Al Dente

100 Perfect Pairings and Cold Peach Shooters

 Ever wonder what appetizer to pair with your favorite bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir? Tired of giving up in frustration and settling for the same old run-of-the-mill cheese plate or bowl of olives?

Then pick up a copy of food writer and recipe developer Jill Silver
man Hough’s new book, “100 Perfect Pairings: Small Plates to Enjoy With Wine You Love” (Wiley, 2010, $16.95). This lovely hardcover tome, handily packaged in a small format so it’s easy to tote along to the wine shop or grocery store, is organized by the 12 most common wine varietals.

You’ll find everything from Chardonnay to Zinfandel paired with 100 sophisticated, yet easy-to-make appetizers—small plates such as Lobster Claw Slaw (paired with Viognier), Green Apple Caesar Salad (Pinot Grigio), or Peppercorn-Crusted Tuna (Syrah).

Hough begins each chapter with a broad-brush description of the varietal followed by the recipes for that section. The recipes often include more detailed food- and wine-pairing tips, such as “If you want a wine to work with a recipe, it always helps to put the wine in the recipe.” The book also includes 40 luscious color plate shots for inspiration.

Hough’s Cold Peach and Mango Soup Shooters pair perfectly with  the fruity, floral, often spicy notes in a good Gewürztraminer. The cool, sweet gulps are sublime for simple summer sipping at a cocktail party, on the patio, or by the pool. They also make a creative alternative to sorbet as an amuse-bouche between courses.

Hough also suggests serving the soup as a first course for a summer-time dinner party. If that’s your plan, double the recipe to make six one-cup servings.

Cold Peach and Mango Soup Shooters

Wine Varietal: Gewürztraminer

Makes 12 Shooters (1⁄4 cup each)

Ingredients:
2 limes
1 ripe freestone (the flesh doesn’t cling to the pit) yellow peach, pitted and cut into chunks
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks
3⁄4 cup buttermilk
1⁄2 cup orange juice
1⁄2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, or more to taste
Pinch cayenne pepper
12 fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Zest the limes. Set the zest aside. Juice the limes to yield 3 tablespoons of juice. In a blender or food processor, combine the lime juice, peach, mango, buttermilk, orange juice, salt, and cayenne and process until very smooth, scraping down the jar or bowl as necessary (you may have to do this in batches).

2. Transfer the soup to a container and chill for at least 2 hours. (You can prepare the soup up to 3 days in advance, storing it covered in the refrigerator.)

3. Taste, ideally with your wine, and add more lime juice and/or salt if you like. Serve the soup chilled, each serving garnished with a cilantro leaf and some of the lime zest.

Cook’s Hint: For best results, make the shooters in the summer when fresh peaches are in season. In a pinch, you can use frozen fruit, but make sure it’s unsweetened.

Food and Wine Tip: If your fruit is particularly sweet, you might notice that the soup makes your wine seem a little sour. To fix this, just add more lime juice, a teaspoon or two at a time, until the soup and the wine nicely complement each other.

Photo Credit: Lucy Schaeffer

Gourmet Game Night and Watermelon-Rosé Sangria

Popular legend has it that today’s modern-day sandwich was named after John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, who created his eponymous portable treat because he didn’t want to leave the gambling table (although his biographer said it was really so he didn’t have to leave his desk while working).

Whatever the real story, my friend and fellow Seattle-based cookbook author and food writer Cynthia Nims has bested the Earl in her latest book: Gourmet Game Night: Bite-Sized, Mess-Free Eating for Board-Game Parties, Bridge Clubs, Poker Nights, Book Groups, and More (Ten Speed Press, 2010).

Now Cynthia is no stranger to cooking or the written word, having studied at the legendary La Varenne in Burgundy, France, and assisted owner (and culinary icon) Anne Willan with cookbook projects. Not to mention the dozen books Cynthia has authored or coauthored herself including the popular Seattle and Northwest Best Places and Northwest Homegrown Cookbook series.

