While delivering wine to my good friend Julia Johnston (kitchen designer extraordinaire) the other day, she was kind enough to bestow upon me the gift of…squash blossoms! Of course I’m talking about the delicate, golden blooms produced by summer squash, most commonly zucchini. While I have enjoyed these beautiful, edible flowers prepared in restaurants before, I’ve never made them myself.... Read More
The post Farm to Table: Ricotta-Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Marinara Sauce appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.
While delivering wine to my good friend Julia Johnston (kitchen designer extraordinaire) the other day, she was kind enough to bestow upon me the gift of…squash blossoms!
Of course I’m talking about the delicate, golden blooms produced by summer squash, most commonly zucchini. While I have enjoyed these beautiful, edible flowers prepared in restaurants before, I’ve never made them myself. Since Julia was generous enough to share them with me I knew I couldn’t just banish them to produce drawer purgatory where they would die a slow death along with the two remaining scallions and half a Vidalia onion leftover from last week’s cooking adventures – no, they were way too special for that! So I did some research on these beauties to learn a little bit more about them as well as the various methods of preparation.
Although most squash has its ancestry rooted in the Americas (pun intended), the one we know today as “zucchini” actually originated in Italy. When it comes to the zucchini flowers, there are both male and female varieties. The female flower is attached to the actual zucchini fruit (yes, this vegetable we’ve been enjoying in savory dishes all these years is technically a fruit) while the male flower grows directly on the stem of the plant – both are necessary for pollination to occur. While they look slightly different, the female flower has a flat bottom where it was attached to the zucchini while the male flower is slightly smaller and has a stem (pictured above), both are deliciously edible and can be prepared in a variety of ways. Popular preparation methods include stuffing and frying them in a light tempura batter, incorporating them in soups, and, since zucchini and its blossoms are very popular in Mexico, as a filling for quesadillas. After researching a few different preparations I decided to take the classic route and prepare them stuffed with creamy ricotta cheese, lightly battered and fried until golden and served with a marinara sauce. What’s not to love about that?
I’m happy to report the preparation of this dish was actually quite painless and the result was beautiful, golden floral nuggets that were positively delightful! The crispy outer shell studded with Maldon salt gave way to an oozy, cheesy center accentuated by the delicate flavor and texture of the flower itself. The key is to serve the blossoms warm so the cheese is perfectly melty and the marinara sauce made a wonderful accompaniment. As with just about any fried dish, Ricotta-Stuffed Squash Blossoms pair deliciously well with sparkling wine such as Prosecco or Franciacorta. If you choose to serve them with a marinara sauce as I ultimately did, a fruity Italian red like a Barbera is perfect! I hope you enjoy this dish and I’d love to hear what you think or if you have any other delicious ways of preparing this very special ingredient. Thanks again to Julia for expanding my culinary horizons!
Cheers,
Ricotta-Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Makes 6 blossoms
6 squash blossoms, stems trimmed to 1″
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 – 12 ounce bottle lager or light lager beer
Vegetable oil for frying (approximately 2 quarts if using a standard Dutch oven)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Maldon sea salt for garnish
Carefully pry the leaves open towards the base of each flower, opening just enough to remove the stamen inside with your thumb and forefinger. Rinse each flower gently with cool water and pat dry.
Fill a piping bag (or plastic bag with a corner snipped out) with ricotta cheese and pipe 2-3 tablespoons into each flower being careful not to overfill. If the flower is filled with too much cheese it can burst during frying. Gently twist the petals closed at the top and set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together flour, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Pour the beer into the mixture slowly, whisking to remove any lumps.
Add enough vegetable oil to a pot or heavy skillet so it comes up the side 2 inches, yet is not more than halfway up the sides. Heat oil to 360 degrees and then dip the flowers into the batter (use the stem to roll it when possible) and carefully add the battered blossoms to the hot oil. Fry until blossoms are golden and crisp, using a spider or spatula to make sure each side is golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes. Depending on the size of your pot, you may want to cook the blossoms in batches to avoid them sticking together.
Once done, remove blossoms to a paper towel-lined plate and season with Maldon sea salt while hot. Plate golden brown blossoms and serve with your favorite store bought or homemade marinara sauce.
The post Farm to Table: Ricotta-Stuffed Squash Blossoms! appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.
