Saturday Food

Food:

1. Tom's Tacos

Wine:

1. 2001 Marilyn Remark Grenache
   Even better than we remembered. The nose is really pretty at a lower temperature.


2. Meyer-Lemon "Uparitas"

Friday Food

Food:

1. Fractal veggies & dip


2. Chicken in a Pot w/ Artichokes & Olives
   Didn't add the olives & artichoke hearts until the pot came out of the oven. Reduced slightly & then strained the "sauce" to serve. Cooked the chicken (legs & thighs) for about 40 mins & they came out perfect. Don't get too carried away with the artichoke hearts, they try to take over.

Wine:

1. 2003 Villa Creek High Road
   Yum.

Tuesday Food

Food (Mini Four-Course Meal):

1. Cheese course: Basque Sheep Cheese! Tom's favorite, Abbaye de Belloc, and Ossau-Iraty, both raw sheep cheeses from the French Basque region. If you like sheep cheese, you'll probably love the Abbaye, it's just amazing. The Ossau-Iraty is a little more pungent and a little more rustic, but also very good. Both very nice paired with the Clio--the muskiness of the cheese & earthiness of the Mouvedre work well together & the acid and fruit balance the richness of the cheese nicely. From Oakville Grocery at Stanford.
   
2. Salad course: Lima Bean & Roast Fennel Salad (with baby arugula & dandelion greens). Was a little skeptical, but this was yummy--mild, but the fresh flavors come through. Very light dressing with lemon rind. From the Oakville Grocery Deli.
   
3. Soup course: Sauteed mustard & cumin seeds, garlic, chicken broth, white wine, crystal sauce, water, and fresh green beans. Finished with chopped tomato & served over chopped cilantro. Very nice brothy, "fresh" soup. Chef's Note: Don't try to use the rind from the basque cheese like you would parmigiana rind in soup. (This was take-two....)
   
4. Meat course: Prime NY Strip Steak. Seasoned with salt, pepper, & pimenton, seared, & finished in a 425 oven for 3 minutes. Sliced & garnished with chopped cilantro & black pepper. Eaten as finger-food. Yum. Also a very good pairing for the Clio.
   

Lots of little bits, basically tapas style.

Wine:

1. 2002 Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio

A Mouvedre/Cab blend from a non-stellar vintage in Spain, but it's a very well-architected wine. Big fruit--more of a "new world" style. No flaws--which is almost a surprise with Spanish wines (they must get tortured in transit).

Monday Food

Food:

1. Roast Chicken


2. Roast Tomatoes


3. Brussel Sprouts

Wine:

1. 2003 Tablas Creek Viogner
   Seemed more closed-up than I remembered. Still quite nice--not overly flowery or flabby, more towards pear and mineral.



2. 2003 Villa Creek Avenger

Tuesday Food

Food:

1. Chicken with Green Chile, Tomato, and Onion
   
   
   
   1. Season boneless chicken breast with salt, pepper, and pimenton. Brown in saute pan, and then transfer to a rack & bake at 425 for about 10 mins.
   
   
   2. Pour off some of the chicken fat, saute onion, and add diced numex chiles & coarsely chopped cilantro.
   
   
   3. Add some chicken broth to deglaze & reduce.
   
   
   4. Season with salt & pepper.
   
   
   5. Finish with sour cream & chopped tomatoes
   
   
   6. Slice chicken & serve over a bed of sauce.
   
   
   
   


2. Brussel Sprouts Tossed in Garlic Butter
   Don't cut the sprouts until you're ready to cook them. Drop them into a pot of boiling water, cover, and turn off the heat. Steep for 3 minutes, drain, & then toss with the melted butter & garlic.

Wine:

1. 2003 Rabbit Ridge Petite Sirah Chalkrock
   Remnants from last night, but still yummy. Definitely more "french style" & some more time in the bottle should soften the tannins nicely. (Quite drinkable now, though.)


2. 2003 Le Cuvier The Mighty Murcielago
   Aka "Red Bat Cuvee". Unfortunately a little "corky" -- or is it the wild yeast, or maybe TCA? Whatever, it's a little off. Too bad, because the multi-varietal blend really works & there's some great fruit here.
   

Thursday Food

Food:

1. Chicken & Peppers
   Instead of chicken in a pot, this is a pressure-cooked version with chicken breast, "Corno di Toro" Italian sweet peppers, and "mini" (Tom called them stunted) poblanos from our garden. The chicken was browned in olive oil & Tom added half the sliced peppers and onion, some garlic, and white wine & water. Once the pot was up to temperature, they were pressure-cooked for 17 minutes. Once the lid was off, it was brought back to a boil & the remaining peppers & onions were added. We served it while it was still brothy.

Wine:

1. 2003 Tobin James Chateau le Cacheflo
   Leftover from last night, but still awesome. This stuff is just the best bang for the buck.


2. 2003 Emmanuel Darnaud Crozes-Hermitage Les Trois
   Bacon! Should be great with the food. This is a quintissential french syrah--meaty, smoky, oh yeah, and there's some fruit, too. I love the rich, fruity syrahs from Paso Robles, but they're just a different animal--almost hard to believe it's the same grape. It's interesting to see how differently syrah-based wines have evolved in different parts of the world--some of it's a styleistic thing, but some of it is clearly "terroir".