…and we’re back

Alright well after another long hiatus I’ve found some interesting material that I’d like to write about. As you may or may not know, I’ve recently started an internship with the winemaker (David Lecomte) at City Winery in Manhattan. Every Monday I’ll be getting my hands dirty learning how to make wine right in SoHo. I’ve only done one day so far but it was a doozy! Expect weekly (hopefully) updates on a wide variety of topics such as scrubbing tanks and mopping floors. And since I’ve got the ball rolling, if anything else tickles my fancy, perhaps I’ll throw some of that in too.

Sláinte!

 

erm… maybe not. who’s got the time?

WOULD YOU LIKE A BIGGIE BEER WITH YOUR BURGER?

(originally posted at Beer Universe)

In March of 2009, the first Whopper Bar opened in Orlando’s Universal Studios, making it Burger King’s first domestic venture to sell alcohol. Since then they have expanded to South Beach, Miami (Feb. 2010) with definite plans to open at the University of Memphis soon. Pending success, Burger King is also reportedly looking at other tourist destinations such as Times Square and Las Vegas. A local Burger King franchisee that I spoke with recently was very excited by the prospect of the Whopper Bar and rumored the possibility of opening in Manhattan in the near future.

Burger King is not alone in this, last July Starbucks started experimenting with serving beer and wine along side its signature offerings at a re-branded, concept store in Seattle called “15th Ave Coffee and Tea inspired by Starbucks.” Major Cohen, senior project manager at Starbucks, divulged that the company plans to create two more similar stores in Seattle (at locations that are not currently Starbucks) and if the idea catches on, they will consider expanding to other cities. With the economy in its current state, perhaps now is the time for small scale innovation, for if it fails, the losses are limited. Detractors argue that fast food restaurants are a place for kids and alcohol should not be served. If the recent slew of bar room brawls at Chuck E Cheeses are any indication, perhaps they’re right.

A trip through Europe (or even watching a few movies) will show you the continental view towards children and alcohol. In Germany (where several fast food chains sell alcohol including the Munich Whopper Bar) a minor can consume undistilled, fermented beverages at the age of 14, while in the company of a parent. At 16, they can drink beer unsupervised and at 18, they can access liquor. During a recent trip to England, my mother was shocked to see so many children running around the pubs, while their parents grab a pint and a quick bite after work. So is it much of a stretch to serve alcohol at McDonald’s? Not in Europe but apparently in the United States.

Due to a mix of American conservatism and probably a slew of legal issues, American quick service chains have been sluggish to embrace beer with their expeditious food. A new Subway set to open this spring in the Grand Junction Regional Airport (Colorado) will be serving beer and wine—but the airport, not the restaurant, will hold the liquor license. Subway spokesman Kevin Kane said that stores with street access do not serve alcohol but there are exceptions for locations in stadiums and airports. Outside of the dominant industry players, smaller groups of “fast casual restaurants” such as Chipotle, Shake Shack and Goodburger have served alcohol for years without any major hiccups. As of March 2010, Shake Shack has three Manhattan locations with plans for six more (three in NYC, three elsewhere), Goodburger has 5 and Chipotle… well there are a lot of Chipotles.

While still a niche market, differences are emerging as to the type of beverages served by each company. The Whopper Bar is starting out with big beer brands from Budweiser and Miller and will consider other brews down the road. Meanwhile a recent blog post from 15^th Ave. in Seattle announces new beers including well-loved, but less mainstream, Dead Guy Ale from the Rogue Brewery along with Lagunitas IPA and others.

The idea of serving beer and/or wine at fast food joints is clearly still in experimental stages here in the US but if it does well, one can expect it to stick around and expand. There will always be opponents arguing the family-values card and hopefully the issue can be resolved in the free market. If there are enough parents who feel their children are endangered by a fast food restaurant serving alcohol, they can take their business elsewhere. Perhaps a company like Wendy’s will skew itself as more family-oriented while the others fight over beer sales. Personally, if I was a parent, I’d be more concerned over the caloric and fat content in the food than the beverage in everyone else’s cups.

