Jordan Estate Tour & Tasting

If I ask you about your favorite wine, you will probably tell me where you enjoyed it and with whom. Perhaps it was at a picnic on a perfectly sunny day, or on a date with the love of your life. Maybe it was at the winery where the wine was made, but probably not. My point is this, wine, like food, is enjoyed in context. It can be very hard for a winery to create a truly memorable experience with wine, but one winery is giving it a shot. 

I'm lucky to have gotten to spend some time at the Jordan winery and to enjoy firsthand the food, wine and hospitality that they are about. I've stayed on their property, had lunch and a full tasting, attended one of their famous halloween parties and gotten to know their talented and creative chef and his wife who heads up hospitality and events. Those experiences have been limited to a privileged few, up till now. And while Jordan uses as many means possible to share the winery experience and lifestyle virtually including photography, videos and even a blog, nothing takes the place of being there. 

The soon-to-be-launched Jordan Winery Estate Tour & Tasting is best described as a fully immersive affair. You start at the winery for a little continental breakfast with fresh fruit grown on the property plus fresh baked goods. 

The first leg of the journey takes you to the garden where you get to see the fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers growing and perhaps enjoy a nibble of something you pick. Across from the garden are a couple of extremely friendly and adorable donkeys and a chicken coop with about a dozen or so chickens, 

Next you'll continue your ride around the estate which is mostly undeveloped and preserved. The estate is 1200 acres including 112 which are used for vineyards and 18 acres with olive trees, gardens, lakes pastures and woods. On the ride you'll likely see some cattle, a mix of Texas longhorn and black angus cross breeds. 

The next stop is at a pretty lake one of two on the property, with a view of  the olive orchard and vineyards. At this point you'll enjoy a selection of  Russian River Chardonnay and two dishes, a fresh escabeche of vegetables and some sushi rice with fruit. The dishes are light but complement the wine in a fresh unexpected way. Dip your bread into olive oil from the estate while feeling the breeze waft through the olive trees. 

And then it's on to a vineyard to see the progress of the vines and grapes. Ask questions, take pictures, pluck a grape and pop it in your mouth; this is where wines are born. 

Finally your journey takes you to a peak, with 360 degree views looking down into the valleys below surrounded by mountain ranges. Another few bites await, some beef likely from the ranch with seasonal vegetables and a selection of cheeses (including a delectable truffled brie from Marin French Cheese), crackers and bread and Jordan's Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I kept imagining what a perfect spot this would be for a proposal or perhaps to celebrate a special anniversary. There is a little treat at the end of the experience, but I think it's best to keep at least one thing a surprise.

The Jordan Winery Estate Tour & Tasting takes several hours and is not cheap at $120 per person, but it has the potential to be quite memorable. Tours run from mid April through mid November, and begin at 10 am, reservations available online. My thanks to Jordan for allowing me a sneak peek!

Disclaimer: I was a guest of Jordan Winery and helped to organize a preview visit for food and wine bloggers, but I was not financially compensated. 

Cantaloupe Strawberry Salad with White Wine Lime Dressing

Composed. The word itself even sounds so elegant, so controlled. So poised.

Not surprisingly, these words do not describe me.

I hurt my ankle on the linen closet somehow, That "somehow" sneakily obfuscates the major role I played in my own injury. I do actually know what happened.

I attempted to stuff a pillow on a shelf that quite clearly did not have enough space. The pillow was aware of this, and didn't really want to be there. But I can be ridiculously stubborn, so I carried on with my futile task, resulting in the pillow rebelling by popping open the door on my ankle with surprising force.

Later that day, I made some bacon for Max, keeping a slice for myself to use in a grilled cheese, and used the bacon grease to cook the sandwich. It turned out to be a delicious grilled cheese. But it really was not one of my best ideas. As one can imagine, this sandwich provided some wonderful stomach pains.

To top it all off, something began irritating my left eye, resulting in a red eye that would barely stay open. The irritation also led to some side effects like a runny nose.

By the end of the day, I was a hobbling woman with one eye open, face in a tissue, hunched over from the pain of the grilled cheese.

Composed I am not. Composed people do not stuff grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon and then cook them in bacon grease. Composed people probably eat quinoa and kale salads exclusively. Composed people do not fight pillows to stay in closets. Composed people probably have special closets dedicated solely to storing pillows. Composed people do not allow eye irritations to occur.

Since I am not elegant, or poised, or composed, I attempted to live vicariously through produce. Some cantaloupe, strawberries, macadamia nuts, slices of Parmesan cheese, and basil leaves arranged "artfully" (a term I use very very very very loosely, by the way) on the plate, drizzled with a lime and white wine dressing and sprinkled with just a bit of freshly ground black pepper. This salad is everything I am not. The self I wish I could be.

Melons, all juicy and round and fragrant are just so much fun to eat! Here, Cooking Light has a super informative slideshow about how to best pick out melons and recipes to use them in! So check it out!

