Lot18 Blog

Riesling No. 5: Wine Scents for Wine Lovers

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:24:00 -0400

Katherine Ramos, Features Editor, Lot18

Bergamot, rose, jasmine, spice and peach with woody notes. While this might sound like a tasting note, it actually describes Guerlain’s classic fragrance, Mitsouko. And should you find yourself sniffing black cherry, raspberry, plum and vanilla, you’ve either poured a California Cab — or doused yourself in Britney Spears’ Midnight Fantasy.

Whether you’re talking about lipstick named Merlot Red or vinifera-infused spa treatments, wine has a special place in cosmetics. But a recent Refinery29 writeup of The Kelly & Jones Wine Note Collection left me inspired. While it might all be fermented grape juice, there have been plenty of times I’ve swirled a wine — particularly Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Moschofilero or Muscat — and found those aromatics as striking as just about any perfume. So I decided to take matters into my own hands, and with a few basic natural essences, I was able to whip up a solid perfume at home evocative of Riesling. The beeswax in the base offers the honeyed aromas common in these wines, while the orange blossom, bergamot, pepper and tuberose create a sillage that’s has a floral, bright, citrusy complexity.

1/2 tsp. Unbleached Beeswax, grated
4ml Golden Jojoba Oil
8 drops Neroli Essential Oil (orange blossom)
8 drops, Bergamot Essential Oil
1 drop, Black Pepper Essential Oil
1 drop, Tuberose Absolut

Blend formula into 4 ml* of jojoba oil. Grate 1/2 teaspoon of unbleached beeswax and melt over very low heat in a ceramic ramekin held over boiling water (bain-marie). Stir jojoba mixture and immediately remove from heat and pour into compact. Let perfume set for 15 minutes.

*If you’d like to use the solid perfume to fill a locket rather than a compact, halve the recipe.

You find the fragrance ingredients from White Lotus Aromatics, and jojoba oil and beeswax from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Blind Tasting Blackjack

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:26:00 -0400

Chris Hallowell, Features Editor, Lot18

In years past, my April Fools Day pranks were a little more devious (e.g. putting a rubber band around the spray nozzle at the kitchen sink and waiting for unsuspecting coworkers to wash their hands). This year, however, I decided to grow up a little bit. I picked up a set of R. Croft Double Blind Black Tasting Glasses from Lot18 and tried to dupe my wine buddies with a game we call “Blind Tasting Black Jack.” Sure, this may be the wine geek equivalent of a Star Trek enthusiast learning Klingon, but it’s a ton of fun, so lay off.

In Blind Tasting Black Jack everyone brings a wine for the group to try. Everyone is given a black glass and something with which to bet (e.g. poker chips, beans, coins). The person whose wine is to be tasted next functions as the moderator for that round. The moderator brings the glasses into another room and fills them up with their wine out of sight of the rest of the tasters. Once poured, the moderator brings the glasses in, passes them out, and the game is on.

The moderator will lead the contestants through several rounds of betting that become more and more specific, until finally, the identity of the wines are revealed. Contestants bet on each round based on how confident they are with their answer. After the bets are placed, the moderator asks players for their answer, and they either lose their bet or double their bet based on whether or not they answer correctly.

The rounds are as follows:
Smelling Only
• Is the wine red, white, or rosé?
• Is the wine dry or off-dry?
• Is it from the Old World or the New World?

Tasting and Smelling
• What country is the wine from?
• Is it a single variety or a blend?
• What is the name of the grape or dominant variety?
• What region is the wine from?
• What appellation is it from?
• Is the wine 1-3 years old, 4-6, or 7+?
• For those that are really brave, who is the producer?

This looks intimidating, but don’t be discouraged, I’ve played with Master Sommeliers who have barely gotten past the red or white round. Yesterday, in particular, no one got anything right because I threw in a few curveballs as a nod to the holiday.

One was a Bastianich skin contact Pinot Grigio. Though the grape usually yields white wine, Pinot Grigio’s pinkish skin can impart a little color, or in the case of this extra-long, 15-day maceration, the skins can make it damn near red. Being a moderator for this wine was hilarious. One taster called out “It’s obviously red,” just before another said “I bet the farm on white.” My friends’ arguments reached reality-television proportions. It was like pouring gasoline on the fire when I revealed that it was actually a rosé; now no one could possibly guess it was Pinot Grigio. “Dance, my puppets,” I thought to myself as I summoned my most evil Mr. Burns laugh.

Follow me on Twitter @ChrisHallowell

The Vin Vivant: Salvation in a Salmon

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:40:57 -0400

Audrey Luk, Copywriter, Lot18

It was bound to happen. After training myself to craft a meal based on tasting the wine first, it follows that any meal made the “opposite” way – prepare dinner, check the cellar, uncork the closest possible match and sip and sup with fingers crossed – would taste comparatively lackluster.

I decided to put the paddles on my palate with a particularly exciting meal. What better way to revitalize my cooking than with a vibrant wine? If you don’t know what that tastes like, you must pick up a bottle of the 2005 Arcadian Fiddlestix Vyd Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir. When I poured it into a glass, it looked and smelled like a much younger wine. The color was bright ruby and consistent to the rim. In the mouth, the wine brimmed with juicy cherry and raspberry flavors with a touch of dried mint. The tannins embraced the sides of my mouth and mid-palate. Tasting this Pinot crystallizes the notion that wine is alive. It breathes, evolves and ages. This one surely has a long life ahead of it.

With a wine this evocative, I went light on food prep to showcase each ingredient’s flavors. You can’t have two stars on your table competing for attention. To match the wine’s vibrancy, I cooked an intensely colored entrée: pan-fried salmon over crisped Chinese bacon and purple yam puree topped with chive buds. The wine could definitely handle a fatty yet still delicate protein, and the scant earthiness from the yams and savory-sweet bacon would nicely offset the Pinot’s fresh berry notes.

I got the salmon and cooking tips from my favorite fishmonger, Lewis at Fish Tails in Brooklyn. He suggested that I use only peanut or rice oil for pan-frying fish as they have higher smoke points, and also recommended frying the half-pound steaks I bought for 7 to 8 minutes on the skin side and 4 minutes on the flesh side. His advice was spot on, and the meal came together with minimal active time after I made the puree. I dusted the salmon with kosher salt and fresh black pepper, and pan-fried it in a cast-iron skillet as the bacon slowly crisped in a pan. When the bacon was done and draining on a paper-towel-lined plate, I flipped the fish and tossed chive buds in the pan that the bacon was fried in to take the raw garlicky edge off.

Maybe it was the puree’s pretty hue or the fist-pump-inducing glory of achieving perfectly crisped salmon skin, but I was happy as a pig in a barrel of truffles at the pairing. My cooking groove has returned, just in time for spring vegetables!

Purple Yam Puree

Ingredients:

3 medium sized yams - 1.5-1.75 lbs.
¼ c. whole milk
3-4 Tbsp. peanut oil
A generous pinch of Maldon sea salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder, or more depending on how piquant yours is. The kind I have is artisanal, spicy and potent, a gift from my Lot18 Secret Santa. Thanks, Dan!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pierce the yams with a knife and wrap them in foil. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Unwrap the yams and cut them in half. As soon as your fingers can handle it, score the skin of the yams lengthwise and peel the skin off, which should come off fairly easily like onionskin. Pinch off the ends of each yam, as they tend to be stringy. Cut the roasted yams in quarters and place them in food processor or blender.