EL SERIO

in honor of my good friend Alex, and her Panamanian souvenir, I have crafted a new drink called “El Serio.” As I have mentioned several times, I infused Seco (sort of Panamanian rum) with some Panamanian coffee beans. I’ve been looking for a use for it for a few weeks now. Finally that use has become apparent.

Translated as “the serious one,” or atleast I think, El Serio is a twist on a class of cocktails called flips. This one features my coffee bean infused Seco (approximately 4oz), cinnamon-spice simple syrup (sugar, water, cinnamon, ginger and a touch of cayenne pepper) and one whole egg. The key is to shake the drink dry vigorously for a minute or two and then briefly with ice. Strain and serve up.

Enjoy!

temporary lapse

Sorry for the break, I’ll be back in full force this week.

Look forward to coffee-infused seco and other wonderful things!

wonderful things...

Burgundy Wine Dinner

Last night at work was a five-course, Burgundy wine tasting featuring selections from Pas Mal wines. The full menu with wine pairing is after the jump. First though is my course (fifth), cheese.

The featured wines were a 2004 Cotes du Rhone Villages named Chaveryon from Domaine Saladin and a 2005 Vin de Pays du Gard from Domaine Roc d’Anglade. The cheese selected to pair were Garrotxa, Hoch Ybrig and Prima Donna Gouda.

Garrotxa is a pressed cheese made from unpasteurized goat’s milk featuring a gray mold rind from the Catalonia region of Spain. The paste is smooth and delicate with notes of nuttiness and gets a bit “cave-y” towards the rind. I think Garrotxa is a great introduction for cheese lovers who think they hate goat cheese, or atleast it was for me. If you like Garrotxa you should also check out Ibores. Ibores features a paprika and olive oil rubbed rind which gives great flavor and complexity. The cheese is a little bit younger than Garrotxa and has a slightly more intense flavor to hold up to the spice.

Second was Hoch Ybrig from Rolf Beeler. Hoch Ybrig is an Alpage cow’s milk cheese from Switzerland, washed in a white wine brine to add complexity. Any cheese from Rolf Beeler is exquisite and this doesn’t disappoint. As the Bedford Cheese Shop says, “This one is nuttier than a room full of mental patients.” Seriously nutty with sweetness and a bit of B. linens from the wash, all packed into a rich and slightly granular paste.

And lastly Prima Donna Gouda, a cow’s milk cheese from Holland. Prima Donna is only aged for one year (compared to up to four) so while it has definite rich, caramelized flavors, there are also notes of fruit and a slight floral aroma. The crystalline paste is firm but not hard.

As for the wines, the large amount of tannins provided by grenache and syrah are lessened by the milkiness of all three cheeses (think adding milk to a tea that had steeped for too long).

Oh and I forgot to mention that the producers of all 14 wines served were on hand to talk through the tasting. To think that for $98 (tip included) you get a five-course dinner with 14 half glasses of wine and get to meet all of the producers. What a steal!

Anyway, here’s the menu and all of the wines…

dinner and drinks

Just got back from dinner at Northeast Kingdom. I’ve been there a few times for either dinner or drinks and each time has been wonderful. Really a diamond in the semi-polished rough.

Tonight was date night so we went whole hog. I have a weird fascination with Croatian and Hungarian wines, so I was excited to find a bottle of 2006 Plavac Mali from Dingač Pelješac. A slightly off-dry wine, we found flavors of raspberry and dark cherry.

To start off, we had a skewer of roasted lamb, onion and red pepper, served over braised French lentils. The lamb was tender and delicious but the portion was definitely too small to share.

As for entree we shared the Berkshire pork loin with beer and cheese soup and dressed greens. The pork was prepared perfectly and came with chopped sweet potatoes (or were they yams? I can never tell the difference). Dressing on the greens was super mustardy and salty. Mustard was nice, salt was a little much.

I think the beer and cheese soup was the most interesting thing. Definitely a take on French onion soup and definitely a departure from tradition. This soup featured crusty sourdough and kale in a broth of beer and basically raw onions, topped with cheddar and gruyere. I liked that the onions were unsweated; it gave a flavor intensity to match the kale. The beer flavor was pretty mild, I presume a light pilsner or something. Considering the cheese plate that featured 6 different artisanal domestic cheeses, I thought they could’ve done that better. Eh still pretty good. Oh and it came with cornbread. I’m pretty particular about my cornbread and I normally don’t like versions with pepper. This one had regular black pepper (as opposed to jalapeño) and I actually enjoyed it. Kudos.