Although 10:29pm today officially marks the start of Fall, for some reason I’ve been craving it for the past month. From drinking (way too many) Pumpkin Spice Lattes to coming up with a list of 5 Fabulous Things to Do this Fall – for some reason I can’t get this season off my mind. I recently came across a cocktail... Read More
The post Cocktail Couture: the Smoked Sazerac! appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.
Although 10:29pm today officially marks the start of Fall, for some reason I’ve been craving it for the past month. From drinking (way too many) Pumpkin Spice Lattes to coming up with a list of 5 Fabulous Things to Do this Fall – for some reason I can’t get this season off my mind. I recently came across a cocktail that’s further perpetuating my fascination with Fall, the Smoked Sazerac is a riff on the traditional Sazerac, largely considered America’s oldest cocktail, which originated in New Orleans in the 19th century. We discovered this delicious drink during a recent visit to The Cloister at Sea Island in Southeast Georgia, one of our favorite vacation spots.
Every time we visit, we have dinner at the River Bar the night we arrive. Inspired by a French brasserie, the River Bar overlooks the Black Banks River on the west side of Sea Island and makes a wonderful spot for watching the sunset…generally with cocktail in hand. This time the Smoked Sazerac caught Steve’s eye and underneath the list of ingredients was an asterisk followed by the caveat, “This cocktail requires extended time for production”…and for good reason!
Our bartender Kelly kindly took us through each step of making this fabulous drink which was worth every minute of preparation time. The traditional Sazerac ingredients of rye, absinthe, and Peychaud’s bitters are enhanced by the Fall-inspired flavors of ginger cinnamon syrup and smoke from cherry wood chips. The wood chips are ignited at the bar by flaming absinthe and the resulting smoke is captured in a chilled old-fashioned glass the drink is served from.
If you’re entertaining this season or just feel like indulging, this drink is well worth the effort and will surely put you and/or your guests in the Fall spirit(s)! I sincerely hope you enjoy our latest edition of Cocktail Couture, to see past installments of this segment, please click here.
So what’s your favorite cocktail to enjoy in the Fall? Do tell!
Cheers,
Smoked Sazerac
Makes one drink
3 ounces Bulleit Rye
1 ounce ginger syrup*
1/2 ounce of Vieux Carré Absinthe
A couple dashes of Peychaud’s bitter or to taste
Orange peel for garnish
Chill an old-fashioned glass by filling it with ice and setting is aside while you prepare the rest of the drink. In another glass add the ginger syrup and a few dashes of the Peychaud’s bitters and stir to combine. Then add the rye and a few ice cubes to the glass with the bitters and ginger syrup, stir to combine.
Place the cherrywood chips in a firesafe bowl. Fill a jigger with approximately 1/2 ounce of absinthe and using a match or kitchen torch, ignite the absinthe. Pour the flaming absinthe over the cherry wood chips to ignite. Empty the ice from the first glass and invert it over the burning wood chips, filling the glass with smoke. Once it’s filled with smoke, carefully turn it right side up and very slowly strain the rye, ginger syrup and bitters mixture into it. Place the orange peel on the burning cherry wood chips for a few seconds until the edges are lightly charred, garnish the drink with it and serve.
*Ginger Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 – 2″ piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 cinnamon stick
Heat sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the chopped ginger and cinnamon stick to the sugar mixture and bring to a boil then remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain mixture through a sieve into an airtight container and discard ginger and cinnamon. Syrup will keep for up to one month.
The post Cocktail Couture: the Smoked Sazerac! appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word "icon" as: "relating to or characteristic of a famous person or thing that represents something of importance." While we're accustomed to hearing this word used to refer to a person, what exactly does "icon" mean when used to refer to a wine?Much like Joan Rivers was a true comedic icon, the term refers to something that is original, exceptional and enduring with a proven track record and standard of excellence to which others rightly aspire. In wine, excellence is dictated by many factors including vineyard location, soil type, grape variety, climate, viticultural practices, winemaking techniques, and how these factors come together to consistently produce an excellent product year after year even in the face of adverse conditions. Recently I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Enrique Tirado, Winemaker of one of Chile's true icon wines, Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon.
In 1883 Don Melchor Concha y Toro planted the first noble vines he and his wife brought back from Bordeaux in the Maipo Valley at the foot of the Andes mountains. This planting laid the ground for what would later become Concha y Toro which, after decades of growth and expansion, became the world's first winery to have its shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Today it is a global brand whose distribution extends to 125 countries around the globe. In remembrance of its founder's entrepreneurial spirit, Concha y Toro created Don Melchor in 1987, a wine which paved the way for a new era in Chilean wine, proving the country could in fact produce some serious, world class wine.
