happens to be a wonderful chef here at In Good Taste) sells honey from his beehives. I bought a huge gar from him. At first glance, it seemed like the jar would last forever. But there's nothing like local honey- its sweet, smooth, slightly floral, and has a color like spun gold. I shared a bit with some of my friends, had a spoonful here and there in my tea, on toast, in sauces and vinaigrette...... (just as is...). There's only a tiny bit left. I'm hoarding it until I can replenish my stash. Each honey tastes slightly different. Nancy's husband's honey is not too sweet (so I can eat more of it.) When I can't get Nancy's honey, or for a bit of variety, I like Queener Fruit Farm Honey (which we carry here at In Good Taste). It is pure, uncooked honey, from Scio, Oregon.
-Josie

Going for Bananas

Recently, Leena Ezekiel taught a wonderful class on Indian Street Foods. I love Indian foods of all kinds, but especially street foods like pakoras and samosas. India has a rich bio-diversity of banana and plantain, and is the largest producer and consumer with estimated production of 16 million tonnes of bananas annually (from http://www.foodreference.com/). India's domestic production of bananas alone exceeds the entire world trade. This neat fact started me thinking about bananas, and with the warm weather this weekend, I cranked up my ice cream maker to make Caramelized Bananas with Coconut Ice Cream. The combination of tropical flavors, hot, gooey bananas and cool, creamy ice cream was perfect for an early summer dessert after a busy day.

Caramelized Bananas with Coconut Ice Cream

For the Love of Shopping (for food)

As per usual, I went to the grocery store last evening. I go most days, partly because I'm terrible at planning ahead, but also because I love to shop for food. I like looking for interesting products, things I need, things I don't. I get ideas, learn new things..... it's like a miniature education. Most of the time, I come away with more than I planned to, but it always gets used eventually.
I rarely talk to other customers, being too engrossed in my own culinary fantasies. When I can, I do chat with the butcher, the fish guy, the baker, the cheese monger etc.
Yesterday, I was perusing the spice aisle, purposely selecting a variety of ingredients for my evening's experiment. Randomly, a man stopped me with a hesitant, "excuse me...?" I turned. I must have looked like I belonged there, because he continued; "Will you please help me find granulated mustard?" Granulated mustard? Why don't I know what that is? It occurred to me he must be following some obscure recipe; I could sense his growing stress and see the furrows in his brow. I pointed to the powdered dry mustard (assuming that's what he meant). He looked more confused. "What about pepper sauce?" I took him to the condiment aisle and showed him the many varieties of hot sauce. He seemed more confused. Finally, I asked him what he was making, hoping I could offer some "sage" advice. He handed me a crumpled recipe for Texas Barbecue Sauce, and asked me to help him find the remaining ingredients. I was so pleased and amused that he was making his own sauce (with that much stress involved, I was surprised he hadn't just grabbed a bottle off the shelf), that I agreed to help right away. (Of course, I was flattered too!) We finished the shopping list and I offered some tips for making and using barbecue sauce (don't add it until the end!). Gratefully, he thanked me, and asked if I had worked there long. I laughed, "No, I just love to shop."
I was so inspired by his dedication that particular recipe that I made my own barbecue sauce- a not quite traditional New Orleans- style, similar to one I used to get at a restaurant in the Garden District.
-Josie

Josie's Nawlin's Style Barbecue Shrimp