We also ordered the “smoked and pickled,” which was speck and pickled vegetables but the waitress didn’t hear us or forgot us. Oh well.

…

Lastly, we came home and made hot toddies. Now whiskey doesn’t last very long in my house but I do have some tequila. So I combined regular black tea, cinnamon, ginger, sugar and a touch of lime juice with Sauza Hornitos reposada tequila. Mmmmm. I call it the Caliente Toddy

Cheese 101

Welcome to cheese class! This is part one: a general run through of what exactly cheese is and a brief intro into different styles and regions.

CHEESE 101

A little history of cheese…

Archeological evidence puts the art of making cheese atleast 5,000 years old. Some estimate that prehistoric humans could’ve been making it not long after the mastering of animal husbandry, some 12,000 years ago. We have the Latin word for cheese, caseus, to thank for our modern words Käse (German), queso (Spanish), queijo (Portuguese) and casein, which is the principle protein coagulated to make cheese. Caseus formatus or “formed cheese” leads us to formaggio (Italian) and fromage (French).

Something to remember about cheese…

The best cheeses come from raw milk and are artisanally (hand) made. Therefore each and every cheese is different.

The Process of Making Cheese…

Before the animal is even milked, you must look at the life and diet of the animal. This will greatly influence the final product. Just as wine has terroir which expresses the place it comes from, cheese will reflect the what the animal ate, the life it lived, and the way the cheese was produced. And the farmer must obviously choose whether they want cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, a mix or other (we will get into the differences later).

Once the milk has been collected, you have the issue of storage and handling. Ideally the milk will go right from the animal to the next step. Unfortunately in most commercial settings the milk is frozen, transported long distances and then heavily processed. Through either natural means or human influence, the milk will acidify or sour to produce curds. Think of that gallon left in your fridge from a month ago…

After the curds have formed, rennet is added to help the coagulate (rennet can come from either the stomachs of suckling animals or certain plants). Then, the curds are cut, stirred, consolidated, concentrated, cooked or scalded depending on the final style desired. They may also be inoculated with mold or bacteria to produce effects such as blueing or holes. Once the curds are properly formed and treated, they are drained to separate the whey. This very early cheese will then be put into a mold and the steps that follow will really dictate wether it becomes a  block of farmhouse cheddar or a tub of ricotta. The cheese can be pressed, salted, patted, formed, washed etc. A rind will often form which will help the protect the cheese and provide flavor nuances.

Now that you’ve got a base knowledge of what cheese is, look forward to some more advanced classes on topics such as pasteurization, nutrition and fat content, different styles and regional cheeses and more!

Ponche

Let me first say that I am a lucky man. Whenever I feel like making an authentic Mexican dish, I can ask my boyfriend’s mother for the recipe. But that’s where my luck ends. I don’t speak Spanish so he acts as the intermediary. He is a lovely eater but… an inexperienced cook. Therefore any recipe that comes to me is lacking some serious information. And as with any family recipe, I follow steps like “add water until it’s the right consistency,” with no mention of approximately how much water that might be or what the texture should in fact be. Let me just say that tamales were a lot of fun.

one version of ponche

But this time the recipe in question is Ponche, a traditional Mexican hot punch, often served around the holidays. I figured that it would be easy enough, I mean you just throw a bunch of stuff together and it tastes good, right?

The first hurdle was acquiring the ingredients. This particular version calls for tamarindo, guayaba, caña, flor de jamaica, apples, cinnamon sticks, and sugar. I had the latter two. Luckily there’s an awesome produce market around the corner from us selling authentic Italian products (fresh mozzarella, soppressata, etc.) and every single Latino produce item you can ever dream of. Two notes to anyone willing to attempt this: a) the caña (whole sugar cane) we found was a 6 ft. long piece. To prepare, you chop it into segments and peal the bark off; you want the stringy pulp inside, and b) tamarindos are creepy and sticky and weird. Seriously, if I didn’t have a bunch left over, I’d use the paste next time.

