brunosdream

Domaine de la Pertuisane

Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes 2003

France

Founded by two young British winemakers w/ a shared passion
for quality wine.

Domaine de la Pertuisane was created w/ the intention of
producing “real” wine from the traditional Catalan varieties of Grenache (80%)
and Carignan (20%). With very old vines on schistous soil, which produce
extremely low yields (12hl/ha), wines of great concentration and finesse are
produced. These wines undergo wild yeast fermentation and are aged for twelve
months in new oak barriques.

Available at The Wine Merchant –

St. Louis, MO

Bettina  sends another contribution from across the pond… 
a sampling of goodies from
Amrum
(a little but beautiful island in the Northern sea)

Buche de Noel w/ Expresso Buttercream Icing   

   

 

Ingredients 

For cake:

6 eggs

1 ¼ cups sugar

¾ cup flour

¾ cup cornstarch

 

For icing:

2 ¼ cups sugar

1 ½ cups expresso
coffee

4 egg yolks

3 ½ sticks butter

 

Icing is made by beating egg yolks until light yellow in
color. Next, cook sugar and coffee
together over medium high heat to a temperature of 234 degrees. Then very
slowly add sugar/coffee mixture to the yolks while beating at low speed until
mixture is cold (if you go too fast, the yolks will curdle). Butter is softened
at room temperature before it is cut into pieces and beaten into the cold
egg/syrup mixture. Continue beating at low speed until mixture is very firm.
Set aside in a cool spot.

 

Cake batter is made by adding sugar to beaten whole eggs
then continue beating mixture over very low heat until it doubles in size
(approx. 15 minutes). The flour and cornstarch are sifted together and gently
folded into the mixture. The mixture is then poured into a well buttered half
sheet pan and baked at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan while
still warm and roll it up in a kitchen towel that has been sprinkled w/ sugar.
Set aside to cool (a warm cake will melt the icing).

 

When cool, unroll the cake and spread ¼ inch layer of icing
on the inside. Reroll the cake then cut off ends diagonally, each piece being
about 1 by 3 inches. Place the cake roll on a cutting board wrapped in foil
(the foiled cutting board was my serving platter, but feel free to use the
platter of your choice) then spread a ¼ inch layer of icing on the exterior of
the cake roll. The diagonal pieces are then placed on the top of the roll and
spread w/ icing to resemble stubs of cut-off branches. Tines of a fork are
drawn through the icing to simulate the texture of bark; the ends are marked w/
circles to resemble tree growth rings. Place the cake in a cool spot or
refrigerate until it’s time to serve. One hour prior to service, remove cake
from fridge and decorate cutting board w/ holly branches.

 

Chef’s notes:

 

The recipe from the magazine article was not very
specific regarding certain aspects of the preparation so I’m adding some info
for your benefit. For example, when making the icing, it is important to beat
the mixture until very firm, otherwise it will not be properly emulsified and will “break”. Also, when beating the cake
batter over heat I used a double boiler to prevent sticking and burning.
 

When removing the cake from the sheet pan be particularly
careful to unstick it from the pan so it doesn’t get broken. (I cracked the
cake at this stage and it made the remaining steps much more challenging!!).
Make sure your kitchen towel is generously sprinkled w/ sugar and gently roll
up the warm cake. I applied a little too much pressure while rolling which
caused the cake to stick to the towel and crack even more when unrolled!
Believe me, you don’t want your cake cracked because icing it, then rerolling
will be a pain in the a_ _!! Fortunately, through the miracles of icing, I was
able to cover up all my mistakes!
 

For a first effort, I think the final product turned out
fairly nice. I wish my mom and dad were around to sample it. I did have a group
of friends over for cake and champagne, and by the looks of it, they seemed
pretty satisfied!

Bruno wanted this posted during
the holidays but scheduling
prevented  it.
“D”

My mom died 2 years ago December 13th and my dad on April 25th, 1998. I miss them both very much, especially during the holidays. In their honor, here is a special blog entry.

My mom was like a Swiss Julia Child/Martha Stewart combo! She was a great chef(she trained in her home country of Switzerland and in Paris, France) and would decorate the house so nicely for the holidays w/ beautiful touches that made it festive. I know my dad loved this about her in addition to her excellent cooking skills. Two desserts that stand out in my mind around Christmas are leckerli and Buche de Noel. The leckerli were sent by my Swiss relatives. They are a popular Swiss cookie and there are 2 versions - one is made w/ honey, the other w/ ground almonds. Both are chewy and delicious.

