Other Neat Things Archives - Page 22 of 23 - Food & Wine Chickie Insider

Cult Vines at Spit & Twit – Crème de la Crème Wines

November 11, 2009 By Veronique

I attended Wine Twits’ Spit & Twit event last week at City Winery in New York City. The launch event for this concept was very well-attended and featured over 100 wines from around the world.

While I enjoyed some pretty great wines and met fabulous folks in the wine trade, I especially enjoyed the two wines served by Cult Vines, whose motto is “is to provide the finest wine to discreet connoisseurs and collectors”.

2008 Alder Springs Roussanne Westerly Vineyard

2008 Cult Vines Roussanne

This golden honey colored Roussanne has a beautiful nose, huge mouthfeel, bright apple flavor. This wine is well-balanced but with higher alcohol content and would be outstanding with food. Could use some cellaring. Chardonnay drinkers, move over to this wine.

Price: Around $49

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyards

2007 Cult Vines Cabernet Sauvignon

It was difficult to pull myself away from the lush fruit aroma in order to actually sip this wine, but I certainly wasn’t disappointed when I did. This Cabernet offers the darkest, opaque purple hue that’s easy to simply stare at for a while. This wine is full of ripe fruit, especially blackberry, and young, not at all unpleasant, tannins. Craved a rare porterhouse after the first sip.

Price: Around $125

Filed Under: Other Neat Things, Wine Reviews Tagged With: cabernet sauvignon, city winery, cult vines, roussanne, to kalon, wine, wine twits

NYC Dessert Tasting Event: “We Are Sweet On You”

November 10, 2009 By Veronique

Time Warner Center’s Restaurant and Bar Collection Presents We Are Sweet On You

WHAT:

In celebration of the lighting of “Holiday Under The Stars,” Time Warner Center kicks-off the holiday season with a very special dessert tasting event, “We Are Sweet On You.”

Enjoy a world of fine desserts and delectable treats from their esteemed restaurant collection. Signature sweets including double truffle brownies from Porter House New York, nutella profiteroles from Landmarc’s ovens, hot chocolate Italian style from A Voce and Star cookies from Bouchon Bakery are just a few of the treats to be served.

WHERE:

Time Warner Center, 2^nd floor

10 Columbus Circle NY, NY 10019

Columbus Circle and 59^th Street

Subways: 1,A,B,C,D

WHEN:

Friday, November 13^th

Beginning at 5:30pm

PRICE:

Free and open to the public

Filed Under: Other Neat Things Tagged With: dessert event, nyc food event, time warner center

Please vote for my recipe!

November 6, 2009 By Veronique

I’m excited to say that my Divine Squares recipe made it in the Bon Appetit Magazine Holiday Bake Off Contest!!! Please vote for me by going to page 2 and looking for “Divine Squares”: http://bit.ly/1iUtZ2

Filed Under: Other Neat Things Tagged With: bake off, baking contest, bon appetit, recipe contest

Just when I thought I couldn’t enjoy Greek food more…

November 2, 2009 By Veronique

…How to Roast Lamb happens to me

How to Roast Lamb

I received my copy of Michael Psilakis’ “How to Roast Lamb” last week and I love this cookbook. I’ve been a huge fan of Michael Psilakis for quite a while and have enjoyed dining at Kefi several times and can’t say enough about this “cookbook”. I say “cookbook” as it’s way more than that. Michael shares traditions, family and his rise to fame throughout the book and his passion for Greek food has renewed my interest in cooking this wonderful food and not just eating it out.

The book itself is weighty and features amazing quality paper (I’m a fan of good paper). The photos of the food and of Michael’s family are great and left me wanting more (please tell me there’s more!).

I love that Michael could have made the recipes complicated to show off his grasp of fine cooking and his graduation to Manhattan’s elite, but opted to make each dish something even a basic home cook could recreate. His goal to make Greek food accessible and simple to share with family and friends was accomplished – in a big way.

Looking forward to dining at Anthos and Michael’s next book. Well done.

Filed Under: Other Neat Things Tagged With: greek cookbook, greek food, how to roast lamb, kefi, michael psilakis

5-Course Tasting Dinner at Casa Veronique (aka, my house)

November 1, 2009 By Veronique

My guy and I had plans to try a new steakhouse in town yesterday. Steakhouses aren’t typically on my must-try list as I can grill a pretty mean piece of meat at home, but wanted to do a review of this new BYOB place. Mid-afternoon, I got ambitious and inspired while grocery shopping, and decided to prepare a 5-course meal at home instead to surprise my guy after a hard day of…golf!

With courses 1-3, I served a refreshing 2008 Provenance Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc

Course 1:

Baby Arugula & Baby Greens Salad

Baby Arugula & Baby Greens Salad: I arranged the greens on a plate, then added a piece of avocado, a thin slice of Mackintosh apple, a section of yellow tomato and a perfectly grilled slice of Houllami. the dressing was a simple Dijon mustard, olive oil, red wine vinegar and tarragon vinaigrette.

The salad was at once light and fresh and comforting thanks to the amazing Greek cheese.

Course 2:

Homemade Prawn Ravioli in Sage Brown Butter

Homemade Prawn Ravioli in Sage Brown Butter: I filled wonton wrappers with prawns halved length-wise, goat cheese, ricotta salata and sage, boiled them for 2 minutes, then pan sautéed them in brown butter infused with fresh sage leaves.

Mental note: Make this as a MEAL!

Course 3:

Seared Yellow-Tail Tuna in Endive Boats

Seared Yellow-Tail Tuna in Endive Boats: I marinated tuna in garlic paste, ginger paste, sesame oil, olive oil and fresh cracked pepper for 2 hours, then seared it in a grill pan for a couple minutes on each side. I sliced the tune in long strips that I placed on endive leaves and dressed with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper.

This dish would be a perfect amuse-bouche for a party. Must remember it.

With courses 4-5, I served a rich 2005 Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva

Course 4:

Bacon-Wrapped Tenderloin

Bacon-Wrapped Tenderloin with Pan Fried Smashed Potatoes and Sauce au Poivre: Simply grilled filets, pan fried potatoes and cognac-enhanced pepper sauce. Need I say more?

Course 5:

Honeyed-Brie

Honeyed-Brie: Highest quality brie drizzled with lavender honey. Perfect ending to a pretty darn good meal.

Filed Under: Other Neat Things Tagged With: arugula, brie, filet mignon, ravioli, seared tuna, tasting menu

Thai Food Craving? Twitter to the Rescue!

October 26, 2009 By Veronique

Last week, my guy and I had a craving for Thai Tom Yum/Ka Gai soup. We used to get this tangy and spicy soup as take-out back when we lived in South Florida, but haven’t found a place we really like in the ‘burbs of Northern New Jersey.

I decided to try to make the soup myself, but with so many options and versions online, I sent a Tweet to my loyal followers requesting a vetted recipe. Shortly after, Robyn Webb, who is a cookbook author, award-winning nutritionist and culinary instructor, answered with an offer to share a version of Tom Ka Gai that she uses in her cooking classes. How great is that!? If you’re on Twitter and are a foodie, I highly recommend you follow @robynwebb for interesting food insight.

I quickly stopped at the Asian market in Koreatown, around the corner from my office in Manhattan, for the ingredients, and promptly made the soup over the weekend to great success. Here is Robyn’s recipe along with a photo of my results:

TOM KA GAI by Robyn Webb
(Lemongrass and Coconut soup)

Tom Ka Gai

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken stock
10 kaffir lime leaves, very thinly sliced
6 – 2 inch pieces lemongrass sliced on a diagonal (use the bottom portion of the stalk. You will need 2 stalks)
4 slices galangal
8 Tbsp fish sauce
4 Tbsp fresh lime juice
3/4 pound chicken breast, thinly sliced or cubed
2 – 15 ounce cans coconut milk
Cooked jasmine rice (about 1/3 cup per person)

Garnishes:

Sliced chili peppers as desired (Thai people can use up to 3 chili peppers per person!)
Cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions:

In a large stockpot, heat together the broth, lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, fish sauce and lime juice. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken breast pieces and coconut milk. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. You may simmer longer if you wish for a stronger infusion.
Place a scoop of cooked jasmine rice in the bottom of soup bowls if desired. Ladle the soup over the rice. Garnish each bowl with chilies and cilantro.

Makes 6 – 8 servings

Filed Under: Chicken, Entrees, Other Neat Things, Soups, Thai Tagged With: coconut soup, lemongrass soup, robyn webb, thai soup, tom ka gai

St Supery Wine TweetUp Fun at Gary’s Wine

October 15, 2009 By Veronique

St Supery Wines

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the second stop of the St Supery East Coast Tweet Up Tour at Gary’s Wine in Wayne, NJ. The event provided wine enthusiasts the opportunity to sample St Supery’s line of popular wines and to meet Social Media Guru, Rick Bakas.

The venue for the event, the mega wine store, Gary’s Wine, is grand in every way. Gary’s motto “We’re not just a wine store, we are a Wine Destination!” is understood immediately upon entering the spacious facility. The layout is uber easy to navigate with wines arranged by region and varietal. There’s a superb food market with specialty groceries, a fabulous selection of fine cheeses and some prepared food items ideal for an impromptu gourmet feast. Gary’s features a wonderful tasting area for events just like the St Supery Tweet Up and also offers a climate-controlled wine room that houses very special wines and a gorgeous tasting table.

Gary's WIne

The well-attended event was warmly hosted by Gary himself, his team and Rick Bakas, the Director of Social Media for St Supery winery. Rick was generous with his interesting information about Napa Valley, the winery and this year’s crush. Upon arriving, we were immediately made to feel welcomed. Gary is a gracious host and takes pride in his beautiful store. We first tasted the St Supery Oak-Free Chardonnay. The wine was mouthwatering with vibrant yeasty qualities and green apple and pear flavor. Although the name suggests no oak, there were still hints of it that were pleasant and not overpowering. The second wine we tasted was the white Meritage – Virtu, which is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. This wine offered a juicy mouthful of peach with an enjoyable mineral finish. I’m looking forward to tasting this wine with grilled scallops. Last on the list for this tasting was the widely popular Cabernet Sauvignon with its dark cherry nose, well-balanced tannins and long finish. This wine screams for a grilled steak.

For those of you in the New York area, Rick Bakas and the fine folks at St Supery are making two additional stops. Tonight, 10/15, the Tweet Up stops at Harry’s Cafe & Steakhouse in the financial district and tomorrow night, 10/16, the event is at the Roger Smith Hotel. Not in New York? The tour continues and information on additional stops can be found here.

Filed Under: Other Neat Things, Wine Reviews Tagged With: cabernet sauvignon, gary's wine, new jersey wine store, rick bakas, sauvignon blanc, semillon, st supery, tweetup, twitter, wine

Fall Wine and Cheese Mingle by the Northern NJ Wine Meetup Group

September 27, 2009 By Veronique

Join us for the Fall Wine and Cheese Mingle by the Northern NJ Wine Meetup Group: http://bit.ly/2gmt2b

Filed Under: Other Neat Things Tagged With: nj meetup, wine meetup

Five of My Favorite Simple Fall Recipes

September 22, 2009 By Veronique

Vermont Cheddar Cheese Soup: This soup is perfect as the weather gets nippy and you begin craving comfort foods.
Hot Spinach, Artichoke and Cheese Dip: Hosting a football party? This tasty and simple dip will become a favorite of your friends and family.
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches: Start the slow cooker in the morning and have fantastic family-friendly sandwiches for dinner.
Breakfast Portobello Mushrooms with Shiitakes: Having a Sunday brunch? This is a sure crowd-pleaser.
Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bar: This popular bar’s crust is shortbread-like and its filling is rich and chocolaty. Warning – addictive!

Filed Under: Other Neat Things Tagged With: Breakfast, brunch, cheese soup, crockpot, slow cooker, spinach dip, top 5 recipes

Five Things I Love About the Wine Library