Instant Ramen Redux

This past weekend was gorgeous in the Bay Area. Sunny, clear skies and temperatures creeping up to 70 on Saturday. (yes, 70 is now considered warm to us) Indian Summer was not a myth in the Bay! 

Then Monday, we were rudely awakened to pouring rain.

Today and yesterday are hot enough to warrant shorts and sandals.

To say the weather has been unpredictable would be an understatement. 

The only way to deal is enjoy every sunny moment out, in the sun and for the rainy days there's always ramen!

DH's sis, Casey and her bf, Dim recently gave us a much coveted copy of Lucky Peach, the new quarterly by restaurateur, David Chang. The first issue was dedicated in large part to ramen, a specialty of Mr. Chang. One of the more interesting articles featured 5 completely alternative executions of instant ramen. The four of us were intrigued and agreed to cook the recipes one night for a dinner experiment. 

Monday's rainy weather seemed an appropriate time to host the ramen redux night.

Casey took on the 'instant ramen cacio e pepe' and the 'instant ramen fideos' while I tackled the 'instant ramen gnocchi' and the 'ramen crusted skate'. 

The fifth recipe didn't technically use the instant ramen but the flavor seasoning packet for an instant dip recipe. This was by far the easiest of the five and surprisingly easiest of the 5 and will certainly come in handy for impromptu guests and gatherings.

Next up, the 'instant ramen cacio e pepe'. Cacio e pepe is one of my favorite traditional Roman pasta dishes and holds a soft spot for both DH and me. Casey did a wonderful job with this re-interpretation, perfectly integrating the Pecorino Romano into the instant ramen so as to avoid chunks of melted cheese. As it were, this would turn out to be the most successful, delicious dish of the evening.

Along with the cacio e pepe, we had the 'ramen crusted skate with sauteed bibb lettuce' for first course. This was the simplest of the ramen recipes and in theory could have been the most delicious but skate as the fish of choice would render that impossible. Have you ever cooked with skate?? DH and I had not and so perhaps we didn't know what to ask for but the cuts we got were riddled with cartilage and had very little actual fish meat. For my time, skate was the most misguided choice in the series. Rock cod or halibut or tilapia all would have been worlds better.

'Instant ramen gnocchi Parisienne' and 'Instant ramen fideos' would provide the second course. The gnocchi recipe featured arguably the most innovative re-interpretation, creating a pate a choux with hot milk and ramen. The recipe suggests the pate only needs a 1/2 hour or so in the fridge to set but at least a couple hours if not overnight would greatly improve the texture. Also, don't be afraid to salt the water. The finished gnocchi came out on the bland side.

For the 'fideos', clams and mussels (and chorizo for the meat-eaters) are mixed in with the instant ramen in a shallow pan with minimal liquid to create a delicious, well-balanced, Spanish-inspired ramen. The absence of chorizo was stark but there is always soyrizo for the veggies and def would have imparted at least some those fabulous, Spanish flavors.

These recipes are all interesting in their own right but definitely need some tweaking and perfecting. All in all it made for a very interesting, filling evening.

Food Films

If there is anything I might love more than food it is films. DH likes to joke that in the 30 years combined before meeting me he'd seen less movies than in the first year of us dating! I love both big budget blockbusters and beautiful, smaller budget arthouse films alike but what I truly love are films that feature food.

This past week we had the chance to attend an early screening of Toast, chef and food personality Nigel Slater's food memoir. The sweet and tender film takes its name from the one food item his mother could cook without fail. "It's impossible not to love a person who makes you toast." So true, Nigel, so true.

The food styling in the film is fantastic, from the failings of he and mom's cake attempt to the glorious lemon meringue pie (baked by the housekeeper-come-second wife, Mrs. Potter, played wonderfully by Helen Bonham-Carter). Truly, this may be the most beautiful pie depicted on screen... certainly the highest!
Toast led me to thinking of my favorite food-themed films. There are so many films that feature food in one way or another; as in My Dinner with Andre or Breakfast Club, where in food is an integral part of the setting or character development, though there aren't too many food themed films. 
Food theme film lists are by no means a new thing. I just thought it might be fun to recall a few of mine, in no particular order...

 Babette's Feast; 1987
Set in 19th Century Denmark, Babette, the French Catholic housekeeper at a stiff Protestant church, sets out to prepare a feast to honor the late father's 100th birthday. The feast washes away judgements and provides a taste of pleasure to the Danish townspeople.

Tampopo; 1985
I dare ANYONE to watch Tampopo and not desperately crave a bowl of ramen 5 minutes in! In this silly food-centric Japanese film, a hot-to-trot trucker, Goro comes to town to help Tampopo start a fast food noodle shop but there are several wonderful noodle-centric vignettes as well. 

