Mise en Place

Category: Uncategorized (Page 9 of 19)

Looking for some fine tasting? Here's your lineup. (Photo by Michelle Watson)

Great Wines for a Great Feast: Rootstock and Delicious Alchemy Pair With Perfection

May 12, 2018 / / 0 Comments

It was meant to be, is what I now think. Angela and I were at Vinology, a wine bar in Houston, sampling a few vintages on a Sunday afternoon. I had a lot on my mind, because my colleagues and I at the Recipe for Success Foundation were putting together the myriad parts of three events, the largest of which, Delicious Alchemy: The Banquet, involved 100 guests, 10 chefs creating a 10-course meal, and wine pairings for each course. It is the foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year, and I wanted to do my part to make it a perfect event.

One component of that perfection: wine. I sought to select great wines to pair with each course, bottles that would fit the fun and elegant affair and complement the food, which included snapper and shrimp ceviche, branzino, duck leg, and lobster bisque. A diverse menu, one that posed certain difficulties when it came to pairings. In an episode of serendipity, the decision to stop by Vinology that day led to perfection, because Nathan Smith was there.

Nathan is with Rootstock Wines, whose portfolio I love, and Angela and I had the same idea at the same time: Rootstock, and Nathan, would be perfect partners for the foundation and Delicious Alchemy. I had met Nathan several years earlier, when he was with Marco Wiles’ group of restaurants, and I respected his palate and approach. We told him about the event, that it was Recipe for Success’ most important fundraiser of the year, and that I wanted to give our guests unique wines, wines that spoke confidently of their provenance. Nathan immediately went to work, contacting the owner of Rootstock, Ian McCaffery, who also liked the idea.

Angela and I met Nathan for dinner a week or so later, at Amalfi Ristorante Italiano & Bar, whose chef and owner, Giancarlo Ferrara, would be cooking at the event. We talked more about the dinner, its scope and timeline, and the chefs involved. I was in the final stages of compiling a complete menu, which, a week or so later, I shared with Nathan, and the rest is history. Nathan and Ian began reaching out to their producers, who came through with aplomb, and the fine people at Kermit Lynch also offered their services. After a lot of work and thought and gracious acts (special gratitude goes to Silvia Altare and Riccardo Sorbino), the wines, and food, were set, and they were, to my mind, perfect. See for yourself:

The menu for Delicious Alchemy: The Banquet is a thing of beauty.

 

Nathan Smith: I like his style. (Nick de la Torre/Houston Chronicle )

The day arrived — May 7 — and all was in order. Nathan came to the event venue — a beautiful home in the Memorial area in Houston — in the afternoon, to open bottles and taste and confer with the service staff about the wines. We tasted and talked about the selections, and Nathan poured for the chefs. Guests arrived, dinner began, and it all went oh so well. As I wrote, Delicious Alchemy: The Banquet, is our largest fundraiser, and this year’s edition, thanks to the support and largesse of the guests, donors, and partners, raised nearly $240,000.

I cannot say enough about these selections, and I urge you to find and taste them for yourself. If you are in Houston, Houston Wine Merchant and Vinology are two great sources for these wines.

Here are some tasting notes:

Arcari+Danesi Franciacorta Brut Dossagio Zero 2013
Giovanni Arcari and Nico Danesi are the new guard of Franciacorta, making it their mission to show the true soul of the wines of their beloved region. Instead of trying to imitate Champagne (which has been the norm in Franciacorta), Arcari and Danesi make their small-production Franciacorta with a method they call “solo uva” or ” grapes only”. This method results in an elegant and fresh style of “metodo classico” sparkling wine, a product that doesn’t have the oxidative qualities that you get when using sugar for secondary fermentation.  This wine is brand new to the Texas market, but has been in high demand in the top wine markets of the world since its inaugural vintage. We couldn’t be more excited to have them as part of the Rootstock portfolio.

Region: Lombardia – Montorfano, Franciacorta
Grapes: Chardonnay 90%,  Pinot Bianco 10%
Production: 11,000 bottles
Aged on lees: minimum 30 months
Soil: moranic, silt, clay
Importer: Rootstock

Campogrande Cinqueterre Bianco 2012
The story of wine in the Cinqueterre goes back to the times of the Roman Empire, when the  terraced vineyards were built. The wines produced then were celebrated by kings, popes, and  poets. Renowned Barolo producers Elio Altare and Antonio Bonanni have rediscovered the potential in the vineyards of this Unesco Heritage site that was once overgrown by forests. Two hundred meters above the Mediterranean, the ancient coastal varieties in this wine are grown on steep, terraced vineyards, and are painstakingly worked by hand – to produce but a few thousand bottles a year.

