tasted 2011.09.12
Baglio Di Pianetto 'Shymer' 2009
Producer: Baglio Di Pianetto
Country: Italy
Region: Sicily
Apellation: IGT
Grape Variety: blend of Syrah and Merlot
cracked open another sample after the disastrous La Scolca Pinot Nero. medium ruby, with interesting nose of herbal tinged sweet black fruit - perhaps a suggestion of unripeness? more swirling reveals notes of blackberry preserves, prune, raisin, cinnamon and nutmeg. the palate is thick and fruity, suggestion bouquets of violet and exotic spices, rounded of with smooth tannin and good acidity. medium length finishing with quite a warm alcoholic sensation.
overall a palatable experience given the bad experience 15 mintues earlier, with an unusual blend and a catchy name. this however makes me miss the power and finess of Australian Shiraz... but with the past whole week of sampling good wines, i won't complain more.
tasted 2011. 09. 12
La Scolca Pinot Nero 2007
Producer: La Scolca
Country: Italy
Region: Piedmonte
Appellation: Monferrato Rosso DOC
Grape Variety: 100% Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir)
mid autumn afternoon office sample tasting. medium minus ruby tending to garnet showing slight bottle age. the nose is very prominent of volatile acidity, revealing some sour cherry, wet grass, hint of leather, spices, but overall notes are weak and non-typical of pinot noir. the palate is armed with high acidity, with very slight undertone of lavendar, tea, game, and the fruit notes rather unnoticeable. the length is surprisingly short and watery...
a really huge disappointment from La Scolca, especially having tried their excellent Gavi. is it a wrong vintage, a wrong vineyard of Pinot Noir, or the delicate grapes not cared for well enough? it is really open for questions...
overall, not impressive. not at all.
dinner 2011.09.10
happy mid autumn festival! though i am never a festivity person, it is nonetheless a good opportunity for family get together and, of course, for me to whip up something special and nice. many would have insisted on a Chinese feast for a (pre) celebration like this, but since i am never too confident in elaborate Chinese cooking and since it is quite rare for my dad to dine on something Western, i was up to my usual knife and fork courses!
lacking the luxury of time for preparation (i was on a movie date with Midnight in Paris - and it was fantastic :D), i as usual opted for a cold cuts and cheeses platter as appetisers and no-substitute matches to our Super Tuscan red. for seafood i cooked up my house signature Thai style mussels and also played around with a baked seabream in parcel. what actually stole the spotlight is the luscious seared duck breast with asparagus risotto.
i had made a largely similar dish earlier using ready-to-eat smoked duck breast, diced and mixed into the rice. to lift things up for the festive dinner i used instead chilled fresh duck breast flown in from France (at a wobbling 3 times dearer than the smoked duck) and pan seared it myself. it was quite a challange as i have had the experience of messing up a fresh breast with badly burned skin and torn meat...
remembering an article from my recently acquired Cook's Illustrated Annual recipe collections, i sought help from these cooking scientists and followed the technique of renderng fat on low heat. needless to say the duck breast turned out brilliant - with delightfully crispy skin and perfect medium rare flesh, though some of my diners would prefer a more medium texture. i have got about 3 tablespoon of lovely duck fat from the process which was just right for drizzling on the risotto before serving, elevating the dish to an even more sublime level of sensation!
pan seared duck breast with asparagus risotto
DO NOT rinse the rice or you risk losing the signature creaminess of authentic risotto. scoring the duck skin ensures that it crisps up nicely during the fat rendering. i threw in the asparagus at the final stage of cooking but if you prefer you can blanch them beforehand and toss them in with the finished risotto. i added the orange zest both for the sake of garnish and for complementing flavours - duck and orange make for a perfect match - but the dish just works as fine without it.
you will need:
1 piece of duck breast - mine was about 400g
salt and pepper to taste
3 to 4 cups stock1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
splash of white wine
200g baby asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieceshandful grated parmesan
drizzle of duck fat - to be obtained from the duck breast
handful grated orange zest, optional
for the seared duck breast, rinse and pat dry the breast and score the skin in diamond patterns, taking care not to cut through into the flesh. season with salt and pepper.
without adding any oil, heat a frying pan on medium until really hot, about 2 to 3 mins, then slide in the duck breast skin side down. immediately turn down the heat to medium low, leaving the duck breast untouched, and observe the pool of fat being rendered from the skin. let it fry on low for 10 to 15 minutes - you may leave it up slightly to keep an eye on the level of browness (Cook's Illustrated actually advises a rendering of 20 to 25 minutes but i did not have the time - and the gut!).
gently flip over (beware of the splashing oil) and cook the other side for 2 to 6 minutes until cooked to your liking. you may also browned the underside for a minute or two and finish cooking in a 200°C oven. remove from pan, pat off excess oil with absorbent papers, and rest on a plate tent with foil.