But after perusing her latest tome, I detected a truly personal, excitingly exuberant tone that hadn’t come through nearly as strongly in some of her previous work. A quick call to the author herself confirmed my suspicions.

“In many ways I consider this book to be more personal than any I've written to date because it does reflect on memories and values established while I was a kid, and what makes me most happy when work is done and I'm just unwinding with friends and family,” Cynthia says. “When I'm off the clock, I love playing games and enjoying great food. And having a pitcher of martinis in the fridge!”

You’ll enjoy Cynthia’s recipe for Watermelon-Rosé Sangria, the perfect summertime quencher whether playing indoor games or lolling at the pool. She recommends pairing the sangria with Swordfish and Fennel Skewers, another inspired recipe from Gourmet Game Nights and a great reason to pick up a copy of this innovative new book that would make the Earl proud.

Watermelon-Rosé Sangria
Makes 8 sangrias

Cynthia Nims says you can double or triple all the ingredients, refrigerating the extra to refill the pitcher as needed, or halve all the ingredients for a smaller batch. You can also assemble the sangria up to 8 hours ahead and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ingredients:
3-1⁄2 cups fresh watermelon juice (see Cook’s Note, below)
1 (750 ml) bottle dry rosé wine
1⁄4 cup brandy
1⁄2 orange, halved and cut across into 1⁄4-inch slices
1 lime, halved and cut across into 1⁄4-inch slices
8 (1-inch) cubes watermelon, for serving

Directions:
1. Pour 1-1⁄2 cups of the watermelon juice into an ice cube tray and freeze.

2. Combine the remaining juice with the wine, brandy, orange slices, and lime slices in a large pitcher, stir to mix, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

3. To serve, put the watermelon ice cubes in 8 stemless wine glasses or tumblers. Stir the sangria and pour it over the ice cubes, adding a slice or two of the orange and lime to each glass. Skewer the watermelon cubes at the end of small skewers or long cocktail picks and add them to the glasses.

Cook’s Note: To make the watermelon juice, if you have a juicer, make the juice according to manufacturer’s instructions. If not, it’s easy to make nonetheless. For the amount of juice needed in this recipe, start with about 7 cups of coarsely chopped watermelon (roughly half of a small round watermelon). Remove all the seeds you can find. Purée the melon in batches in a food processor or blender until quite juicy, then pour it into a fine sieve set over a bowl and let sit to drain. You can stir the pulp a bit to help drain off the juice, but don’t press on the pulp so the juice will remain as clear as possible.

Reprinted with permission from Gourmet Game Night: Bite-Sized, Mess-Free Eating for Board-Game Parties, Bridge Clubs, Poker Nights, Book Groups, and More by Cynthia Nims, copyright © 2010. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.

Photo credit: Sheri Giblin © 2010

--Braiden Rex-Johnson

Photo of Braiden by Ingrid Pape-Sheldon.

Swirl, Sip & Savor (and Snack on Sweet Hot Glazed Hazelnuts)

I’m thrilled to be one of the first journalists to write about Swirl, Sip & Savor: Northwest Wine and Small Plate Pairings a just-released food-and-wine-pairing cookbook/guidebook that showcases Northwest wines and cuisine.

A bit of a disclaimer right up front: I know the key players responsible for this smart, stylish tome. The book’s author, Carol Frieberg, and I are fellow cookbook authors and long-time friends. Both of us have published books with Seattle-based Sasquatch Books, publisher of Swirl, Sip & Savor. And Andy Perdue, the talented writer and wine expert who contributed the book’s wine-pairing and winery-sidebar information, is my long-time editor at Wine Press Northwest and also a dear friend.

But even if I wasn’t already acquainted with the masterminds behind Swirl, Sip & Savor, I would be drawn to this 224-page, four-color book because it so brilliantly showcases simple-to-prepare, yet elegantly gourmet recipes from nearly 100 wineries across Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. AND it tells you what’s best to drink with them.