Ingredients
shaved slices from cantaloupe wedge
sliced strawberries
roasted and salted macadamia nuts, halved
shaved Parmesan slices
basil leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon lime zest
1 tablespoon dry white wine
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Arrange the cantaloupe, strawberries, macadamia nuts, Parmesan, and basil leaves on a plate.  Whisk the olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, and white wine together.  Drizzle desired amount of the dressing over the salad.  Sprinkle the salad with black pepper.

Sourdough Toast Topped with Biscoff, Apricot Compote, Granny Smith Apple Slices, and Fleur de Sel

For as long as I can remember, I've been a reader. A voracious reader, consuming the backs (and sides) of cereal boxes, my mom's church bulletins, and whatever books were lying around, all with equal gusto.
My true love, however, was fiction.  Every now and then, I come across a line or paragraph that feels so incredibly, thrillingly, true that I feel like it is actually possible to understand humanity.  Just a little.

I was indiscriminate in my youth, accepting loaned books and recommendations from others as easily as I would accept candy. I didn't have the resources to be picky.

Eventually, I was able to become more discerning.  Glorious years, however, were spent in books - current fiction and literature from the (admittedly problematic) canon, making up for lost time.  Time I would never get back.  Time that had been spent with the likes of Danielle Steele, John Grisham, and the Babysitter's Club.

Then Max was born. I was prepared to have less time available for reading. I wasn't prepared to have a diminished interest in fiction.

Perhaps I just didn't have the brain capacity to empathize, to learn about new characters and problems while I was getting to know my own little guy. Maybe I just found the conflicts so out of the realm of my day to day life, I no longer could care.  Maybe I could no longer see truth in the fiction I was reading.  Maybe it is totally something else.

So I hung up my fiction hat for awhile, subsisting on long-form non fiction articles and a smattering of non fiction books.

Somewhere along the way, about a year and a half after Max was born, I found my way back to my first, my true love.

A new title from a well liked author made a nice reintroduction with this old friend. After that, a collection of short stories from the wonderful Alice Munro. From there, my confidence slowly rebuilt to the present, in which I can actually read a non-fiction book and not worry that I will no longer be able to read fiction again, backsliding into those former reading habits.

These days, I can finally nestle on the couch with our old, ratty, giant comforter (never just a throw blanket!) and a snack and delve into a book - a book of whatever I feel like at the moment. Currently, those books are Susan Sontag's On the Pain of Others and Posession by A.S. Byatt.

And the snack?  The perfect snack for reading has to be individually-sized.  Individually-sized for the private, interior world you are inhabiting.  Luxurious, as well.  Like these toasts - sourdough bread with a creamy layer of Biscoff, apricot compote, slices of Granny Smith apples, a drizzling of fresh orange juice, and just a sprinkling of fleur de sel.



By the way, Biscoff is running a "Spread the Love" contest! Facebook fans will vote for the grand prize winners.  The contest ends on August 25 (11:59 p.m. EST).
The top three winners of the challenge will be announced on August 30, 2013.

Prizes include:
First place – A trip to Belgium for two and a tour of the Biscoff factory
Second place – $1,500
Third place – $1,000

Ingredients
sourdough or french bread, toasted
Biscoff spread
apricot compote*
apple slices
drizzle of fresh orange juice
fleur de sel

For the apricot compote:
13 apricots, pitted and halved
2 teaspoons juice from a Meyer lemon
3-4 tablespoons sugar

Instructions
To make the compote: Put everything into a pot. Cook on low for about 8-10 minutes, until warm and the apricots start to break down. Chill.

To make the toasts: Generously spread the Biscoff over toast. Add a layer of apricot compote. Arrange slices of apple on top. Drizzle a bit of fresh orange juice. Finish with a sprinkling of fleur de sel.
Biscoff Spread is a sweet, creamy spread made with Biscoff Cookies. Try this delicious European alternative to peanut butter or chocolate spread. Vote for the best photo in Biscoff’s “Spread the Love” contest and you could win a year’s supply of Biscoff products!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Biscoff. The opinions and text are all mine.

You Will Be My Son Film Review

Sex, greed, perfume, family psychodrama, expensive shoes, murder and wine. Let's just say You Will Be My Son has everything you'd expect from a French film including some very emotional outbursts. It's a bit of a soap opera but the acting is outstanding and the setting during harvest at a vineyard in Saint Emilion is stunning. 

I tend to enjoy films with a food or wine backdrop, and this is no exception. It's a very intriguing story with lots of plot twists, secrets and lies. It's a family story, but has elements of a thriller too. The lead actor Niels Aretrup is compelling as the father, a truly malevolent character, but the two childhood friends and rivals played by Nicolas Bridet and Patrick Chesnais are also excellent as are the rest of the supporting actors. 

The people of Bordeaux have a reputation for being a bit snobby, and the sense of place in society is a major theme in this film. Despite being set in contemporary times, it has the feel of a classic drama, with thorny ethical issues when love, passion and a desire for greatness collide. The film opens in select theaters August 16th, 2013. 