 

My mom would make a Buche de Noel to celebrate Christmas. In her honor I will attempt to recreate the dessert from her recipe and eat it in my dad's honor. The chef notes and recipe will be in an upcoming entry, but in the mean time here are some photos of my mom's creation (the photos from a Dec. 24th, 1961 article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch of my mom preparing the Buche de Noel).

Happy Holidays,

Bruno "The Mayor"

A laid back dinner with friends doesn’t have to be a bland affair,
when my friends get together.We decide that simple was the
word for the day: with that being said you know simple
will not mean boring.
The menu was to be a beef stew, lasagna and a salad.
Bruno aka “The Mayor” was in charge of the stew and with
all the flair that you would expect from the Flying Chef
he created the Heavenly Stew…
sirloin tip, butternut squash, garlic, mulato chiles, morel and crimini mushrooms, corn, cipollini onions, carrots, celery, tomato, Swiss chard, leek, bouquet garni for veggie stock and “red roux”.Byron made his world famous 10 layer Lasagna. Would it betoo much to call it bliss in a pan?Hand made pasta so thin that you would think it’s parchment, the finest cheeses and his ownspecial meat sauce.The D.E.W. created a Salad withan artistic flairspinach,mixed field greens,artichoke hearts,black olives,portabello mushroom,eggs androma tomatoesWine & Sprits of the NightWines-Schug 2004 Pinot Noir-St. Supery 2000 Cabernet Sauvigon-Terra Romana 2002 Cuvee Charlotte-Bearitage-Lot#12 California Claret-Silver Oak 2000 Napa Valley Cabernet SauvigonSpirits*The Macallan 15/yo Fine OakHighland Single Malt*Aberlour 15/yo Sherry Wood FinishHighland-Speyside Single Malt* Glen Garioch 15/yoHighland Single Malt*Montelle FramboiseRasberry Port*DOM B&B

 
Review & Photos by "D"

Remy's 1st Tuesday Tasting December 

6th, 2005: Cal-Ital (Italian 
varietals produced in California)

 I'll be honest w/ you, even after 

my culinary training I still have a 
lot to learn about matching food w/ 

wine. I'm still a novice at identifying 
aromas and flavors in wine, which 

is crucial in bridging food and wine 
together. What I have learned is if 

you find a wine w/ basic elements that 

match or enhance the basic elements in 

the food you're serving, you have the 
foundations for a good pairing. 

Chef Lisa Slay and Sommelier Phil Peimann 

did a fantastic job w/ this. Lisa's 

creations meshed beautifully w/ 
Phil's wine selections. I don't know 

if they built the menu around the wine or

vice versa, but the end product had me 

and my friends salivating like 
Pavlov's dog as each course was presented 

to us!

 We started w/ duck and leek 

ravioli w/ browned almond butter. These 
were large squares of spinach pasta 

stuffed w/ leek and tender pieces of 
duck. The browned almond sauce added a 

delicate essence. This was paired w/ 
Flora Springs Sangiovese '03 Napa Valley. 

If Duane hadn't been so hungry we 
would have had a photo of the ravioli!

 The next course 

was "Drunken Porkloin" w/ sauteed 

carrots and capers. The meat was so 

tender you could cut it w/ a fork! 

The capers added a nice tartness to 

the mix. Paired w/ Rabbit Ridge 

Brunelllo '01 Paso Robles. Phil 

pointed out that Brunello is also 

made w/ sangiovese grapes, however 

the name varies depending on the 

region in Italy the wine is produced.

 Lastly, 

we sampled braised short ribs 

w/ sweet potato puree and gremolata. 

What an awesome dish! A nice riff 

on osso buco. The meat was braised 

to perfection - it was tender and 

falling off the bones. 

The sweet potato puree went 

beautifully w/ the short ribs 

and the gremolata provided a nice 
citrus finish. This was surrounded 

by a pool of intensely flavored 

braising liquid which Phil found 

so delicious he said he could drink it 

by the glass! I concur!! This dish was 

paired w/ Renwood Barbera '00 

Amador County - a region in the 

Sierra Foothills known for it's 

Zins. Out of the 3 wines 
we sampled, this one won 

by a unanimous vote!

 Bruno&Phil 

discussing wine
 

I finished the evening w/ a 

delicious caramel apple ice cream 

and a glass of petite champagne 

cognac. Bravo Lisa and Phil!!

