The Science of Cooking

Chef Didier Ardoin 's passion, creativity, enthusiasm and talent are evident in everything he creates. A Sous Chef at Cafe Degas, Didier is incredibly adventurous and innovative with food so it should be of no surprise that I first heard the term "molecular gastronomy" from him. Watching how animated he became and the way his eyes lite up when he talked about it have made me want to learn more about this type of cuisine that is turning the world of cooking upside down . And we have planned an upcoming wine dinner with Cafe Degas that will molecular cooking elements, so I needed to know a little more about what I was getting myself in to!

As a traditional cook and foodie, this seems a bit out of my reach but a fascinating trend that I feel obligated to educated myself about. Here's a little of what I've learned and I welcome any comments from those of you who have something you'd like to share.

Molecular cuisine is the end product of molecular gastronomy, a term coined in the 1980s by Herve This (pictured to the right), a French scientist, and Nicholas Kurti, a former professor of physics at England’s Oxford University. Working out of a laboratory in Paris, the two men broke foods down into their most basic components – molecules – to find scientific answers to age-old culinary mysteries: Why do some foods combine well, while others don’t? How would you give ice cream a tobacco flavor? From the preparation of a broth, to a chocolate mousse without eggs or the explanation of a rising soufflé, molecular gastronomy explains the chemical and physical phenomena that happen during cooking at the molecular level. .

As a result of this crossover between science and cooking, outstanding restaurants around the world are applying scientific principles to create and serve unusual dishes such as tobacco-flavored ice cream made with liquid nitrogen and sardines on sorbet toast. Utensils such as blowtorches, pH meters, and refractometers, which were previously relegated to science laboratories, are now creeping into the kitchens of those who practice molecular cuisine.

The guiding principle in molecular cuisine is to create dishes based on the molecular compatibilities of foods. For instance, unripe mango and pine share a molecular structure, so they might be tasty if combined. That's the theory, anyway. Molecular gastronomists combine white chocolate and oysters for the same reason. The photo on the left is a great example of this, Smoked salmon lollipops! (by Liam Maloney)

I know some of this sounds a bit crazy, so I found this great video about molecular gastronomy featuring the man behind the science, Herve This. Check it out and if this piques your curiosity, reserve a seat at our dinner on March 18th at Cafe Degas where traditional French cuisine will be combined with elements of postmodern (Didier hates the term molecular cuisine) techniques and paired with wines from the south of France! Also, I'll be doing an interview with Didier in the upcoming weeks on the menu for the event and how he'll be applying the science of cooking!

Wine and Chocolate 101

With Valentine's Day only days away, it gives me a perfect excuse to talk about two of my favorite things, wine and chocolate! Wine and chocolate pairing can be difficult and certainly some wines don't go well with any type of chocolate. But when matched correctly, wine and chocolate pairing can be a fabulous experience. Of course, taste is a very subjective thing but you if you'd like to experiment this week and don't where to start, here are a few guidelines:

Tips for Successfully Pairings Wines with Chocolate:

Tip #1: The wine needs to be at least as sweet, if not a sweeter, than the chocolate you are having. Otherwise, the taste may quickly turn towards sour.

Tip #2: Match lighter, more elegant flavored chocolates with lighter-bodied wines and the stronger the chocolate, the more full-bodied the wine should be. For example, a bittersweet chocolate pairs well with an intense California Zinfandel.

Tip #3: If you are experimenting with several varieties of chocolates, work from light to dark. Start with a more subtle white chocolate and end on a dark or bittersweet chocolate.

• White chocolate tends to be more mellow and buttery in flavor, making it an ideal candidate for a Sherry, a Moscato d'Asti, or an Orange Muscat.
• Pinot Noir or a lighter-bodied Merlot will complement a bar of milk chocolate, a creamy chocolate mousse or chocolate accented cheesecake.
• Rieslings, Muscats or dessert wines tend to hold up well to mild milk chocolates.
• Dark or bittersweet chocolates need a wine that offers a roasted, slightly bitter flavor itself, with perhaps a hint of its own chocolate notes. Cabs and Zinfandels have a history of perfecting the dark chocolate match, resulting in an unparalleled tasting combination. A Cabernet Sauvignon or a Zinfandel will more than fill your chocolate pairing expectations.
  