Enrique Tirado joined the Don Melchor team in 1997 and, after proving his winemaking acumen and demonstrating his tireless dedication to research of different terroirs, was appointed as the wine's sole winemaker in 1999. According to Tirado, "Don Melchor's style captures the complexity and finesse expressed through the perfect balance of the stony Puente Alto soil, the Andean breeze, the generous Maipo Valley climate and the thirty years vines have taken to produce their best grapes." His enduring passion for the Puente Alto terroir was evident during a recent trade tasting at Miami's Capital Grille. During the tasting we were able to sample all the Don Melchor vineyard parcels allocated to this storied wine. The vineyard is divided into seven parcels of which six are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and one is planted to Cabernet Franc. Sampling each individual parcel and noting the distinct differences of each proved to be a wonderful lesson in the art of blending; Parcel 1 demonstrated expressive notes of black fruit and sweet tannins; Parcel 4 had wonderful acid and tannin structure accompanied by ripe red fruit; and Parcel 7, the sole Cabernet Franc parcel, was characterized by the variety's hallmark notes of black tea, earth and candied violet. It quickly became obvious how selecting the right proportion of each parcel could prove to be a daunting, yet rewarding task.
After sampling the parcels, Tirado got to his specialty: blending! First, he created a blend which represented each parcels' percentage of the 127 hectare Don Melchor vineyard. For example if Parcel 1 was 22% of the entire vineyard, the wine from that parcel comprised 22% of the blend. Based on this approach, our group generally concurred Blend #1 was very expressive with plenty of ripe fruit character, however, lacked structure and acidity. To remedy this, Tirado asked us (yes, us!) which parcels we would add more or less of to improve the blend. With some guidance from him, we examined the parcels and decided to add more of Parcel 4, raising it from 17% to 30% of the blend, as well as decrease the amount of Parcel 5, taking it from 20% to 8%. This blend, creatively dubbed Blend #2, had more acidity and tannin however the wine was not balanced. We all agreed it would probably benefit from additional time in the bottle although it would not quite fix everything that was wrong with it. Tirado made a very valuable point that if a wine's tannins are out of balance when it is made, no amount of cellar age will fix it. As a group effort, I think we actually did pretty darn good and as it opened up in the glass, most of us actually preferred Blend #2 to Blend #1.After our blending tutorial, we were rewarded with a glass of 2010 Don Melchor, a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc (we were not privy to the parcel percentage breakdown) aged for 15 months in French oak barrels (76% new, 24% second use). The 2010 vintage was characterized by lower than normal temperatures which delayed the onset of harvest so the grapes could adequately ripen. The result is a full-bodied wine with an intense, ruby red color and expressive aromas of red and black fruit, graphite and earth. On the palate, mouth-filling flavors of pomegranate, plum, cocoa and hoisin are seamlessly integrated and accompanied by elegant tannins and a fresh acidity making this wine perfectly enjoyable now, yet it will definitely benefit from years in the cellar. Critical acclaim and accolades for this icon wine are indeed plentiful with six vintages of the Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon ranking among Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of the Year; the publication also awarded the 2010 vintage 95 points.
We enjoyed our assortment of wines with a delicious lunch consisting of a flavorful Steak Tartare with Truffle Deviled Egg followed by a melt in your mouth Filet Mignon (perfectly cooked medium-rare) accompanied by au gratin potatoes and roasted green beans and garlic. Needless to say the Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon made a perfect pairing for the filet and was a delightful conclusion to a very informative and enjoyable tasting.For information on purchasing the 2010 Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon ($99) please click here to visit the Wine Atelier.Cheers,
The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word “icon” as: “relating to or characteristic of a famous person or thing that represents something of importance.” While we’re accustomed to hearing this word used to refer to a person, what exactly does “icon” mean when used to refer to a wine? Much like Joan Rivers was a true comedic icon, the term refers... Read More
The post Wine of the Week: Chile’s Iconic Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon & Winemaker Enrique Tirado appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word “icon” as: “relating to or characteristic of a famous person or thing that represents something of importance.” While we’re accustomed to hearing this word used to refer to a person, what exactly does “icon” mean when used to refer to a wine?
Much like Joan Rivers was a true comedic icon, the term refers to something that is original, exceptional and enduring with a proven track record and standard of excellence to which others rightly aspire. In wine, excellence is dictated by many factors including vineyard location, soil type, grape variety, climate, viticultural practices, winemaking techniques, and how these factors come together to consistently produce an excellent product year after year even in the face of adverse conditions. Recently I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Enrique Tirado, Winemaker of one of Chile’s true icon wines, Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon.