Bruno"The Mayor"  Photos by Duane

This month Duane recommends…

        2004 Finca Luzon, Luzon, Jumilla


   The outstanding 2004 Luzon is a blend of 65% Monastrell (Mourvedre) and
35% Syrah. It is a full-throttle, exuberant, dense ruby/purple-colored
effort with loads of creme de cassis, licorice, truffle, and acacia
flower characteristics. This exotic, deep, broad, intense red should be
drunk over the next 3-4 years, although it may last longer. One of the
oldest estates in Jumilla, Finca Luzon was founded by the Gil family in
1916. It has been a consistent source of high class values for a number
of years, and the health conscious should be happy to know this is completely certified  organic
agriculture…
                   " 90 points:Robert Parker"

The three events that I had the pleasure of
attending have been amazing…
Look for a review on Wednesday
“D”

This should be the start of a new yearly tradition; meeting  for wine and  Thanksgiving  food stories while others dash about in a shopping frenzy… Remy’s was the natural choice, it being “the mayors” 2nd home and my 3rd.

Jay playing bartender for the night
(we also shared “family” pictures. Jay’s dog
Jenny is the mother to my son and a few
other lucky groovy people)

The Nights Wine & Spirit List…

Steele Cabernet Franc ’02 Clear Lake
very quaffable w/ burnt sugar and
mocha explorations

Qupe Syrah  ’03 Central Coast
crushed blackberry, lavender
w/ velvety tannins

Gravity Hills “Base Camp” Syrah ’02
Paso Robles
cornucopia of red fruit and spices

Magnificent Wine Co. “House Wine” ’03
California
58% Cabernet-32% Merlot-9%Syrah-1% Cabernet Franc

Doamine de Barillon Bas 
21/yo Armagnac

                Dessert Trio 

Warm Apple Bread Pudding, Tiramisu
& Chocolate Mousse

                                                         

1111 Mississippi, the review…

  A gathering of “Foodies” (genuine food lovers) always means a good time but add a great place and it becomes a true event… Tonight’s gathering includes Radio guy extraordinaire Dave, Stay at home “Sex Kitten” and aspiring writer Kris, Writer and recently published Poet Sandra Jean,  “The Mayor” and Me, your humble narrator.

   While sampling our appetizers, Dave commented “at 1111 it’s all about the food”…  In that one remark he captured Chef Ivy Magruders culinary philosophy: An uncomplicated menu with the freshest ingredients paired with a stunning wine list.

  Though the menu maybe uncomplicated, the exquisite flavors infused in each plate represent  gastronomic ecstasy for the  impassioned epicurean…

“D”

 

Grilled Sea Scallops w/ chive polenta cakes& vanilla rum sauce

Sauteed chanterelle mushrooms w/ puff pastry tower
The chaterelles in the cream sauce were tasty and the puff pastry tower was light and flaky.

Wild Boar Ravioli w/ a tomato vodka cream sauce
The wild boar ravioli were so delicious there weren’t enough to go around!

The 1st wine tonight was Wits End-The Procrastinator an Australian blend of

 95% Cabernet Franc/5% Shiraz. It was a great wine to start out the evening

Grilled Double Pork Chop stuffed with bacon-dijon mustard cream over blue corn polenta
The stuffed pork chop was juicy and had a nice bacony filling. A pig lover’s dream!

Seared Ono w/ tomatillo salsa over golden barley 
Of all the main courses we ate, my favorite was the ono (also known as wahoo). It had a beautifully crispy crust yet was still moist (gotta ask Ivy how he did it!). This may replace tuna as my favorite fish!

Grilled Salmon w/ roasted fingerling potatoes,swiss chard & artichoke tapenade

Braised Rabbit w/ Tuscan red wine reduction & aged goat cheese polenta
The braised rabbit had a great wine sauce, the goat cheese in the  polenta gave it an additional creamy texture.

Midnight Cellars Estate Zinfandel 2002,Paso Robles
which was, you guessed it... ZINFULLY DELICIOUS!!

crème custard napoleon w/ carameled
bananas & chocolate shavings

warm chocolate bread pudding w/ marshmallows & pecan streusel served w caramel ice cream
Again the chocolate bread pudding was the winner in the dessert category. It had nice crispy edges and awesome flavors that exploded in your mouth!

Calvados/ Aged Apple Brandy

  Everything was beautifully presented and the evening was exceptional...

 the perfect combo of great friends, food and service all wrapped up in a

 cozy, warm and inviting atmosphere, topped off w/ a perfect grape juice buzz!!   

Tasting notes                 Food Photography                                                                      "The Mayor"                         "D"