We've have really great chocolates in stock for your Valentine's Day gifts and if you'd like to try them before you purchase them, come to our Wine and Chocolate tasting on Tuesday where we pair our favorite chocolate friendly wines with confections that are available in the store such as:

Charles Chocolates - Named by Food and Wine as one of the top 10 chocolates, the pictured heart shaped box contains chocolate hearts filled with a rich, creamy ganache in three flavors: raspberry, passion fruit, and mojito in a thin 65% bittersweet shell. We also carry their Tea Collection boxed chocolates, the bars and other confections.

Bittersweet Confections - Another find for us at the Crescent City Farmer's Market in 2006, we became the first retail account for Cheryl Scripter's locally made confections and many have smartly followed! Come to the store and check out her famous truffles in a martini glass, boxed truffles, fudge, caramels, coconut clusters and other delicious confections! Check out Sheryl's video below.

So for Valentines Day go out and buy some chocolates, and a few bottles of wine, and see what works. If nothing else you'll be eating chocolate and drinking wine. Now that's a perfect pairing!

Here's a short video of Sheryl in her shop talking about her truffles and other confections:

Felidia, Delizioso!

The reservation for our much anticipated dinner at Felidia was Tuesday night. I was able to
arrange it through one of the Bastianich staff who visited us last summer (thank you Caroline!). If you spend any time with us or in the shop, you know how we feel about Lidia and her wines. She and her son Joey own the Bastianich winery in Friuli and La Mozza in the Maremma (Tuscany). The Bastianich Tocai Friulano, Vespa Bianco, Rosato and Sauvignon Blanc as well as the La Mozza I Perazzi are some of few standard labels of our ever revolving inventory. We drink them often and recommend them frequently as we've sold close to 800 bottles of their wines since we opened.

We also are huge fans of Lidia's show on PBS, Lidia's Italy, that takes you on a journey with Lidia to her ten favorite regions around Italy as she introduces you to friends and family and takes you to food markets, fishing villages and farms as you haggle over the price of fish and forage for the perfect truffle. Then, return back to Lidia’s familiar kitchen to prepare a sumptuous meal using the regional recipes and ingredients. We also own a few of her cookbooks and have loved everything we've made.

So, needless to say, we had high expectations, especially after all of the great food we had eaten over the last few days! We were greeted by an incredibly friendly staff who gave us Lidia's regards and said she was sorry she couldn't be there to greet us. True or not, it was a very nice gesture on their part! We were led past a beautiful mahogany bar to a wonderful table near the kitchen in the second dining room. It's a very warm, kind of cozy atmosphere; beautiful hardwood floors, amber textured walls with a stained wood wainscoting, all washed in great ambient lighting from the sconces on the wall.

As soon as we sat down, we were brought complimentary bubbly, a sparkling wine in the Bastianch line that I've never seen before. A very crisp, clean sparkling that was mainly Chardonnay and had a beautifully dry finish. The wine list was incredible with every region of Italy represented in both red and white wines as well as nearly every other wine producing country from Croatia, Greece and Hungary to the European powerhouses of France, Spain, Austria and Germany to the new world players of the US, South American, Australia and New Zealand. The menu had to be close to 40 pages long and the prices ranged from a $25 of Croatian Katunar Žlahtina to a $2250 bottle of a 1955 Biondi Santi Brunello and truly everything in between.

To start our evening, I chose a 2000 Bastianich Vespa Bianco, the flagship wine of the estate created to showcase the power and evolution that a great Friulian white can have. Consisting of equal parts Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay with a touch of Picolit, Vespa Bianco becomes a sum of its parts, a wine of amazing complexity. A five time winner of the prestigious Gambero Rosso Three Glasses award, the Vespa Bianco is incredible in any vintage! I was debating between the 2000 and the 2006 and the very unpretentious sommelier steered me toward the 2000 to see how well the wine ages. With creamy layers of stone fruit intertwined with smoke, earthiness and French oak, this medium-bodied white shows outstanding harmony and tons of style and was fabulous with the food! I'm really glad I ordered it because it reminded me of how special this wine is and that I need to get it back in the shop, especially at the incredible price of $30 retail!

The second wine of the evening came from my new favorite wine region, the eastern area of Sicily near Mt. Etna. These wines are incredibly elegant yet powerful, more reminiscent of burgundy than the dark reds of the island. I chose the Palari Rosso di Soprano, a blend of local grape varieties, Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Nocera, Acitana, and Jacche. The blend is based on a wine known in antiquity as Mamertino, which comes from the native nerello mascalese, nerello cappuccio, nocera. Medium ruby with a striking garnet tinge, this wine is immediately approachable, even with its grippy tannins. An alluring nose of baked earth and raspberry fruit. The medium-full body is filled with flavors of cherry, blackberry, raspberry and leather with a silky mouth feel.

