Monday, November 10, 2003
A little risotto improv last night, tossing together some wine-steamed kale with crumbly gorgonzola to good effect. Followed by the time-honoured rocket / Parmesan salad, and, more importantly, home made chocolate ice-cream: chocolate, egg yolks, castor sugar, cocoa and whole milk combined to pretty velvety effect.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
Restaurant meals will be limited for a while, but did manage do have a really good India-goes-modernmeal at Zaika recently. The following week provided a serviceable, if unspectacular, dinner at 192. Otherwise it's lots of cooking at home.
Sunday, August 31, 2003
Friday night went to the Oak, a newish pub on Westbourne Park Road, with Kathy & Kristin. Mostly a wood oven pizza affair, but also had a nice steak, served in an outside half of the plate circle, with rocket underneath and rocket shavings in the centre.
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Ah, the joys of grilled sausages, in a warm baguette, with a little mustard and a cold beer... but the collected wealth of food and drink in the past month has had a sobering effect when tripping the scales yesterday. Need to balance things out a little.
Kristin and I had dinner at the underrated Andrew Edmunds last night. Had a good slab of salmon with potatoes and some odd, green vegetable, shaped like a mini cactus, the name of which is forgotten. All served at room temperature, a state which deserves a little more popularity.
Sunday, August 17, 2003
Have been grooving to our recent purchase of the Barbeque Bible, with a gazillion recipes from all over the place. This weekend we made a grilled tuna with a good red wine, onion, olive and caper sauce. Past success from the book has come from Iranian grilled lamb chops (yoghurt and saffron marinade) and a Cuban steak marinated in a lime/garlic/cumin sauce.
We also just tried some delicious, small, sweet Spanish peppers from Borough Market: fry 'em up in some olive oil for a couple of minutes, sprinkle them with sea salt, munch.
::: A new blog to help me remember the ups and downs of a culinary life, dealing with the realisation of frequently not recognising a bottle of wine on the restaurant list or in the store (despite having probably had a few of them), or not knowing what to cook on the weekend even though lots of ideas had popped through my head, or stomach, recently.
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Spike's been active again with some
recommendations..
Peter Lehmann, Stonewell Shiraz 1997,
Barossa Valley. 91 pts Wine Spec. I nearly passed out hyperventilating
from the nose on this one. Love would be an understatement. 30.00
pounds order online from www.bbr.com
Penfold, St. Henri Shiraz 1999, Australia.
92 pts Wine Spec. Very elegant for a usually burly Aussie Shiraz.
The 98 is 35 pounds on BBR, wait for the 1999
D'Arenberg, D'Arry's Original Shiraz
Grenache 2001, 89 pts Parker. Serious value for money, 9 Pounds
from www.bibendumfinewine.co.uk
D'Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz 2000,
Australia, 94 pts Wine Spectator 93 pts Parker. This is the best
wine from a great maker, this wasn't even one of its best years.
www.bibendumfinewine.co.uk
California Shafer, Firebreak 1999,
Napa Valley. 90 pts Parker. This single vineyard wine is 95% Sangiovese
and 5% Cabernet. Beautiful spicyness and rich fruit... benefits
form 4 or 5 hours breathing time in a nice wide shouldered decanter.
Shafer are the makers of the Legendary Hillside Select Cabernet.
It cost $57 in Canada. UK distributor is Thorman Hunt & Co Ltd London
011-44-20-7735-6511 (they also distribute Turley Zins, worth looking
up)
Luna, Merlot 1999 Napa Valley. 91
pts Wine Spec. $67 CDN. I know it's Merlot, but it's yummy. Ditribution
in the U.K. Britain - The Wine Treasury Ltd. 69-71 Bondway, London
SW8 ISQ, Phone: 011 44 171 793 9999 Fax: 011 44 171 793 8080
Australia
Wolf Blass, Black Label 1998 (Jimmy Watson Trophy Winner) - not
to be missed - 35 pounds
Rosemount Estate, Mountain Blue, Mudgee 1999 - powerful but well
integrated -30 pounds
Peter Lehman, Eight Songs Shiraz, Barossa 1998 - smooth and plump
- 30 pounds
Penfolds, RWT Shiraz, Barossa 1999 - aristocratic - 35 pounds
Penfolds, Bin 128 Shiraz, Coonawarra 1998 - awesome value - 12-15
pounds
Wolf Blass, Platinum Label Shiraz, Barossa 1998 - forget the value,
this is an awsome wine at 6 times the price - 15 pounds
France
Almost any 2000 Chateau-neuf-du-Pape or Bordeaux - leave the burgundies
alone and look for stuff form the Rhone valley
Les Vins de Viennes, Les Otéliées, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
2000 - blockbuster - 25 pounds
Chateau La Nerthe, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2000 - big but refined
and sleek - 22 pounds
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St.-Julien 2000 - Superbly muscular,
needs at least 5 years, but you will have to buy now. This wine
is a legend. - 65-70 pounds
Château Sociando-Mallet, Haut-Médoc 2000, a great undervalued
Bordeaux - 25 pounds
Leoville Barton, St.-Julien 2000, biggest most powerful wine ever
from LB, needs 5 years, 80 pounds
Guigal, Hermitage (Cote du Rhone)1999 - gentle giant, drink now
- 30 pounds
Guigal, Brune et Blonde Côte-Rôtie 1999 - its a drinker
- 22 pounds
La Soumade, Cuvee Prestige, Rasteau (any year) - lovely and great
value - 13-14 pounds
USA
Cline Cellars, California Zinfandel 2000, cheap and all kinds of
good, 9
pounds
Cline Cellars, California Syrah 2000, not subtle but very enjoyable,
9
pounds
Rosenblum Cellars, Rockpile Road Zinfandel, Dry Creek 1999, jammy
and hot,16 pounds
Duckhorn, Three Palms vineyard Merlot, Napa Valley 1999, smooth
beyond words, 60 pounds
L'Ecole 41, Columbia Valley Merlot, Washington 2000, one of my real
favorites, 20 pounds
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