Take, for example (and who wouldn’t?), Egg and Caviar Pie. This six-ingredient recipe is paired with Long Shadows Vintners Poet’s Leap Riesling, one of the Northwest’s great wines. Produced from Washington grapes, the wine is made in partnership with Armin Diel, one of Germany’s most respected winemakers. Or Flatbread with Caramelized Onions and Butternut Squash paired with Camaraderie Cellars Syrah. The wine is made on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula (moody and mystical home of the “Twilight” series of books) and is described as “a juicy example of what Syrah can be in the state of Washington.”

One of the book’s most beguiling recipes features Oregon hazelnuts and honey, along with sugar, butter, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt in a crunchy, munch-y, nutty, sweet-salty bite that pairs perfectly with a luscious Oregon-produced dessert wine. Yummy-yum!

Sweet and Hot Glazed Hazelnuts

Wine Pairing: Winter’s Hill White Gold Dessert Wine
Winter’s Hill Vineyard: Lafayette, Oregon

This strong and flavorful wine has intense flavors of honey, pears, and apples. An underlying spiciness leads to a crisp and refreshing finish. The nose has floral notes of white narcissus.

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons Oregon honey
1 tablespoon butter, melted
11/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shelled unsalted Oregon hazelnuts, skins removed (See  Cook’s Note, below)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the honey, butter, sugar, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and salt. Stir in the hazelnuts until evenly coated. Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet or a 9- by 13-inch baking pan. Spread the hazelnuts out evenly.

3. Bake on the center rack in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, jostling the baking sheet frequently, until all the hazelnuts are golden brown.

4. Remove the hazelnuts from the oven and place on a piece of aluminum foil. Let them cool for about 15 minutes, then break apart.

5. Serve right away or store in an airtight container for up to three days. If storing longer than that, reheat in the oven at 300°F for 5 minutes to crisp.

Cook’s Note: To remove hazelnut skins, toast nuts in the oven at 375°F for 10 minutes. Remove nuts, wrap them in a tea towel, and let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Vigorously rub the nuts against each other to remove most of their skins.

--Braiden Rex-Johnson

Photo of Braiden by Ingrid Pape-Sheldon.

Champagne and Crab Sings “Spring!”

One of my favorite books on food-and-wine pairing--Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier’s Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food--was written by Evan Goldstein, a Master Sommelier and wine-and-spirits educator who has worked in kitchens around the world.

In addition to Goldstein’s super-primed palate, the thing that sets this book apart is that his mother, Joyce Goldstein, devised the book’s recipes. Mom herself is no slouch in the kitchen, having once both owned and chef-ed at the celebrated Square One Restaurant in San Francisco. She’s also the author of a myriad of cookbooks including Mediterranean Fresh and Italian Slow and Savory.

And Evan Goldstein has a new book just out, Daring Pairings: A Master Sommelier Matches Distinctive Wines with Recipes From His Favorite Chefs, which promises to be a blockbuster as well.

In Perfect Pairings, Evan Goldstein goes on the record as a proponent of Champagne and sparkling wine as the “go-to” drink that pairs well with just about anything, a sentiment I strongly share.

What makes bubbles so beautiful? According to Evan Goldstein, bubbly wines work well:

• To counterbalance salt.
• To moderate heat, richness, and cream, as well as grease, butter, and deep-fried foods.
• To replace any other highlighting acid (citrus) with fish or shellfish.
• To accompany raw fish—sushi, sashimi, oysters, ceviche, and some caviars.
• To match tart foods; citrus and other tart fruits, vinegars, pomegranate, dill, capers, tomatoes, leeks, and zucchini.
• To match many Latin dishes.
• To match many Asian cuisines.
• To accompany many cheeses.
• To match dishes with crunchy texture.
• To harmonize with dishes that have an inherent toasty character.
• To accompany dishes that imply sweetness.
• To accompany foods difficult to match with other wines, such as egg dishes and soups.
• To pair with rustic or coarsely textured foods.