Region: Liguria – Cinqueterre
Grapes: Bosco and Albarola
Production: 5,600 bottles
Soil: sand, schist, limestone
Skin contact: 4 days
Importer: T. Edwards (donated by Silvia Altare)

Punta Crena ‘Vigneto Ca da Rena’ Pigato 2016
The tiny village of Varigotti sits on the Mediterranean, just a few rows of houses and restaurants on a pristine beach, with its back against steep hills. Climb up into the hills and you will discover neatly terraced vineyards on the slopes and in hidden clearings farther up on the peaks. The Ruffino family has been tending these vineyards for more than 500 years, hardly changing a thing as they pass their knowledge and wisdom from one generation to the next. These grapes come from just 1200 meters from the water and enjoy sea breezes that help keep them healthy and happy. Pigato is a genetic variation of Vermentino that developed around the 18th century and was probably named for its pighe—“freckles” in the local dialect, referring to its spotty skin. Pro tip: save a splash for your branzino!

Area:  Liguria – Riviera Ligure di Ponente, Colline Savonesi
Grape: Pigato
Production: 10,000 bottles
Aged on lees: 3 months
Soil: rocky red clay
Importer: Kermit Lynch

Manni Nössing Südtirol Eisacktaler Grüner Veltliner 2015
Descended from a family of farmers, Manni Nössing has no formal training in viticulture or enology but seeks to learn from each vintage in order to produce wines that are capable of giving pleasure while also reflecting the terroir from which they originate. In 2000, he made the decision to start bottling his own wine instead of selling to a nearby co-op. Since then, he has increased his holdings to 5 hectares, all hillside vineyards at altitudes of 650 to 800 meters. Today, Manni is seen around the world as one of Südtirol’s top producers. Half of Manni’s Veltliner is fermented in acacia barrels, an alternative to oak, which adds roundness to this otherwise pristine, clean-cut white.

Region: Alto Adige (Südtirol) – Valle Isarco
Grape: Grüner Veltliner
Production: 12,000 bottles
Elevage: acacia, stainless steel
Soil: sand, granite
Importer: Kermit Lynch

Cascina Delle Rose Langhe Nebbiolo 2016
Cascina delle Rose’s three-hectare estate includes some of the best vineyards in the Rio Sordo Valley. This family operation (winery and agroturismo) has been producing world-class Barbaresco since 1948, They practice organic viticulture and traditional winemaking, using large, neutral barrels for their Barbaresco. This incredible Langhe nebbiolo is made from the same wine as their cru Barbarescos, the only difference being the oak and bottle aging. Classic pairing with butternut squash agnolotti and black truffles.

Region: Piemonte – Barbaresco
Grape:  Nebbiolo
Production: 8-10,000 bottles (depending on vintage)
Elevage: Stainless Steel
Soil: calcareous, clay
Importer: La Famiglia Corona (donated by Riccardo Sorbino of Cascina delle Rose)

Sandro Fay Valtellina Superiore Valgella ‘Costa Bassa’ 2014
A fun juxtaposition to the Langhe nebbiolo, this nebbiolo from Valtellina (regionally called “chiavennasca”) has a very long history in northern Italy. In fact, Valtellina was the first region where nebbiolo was fermented dry. Sandro Fay is based in the small town of San Giacomo di Teglio and is widely regarded as one of the leading producers in the region. They sustainably farm 14 hectares, work organically, and harvest by hand. The nebbioli of Sandro Fay come from terraced vineyards and are most notably differentiated by the effects of altitude and exposure for each of the parcels. The fruit in the Costa Bassa comes from about 500 meters above sea level, and the wine shows lighter tannin and a fuller expression of fruit with balanced acidity.

Region: Lombardia – Valgella, Valtellina
Grape Nebbiolo (Chiavennasca)
Production: 16,000 bottles
Elevage: 12 months in neutral oak
Soil: sandy silt over limestone
Importer: Rootstock

Passopisciaro Passorosso 2015
Andrea Franchetti arrived on Mt. Etna in 2000 as one of the first of the modern wave of producers on the volcano. There, he found 70- to 100-year-old, bush-trained vines across the northern side of the volcano across a variety of optimal sites between 550 and 1,000 meters (1,800 to 3,300 feet) above sea level. The grapes are taken from various contrade (crus) of Malpasso, Guardiola, Santo Spirito, Favazza and Arcuria; generally, the higher crus are on a more gravelly soil, the lower ones in a deeper powder made with more oxidized, older lavas. Often compared to Burgundy and Nebbiolo these wines are really something all their own – offering red fruits, minerals, herbs, and the apparent aroma of the volcano in the glass.

Region: Sicilia – Mt. Etna
Grape: Nerello Mascalese
Production: 40,000 bottles
Elevage: large-format neutral oak
Soil: primarily gravelly soil and old lava flow
Importer: Rootstock

Tenuta di Trinoro Le Cupole 2015
Located in a remote corner of southeastern Tuscany, Tenuta di Trinoro specializes in rich, age-worthy red wines made of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. The 200-hectare estate sits in viticultural isolation in the Orcia Valley near Sarteano, where Tuscany meets Umbria and Lazio. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in one- to three-year-old barriques and cement, Le Cupole is velvety and approachable. Tenuta di Trinoro is the first project of Andrea Franchetti, and has an interesting connection to Houston. Andrea is the nephew of artist Cy Twombly, whose collection has its own building at the Menil. Andrea purchased this estate in Val D’Orcia after selling one piece of his uncle’s art!

