Random good food pairings

I rummaged through one of my three wine coolers to find a wine to pair with a simple dinner of black bean soup, chips, salsa and guacamole. I pulled out this bottle of Kestrel Vintner's Red Table Wine that has been hiding for a while--it must have been a Touring and Tasting wine club offering. So, here's the news--pair it with Mexican flavors for a big win!

Kestrel Vintner is in central Washington, with some of the oldest vines in the state. Their soil, deposited from past glacial activity, and their long summer nights and cool temperatures provide ideal terroir. "There is plenty of sunshine, a long growing season, virtually no chance of harvest rainfall, and control of the water supply through drip irrigation… Washington State is now one of the worlds’ most exciting viticultural regions." --Robert Parker Consumer Guide

The inky, rich Red Table Wine is made from mostly Merlot, Syrah and Cab. It has a slight mineral taste and tons of dark fruit overlaid with vanilla and tobacco. A couple of years ago, Touring & Tasting had the 2007 Kestrel Malbec, a single varietal which I could not find currently on Kestrel Vintner's website, that was a plush and full-bodied example of the grape with the same distinctive minerality found in the Red Table Wine. As Harvey Steiman wrote in Wine Spectator: "[Washington wines] all share Washington's signature attributes of pure fruit flavors that balance with moderate alcohol, acidity and tannins. Some rise into another realm, coaxing layers of complexity that make for compelling sips, often at very reasonable prices."
I'd say Kestrel wine have risen to "another realm"! If you're fortunate to have a bottle of one of these profound Kestrel reds, pair it with the Creamy Polenta Pie Casserole.

I was out at the spectacular Sunstone Winery today, talking to the hospitality manager about hosting one of our new Inside Wine - Santa Barbara wine tasting meetings. Stopped at Grappolo for lunch--a bit of Italy with fresh ciabatta bread and arugula salad, but with an Asian twist--sesame crusted seared ahi. Not bad with a glass of the Foley Grenache Rose´.

Fresh Local and Sustainable

As a child, I coveted the processed foods other kids had at their homes. I wanted the boxed macaroni and cheese, the Koolaid, the canned Campbell's soups. My mother bought fresh produce and meats and cooked--and expected us to cook--from scratch. Now, of course, I'm grateful for the good start she gave us toward a lifetime of healthy eating. Society has caught up with the philosophy of eating local, sustainable and organic (when possible) food made from fresh, seasonal ingredients with even golf courses--the last bastion of traditional grill food like burgers--starting to offer veggie burgers and salads with nary a trace of iceberg lettuce.

Touring and Tasting and Buttonwood Farm Winery were among the many local businesses donating products (in our case--wine!) and time to the Santa Barbara Culinary dinner last night benefiting the Julia Child Scholarship for students at the SBCC School of Culinary Arts. Santa Barbara Culinary is a group of culinary professionals--caterers, restauranteurs, farmers, etc. and food afficionados who meet monthly for a wonderful dinner created around a theme. This month's theme was local bounty sourced from local and sustainable food producers. Bonnie Crouse has the monumental job of overseeing all procurement of food, equipment and supplies and budget management for the University of California at Santa Barbara, so last night's gala event must have been a walk in the park! More than a decade ago, Bonnie started bringing the locavore philosophy to the University--working to support local farmers, ranchers and fishermen (and women) by buying locally, with the added benefit of improving the freshness of the ingredients used for student and faculty.

We feasted on olives and cheeses from Olivos Del Mar, beef sliders and BBQ organic chicken from DeyDey's Best Beef Ever, halibut with miso ginger marinade and black cod with arugula pesto from Santa Barbara Fish Market, grilled asparagus and legume and fresh vegetable salad from Farmer Direct Produce, organic salad from Shepherd Farms, and luscious berries with Champagne-honey sabayon from The Berry Man who also donated this amazing gift basket won by raffle. UCSB Executive Chef Jaime Herrera and his team created a culinary tour de force with the fresh produce, meat and seafood.

Touring and Tasting poured Rack & Riddle Brut sparkling wine for a starter and Becky, the new marketing manager at Buttonwood Farm Winery, brought four of their lovely wines: two Sauvignon Blanc, a Malbec and a Cabernet Franc. I loved the 2010 Zingy--100% Sauvignon Blanc that was hand-harvested and slow, cold fermented, yielding a crisp, bright wine with citrus and peach flavors. The 2010 Signature Blend Sauvignon Blanc was blended with aromatic Semillon. Malo-lactic fermentation gives it a creamy texture and, though the citrus is still evident, tropical flavors of guava and passionfruit are predominant. Anyone who finds Argentinian Malbec too rugged will love the Buttonwood 2009 Malbec which has a velvety texture. It's still a bold wine with structure and jammy flavors, but without any rough edges. My favorite was the 2008 Cabernet Franc. The vintage notes remind us that 2008 was an odd year for weather with the coldest spring in 25 years. Their crop was less than half the normal volume, but the smaller quantity was carefully hand-harvested and field sorted. Cabernet Franc is one of the grapes used to blend traditional Bordeaux and has a medium body and aromatic nose. The Buttonwood Cabernet Franc was well-balanced with a minerally touch to the mix of fruit flavors.