Now came the arduous task of trying to chose what to eat from the menu of food and specials we were given! Since there were 4 of us, we decided to get lots of dishes and eat family style, and between what we ordered and the fabulous complimentary items they sent out, it would be hard to write about everything, so here are the highlights!

Antipasti: Il Polipo all Griglia- sliced mosaic and grilled octopus with burrata stracciatella and black olives. Burrata is a typical cheese produced in the province of Bari, in the south of Italy. It has the shape of a small “sack” made of soft cheese which contains a generous quantity of stracciatella, a delicate mixture of fresh cream and mozzarella frayed in thin threads. The octopus was sliced super thin and the mixture of flavors with the divine sweet creamy burrata and the salty olives was nothing short of amazing. Hands down the best octopus I've ever eaten!

Primi Piatti: Il Cacio e Pere - Pear and fresh pecorino-filled ravioli, aged pecorino, crushed black pepper. Creamy and rich with an incredible mix of textures filling the melt in your mouth fresh pasta sacks.

Secondi Piatti: Il Manzo, Flat Iron braised in Goulash sauce, or the Il Branzino, Whole grilled Mediterranean bass. Both were delicious, but by this time we had a cocktail, sparkling wine, a bottle of white and a bottle of red. The details of the dishes are a bit blurry, but the feeling of gastronomic satiation lives on!

I Dolci: Panna Cotta di Mandorle - the creamiest, smoothest panna cotta, somehow delicate and rich at the same time with a subtle almond flavor. The perfect end to the perfect meal!

All in all, it was an incredible experience that exceeded our expectations. The service was impeccable, attentive but not intrusive; the environment and physical space were beautiful without any pretense or snobbishness which was surprising in a restaurant with the reputation of Felidia. And the food was spectacular, with each palate pleasing dish presenting a incredible array of flavors, textures and individuality. Delizioso!!

Check out this great video of Lidia talking about her restaurant:

Felidia Restaurant New York, NY - Click here for more free videos

Adventures in the Big Chilly Apple!

Wow, what an eventful 24 hours we had! From incredible Indian food Sunday night in Midtown, a giant bagel and spinach knish on 2nd Ave for breakfast, Korean food at Times Square and then three fabulous Italian wine bars in 3 hours! Luckily we are walking everywhere so hopefully the damage to our waistlines won't be quite so bad...

The feeding frenzy started Sunday night as we bundled up (it was 17 degrees!) and walked up and down 2nd Ave in Midtown in search of something to eat that we can't get at home. We hit the jackpot with a little Indian place called Amma on 51st, between 2nd and 3rd Ave. Walking up the stairs to the first floor of a brownstone, we knew it must be good as it was packed with happy diners when many of the restaurants had few patrons on a Sunday night. They gave us a prime table in the front corner where we had a great view of the whole restaurant. They had a $35 prix fixe menu that included a soup, appetizer, entree and dessert. Having once been very intrigued by Indian cuisine ever since my sister adopted my niece Rika from India, I have cooked a lot of it and have been very partial to the flavors of Southern India and Kerala. The curry leaves, Kaffir lime leaves, mustard seeds, dahl and light sauces are a refreshing change from the richer foods of Northern India and this restaurant did it right! If I had to pick a favorite dish, it would either be the toor dahl donut appetizer swimming in all three of their traditional condiments, a spicy tamarind, sweet mint and tangy yogurt sauce or the baked chicken stuffed with paneer and spinach covered in a spicy tomato sauce or possible the cardamom flavored ice cream that left bits the lovely fragrant seed for you to crunch on. Absolutely fabulous!

Yesterday morning started with a giant everything bagel slathered with a fresh onion and chive cream cheese from Tal Bagels around the corner. There is just nothing like a fresh New York bagel, period. We also tried a spinach knish which was a bit bland but just looked too good behind the counter to pass up.

