Last week I reminisced on last summer. I recalled trips to the shore with the salty seabreeze hitting my face; and long hours working on the yard in the hot sun when the air was completely still. Midsummer I set up the dinner table many times for dinner al fresco with family and friends. At summer's end I sat on the porch with a glass of wine in hand and enjoyed the rewards of my garden. The mood of reminiscence explains my book and wine choices for last week. Salud to last year!
This was a fun romp through London, England and Avignon, France in the story of a thirtysomething single woman who is "finding herself" in terms of career, family relationships and romance. Perfect read for fans of "In Style Magazine" and Rachel Zoe because the book mentions a lot of fancy clothing brands as part of the main character's profession. This was a fun and easy pageturner with a story intertwined about France during WWII. The visuals in the book were pleasing. I would easily read another novel by the author who has racked up quite the collection of titles.
Vintage USA prom gown. Sideline stories in the book A Vintage Affair revolve around three women who purchase 1950's prom gowns: one green, one yellow, and one pink.
The book taps into classic movies too. Greta Garbo's first talking appearance in a movie was referenced in A Vintage Affair. Her first words: "Gimme a Whiskey." It comes from the movie Anna Christie.
It's not whiskey, it's wine! Ser Lapo is a Chianti for the refined palate. The finish is very clean and the body has more tannins when compared to regular chiantis. All in all: very fresh and VERY Italian. To me, it tasted of lemon, black cherry, and blackberry. I could see it going with minted lamb very well. This glass is suited for finer dining. But, I have to tell you, it tastes completely wonderful with sweet and sour chicken takeout!
Healthy flavorful recipe for minted lamb chops by Brake
The price online to buy Ser Lapo Chianti from the state stores is quoted at $40 - on SALE - but I can tell you that I paid MUCH, much less. My bill was in the $15 to $20 range!! Get this one while it stays on the shelves at PA stores!
In my house, Father's day is more like Father's Weekend. After a busy day Saturday, everyone slept in on Sunday morning. I made my way to the kitchen and browsed what was available in the fridge. I came up with a version of Croque Monsieur that was inspired by BBQ on the grill, a passion associated with many dads. This sandwich looks like it came out of a fancy restaurant while being a snap to make with ingredients on hand. Another plus: It's made in one skillet for easy cleanup!
Recipe: Father's Day Croque Monsieur Sandwich
Ingredients
Sourdough bread
Eggs
Butter
Salt and Pepper
White sugar
1 large or 2 small peaches
Medium soft block of cheese
1 can baked beans
Chives for garnish.
Directions
Toast the bread. Heat a skillet. Butter both sides of bread and toast in the skillet. Set aside, 1 large slice per serving plate.
Carmelize the peaches. Slice or dice the peaches and cook in the skillet with sugar and butter. The peaches will take on a grilled effect if the heat is high. A caramel sauce will form. Divide the peaches and sauce between each plate. You can substitute mangoes or apples for the peaches. Apples will take longer to cook.
Cook the eggs. Rinse out the skillet from the peaches and heat/oil the pan for eggs. You don't have to scrub the pan here. A quick rinse is enough to remove the sugary sauce and keep your eggs from tasting odd. It's OK for some caramelized pieces to stick to the pan. Cook the eggs to your liking: scrambled, fried, or like me,
over easy. Serve by placing on top of one half of the toast.
Warm the cheese by slicing the cheese into 1 cm thick slices sized to 1/3 of the bread and heating gently in the pan to soften. Any medium soft cheese will do - Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Swiss, Provolone. My grocery store sells "cheese ends" for a buck each. They are the leftovers from behind the deli counter that are too small to run through the slicer but too big to throw away. This week I had provolone. Use a spatula to slide the cheese slices from the skillet to atop the bread slices waiting on each plate.
Open the can of baked beans and heat in the skillet. Plate the beans.
Garnish the plate with chives.
Some like to eat the sandwich as egg-and-cheese with beans and fruit on the side. For the perfect bite, I like to make an egg-and-cheese-and-peaches-and-beans sandwich. Fresh sourdough bread should be pliable such that you can fold the sandwich in half in a "chalupa" style. When you bite into the sandwich, the eggs done over easy will run with the caramel sauce and cheese to make a gooey backdrop to the crunchier fruit and beans. Mmmmm.
