Wednesday Food

Food:

1. Sauteed chicken breast with creamy mushrooms.
   The kitchen-ninja almost foiled the chef on this one...I was thinking skinned & pounded, he was thinking crispy skin, no hammer. Fortunately, he caught me before the birds were totally naked. He browned them on the stove & finished them in a 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes. The mushrooms were sauteed, finished with butter and cream, and served as a sauce with the chicken. Yum.
   


2. Broccoli tossed w/Garlic.
   Our standby-vegetable. I was looking for brussel sprouts on the stalk, but Cosentino's didn't have any left today. If you think you hate brussel sprouts, you've probably never had them fresh. The trick is to avoid cutting them until you're ready to throw them in the pan--they aren't bitter unless they've been sitting too long. Sauteed in olive oil & tossed with butter and garlic, they're hard to beat. Really! I love broccoli, asparagus, and just about everything else green, but always passed on the brussel sprouts until we started getting them on the stalk. (Bought it for the novelty, and discovered they really were good eats!)

Wine:

1. 1997 Domain de Trevallon Vin de Pays des Bouches du Rhone
   Corked beyond belief. Very disappointing @ $50+ a bottle. Even had a high-quality cork--it was apparently just bad. Second wine this week that was a total goner. Remind me again why screwcaps are a bad idea?


2. 2002 Rabbit Ridge Napa Valley Merlot Stagecoach Vineyard
   Ah, that's better...at half the price! Some interesting things going on in the nose--junipery, minty overtones with the plum fruit. I must admit, merlot is growing on me--good merlot, at least. :-) This isn't perfectly balanced, but it's got something to say and doesn't vanish on the palate. And it doesn't have the weedy (dill-y) characteristics that seem to stand out in so many Napa cabs. No green pepper, either--it's plenty ripe.