Then we took off to Central Park West to check out a great little Salumeria Rossi, a Tuscan inspired restaurant/grocery. Walking in, you see the deli counter on your left with a wide assortment of cured meats, Italian cheeses, antipasti beautifully displayed with the intention of getting your mouth watering so you can't help but want to sit down and eat. The menu leans toward small tastes, rather than large appetizers and entrees with everything from Cavolini, a dish of brussel sprouts, pancetta and garlic, to Le Puntarella, consisting of Italian wild chicory and anchovies cooked in garlic, lemon, and olive oil to delicious looking meat and cheese boards. But, with our bellies still full from the bagel and lunch plans in an hour, we decided we needed to come back.

Lunch plans took us the offices of the New York Times to meet an old high school friend of Kerry's, Kim Severson. Kim is one of the food critics for the Times, so we knew lunch with her would be an adventure not to be missed. And she delivered with a rustic little Korean restaurant, Cho Dang Gol on W. 35th between 5th and 6th. The owner, Kim Bong Ok was born in a village in the South Korean province of Kangwon known for its tofu. As a child, she learned how to make more than 100 dishes using the tender bean curd and the restaurant is now famous for it and offers more than two dozen dishes with different renditions of tofu. I don't know enough about the cuisine to accurately describe it, so all I can say is that it is definitely worth the trip. And the company was fabulous, thank you Kim!

The rest of the day we focused on Italian food and wine so I'll write about that in my next entry. Right now we've got to get ready to go to the wine conference, the excuse we used to come here!

The DC 8

The DC8, it's our new secret society whose rites and rituals are devoted to the pursuit of the perfect pairing; innovative food combined with artisanal wines, and not to mention mostly silly and sometimes engaging conversation. The members will remain nameless so as not to suffer any negative consequences for acknowledging their membership or to jeapordize their reputations as serious wine professionals and enthusiasts.

We conducted our first meeting last night where each twosome was assigned a course and each course was accompanied by their best wine pick. My favorite pairing of the night was the cold starter of mushroom mousse on toast points topped with seared lamb and provencal herbs paired with a 2006 Domaine Les Pallieres Gigondas. The textures of the food, crisp bread, creamy mousse and tender lamb combined beautifully in your mouth with the earthy, dark fruits of the wine adding the perfect compliment. The rich and sweet potato and chipotle soup with bacon and pepper relish worked delicoiusly with the slightly off-dry 2004er Alfred Merkelbach Spatlese, and even though our 2007 Villa Sparina Gavi di Gavi was corked we improvised with a 2005 Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet to compliment our whole roasted red fish with panko crusted vegetables and Meyer lemon relish. The most creative dish of the night came from the dessert team who served blue cheese ice cream set atop a slice of fresh pear with a crushed walnut granish accompanied by the J Pear Liqour. The chunks of blue cheese in the sweet creamy base mingled in your mouth with this salty/sweet sensation accompanied by the soft crunch of walnuts and fresh pear was absolutely delightful and bizarre at the same time.

A ridiculously fun time was had by all and we are anxiously awaiting our next underground meeting with a "yellow" food theme, where access is granted only by demonstrating the secret handshake...

Italian Wine, Love at First Sip

My love affair with wine began with Italy. I didn’t know when I jumped in headfirst that it was probably the most difficult viticultural country to understand. With over 800 distinct grape varietals, 21 classified regions and hard to decipher wine labels, Italian wines are a never-ending source of intrigue or intimidation, depending on your outlook. For me however, there is no other place in the world where food, wine and cultural are so beautifully entwined. The experience of drinking Italian wine isn’t complete with the regional food products that complement it. Italians truly thrive on personal contact and they think very carefully about how everything at their table - the wine, the food, the people, the place - fits together.

On my journey there have been two books that have helped guide me through the maze of Italian wine. I read Vino Italiano by Joseph Bastianich & David Lynch when I want to curl up on the sofa and learn about the Italian wine experience of a particular region. This engaging book explores each region's predominant grapes, winemaking styles, major producers and the history and culture of the region. At the end of each chapter they give recommendations for a tasting of wines from the region, travel tips and delicious regional recipes by Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali to accompany the food.

When I’m looking for very specific information on a certain wine and its producer, there is no other book to reach for than Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia (www.gamberorosso.it). Published yearly, it is a guide to the best wine production in Italy, a reference book for both enthusiasts and professionals. The guide is an off-shoot of the Slow Food movement founded in Italy by Carlo Petrini in 1986. Slow Food (www.slowfood.com) is an international association that promotes food and wine culture, but also defends food and agricultural biodiversity worldwide. It opposes the standardization of taste, defends the need for consumer information, protects cultural identities tied to food and gastronomic traditions, safeguards foods and cultivation and processing techniques inherited from tradition and defends domestic and wild animal and vegetable species.