Whip the yams with the milk and oil, adding more or less to achieve your desired texture. Add the salt and gradually add the chili powder and pulse – the mash should just have a hint of spice as the yams are naturally sweet. I have a feeling that this recipe won’t work as well with regular yams, so use the purple ones if you find them; I’ve only seen them used in Filipino and Okinawan cuisines, so they aren’t widely available even in Asian grocery stores. The puree comes out amazingly full and thick, almost like a rich dessert. You won’t believe how little milk and oil you have to add to this vegetable to achieve this texture. Don’t be surprised if tears of joy spring to your eyes.

Sip and Spectate

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:36:00 -0400

Mindy Joyce, Experiences Curator, Lot18

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve watched the Tour de France and dreamed of one day going there myself. The event is basically a three-week tourism commercial for the entire country of France, and it certainly gets me thinking about my next trip every time. I’m a sucker for nice scenery, especially when it comes to the French Alps and small towns in wine country. One year, I visited just after the race had finished and was amazed to see the small villages were still buzzing about “Le Tour” and littered with memorabilia and remnants of the race. The impact that this cycle race has on the country is incredible, but actually being there as a visitor in July is life changing. Whether you’re a cycling fanatic or just casually interested, it’s an incredibly lively time to experience France.

In my experience, people remember three things about their vacations: the food, the people and the unique experiences. Seeing the racers speed past at an event like Le Tour brings you into the energy and excitement, and let’s you feel like a part of something big. Trips like this live on in your mind for the rest of your life.

It can be a little more complicated and expensive to travel during these times, but if you’re like me and have a bucket list of places you know you want to visit, then you can avoid these issues by planning ahead.

For wine lovers, big events can be an ideal way to time your trip around your passions – you can enjoy an uncommonly memorable vacation while experiencing destination wine regions. Our five-day package to the Rhône Valley and Provence is timed to coincide with Le Tour, and it also includes a visit to Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s Domaine du Pegau (known for its 100-pt wines), Joël Durand’s chocolaterie and St.-Paul-de-Mausole, where Van Gogh spent part of his life. It’s this sort of robust, curated itinerary that makes for incredible trips with friends and loved ones, and gives you bragging rights over any of them who miss out.

Beyond Le Tour, though, there are several other destination events perfect for wine lovers. One that is close to my heart is the America’s Cup. As a kid growing up in New Zealand, sailing and other boating activities were a regular part of my lifestyle. And as San Francisco prepares for worldwide attention as the host of the Cup and preceding Louis Vuitton Cup in August and September of next year, it’s already time to start thinking about your own trip. With the Napa Valley is listed as the “official wine region” of the Cup, one thing is for certain – San Francisco and the Napa Valley will be on everyone’s radar next summer. Start planning your trips now.

But if you’d like to scope out the course early, we’ve managed to snag a private yacht that you can charter (with captain) for four hours of sailing with up to five of your friends on the actual America’s Cup course, on Memorial Day weekend this year during the Golden Gate Anniversary celebrations. You’ll see this on Lot18 on April 10, but for early information feel free to contact me.

If you want to start planning your travel itinerary now, here are some major events on my radar. And if not this year, maybe next!

Grand Prix, Monaco May 24-27, 2012
French Open, Paris May 27-June 10, 2012
Tour de France, France June 30-July 22, 2012
Summer Olympics, London July 27-Aug. 12, 2012
US Open, New York August – September 2012
Louis Vuitton Cup, San Francisco July 4-Sept. 1, 2013 
America’s Cup Finals, San Francisco Sept. 7-22, 2013

Cheers and happy travels!

Mindy

Share your travel tips with me on Twitter @MindyJoyce

The Black Market for (Extra-Virgin) Oil

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:40:00 -0400

Katy Andersen, Gourmet Curator, Lot18

Swirl, smell, slurp, swallow. Ever been to an olive oil tasting? It’s like wine tasting – except you don’t spit. And qualities like a grassy nose or a peppery finish aren’t inferior – they’re enviable.

If drinking the spicy oil isn’t enough of a sensorial experience, try starting at 8am. It’s not everyone’s proverbial cup of tea, and hardly the choice replacement for a morning espresso.

But there I was, seated in front of six pale emerald 1-ounce shots. Surrounded by at least 100 other olive oil enthusiasts at the early morning tasting in San Francisco, I silently thought, “Cheers: To a liquid breakfast!”

I had forgone both sleep and coffee that morning for two very important reasons. The tasting was a chance to hear top olive growers in the US, Italy, Argentina and Australia present their prize extra-virgin olive oils and taste alongside these experts. And moderating this impressive panel was none other than author and New Yorker contributor Tom Mueller.

Mueller has become something of a spokesperson in the world of extra-virgin olive oil after publishing a fascinating expose of fraud in the global market in the New Yorker in 2007. He recently released a longer form as “Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil,” a book that inspired me to take olive oil a lot more seriously.

So what’s the big deal? Here’s a good example: In his book, Mueller cites that four out of 10 bottles labeled Italian olive oil aren’t. Aren’t what? Aren’t Italian, and aren’t necessarily olive oil.

This fraud is driven by several factors, aside from greed. True extra-virgin olive oil is expensive and hard to make. And as seasons become drier and hotter, olive yields increase. As oil becomes more commoditized, downward price pressure increases. Cost-cutting measures and economies of scale only go so far, and eventually something has to give: in this case, the product itself.

What are these Italian olive oils, if not what their labels say? The olives may have been grown in Spain, Turkey or North Africa, and pressed there before transported by tanker to Italy. And in a higher level of fraud, producers may mix olive with hazelnut oil or sunflower-seed oil, further degrading the substance in ways that would send Roman ancestors rolling in their graves.

As Mueller notably quotes in the New Yorker, the profits of adulterators, as told to him by one E.U. anti-fraud investigator, have at times been “comparable to cocaine trafficking, with none of the risks.”

Tasting with Mueller and the olive farmers on that early morning, I wasn’t worried about fraud – I was excited. There are still farmers whose oils are pure, and truly top quality extra-virgin. By buying oils bottled directly on the farm or tasted for annual certification by an independent organization such as the COOC, you can be sure the oils you get are pure, from their stated origin, and have those enticing spicy or fruity qualities that an extra-virgin oil should.

Follow my epicurean adventures on Twitter @KathrynAndersen

Super Tuscan Cooking

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:45:49 -0400

Have you always wanted to visit Tuscany? If you love traditional Chianti or innovative Super Tuscans, this region is a must-visit for incredible wine and food. While our “Italian Food Lover’s Getaway: Florence & Chianti” offer provides the opportunity to take an authentic Tuscan cooking course in a 17th-century private villa, here’s a taste of this traditional cuisine that you can prepare at home.

Focaccia Con La Salvia (Focaccia With Sage)

Serves 2 people

Ingredients

1 c. flour
1 Tbsp. and 1 tsp., or half, of a fresh yeast cube
1-1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch of salt
1/2 Tbsp. sage leaves
1/2 tsp. sugar
Warm water

Preparation

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the oil and sage leaves, and set aside.

Take a glass and fill halfway with warm water. Add the sugar and the half cube of yeast, and allow to gently dissolve. Cover the glass with a bowl, ideally clear glass to allow you to watch for foam appearing on the surface.

After 5 to 8 minutes, add the yeast mixture to the flour. Mix with your hands and add as much warm water as you need to obtain a fluffy dough. Knead with the palm of your hand, and help yourself with a scraper, trying not to add too much flour – otherwise the dough will get too hard.

Let the dough rise in a bowl for one hour, and then cover it with a damp cloth. After another hour, oil a pan, spread the dough with your hands and prick holes on the surface with a toothpick. Drizzle with some extra-virgin olive oil, and then sprinkle with fine and coarse salt and some more sage leaves. The two salts make it more flavorful and add crunch. Let it rest for another hour, always covered with a damp cloth. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes, until it is golden on top. Enjoy!

