Re-Learning Bordeaux

First trip of the year and I'm about to head over to Bordeaux. I haven't been back since I worked there in 2003. I am excited, yet I am apprehensive. Bordeaux, to me, can be great and exalting, but it can also be a harbinger of the worst in wine as well. Napa Valley over here mirrors this troubling dichotomy. I remember in 2003 having lunch with some heavy weight Bordelaise company CEO- the guy owned over a dozen properties and many more designer wine labels- and I listened to him as all he discussed was distribution, and branding, and selling product.

No doubt, selling product, whether you are Coke or whether you are the smallest little farmer selling a couple of hand picked organics eggs each week, cannot be ignored. But, I think there's a "right way" to do it. Each product, and in wine- each wine, each estate- has its own merits. Every time you visit an estate there's something special that's happening there that makes it different than the others and unique inside a larger portfolio. Price structuring is not that difference- although talk to many marketers, listen to that old Bordeaux CEO, and that's what they talk about. Consumers, more importantly people, could give a shit less about price structuring. What they and I (cause yes, I buy my share of wine and eggs too!) care about is authenticity, soul, value, and a sense of connection to why a product, and/or a wine, is created.

A distinctly remember being in Napa almost 5 years ago. Napa trips are long and often grueling because it's a place wrought with a lot of the above- the negative side especially. And at the end of the trip we visited this very small producer way up on Spring Mountain. The winemaker was cool. The family that owned the property was incredibly wealthy. There was a pool there and horses. And we were tasting through the estate's lineup over lunch with the winemaker and the wife. I was very tired, and after hearing all about "how well we think this varietal does here" and "how delicious these wines are" I finally lost my patience and asked- "So, why did you make this wine?" You would have thought a bomb exploded at the end of this table. But, hats of to the winemaker. She dropped the marketing BS and immediately moved into the story of the site she was working, her passion for old vine Petit Verdot and Cab Franc and what she thought those varietals would bring to a Napa Cab, and where she wanted to take the wine so that it would age with grace and beauty. Obviously, I respect her for that.

Anyways, I am excited to head over to Bordeaux. St Emilion is an amazing town- arguably the most beautiful in all of France. And I'm going to see Jean Luc Thunevin. The Anti-Bordelaise. What am I most excited about? I want to hear Jean Luc talk about the estate's he works with, and I want to hear him talk about why he works with them. I want to see behind the curtains and get a look at what makes Bordeaux special again.

Help!

So, the wife has me slow cooking. I'm not a fan- I must admit. By nature, I am an absolute classicist. Cheat sheets and corner cutting have never done it for me. Plain and simple, I'm a work hard and earn your keep kind of guy...And so with food, if I want a braised beef, I'll use a Creuset and braise the brisket for 5 hours or so the old fashioned way.

So, I slow cooked some chicken. It came out bland, but I did make the huge mistake of not browning it first. Hey, you learn.

But, I guess my big problem with the slow cooker is the loss of the relationship between dish and cook. You stick all of the ingredients in the pot. You close the lid. You open the lid 4 or 9 hours later. Voila. Cooked food. Sorry, but for me the creation of a dish- watching it progress into something- has always been a big part of what the enjoyment of food is all about. Carmelizing the meat. Seeing the sofrito come together. The deglaze. The seasoning. The finishing fat. These decisions and others are for me what make cooking an art, and to take that away- or maybe more accurately minimize them, simplify them- I don't know...

I guess its better than microwaving, yes?

So, I toss it back to the reader. Slow cooking. You a fan? If you are, tips on keeping some soul in the food?

A Requirement: My New Orleans

First, for any skeptics out there (and I am one of you), I am receiving $0.00 for this. This comes from the heart.

Not since Marcella Hazan and Richard Olney have I seen a "cookbook" done so well. Yes, heavy, I know. To be short and to the point John Besh's new work My New Orleans is a requirement in your culinary library.

I picked it up two weeks ago at Borders for about $45. Yes, I was initially caught by the vivid pictures. (By the way, to any aspiring food/cookbook authors out there, we eat with our eyes- include really good photos please! Only Marcella and Pierre can get away without them.) But, then I dove into the work itself and I have to say- the guy transports you into the back streets and old family backyards of his hometown. You leaf through his book and you might as well be walking through Antebellum houses eating beignets and smelling sauteed andouille.

Recipe-wise this is the real deal. There's no corner cutting. There's no quick fixes. This is bon femme New Orleans in its most original form, and I'm talking down to the seasonality of when they use citrus and tomatoes. It is highly detailed into the philosophy of New Orlean's cooking and not only adds cultural context, but also backs up the chemistry and ancestral foundations of why decisions are made in recipes; it's ridiculously thorough.

For the Super Bowl I ended making his Jamabalaya. Amazing. The aromatics alone blow any New Orleans' Jamabalya recipe I've ever tasted away. And because Besh is a huge fan of layered cooking (a la Hazan style) the depth and complexity in his dishes are amazing. Let's put it this way, my wife was scarfing down andouille sausage. Yep. Saw it with my own eyes...:)

And to sing this work's praises some more- it takes a cuisine that this 'yankee' thought of as simple and fun and makes it haute. It elevates it into an art form in a way a great French chef can elevate a simple vinaigrette. For me, I think Besh has left us with a tome for the American culinary world. A new bible.

And if this guy doesn't get a Beard award for this, then Beard awards don't mean anything anymore...

Anyways, My New Orleans by John Besh. Amazon has it at $29.70. I still think it's worth $45. And I'd pay $45 tomorrow for it.

