Review: Lebanese Wines

@ O'Gourmet

This was yet another privileged event for my other half and I, having been invited again to another of O'Gourmet's very exclusive wine tasting evenings.We were very excited to hear that they were featuring Lebanese wines that evening. What with the sheer production volume and reputation of the French wines and now, New World wineries, we have perhaps forgotten that the area around Lebanon was most possibly the granddaddy of all wine growing regions and the birthplace of wine itself! And apparently,

Chateau Musar had been around since the 1930s. Duh.

We also had the privilege of having the winery owner himself, Mr Ralph Hochar of Chateau Musar, who is the 3rd generation owner, to present his very exclusive and limited edition wines and to give us an overall history and details regarding the grapes, procedures etc, that our amateur minds needed to absorb... my apologies to the other folks who attended this event, I was only speaking for myself and hubby.

We started off with the Chateau Musar Cuvee Blanc 2004. It's made with Obaideh grapes from vines aging from 50 - 75 years. It had the most lovely fresh green apple scent. This was served to accompany an antipasti platter of marinated olives, peppers, mushrooms, calamari rings and my favorite of all .... the creme crottin tartlets, which is a creamy goat's cheese in a tartlet shell. Didn't think the shells did it any credit tho, I just dug out the crottin and ate it on its own .... Mmmmm, heaven!

Oh yeah, the wine ..... beautifully complimented each other. Wish they'd served more of that. Personally, I'd have this wine with some fresh oysters / seafood and a cheese platter and not the very marinated, sour feta stuffed tomatos that dulled my tastebuds (couldn't even taste the feta) and changed the taste of the wine.

That probably contributed to my opinion of this next wine ....

The Chateau Musar Jeune Blanc 2009, an unoaked blend of Viognier, Vermentino and Chardonnay, also served with the same antipasti platter, didn't hit my pleasure points as much as the Cuvee did. But then, I'm biased towards the more fruity wines. I thought the acidity was a little sharp. (Tongue-buds still a little wonky, remember?)

The unoaked Chateau Musar Jeune Red 2009, a blend of Cinsault, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon was next and to compliment it was a Duck Confit Pizzette (where's the duck?) ... I thought the pizza was good even if I couldn't find any duck pieces in them and, yes, it went well with the wine. I felt the tannins were a little strong for me when drunk on its own but it mellowed some and went down easier when drunk with the food. I can imagine this with a good tomato-based pasta and maybe even some local curry dishes. Yessss ....!

The last and my favorite red for the night, the Chateau Musar Hochar Pere et Fils 2002, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Carignan and a hint of Grenache. A lightly oaked red, with all the scents of dark berries you can think of. Lovely! This was paired with Sous Vide Shortrib Beef Tempura with a spiced dip and some pickled red onions. Also recommended to compliment the wine: game, poultry.

Recap:

1. Château Musar Cuvée Blanc 2004

2. Château Musar Jeune Blanc 2009

(Paired with an antipasti platter of marinated olives, pepperone, mushrooms, tabbouleh, creme crottin mini tartlets and calamari rings)

3. Château Musar Jeune Rouge 2009

(Paired with a duck confit pizzette)

4. Château Musar Hochar Pere et Fils Red 2002

(Paired with sous vide shortribs beef tempura with ras-el-hanout spiced dip)

All in all, it was a good evening and we also had some light moments with the in-house French Sommelier poking fun and making jabs at the Lebanese wines ... which I think he'd already swirled, nosed and "tasted" a couple of bottles before the event even started. :D

Not surprising that I went home happy (and pretty "tanned") with 3 of my favorite bottles in the bag.

Food by Chinoz

A Simple Wish

Here's a simple wish to all mothers out there, whether or not you're mothers to your own kids, other peoples' kids, your beloved pets, your family members ... at some point in our female lives, we have mothered and cared for someone as a mother would care for her own children and we all deserve to be labelled "A Loving Mother" for that.

Happy Mother's Day!

Spiced Yogurt Chook

Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's Essential Curries

I was craving for something sweet-ish but not a dessert ... not an eye-popping type sweet ... something sweet but savoury at the same time. Yes, I'm a difficult person/tummy to satisfy. And my husband will vouch for this ... I'm super grumpy when I'm hungry and don't get what I crave for. Poor guy.

So when I saw this recipe, my tastebuds popped out of their sockets and I could literally eat the page right out of that book. I could just imagine those flavors, and that was exactly what I needed right then. Sweet from the raisins, a light tartness from the yogurt, spices for savoury ... absoverylutely perfect!

Yay! It's gonna be a good day!

INGREDIENTS

250 ml natural yogurt

1 tsp salt

fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp chilli powder (I thought this was a little mild, add more if you prefer)

1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander

1 kg chicken pieces

oil

5 cardamom pods

3 cloves

1 stick cinnamon

2 bay leaves

3 tbs slivered almonds,

2 tbs sultanas / raisins

METHOD

Mix together yogurt, 1/2 tsp salt, black pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder and half of the fresh chopped coriander. Set aside.

Season chicken pieces with the other 1/2 tsp salt and some black pepper.

Heat some oil in a pan and add in cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Stir a little and then add in the chicken pieces. Brown on both sides and remove to a large bowl.

Put the sultanas/raisins and almonds into the same hot oil. Stir quickly. Once the almonds turn golden and the raisins puff up (they look so cute! .... oh and this happens really fast, so, work quickly) return the chicken with all it's accumulated juices to the pan.

Add the seasoned yogurt and stir to mix evenly. Cover the pan and simmer on low heat for about 20 mins, stirring once or twice in between.

Remove the lid, turn the heat up and cook until the liquid is reduced and just clings to the chicken pieces. Turn the chicken over to coat evenly with the sauce.