Death in the Afternoon, Pulitzer in the Morning

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:18:00 -0400

Chris Hallowell, Features Editor, Lot18

Image: New York’s 21 Club kept stocks of many celebrities’ drinks of choice.

I’ve noticed a few things about myself over the past few years. Most notable are how different drinks affect me: cocktails make me talk politics, whiskey makes me philosophical, wine makes me talk about women and beer makes me talk about how good I am at the Big Buck Hunter arcade game.

Over the course of history, a few more productive members of society have found the perfect combination of talent and the perfect beverage to heighten their creativity – in moderation, of course. Here are a few examples:

Ernest Hemingway

Don’t let the boxing, bull fighting and gnarly scar on his forehead fool you; this guy liked sugary-sweet Mojitos. Not to say all Mojitos were syrupy and cloying, but Hemingway’s favorite bar in Cuba – which he frequented while writing The Old Man and the Sea – made his Mojitos and Daiquiris with grenadine instead of sugar or simple syrup. His earlier inspirational drink, however, was absinthe – he invented the Death in the Afternoon, for which he instructs, “Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly.”

And perhaps it was absinthe’s higher proof that earned him the aforementioned scar. Inebriated, Hemingway reached out to flush a toilet and accidentally pulled a skylight down on his forehead.

Winston Churchill

While not creative in the traditional sense, one could say that his politics were. It seems like when he was contemplating policies, Churchill was frugal and drank Johnnie Walker Red, but when policies were enacted, he celebrated with a more extravagant bottle of Champagne. He even named one of his racehorses after his favorite Champagne house, Pol Roger. Pol Roger returned the favor a few years after his death by naming their prestige cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.

Hunter S. Thompson

It should come as no surprise that this guy drank from time to time. In general, you could find a rocks glass filled with Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon and ice. While he was writing Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, however, it’s been said that he’d pop open a bottle of California Chardonnay and season to taste with acid.

Image: Some of Nixon’s store at the 21 Club.

Richard Nixon

Again, here’s someone who isn’t typically noted for his creativity, but his way of ordering wine at restaurants was nothing short of creative genius. The 21 Club in Manhattan used to invite regulars and celebrities to keep their personal wine in the restaurant’s Prohibition-era cellar. To this day they still have wine from Sammy Davis Jr., Elizabeth Taylor and yes, even Richard Nixon. As you’ll see in the pictures above, Nixon, who lived in Jersey after his presidency, only served his guests wine from New Jersey. He must not have thought it was all that great, though, because he also made sure the sommelier knew to fill his glass with Château Margaux while his guests weren’t looking.

Absinthe wins

Degas, Manet, Hemingway, Picasso, Wilde, Van Gogh and even Marilyn Manson, at one time or another, all preferred absinthe. Perhaps it’s the tiny traces of the psychoactive chemical thujone that heightens their creativity, or maybe a proof of 100-160 inspires a different way of thinking, but one thing is for sure: Absinthe has a great track record with painting, written word and crazy heavy-metal musicians.

Remember to drink responsibly: While Van Gogh painted some really beautiful stuff under the influence, he also thought it was a good idea to cut his ear off.

Follow me on Twitter @ChrisHallowell

Coddling Your Eggs Is Good for Them

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:41:00 -0400

Katherine Ramos, Features Editor, Lot18

As a kid, cracking the shell of a soft-boiled egg in my pink porcelain egg cup was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. In high school, making a near-perfect crème brûlée in cooking class was one of my standout moments. In college, they were a cheap source of protein to fortify those bowls of chicken-flavored ramen. And as a full-blown adult, they’re the most versatile ingredients in my kitchen.

But in this lifelong amour d’oeufs, I’d never made or even eaten a coddled egg. I’d come across some stuffy porcelain coddlers collecting dust on antique store shelves, but when Katy Andersen, the Lot18 Gourmet Curator, showed me the Jenaer Glas coddlers design by Bauhaus master Wilhelm Wagenfeld, I suddenly became very intrigued.

Though I’m usually hesitant to bring ultra-specialized devices into my kitchen, function aside, they were just gorgeous objects. And because they’re clear, they wouldn’t require the same blind faith in the kitchen timer that those porcelain numbers would. I invited several friends over to sample my eggy experiments, and got coddling.

Though it might sound otherwise, coddling your eggs does not involve emotionally suffocating them. Or even being overly gentle with them. At its most basic, you break an egg into a well-buttered container, put it in a pot of simmering water without fully submerging it, and basically double boil the thing. It turns out, it’s a little more foolproof than poaching with a little bit of practice.

Experiment 1: The 8-Minute Egg

I liberally butter the inside of the coddlers, break an egg into each, pop the tops on, snap on the handy metal closures and put them into a pot filled with simmering water that reaches just above the line of the eggs. After 8 minutes, they’re still looking soft on top.

But after running a knife around the edge of the eggs to loosen them and plating, it turns out I’ve effectively made funny-shaped hard-boiled eggs. When I cut them open to check the yolk consistency, I end up with two overcooked Pac Men. My companions eat them, begrudgingly.

Experiment 2: The 5 ½-Minute Egg

After giving the coddlers a thorough washing, I re-butter and break some new test subjects into them. After submerging for 5 ½ minutes, the eggs are still looking suspiciously jiggly on top. But in the interest of science, I decide to stop the cooking and test them out. After removing them from the coddlers, as it turns out, these are just amazing. The yolks are a perfect just-slightly-warmed runny, and the portions of the white that were in contact with the glass have crisped in the butter. My companions forgive me as they scarf these down.

Experiment 3: Cured Cheese and Strawberry Soufflé

These coddlers came with several “not just for coddling anymore!” recipes, including this one. Reading “cured” (aged) cheese in the ingredients list, I was nervous, and briefly considered defecting to crème fraiche. But I had some delicious Spanish Mahón from La Tienda left at home, which seemed like as good a crapshoot as any for this test.

I followed the recipe with a few tweaks: I overdid it a bit with the lemon zest, made some strawberry sauce from scratch with frozen strawberries, sugar and lemon juice, and opted to microplane the cheese to make sure it integrated well.

I buttered the coddlers and sprinkled them with sugar, then added the fresh strawberries and the hot syrup to the bottom.

Then, after spooning in the meringue-sugar-yolk-cinnamon-lemon-zest mixture, I put them into a pot containing about an inch of hot water. I then popped it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for exactly 15 minutes.

As I’d never made a soufflé before and had heard little about them other than how impossible they are to make and how often they fall, I was nervous. But after working through the directions and taking them out of the oven, these little guys were INCREDIBLE. Rich, citrusy, densely flavorful but fluffy-textured, my kitchen companions were raving with each bite. They didn’t last long. And now, I’ve found yet another place for eggs in my kitchen.

Follow me on Twitter @Katherine_Ramos

Photos by Caitlin Sherman

Fire Up the Griddle

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:29:00 -0400

There are few foods that will get you sliding down the banister quite as fast as pancakes and waffles — even the most bleary-eyed will skip the snooze button. And served alongside crisp bacon (or, heck, with crisp bacon folded in) and drenched in real maple syrup, they’re the perfect weekend meal. Here are a few of our recent favorite recipes:

Apple Sausage Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 egg, beaten
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1 c. whole milk or buttermilk
D’Artagnan Chicken and Apple Sausage

Cook the D’Artagnan Chicken and Apple Sausage in a hot pan, allow to cool, crumble and set aside.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and stir thoroughly. Add egg and butter, and then stir lightly. Add milk and whisk just enough to combine ingredients.

