What I am doing tonight.....

...because you know you want to know!

My friend Kenda wrote me a couple weeks ago to let me know that there was a new wine shop opening it's doors in Cambridge, MA. I called up the shop and spoke to Maureen, one of the owners, and let her know that I was interested in meeting with them and cultivating a relationship since I write this blog. She was very gracious and told me that they were going to be opening their doors, For the first time, in just a couple hours and that I should swing by. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it that day due to prior engagements, but I followed up just yesterday.

When I spoke to Maureen she let me know that they were going to be having a wine tasting tonight. So, I'll be heading over to Central Bottle Wine + Provisions in about 30 minutes or so. If you are in the area, you should come by as well. I am particularly excited about the Domaine Chaume-Arnaud Cotes Du Rhone that they will be sampling. It seems to be a very good wine for less than $15 (which is always appealing to me!) What makes this wine even more appealing is the strong history that comes with it. Take a look at this site.

Thirteen of the loudest people I could find.

I made the reservation for 12 people and for the first 45 minute there were only 10, which made me really nervous. Finally the last three in our party showed up. You see, when I had called to speak to Matt earlier in the day, I told him I was going to have 12 people for dinner to celebrate my birthday and he told me that if I was bringing 12 people to his restaurant, 9 Elm, he was going to have a bottle of wine sitting on the table when I got there.

Sure enough, after we had sat and were looking at the menu, Matt came out from the back with a bottle of Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon. To keep it short, this wine was amazing. It was sweet with hints of berry and just enough Tannin that the sides of my mouth watered just a bit, just enough to really awaken my senses. The wine was not overly dry nor earthy and I would be lying if I said that I did not drink most of the bottle myself (although I TRIED to share...) I knew that Matt was going to be good on his word, but I never expected him to give me a bottle of wine that goes for $125 in most restaurants. Even if you really do not like red wines, you would have enjoyed this one.

The best part of the wine was that it paired perfectly with the Pan Roasted Duck Breast that I got for dinner. Served with Porcini Risotto and green beans, the duck was such an appealing dish that I could not pass it up. Normally I would go for Salmon or Scallops, but I thought i would try something that I can't cook at home and what a great decision that was: Everything was plated nicely, looked elegant and tasted wonderful.

The duck was cooked medium rare but the skin was crunchy and flavorful. It wasn't greasy like I have had in the past and even though it came with a reduction sauce, the sauce was not overbearing and instead of masking the taste of the duck it complimented and brought out some of the flavors. The Risotto was made perfectly which means that the broth was added little by little over time while the Arborio rice absorbs the juices and becomes creamy.

The group at my table was an interesting mix; there were friends and relatives that had traveled from NH as well as some newly found friends from the Boston area. Late in the evening I was able to take a minute and look at all of the people interacting with one another and although it was such a diverse group of people, most of whom had never met each other before, everyone seemed to be having a great time. I even realized that our laughter and conversation was drowning out the soft music that was suppose to be providing a nice embiance for the other patrons, errrr....ooops. I can attribute all of this to the welcoming atmosphere of the restaurant and the very attentive staff that served us throughout the evening.

Overall, it was a great experience and I would recommend that everyone try to make it to 9 Elm in Danvers, MA at one point or another.

Thank you to Matt and everyone else who made my Birthday special.

*I was not asked to promote 9 Elm.

If it is good enough to drink...

I first need to apologize for my lack of activity with my Blog. It has been nearly a month and I have not had any new entries for people to read and comment on. I have been so busy with work and other activities that I have not had an opportunity to really sit down and give you my amateur opinions and rants. Fear not though, the last couple of weeks have been good for me and I have many great ideas to work with, so stay tuned.

With that said, lets cook. Seriously. Barry asked me a while back what I thought would be a good wine to use while cooking Bracioles and I grappled with this for a couple of days before I got side tracked, so I figured it would be a good place to pick back up. Now, for those of you who may not know Bracioles are an Italian classic dish where beef or sirloin cuts are wrapped around stuffing and cooked by browning and turning and eventually simmering in a red sauce. The actual process itself is quite fun a little time consuming, but the finished product is very good and well worth the wait.

There are several different types of "Cooking Wine" out there; Sherry, Burgundy, Marsala and even a lesser known Medeira cooking wine. These are staples for many who have cooked with wine and I wouldn't be surprised if you have used one to make Beef Stew. The problem with these, though, is that they tend to be fortified and have additional salt and flavors added to them. They may taste good to some extent, but you are missing out on the real experience of cooking with wine. Not to say that cooking with these wines isn't good, but if we really think about the food we are cooking and then pair the wine with it correctly.... OH MY GOD!!!! Think of how splendid that would be in your mouth!

My first recommendation is to use a wine that you want to drink, and don't be afraid of using a lot of it. REMEMBER this phrase: "If it is good enough to drink, it is good enough to cook." I have made white wine pasta sauce, and I have made steak sauce using wines that I had in the house and that I was drinking with the food I was preparing. Pair the wine well and trust me you will be able to have a lot more fun and you can easily change up the recipe by changing up the wine.

Lets talk about the flavors of wine for a second and where they come from real quickly. Obviously, flavors come from the grapes and skins themselves. Flavors are also produced by climate in which the grapes are grown. For example a California Cabernet will taste different than a Cabernet Franc from Bordeaux France even though they are they same grape. Lastly, flavors come from the process in which the wine itself is made. Take two batches of Chardonnay grape and go through the exact same procedure with them but age them in two different barrels, one steel and one oak, and you will have two very different wines. (I personally prefer less oak.)

I could get into the more specific (and therefore, complicated) ways that wine gets it flavors and bouquet, but that is for a different entry at a different time and I am focusing on this one topic today.

So, back to Barrys question. What wine to use while cooking Bracioles? My first thought would be to examine what the filling would be. I have seen sweet fillings, savory ones, and Cheesy fillings or salty ones. Even the combination of all of them. With that said there is wide range of different wines that would work and the old mindset that you can only have red wine with red meats and whites with fish just does not hold water anymore. In fact even David at Ceres St Wine Merchants has recommended that I drink a strong white wine to hold up and compliment a spicy meat dish.

With all of the different wines and techniques available to us today it is OK, and recommended, to think outside the box when it comes to the meals we eat and the wines we pair. For instance, since this is an Italian dish, served with a red sauce, lets try a solid Chianti or red wine from the Chianti region of Italy. One of my personal favorites is a 2006 Tutto Bene by Tenimenti Angelini. If you want to try something different maybe a dry white wine? I am not a big dry white wine drinker, so it is hard for me to recommend any particular wine, but one thing I can say is that Pinot Gris is quickly becoming one of the most popular dry white wines produced in the U.S. These wines tend to be slightly spicy and earthy and should make for a very good sauce with the Bracioles. (If you want to stay with the Italian theme, it's ok... Pinot Gris is also known as Pinot Grigio.)