Steer clear of sparkling wines with:

• Dishes that are extreme--too rich or flavorful or spicy.
• Dishes that are too sweet (unless paired with sweeter styles of sparkling wine).
• Some strong-flavored fish and bitter vegetables (broccoli, escarole, radicchio).
• Rich red meats.

This lovely seasonal recipe and suggested Brut-style sparkling wines simply sing “spring!”

Crab Salad in Endive Leaves

Suggested Wine Pairings: Domaine Ste. Michelle (Columbia Valley, Washington), Domaine Chandon (Napa Valley, California), J Wine Company (Sonoma County, California)

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
1/3 cup mayonnaise, or as needed to bind
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 pound crabmeat, picked over and cartilage removed
1/3 cup finely diced celery
Grated zest of 1 lemon plus 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
12 to 18 Belgian endive leaves

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise and mustard, and then add the crabmeat, celery, lemon zest, lemon juice, chives, and parsley.

2. Add the salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. (The crab salad can be prepared up to 1 day ahead of time, though it’s better when served within 6 hours.)

3. Just before serving, spoon the crab salad onto the endive leaves and arrange on a platter.

Cook’s Hint: For an alternative presentation, or to pair better with more traditional (toasty/yeasty) styles of Champagne, spread the crab mixture on slices of toasted bread.

--Braiden Rex-Johnson

Photo of Braiden by Ingrid Pape-Sheldon.

Food-and-Wine-Pairing the WineWise Way

Having taken the better part of two years to write Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining, a 270-page book focusing on the wine regions of the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia), I know how challenging it can be to distill hundreds of interviews and folders full of information into something useful and comprehensible to the reader.

So I can only begin to imagine the task undertaken by Steven Kolpan, Brian H. Smith, and Michael A. Weiss, co-authors of WineWise: Your Complete Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Enjoying Wine, when they sat down to write about all the world’s major wine regions--from California and Australia to France and Italy and even “Up and Coming” regions, such as Greece and Canada.

In the book’s opening chapters, the three authors, who have served as professors of wine at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA) for more than 20 years, explain how to taste wine, and give an exhaustive overview of major white and red grape varieties.

The book’s final chapters discuss ways to cut costs on wine in restaurants and the best bargain wines, just the kind of information budget-conscious wine consumers are looking for in these tough economic times. 

Even more laudable is that, while covering so much ground, the authors manage to keep the language and lingo understandable by the average Joe. Bravo!

While flipping through the 360-page, gloriously produced tome, I was particularly drawn to the chapter on food-and-wine pairing, including a chart on page 292 that offers 10 simple guidelines to use when selecting a wine to pair with a meal. Reading and understanding this chart alone is worth the price of the book. Among the tips?

1. Acidity: Acidic wines--low, medium, or “so tart you drool with pleasure”--cleanse your palate of richness and also pair well with tart foods.
2. Alcohol: Lower alcohol is best for spicy or salty foods.
3. Bitterness: Bitter wines pair better than semisweet wines with earthy foods.
4. Body: Use the body of the wine (very light, light, medium, medium-full, or full) to balance a dish’s power.
5. Complementary Flavors: Pair wines with food that have complementary flavors. For example, Syrah/Shiraz often contains aromas and flavors of black peppercorn, so match it with pepper-crusted New York strip steak. Trout Amandine is a natural with the nutty notes of a Manzanilla Sherry.
6. Complexity: Complex wines shine when paired with complex foods, and vice versa.
7. Oak: Highly oaked wines complement smoky flavors or grilled fish and meats.
8. Sweetness: Whether dry, semidry, semisweet, or sweet, the wine should be at least as sweet as the food.
9. Temperature: Try a chilled glass of wine on a hot summer day; save the big dry reds for a day on the slopes (or even try a glass of glögg--hot spiced wine).
10. Experiment: Most importantly, take a chance!