Volver; 2006
The food of Volver practically steals every scene of Almodovar's female-centric film spanning 3 generations of woman. Be it the tortilla espanola or pisto manchego, the recipes prepared in Volver were among Pedro Almodovar's childhood favorites.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; 1971
Shann and I watched this one film more times as kids than I care to count. It never got old though. That candy store with the moving ladder was the stuff kid-dreams are made of. Truly. And the scene where they enter the Chocolate Factory? Utopia!
I watched this version again recently and it occurred to me only as an adult, every kid (except Charlie, of course) has some weird food issue. Violet with the gum, Agustus with the chocolate, Veruka with the golden egg, Mike Teevee with the TV dinners...I guess that was the point, though.

Ratatouille; 2007
I was determined to include only live action food films but Ratatouille is just too great! From the friendship of Remy and Emile (who Shann lovingly compares to the two of us) to the fabulous depiction of the snobby food critic, Anton Ego (Pixar villans are my absolute favorite) this film is impossible not to love!


What's your favorite food film? 
Please share in the comment box below!

Winemaking 101: wineries vs. vineyards & sampling sugar levels

crushing wine grapes for the sugar tests

It’s that time again…

When Em came up with the idea of starting this blog, it was to write about each of our passions, Wine and Food (I know, I know, real original…), and to write and share our adventures in the East Bay. Theoretically we were each going to contribute.

But since then I’ve been on the receiving end of countless amazing meals (and I’ve done my best to wreck a couple here and there) but I haven’t done much contributing. With any luck, that’s about to change because HARVEST is upon us.  Upon entering the industry, I realized just how unclear the winemaking process could be. ButterDate would be a good a place as any to shed a little light on what I believe to be a very interesting process.

This post thus begins a series of winemaking posts throughout the 2011 Harvest.

At most social gatherings, I try to work into the conversation that I’m a winemaker. First off, this never seems to carry the gravitas that I think it will—I knew I should have gone out for stuntman instead! My ego aside, the most common question or assumption I encounter relates to the concept of winery versus vineyard. Many wineries do own their own vineyards.  And likewise, many vineyards make wine, but this isn’t always the case. Much like a chef who buys produce at farmer’s markets or works closely with trusted butchers, several winemakers do not own t buy grapes from vineyards they know, trust and love, year after year.

nets draped over vines to protect mature fruit from being eaten!

Commonly, the winery or winemaker will have long-term relationships with vineyard owners and growers making sure the grapes are farmed in precise methods. One great advantage of this is that a winemaker can then source grapes from several different vineyards in a multitude of different regions. As we approach Harvest however, this can keep said winemaker very busy running between Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino Counties.

In years/vintages past, it wouldn’t be uncommon to have already harvested (picked) the fruit, pressed the grapes and put the juice in barrel to become wine by now. But because 2011 has been such an unseasonably cool growing season, the ripeness of the grapes is far less developed than at the same point in years/vintages past.

Depending on the kind of wine you’re making and the style you’re going for, this can be a good thing or a bad thing.

We have a Grenache Vineyard—a traditionally late ripening grape—way up in Mendocino that sadly may never fully ripen.

With regards to our Pinot and Chard vineyards however, this year’s weather has been an absolute godsend. The grapes are maturing slowly and the flavors are developing gracefully while the sugars, which are most directly affected by the sun and heat, are staying low.

Because the sugar levels dictate the final alcohol level, the cold season equates to more flavorful wines with lower alcohol levels…at least there was one plus to those sunless 60-degree days that Em and I have been complaining about for the last 9 months.

verasion

Veraison (pronounced “ver” “ray” “shun” and in no way related to the phone company) is the term for the color-change that grapes undergo in late summer. This is an indicator that sugar levels are raising and acid levels are falling.

Pomard clone Pinot Nior

When to pick the fruit is among the most important and challenging calls a winemaker must make each harvest. Winemaking, at least in my book, is a constant pursuit of balance, and the pick date is perhaps the most important moment in dictating that balance.

Pick too early and the result may be a thin, watery wine that’s too high in acid and tastes more like ocean-spray cranberry juice and green-stewed vegetables than Pinot Noir.

Pick too late and the sugars go off the charts, the acids have dropped to nil, and the fruits (which were so pleasant a few days ago) are now prune, raisin-like flavors.

Ideally, the end of summer and beginning of autumn brings long, cool days that allow the grapes to hang on the vine until the flavors are just right.

In reality, unexpected heat-spikes and/or rains appear, wrecking havoc on the best-laid plans of mice and men.

Hence, it becomes important to get out to those vineyards regularly and sample the grapes. Last week, Em and I drove up to the Sonoma Coast and Russian River vineyards to sample the sugar levels on the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

El Diablo Vineyard

El Diablo is our Russian River vineyard. It’s a hotter region than the Sonoma Coast and we’re aiming to make a bigger wine out of it, something that highlights the rich and full-bodied flavors already coming from the vines.