Melt about a teaspoon of butter over medium-high heat. Ladle on the batter, add sausage to the still-uncooked top, and then brown both sides.

Drench in maple syrup to taste, and enjoy one of the ultimate breakfast foods.

Cheese Jalapeño Waffles

Though you might not have had spicy waffles before, this delicious recipe is sure to wake you up.

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. grated or diced cheese (depending on if you like a glob of cheesy surprise in your waffles, or want it a little more integrated). Feel free to grate to your heart’s content without measuring. A strong Alpine cheese is best to offset the spiciness of the jalapeno and the sweetness of the syrup.

1 diced jalapeño, seeded if you’re WEAK
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 2/3 c. milk
1/3 c. melted butter
2 large eggs

Note: If you are unsure of whether or not to seed your peppers, you can warm the milk on the stove, take it off the burner and steep the seeded diced jalapeno in the milk for 10 minutes. Taste the milk and if it needs more spice, add in the quantity of seeds and ribs you desire to kick up the heat.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, salt and jalapeño. Add the eggs, milk and butter, and stir until just combined and moistened.

Cook waffles according to the directions for your waffle maker.

Serve immediately with syrup while waffles are still warm, or let cool on a wire rack to keep the bottoms from getting soggy.

Johnnycakes

A recent brunch order of Apple Johnny Cakes at Brooklyn Star in Williamsburg inspired some staffers to look into more traditional takes on this distinctly American dish. The cornmeal makes for a more rustic texture, and the density of johnnycakes makes them particularly satisfying.

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon, diced
1 c. yellow or white corn meal
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 c. boiling water
Maple syrup as desired

In a hot pan, cook the diced bacon until crisp. Set aside the bacon and drippings.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir in the boiling water with a whisk until the batter is smooth and thick.

Heat the bacon drippings on a griddle set over a medium-high flame. Ladle the batter onto the griddle; these should be smaller than your average flapjack, so only use about 1/4 c. for each. Cook until golden brown with crispy edges.

Sprinkle with the bacon, and serve covered with plenty of maple syrup.

Olive Oil Pancakes

This recipe comes from José Andrés’ book, Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen. While it might initially sound a bit strange to use olive oil in a breakfast food, think back to any olive oil cakes you’ve ever sampled. It makes for moist, rich bites, and the flavor works surprisingly well.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. Extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if necessary
1/2 c. dark chocolate broken into small pieces
1/4 c. honey
Fresh mint leaves

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the egg, buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until you have a smooth batter, then stir in the chocolate pieces.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-low heat. Ladle 1/4 cup of the pancake mixture into the pan and cook until golden brown. Flip the pancake with spatula and cook until golden brown on the second side. Transfer the pancake to a warm oven. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more olive oil to the pan as needed.

To serve, drizzle the pancakes with honey and garnish with mint.

Maple Syrup Sweetenomics

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:10:43 -0400

Katy Andersen, Gourmet Curator, Lot18

Native Americans figured out the secret of tapping the maple tree long before settlers arrived. Even today, nothing beats drenching a stack of fluffy pancakes with real maple syrup. But this simple pleasure isn’t so simple to make; it takes hard work to produce – days of it, in fact.

Maple syrup starts with the maple tree – four different species to be exact. These trees store starch in their trunks and roots as fuel to survive the winter. By the first thaw, they have converted it to sugar. This sap runs through the trees until the first spring buds burst into leaf, and once harvested and heated for hours, it becomes liquid gold.

But in the end, maple syrup boils down to simple mathematics. The average tree yields at least a liter per day of sap, depending on its age and the number of taps. In one season, which lasts between six and eight weeks, a tree will produce between 5 to 15 gallons of sap, roughly 10 percent of the tree’s entire sugar stores, according to Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking.

With all the sap, let the bubble, toil and trouble begin. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup – no small forest. The longer the sap has to boil, the darker and more concentrated the maple syrup becomes.

At artisanal sugarhouses such as Mead & Mead’s, sap is boiled down in small batches from single trees. These micro-batches are important: Sap harvested earlier in the year contains more sucrose than at the end of the season, so it boils down to pure syrup faster. Thus early-season syrup is lighter and more delicate in flavor, and is typically graded A. The darker and more concentrated the flavor, the lower the grade.

The days of work it takes to extract and simmer this nectar is reason enough to appreciate each syrup-soaked bite for more than just its incredible flavor. With small-batch producers like Mead & Mead’s, the payoff from all that work has never been so pure.

Follow my epicurean adventures on Twitter @KathrynAndersen

La Dolce Vita: Easy Italian Dinner Party

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:55:40 -0400

Bonnie Graves, Girl Meets Grape

One of my best friends from high school went to Tuscany in her 20s and met her future husband – a nice Jewish boy from Florida. Italy is like that. Its culture is predicated on love: love of beauty, love of family and friends, love of food and love of wine. Haven’t had a chance to visit? While it should be on your bucket list, the great thing about la dolce vita is that you can re-create much of what makes folks swoon for Italy at home. No, you can’t view Pisa’s famous crooked tower from your kitchen window, but you can cook a meal and open up wines for loved ones. And I am not talking Chef Boyardee-style faux Italian. Authentic Italian cuisine is united by two essential elements: olive oil and wine. Both are cooking staples, and no Italian meal is complete without sharing some vino.

I have learned that an easy Italian-themed dinner party with complementary wines keeps me out of the kitchen and in the company of friends. Sure, I know how to make homemade pasta, but does any working mom have the time? Skip the labor-intensive menu and try some of these easy dishes with tasty wines to match.

Appetizers – “Antipasti”

Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto With Shaved Parmigiano

Trim two bunches of green asparagus, blanch quickly in boiling water, then allow to cool. Wrap asparagus spears in prosciutto and arrange on a pretty platter. Drizzle with olive oil and a bit of salt, and then sprinkle with shaved Parmigiano.

Olive Bread Bruschetta With Red-Pepper Tapenade and White Bean Purée

I just buy a loaf of day-old olive bread and make my own bruschetta. Slice loaves into ¼” rounds, drizzle with olive oil and generously sprinkle with S+P. Bake in a toasty oven until the edges are brown, and cool uncovered. For toppings, you can make your own red pepper tapenade or buy a jar from a better grocery store. For the white bean purée, buy a can of white fagioli and purée them with olive oil, S+P and a dash of oregano or basil. Spoon toppings onto cooled olive ovals; garnish with fresh herb leaves.

Skewered Herbed Polpettini With Tomatoes and Mozzarella

I don’t have time to make my meatballs in the traditional Italian ratio of beef, veal and pork. (Hey, I’m Irish!) So I flat-out cheat: Frozen meatballs are a great timesaver. Sprinkle cooked polpettini with chopped parsley and skewer each with small cherry tomatoes and mozzarella rounds on a long toothpick. Arrange upright in small clear glasses for a pretty serving option.

Suggested Wine: La Gioiosa Extra Dry Prosecco DOCG

Salad – “Insalate”

Insalate Tricolore With Arugula, Frisée and Radicchio

Easy, colorful and less common than the basil, tomato and mozzarella combination in caprese salads. I like Matt Molina’s recipe although I go easy on the anchovy in the dressing in case guests don’t care for it. Dress the salad right before you serve it.

Suggested Wine: 2010 Terre di Terrossa Soave

Entrée - “Il Secondo Piatto”

Baked Polenta With Sausage and Tomato Sauce

Served alongside the salad, this hearty casserole is easy to make ahead of time. Bake it in a colorful ceramic dish. Polenta is something you can find in better grocery stores, so you don’t have to make your own.

