Dining Archives - Page 4 of 4 -

July 8, 2020July 15, 2020

Fine wine from a total solar eclipse

It took almost one thousand years for the vineyards in Burgundy, France,
to become dedicated to specific varieties, and it was the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that became the masters of that fiefdom. When winemaking got started in California, the vintners planted anything and everything that they could lay their hands on. Among those early vintners was a faux Hungarian Count, Agoston Haraszthy, who is often credited with bringing to California most of the grape vines that have found a home there.

It has taken our vintners only 150 years and modern science to determine what grows best and where. Once the best locations were determined, American vintners began to make wine. American grapes, however, were not mirror images of their French parents, and winemakers had to discard French winemaking techniques to develop new ways of turning finicky grapes into exceptional wines.

Among the myriad of producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines, only a few have mastered those grapes and are producing outstanding wines. I recently had the privilege to sample some wines from one of those latter-day vintners, Gary Farrell. The grapes for all these wines were picked on August 21, 2017, the day of a total solar eclipse.

2017 Olivet Lane Vineyard Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($45).

The wine is outstanding and memorable. If you are seeking a carbon copy of a French Montrachet, you will be disappointed, as this wine is
a true child of California. The aroma of apples, peaches, and pears are intertwined with notes of fragrant summer flowers. I believe that this wine will set the stylistic direction for better Chardonnays for years to come.

2017 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($45).

The grapes for this wine were sourced from seven of the top vineyards in the Russian River Valley. The fruit from each vineyard adds its own nuance to the final blend, resulting in a delicately scented and brightly flavored wine. Cherries, both the fruit and the blossoms, dominate the aroma along with vanilla and toasted nuts. This is a wine that should not be taken for granted. It is a grand example of what a fine, well-made California Pinot Noir should be.

2017 Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($35).

This wine was made from the grapes of famous vineyards in the Russian River Valley. The wine displays the aroma of lemon, melon, peach, and pear with hints of green tea, jasmine and two of my personal favorites, arugula and wasabi. These flavors continue on to the finish where they mingle with tropical fruit and apple. This wine has an incomparable and unforgettable silky finish with hints of flavors that I have never before experienced in a Chardonnay.

It is customary to serve white wines slightly chilled. Unfortunately, all too often, the wines are served too cold so their characteristics become muted. If the wine fogs the glass, it is too cold. Twenty minutes in the refrigerator should be more than enough.

By Bennet Bodenstein

July 2, 2020July 19, 2020

Macarons – delightful treats

There are two types of people in the world. Ones who have experienced macarons, and ones who have not. Macarons are a sweet cookie, made with meringue. For most of us who are not pastry chefs, meringue is made from egg whites, sugar, and in the case with macarons, almond meal is also added.

Pastries require careful preparation and are often impacted by the humidity and temperature we experience here in South Florida. This is only one of the reasons pastries are something I enjoy but rarely attempt to make myself.

Macarons originated in Italy during the middle ages. It was brought to France by Catherine de’ Medici, the Queen of France and of the famed Renaissance family origin. It’s the french variety that has gotten famous over the years, and the Ladurée chain of bakeries have been spreading the luxury dessert across the world for the past 150 years.

It was at one of the Ladurée bakeries that Susan Mallow, owner of Bon Macarons Made with Love in Coral Springs, first experienced a Macaron with one of her daughters. Susan decided to attempt to bake these treats right here in Coral Springs, and it took a lot of trial and error before she felt it was perfect.

Biting into one of these locally made strawberry and cream macarons, you feel the cookie resist slightly then give way. It’s sweet, but not overly so, and the flavors from fresh strawberries come alive, and blend well with the Russian butter. There are a wide variety of flavors to choose from, including chocolate brownies, peanut butter and jelly (PBJ), ganache, mocha, espresso coffee, and vanilla bean.

Each macaron sells for $1-$3 depending on size and ingredients, and is a wonderful treat. If you want to try to make it yourself, Susan will be happy to share her recipe, but be prepared for some hard work whipping the egg whites, and some trial and error to adapt to your oven. She will also be offering virtual classes soon, for those who are interested.

Contact Susan via instagram @bonmacarons_

November 10, 2016January 21, 2019

Celebrating Turkey Day on a Castle

by Victoria Landis

castle If you carve your Thanksgiving turkey in a galvanized tub while wearing cargo shorts and sitting on a stool on a flat castle roof, you might be a unique kind of redneck.

For 16 years, I hosted Thanksgiving dinner, usually for 10 to 12 people. I skew toward a medium-formal setting when I host; placemats, napkins, matching silverware, a table centerpiece, but nothing too Martha Stewart-y. But last year, I needed a break from the two full days of dawn-to-dusk cleaning, prepping, and cooking. So I made my cancellation announcement to the normal invitees, withstood some loud, and withering complaints, then my significant other and I headed south. Since we were lucky enough to be in the Florida Keys, we were invited to partake of the annual feast at the home of an acquaintance of the SO’s.

They were so kind to include us, and we gratefully accepted. I brought a big bottle of Pinot Grigio, and a from-scratch apple pie. We arrived at 3pm, as requested. They lived in an unusual place: A fake medieval castle. Yeppers. Had the notched parapet wall at the top and everything. A souvenir shop occupied the ground floor, and although there was no way to tell from the outside, the second floor had four apartments.

We trudged up the exterior stairs, knocked on the first door, and found 13 other people crammed into a teensy apartment without a table. There was a small living area that barely fit a sofa and side chair. and The television stand was flanked by a miniature kitchen with maybe a total of eight-feet of counter space.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not putting my hosts down for being obviously economically challenged. But imagine our head-scratching, trying to figure out how they planned to feed us. There wasn’t space for each of us to actually sit anywhere. I wondered if their good intentions hadn’t been thought through.