Region: Tuscany – Val D’Orcia
Grapes: Cab Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot
Production: 57,000 bottles
Elevage: 8 months in neutral French barrique (1 to 3 years old)
Soil: Clay, Limestone, gravel
Importer: Rootstock

Meroi Verduzzo Friulano 2013
Coming from the westernmost part of Colli Orientali in Friuli, Meroi is a winery of great importance in the region. Damiano Meroi and his father make some of the area’s best red and white wines, as well as amazing dessert wines made from indigenous varieties. This wine is made from Verduzzo Friulano and is a traditional pairing with local desserts. Fun fact: Verduzzo is considered to be the most anti-oxidant of all grape varieties.

Region: Friuli – Colli Orientali
Grape: Verduzzo
Production: 2,500 bottles
Elevage: 30 months in used barrique
Soil: Eocenic marl (Ponca)
Importer: Rootstock

(Slideshow photos courtesy Michelle Watson)


Up next: The food at Delicious Alchemy: The Banquet

Dressed for the horses

Derby Day: Assault, a King Ranch Wonder Horse, Takes The Triple Crown

May 5, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Derby Day, and thoughts go back to 2013, when Angela and I spent the weekend in Louisville with friends and hundreds of thousands of strangers drinking Juleps and drenched — it was a muddy running — the women with plastic over their hats, the men wearing shoes heavy with rain. We were lodging in a haunted bed and breakfast near the river, a house whose owner was delightfully eccentric and made soft and creamy eggs for our breakfast.

I’ve forgotten who won the Derby that year, and I guess I could look it up, but I prefer to remember Barbaro, and another horse, this one a Triple Crown winner, the only horse from Texas to have ever won that illustrious title (and one of only 12 horses ever). He was foaled at King Ranch on March 26, 1943, sired by Bold Venture, winner of the Derby and Preakness Stakes. Assault’s story is an inspiring one; known as the “Club-footed Comet”, the chestnut horse stepped on what is believed to have been a surveyor’s stake early in life, and thereafter walked with a limp, an impediment that disappeared at full gallop, something Assault did with gusto.

Assault died in 1971. Think of him today while watching The Derby, and while you are, I hope, sipping a Mint Julep.

 

Turkish dumplings at Nancy's Hustle: These will warm you on a chilly evening.

Lardo Takes Me to Florence, Manti to Istanbul: That’s a Great Week in Houston Dining

January 16, 2018 / / 0 Comments

You’re walking around Florence, taking in as much as you can, running your hands across the stones of buildings, wondering about the people who lived and loved and died in them a thousand years before you were born. You imagine all the wild boar roaming in the hills above the city, think about feasts of yore at which cinghiale starred, you wind down a narrow passage near the river and find yourself outside the restaurant with the rabbit dish you love. At your table, you order a quartino of Nebbiolo and accept a small plate of lardo, a gift from the owner. Outside, the sun begins to set. Inside, the evening begins, deliciously.

Lardo. If you’ve never experienced the pleasure that is lardo melting on your tongue, get a table at Houston restaurant Charivari (no, it’s not the only place in the city that serves lardo, but it’s certainly home to some fine examples of it) and ask for it. The chef, Johann Schuster, will be happy to oblige. Here’s a look at a platter of the food that I sampled recently at the midtown establishment — and I find myself wanting more as I write this.

Lardo, two ways, and tongue head cheese.

Read about Schuster’s lardo here, and don’t delay if you want some, because this is not mass-produced salumi. (I write about a great dish at Nancy’s Hustle as well in the piece. The manti served at the new — and popular — restaurant in Houston’s EaDo area, took me back to Istanbul, as the lardo transported me to Florence. Not bad for a week in Texas.)

Finally, I give you sausage, two made with skill by Schuster, which I tasted on the lardo evening. There’s a rich, decadent blood sausage, and a garlic sausage that is as good as any I’ve ever had. You’ll love them.

Blood sausage and a hearty garlic sausage, as served at Charivari

The Nancie Chardonnay would make a nice gift for your mother — or anyone. (Courtesy SommSelect)

A Wine For Your Mother, And You — Plus, Some Fine Rum Distilled in Texas, and The Brockhaus Returns

January 10, 2018 / / 0 Comments

There are times, when working on stories, that one comes across individuals who make an immediate impact. That impression and experience can, of course, be good and enriching, or it can be upsetting and frustrating. Both types of encounters provoke thought, in different ways, and while discourse with and exposure to jerks and zero-sum people can provide one with a level of amusement, I much prefer dealing with and learning from unselfish, self-secure subjects, people for whom life is a rollicking adventure, men and women confident enough to know that there is always something new to learn and that being kind and giving does not lead down the road to mediocrity. The world is a better place because of these types, and would, I am confident, be much more rewarding if the zero-sum cohort disappeared with haste.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting with and/or talking to individuals — both in the beverage industry  — who make the lives of those around them better. They are passionate about their craft, they display infectious enthusiasm about what they are doing, and they are clearly and genuinely interested in what others do. They are worth knowing.