“Part of the fun of pairing food and wine is that potential rush of excitement that comes from discovering an unorthodox but magnificent combination,” according to the savvy authors of WineWise.

--Braiden Rex-Johnson

Photo of Braiden by Ingrid Pape-Sheldon.

A Healthful, Nonalcoholic Sipper for the New Year (and Beyond)

It’s said that the average American gains five pounds during the holiday feeding (and drinking) frenzy. But even if that’s just an old wives’ tale, many of us look to January as a time of fresh hope and new beginnings in our diet and alcohol regimes.

So instead of my usual blog about the latest and greatest in wine and cocktails, I’d like to offer up instead a recipe for refreshing, fruit-sweetened Hibiscus Sangria. This luscious elixir is healthy (full of antioxidants, flavonoids, and other agents that may help to regulate blood pressure and blood lipids like cholesterol), tasty (thanks to the tart, zesty “zing” of dried hibiscus flowers), and--ta-da--alcohol free!

This sassy sipper comes from the world-famous Golden Door Spa’s new cookbook: Golden Door Cooks at Home: Favorite Recipes from the Celebrated Spa (Clarkson Potter, April 2009), which was released to celebrate the venerable spa’s 50th birthday.

As you’d expect, the book is rife with rich (dare I say decadent?), yet health-conscious recipes such as Thai Coconut Vegetable Soup, Whole Wheat and Flax Fettuccine with Asparagus and Porcini-Shiitake Cream, and even Vanilla Crème Brulée (!). I found the sections on Eight Steps to Mindful Eating and Making Meditation Part of Your Life especially helpful ideas to add to any dieter’s arsenal.

Good news. The chapter on Teas, Juices, and Other Drinks contains half a dozen other options. In addition to Hibiscus Sangria, I know I’ll be looking to Agave Lime Soda and Watermelon Cranberry Lime Slushy to quench my thirst in the New Year and beyond.

Hibiscus Sangria

Ingredients:
1/4 cup dried hibiscus flowers (See Cook’s Hint, below)
2 cups no-sugar-added pineapple juice, chilled
2 cups pomegranate or cranberry juice, chilled
1 cup no-sugar-added apple juice, chilled
1/2 large mango, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks (1 cup)
1 small ripe pear, cut into bite-size chunks (1 cup)
1/8 fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks (1 cup)
1 orange, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup green or red seedless grapes, halved
Ice cubes

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil and remove from the heat. Stir in the dried hibiscus flowers. Cover the pan and let stand for 20 minutes. The liquid will be very deep, vibrant red and very tart.

2. Strain, discarding the hibiscus flowers. Refrigerate the hibiscus tea until cold, about 3 hours.

3. In a pitcher, pour the hibiscus tea along with the pineapple juice, pomegranate juice, apple juice, mango, pear, pineapple, orange slices, and grapes. Stir to combine. The sangria can be made to this point and stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours.

4. To serve, place ice into eight wineglasses and pour in the hibiscus sangria, making sure to get plenty of fruit in each glass. Serve.

Cook’s Hint: Dried hibiscus flowers can be found in the tea section of the market.

Serves 8

Recipe from Golden Door Cooks at Home: Favorite Recipes from the Celebrated Spa by Dean Rucker with Marah Stets (Clarkson Potter, April 2009).

Sangria photograph by Quentin Bacon.

--Braiden Rex-Johnson

Photo of Braiden by Ingrid Pape-Sheldon.

A Warm Cup of Cheer

Rest assured I’m not much of a poet (as you will soon see below).

But one day in late November, as I sat in my office, with bone-chilling winds whipping past my window and the persistent patter of raindrops beating a rhythm in my head, the following rhyme popped into my mind, unbidden but welcome:

As the weather turns colder,
And the holidays draw near,
‘Tis the season to celebrate
With a warm cup of cheer.