Unlike other wine evaluation magazines and publications whose scores represent one reviewer’s opinion, Gambero Rosso uses panels of experts to review the wines and created an evaluation system expressed in “glasses”, from one to three for the best wines of all. The “Tre Bicchieri” (three glasses) label has becomes a byword for quality.

For the 2008 edition, 30 plus tasting panels each comprised of five judges worked for over 2 months blind tasting around 25,000 wines. Just under 10,000 wines were rejected outright and the rest were awarded scores ranging ranging from simple honorable mention to 2 glasses. From that phase 1500 wines were selected for the finals in Rome, and only 305 received the highest award, the renowned Tre Bicchieri® (Three Glasses).

Three sentences at the end of the introduction in Gambero Rosso 2006 provide some wonderful insight as to how Italians feel about wine; “…a great wine, or even just an honestly made one, is more than just something to drink. Above all, a wine is the soul of a territory in the bottle. More often that not, it is a product of the love that binds the winemaker to the local soil.” I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my 2009 edition!

Justin Pitts, Farming with a Purpose

Searching for an alternative to hormone injected, GMO feed meats in the grocery store, Kerry and I sought out the colorful Mr. Justin Pitts last year at the Saturday Crescent City Farmers market. It only took 1 cut of beef to convince us that he was the real deal and he has set the standard to which we judge all beef and pork products we eat!

Here is an interview with Justin from the Farm Aid website:

"A walk on Justin Pitts' heritage cattle farm in Jones County, Mississippi will carry you back 100 years, says the 40-year-old family farmer whose been working the land all his life.

"I’ve been farming since I was able to walk alongside my granddad as a child," Pitts says.

The Pitts family’s farming roots are deep. They’ve worked farmland in the area since 1815. Pitts has staked his claim to 160 acres of rolling woodland and pasture near the county seat of Ellisville. He rents another 160 down the road. The farm is sandy-soiled, but produces good forage for livestock. Pitts markets his heritage breeds of cattle, sheep and goats at farmers markets, health food stores and catering companies in and around New Orleans.

"I can’t raise enough lamb to meet the demand in New Orleans," Pitts says.

His heritage breeds date back to the days when Spain held sway in the region.

"I raise Piney Woods Cattle, some call them Mississippi Woods Cattle. The "Spaniards brought them over. They’ve passed from one generation to the next as far back as anyone can remember," says Pitts. Spanish Goats and native Mississippi sheep, plus a flock of 250 heritage breed laying hens round out the bulk of farm production. For Pitts, whose independent streak is evident in virtually every statement he makes, economic survival depends on being able to work a market niche, but farming is as much about raising good food as it is about anything else.

"I tell the people who buy this meat that I’ve grown it with me in mind. It’s for me first, then everybody else. I don’t want to eat any hormones, or implants or antibiotics in my food, so you won’t find any in my meat. My animals graze. They eat blue stem grass and whatever else is growing up in the woods. I might feed them a little corn every once in a while if I have to supplement their feed, but I don’t like to buy corn because it’s probably all GMO corn."

While consumer interest in locally raised and grass fed meat is growing, Pitts says making a living on the farm is still a tremendous challenge. Sixteen hour days are not uncommon. He regularly drives to New Orleans to participate in the Crescent City Farmers Market and sell to other retailers. He also has to drive his animals to a small, USDA-inspected slaughterhouse in De Kalb, Mississippi to be processed. It’s 125 miles one-way, and with the price of gas going up, it’s getting tougher.

"It’s a pill everyday trying to get something accomplished," says Pitts. "But maybe the government will leave me alone and I’ll make it.""

We talked back then about planning an event together and it's only taken a year, but we've finally got it on the books. This month's Tapas Tuesday will feature 5 different beef and pork products from Justin Pitts exquisetly prepared by Josh Garic of Vega Tapas Cafe (who also prepared the food for our event at the Degas House) paired with our favorite meat friendly wines like Argentinean Malbec, California Cabernets and Petit Sirah, French Bordeaux and more...And we'll have Justin in the house selling his delicious products that you are sure to want to purchase after you taste them! But call if you want to come, this is sure to be a sell out! 504.304.0635

Growing Green, The Emerging Trend in Winemaking

Going Green has become the catch phrase of the decade and the wine industry is seeking to define itself in this growing movement of earth friendly practices. Many wineries are touting themselves as sustainably farmed, organic or biodynamic. So what do the terms means and do they really have and effect on the wine? We've been exploring this subject tastings and articles lately but have decided to take it one step further. Read on and see what Swirl is doing to help you make educated choices concerning your wine selections at the shop.