This woman makes some fine rum. (Courtesy Railean Distillers)

 

I’m referring to Kelly Railean and Joe Donelan (click on their names for additional words about them and what they do). I met Railean in December at her distillery in San Leon, Texas, took a tour of her workshop, and sampled her wares. I recommend you do the same. I have spoken with Donelan on the phone several times, each conversation thoughtful and attentive. The Brockhaus is partnering with Donelan Family Wines on an upcoming dinner benefitting an animal-welfare and shelter charity, a direct result of that pointed disavowal of the zero-sum mentality. In December, I had the pleasure of tasting Donelan’s 2014 Nancie Chardonnay, named after Joe’s mother, and it’s drinking well now. He’s built a business in California that honors his passions and his family, and, as has Railean, he’s added joy to the lives of many along the way.

Good people, making good things, doing good. I hope you have a multitude of such people in your life, and I hope you steer clear of that sad zero-sum trap.

Want more stories about wine and spirits and the people who make them? Read on:

A Chardonnay For Your Mother (and You)
Don’t Dismiss the Peat
Distinctive Whisky Enters a New Era
A Whisky Legend Visits Houston
A Rare Cask, Indeed
Austin Whisky, Strange Name
Here’s Your Texas Rum Goddess
A ZaZa Wine Guy Loves Great Service
A Merlot That Your Snob Friend Will Love
French Couple Make a Sauvignon Blanc in California
A Perfect Afternoon Chardonnay
Terry Theise Talks Reisling
A New Wine Wonderland
Paris Wine Goddess Tells All
Rice Village Wine Bar Has a Cleveland Touch
A Texas White Blend for Your Table
A Pinot Noir Full of Flavor
This Pinot Gris From Oregon Pairs Well With Cheese
Willamette, Dammit!
A Value Rioja
Drink Pink!
Underbelly Veteran Goes for Grenache
A Man of Letters and Wine
Ms. Champagne Wants a Nebuchadnezzar
The Wine Artist Goes for Chardonnay
This American Loves Spain and Its Wines
Houston’s Wine Whisperer Has a Soft Touch
Blackberry Farm’s Somm Pours in Splendor
Mr. Pinot Noir: Donald Patz of Patz & Hall
A Cork Dork Wants to Spend More Time in Tuscany
Sommelier Turned Restaurateur Daringly Goes Greek
Texas Master Sommelier Debunks Wine Geeks
A Bottle From Gigondas Changed This Houston Man’s Life
Oil Man Falls in Love, and the Rest is Good-Taste History
Ryan Cooper of Camerata is a Riesling Man
Mixing It Up With Jeremy Parzen, an Ambassador of Italy
Sommelier at One of Houston’s Top Wine Bars Loves Underdogs

 

Christmas Eve Cooking: This Year, It’s Bok Choy, Pork, and Rice Noodles

December 24, 2017 / / 2 Comments

I come from a long line of Southern cooks (that’s that terribly interesting and crazy and beautiful and frustrating region in the United States of America that’s produced some of the best writers known to man, along with some of the best food and cooks anywhere) who begin planning their Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts every year on December 26, people who never miss a date with a giant pot of black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year’s Day. Tradition, spiced up by something new every year, a recipe or dish that my mother wanted to make, was the comforting norm, and that is a good thing. I taste still my grandmother Ida’s cornbread stuffing, and it’s been 15 years since I’ve actually put a spoonful of it in my mouth.

This year is going to be a bit different, however. Christmas Eve dinner’s main course will star pork and rice noodles and lots of bok choy (plus garlic and ginger and Thai chiles and cilantro and scallions and a good bottle or two of Riesling). Angela and I will be cooking with a friend who lost her mother this year; she also dealt with the death of her dog. Loss is everywhere all the time, of course, but this woman, whom I met only recently, is full of life and spirit and hope. It’s a lesson to me, her determination to tackle her grief while at the same time saying “yes” to life, embracing and respecting the sadness but pushing for communion and solace. She invited Angela and me into her home to cook and share a meal, and that’s as good a tradition as any.

I’m missing my parents this year — I spent Christmas with them last year — and making the distance worse is the reality that my father is dealing with a disease that has forced him to use a walker. He doesn’t sing any longer, but the songs are still in his smiling eyes. I’ll travel down to Florida next year to be with them in December, and I hope to start planning the meal with my mother soon. I want to recreate one of our holiday meals of yore, with all the trimmings. And I’ll bake the best chocolate cake that’s ever existed.

Here’s the recipe for the pork and rice noodles, if you want to make your own. I based it on one I found in The New York Times.

Ingredients: 

5 heads baby bok choy
2 ounces ginger root (choose one that fills the palm of your hand)
10 ounces thick rice noodles
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1.5 pounds ground pork
1.5 cups soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3/4 cup sliced scallions
4 garlic cloves sliced thinly (so one can see through them)
1 thai chile, stemmed and seeded (or 2 chilis, if you prefer if hotter)
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons (or more) sesame oil
cilantro or basil, torn
black vinegar (feel free to use balsamic vinegar as a substitute)

How to cook it:

Wash bok choy thoroughly, and shake off excess water. Cut green leaves from the stalks, then slice the stems thinly (discard the woody, thick bottoms of the stalks). Peel a good chunk of the ginger, perhaps 2 ounces of it, and finely chop half of it and matchstick the rest.