In 1883 Don Melchor Concha y Toro planted the first noble vines he and his wife brought back from Bordeaux in the Maipo Valley at the foot of the Andes mountains. This planting laid the ground for what would later become Concha y Toro which, after decades of growth and expansion, became the world’s first winery to have its shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Today it is a global brand whose distribution extends to 125 countries around the globe. In remembrance of its founder’s entrepreneurial spirit, Concha y Toro created Don Melchor in 1987, a wine which paved the way for a new era in Chilean wine, proving the country could in fact produce some serious, world class wine.
Enrique Tirado joined the Don Melchor team in 1997 and, after proving his winemaking acumen and demonstrating his tireless dedication to research of different terroirs, was appointed as the wine’s sole winemaker in 1999. According to Tirado, “Don Melchor’s style captures the complexity and finesse expressed through the perfect balance of the stony Puente Alto soil, the Andean breeze, the generous Maipo Valley climate and the thirty years vines have taken to produce their best grapes.” His enduring passion for the Puente Alto terroir was evident during a recent trade tasting at Miami’s Capital Grille. During the tasting we were able to sample all the Don Melchor vineyard parcels allocated to this storied wine. The vineyard is divided into seven parcels of which six are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and one is planted to Cabernet Franc. Sampling each individual parcel and noting the distinct differences of each proved to be a wonderful lesson in the art of blending; Parcel 1 demonstrated expressive notes of black fruit and sweet tannins; Parcel 4 had wonderful acid and tannin structure accompanied by ripe red fruit; and Parcel 7, the sole Cabernet Franc parcel, was characterized by the variety’s hallmark notes of black tea, earth and candied violet. It quickly became obvious how selecting the right proportion of each parcel could prove to be a daunting, yet rewarding task.
After sampling the parcels, Tirado got to his specialty: blending! First, he created a blend which represented each parcels’ percentage of the 127 hectare Don Melchor vineyard. For example if Parcel 1 was 22% of the entire vineyard, the wine from that parcel comprised 22% of the blend. Based on this approach, our group generally concurred Blend #1 was very expressive with plenty of ripe fruit character, however, lacked structure and acidity. To remedy this, Tirado asked us (yes, us!) which parcels we would add more or less of to improve the blend. With some guidance from him, we examined the parcels and decided to add more of Parcel 4, raising it from 17% to 30% of the blend, as well as decrease the amount of Parcel 5, taking it from 20% to 8%. This blend, creatively dubbed Blend #2, had more acidity and tannin however the wine was not balanced. We all agreed it would probably benefit from additional time in the bottle although it would not quite fix everything that was wrong with it. Tirado made a very valuable point that if a wine’s tannins are out of balance when it is made, no amount of cellar age will fix it. As a group effort, I think we actually did pretty darn good and as it opened up in the glass, most of us actually preferred Blend #2 to Blend #1.
After our blending tutorial, we were rewarded with a glass of 2010 Don Melchor, a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc (we were not privy to the parcel percentage breakdown) aged for 15 months in French oak barrels (76% new, 24% second use). The 2010 vintage was characterized by lower than normal temperatures which delayed the onset of harvest so the grapes could adequately ripen. The result is a full-bodied wine with an intense, ruby red color and expressive aromas of red and black fruit, graphite and earth. On the palate, mouth-filling flavors of pomegranate, plum, cocoa and hoisin are seamlessly integrated and accompanied by elegant tannins and a fresh acidity making this wine perfectly enjoyable now, yet it will definitely benefit from years in the cellar. Critical acclaim and accolades for this icon wine are indeed plentiful with six vintages of the Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon ranking among Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year; the publication also awarded the 2010 vintage 95 points.
We enjoyed our assortment of wines with a delicious lunch consisting of a flavorful Steak Tartare with Truffle Deviled Egg followed by a melt in your mouth Filet Mignon (perfectly cooked medium-rare) accompanied by au gratin potatoes and roasted green beans and garlic. Needless to say the Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon made a perfect pairing for the filet and was a delightful conclusion to a very informative and enjoyable tasting.
For information on purchasing the 2010 Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon ($99) please click here to visit the Wine Atelier.
Cheers,
The post Wine of the Week: Chile’s Iconic Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon & Winemaker Enrique Tirado appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.
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