Reminiscing. A book review and wine review.

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!

Book Review of A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff (c) 2010.

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.

Rochemaure, France, a place in the book.  Photo from Panoramio

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.   

Yellow gown for sale on UK Vintage Fashion Guild

Pinterest board: 1950's prom dresses

Rococo Vintage on Etsy - Recently sold emerald green dress

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.

Wine Review of 2008 Ser Lapo, Chianti Classico, Riserva by Mazzei

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!

Make at home recipe for "Sweet and sour chicken" from Made in Melissa's Kitchen

 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!

Book Review: Design Is In The Details: Outdoor Spaces

This is a review of the book "Design is in the Details: Outdoor Spaces" by Brad Mee.   I recommend the book to anyone who is looking for a unique feature for his or her outdoor garden, patio or porch.  It is a book to help you put your finger on the detail that will make your home stand out.  I would like to comment that there were very few ideas for decks and yards.  Unfortunately, that makes the book inaccessible to the majority of Americans.  It's a specialized book for a specialized audience.  For those fitting in the category of owning a grand manse, this is the book for you.  (And certainly there are more than plenty mansions to be found here in the Brandywine Valley!) You will find inspiration in lush pictures of fountains, masonry and garden accents.  The author shows how a significant effect can be achieved by changing the lighting, furnishings or accent plants in your outdoor wonderland.

Wine Review of Carl Reh Riesling with Recipe for Balsalmic Pasta with Asparagus Tips and Pickled Beets

The next selection of the "virtual wine tour club" was Carl Reh Riesling.  To my disappointment, my local wine store did not have any of the top selections from the Riesling chapter of the book "Unquenchable", so I went with one of the "notable mentions".  (Note to blog readers from out of state:  It is illegal in Pennsylvania to import wine; we must buy from the state wine store.)

Fresh off my delectable experience drinking the Shiraz Cabernet, I went into the Riesling experience with very high expectations.  Riesling is one of my favorite types of wine to drink because it is very adaptable to contemporary American cuisine.  My expectations should have been adjusted for drinking a "notable mention" instead of a true recommended wine brand from the book.  The Carl Reh didn't live up to the hype.  It was uncomfortably dry and a shade too sour for Riesling.  It tasted like a cousin of pinot grigio.  Perhaps it was too old.  It was a 2009 and we are in 2012.  I definitely did not enjoy drinking a glass of the Carl Reh Riesling by itself.  I became frustrated because the riesling did not pair with the usual foods that I would serve with it.  Glaring at a 3/4 full bottle, I was determined to find at least one food to match the wine's flavor.  This mission was fully accomplished by making a cold pasta salad served as a side dish to pork chops.  Rest assured, when you make this salad it will take the sour edge off of the Carl Reh wine.

Recipe:  Balsalmic Pasta with Asparagus Tips and Pickled Beets


A sweet and sour pasta salad balances flavors on top of vegetables.



Ingredients: 

• Balsalmic viniagrette (can be store-bought or homemade; mine is homemade)
• Asparagus, cleaned, cut into tips
• Rapini (also known as Broccoli Raab or Broccoli Rabe), stripped of leaves, 1:4 ratio with asparagus
• Jar of pickled beets, drained
• 2-3 small yellow or heirloom tomatoes, sliced and de-seeded.
• Pasta of choice (I used "wagon wheels") 
• Bread crumbs
• Gorgonzola cheese crumbles

Cooking directions:

1. Blanch asparagus and rapini; set aside to cool; top with lemon juice.
2. Cook pasta al dente; set aside to cool.
3. Prepare a viniagrette. Add bread crumbs, salt, pepper, herbs, and cheese crumbles.
4. Stir in viniagrette mixture to pasta.  Combine with asparagus and rapini.   Be careful with the rapini.  Too much will make the dish sour.
5. Add tomatoes and combine.  Do a taste test. Add a sprinkle of fine white granulated sugar if sweetness needed.
6. Add pickled beets last, carefully combining so as not to make the entire dish turn purple.  Serve immediately.  
7. The leftovers can be placed in refrigerator. The purple may run but the salad is still edible.
   

