And therein lies the rub

One of the things that Kristi and I agree can make or break a dish is seasoning.  Is it seasoned enough?  Too much?  Boring?  Interesting?  Seasoning can make a simple chicken breast one of the tastiest pieces of meat while on its own it is more or less flavorless.  Same goes for mild fish, and also for a beef or pork tenderloin.  There are great seasoning blends available at just about every grocery, but one thing few people seem to do is come up with their own seasoning blend.  It is not hard to do and is very hard to get wrong.  What it comes down to is personal preference.  Think about your favorite dish, whatever it might be.  Can you remember what it is that made it so tasty?  Was it salty, spicy, sweet, herbacious, exotic?  Did it owe its character to an ethnic or regional style?  Once you come up with an answer (there really is no right or wrong when you are cooking for yourself) take a chance on approximating that flavor profile in your next dish.  Most people like to at least use a kosher or sea salt and some black pepper.  Past that garlic powder is common to most kitchens.  Then you can really take things in interesting directions.  If you like smokey flavors you can try a smoked salt to replace or augment your original salt.  You can use a smoked paprika (they do have flavor when you get a good one).  I really like ancho chili powder.  It is smokey and sweet without heat.  Earthy flavors can be good as well.  Cumin is my go to for that purpose.  To add heat the options are wide open and you can choose between styles.  Since I like southwest flavors and a smokey component I use Chipotle powder.  A little definitely goes a long way.  Cayenne is more along Kristi's line.  Other times we use red chili pepper flakes depending on the dish (pastas, sauces).  I have a blend of seasoning that I think works on just about any piece of meat from seafood to steak and have had a great time experimenting to get it there.  If you have a blend that you like or discover a combination that is interesting, please post it!

Wine at home and Lonesome Dove in Ft. Worth

I need to talk to you about Rapture.  No, this will not be a testimony followed by a baptism, but it will be something you want to know about none-the-less.  Rapture is a cab sauv by Michael David (the guy who brough you 7 Deadly Zins, and Earthquake).  This wine goes for around $49.99 at Goody Goody so it is out of Kristi and my normal price range, and more along the lines of a once in a blue moon splurge.  My revelation came at Merci Wine Bar in Addisson.  My friend and client Harvey was throwing a happy hour for some of his clients and invited Kristi and me to join them.  We had some great bottles that night, but Rapture really stood out to me as the most balanced and approachable.  It is a very big cab with bright cherry fruit and a long smooth finish.  Even though the vintage was not old the tannins were extremely smooth.  This wine can stand up to a lot of heavy dishes as well as holding its own with sweet sauces that might accompany.  Central Market does not carry it, but Goody Goody does.  If you were planning a nice evening with your better half and were having steak, lamb, or a heavier pasta entree, this would be a nice choice.  You probably would not blow through the bottle too quickly because of how big the flavor is and how long it lasts in the mouth.  I hope some of you try it.  And by all means, let me know if you think it is worth the dough!

This past weekend I was in Ft. Worth with my wife and friends and had dinner at Lonesome Dove in the stockyards.  The reason we chose to go there was that they had a menu that included game foods.  I LOVE game foods and never miss an opportunity to have it when avialable.  I know, a lot of people cringe at the thought.  That's ok.  I understand.  I think the only thing somewhat adventurous that evening was the elk strip loin that I ordered and the elk sliders that we started with.  The sliders were pretty incredible with fois gras and blueberry jam on them.  I know, I just lost some more of you...  However!  The real stars of that dinner were the lamb that John got, and the garlic stuffed beef tenderloin that Kristi ordered.  Incredible flavor and cooked perfectly.  If any of you are in the stockyards and need a place to have a good dinner in a cool atmosphere, I highly recommend it.  The menu actually has a lot of things that "normal" people could order without being wierded out. 