Dessert – “Il Dolce”

Cherry-Chocolate and Anise-Almond Biscotti With Vanilla Gelato

I make my own biscotti and store them – you can freeze the dough and bake some when you’re ready. Biscotti taste best when they’re nice and crunchy, not warm and mushy, so prepare them ahead of the party. Click here for a good overview and some suggested versions. Serve them with gelato and some dark-roast coffee. Dessert is done!

Suggested Wine: Villa Puccini Vin Santo (Chianti, NV)

Savvy Southern Rhône: A Buying Guide for the Uninformed and Unsober

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:05:00 -0400

Chris Hallowell, Features Editor, Lot18

When I moved to New York, the first on my list of things to do was to go to an Acker BYOB wine auction. Working as an editor at a wine magazine, I obviously didn’t have the discretionary income to warrant a seat there. Nevertheless, I brought the nicest bottle of wine I owned and went to the Oak Room to participate in the excitement of a live auction.

When I arrived, I found that everyone in the room had to register for a bidding paddle. I didn’t think anything of it at the time – of course I’m not going to bid, I have no money. In an extremely unlucky twist of fate, the only seat left was at the table of the biggest spender of the night. In between bidding on cases of 1990 La Tâche, he scoffed at my bottle and opened Barolo and Bordeaux from the ’60s, which he was nice enough to share … frequently.

As each glass was filled, and subsequently emptied, the paddle in front of me began looking more and more tempting. In my increasingly inebriated state, I thought to myself “I want to play!” I waited for the least expensive auction item, a case of Château Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and – counting on being outbid – I raised my paddle triumphantly, savoring every second before the inevitable rival bidder would raise his. Sadly, that rival bidder never came. Going once; going twice; SOLD to the idiot that will be eating Top Ramen for the next six months!

Don’t get me wrong, Beaucastel is amazing and I love whipping a bottle out on a special occasion, but during the course of the months it took me to pay this case off, I had time to contemplate how else I could have spent my money had I not been so intoxicated. The answer – for those looking for more bang for their buck – is Gigondas.

Though it has only had appellation status since 1971, wine production has been documented here since the late 14th century. Located about 7 miles northeast of Châteauneuf, Gigondas offers the same grapes, similar terroir and the same, if not more soul. Typically, wines are made more traditionally than some recently renovated and more modern Châteauneuf wineries; this juice just seems to be meatier, more intense and, frankly, less internationally styled than most new bottlings from it’s southwestern neighbor – all for about half the price. Good Gigondas takes about six years to really come into its own and then is best with hearty dishes. My favorite is short ribs braised with some of the Gigondas you’ll be opening.

So go on, learn from my mistake: If you love Châteauneuf, look just outside its borders. You’ll get the concentration and minerality of old vines, the verve of Grenache, the spiciness of Syrah, the meatiness of Mourvèdre you crave from Châteauneuf, as well as the gruff character of the invariably grizzly, no frills, all-about-terroir, hands-off winemaker that sells the wine without compensating for a marketing budget.

Follow me on Twitter @ChrisHallowell

The Vin Vivant: Merlot Diplomacy

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:19:00 -0400

Audrey Luk, Copywriter, Lot18

In Buenos Aires, I met a brasserie owner who had lived in New York while working for the United Nations. Seemed he preferred his new job and city to his previous life. As I sipped a complimentary Kir, he sat down on my table and admired the fresh-faced Argentinians just sitting down to dinner at 11pm on a weeknight; I understood why he had crossed the equator.

Back in New York, I read an article in The New York Times in which this same restaurateur was interviewed and identified as a former “culinary tour guide” at the UN. I gasped – did such a job exist? Could it be someone’s job to take visiting dignitaries to taste New York cheesecake, or perhaps broker accords over cru Burgundy paired with Peking duck?

When I think about the various delicious cuisines available in the city, I feel with certainty that great food and drink together is the answer for world peace, or at least its starting point. It is difficult to argue about borders and beliefs while crunching into a heavenly piece of buttermilk-battered fried chicken. Today, I attempt to solve two world crises through pairing: the war against Merlot, and the tension between the U.S. and the Middle East.

Merlot, as anyone who has seen Sideways knows, is a grape in need of a crack PR team. It is not enough that it is the star of Château Cheval Blanc and Château Pétrus’s wines, the ownership of which warrants an “I’ve-made-it” fist pump. Or that worldwide, it is the second only to Cabernet Sauvignon in being the most-planted dark-skinned variety. Wine grapes are an incredibly expensive crop; surely there must be a reason behind Merlot’s popularity – could it be that it’s delicious and versatile as a blending and pairing agent?

Perhaps I am a victim of Merlot’s negative perception as well. I can’t remember the last time I uncorked a bottle of it at home. Seeing that this needed to be rectified, I brought home a bottle of 2008 Oberon Napa Valley Merlot and opened it on Saturday night to taste it ahead of Sunday’s dinner. I’m glad I did. The tannins were big and burly, and the wine was in need of a decanting to smooth out its rougher edges. The bouquet, though, was spot-on Merlot: blackberries, ripe plum and a hint of menthol. I was skittish about leaving the wine in a wide open decanter for 24 hours, so after much deliberation, I decided to leave the opened bottle on a shaded part of our counter to let it slowly breathe all night without fear of the sun’s rays hitting it the next day.

Now, what to pair with it? This is where the reconciliation between the United States and the Middle East comes in. Is it a coincidence that the Oberon label has a dove-like bird on it with a bunch of grapes in its mouth where an olive branch would be? As the wine was more assertive and did not have that “I’m a Merlot” luscious mouthfeel, I turned to The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, by Claudia Roden, to find a recipe to compensate: a silky tomato eggplant sauce with meatballs. No Middle Eastern meal is complete without an ancient grain, and for this, I flipped to the bulgur, couscous and pasta section of the same book, settling on a bulgur pilaf with raisins and pine nuts. Wanting to underscore the stone fruit flavors in the wine, I added a good handful of sliced dried apricots to the pilaf. And finding no pine nuts in our pantry, I used roasted hazelnuts instead. Those were the only changes I made to Roden’s recipes.

Everything was absolutely wonderful with the wine, which had significantly mellowed after a night of snail’s-paced aeration. The earthiness of the hazelnuts and gaminess of the meatballs were perfect counterpoints to the wine’s vibrant fruit. I tried to tease out what each ingredient brought out in the wine. But soon I was just eating and drinking without a thought. A dinner that passes with good conversation and ends with empty plates is all the proof I need that Merlot with Middle Eastern food is a phenomenal combination. The next time I’m wandering around UN Plaza, I’ll suggest it.

The Very Basics for Wine Beginners

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:30:00 -0400

Bonnie Graves, Girl Meets Grape

Even the most involved enophile has a few friends who don’t know the difference between Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. You want to help them learn to love wine too, but when you start talking terroir and vintage variation, they get overwhelmed. What’s elementary to you just might not be so basic to a newbie. Here are some common new-to-wine questions with some straightforward answers to help you help them:

When do they add the alcohol to wine?

They don’t. Ethyl alcohol is the natural by-product of a fun little process called fermentation, in which yeast and sugar (like the sugar present in grape juice) interact to yield the only kind of alcohol that’s safe to ingest, ethanol, in addition to heat and carbon dioxide. That CO2 comes in handy if you’re making sparkling wine, as our friends in Champagne figured out some centuries ago. And NO, isopropyl alcohol is not for cooking or drinking – save it for boo-boos and other disinfecting purposes.

When do they add the butter to Chardonnay and the blackberry jam to Zinfandel for that matter?