The tiny kitchen had every available inch covered with various foods in the making, ingredients, dirty prep dishes, and booze bottles, since it also functioned as the bar. I opened my Pinot Grigio, poured a generous amount into a red plastic cup, and asked if I could be of any help in the kitchen. She put me to work making the gravy. While busying myself with my task, I asked the hostess, as nonchalantly as I could, how she planned on serving everyone. “We’re eating on the roof,” she said.

That inspired one of her kids to show me said roof. We went outside, up another flight of stairs, and a huge open area of flat concrete appeared. The notched walls were high, so no one would ever suspect parties could happen on top of the souvenir shop. Folding chairs lay against the wall, and three silt-encrusted folding tables sat empty in the middle of the space, but far away from and at odd angles to each other. So, you might ask, why wasn’t anyone from the crammed apartment hanging out up there?

Wind. It was so windy. How to prevent everything from blowing away? I shook my head, shut my mouth (It’s taken years, but I’ve gotten pretty good at that), and went back downstairs.

Our hosts made enough food for half the town. Two turkeys−one oven-roasted and one deep fried−and an enormous ham simmered in a big pot of Coca-Cola. No, I can’t explain that. Three kinds of potatoes, green beans, cornbread, and pasta salad. When it was time to eat, we hauled the food to one of the roof tables. The sooty dirt wasn’t cleaned off of any of them. They weren’t repositioned so the guests might feel like they were dining together. No tablecloths or placemats (they’d have blown away). Paper plates and paper towels were weighted down with rocks.

Our host pulled up a stool and put two galvanized tubs on the concrete floor, each holding a turkey. Using an electric knife, he carved them and placed the meat on platters, also set on the floor. Remember, it’s outside. Loose dirt abounds and it’s windy.

It was a precarious thing, holding a flimsy paper plate flapping in the wind while trying to plop food on it, and keep the plastic wrap or foil covering each dish from becoming airborne. In the end, that effort failed, and all that wasn’t secured did eventually sail off into another person’s backyard celebration.

We ate holding our plates down with one hand. When my SO, seated to my right, had finished his meal, he forgot for a moment and let go of his plate. A gust of wind picked it up and flung it at me. I went home with gravy and potato grease spots all over my shirt.

Thanksgiving is the American holiday. We celebrate it in many ways. There is no right way. Although it’s a ton of work, I am looking forward to my more traditional one again. Indoors.

August 21, 2016July 3, 2019

I Know What Probiotics Are, So What Are Prebiotics?

By Nancy M. Ouhib, MBA, RD/N, LD/N

mixed-nuts-square

Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, our bodies are largely made up of bacteria. Paying attention to our microbial makeup is pretty important. This is not a new concept. In the words of Hippocrates, all disease begins in the gut. Scientists, researchers, and physicians are now paying much more attention to this. The human microbiome is the new buzzword and hopefully we are waking up to the importance of the microbial aspect of our health.

The human microbiome encompasses the bacterial population on the skin, in the mouth, and in the gut. When the gut microbiome or microbial population is out of balance, there is a condition called gut dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is when the beneficial bacteria of the gut have been killed off and more harmful bacteria have been allowed to proliferate in their absence. There is a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut and we always want to help tip the balance in favor of the beneficial microbes because they function in our best interest. There are two substances that can assist us in maintaining a healthy gut microbiome and those are probiotics and prebiotics.

Last month I discussed probiotics, what they are, and how they help to maintain digestive health in our gut. This month I will discuss prebiotics. Simply put, prebiotics are the food that the probiotics (good bacteria) in your intestinal tract need to stay alive and flourish. Prebiotics are non-digestible fiber and sugars. The most commonly known prebiotics are fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and galactooligosaccharides (GOS.) While their technical names seem long and complicated, these fibers, sugars, and starches have a simple job to do and that is to feed the good guys to maintain that healthy gut flora that we need. Probiotics have the ability to ferment and feed off of these prebiotics.

Good sources of p Grains rebiotics are fresh produce and whole grains. Food sources of these carbohydrates is better than any over the counter supplement and you get all sorts of additional quality nutrition from these foods that you consume. So, steer clear of the supplement aisle and head to the grocery store to pick up the following fresh food choices to feed your healthy gut.

Whole grains such as oats and corn contain non-digestible fiber. Brown rice, whole grain breads, whole wheat pasta, barley, oatmeal, flax, wheat bran, and chia are also good sources of fiber. These should be included in your diet regularly. Nuts are a good source of prebiotic fiber.

Vegetables and fruits also contain that prebiotic benefit that we all need. Asparagus, leeks, artichokes, garlic, carrots, peas, beans, onions, chicory, jicama, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, spinach, kale, and chard are vegetables that have prebiotic fiber. Bananas, blueberries, cherries, apples, pears, oranges, strawberries, cranberries, kiwi, and berries are also good sources.

There is one important point to note in regards to prebiotics. If your gut is not well populated with beneficial bacteria and probiotics, too much of the prebiotics may cause intestinal distress in the form of bloating and gas. Keep in mind that it is probiotics that feed off of, and have the

ability to break down, these fibers and sugars so they must be present. If you have intestinal distress, it may be a sign that you need more probiotic foods in your diet.

So, it should be clear that probiotics and prebiotics exist in your gut in a state of symbiosis. They are present in your intestinal tract to improve the health of your gut microbiome. Purchasing and preparing fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can easily and inexpensively obtain all of this benefit. Happy and healthy shopping.

fresh vegetable with leaves isolated on white background