Heat half of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add pork and cook until browned and cooked through, using a fork or spoon to break it into small pieces. Season with salt, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar. Stir well and taste, then remove mixture to a bowl.

Bowl water in a kettle; put rice noodles in a large bowl (heat it first in water if you are worried about the heat cracking it). Pour bowling water over noodles and stir, then let them sit for one minute. Drain the noodles, then rinse them in cold water and let them drain again, well.

Pour the remaining peanut oil into the skillet and turn heat to medium. Next, add half of the scallions, the garlic, the chile, and the chopped ginger. Cook for 2 minutes or so, allowing the flavors to mingle and intensify. Now’s when you add the bok choy stalks, and more oil if desired. Cook the stalks until they begin to soften, 2-3 minutes. Next, add the bok choy leaves and the pork to the skillet, and stir and cook all a few minutes longer.

Add the noodles to the skillet a bit at a time, so they untangle, along with the remainder of the soy sauce and  the rice wine vinegar. Heat through gently, taste for salt, and season as you desire. (I add more soy and rice wine vinegar, most of the time.)

When the mixture is hot, pour it into a large serving bowl, then toss the torn cilantro or basil on top and bring to table. Lay the ginger matchsticks in a small bowl and pour the black or (balsamic) vinegar over them, put the scallions in a small bowl, and sit down. Pour more wine, and enjoy.

Whatever you are cooking and drinking this year for the holidays, do it with love and share it all with good people.

The Paratha-dilla: I can't get enough of it.

Eat This Today (In Houston): The Paratha-dilla Stuffed With Lamb at Himalaya

December 22, 2017 / / 1 Comment

Yes, there are still plenty of people (unfortunate souls) who have not experienced the (almost aways) excellence that is Himalaya, Kaiser Lashkari’s restaurant that features plastic-covered tables and valiant but often-frustrating service, but some of the best food in the sprawling region that is the Houston metropolitan area. It is, to my palate, the best Indian-(Pakistani) restaurant around, and the righteousness of my opinion was again confirmed about a week ago.

I’ve had most everything on Lashkari’s menu, including the masala fried chicken and the chicken fried steak, both of which are excellent dishes, as well as the saag paneer and any number of varieties of biryani. I’ll continue to order those. But now I’m raving about something I had never had before until a week or so ago, and that is the Paratha-dilla made with lamb. Raves are not sufficient for this. It is, with no exaggeration, one of the best things I’ve eaten in a restaurant this year.

Parathas are unleavened flatbreads indigenous to the Indian subcontinent — from the words “parat” and “atta” … or “layers of cooked dough” in English — and they can be wonderful when made by a skilled person, or leaden and dull when made by sloppy hands. I’ve had many of both types, and the one at Himalaya is decidedly in the former group. Light in texture, yet substantial; flaky as opposed to dense and doughy. In short, comfort food at its best. But at Himalaya, they’ve been combined with the “dilla” of “quesadilla” and transformed into something altogether miraculous.

The Paratha-dilla with lamb, ground and full of spices, and served with onions and masala sauce and tomatoes and cilantro, hits all of the senses with aplomb and confidence. The flaky and moist bread almost melts into the lamb, and a bite including the onions and tomato and cilantro and sour cream? It’s a thing of beauty, in the most sensual sense of the word.

Lashkari loves a good mash-up — he’s got a Smoked Brisket Masala and Shrimp Masala and Grits rotating on his menu now, among other creations — and the Paratha-dilla is one of his best. (And for anyone who doesn’t know, Himalaya is BYOB, so drink well.)

Katherine and her boys

The Ghost of Loss Has Gotten Into Me: Farewell, Katherine Reed

December 17, 2017 / / 12 Comments

“Katherine passed away a few moments ago.”

The message came to me at 8:54 a.m. on Saturday morning. I read it twice, then put down the phone and closed my eyes. I summoned her forth in my mind, an exercise I could carry out with ease; though I have not seen Katherine Reed since 2012, she’s been in my thoughts many times since. Her voice and spirit and smile and passion come to me at unexpected times, when I hear Patsy Cline singing “Crazy,” or as I’m preparing a beef roast for the oven. And if an Adele song enters my ears, that’s it. Katherine is there.

Katherine Reed

You see, Katherine had a beautiful voice, and she loved to cook and eat and entertain. (She also loved to play poker, and I’ll never forget the evening in Dubai during which she vanquished the rest of us at the table. There were four or five players, and one by one she took ownership of our chips. At the end, she and I alone remained, both competitive, both wanting to win. Katherine wanted it more.)

Katherine and her parents, Clive and Jana Reed

Angela and I spent many an evening with Katherine and her husband, Lee McGorie, and their son Ryan at their home in Dubai, and the kitchen was always full of activity. Katherine would never do a meal halfway, and the counters groaned under the weight of spices and jars and bottles. Everywhere were cutting boards full of onions and carrots, pots and pans and baking sheets ready for the oven and stovetop. We ate well in that home.