See the answer above. They don’t, but don’t feel badly if you were confused on this point. While you can make ethyl alcohol from just about any organic product that contains sugar (wheat to beer, rice to sake, corn to whiskey, apples to cider, etc.) fine table wine is made only from grape juice. While Chardonnay wines that have undergone full “malolactic fermentation” might smell or taste buttery, at no point has anyone tossed any Land o’ Lakes into the mix. Ditto for that blackberry jam aroma in red Zinfandel. Wine enthusiasts often use these tasting terms to describe what they are smelling, but they are only descriptors, not ingredients in a recipe.

How long are you supposed to swirl the wine in your glass?

This one irritates me. I recently stopped in at a tasting room where the enthusiastic and entirely misguided dude pouring the wine assured the customer at the counter that she needed to swirl the wine for exactly 7.5 minutes for it to “taste right.” Nonsense! While most wines benefit from a little oxygen interaction, give that glass a swirl for a moment or two at most. What is important? Taking the time to smell the wine BEFORE you suck it down. Most of the enjoyment of wine takes place in your nose folks, so take time to sniff and think about your wine as much as you smell those proverbial roses.

I am allergic to sulfites so that must be why wine gives me a headache, right?

Nope, you’re not allergic to sulfites. Very few folks are and if you were, you’d have issues with everyday products like orange juice and dried fruits too. Sulfites are added to lots of things to protect against premature spoiling; because the federal government insists that wine labels bear sulfite warnings, many people assume this means they cause headaches. Usually, it’s over-consumption and dehydration that have you running for the Advil. Drink less and drink water. You’ll be fine.

Paid in Salt

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:49:00 -0400

Katy Andersen, Gourmet Curator, Lot18

When was the last time you worried about the price of salt?

Meat or milk, maybe. But we take salt for granted. After all, some of us even spread it on our roads and sidewalks in the winter. But it hasn’t always been an underappreciated ingredient, and it was once one of the most valuable minerals. How did salt change from currency to commodity?

Salt’s value lies in two food-related properties. It suppresses the sensation of bitterness, making foods such as olives or salad greens more palatable. Its use in ancient kitchens gave rise to words like sauce, salad and sausage, all foods whose names are derived from this key ingredient. And salt draws water out of foods, discouraging growth of spoilage bacteria. That salt prevents decay was a critical factor before the advent of refrigerators or even ice boxes.

Ancient civilizations depended on salt. Its ability to make some foods edible and preserve others kept people alive.

Olives may be one of the first foods that salt saved. The Egyptians realized that the tree fruit was inedible unless soaked in brine, rendering olives soft and delicious. Today, we know that salt helps to remove the bitter-inducing glucides known as oleuropeina, according to Mark Kurlansky in his seminal Salt: A World History. Back then, they just knew that the olives tasted better.

Salt also preserved food in the absence of refrigeration. Cod was salted for baccalao. The eggs of the mullet, the most prized fish in Roman history, were salted and dried to make bottarga. Celtic warriors preserved legs of wild boar in salt, creating the first salt-cured hams. And it was the town of Salsomaggiore near Parma whose underground brine springs provided the salt needed to produce the famous Prosciutto di Parma. When citizens figured out that adding it to the local cheese prevented spoilage and allowed it to age, the world-renowned Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese was born.

Long ago, humans hadn’t figured out how to extract this vital ingredient from both land and sea as efficiently as we do today. With limited supply and seemingly unlimited demand, the price of salt soared.

But today, we know how to evaporate sea water and mine rock salt. 51 percent of American salt is used for deicing roads, according to Kurlansky. It’s more than just the mainspring of a meal.

There’s irony in this development. Despite refrigeration and the advancement of our food supply, the modern food system still relies on salt. Why? For the very same reasons our ancestors used it: to preserve food. As food becomes more processed, conglomerates rely on it to accentuate flavors, prolong shelf stability, disguise bitterness and hide chemical aftertastes. Even Coca-Cola has salt in it – 80 mg per can. So, while we need about 1 gram of salt per day to balance the plasma around cells, the average intake in the US is at least 10 times that.

Fortunately, despite this bastardization of an invaluable ingredient, we’re seeing a return to valuing salts – specialty ones. As flaky Maldon sea salt graces tables and restaurants dole out black Hawaiian salt, there’s hope for a return to treasuring this ancient mineral. And with this appreciation, moderation should follow.

Follow my epicurean adventures on Twitter @KathrynAndersen

Visiting Wineries in Rioja? Here's What You Need to Know.

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:48:00 -0400

Mindy Joyce, Experiences Curator, Lot18

My reason for being in Spain last year was to visit the “culinary capital”, San Sebastián. But when I was planning my trip, I realized that only about an hour and a half away lies Spain’s premier wine region: Rioja. I was amazed at the plethora of winery experiences available here; I saw everything from traditional caves to architecturally impressive contemporary wineries. This unusual variety is one of the reasons Rioja a must-visit for any wine lover – it’s an incredible meeting point of tradition and modernity. You can visit both destinations in the trip that I took which is now featured on Lot18 as Michelin-Starred Spain: San Sebastián and Rioja.

As it turns out, Spain’s winemaking tradition is richer than I ever expected. Here are some fascinating facts I learned while I was there:

• Spain has more land under vine than any country in the world 

• When phylloxera hit Bordeaux in the 1870s, the French came to Rioja to satisfy their wine needs. Wine was made here, transported by train from Rioja to Bilbao and then shipped up to Bordeaux. In 1902, phylloxera struck Rioja, and all the vines had to be dug out and replanted. The French went back to Bordeaux, and the Spanish replanted their vineyards.

• After the vines were grafted with American rootstocks and replanted, “guardians of the grapes” would watch the vines, staying overnight in the vineyard in little brick huts. You will see these all over the vineyards in Rioja.

• Rioja is made up of 3 areas: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Baja. Rioja Alta and Alavesa are located closer to the mountains, while Rioja Baja is drier and warmer.

• There are about 1,000 wineries in Rioja. We went to Rioja Alta, known for the best quality wines. There are about 400 vineyards in this region.

• In Rioja, about 85 percent of the grapes are Tempranillo. Other red grape varieties include Garnacha Tinta (red Grenache), Graciano, Mazuelo and Maturana Tinta. Whites include Viura, Malvasia, Garnacha Blanca, Tempranillo Blanca, Maturana Blanca and Turruntés (Torrontés). You will also find some varieties recently permitted like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo.

Photo: Hotel Marques de Riscal in Rioja, designed by Frank Gehry

When you visit Rioja wineries, keep in mind:

• About 99 percent of the producers are APPOINTMENT ONLY and they may or may not speak English. If they speak English, it may not be easy to understand. I recommend either going with a reputable tour company with an English-speaking wine expert or contacting the bodegas you want to visit by email and set up your appointment. The best tours will take you to Rioja Alta. 

• The only one you really don’t need an appointment for is Marques de Riscal It is one of the region’s biggest bodegas so don’t expect an intimate visit. You may get a bit more personal attention if you make an appointment, though.

• Keep in mind that often times the wineries you have heard of (that are imported into the US) may not necessarily be good wineries to visit, and/or make good wine relative to others in Rioja. You need to do your research.

One of the highlights of my entire trip was visiting to Bodegas Baigorri. The massive glass box that you can see from the road is impressive in itself, but what I found underneath was probably one of my favorite experiences in wine travel.