Buttonwood Farm Winery fit perfectly into the evening's theme of local and sustainable as the founder, Betty Williams, was a proponent of organic farming long before it became fashionable. Buttonwood continues to be a careful steward of their land, using organic techniques and tending the vineyards by hand. Buttonwood also produces more than wine: peach salsa, Cabernet chocolate sauce, olive oil, Sauvignon Blanc jelly and other delectable items. The Buttonwood Farm is a destination--not just a tasting room. I missed their farm tours during April's Earth Month On the Farm, but I see they have a Crawfish Boil coming up on May 19th -- crawfish + Buttonwood wines = a winning combination!

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake, Soaked in Cointreau, Made From Scratch

It's not so easy to find a decadent chocolate bundt cake recipe made from scratch on the web. I fault the proliferation of advertising-dollar-driven recipe sites like about.com who offer minimal payment to anyone who can write up content for them which increases their web traffic and in turn their revenue dollars. Most recipes start with cake mix as the base--what's the point of that? So here is a made from scratch recipe for a really rich chocolate cake that should satisfy any chocolate lover. I made it last night for Touring and Tasting's Summer/Fall 2011 magazine release party and it garnered many compliments. Our lovely wine club manager, Shannon, hosted the soiree and cooked up a storm with a lavish spread of fresh caught crab claws, grilled albacore, tri-tip, vegetarian treats galore and, of course, great wine.

I had the chance to try some of the wines that will be in upcoming Touring and Tasting wine clubs: the Landmark Pinot Noir (supple and fruity, from Sonoma), Winderlea Pinot Noir (you can taste the French oak; grown on that coveted Jory soil--read about our visit),  Covington Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (I love their Sangiovese; this Cab was excellent as well) and Bianchi Syrah (a big, bold Syrah from Paso Robles).

The cake takes some time to make, so prepare yourself with a big chunk of time. I also whipped up a plate of meringue cookies (recipe from joyofbaking.com) served with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for those odd people (like myself) who don't eat chocolate. I piped the meringue using the flower attachment on the piping bag which gave a nice look to them, like a swirl of soft serve vanilla. These are melt-in-your-mouth meringue cookies. The next time I make them, I'm going to swirl them into a nest to pool some homemade fruit compote inside, then top with whipped cream and toasted almonds--yum.

Touring and Tasting is now over 15 years old and growing strong! Our talented wine club manager, Shannon, also shot the cover photo for the upcoming issue--soon to be in bookstores, airports, and hotels near you! The upcoming issue is the largest yet. Did you know Touring and Tasting was started with a few thousand dollars charged to a credit card? Now the magazine has a distribution of over 100,000 and hundreds of wine club members who enjoy tasting hand-selected wines. The Cellar Tour is the most popular club.

COINTREAU SOAKED TRIPLE CHOCOLATE DECADENCE CAKE
Cake Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted into measuring cup
1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate pudding

1/4 cup Cointreau

4 eggs 

1/4 cup milk 

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cointreau soaking concoction:
4 tablespoons butter 

1/2 cup Cointreau

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Sweet whipped cream ingredients
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. lemon extract
Other ingredients
1 cup chocolate frosting (I used store bought but homemade is better)
About 1/4 cup strawberry jam
Fresh strawberries, about a pint
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray and flour a bundt pan. Sift together pre-sifted cake flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into mixer bowl. Add the pudding, Cointreau, eggs, milk, vanilla and oil and beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan, then sprinkle the top with chocolate chips and gently swirl them into the batter. Bake for 45 minutes, or until done when a toothpick comes out clean. Put the cake still in the bunt pan, on a wire rack. Bring butter, Cointreau and sugar to a boil in a small pan. Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool for a few minutes. The top of the cake (which will become the bottom) will be uneven as the center rises more than the sides. With a bread knife, carefully cut the top of the cake flat. Drizzle the butter/sugar/Cointreau mixture over the cake evenly. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Whip the whipping cream in the mixer until it forms soft peaks. Add half the powdered sugar and mix it in, then the other half and mix it in. Add the lemon extract and whip together. Set aside. Use a knife to make sure the sides of the cake will not stick by inserting the knife between the cake and pan around the edges. Spread the strawberry jam over the top of the cake to coat it completely. Place a serving plate over the bundt pan, holding the dish with one hand and the bundt pan in the over, quickly invert them and pull up on the bundt pan to release the cake. Frost the cake using a pastry knife. Fill the center with sliced fresh strawberries, top with whipped cream, make a ring of whipped cream around the base, then decorate with whole fresh strawberries.

6/6/11 UPDATE:

I made the triple chocolate cake again, but soaked it in Kahlua and just dusted it with powdered sugar. It's so dense and rich that a sliver makes a serving. Use the above recipe for the chocolate bundt cake, substituting Kahlua for the Cointreau. For the soaking liquour, use the following:
4 tablespoons butter 

1/2 cup Kahlua

1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract