The Genial Hearth
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Archive for Wine
December 6, 2008 at 10:30 pm · Filed under Advent, Domestic Life, Food, Recipes, Season, Wine
My understanding of Bisschopswijn is that basically it’s mulled wine—just the Dutch name (clove studded oranges were pretty common in most recipes that were specifically Bisschopswijn). Obviously, it’s not really the weather for traditional mulled wine, so I went looking for some different chilled versions (we’ve previously done a Riesling which was okay… but not fantastic). I came across the following, which looked great (Sparkling Shiraz!) but sadly uses orange juice (our hostess is allergic:-( ) I eventually decided to try it, with some modifications.
Chilled Mulled Wine from Australian Good Taste, December 2005
125 milliliters orange juice, fresh (1/2 cup) (I used the juice of two lemons, because ours are not very juicy… with water to make up half a cup)
27 grams caster sugar, (1/8 cup) (I used 30 grams—mostly to make it easier to measure, but I did think it might help balance the lemons)
7 centimetre cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
(I also added a shake of nutmeg and a shake of allspice)
(I decided to add a couple of tablespoons worth of cointreau/grand marnier as was suggested in one of the other recipes I came across.)
750 milliliters chilled sparkling shiraz, (1 bottle)
Stir orange juice (lemon juice and water), sugar, and spices in a saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until syrup thickens. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
Transfer to a bowl (add the cointreau/grand marnier) and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 3 hours to infuse.
Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Pour syrup among serving glasses. Top with sparkling wine and serve immediately.
Notes:
You can prepare the syrup up to 2 days ahead.
This was pretty good. I definitely preferred it to the Riesling we did. I will try it with the orange juice another time (probably this summer), and I might crush some mace to add. If I’m going to put ground spicese in, it would be worth putting them in a bag of some description. It wouldn’t stop all the sediment, but it might reduce it a bit.
October 6, 2007 at 3:53 pm · Filed under Domestic Life, Food, Recipes, Wine Dinner
We’ve been on a bit of a paté kick just recently. I’ve kept commenting that I should have a go at making it. This time around for our Wine Dinner, I was on entrée. It seemed as though Paté would be eminently suitable. Paddington suggested I ask his mum for her recipe.
makes about 5 cups
500 grams chicken liver
250 grams butter
1 chopped onion
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
basil/oregano/marjoram/garlic
brandy
parsley
Put the butter, onion, liver, bay, salt and pepper and whatever herbs you plan to include, in a bowl in the microwave. Cook on high for 5 minutes, then remove and stir. Return to the microwave and cook on high for another 10 minutes. Pour into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Pour into ramekins or other containers. Top with a layer of melted butter. Place in the fridge to set. This recipe is suitable to freeze.
I served it with some of my bread, made into four long rolls (like mini-baguettes) and sliced.
I’m pretty happy with it. Paddington’s mother likes this recipe because you don’t have to touch the liver—and I have to admit, that’s nice:-) I think this was a good starting point, but it needs some tweaking I feel. Of course, we still have three serves left in the freezer:-) I’d like to try it with juniper berries in it, and I think it definitely needs more pepper. Maybe some salt.
(Notice the lovely bowls? I told my mum when I’d decided what I was doing and she disappeared to get these. She and dad had recently visited a pottery on Norfolk Island, and found the bowls and the paté spreaders, this and a pine one. She was very glad I’d mentioned it, as otherwise she would have forgotten to give it to me, again:-) )
February 18, 2007 at 10:47 am · Filed under Wine, Wine Blogging Wednesday
Box Wines has just announced the theme for the next Wine Blogging Wednesday. Unsurprisingly (given the blog name:-) ) the theme is Box Wines & Non-Traditional Packaging. I guess we’ll be looking for something suitable to drink before Wednesday the 14th March.
February 10, 2007 at 4:47 pm · Filed under Family, Food, Recipes, Wine, Wine Dinner
Entree recipes still to come.
Sommelier: Fe
Entree Shay
Fennel and Anchovy Grissini
ingredients
method
Pesto Toasts
ingredients
method
Farinata
ingredients
method
with Campari, grapefruit and soda (Shay)
45 mls Campari, 2 grapefruit juice ice cubes, 1/3 bottle of soda water.
None of us were particularly keen on this, although, it definitely improved once the ice had melted a bit!
Main Daniel
Chicken with Salsa Verde (from “Express: maximum flavour for minimum effort” published by Murdoch Books, ISBN 1740454901), Mash, Oven Roasted Vine Ripened Tomatoes, Asparagus
ingredients
1 garlic clove
60 grams fresh flat-leaf parsley
80 mls extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped dill
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon baby capers, drained
6 large chicken breast fillets
6 large potatoes (mashing)
cream
butter
12 vine ripened tomatoes
2 bunches asparagus
method
Place the garlic, parsley, olive oil, dill, mustard, vinegar and capers in a food processor or blende and process until almost smooth.
Cook the chicken fillets on a very hot, lightly oiled barbecue grill or flat plate for 4–5 minutes each side, or until cooked through.
Cut each chicken fillet into three on the diagonal and arrange on serving plates. Top with a spoonful of salsa verde and season to taste.
Cook the potatoes, and mash with the butter and cream. Blanch the asparagus. Roast the tomatoes for about 30 minutes at about 170C.
with McGuigan’s 2006 Pinot Grigio (Fe)
Light and easy to drink. Went really nicely with this meal, but would probably work in a lot of other places.
Dessert Sue
Strawberry and Cream Dacquoisie
from De Bortoli Wines 2007 Calendar
Serves 6
ingredients
1 cup freshly ground almond meal
1 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons of corn flour
1/3 cup egg whites
1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water
250 grams mascarpone
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
icing sugar to taste
150 mls cream
500 grams strawberries
icing sugar
method
In a bowl mix together the almond meal, 2/3 cup of sugar and the corn flour.
In a mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then slowly add the remaining 1/3 cup of the sugar, contiue to whisk until the meringue holds stiff peaks and the sugar is dissolve. Then fold in the dry ingredients and the orange blossom water.
Line some trays with baking paper and spread the mix to about 1 centimetre thick. Bake at 160˚C for about 15 minutes or until a light golden brown. Allow to cool. Then with a round ring 24 centimetres in diametre (or a small plate) cut the dacquise into 3 large rounds.
In a bowl, whisk the cream until soft peaks are formed. In a separate bowl, stir the mascarpone into the vanilla and sugar until smooth. Fold into the cream.
Slice the strawberries from top to bottom into thin wedges.
Spread a dollop of cream on the bottom of the cake plate. Add one disc of the meringue, then top with mascarpone cream to a thickness of 1 centimetre. Decorate with strawberry slices lying flat to form a thin layer. Follow teh same step for the next two layers, decorating the top of the cake with the strawberries to your liking. Rest the cake for 30 minutes and serve dusted with icing sugar.
with Botrytis Semillon from Rivendell (Sue)
Cheese Paul
(from back left, clockwise) Malt Whiskey Cheese, Sundried Tomato (Tilba Trilogy), Cabernet Paste (Maggie Beer), Double Cream Camembert (Margaret River), Capel Valley Traditional, Summer Herbs (Tilba Trilogy), Plaine Cheddar (Tilba Trilogy), Boursin, Triple Cream Brie (Margaret River)
with Julian James Liqueur Solero Port (Paul)
This was delightful:-)
January 30, 2007 at 12:42 am · Filed under Wine, Wine Blogging Wednesday
It’s on at Winecast and the theme is close to home—New World Syrah/Shiraz. Right up our alley:-) So, February 7th we’ll be joining in!
December 13, 2006 at 10:56 pm · Filed under Wine, Wine Blogging Wednesday
(Writing this post assures me that I need far more practice at writing reviews - and that I need to keep notes as I taste! It’s very brief, but if I don’t post it now, it won’t be up in time to be included.)
When we visited the Barossa some (5?) years ago, our favourite winery was definitely St Hallet’s. We loved every wine we tried.
We love Sparkling Shiraz.
They had a Sparkling Shiraz. We were unable to try it because it sells out so promptly upon release.
Two and a half years ago, when our son was born, we were given a bottle of St Hallett’s The Black NV by a very thoughtful (and knowledgeable) friend.
This month, Wine Blogging Wednesday (which I have intended to do for years) was sparklings…
We really shouldn’t keep wine for too long, our cellaring conditions are far from ideal!
The time had arrived!
We had planned a roast beef dinner. Nothing fancy, just meat (with some garlic and black pepper), carrots, potato, onion and parsnip, roasted in a tray. We also served green beans.
We ended up serving it with guests, a friend who was having a birthday, another who is an old friend nearby, and another friend of hers we have been hearing about for fourteen years but have only just met.
So, the wine. For once, we managed to think about it early enough to ensure it was chilled.
It’s colour is beautiful (sadly, we forgot to take a photo), a rich red. A very fine mousse that didn’t come close to overflowing the glass, just a light layer on the top of the wine.
On first taste, you are left in little doubt that this is a shiraz, the pepper is very up front while not being overpowering. It has lovely soft bubbles. Sadly, I suspect that it would have been better drunk sooner. It’s good, but it’s not as stand out as I was expecting. I would definitely drink it again though, although I would try to drink it sooner.
Tasting notes from St Hallet’s. (We didn’t actually read these until I was posting this. We may well have served it differently:-) )
Vintage
NV
Grape Variety
Shiraz
Colour
Deep intensity, dark ruby purple with plum red tints.
Bouquet
Layers of dark chocolate, sweet nutmeg spice lifted by soft pepper, liquorice, coffee, and dark chocolate, smoky toast aromas, and developed aromas of leather and cigar box.
Palate
Complex mix of spice, coffee and rich chocolates, mixed with smoky flavours from the oak. Fine grained tannins add a smooth velvety texture and weight to the palate. The wine finishes with a lingering flavour of sweet white chocolate, complemented by vanilla and mocha.
Serving suggestion
Serve chilled on it’s own or as the grand finale to a special dinner, served with chocolate pudding.
Cellering
Drink now or cellar for further complexity.
November 29, 2006 at 2:35 pm · Filed under Wine, Wine Blogging Wednesday
I have been reading Wine Blogging Wednesday posts on and off since about the third one. I have kept meaning to join in, but various things have occured so that I haven’t (usually I forget to drink the appropriate wine in a timely fashion).
But not this time!
I am determined!
The carnival is being hosted by Culinary Fool and the theme is Sparklings. We have some (always a good start), even a couple that we have been intending to drink soon. So I am going to make sure to plan a meal the weekend before the 13th that will encourage the use of one of them. Then I’ll (hopefully) manage the followup part of blogging about it… But I figure drinking the wine is always a good start:-)
September 15, 2005 at 7:17 pm · Filed under Wine, Wine Blogging Wednesday
I keep meaning to join in Wine Blogging Wednesday… I think it sounds fabulous, and _just_ the sort of thing that would suit us. But of course I never quite get there. Here is the roundup of the most recent effort. Keep watching here for a pointer to the next. (I’ve just realised that the next has been announced already.) Maybe next time…
by A. A. Milne
by Andrew Lang