In search of a warm cup of cheer, I turned to my bookshelf and pulled down A.J. Rathbun’s witty, well-researched, and gorgeously photographed new book: Dark Spirits: 200 Classy Concoctions Starring Bourbon, Brandy, Scotch, Whiskey, Rum, and More (Harvard Common Press, 2009). I was immediately drawn to the Hot Stuff chapter since it promised “to warm me from the inside out.” I love the soul-soothing recipes it contains, such as Irish Coffee (a classic), Hot Whiskey Sling, and Ambrosia (hot coffee, brandy, and Galliano).

The photograph of Aunt Betsy’s Favorite--a warm, wine-based drink--looked like something I’d want to wrap my lips and hands around. And what’s not to like about a mixture of Cab Sauv, port, brandy, and sweet spices?

Ever the nosy journalist, I checked in with A.J. to find out more about Aunt Betsy. He told me she was a former boss who was like an aunt to him and who (sadly) has since passed on. We agreed that reprinting the recipe would be a fine, fair, and fitting tribute to a wonderful woman.

So in the spirit of Aunt Betsy and other dear departed relatives and friends, I invite you to brew up a batch of Aunt Betsy’s Favorite, gather around the fire, and celebrate the holiday season. 

Aunt Betsy’s Favorite

Ingredients:
24 ounces red wine , such as a dry Cabernet Sauvignon
16 ounces tawny port
8 ounces brandy
4 ounces Simple Syrup
1 orange peel
3 whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon

Directions:
1. Add all of the ingredients to a medium-size saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes. You want it to get good and hot, but not start boiling, or even simmering. Reduce the heat midway through the cooking time if needed.

2. Once the 10 minutes have passed and the room smells wonderful, ladle the mix into heavy mugs. Avoid serving the orange peel, cloves, and cinnamon stick if your pals are worried about clunking up their smiles.

Serves 6

Excerpted from Dark Spirits, by A.J. Rathbun. (c) 2009, used by permission from The Harvard Common Press.

Photograph by Melissa Punch.

--Braiden Rex-Johnson

Photo of Braiden by Ingrid Pape-Sheldon.

“Punch” Up Your Holidays!

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, many (most!) of us are in planning mode for the biggest meal of the year. And along with the turkey and the trimmings comes another important part of the meal: what to drink.

Instead of the usual suspects--Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, or Chardonnay--I’d like to propose something quick, easy, and economical that serves a crowd and looks lovely on the buffet table to boot: warm wine punch.

In their enticing book Hot Drinks: Cider, Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate, Spiced Punch, and Spirits (Ten Speed Press, 2007), my friends Mary Lou and Robert Heiss, who run an atmospheric tea, coffee, and kitchenware shop in western Massachusetts and are the authors of several authoritative books on tea, serve up 50 recipes for classics such as Hot Buttered Rum and Spicy Mulled Cider, along with new inspirations such as Hot Wasabi Red Snapper and Pan-Asian Pear William.

In the Welcome Cups and Party Punches chapter, the husband-and-wife team feature 10 recipes including Glögg, a wintertime favorite in Sweden made of red wine, Aquavit, and brandy. Glühwein is another winter warmer featured in this informative and beautifully photographed book. “European punch” includes hard cider, brandy, dark honey, all manner of spices, not to mention citrus slices and twists.

You’ll want to go a’ wassailing when you read the recipe for Wassail, an ale-based punch that Brits drunk on Twelfth Night (January 5), at the end of the Christmas season. According to the recipe’s headnote, “The holiday Wassail bowl is popularly associated with medieval England, but is also part of even earlier Norse and Saxon traditions of celebrating the passage out of the darkest night of winter into a new year.”  Sounds promising.

I’ve included the Heisses’ recipe for Cranberry Claret Cup--a contemporary warm red-wine punch--below. Should you have any left over (highly unlikely), it makes a perfect poaching liquid for fresh pears or a heady foundation for a hot fruit soup.