Sustainable Farming
According to the University of California, Davis: “Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals--environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, stewardship of both natural and human resources is of prime importance. Stewardship of human resources includes consideration of social responsibilities such as working and living conditions of laborers, the needs of rural communities, and consumer health and safety both in the present and the future. Stewardship of land and natural resources involves maintaining or enhancing this vital resource base for the long term.” A great and wordy concept however, there are no hard and fast rules that define the term, it’s up for interpretation by the winery as to what procedures and processes they will use to id entify themselves as “sustainable”.

One of our producers, Fog Alley, defines themselves as such and has defined three indicators of Sustainable Agriculture:
1. Environmentally Sound
2. Economically Feasible
3. Socially Equitable
Some specific practices implemented by Fog Alley growers include:
-Natural Biological Control -- encourages natural predators to control rodents Soil Welfare -- by using a variety of cover crops to protect and enhance the productivity of the soil
-Recycling of Natural Resources -- reclaims water used by facility through a series of ponds that is later used to irrigate the vineyards
-Improving Wildlife Habitat -- directs the run-o_ of rain water to the natural wetlands nearby
-Education -- developing demonstration vineyards used for regular vineyard management training and education of customers

Organic Farming
Organic farming is very well defined when compared to sustainable agriculture. There are nationally sanctioned organic practices that must be complied with in order to label products as "certified organically produced," making it very clear what certified organic means.

In the vineyard organic means cultivating the soil and planting cover crops, instead of applying herbicides. It means using natural fertilizers, such as composted animal manure, versus chemical fertilizers. As for not using pesticides, the organic alternative is to encourage natural predators of insect pests instead of using poisonous insecticides. Organic farmers promote "biodiversity" and allow plants other than vines to grow in and around the vineyard.

In the cellar, "organic" suggests minimal processing and no use of chemical additives. Organic winemakers pay particular attention to three factors: the use of yeasts, the filtration/fining method, and the use of sulfur dioxide. The need for cultured yeasts in organic winemaking is reduced by the farming practice itself, for wild yeasts remain present, unperturbed by weed killers or insecticides. Therefore their use is limited to difficult weather conditions which would threaten the harvest. The physical treatment of the wine (like filtering and fining) is kept to a minimum. Minimizing the use of sulfur dioxide as an antioxidant is stringently observed. It's rather difficult to make a wine that will keep well without adding at least some additional sulfites to those naturally occurring.

Tablas Creek defines their organic vineyard practices as: "Our organic vineyard practices following the lead of our Beaucastel estate in Chateauneuf du Pape. Like Beaucastel, we use no herbicides or systemic pesticides in the vineyard. We rely on cover cropping, hand hoeing, burning, and mulching to suppress weeds in the rows. Cover crops minimize erosion, host beneficial insects, and return nitrogen to the soil. We use extensive composting, and use compost tea to control mildew in the vineyard and reduce our need for sulfur." All of their wines have been organic certified since in January, 2003.

Biodynamic Farming
Biodynamics, goes well beyond the stringent guidelines of organic growing. It's about believing in the self-sustainabilty of the vineyard as well as viewing the practice of biodynamic farming in a holistic manner. Biodynamics mixes sustainability with more celestial beliefs and takes a spiritual as well as mystical approach to conventional farming methods.

The practice of biodynamics views the vineyard in its entirety as a living system. And, it's not just about the vines and grapes. It's also about the soil, compost, insects, and other vegetation and animals that inhabit space in the vineyard, all working in harmony to bring you some incredible tasting wines.

The concept of biodynamic farming dates back to the 1920s and Austrian philosopher, scientist and anthroposophist Rudolf Steiner. In a sense, biodynamics is an extreme form of organic farming, which avoids inorganic substances and chemical fertilizers and relies only on “natural” techniques. Biodynamic farming is associated with practices such as over-wintering manure in cow horns, fermenting flowers in stags’ bladders, or timing procedures with the phases of the moon. But while these techniques sound eclectic and obscure, they’re in fact “a way of life, a philosophy of farming that’s thousands of years old,” according to Bruno Allaire, president of Dynamic Imports, an importer and distributor of wines made exclusively from biodynamic or organically-grown grapes.