for the asparagus risotto, heat the stock until just boiling. heat oil in a heavy base saucepan over medium and sautee onion until slightly soft. throw in the rice and stir until they are well toasted. splash in the wine and let the alcohol boil off, then add in a ladleful of hot stock and keep stirring until almost all stock is absorbed. add in another ladleful, keep stirring to prevent sticking, until almost absorbed. repeat with the stock until rice are plump and creamy, throwing in the asparagus towards the end of cooking.
remove from heat and stir in parmesan until melted, and transfer to serving plate. slice the duck breast and arrange on top of risotto. sprinkle with orange zest and serve immediately.
our tasting theme for the August gathering was Chassagne Montrachet, and i was trying to come up with some Burgundian dishes to match with the wines. escargots (French snails) jumped to mind immediately. what are better than these earthy, hearty little gems to go with the richly flavoured whites and red of the region?
i very much like eating escargots, but i am never a big fan of the most commonplace (and commercial) preparation - suffocating them with parsley butter and bake. often the buttery-ness is just too overwhelming and overwhelming rich and steals the spotlight of the whole dish. is there some other way where i can cut back on the richness of the butter sauce while still keeping the dish flavourful, even letting the escargots themselves outshine the sauce?
a quick Google search came to rescue, and soon i set eyes on this recipe of Cassolette d'Escargot and recreated my own version. the parsley cream sauce is exactly what i need. i then played around with modifying other aromatics and foregoing the pastry which was just too much trouble to me.
the appetiser whipped up in minutes, just perfect when i had to excuse the group to prepare and bring to the table piping hot and still not feeling missed out. we served this with pre-packaged toast on the evening, and the leftover was fantastic tossing with pasta for a quick lunch.
escargots in parsley cream sauce
i reckon butter is no substitute here for the true beauty of escargots to shine. use sparingly if you are concerned. even a few teaspoon can make a real difference. feel free to adjust the amount of garlic according to your personal taste.
you will need:
1 tablespoon butter
4 to 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
250g button mushrooms, quartered (halved if small)
splash of white wine
approx. 2 dozen canned escargots, drained
2 heaped tablespoon creme fraiche (or heavy cream)
handful fresh parsley leaves
salt and pepper to taste
melt butter over medium heat in pan and sautee garlic until golden and fragrant. turn up heat to medium high, throw in mushrooms and splash pan with wine scraping off any bits that are sticking to pan. let alcohol boils off, keep stirring until mushrooms are soft.
add escargot to pan and heat through. add creme fraiche with parsley and stir to combine. season to taste and serve piping hot with toasted baguette or as a sauce for pasta or mashed potatos.
tasted 2011.09.02
Ferrai Perle 2002
Producer: Cantine Ferrari
Country: Italy
Region: Trentino
Appellation: Trento DOC
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
a Friday afternoon pick-me-up at work thanks to my generous colleague. bright golden hue with fine persistent bubbles. on the nose it is obviously Chardonnay, with peach, apricot and slight citrus notes, autopytic characters of bread and yeast, rounded off by bouquets of elderflower and vanilla oak. swirling in mouth reveals its medium plus to high acidity backed up by the rich aroma already spotted in the nose, with the yeasty flavour even more prominent perhaps due to the bubbles. acceptable aftertaste which can be a little too rich.
probably not a cocktail or conversation sparkling. i wonder how it pairs with food? perhaps smoked salmon or cured ham like parma or salami. a slight disappointment from what i have been expecting, since the Ferrari Brut NV is one of my favourite in the company's portfolio!
or perhaps it was the experience with Majolini just a few days ago. over the past we we tried the Franciacortta Saten 2001 (100% Chardonnay) and the Franciacortta Electo 2005 (80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Nero, ie. Pinot Noir).
pardon me for the lack of detailed tasting notes. but these wine did give me the wow factors that i have been missing for long. they are just so much like a fine Champagne. the Saten 2001 might be a tad too 'oxidated' for some, but i just adore this complexity. and unlike the Ferrari Perle, the fruits and even honeyed note in both Majolini carried through very nicely, alluring you to come back for another sip again and again.
while i am on sparkles, i am quite looking forward to the Moet Wine Dinner on September 22 where i will get to try the Grand Vintage range. never a fan of Moet though... let's see how it goes.
i am dedicating my first recipe to my group of dedicated wine studymates-turn-friends, with the inspiration from my blogger TruffleRose. i served this at our latest monthly wine dinner party and received rave reviews. some of you have been asking me for the recipe so i thought why not share it here?
modelling after the world-renowned French dish confit de canard (duck confit), i would crown this more wallet friendly alternative as 'luxury for the poor soul'. especially in hk where duck legs and duck fat are scarce (and pricey), this unconventional alternative from TruffleRose answers our cries to the ocassional dressed up dinner table at special occasions, which every can afford and is hard to fail.
as with confit de canard, it is a recipe of patience but real little effort. and the ingredients and equipments required are as few as you could imagine. however though, it is meant for those who possess an oven in the household. there are recipes that offer the stove-top method alternative, but that requires much better control and i would not dare to try out myself. it may seem a better idea to gather at a friend's place with an oven and cook in bulk, share together a few pieces and bring the rest home!