Now I’m going to have to complete the cycle and leave you without the actual recipe. I do remember that you are supposed to first add the cinnamon sticks, tamarindo and flor de jamaica to boiling water. After they seep for about 5-10 minutes, add the sugar cane, sugar, apples and guayaba. I don’t know exactly why this is and I didn’t follow it. The punch came out great but I have no precedent to compare to.

Good luck!

whew it’s been a while…how does this work again??

Hey internet world! I’m been on a prolonged hiatus for no real reason but I’m back!

So what have I been up to? Well at work I became Head Fromager. It’s been a lot of fun just diving head-first into cheese. This Monday I’ll be wrapping up an eight week session of cheese classes that I’ve been conducting for the staff. Outside of that I’ve been putting a bit more effort into my trek towards Sommelier certification. It’s going to be a long road. A long, drunken, zig-zag road.

So in the next few weeks and months expect the following topics to be fodder for discussion…

Cheese: since I now have a pretty decent knowledge of cheeses, I’ll be picking some at random to talk about when I’ve got nothing else interesting to discuss.

Wine: as I study more about viniculture and viticulture I’ll be posting what I learn here to help myself remember and pass on some interesting notes.

As usual I’ll also throw in some home experimentation, dining experiences and general things that are good. And also, too.

England part one… Shepherd Neame

Please excuse the break in blogging, I’ve been in England for the past week. But I’m back with a lot of exciting things so it’s for the best.

First up is Shepherd Neame brewery. Shepherd Neame is Britain’s oldest brewery clocking in at 311 years young. Known for its real cask ales and premium lagers, the brewery is located in Faversham, Kent, in the far southeast of England. The hour train ride from London’s Victoria train station takes you through scenic countryside with farms and ancient churches so you know it’s going to be good. Faversham was known as a brewery town and until recently had two major competitors side-by-side. Shepherd Neame produces a number of their own proprietary brews and several foreign lagers under license. One such beer is Asahi. Shepherd Neame was chosen by Asahi to produce their famous beer over all other breweries because of their history of traditional practices mixed with contemporary technology and standards. It’s interesting to note that it took several years for the people at Asahi to trust them with their particular yeast; they had previously sent over their own technicians to inoculate.

It’s also interesting to note that we were 30 minutes late for the tour that only lasts about an hour and a half, excluding the tasting, and the trip was about two and a half hours each way. Word to the wise, Faversham is a confusing place and the British do not properly label their streets. When going somewhere, look at a map first to see where each street actually is.

As a souvenir for myself, I purchased a sampler pack of four of their Kentish Ales.

First up is Master Brew. The lightest in terms of ABV at 4%, this Session beer has a punch of hoppy bitterness. Light-amber in color, it has a sharp astringency with citrus notes and a touch of sweetness.

Next is Spitfire. One of their more popular beers, this golden ale has a more pronounced malt body with caramel and toffee flavors. The hops are on the lower side comparatively.

If Master Brew was hoppy and Spitfire was malty, then Whitstable Bay is the Goldilocks of the bunch. This organic ale (Soil Association certified) is light and very well balanced. Golden in color, its flavors are very well integrated and suited for modern tastes. The organic status is bittersweet though; to achieve it they source their hops from New Zealand, as opposed to all other ingredients which are grown locally.

Wrapping things up is Bishops Finger. The name refers to the “Bishop’s Room” where lucky employees get to taste beers periodically to ensure that flavors are not drifting in an unpleasant direction. Apparently it’s not all fun and games though; allegedly they are given mud-flavored beer to ensure their palates are up to par. At 5.4% this is the highest ABV of the bunch. It has a slightly darker hue than the rest and more intense flavors. It’s described as having a generous fruity flavor.

All in all a nice selection from a respectable brewery. Using water from a centuries old artesian well and (mostly) local ingredients, Shepherd Neame produces a number of quality brews worth drinking. For further study, I recommend 1698, their 300th anniversary beer. Thrice hopped and bottle conditioned, it’s worth checking out.

…pictures to follow hopefully