Photo: The cellar at Bodegas Baigorri, Rioja

Beneath the box is a highly sophisticated, multi-level winery cut into the side of the mountain. What makes this winery so interesting is that the entire winemaking process is driven by gravity. This eliminates the need for mechanical methods, allowing for a much gentler process. It reduces the damage to the grapes while keeping the flavors intact. Being underground, especially in a climate like this, helps to keep the temperature cool and consistent and reduces the need for energy.

After getting an in-depth look at Baigorri’s winemaking process, I recommend treating yourself to one of their fabulous wine-paired lunches. It’s absolutely delicious, and with a view of the vines as far as the eye can see, you’ll want to pinch yourself.

And you can visit Bodegas Baigorri as part of the San Sebastián and Rioja package we’re featuring today!

Photo: With Jenny Siddall, wine expert and guide from San Sebastián Food. Feeling ridiculously spoiled after feasting on a lengthy wine-pairing lunch.

Have travel tips to share? Tweet @MindyJoyce

The Morning After: Hangover Cures, Past and Present

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:10:00 -0400

Chris Hallowell, Features Editor, Lot18

The hangover is about eight hours younger than the discovery of alcohol. And as long as there has been alcohol consumption, there have been different theories about how to defeat the feelings of dehydration, nausea, headache and fatigue that follow. While many methods have been employed – some more creative than others – there is no surefire cure; if there were, it would be common knowledge. In fact, hangovers are poorly understood from a medical point of view. It seems that doctors prefer finding cures for cancer rather than for headaches that might have resulted from a game of “race you to the bottom of this bottle of Zin!”

Now that we’ve established that doctors can’t help you, I offer my services. While I might not have a fancy “degree” or lots of “book learning,” I have done extensive research in my own lab – which is actually a combination of my couch, bed, bathroom and the diner around the corner. If it adds to my credibility, you can picture me wearing a lab coat while experimenting. So here we go. If you must overindulge, here are some hangover helpers from least effective to most.

—An old Irish cure was to bury the ailing person up to the neck in moist river sand. While cheeky and hilarious, the lab results were wildly inconclusive. While finding sand in places I never knew existed took attention away from hangover symptoms, it was equally inconvenient. Once showered, symptoms persisted. Verdict: Keep in mind for St. Paddy’s Day, but have a backup plan.

—B-12: Recent studies have shown that drinking in excess severely depletes your vitamin B. Solution: Take a bunch.

—Sodium bicarbonate: Alcohol reacts with your stomach lining and is also metabolized from ethanol into acetaldehyde – actually 10-30 times more toxic than ethanol – before metabolizing into acetic acid. This is what causes nausea. If you’re feeling nauseous, take an Alka-Seltzer to ease your stomach.

—Food: There are several foods that help with hangovers. My research has concluded that the best hangover breakfast is likely an egg, a banana, some toast, a grapefruit, and some blood sausage or a couple pickles.

First, eggs contain cysteine, which is thought to combat hangover symptoms. Next, the banana replenishes the body with potassium, which is depleted by heavy drinking.

Carbs are your next plan of attack. Alcohol consumption may reduce glucose production in the body and deplete the reserves of glucose stored in the liver. Glucose is the main energy source for the brain, so low blood sugar causes fatigue, weakness and general craziness experienced during hangovers. Get some carbs in you and raise that blood sugar.

A grapefruit will get you you’re allotment of vitamin C. Yes, vitamin C seems obvious, but little do most know, it is an enzyme responsible for breaking down alcohol in the body.

Lastly, we have mineral-rich foods. Why should this work? No clue, but it seems to be one of the go-to remedies for every country ever, in the history of the world. Poland has sour pickle juice; Germany has pickled herring; and many countries from East Asia to Western Europe have black pudding (blood sausage). So jump on the bandwagon and start eating iron.

—Boosting metabolism: Whether this means exercising or eating something spicy, this will ramp up the processing of alcohol in your system quicker. At least that’s what I hear. Stands to reason, right?

—Water: This is a boring one, but it’s universally acknowledged to help. Alcohol causes dehydration, and lab results say hydrate.

—Time: the only surefire solution is time for your body to process the alcohol. Sleep can be helpful in making time fly and comes with a higher metabolic rate than watching TV and feeling like death.

—Better genes: When all else fails, blame your parents. A little over 20 percent of people don’t suffer from hangovers. Lucky them.

Failed lab tests

—Painkillers: I know, this is horrible news, but in your liver’s compromised state, these seemingly helpful pills can be seriously detrimental to your health. The worst offender is Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, which is the most common cause of liver failure in the US. Taking this after a night of Jell-O Shots exponentially jeopardizes your liver. Also, alcohol thins the blood, and aspirin is a blood-thinner. Combining the two means really thin blood.

—Hair of the dog: I’m a pretty big offender of this rule, but that’s mostly because Bloody Marys are delicious. When we think about this logically, though, it’s kind of a bad idea. Having a drink might have the initial benefit of numbing the symptoms, but adding more alcohol for your body to process only adds stress to the liver, which will result in feeling more horrible later. The symptoms get progressively worse as you near zero blood alcohol content, so you might as well sleep it off now rather than delay the inevitable. Also, this greatly increases the chances of dependency. Look at Ernest Hemingway; this man routinely drank and recommended beer and tomato juice. Even though you studied the guy in high school, it doesn’t diminish the fact that homeboy had issues with liquor.

—Coffee: I can sense that you’re pulling away, but bear with me. Think about it: You’re awake, but now you’re also highly aware that you’re hungover. It might temporarily improve a headache by decreasing the size of blood vessels, but it will also dehydrate you further. If coffee is a must, drink it with a glass of water.

Preventative Measures

Yawn, I know, but as stated before, there is no cure. So the best solution is not to become hungover in the first place.

—Hydrate: Drink a glass of water with every alcoholic drink you have. This will keep you from becoming dehydrated and will likely keep you from drinking more than you would have otherwise.

—Moderation: Keep to one drink an hour. That’s about how long it takes for your liver to process the alcohol.

—Eat early and often: Finally, fun news. Don’t drink on an empty stomach, but stay away from sugary foods. The stomach lets sugar pass through to the intestines – where alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream – with minimal processing, whereas the stomach sees protein and says something to the effect of “What’s that? Shut the gate! I’m going to have to spend some time on this.” Conclusion: if you add alcohol to a stomach full of protein, it won’t be absorbed into the bloodstream as quickly, thus giving your liver more time to break it down.

So there you have it, results from years of grueling work in my lab, laid bare before you. Do with it what you will, but obviously, the best cure for a hangover is not to get one in the first place. Drink responsibly.

Follow me and my ongoing lab tests on Twitter @ChrisHallowell

Tempranillo: Spain’s King of Grapes

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:58:18 -0500

Bonnie Graves, Girl Meets Grape

For red wine lovers, experimenting with different grape varieties is essential. But if you think swapping your favorite Cabernet Sauvignon for a Merlot qualifies as exploring, you’re missing the boat. Steer that boat towards Europe and dock it somewhere in Spain, where the wonderful Tempranillo grape is king. Tempranillo has ancient roots in the Rioja and Ribera del Duero wine-producing regions, where it has been grown for over 2,000 years, but it is now increasingly used in other locations such as Valdepeñas and Penedès. Nearby Portugal also uses Tempranillo extensively, where it goes by synonyms such as Aragonez and Tinta Roriz. Some bold New World producers are working with Tempranillo, most notably at Gramercy Cellars in Walla Walla, Wash., at Abacela Vineyards in Oregon’s Umpqua Valley and at Verdad and Longoria along California’s Central Coast. Yet for many non-Europeans, Tempranillo remains a mysterious grape, which is a shame as it’s very versatile with food and offers amazing value across many price points.