keep the chicken legs submerged in oil at the coldest part of your fridge, or drain and ziplock them in the freezer, and French indulgence will be just a minute away for months ahead.
confit de poulet (confit chicken)
this is a very rough guidance - the amount of chicken legs and oil (and garlic, if using) goes with what your heart desires. the most important to success is the salting process, which essentially alter the protein structure of the meat, and the principle of 'low and slow'. trust me, your patience will be rewarded for sure. the garlic not only will add flavours to the chicken but will turn meltingly sweet themselves, perfect for simply tossing with pasta, on toasted baguette, or as accompaniment to any hearty mains.
you will need:
chicken legs, trimmed off excess fat
salt
olive oil, enough to cover all chicken legs
- save on your extra virgin. the flavour is too strong to be used in this recipe.
garlic heads (optional)
2 days before you plan to start cooking, clean and pat dry the chicken legs and sprinkle each leg with approximately 1 tablespoon salt, rubbing them in all over the surface. place them in a glass container, cover tightly with plastic wrap and keep at the coldest part of the fridge for at least 48 hours.
when you are ready to embark on your long journey, preheat oven to the lowest temperature avaiable (mine is 100°C). remove chicken legs from the fridge. rinse gentle to remove excess salt crystal and pat dry thoroughly (the salt on mine has dissvoled completely so i skipped this step). if using the garlic, peel away outer skin keeping skin of cloves intact. cut off 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the top, exposing individual cloves.
place legs in a ovenproof glass tray or dutch oven together with the garlic head. it is ok for overlapping, as long as they all sit nicely inside the tray, ie. not coming up the sides of the tray.
gently pour over olive oil to cover the chicken legs and garlic. they should be submerged in oil completely. don't feel bad about 'wasting' such a huge amount of oil - they will become wonderfully aromatic after the long cooking and you can strain and keep them for roasting, sauteeing, etc.
carefully place the tray in the preheat oven, close the oven door and walk away and forget about it for 3 to 6 hours. take a nap, do your laundry, dive in to a movie... the chicken legs are done when the joint meat shrinks away from the bone, as in the picture below i borrowed from TruffleRose.
shrunk joint meat indicates doneness. photo courtesy of TruffleRose
let the whole tray cool completely before taking the chicken legs and garlic heads out from the oil. carefully strain the oil from any sendiment, and from the layer of juice which will settle at the bottom. bottle and keep the oil for other cooking and the juice for a brilliant stock.
put aside the chicken legs you intend to serve, and keep the remaining well covered in oil in storage containers, at the coldest part of the fridge for up to 3 months. alternatively, place the drained legs in ziplock bags and freeze them for up to 6 months (or longer). keep the garlic separately likewise in oil in the fridge for up to 3 months - i would never imagine freezing them though!
to serve:
briefly pan fry the chicken legs on both sides until golden - do it gently as the skin is quite delicate after the long cooking. but sure you would like to keep it nice and crisp! you may also heat it in a 180°C until warmed. serve as it is, or on a mixed leave salad like i did. TruffleRose has tried shredding the meat and toss with veggies and pasta. it is just so versatile so unleash your creativity!
a while back - 8 years ago in fact - i was still a naive overseas students who amazed at the rich supply of produce of Australia and had so much spare time to play around the often spacious kitchen in the Melbourne household. spare time and space back then also means an enormous collection of recipe books and magazines, some of which i still keep and pour over again and again with sparkling eyes. i was more leaning towards baking then. cookies, muffins, brownies... nibbles that were as good at satiating my sweet tooth as at sending over to friends and family (in hk!) to express my love for them.
this love, some years on, has evolved into more substantial experiments in the kitchen, especially when the time came where i actually had to whip up meals in a two-people world. the idea of doing what your mother used to do every day may sound tedious to many, let alone many girls of my age. but for me, labouring over and over in the kitchen is less about eating or a routine than an act of love and care and for self fulfillment. and i treasure and embrace most of these opportunities dearly.
one of my most memorable meals - lunch at Paringa Estate overlooking the vineyards of Mornington Peninsula
then one day, i think i just need to record down these magical moments and perhaps share some of my culinary creation to fellow ardent cooks.
most recipes here were from our table for two (hence the blog name!), and occasionally from table for more. as a new player to blogging and recipe writing i strive to try my best with ingredients and cooking instructions, though please pardon me should there be any confusion or mistakes. and pardon me on the poor photography too...
occasionally i might be mesmorising or throwing tantrum over restaurants i visited, and in which you shall i'm always a real fussy bitchy customer - but, hey, i know things!
sometimes a wine review perhaps - although i'm intending to set up a separate blog in the near future dedicating solely to my luxurious alcoholic pursuit.
and more occasionally, a couple of unbearably memorable posts of my unbearably cute Exotic feline!
in any case, i hope anyone who drop by will enjoy my cooking (and the little fluffy devil!). and i wish to invite you and you to our table some day!
here comes the little devil!