Lee and I were colleagues at a newspaper in Abu Dhabi, and I liked him immediately. A quiet and kind man, sensitive, caring, a Geordie who loved Katherine with a profound and deep emotion. He and I would sit over beers and discuss football or journalism, or office comings and goings, the usual things friends talk about, but nary a conversation was had that didn’t include mention (at least) of Katherine. Lee admired her, truly admired and loved and desired her, and he lived to make her happy.

Back to the night of the poker game. I think it was the first time I had met Katherine. Seamus (another colleague at the newspaper) and I had driven up from Abu Dhabi that afternoon, at the invitation of Lee. The plan was to have dinner with them at their home and open some wine, enjoy a weekend evening. I recall that Katherine cooked pasta, and there was a salad of some sort. It was delicious food, and I recognized right away that she thoroughly enjoyed hosting people, making people feel at home. It’s an art, and a soulful and graceful thing to do. The knowledge that I’ll never again sit down to a meal made by her hands and heart makes life less bright.

Lee McGorie and Katherine Reed, along with Jana and Clive Reed

On that evening, I was also introduced to Katherine’s love of dogs. They had two at the time, rescue dogs. She volunteered for an animal society, and heaven help the person mistreating an animal around her. Katherine’s heart was big when it came to her loves. She loved her family, was proud of her parents, Clive and Jana, and the day she introduced them to me was a good one. She loved Lee and Ryan with ferocity. I grieve for them.

Katherine fell ill earlier this year, and she left this earth far too early. Goddamn it, she was 38.

When I read Lee’s note yesterday morning, after I got up from the chair in which I was sitting, a few lines of a poem came to mind. I’d heard them on an episode of “On Being,” and their mystical vision has stayed with me since.

And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The grey window
And the ghost of loss
Gets into you …

I’ve been thinking about Katherine a lot this weekend, and I wish I had reached out to her and Lee more often in the years since I left Dubai. I will make up for that now with Lee and Ryan.

I’ve written the complete poem here, and I dedicate it to all of those in pain, everyone who’s missing Katherine right now. We are less without her.

“Beannacht”
By John O’Donohue
From To Bless The Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings

On the day when
The weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble,
May the clay dance
To balance you.

And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The grey window
And the ghost of loss
Gets into you,
May a flock of colours,
Indigo, red, green
And azure blue,
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
In the currach of thought
And a stain of ocean
Blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow
Wind work these words
Of love around you,
An invisible cloak
To mind your life.

Katherine and her sister, Amanda Reed-Kelly

E.M. Forster would have a place at my table. (Kurt Hutton/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

What I’m Drinking (and Reading) Now: The Balvenie Peat Week and DoubleWood 12, Plus Wines For Holiday Parties

December 5, 2017 / / 0 Comments

An ideal way to spend an hour or so on a December evening: Re-reading Howards End, sipping The Balvenie DoubleWood 12, and attempting to quell thoughts about recent news events. Helena Bonham Carter (who is the face and embodiment of Helen Schlegel for me now) and theosophy are certainly more pleasant to contemplate than are Charlie Rose, John Hockenberry, James Levine, Roy Moore, et al, and the tax legislation before the United States Congress, and the beautiful taste of the DoubleWood helps me sublimate the angst I feel about North Korea, Foggy Bottom, the Oval Office, and the sclerotic political response to the deteriorating infrastructure and educational standards in the U.S. Doing away with tax deductions for graduate students, for money they will actually never see, but giving Betsy DeVos special treatment? Heaven help us.

Yes, E.M. Forster’s masterpiece is giving me much solace, as is The Balvenie.

“It will be generally admitted that Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is the most sublime noise that has ever penetrated into the ear of man,” speaks a character in the novel. Is The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 the most sublime spirit that has ever passed my lips? I don’t know that I can state that, though a reliable source has told me that it’s the favorite dram of the inestimable David Stewart, the Malt Master at William Grant & Sons. I’m honored to share his preference.

This man is Scottish, and he loves a good whisky.

Speaking of reliable sources, I had the pleasure of meeting Mitch Bechard, a brand ambassador for Glenfiddich, at a special tasting this past Saturday at Costco, and I have to say that William Grant has good taste when it comes to its personnel. Bechard’s relaxed manner and jocularity, not to mention his knowledge and obvious passion for spirits, meshes well with the personalities that are Jonathan Wingo and David Laird, two ambassadors for The Balvenie (Gleniddich and The Balvenie are owned by William Grant), and the three gentleman are engaging, lively, and thoughtful representatives, and they’re fun to drink with to boot.

Brechard, who lives in North Carolina, opened the following bottles — prices listed were special to the tasting; check your favorite merchant for yours — at the event, and if you want to buy something special for the holidays, go for the Ghosted Reserve. You’ll remember each sip for a long time.