Cranberry Claret Cup

Serves 12 or more

Ingredients:
1 bottle (750 ml) red Bordeaux wine
4 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1 cup (8 ounces) brandy
1/4 cup granulated sugar
12 whole allspice berries
8 whole cloves
8 thin slices of fresh ginger
2 (5-inch) Ceylon cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
1 lemon cut into 8 wedges

Directions:
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat and bring to a very low simmer. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Ladle into heatproof punch cups or demitasse cups and serve warm.

Recipe reprinted with permission from Hot Drinks: Cider, Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate, Spiced Punch, and Spirits. Copyright © 2007 by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss, Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.

--Braiden Rex-Johnson

Cranberry Claret Cup photo by Marshall Gordon.

Photo of Braiden by Ingrid Pape-Sheldon.

Braiden-Rex Johnson: Cool Cocktails

It was a red-letter day in June when the editors of Food & Wine magazine’s Cocktails 2009 named ART Restaurant and Lounge in the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle as one of the top 100 bars and lounges across America. Food & Wine’s annual cocktail compendium presents more than 150 of the best cocktail and party recipes from cutting-edge bartenders coast to coast.

I was particularly pleased when ART was chosen since it’s right across the street from our downtown Seattle condo, so it’s easy to slip across the plaza for a sip and a nosh without getting in the car.

ART took home the bacon for one of its signature cocktails--Sorriso. The creative cocktail--which translates as “smile” in Italian--includes pear vodka, gin, cream sherry, cherry brandy, and Angostura bitters, all garnished with a twist of lemon.

Recently, I’ve been taken with another of ART’s signature cocktails--The Big Dill. It’s the kind of drink that’s fashionable of late, with savory ingredients (fresh cucumber) muddled with herbs (fresh dill) and mixed with freshly squeezed lime juice and agave syrup (a healthy sugar substitute, although simple syrup works just as well). The citrus and sweet syrup create a sort of sweet-and-sour effect, while good-quality vodka adds the final cool, crisp, alcoholic punch.

Since I’m really more of a wine aficionado than cocktail expert, I turn to books by two of Seattle’s cocktail kingpins and buddies of mine, whenever I have a question.

Just this spring, Seattle celebrity chef Kathy Casey whipped up a delightful new tome (her ninth) entitled, Sips & Apps: Classic and Contemporary Recipes for Cocktails and Appetizers.

With a hip, yet retro feel, the book is stylishly produced in Casey’s signature colors--robin’s egg blue, celadon, chocolate brown and silver--and includes more than 100 appetizer and cocktail recipes, a bar-basics section, recipes for cocktail cornerstones such as infused syrups and fresh fruit purées, along with insider tips.

A.J. Rathbun, kitchen editor at Amazon.com, is one of the most prolific writers I’ve ever met. His award-winning Good Spirits: Recipes, Revelations, Refreshments, and Romance, Shaken and Served with a Twist is an entertaining and engaging collection of 450 classic and contemporary cocktail recipes with quirky names (Headshrinker, Flaming Dr. Pepper, Obituary Cocktail), lively headnotes, and gorgeous photos by the aptly named Melissa Punch.

For those who want to try their hand at making a cool cocktail at home, here’s a recipe for The Big Dill courtesy of ART Restaurant and Lounge.

The Big Dill
Serves 1

Ingredients:
3 sprigs fresh dill, leafy parts only (no stems)
4 (1/2-inch) slices fresh cucumber
1/2 ounce agave syrup or simple syrup (See Cook’s Hint, below)
Juice of half a fresh lime
1-1/2 ounces Square One Vodka or other good-quality vodka 

Directions:

1. In a cocktail shaker, with a muddler or wooden spoon, gently press the dill and 3 slices of the cucumber. Add the agave syrup and gently press to combine the ingredients. Add the lime juice and gently press to combine. 