Whiting is a mild flavored fish that is, as the name suggests, white fleshed. Its firm texture makes it ideal for smoking. The term whiting is applied to several types of fish around the world.
In the Pacific, it refers to Australian whiting or Pacific/Japanese
hake. Out here on the east coast, it refers to Atlantic (English)
whiting. Summertime is a great time to enjoy this fish because smoked whiting is served cold. That's right, there's no slaving over the stove once the smoking process is done. You just pull the fish out of the fridge, slice, and serve. Traditionally, fisherman have smoked their catch to create this delicacy. In modern times, you can buy prepared smoked whiting that is ready to eat. I like it as a lunch or dinner course. The smoked fish could sub for lox on a bagel, too.
Redner's Warehouse Markets sells spiced, smoked whiting. The barbecue spices on the their version make this fish absolutely delectable, even for the fish-finicky. For under $10, you can feed a family of four with a fish raised right here in the USA.
AlwaysFreshFish.com hails locally from Toms River, New Jersey. They ship fresh smoked whiting to your door, as pictured in the photo below, for about $40 for five lbs.
Bite size pasta; I like golden nugget radiatore
1 cucumber
Fresh herbs; I like basil and curly parsley
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Cook radiatore pasta al dente. Drain and set aside to cool. Add ice cubes to the strainer if you like yours more cool than warm. Chop a cucumber into bite size pieces. Add chopped herbs, salt and pepper. Add olive oil and pasta and gently stir. Gently mix in the shredded mozzarella cheese. If the pasta is still a little bit warm, the cheese will melt slightly. I like my pasta salad this way. If you want your cheese to be more firm, make sure the pasta is fully cooled. Serve with main course and enjoy.
Insider's Tip:If you visit the winery: Mention Yelp for a free tasting!
The winery is located on the central coast of California. I found it interesting to compare the taste of this wine compared to one from more inland. The tannins were in good balance. The tasting notes were full bodied. Very jammy. As stated on the label, the wine would pair well with barbecued chicken. I'm envisioning this with corn on the cob and a mango salsa on the side.
The Central Coast Meritage for 2009 is 14.5% alc by vol. It is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cab Franc. This is my first review of a Meritage, so I'll tell you a little about the wine profile. Meritage is the name for American-blended wines in the style of wines from Bordeaux, France. Since the term "bordeaux" is restricted to wines with domain in France, the wine industry in the U.S. created it own term for knockoffs grown outside France, called the Meritage Alliance. Meritage blends differ widely in composition so do read the label to understand the specific blend you are buying. In my opinion, the meritage is a "finer" version of table wine, being done in the French style. The meritage can be sipped alone but it works best with food as a companion, in my opinion. It blends well with the typical suspects: cheese, chocolate, nuts. The alliance describes the meritage blend as Flexible. I would say that it is flexible because it is not too specific. The oenophile friend of yours may enjoy a specific pairing while the bourgeousie friend of yours may have a hard time understanding why anyone would pay more than $9.99 for a bottle of wine. The meritage blend makes a good compromise. That is what I like best about it. A fine test without being too picky or too shallow. Salud!
The White Wine
My white wine selection for the week is a dessert wine to follow the main course above. If you can't tell by now, I favor my wines on the wetter and sweeter side for the most part. However this selection is specifically intended for dessert: For eating with a heavily frosted cupcake, to be precise! (A platter of soft cheeses and grapes would also do fine, though!)
Oh yeah - - And they are crazy about sustainability, too! (Bleaa-aa.)
The Sweet Riesling could be more aptly named Very Sweet Riesling. At first I couldn't quite place the taste, except to think "Tooti Frooti", until I read the label and then it made sense: A combination of pineapple, mint, and peaches. I can definitely taste both of those fruit juices in the wine. It is not a combination one normally finds in nature, but it is pleasant. You can probably imagine, now, why I described the wine as "Very Sweet" instead of just "Sweet".
I like Pacific Rim for a dessert wine because of the sweetness and second for the reduced alcohol content. With a % per vol of 8.5%, Pacific Rim Sweet Riesling is an appropriate finish to dinner that permits indulgence without pushing blood levels over the legal driving limit.
Do you know what else is a casual indulgence? The price! With a review of 89 points from Wine Spectator in 2010, the 2010 Sweet Riesling is only $10 from the winemaker and under $20 at PA Spirits stores (if memory serves me, under $15, but to be safe I listed at $20.)