But biodynamic farming isn’t just an agricultural method. To Steiner and his followers, it’s a holistic philosophy of life forces that treats all of cosmos as a living system and emphasizes factors like energy, lunar cycles and planetary forces. Basically the idea is that everything in the cosmos—people, plants, animals and stars—are interconnected, influencing each other. While this sounds ecologically responsible but somewhat lofty, the reasons for more and more vintners going biodynamic have to do with the fact that the biodynamic method really brings out the terroir of a wine. And that's what it's all about, right?

So how can Swirl help you make educated choices concerning your wine selections at the shop? Over the next few weeks you'll be seeing a new bottle tag that will indicate whether a winery is applying any of the above practices. Just look for this special tag and you just might find out that one of your favorite wines is already "growing green"!

Into Shrooms?

We had a very productive trip to the Crescent City Farmers Market last week. Not sure how much winter produce would be available, we were pleasantly surprised to find the most tender and delicious broccoli, dark leafy kale, cauliflower, lots of locally grown citrus and incredibly fresh shiitake mushrooms.

Mushrooms are one of those products I've been thinking about growing at home. There is a lot of information out there about home growing kits and I was surprised to find the vendor at the market not only sold the shrooms, but also the kits. The traditional way of growing shiitake mushrooms is with shiitake grow logs. However, many companies are now using a blend of sawdust and nutrients in a grow bag that can give you 6-7 good crops of mushrooms, around 2lbs., with little work or space, and all for under $30!

Mississippi Natural Products, the vendor at the CCFM, sells the kits online at http://www.naturalmushrooms.com/
or, visit them at the market where you can first buy some mushrooms from them and see what you think! We found them incredibly fresh and tasty and created a wonderful pasta dish. I've tried to recreate the recipe below, but since I don't measure much the quantities might be a little iffy...but you'll get the general idea!

Pasta with Fresh Shiitakes and Bacon
serves 2
1 T. butter
1/4 lb natural smoked bacon, diced
4 cloves garlic sliced
5 oz. sliced fresh shiitakes
1/4 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. white wine
pasta of choice
1/4 c. pasta water (reserved from cooking your pasta)
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. grated piave cheese (similar to parmesan, but younger, softer)
sea salt
pepper
pepperoncini (red pepper flakes)
good quality olive oil (I used the Mandranova oil I wrote about in last blog)
fine bread crumbs

• Put your pasta on to boil with just a sprinkle of salt. I used a whole wheat angel hair for this
  
• Throw the butter and bacon in a big fry pan and on med to high heat, fry 'til the edges start to brown.
• Move the bacon to the sides of the pan and throw in the garlic. Add a little more butter or some olive oil if the pan seems to dry. Fry 'til the garlic is soft.
• Throw in the mushrooms, and mix them around with the bacon and garlic to coat them with butter and bacon fat.
• Add chicken stock, wine, pasta water, a little sea salt and half of the parsley. Bring it to a quick boil and then reduce to a simmer until the liquid reduces to about half.
• Add your drained pasta to the pan, pepper and pepperoncino and gently mix with the other ingredients.
• There should be a good amount of liquid in the pan, so add some of the bread crumbs to help thicken the sauce. This is one of Lidia Bastianich's tricks that I've been using lately.
• Simmer for another minute. Turn off the heat and add a couple of gulps of good quality olive oil drizzled all around the pasta, and sprinkle with half the cheese.
  
• Garnish each serving with a good sprinkle of parsley and cheese.

Buon Appetito!

The Delightful and Charming Clovis Taittinger

We had the honor of meeting and dining with the youngest of the Taittinger family at the Ritz Carlton last week. The most humble of French aristocrats, Clovis presented 6 of his exquisite bubblies in the true European style of a four hour lunch. He also paid a visit to the shop on Saturday where he again shared incredible wine, cheese and conversation for a few hours before trotting off to his tasting at Ric Hoppers. We have always loved the Taittinger wines, but are now fans for life! Thank you to Penny Kelly, Kobrand and Clovis for the great wines and fabulous company! Taittinger at Swirl: La Francais (750’s and 375s) Prelude and Rosé (one of our absolute favorite Rosé bubblies ever!)

Mandranova, Sicilian Olive Oil From the Gods

Located only 90 miles from the coast of North Africa, Sicily's summer sun is relentless which gives Sicilian produce an intensity of flavor that is not found in the north of Italy.