2. Add the vodka and enough ice to fill the shaker and cover. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass until you reach the last half inch of liquid, which should be discarded as it may contain large flecks of dill.

3. To garnish, slice the remaining cucumber halfway into the center and position it on the rim of the martini glass.

Cook’s Hint: To make simple syrup, in a small saucepan, bring equal parts sugar and water to a boil; simmer until the sugar is dissolved, 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate in a glass jar for up to 1 month.

--Braiden Rex-Johnson

Photo of Braiden by Ingrid Pape-Sheldon

Braiden Rex-Johnson Serves Up Oysters Gratineé

September is my favorite month of the year because it signals the onslaught of oyster season.

Pairing the proper wines with raw oysters on the half shell is a delicious challenge, one of particular interest in the Pacific Northwest, the nation’s leading oyster-producing region.

Young, lean white wines with crisp acidity that slices through the briny, metallic, cucumber-y, sea-breeze flavors of oysters, routinely win oyster-and-wine-pairing contests.

Varietals that “let the oyster be an oyster” while refreshing the palate are common favorites: Sauvignon Blanc (sometimes labeled as Fumé Blanc), Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blends, Chenin Blanc, Chablis, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Melon (which in France is known as Muscadet).

Best to steer away from big, buttery, and heavily oaked Chardonnays, though. Their bold flavors clash with, and silky mouth feel often overwhelm, the beloved bivalve. Also nix anything red, Rosé, sweet, hot (high in alcohol), full-bodied, or overly flavorful in comparison to the oysters.

And be sure to serve your oyster wine cold--as cold as your oysters--so the two are simpatico. Pre-chilling the bottle in a wine cellar or refrigerator, then keeping it an ice-filled ice bucket as you enjoy it with the oysters, works well for this.

Cooked oysters are equally fun to pair with wine. Just keep in mind the sauce, herbs, and spices served with the oyster, and you’ll be in good shape.

As an excellent example, here’s a recipe for a true classic--Oysters Gratinée--oysters baked in a creamy cheese sauce. It comes from my seventh book, Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining (Wiley, 2007) and is the inspiration of Philippe Boulot, long-time executive chef of the venerable Heathman Restaurant, adjacent to The Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland.

The busy chef once cooked a 10-course dinner at the venerable James Beard House in New York City in which every course incorporated oysters! In keeping with the tips above, he suggests pairing his oyster dish with a good-quality Semillon.

Oysters Gratinée
Varietal: Semillon
Serves 4 as an appetizer

20 fresh Pacific Northwest oysters, such as Westcott Bay European Flats, Kumamoto, Kushi, or Pacific
Rock salt
1 pound leeks, chopped (green parts only)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated Swiss cheese
1 large egg yolk

1. With an oyster knife, shuck the oysters over a mixing bowl to catch all the juices. Reserve the bottom (cupped) shell from each oyster. Set the oysters aside. To prepare the reserved oyster shells for stuffing, rinse the shells in hot water, drain, and pat completely dry. Place a layer of coarse salt on a rimmed baking sheet and arrange the oyster shells cup side up without crowding. Set aside.

2. Add the oyster juice, leeks, and cream to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the Swiss cheese, stir well, and allow to cool. Once cool, whisk in the egg yolk.

3. Ten minutes before cooking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Divide half the leek mixture among the prepared oyster shells, cover with an oyster, and divide the remaining leek mixture over the tops of the oysters. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until the oysters are cooked through but still tender and the sauce is slightly browned.

4. To serve, place a fresh layer of rock salt on a decorative platter or 4 individual plates. Arrange the oysters over the rock salt and serve immediately.

Recipe reprinted from Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining: The People, Places, Food, and Drink of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia (Wiley) by Braiden Rex-Johnson.

--Braiden Rex-Johnson

Photo of Braiden by Ingrid Pape-Sheldon