Wine Review: Penfold's Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet

While reading the book "Unquenchable" (see book review blog post), I decided to drink the recommended wines, thus giving myself a "virtual winery tour" at home!  There is something to be said for the experience of tasting the wine while hearing the history of the making of the wine.  Although there is never a substitute for hearing from the winemaker in person, there is a great deal of enjoyment that can be had at home while watching a video of the winery online or reading other's tasting notes.  More wineries these days are posting videos online that afford the wine customer the opportunity to peek into the making of the product.  In my eyes, this is a welcome change in the industry, which used to seem very "hush hush" and behind closed doors, but is now opening its cellar doors just a little.

As I set about shopping for wines recommended in the book, I feared spending an age in the Wine & Spirits store sifting through labels to find one of the wines on the author's list.  To my surprise, my trips to the wine store were actually shortened by following the book recommendations, since my shopping was focused on choosing from a handful of brands and a small number of individual makes within those brands. I asked the clerk if anyone else had come into the store for the same type of task.  I was a first for my local store at least.

The first selection of the "club" was a runaway winner:  Penfold's Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet.  First of all, I was delayed from taking a sip several times when my nose elected to sit back and take in the powerful aroma of the wine before letting me imbibe.  I smelled earth, wood, vine and fruit.  It smelled like the entire growing cycle of the vine was contained within the glass.  I imagined the sun hitting the red earth, myself walking through the vineyard, my shoes kicking up dry sprays of dust, then smelling the faint odor of the dirt as it passed through the air.

The Koonunga Hill was a gorgeous drinking wine, almost a meal in itself.  With food, I would prefer it with a dark meat (beef, venison) dish or a piece of dark whipped chocolate pie, but nothing so heavy as to take away from the wine's taste.  The wine filled the mouth heavily then left a lighter, purifying aftertaste.  A scant of white pepper-like fire hit the tongue as I swallowed but was cleansed by a citrus-like acidity leaving the taste of flowers in my mouth.

After drinking the Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet by Penfold's, I am curious to try other wines in the brand.  I am eyeing the Cabernet Merlot because it is another blend of wines that comes with recommended food pairings that sound appetizing to me for dinner:  penne puttanesca and chicken cacciatore.  I am getting hungry and thirsty thinking about it!

Book Review of Unquenchable by Natalie MacLean

Style

Unquenchable is the 2011 sequel to wine writer MacLean's 2007 debut novel Red, White and Drunk All Over.  I have not read her first work.  I am likely to catch it on audio book at some point.  Unquenchable was a difficult read at first.  MacLean is clever and tries to be even more clever.  Switching around the sentence structure would help a lot.  Often the adjectives or adverbs were presented before the subjects of the sentence was known to the reader.  My mind grew tired of playing guessing games.  My mind enjoyed the intellectual stimulation of the book's varied topics, locales, and characters, though.  

It was refreshing to hear about winemaking and the wine industry from the point of view of a female narrator.  Also, I am not surprised in the least that a buxom blonde gained access to forbidden wine cellars. The industry has a ways to go in terms of acceptance.

It is an interesting oddity that the author shared she dislikes getting dirty in the soil but she took on a book writing journey to visit so many outdoor locales.  I am curious to know if visiting the fresh outdoors changed her perspective on going outside at all.  I feel very sorry for people who live their lives trapped indoors.

Content

The book is highly entertaining and educational interspersing of personal stories, expert interviews, nonfiction wine history, prose on the love of winemaking and wine drinking, and scientific techniques of winemaking. The author moved from one topic to the next in a comfortable, conversational manner.  She kept the romantic prose to an acceptable level.  I foretell a film documentary in the future. 

Often I wanted more information on what she was talking about.  (The difference between Labrusca grapes and Vinifera grapes?)  Maps of the places in the book would have also helped greatly with context (Where is the Moselle River?)  I place these faults on the book editor, who should have offered guidance in these respects.  The spelling of words and names in the book and the placement of punctuation was flawless, however.  Kudos to the editor in that regard.

The book referenced many quotations from authors who I have not read personally and am not ashamed to admit not reading.  I am talking about the types of authors who frequent lists of books to read for PhD candidates in English Lit.  As an everyday mere mortal, I dive into those books rarely.  I do not begrudge Natalie's sharing of her interest in reading lofty titles.  Rather, I hope she taps into it a bit more to give a unique reading experience which is her own personal style.  An idea for a future book:  Whimsying and Wining on Famous Writings:  Wine pairings to Book excerpts by Famous Authors.

