chop A Culinary Playground

Cheese and a Glass of Wine I

Today, I am starting a new weekly feature  which I am going to call Cheese and a Glass of Wine.   With summer coming it is the perfect time to sit on my lanai and enjoy cheese and wine at sunset.  I will try to give you some information about the cheeses and interesting ways to serve them.

 

Today we will start with a Caprino d’ Latte de Capra and Argiolas Costaomolino Vementino.

 

 

The cheese is a goat cheese from

Italy

.  I found it very creamy, much creamier than the every day French chevre that is available.  It was very mild tasting and not very salty.  It had a very fresh taste to it. I served it with Sage Honey that I picked up in

Northern California

, and fresh thyme and edible flowers.   I paired the cheese with the Sardinian varietal, Vermrntino, it was a perfect paring because the wine honey, peach and lemon flavors matched well with the cheese and they both had a smoothness to them.  A perfect spring wine and cheese paring.

 

The cheese is so creamy that it would be great to cook with, especially in pastas.  I also made a dish that we used to serve in our restaurant, Goat Cheese Gratin.

 

 

1          Large very ripe tomato, quartered

1          Small shallot, roughly chopped

4          Large basil leaves

            Salt and Pepper

1          Pinch chopped thyme

1          Pinch red chili flakes

2          Ounces goat cheese

5          Olives

            Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

Place tomato, shallot, salt and pepper in food processor, puree until smooth. Place in small gratin dish, put goat cheese in center, sprinkle if thyme and chili.  Broil in oven until, bubbly.  Drizzle with olive oil and serve with crusty bread.

Cous Cous with Seven Vegetables

Well, actually nine vegetable cous cous.  This would be a great recipe for a meatless Monday.

1          Bulb Fennel, quartered

1          Turnip. quartered

2          Stalks celery cut into four inch pieces

1          Carrot cut into four inch pieces

1          Onion, quartered

½         Head cabbage, cut in half

4          Large

Brussels

sprout cut in half

1          Corn cob, cut in two inch pieces

8          Snow peas

1          Red bell pepper, quartered

 

1          14.5 Can diced tomatoes

4          Cups Water or vegetable broth or a mixture of both

1          Teaspoon Coriander

1          Teaspoon Cumin

1          Teaspoon Smoked Paprika

1          Pinch Saffron

1          Bunch Cilantro tied (make sure to leave roots on)

 

            Cous Cous

1          Teaspoon Butter

 

Place all the vegetables except the snow peas in a stock pot.  Cover with water, spices and cilantro.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.  Add the snow peas in the last minute.

 

Cook cous cous  per package. (I actually prefer to steam it) When cous cous is down, fluff with a fork adding the butter. (Butter can be omitted if you want it to be vegan)

 

Place on a platter and arrange vegetables around, pour vegetable cooking broth over the cous cous.

 

Serves four large servings

Pebble Beach Food and Wine Experience Part Two - The Food

Walking into the Lexus Grand Tasting Tent at the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Experience is little overwhelming. Under thousands of square feet of tenting were 24 of the countries most talented chefs and dozens of premier wine makers.  I had a strategy, check out the place first and then start tasting making sure not to miss anything.  Well even with that tactic I still missed a lot, didn’t get the right pictures, and can’t remember which chef was serving the pork belly dish.  So here are some of my highlights, I have linked some pictures that I missed to bloggers who got them.

Patrick Du Rant of Stillwater Grill in Pebble Beach served a great Ceviche with Blood Orange.  I loved the presentation and tasting spoons.  I am going to seek them out for my catering company.

Cindy Pawlcyn of Mustards, her Duck Burger was a hit for many.

 

One of the best dishes of the day was Christopher Cosentino’s Liver and Rabbit Kidney Pie with Rabbit and Stout Gelee and Mirepoix of Ramps.  Photo by Gutenberg

I really liked Michelle Bernstein’s Barbecue Pork Loin with the Green Tomatoes Slaw.

 

I love the presentation of this BLT by a local farm, definitely using this for catering

Driscoll Berries presentation was great also.  What a great opportunity to be in the heart of strawberry growing country at the beginning of strawberry season.

Here was another great presentation idea

 Here is the tent where all the kitchen prep was happening

Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival Part 1 - Celebrity Chefs

Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival Part 1 – Celebrity Chefs

This past weekend I was given the opportunity to attend the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Experience compliments of Foodbuzz. It was a huge festival held under two large tents showcasing today’s top chefs and wine makers.  I will be sharing my experiences in a series of posts.

This first post will show you my stealth Paparazzi techniques.   Our company works in the film industry so celebrities don’t really impress me, and celebrity chefs even less.  The setting at the festival gave a casual atmosphere and the chefs were accessible so I kind of got wrapped up in it.

 Next post:    The Food

 

 Morimoto concentrating as he does on Iron Chef, he made a Yellow Tail Pastrami

 

Cat Cora serving her Crab and Caviar Salad

 

The Maestro Jaques Pepin, he was serving his own brand of Pressed Caviar, my favorite type of caviar.

Eric Ripert, yes he is just as good looking in real life. 

 

Queer Guy Ted Allen, enjoying a taste.  He seemed very nice.

 

Michelle Bernstein made a Barbeque Porkloin with Green Tomato Slaw which was wonderful.  She also was working hard and always had a smile.

 

Morimoto's assitants enjoy a beer after all their hard work, what a great experience for them.

Keep an eye out for part 2.

Gravlox

 

Gravlox seems a little intimidating but is a fairly easy way to prepare salmon with impressive results.

For 2 sides is salmon

2              Fillet sides of Salmon

1              cups fresh dill, chopped

1              cups sugar

1              cups kosher salt

4              tablespoons vodka

1              very clean glass of ceramic container

                Heavy weight such as a brick wrapped in plastic wrap, or

                a heavy can

Coat the fish fillets with dill.  Mix the sugar and salt together and pat all over salmon.   Make sure that the salmon is coated with salt and sugar mixture. Place in container, sprinkle with vodka, cover with plastic wrap.  Place weight on top.  Refrigerate for at least 3 days.  After three days liquid should have released.  The salmon’s texture will have changed and become firm.  Pat all excess liquid off and slice on against the grain.  Serve with flat bread or bagels.

  

Pebble Beach Food and Wine

I am going to the Pebble Beach Food and Wine by American Express, complements of Foodbuzz.  I will need a couple of things from my readers.  First take a look at the Saturday Lexus Tasting line up and let me know what you want me to check out.  What questions for the chefs and wine makers should I ask?  What wines should I taste?  I will report back with all my discoveries.  Second thing I ask of you is to give me suggestions of things to do in the San Francisco and Monterrey Bay area, any wineries, markets, farms that I should check out.  It is celebration weekend for my husband’s 40^th!

Easter

 

Here are some pictures of Easter Brunch; I will additional post with recipes

Menu

Chilled Watercress Soup

Dilled Gravlox

Mao Farm Radishes with Herb Butter

Mao Romaine and Tangerine Salad with Feta Cheese

Frittata with Garden Fresh Collards, Kale and Hamakua Mushrooms

Organic Big Island Strawberries served with Whipped Cream

Whole Wheat Waffles

Bacon