Here’s how William Grant’s team describes what I and the other participants tasted:

Ladyburn Single Malt 42 Year Old – Among Scotch collectors, few Lowland distilleries are held in the same regard as the long shuttered Ladyburn. It was open only between the years of 1966 and 1975, and few bottlings of what was produced there as standalone single malts exist. Tastings notes: very soft with notes of apricots and honey. A spicy and toasty palate – quite mouth-watering. Good length with a grassy and slight almond finish. ($1,400)

Ghosted Reserve 26 Year Old – a blended Scotch from the Ladyburn and Inverleven distilleries. Interleven was “Ghosted” in 1991 and Ladyburn being closed back in 1975. It is truly one of a kind Scotch, limited to bottles on hand, never to be reproduced. Tasting notes: rich and creamy with notes of citrus and almond. ($350)

Girvan Patent Still Single Grain 25 Year Old – the original Girvan Patent Still was built by William Grant’s great-grandson, Charles Gordon, in 1963. After distillation, this whisky was aged for an incredible 25 years. Tasting notes: complex velvety smooth with an incredibly sweet flavour. With time, the flavour evolves into deeper, richer notes including chocolate orange and bake apple pie. ($270)

Glenfiddich Single Malt 21 Year Old – Using casks that once contained our own premium Caribbean rum, this expression spends its final months finishing in these Rum casks selected by our Malt Master. Tasting notes: peppery with a touch of smoke, oak, lime, ginger, and spices. ($130)

The Balvenie Port Wood 21 Year Old – The flagship single malt from The Balvenie’s little group of Port Wood whiskies. This bottle was finished in thirty year old port pipes and is a veritable masterclass in poise and balance. Tasting notes: dried red fruits, floral heather, nuts andd wood spices. ($160)

The Balvenie Single Barrel 25 Year Old – Introduced to The Balvenie single malt Scotch whisky range in 2014. Released in batches, each bottle is one of no more than 300 drawn from a single cask. The casks that Malt Master David Stewart selected for this release are chosen for having the richly spiced, sweetly honeyed character. Tasting notes: great combination of subtle spice and honeyed sweetness. ($400)

Returning to my solace, The Peat Week is another Brockhaus selection from The Balvenie. Back in November, I had lunch with Wingo and Laird, and we sampled the peaty drink from The Balvenie … read about The Peat Week here, and if you like subtle smoke, pick up a bottle for yourself or for the whisky lover on your gift list.

“Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer.” That’s a rather famous sentence of Forster’s, from the novel nearest to my hand now, and when I read it again I thought of the way many of us will connect this month, at parties celebrating birth and renewal and friendship. Do connect. And if you are looking for a white wine for your parties, I’m recommending a great one: the 2016 Cantina Riff Pinot Grigio. It’ll cost you $10 or so, and it’s versatile and delicious. Read about it here, and get your party dress ready.

Want more wine and spirits? Check out these stories:

A California Cab Made By an Englishman
Peat is Neat
Distinctive Whisky Enters a New Era
A Whisky Legend Visits Houston
A Rare Cask, Indeed
Austin Whisky, Strange Name
A Merlot That Your Snob Friend Will Love
French Couple Make a Sauvignon Blanc in California
A Perfect Afternoon Chardonnay
Terry Theise Talks Riesling
A New Wine Wonderland
Paris Wine Goddess Tells All
Rice Village Wine Bar Has a Cleveland Touch
A Texas White Blend for Your Table
A Pinot Noir Full of Flavor
This Pinot Gris From Oregon Pairs Well With Cheese
Willamette, Dammit!
A Value Rioja
Drink Pink!
Underbelly Veteran Goes for Grenache
A Man of Letters and Wine
Ms. Champagne Wants a Nebuchadnezzar
The Wine Artist Goes for Chardonnay
This American Loves Spain and Its Wines
Houston’s Wine Whisperer Has a Soft Touch
Blackberry Farm’s Somm Pours in Splendor
Mr. Pinot Noir: Donald Patz of Patz & Hall
A Cork Dork Wants to Spend More Time in Tuscany
Sommelier Turned Restaurateur Daringly Goes Greek
Texas Master Sommelier Debunks Wine Geeks
A Bottle From Gigondas Changed This Houston Man’s Life
Oil Man Falls in Love, and the Rest is Good-Taste History
Ryan Cooper of Camerata is a Riesling Man
Mixing It Up With Jeremy Parzen, an Ambassador of Italy
Sommelier at One of Houston’s Top Wine Bars Loves Underdogs

Terry Theise: A man of wine.

Wine Talk: Graceful Memories and Inspiration, Born in Bottles

November 11, 2017 / / 0 Comments

One of the things I love about this crazy planet we call home is that our ancestors learned how to cultivate grapes and create wine. For thousands of years, vines growing in some of the most beautiful (and not so beautiful, in some cases) places in the world have mystified, confounded, pleased, nourished, and sustained multitudes of people: farmers, winemakers, drinkers royal and low, and all sorts of others in between have been changed by the grape. Those small orbs are miracles, worshipped by characters hailing from all walks of life.