Sea Urchin Spaghetti Recipe

Sea urchin or uni is rich and creamy. It tastes very briny and yet sweet. Emulsified with some extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, it makes a wonderful sauce for pasta. The type of pasta you use is up to you of course, but isn't it gorgeous on squid ink pasta? I love the look and flavor of squid ink pasta. It's such a treat! I got mine from Mattarello, a fresh pasta company run by John Pauley and his wife Anna.

I was a fan of John's pasta back when he was still cooking at Rex Cafe around the corner from my house. Now he sells his pasta at pop ups, generally at either Gourmet and More on Franklin or Biondivino wine shop on Green Street. His squid ink pasta is so good you can enjoy it with just a simple olive oil, garlic and white wine sauce with a little bit of chili flakes or parsley. He also sells lasagna, tortellini and some different shapes and styles of pasta, all made by hand.

This pasta is really a showstopper. I'd recommend serving it for a special occasion or dinner party. I adapted the recipe from one by Sara Jenkins I found in La Cucina Italiana, "spaghetti ai ricci di mare" but I simplified it a bit and didn't use any garlic.

Note: Another option is to make the sauce and top the pasta with another type of seafood instead of just more sea urchin. It's delicious with sautéed scallops or shrimp.


Sea Urchin Spaghetti
Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main course

Ingredients

About 4 ounces fresh sea urchin, divided
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound fresh pasta preferably squid ink spaghetti
2 Tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 Tablespoon finely chopped chives

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Combine 2 1/2  ounces sea urchin and lemon juice in the blender, purée until smooth. With blender running, add oil in a slow and steady stream until you have a thick emulsified sauce, the texture of mayonnaise. Transfer the sauce and parsley to a large bowl.

Cook pasta until just al dente. Drain and place in the bowl with sauce and parsley, and toss together. Let pasta sit just until it absorbs some of the sauce, about 1 minute, then season with salt to taste. Portion pasta onto serving plates. Top with remaining uni and garnish with chives.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: My thanks to Whole Foods for providing a sample of sea urchin for this recipe. 

Smoky Tomato Soup

Life, with some exceptions, has a rhythm. A regularity, a predictability to give the amorphous concept some structure.

Since toddler soccer began, Tuesdays can be counted on to involve a conversation like the following:

Upon arrival of the park to play soccer,
Max: "bye bye"
me: "bye bye what?"
Max: "bye bye ball"
me: "you don't want to play soccer?"
Max: "nooooooo. trains (referring to the multiple playground pieces of equipment that are shaped like trains)"

I know what you are thinking, "If this is a common occurrence why do I continue to bring him to soccer?" I can't, and don't, force him to play.  But I have to at least give him the chance to play because the class has already been paid for, and he will sometimes play happily for like 4 minutes. I don't want to sound like I'm some sort of psychotic parent demanding athletic skills to be proficiently demonstrated by a toddler aged child.  I have no athletic ability to speak of myself!   He may not like going to soccer, but he loves going to that park for the playground equipment.  He already knows that is where the best toys are located in town.

And just like the regularity of this conversation with my child (I am most definitely looking forward to the end of the class, where we no longer have to engage in the charade of attending it), my love of smoked paprika flares up. And I am compelled to make things taste smoky.

I feel like an evangelist for the stuff, even becoming some sort of smoked paprika fairy godmother and gifting it to others in hopes that they too will see the light of smoked paprika. In addition to introducing my container of smoked paprika to new people, I love introducing it to new ingredients as well. Like eggs. And eggs (okay, I guess that isn't really new, but the richness of eggs just goes so amazingly well with smoked paprika). And cauliflower. And jalapenos. Just to name a few.

And now, my penchant for putting smoked paprika on things took the form of big, juicy heirloom tomatoes. Tomatoes that were roasted with garlic and jalapenos, sprinkled with spices like earthy cumin and fruity ground pasilla peppers, and, you guessed it, smoked paprika, and then blended into soup.  I should note that we enjoyed this with a grilled cheese of cheddar and smoked gouda.  A predictable accompaniment for such a soup.

Ingredients
3 large heirloom tomatoes, chopped into wedges
handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
2 jalapenos, halved (or to taste)
5 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
3/4 teaspoon ground pasilla
1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon smoked salt
1/8 teaspoon ground sumac
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons half and half
smoked salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
Heat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix the tomato wedges and hales, jalapeno, and garlic.  In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, and liquid smoke.  Drizzle over the tomato mixture.  Toss gently to coat. In another small bowl, whisk together the pasilla, , ancho chile, coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and sumac.  Sprinkle over tomato mixture. Toss gently to coat.  Pour into 9 x 13 pan, and place in oven for 30-40 minutes.

Once roasted, remove the tomatoes, jalapenos, and garlic, as well as about half of the cooking liquid left in the pan and place in a pot.  Blend with an immersion blender.  Add more of the cooking liquid, if needed, to get desired consistency. Place over medium-low heat and stir in the butter and half-half.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Once soup is warm, take off heat.

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