Just why do our Iberian friends love this grape so much? Tempranillo is kind of like the love-child of brawny Cabernet and seductive Pinot Noir; it has the tannic structure and deep color that Cab lovers adore but offers incredible complexity of aromas and subtleties that will appeal to Pinot Noir fans, especially if the Tempranillo is allowed to age for long periods of time. On the nose, Tempranillo typically offers dark cherry and cranberry fruit notes with elements of leather, green herbs and vanilla. Notably, the choice of oak barrels is a critical one for traffickers of Temp. Despite its proximity to the oak forests of France, Rioja producers often use American oak barrels, which can add dimensions of dill and coconut to this aromatic soup.

Just how long Tempranillo wines are aged both in oak barrels and in bottle varies from region to region. From juicy, fruity, young Crianza wines to elegant, incredibly complex Gran Reserva bottlings, Rioja is the place to start your tasting journey. Essentially, Rioja producers age the wine for you, by cellaring their bottles for years before releasing them to the market, which is a handy trick for consumers who might not have a huge wine cellar to stash their collections. A bit further to the south, the Ribera del Duero region offers high altitude vineyard sites and a big contrast between hot days and dramatically cooler nights. This is what Tempranillo digs, quite literally, as it helps the vines’ roots work to produce more intense grape flavors on the vine.

What to eat with Tempranillo-based wines? The answer is … pretty much anything! They’re substantial enough for meaty stews and steaks, particularly those made in a youthful, fruit-forward style and aged in American oak. Older wines made from Tempranillo will show complex secondary aromas, and pair beautifully with cheeses and cured meats. Interested in easy entertaining? Consider inviting some friends over for an evening of Spanish wines and cheeses.

Beauty and the Yeast

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:15:00 -0500

Steve Unwin, Lot18

Now we’ve talked about yeast before, albeit in a different context, but frankly I feel like these little buggers require a bit more examination. Yeast, after all, is arguably the most important fungus on the planet. It’s responsible for wine, beer, bread, that “not so fresh feeling”; all the things that make the human condition so unique.

These little microorganisms are ubiquitous, adaptable and their simple presence alerted us to the magic of fermentation. Imagine, if you will – and if you won’t, you can go right back to looking at cats on Reddit – Jeff Abrashvili, a hypothetical Georgian farmer some 8,000 years ago. He is picking delicious grapes, chucking them in a barrel and staving off a mild case of tuberculosis. Then one day, he realizes that these little berries are, for some reason, fizzing like some insane candy that won’t be invented for the better part of Jeff’s time to the present. He eats a few. Then a few more, and all of a sudden he’s got his skirt up over his head riding a mechanical bull in some awful bar in the East Village. Jeff could never have understood that this was because of an endemic species of fungal microorganism that converts sugar into alcohol.

This is the bit that, quite frankly, blows my mind. So you have this fruit that is easily squish-able by hand, yields lots of sugary-sweet juice, and happens to have a microbe living on its skin that can use that juice as fuel for a chemical reaction that leaves us with a $5,500 bottle of Shrieking Egret? This is not insignificant, people. There is a reason we didn’t start with cantaloupe wine.

Now what I have described is the old-school method (Methode vieille école). This goes beyond tradition to the origin of the art form of winemaking. For many, using native yeast is considered the only real way to do it. These wineries take advantage of the fact that they’ve basically set themselves up to be a miniature ecosystem in which colonies of native microorganisms have been living, breeding, rigging micro-elections and violently busting up micro-unions for years. They’re in the vineyard, on the walls, and all over the tasting room and they can help to lend many unique nuances to the wine of any given estate.

The problem is these native yeasts are not very reliable. The primary yeast used in winemaking is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a hearty little bastard that can withstand high amounts of sulfur and alcohol. This means we can add a little bit of sulfur to the must before we begin fermentation in order to kill off any possible competition, and our little buddies will still be healthy and happy even when the ABV hits 12-15 percent. All that said, there is a much wider range of wild yeasts out there with cool names like Hanseniaspora and Metschnikowia that, while they have to the ability to produce high quality and unique wines, might not be as reliable as our steadfast friend S. Cerevisiae, who will typically pick up the slack after these guys kick the bucket at around 5 percent alcohol. Moreover, going natural means risking interlopers like Brettanomyces getting in and skunking your booze, or a “stuck fermentation,” in which the yeast stalls out too early and you’re forced to try re-inoculating your batch. It’s a pain. Trust me.

Well here in ‘Merica (ok fine, pretty much everywhere in the New World), winemakers aren’t in the mood to chance that sort of thing. Never mind the fact that they don’t have several hundred years worth of fungus to rely upon. So, instead, they turn to cultured yeast: strains of S. Cerevisiae that have been specially bred in laboratories ~~to become the next generation of time traveling super soldiers~~ to emphasize useful qualities such as alcohol resistance, heat generation and flavor profile. These guys have cool names like BDX, Epernay and Enoferm L2226. A lot like grape clones, these cultured yeasts can still trace their lineage back to Old World regions in which they originally developed their nuances.

You’ll notice I didn’t get into the chemical nitty-gritty and talk to you about anaerobic versus aerobic fermentation or the volume of CO2 and ethanol produced relative to the amount of sugar in the solution. I didn’t do that because I like you, dear reader. And I failed chemistry twice, so let’s just let sleeping dogs lie.

So what should the next lesson be? Wanna talk about minerality? Micro-oxygenation? Moscato’s inexplicable popularity in the hip-hop world? Where do we go next?

Follow me on Twitter @Stunwin

Ménage à Foie Gras

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:36:00 -0500

Katy Andersen, Gourmet Curator, Lot18

A rarity happened in my kitchen last week: I dared to prepare a few slices of foie gras. The pale brown duck liver is a delicacy I usually order only in the restaurants of expert chefs, because everything I’ve read cautions the home cook to be careful. If you overcook it, a fatty lobe of foie gras simply melts away. But that was not my experience with this luscious liver.

It’s this desirable fat that is foie gras’ blessing – and its curse. Foie gras, French for “fat liver,” comes from a duck or goose that has been fed a daily regimen of corn during a fattening period. Most foie gras in North America comes from ducks, as they’re easier to raise than geese and less prone to disease.

Open a newspaper and you’ll see that the forced-feeding process drives debate all over the world, but a few facts are often overlooked. Migrating waterfowl naturally store fat for their annual journey, much of it in their livers. It’s this natural enlargement that farmers mimic with care; after all, there is a difference between a fatty liver and an unhealthy liver. Ultimately, the former is delicious and the latter is not. Farmers need to treat the birds well to ensure top-quality foie gras.

Still, the organ raises controversy. California, in fact, will enforce a ban on the sale of all foie gras in the coming months, fining violators up to $1,000 a day.

Ban or not, foie gras is highly sought-after for the luxurious flavor it imparts to many foods. And what I discovered in the kitchen last week was equally revelatory: It’s quite easy to prepare.

While many preparations (mi-cuit, en torchon, even mousse or foam) exist, I took the simple route: seared. I left the slices in the refrigerator until just before preparing, so that the fatty pieces would be easier to work with – it’s like chilling pie dough before rolling it out. After dusting each piece with flour, I seared each side for 60 seconds on a medium-hot pan. Voilà! Seared foie gras slices were ready for a thick slice of crusty bread and a pinch of flaky sea salt. I even poured the liquefied fat over it – indulgent, for sure, but that’s what foie gras is all about.

So why would you risk botching the preparation of this expensive ingredient when it’s so easy to order at a restaurant? Because, as you’ll realize, it’s not that hard to prepare at all.

Follow my epicurean adventures on Twitter @KathrynAndersen