I’ve been partaking of those miracles for a long time, since I was a high school student in the Rheinland Pfalz, home to, among other things, my favorite grape and wine, Riesling, and my Fußball team, 1. FC Kaiserslautern. I was introduced to both of them at around the same time, and though the team has been going through a period of crisis for too long now, a mere shadow of its Glory Days version, Riesling and her companions shine on.

God’s country, and home to some outstanding Rieslings. (Photo courtesy Germany.travel.com)

When I open a bottle of wine, I almost always think of the individuals who produced what’s in it. My mind wanders to the land on which the vines are growing and I mentally draw a picture of the harvest, imagine the tractors and baskets and weather and calloused hands. Without people, the wine would be nothing. Never forget that.

People. Beginning with the man — hand deformed on a battlefield in Germany — who sold me my first wine book (I recall still how he would hold the ink stamp he used to mark books purchased at his store), to Terry Theise and the woman who poured me a revelatory Crianza in a small tasting room in Rioja, people are the unifying factor in my journey with wine. There was the high school teacher with the cellar in the Pfalz who let me taste with him, and the restaurant owner in Florence who slipped a bottle into my backpack (he was, I guess, paying me back for the kindness I showed his elderly mother during my meal on that evening). Wine has been the common denominator in some of my most satisfying experiences and graceful memories, and I look forward to that continuing. That first book? “The Companion to Wine,” by Frank J. Prial.

Wine Talk, a series I started several years ago, is still going strong, and, similar to the world of wine, it has few limits. In it, I’ve introduced readers to scores of people and vintages, and I’ve made some friends. Their insights and recommendations and passions are laid down for the record, and I’m happy to put some of them (plus a few pieces on bottles I’ve enjoyed) in one place for your approval.

Below you’ll find Chris Nishiwaki, Donald Patz, Gerry Dawes, Vanessa Treviño Boyd, and David Keck, to name but a few. You’ll also, I hope, find the inspiration to go out and buy a few bottles based on what you read. Please create some graceful memories of your own. (And stay tuned for more Wine Talk.)

Wine Talk: From Paris to Houston and many other places, the goodness flows
A Merlot That Your Snob Friend Will Love
French Couple Make a Sauvignon Blanc in California
A Perfect Afternoon Chardonnay
Terry Theise Talks Reisling
A New Wine Wonderland
Paris Wine Goddess Tells All
Rice Village Wine Bar Has a Cleveland Touch
A Texas White Blend for Your Table
A Pinot Noir Full of Flavor
This Pinot Gris From Oregon Pairs Well With Cheese
Willamette, Dammit!
A Value Rioja
Drink Pink!
Underbelly Veteran Goes for Grenache
A Man of Letters and Wine
Ms. Champagne Wants a Nebuchadnezzar
The Wine Artist Goes for Chardonnay
This American Loves Spain and Its Wines
Houston’s Wine Whisperer Has a Soft Touch
Blackberry Farm’s Somm Pours in Splendor
Mr. Pinot Noir: Donald Patz of Patz & Hall
A Cork Dork Wants to Spend More Time in Tuscany
Sommelier Turned Restaurateur Daringly Goes Greek
Texas Master Sommelier Debunks Wine Geeks
A Bottle From Gigondas Changed This Houston Man’s Life
Oil Man Falls in Love, and the Rest is Good-Taste History
Ryan Cooper of Camerata is a Riesling Man
Mixing It Up With Jeremy Parzen, an Ambassador of Italy
Sommelier at One of Houston’s Top Wine Bars Loves Underdogs

Some meat: A ribeye fit for two (or three).

The Fall Season Arrives: Time for The Newness in Everything

October 25, 2017 / / 0 Comments

The light outside changes, becomes softer, less harsh; the temperature falls and the humidity grows friendlier; and spending more time outdoors becomes a pleasant reality. It’s autumn, the best time, in my opinion, to enjoy what’s on offer in the world. The new season brings new art exhibits, theatre performances, fashion, and, thank goodness, wines and food. New dishes, menus, ingredients, and pairings await in restaurants everywhere. It’s a good time to taste.

Want some good tastes? Have you experienced duck heart bolognese? If not, pay a visit to One Fifth/Romance Languages in Houston and embrace the new. It’s rich and hearty and comforting, and my pasta (casarecce) was just as I like it … one small second past al dente. In addition, I offer you a fine ribeye from Del Frisco’s and an impressive foie gras concoction that’s on the menu at Tony’s. You can read more about these three dishes here. Book a table (or sit at the bar), order some wine, relax a little, and live.

Order this as an opener, or at the end of your evening.

If you cook at home — and if you don’t, you’re missing out on a meditative ritual — here’s a great recipe for salmon that’s warming on an autumn evening. It’s easy to make, and it pairs perfectly with that bottle of Lambrusco you’ve been wanting to open. Want more fun? Cook with someone who excites you. It’ll make the food that much more satisfying.

It was a tough summer … hurricanes and earthquakes and fires (I’m working on a piece about the disaster in Napa and Sonoma, so look for it here) affected millions, bringing despair, heartache, and death. Let’s hope that fall brings, along with the new, a touch of solace and rejuvenation. We could all use some of that.

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2024 Mise en Place

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