Chocolate Truffles

I recently made some chocolate truffles and have had a request for the recipe.  I saw several while I was trying to decide how I would make them, and they ranged from super specific and technical to loosey-goosey.  Needless to say, I went with loosey-goosey.  They turned out great in my humble opinion, so I guess loosey-goosey is okay after all.  My main source ended up being WikiHOW.
You will need two stainless steel bowls, though I guess glass works as well.  Other than that I used things that were already in my kitchen.  Also, you can experiment with the kind of chocolate you use.  I used 2 cups 60% cocoa for the ganache and a couple bars of 70% for the coating.  All of the chocolate should be chopped into small pieces, or use chips or discs.  Sea salt is nice as a little accent on top once they are coated.  You need 1/3 cup of heavy cream and 6 tablespoons of salted butter cut into small pieces.
In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the chocolate chips. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and pour into a shallow bowl.  Cover and place in fridge for a couple hours to cool and firm up.
The tricky part is tempering the chocolate for coating.  This is where the two stainless steel bowls come in handy.  One will be used as an ice bath, so get that ready (put cold water in it with enough ice to keep it cold for a good while).  It is important that water never comes in contact with the chocolate or it will seize.  Get some water in a medium saucepan and bring to a steady simmer.  Put the chocolate in the dry stainless steel bowl and place the bowl on saucepan.  This is a double boiler.  Stir the chocolate as it melts until it is very smooth.  Remove the bowl from the saucepan and place it in the ice bath.  Continue stirring until you feel the chocolate firming a bit.  This is called crystallization apparently.  At this point you remove the bowl from the ice bath.  You may need to return it to the double boiler to warm it back up.  To test for temper, dip a spoon in the chocolate and if it is set up smooth, shiny, and without spots after 2 to 3 minutes you are good to go!
Get your ganache out of the fridge and use a melon baller to scoop it out.  With your hands roll the ganache into balls.  You may need to make these in small batches as the heat from your hands may melt the ganache.  If this happens, just throw the bowl back in the fridge for a bit.  When you are done rolling the ganache, start dipping them in the coating chocolate.  You can use a fork to pick them out of the chocolate and hit the fork a couple of times on the edge of the bowl to shake off  excess chocolate (if there is such a thing).  Then place the truffles on a fine mesh rack or a tray lined with parchment paper to dry.  If you like salt on your chocolate, now is the time to do it by sprinkling it on top of the wet truffles.  You can eat them at anytime, but I like them after a little fridge time.  Enjoy!!!

Little Known and Overlooked

Sunday evening Kristi and I met at Times Ten Cellars with our good friends to celebrate (in a humble and understated manner of course) a birthday.  Names will not be used to protect the aged.  We ordered a bottle of the Primitivo/Sangiovese blend.  I have to tell you, that is their tastiest wine in my opinion.  Primitivo being an old world relative of Zinfandel tends to have a juicy, fruit forward "big-ness" that makes it easy to drink right after openning the bottle.  Added to that is the spicy elegance of Sangiovese and the result really works for me.  Plus, this is not one of their more expensive bottles.  It was perfect for just drinking as well as paired with pizza.  I hope more winemakers experiment with Primitivo.  It apparently thrives in warm climates as in southern Italy.  If you want to check out one that is excellent from a boutique producer, check out De Lorimier Vinyards Primitivo from Alexander Valley.

Ave Ava!

People close to us know how much we love, love, love Restaurant Ava in Rockwall, but for those of you who have not heard of it, please do yourself a favor and go!  Most of us in Dallas don't like to drive all that far, but it is very much worth the effort.  As with many restaurants these days, there is an option to do a five course chef's tasting with or without wine pairing.  For the more adventurous eaters, DO IT!  However, those who are more into a sort of comfort zone when it comes to food will definitely find not only familiar fine dining fare, but the ability to talk directly to Chef Randall to customize your dinner to your liking.  He is very approachable, always available to diners, and completely into making the plates pleasing to all palates.  With winter nearing, I cannot wait for Kristi and I to go again and have some of the butternut squash soup as well as the wild mushroom risotto that will undoubtedly be on the menu.  We have found that the Chappallet Mountain Cuvee (Bordeaux blend from St. Helena, CA) is a well balanced partner to the earthy and sometimes smokey flavors featured when we have been to Ava.  One of the things I like about Ava is how reasonable the wine list is while still having breadth of style.  We will forever thank Veritas Wine Room for introducing us to Chef Randall and Restaurant Ava.

and here we go...

For my first posting I want to write about one of the quickest, easiest, and surprisingly tastiest snacks I have ever made.  I saw it on TV (credit where credit is due: Ellie Krieger, Food Network) and decided to give it a go since it is fairly healthy and involved one of my favorite ingredients: goat cheese!!!  I grilled some zucchini that I had sliced long-ways on a mandolin (a knife works fine, this was just easier) with a drizzle of olive oil and just a pinch of kosher salt and some cracked pepper.  Once they had some good grill marks on both sides and seemed pliable I removed them from the grill to a paper towel lined plate to cool and dry a bit.  The goat cheese I used was a parsley and garlic cheese from a local (Texas) dairy.  I scooped a teaspoon or so of it onto one end of each zucchini strip.  I then place one or two leafs of baby spinach and one or two leafs of Thai basil that I had in my garden on top of the goat cheese.  It was then just a matter of rolling the strips up and placing them on a plate to serve.  I finished them with just a pinch more of salt and I have to say that they were far better than I expected.  They were my dinner last night, Kristi's lunch today, and will appear as an appetizer at the next dinner gathering we are invited to attend or throw ourselves.

I have heard that goat cheese is a problematic pairing partner for wines.  I did not have any wine with it last night, but would be interested to hear of some suggestions.  My guess would be that a bright Sauv Blanc might be good, but will have to test that theory with all due haste!!!