Silver Eagle Vineyard

Silver Eagle Vineyard, in true Sonoma Coast is a cooler site. It is more mountainous and closer to the ocean. I am genuinely excited about Diablo, but Silver Eagle is truly a special place for me. From this site, we’re hoping to craft a wine that highlights more of the red-fruit and mineral flavors. The alcohol hopefully will be a bit lower and this should be more about elegance as opposed to power…maybe a Magnetic Fields vs. Metallica thing…

Robert Young clone Chardonnay grapes

We’re also going to see if we can’t make two Chardonnays from this Vineyard. The Wente Block is known for it’s rich flavors whereas the Robert Young clone is brighter and shows more minerality.

Sampling the fruit

The aim of sampling is to yield a true representation of the overall vineyard; there are a number of ways people aim to achieve a true representation. I most prefer walking one or two rows of the vineyard block I’m testing then every 10 steps or so, I’ll snip off a cluster, repeating as necessary until I reach the end of the row. 

Now that I’ve got my zip-lock bag full of grapes, it’s time to crush away. This can be both the most fun and messiest part of the day. Its important to make sure that all the grapes are crushed, especially because the most ripe berries can be practically falling apart while the least ripe are harder and more acidic. For some reason the bags always leak, and as I continue crushing the grapes, little trickles of grape juice seep out, and now we’re well on our way to a sticky mess!

Once the samples are all completely crushed, I use a refractometer to test the sugars. A refreactometer is a laboratory scale used to test density. In this case, we use a scale called Brix. The brix level is a measurement of the amount of sugar in the grapes. Hence a high level of brix, say 30 degrees, would mean there is 30 grams of sugar per 100 grams of juice!

As of now, the grapes taste great! The acids are all still a little high, and the sugars still need to come up. Here are the numbers,

El Diablo: 23.3 Brix

Silver Eagle, Pinot: 17.9

Silver Eagle Chardonnay: 15.6 and 13.8

Looks like things still have a while to go, but this gives a good staring point to begin monitoring.

Next up in the winemaking series…picking and crushing! 

Cooking from 'My Nepenthe'

Cookbooks are among my favorite gifts to receive. It might come as a surprise to learn however, that it is a rare occasion I receive a cookbook a gift. It must be the same reason DH almost never receives wine as a gift. People must assume we have all we could ever need or want in these categories. That or it can be intimidating...but I sure hope not!
I really do love receiving a new cookbook, particularly in an age of epicurious.com, food network and google recipes. Working within the confines of a cookbook's pages can be a rewarding challenge.
And, as with all books given as gifts, cookbooks reflect the giver as much as the recipient. For a recent birthday, a close friend gave me the beautiful My Nepenthe cookbook. 
Nepenthe, the restaurant is arguably one of the most famous spots in all of Big Sur and quite possibly the oldest. With a sprawling, panoramic patio and floor-to-ceiling glass-walled interior, Nepenthe is easily the best bar and restaurant to take in the view. And the food is pretty great too.

our personal favorite at the restaurant! 

When we are fortunate to find ourselves in Big Sur, an outdoor seat at Nepenthe combined with an order of Ambrosia burgers (meat or veggie), a basket of fries and a pitcher of beer makes for a near perfect moment.

Big Sur

Part historical memoir, part cookbook; My Nepenthe weaves together mouthwatering recipes, from the restaurant and from the family's private repertoire along with the family history of Bill and Lolly Fasset, co-founders of the Nepenthe. Each recipe is tied into a story all its own and the order follows a stream of consciousness rather than a conventional cookbook layout.

shooting 'The Sandpiper' at Nepenthe

It's easy to get caught up in all the beautiful pictures and nostalgic stories of Nepenthe's salad days; from the bohemian 50's and 60's to the filming of 'The Sandpiper' with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, but the real highlight of the book are the recipes.
In the months since receiving this cookbook, I have enjoyed preparing My Nepenthe recipes for large parties, close friends and for just the two of us.

their version

our version

Lamb brochettes with mint pesto and oven-baked rice provided the menu for DH's sis, Casey's Hastings Law School Graduation Party.

their version

our version

Lolly's famous hotcakes are now our go-to pancake batter, particularly when camping.

Marinated fresh sardines and roast corn with chipotle butter have become some of our favorite things to eat at home.

components of the rustic tart

sprinkle sweet dough w. sugar & almonds

stack up sliced pluots & strawberries

dot with butter

messy but good

And for a recent 18 reasons volunteer potluck, I made the plum and raspberry rustic tart. I swapped flavor king pluots for the plums and strawberries for raspberries since that's what looked (and tasted) best at the Berkeley Farmer's Market.

'Californian Hippy' cuisine

All the recipes have a distinctly 'Californian Hippy' feel to them. 'Californian Hippy' is by no means an official cuisine but can be defined by heaps of nuts and seeds, wheat germ, avocados, sprouts, ect. sprinkling every recipe. 
It is a cuisine and a lifestyle I have nothing but love, loyalty and nostalgia for and Nepenthe restaurant, for all intents and purposes, invented it!
I'd recommend the restaurant and the cookbook to anyone.