On the Author

Ms. MacLean delivers a good amount of personal narrative in the book so I think it appropriate to discuss her personage.  She comes across as highly likeable, because of her good humor, balanced perspective, and natural curiosity and observation of things.  She is a person I would not mind sharing a taxi with.  The kind of person who would make a watchable guest judge on "Iron Chef".  (Anyone out there reading from Iron Chef?)  

I do think she is too overly humble and self deprecating in the book at certain moments.  Women have been beaten down throughout the ages to accept mediocrity in themselves and apologize when it is exceeded.  Ms. MacLean need not apologize for her wine expertise nor her humanity during stressful situations.  She's written a bestselling book that is deservedly so.

 

For More Information

Read the Natalie MacLean Blog

Get Food/Wine pairings from her

Buy wines she recommends

amazon.com

 

barnesandnoble.com

Book Review: The Occasional Vegetarian by Elaine Louie

Sony e-Reader store

Readers of the New York Times will recognize author Elaine Louie from the Currents column, where she penned the series The Temporary Vegetarian.  Upon wrapping up The Temporary Vegetarian in August 2011, the book The Occasional Vegetarian was published as a scrapbook of recipes from the column.  I myself have enjoyed her NYT column over the past couple of years. 

I anxiously dove in to the cookbook.  It is an ecletic mix of side dishes which can served as main dishes.  The recipes were contributed by chefs from mid-level New York restaurants.  It is with amusement, and sadness, that I report that several of the contributing restaurants are no longer in operation.  The recipes themselves, though, are respectable.  Most of the recipes reflect the chef's ethnic heritage or favorite international cuisine in a manner simplified for the home cook.  It feels like a trip around the world as you read the pages.  On the other hand, most of the recipes should be served with additional side dishes.  Some chefs offered suggestions, but others did not.  I wanted to see more serving suggestions. 

Most of the recipes are dumbed-down versions of ethnic classics.  I do see a value in this simplicity because the recipes are adaptable by the everyday home cook.   They do not require special equipment or impossible-to-find ingredients.  It is also a nice way to expose new cuisines to the everyday cook who wants to try something different by cooking a dish that's Ethiopian, Lebanese, or Portuguese, to give a couple of examples.  I took away a lot of ideas.

I really liked how the recipes were organized.  They are listed alphabetically and named with the principal ingredient as the first word of the recipe.  This makes the recipes easy to find.  Thus, you will find a recipe for "Corn Chowder", rather than "Summery Chowder of Corn" or some other such invention.

I do think less people are apt to buy a cookbook featuring vegetables than something sweet like cookies or cakes.  I would recommend this book for a person who enjoys cooking with (and eating) vegetables already.  Due to the lack of pictures, it is also best for someone with an intermediate skill at cooking, someone who knows their way around the kitchen.  It would be really great for a person who lives with a vegetarian or vegan, because many of the recipes meet those requirements without being "overly" veggie.  Further, many of the recipes can be adapted to add meat if desired, thus it is a perfect way to cook for a mixed vegetarian and omnivore household. Novice cooks and those on a soul journey of purification can skip the book.  Hopefully this information helps you decide if the book is right for you.  You can click on the NYT blog link above to see recipes and get a feel for whether it is the right book for you.

Making macarons and reading book of same name by Annie Rigg

Trend:  Macarons from the bakery are in style now.
Macaron is a cookie.  Macaroni is a pasta!

 

www.Amazon.com

 
Review of the book by Annie Rigg, Photography by Kate Whitaker:  
"Macarons: Chic & Delicious French Treats"
Published in 2011 by Ryland Peters & Small.

There are suggested suppliers for food coloring and the flavor extracts used in the macaron filling.
Very clear instructions with plenty of detail for novice macaron cookie bakers.
The recipes have two parts: the making of the macaron "shell", or sponge cookie; and the filling.
Photos of each recipe clearly depict the appearance of the finished macaron shells and fillings.


The book is divided into three basic chapters:  fruits, sweets, and nuts.
The book focuses on the macaron baking process itself, not really the decorating of the macarons.  Refer to cupcake books for more creative decorating ideas.
The book has a macaron recipe base that you can modify for your own ingredients.