Christian Troy's Sanity is found in Pommes Chateau Chinon

I found myself in a client's shop today discussing the conditions/trials/tribulations of being a young father. Sleep deprivation was brought up. Management of wife expectations was discussed. The ability to balance work/life pressures was surely at the top of the list. And I...probably like every mid-30s guy with kids...am finding solace in late night solo dinners.

I start work early...it should be 5:30, but with current sleep deprivation its around 7:30. I finish work at around 8. I come home, and the kids are headed up to bed, the house is settling, and somewhere around 9-9:30 I get to cook dinner. I know, physiologically this is an absolutely horrible time to "enjoy" food. I should eat an apple and go to bed, a good nutritionist would say. But then I would not be enjoying life...

Tonight is a classic example. Started work at 8- very late, but was shot from night before. On road all day and finally got home at 8....pm. Came home and immediately spent some time with the family. Hugged my son and read him some books, etc...And then around 9-9:30 as my wife took him upstairs to bed (my wife rocks!) I cooked a classic Bisteca Fiorentina with Pommes Chateau Chinon.

Sat down. Drank a glass of Cab. Nothing amazing, but good. And ate. Solace in the table. And the day is done.

I actually use a modified version of Pommes Cht Chinon. See below:

Take 1 large potato. Peel it. Grate it with a large cheese grater. In small handfulls, take the potato gratings and over a sink, squeeze out the water until the left gratings are relatively dry. Put them all in a mixing bowl. Add some parmesan cheese. Salt. Pepper. Add one egg. And using your hands mix the ingredients together like you were making homemade hamburger patties. Form into small flat patties. You must squeeze them tightly sometimes to get them to stick to form.

Heat a cast iron skillet to high. Add vegetable oil and one pat of butter. Add potato patties you just made. Cook like you are cooking pancakes. Brown on both sides and be sure to cook through but not to burn. When done, transfer to plate lined with paper towel to catch excess oil.

If you're not listening to great music while tasting great wine...it's all lost...

2006 Chateauneuf

Lunar Tasting Group met last night. Wines tasted:

Rayas Fonsalette 2004

Prefert Cuvee Charles Giraud 2006

Amandiere Cuvee Imperiale 2006

Clos St Jean Vieilles Vignes 2006

Vieux Lazaret 2006

Vieux Telegraph 2006 (2 separate bottles)

La Roquette 2005

Vieille Julienne 2006

Marcoux 2005

For me, the heads and tales wine above them all was the Vieille Julienne. Simply showing amazing right now...forrest floor, truffles. My exact note reads, "walking through forrest in October hunting black truffles..."

For the most part the 2006s were totally shut down. They were blocky and heavy, and overall I found myself worrying if their fruit there that would eventually show itself, or were the wines all tannin and structure? They're in an awkward stage and are solidly vins du garde right now.

On a side note, the La Roquette- which is considered a value Chateauneuf- showed beautifully. Little more meaty and heavy than the Julienne, but lovely and excellent considering the price.

Carrots

Ok, so I automatically admit to borrowing/stealing from Ed Brown. I saw him on the Today Show and he whipped out these roast carrots. Then I proceeded to watch Matt and crew knock these thing back like shots at a college homecoming and I thought, "Mental note kid..."

The carrots by themselves are stupid easy. And as far as I remember, Brown only finished his carrots with parsley, so I think I can take ownership of this full recipe. Regardless, wifey declared this the finest side dish I've ever made. Little man wolfed them down, and I enjoyed half a dozen myself. In short, they are quite tasty (and simple to make).

Roast Carrots with Sherry Vinaigrette

First and foremost, buy good carrots. This means, stems and leaves attached. It means not pre-packaged in a plastic bag. It means organic. And in a perfect world you even know the farm they came from. Bring them home. Cut off the stems (leave a little stem). Wash them to get all the dirt of them. DO NOT peel them. Take some paper towels out and roll them around in the towels until the carrots are reasonably dry.

Preheat the oven to 375. Convection on if possible.

Find yourself a large cookie sheet (or some form of other worthy pan that will easily fit all of the carrots in.) Lay the carrots down. Lazily drizzle a couple glugs of olive oil over the carrots. Crack pepper them. Douse them in generous sea salt. Roll the carrots around to make sure they're all well covered. Stick them in the oven. Generally time that at 30 minutes to start watching them.

Meanwhile...in a non-reactive bowl (ie- ceramic...stainless steel does something with acid and ingredients which I simply do not know how to explain, but whatever it is...it's not tasty) add a bunch of very finely chopped shallots, a pinch of finely chopped garlic (just a pinch please here), cracked pepper, sea salt, a dollop of Maille mustard or Grey Poupon (ie- not Goldens or Frenches, etc), and a good squig of Spanish Sherry Vinegar (good sherry vinegar please). Stir until the mustard and vinegar mix to together and the mustard is dissolved. Let sit 10 minutes.

30 minutes passes. Take a look at the carrots. They should be shrunk. The ends should have started to caramelize (ie- turn brown). The skin should look wrinkled. The smell should be wonderful. The point of pulling them out is a feel thing. Err on a couple more minutes if in doubt. Pull them. Let them sit for a couple of minutes.

Once you've pulled the carrots, turn to your vinaigrette bowl. Add 2 good glugs of vegetable oil and with a whisk beat the vinaigrette vigorously until it comes together. Once it comes together, add one good glug of olive oil. Again, beat to reform a vinaigrette. It should be thick with chunks of shallot/garlic in it.

Plate carrots. Sauce with vinaigrette. Watch the light of God descend upon you as all who taste bow down at your culinary thrown. Yes, I'm in a playful mood tonight...

Wine? They were delicious with a bottle of Javier Sanz Villa Narcisca Rueda Verdejo 2008 (Spanish white).