Olive oil is almost synonymous with Italian cooking, and nearly every region in Italy has its own homemade variation. Sicilian olive oil, however, may boast the oldest lineage, dating back to the 5th century B.C. when colonists from Greece were probably the first to plant olive trees in Sicily, starting around 500BC.

Sicily currently has four certified DOP (designation of origin) olive growing regions and is waiting on certification for two other areas. Sicily commits thousands of acres of land to growing olives and the high quality olives produced are a result of fertile, volcanic (in parts) soil. While Carolea, Nocellara, and Biancolilla are the most widely cultivated olive varieties in Sicily, one can also find Crasto, Ogliarola Messinese, Cerasuola, La Minua, La Cavaleri, Tonda Iblea, Moresca, and Castiglione.

The Mandranova Olive Oils come from Southern Sicily, near Agrigento. They focus on preserving the particular quality of each type of olive. Their extra-virgin olive oils are "monocultivar", sort of like single varietal, and their methods of pressing the oil vary according to each variety of olive. An accurate control process of each stage of the productions makes it possible to obtain products of highest quality, which has been recognized by several prizes awarded at both national and international level.

The oils are incredibly fresh, just pressed in October and are absolutely delicious! We are sharing samples of them with a few of our wholesalers to see if they would be interested in bringing them in to the United States for us. Keep your fingers crossed because if you are nuts for great olive oils like we are, trust me, you want these in your pantry!

This is a great video filmed by the Culinary Media Network demonstrating the proper way to smell and taste olive oil from Sylvia di Vincenzo of the Mandranova Estate in Sicily.

Mandranova is also an Agriturismo Resort and is a must visit for any trip to Sicily. Check out their site at http://www.mandranova.it.

Ciao!

The Gavi in the Bottle

As with everyone who has experienced it, it's the bottle that grabs you first. Shapely, seductive, it calls out to you and says "come on, taste me". But once you look past the packaging, you get to what really matters, the Gavi in the bottle. Gavi has a long history in Piedmont and celebrated most of its success in the 1960s. The white wine is named for the town of Gavi, located in the southeast province of Alessandria. Gavi is produced from the Cortese grape, a varietal which has been grown throughout the province since the late 1600s. The Villa Sparina is what Gavi should be; rich almond and honey notes coat the palate, leaving you with a crisp mineral acid finish, ahh the best of both...It is available at Swirl and is our white wine pick of the month for "club swirl", our discount wine purchasing club.

I cooked a shrimp dish using fresh Louisiana Gulf shrimp we bought at the Crescent City Farmer's Market today. The God Mother of Italian cooking, Lidia Bastianich has a recipe from her native Istria called Shrimp Buzara style...it is simple and fabulous with a light tomato and white wine sauce that leaves you scraping the bottom of the pan with anything you can find in the kitchen! Divine! Go to Lidia's website for the recipe: http://www.lidiasitaly.com/appetizers/ap01.

Not the most fabulous pairing ever, but both stood exceedingly well on their own and complimented nicely.

Definitely a wine and a dish for future endeavors!

Contemplating Chickens

It's been brewing for a while now, our plan to take more control over our what we eat. We've always had a relatively healthy diet and are fully aware of the risks associated with eating the "American way". But lately it's taken a different turn as the economy's downward spiral makes the trips to Whole Foods happen less often. We've started to take advantage of our local produce at the Farmer's Market, Kerry is growing micro greens and sprouts and my next project is to plant herbs and vegetables, and possibly find us a few citrus trees. We'd like to become more self sufficient, sustainable. We're even contemplating chickens....

We also both love to cook and want the freshest, healthy ingredients possible. We are moving back to the old ways when people grew their own food and lived off their land. It's a very "old world" way of life and with all of the turmoil of the present, it seems like a more simple and gentle path.

We also both love wine and are always seeking that perfect pairing that happens when an incredible dish and a delicious wine make the meal sing. We're picky about restaurants and wine lists and most of the time we'd rather eat and drink at home. Great food and wine are important to us and we're trying to find a way to make a living out of it!

So I've created this blog to document those wine and food experiences that you don't want to forget. Be it at home, at dinner party, a little osteria in Italy or a hole in the wall diner in NewYork, I'm in pursuit of the perfect pairing and unforgettable dining experiences. Right now this is just for me, but who knows where it will lead....