Reader's Poll

You may have noticed that I've started putting a reader's poll in the right sidebar. I put these polls up to gather information about our customers/readers to assist us in making our store better and more efficient. This week's poll asks where you buy your wines. Please take a moment to respond to this poll, you can select as many answers that apply. If you'd like to comment on this post, please feel free to do so. If you've never used Blogger comments before, it's easy. Click on the comments link at the end of this post. A small window will pop up with an area to leave your comment. Type in what you'd like (keep it clean, please), then click whichever button applies under "Choose an Identity". Click Login and Publish and that's it!

Thanks, everyone!

August 16, 2005

Everyone seemed to have a great time last night. There were 9 of us total in attendance. We ordered several appetizers (Rice Flour Calamari, Beef Carpaccio, Fried Oysters, Coconut Shrimp, Ahi Tuna Salad) and enjoyed them with the wines. Both wines were from Hollywood & Vine: 2480 Chardonnay and 2480 Cabernet Sauvignon. The chardonnay was rich and opulent. Oak was apparent, but not overwhelming. It was crisp and tart, the tropical fruits were abundant. Nice and smooth, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It regularly sells for $48, but it was specially priced at $38 for Divas.

Next up was the cab. I had opened it up an hour before the meeting, knowing that it probably needed some breathing time. When I popped the cork, I was inundated with aromas of sweet berries. What a treat! I couldn't wait to try it! I knew I had to wait to sample it with the others, though. My patience was rewarded with a graceful, fruit-laden, silky-smooth wine. I was not alone in my appreciation of it, we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The cab regularly sells for $90, but it was specially priced at $80 for Divas.

One thing everyone commented on was the ambience at Blue Bamboo. We had the wine room all to ourselves and it was such a treat. When we had all finished our appetizers and the dishes were cleared, Dennis graciously treated us all to a Pulled Duck Spring Roll. WOW! He made us all feel very special :-)

Next meeting is September 20 at Blue Bamboo. It looks like that will be our regular meeting place!

Fettuccine Alfredo + Lemelson Vineyards Pinot Noir Thea's Selection

Anyone who has tasted any of Tom's handiwork in the kitchen knows what a terrific cook he is, and his Fettuccine Alfredo is no exception. It is so good and very easy to make, but we don't have it too frequently because of the richness of it. The Lemelson Pinot Noir Thea's Selection is a perfect accompaniment to this dish, and it's one of my favorite wines (see my Top 100 Wines post).

For the Fettuccine Alfredo you will need:
1 lb fettuccine pasta
1 cup cream
salt
1 stick butter
1-1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
pepper
nutmeg

Boil pasta in salted water in a large pot. Melt butter over lowest possible heat in a large frying pan until just melted. When pasta is al dente drain quickly (don't shake out all of the water) and put in pan with melted butter. Toss the pasta with tongs until coated with butter, then add the cream. Toss the pasta, adding the grated cheese in two or three parts. Add a few scrapings of nutmeg and some fresh-ground pepper and toss again. The sauce should thicken (but not too much) as you toss. Serve immediately.

If the sauce is too thick, or if there will be any delay serving it, use extra cream. The pasta will absorb liquid from the sauce and thicken it as it sits and cools, so you really want to make it immediately before serving.

Alternatives. This recipe works well with shrimp and/or scallops. Saute the peeled shrimp or fresh scallops in butter with a bit of salt and fresh-ground pepper, and add them to the fettuccine just before serving.

Enjoy with a glass of the pinot noir.

Australian Sticky Date Pudding + Seppelt Port

When we first started doing the Wine & Food Events here in the store, Tom did all the cooking. He soon found out that it was too time consuming, so we contracted out a friend who is an excellent chef. But for the one Aussie event that he did cook for, he made an amazing Sticky Date Pudding that had everyone begging for the recipe. This is not for the faint of heart. It's worth going off your diet for, if only for one slice. And the port I'm pairing it with could not have a better match. Seppelt Tawny Port is an Australian offering that seems too good to be true! Deliciously decadent, it's caramel and hazelnut notes cry out for a pudding as perfect as the one Tom made.

For the cake base you will need:
1/2 cup butter, room temp, cut into 8 pieces. Reserve some butter for pan
1-1/4 cup chopped pitted dates
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1-1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-3/4 tsp baking powder

For the caramel sauce you will need:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup + 1 TBSP firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

To prepare cake: preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 inch round baking pan with sides at least 2 inches high, such as a springform pan.

Place the dates in a saucepan and cover with 1-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Add the baking soda (the mixture will foam) and set aside.

In a bowl, cream the cut up butter, sugar and eggs, adding eggs one at a time. Gently mix in the flour, salt and vanilla. Slowly stir in the baking powder and 1/4 cup of the liquid from cooking the dates, until the mixture resembles thick pancake batter. Drain off the remainder of the date liquid and stir in dates.

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until cooked in center.

To prepare caramel sauce: In a saucepan, combine butter, whipping cream, brown sugar and vanilla. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer, cook for 3 minutes.

To serve: Drizzle some of the sauce over cake as it is cooling, serve the remainder of the sauce separately. Enjoy with a small glass of Seppelt Port. You can thank me later ;-)

Black Bean Salsa + Mia's Playground Zinfandel

We've served this salsa at a few of our wine tastings and it's been a huge hit (thanks to Jennifer & Terri)! And Mia's Playground Zinfandel has the perfect amount of spice and fruit on the palate to make this a winning combination.

For the salsa, mix together the following:
2 cans black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can original Rotel tomatoes, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 medium chopped red onion
2 Tablespoons lime juice
Chopped cilantro
*Olive oil
*Red wine vinegar
*Pinch of basil
*Pinch of oregano
*Pinch of cumin

*Add to your taste. Serve with Scoops tortilla chips and enjoy! Please feel free to leave comments :-)