Serve over fluffy white rice or with some damper bread.

* Note: If you can figure out which are the almonds/raisins and which are the spices, remove them for easier eating. I didn't enjoy biting into those cloves ... reminds me of the dentist. :{

Otherwise, this was a super delumpcious dish!

Potato Broccoli Soup

I'm aching all over and not up to a heavy lunch. Ever had one of those colds that never really become a full blown sneeze-cough-fever-sore throat thingy? It's one of the worst feelings in the world! It just sits there (like my fat cat on my chest) and refuses to go away, leaving you feeling like there's a ton of bricks on your shoulders and the head too big for the neck to support (maybe it is :P). Groan.

Feed a cold and starve a fever ... or is it the other way round? I don't even know what's coming out ... cold? Fever? Whatever.

Liquids. Right then, soup it is.

The great thing about this soup is that the starch in the potatoes thickens the soup naturally without having to add any additional cornflour or thickeners.

INGREDIENTS

2 large-ish Russet potatoes / or any floury potatoes

2 - 3 cups stock (chicken/vegetable)

1 onion, finely diced

1 - 2 tbs butter

Broccoli florets, blanched

fresh grated nutmeg

cayenne pepper

fresh ground black pepper

salt to taste

1/2 cup or more milk / cream

METHOD

Peel the potatoes, boil and mash them up. Put aside.

Melt butter in a pan and saute the chopped onions until it's soft and translucent, not browned.

Add the stock and the mashed potatoes and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until thickened.

Using a hand blender, buzz it a few times until you get a smooth consistency.

Reheat if you prefer your soup scalding hot (like most Chinese, ouch).

Stir in milk or cream.

Season with fresh ground black pepper, fresh ground nutmeg and cayenne pepper.

Toss in a handful of blanched broccoli florets.

Great with some garlic toast or crusty bread.

Aaahhhh ... better than a hot pack.

*Note: If you prefer a bit of bite in your soup, add in one or two boiled and diced waxy potato at the end.

I've Been Tagged!

I've Been Tagged!

I haven't played tag since my school days and today, I'd got tagged by Elisabeth from Food and Thrift Finds :D Oooo, I feel like a kid again!

And she'd got tagged by someone from Hungary! Boy! Talk about the long arm of the .... um, blog.

Anyway, this tag game is all about Easter and to come up with a suggested menu of 5 - 10 items. You'll have to upload these recipes from your previous posts with photos and link them back for the recipe.

After all that, link it to 10 bloggers for the invitation to do the same!

(Check out Elisabeth's yummy menu! The goat's cheese thingy is to die for!)

As I've explained to Elisabeth, I haven't been blogging very long and hope that this short list of suggested recipes whets some appetites.

Also, here's the 10 other bloggers I've tagged and hope you'll join in this nostalgic game but with a different twist.

1. Boulder Locavore

2. Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker

3. Kimba's Kitchen

4. Pass the Sushi

5. Pretend Chef

6. Quay Po Cooks

7. Russian Season

8. Something Good

9. Three Cookies

10. Turkey's For Life

Come on people! Join in the fun!

Lemongrass Ginger Ale

Quickie Quiche

Spiced Pumpkin Tomato Chicken

Easter Tea Ring

Hot Cross Buns

Tiramisu

Getting Cross-eyed

It's been more than a month since I had put up my hot cross buns post (yeah, yeah, so i'd got my dates mixed up) and since then i've been busy with more ideas and variations just to make things a little more interesting. Hot cross macs galore for awhile and now, 3 different ways to make those crosses on those buns.

The initial crosses, made with orange icing, were and are still my favorite but they're not transport-friendly. So, here are the 3 other ways to make sturdier crosses (see pic): blue poppy seeds (top), piped batter (left) and pastry strips (right). I'm sure you can think up some more interesting versions.

Among these 3, I thought the poppy seeds made a better and more interesting eat. The pastry cross was hard and I suggest that you make a softer dough or just peel off the cross before sinking your teeth into it. The piped cross was also a little too chewy for my liking or maybe I should have made the mixture a little more runny.

Well, there it is. Ping messing around with tradition again.

Have a happy, variation-filled easter!

For the Poppy Seeds Crosses:

Sprinkle seeds into a cross shape after brushing dough with egg wash.

For the Piped Crosses:

1/2 tbs sugar

3 tbs flour

2 tbs water / milk

Mix together to form a smooth and pipeable batter. Pipe a thin line.

*Note: Lines spread a little during baking. See how fat mine are? :P

For the Pastry Crosses: (don't like this ... the dough strips turned out to hard to eat)

1/2 cup flour

3 tbs water

Mix into a smooth dough. Roll out and cut into strips. Attach onto buns with egg wash.

Bake as directed. (See Hot Cross Buns)

Easter Tea Ring

Or in other words ... a Giant Chelsea Bun!

Personally, I prefer coffee with it :D but yeah, it's supposed to be a tea-time treat. "Tea" Ring ... duh. No tea in the ingredients either.

Another traditional Easter bake.

I'd made hot cross buns too early and am a little bored of them.... need variety, but still sticking to the Eastery mood.

Truth is, I'm never tired of having good, fresh bread. And we go through bread in this household real quick.

Feel free to substitute the filling with any dried fruit of your choice and top it off with some toasted almond flakes after drizzling with the icing. Had too many ideas but in the end, I decided to go plain and simple ... when there are too many choices .... go simple, rather than overdoing the flavors.

And once again, my beloved bread machine does the arm exercises for me.

INGREDIENTS

100 ml milk

1 egg

2 cups bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs caster sugar

1 oz butter, softened

1 tsp instant dry yeast

1/2 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped

1/3 cup sultanas

1/2 oz butter, melted

1/4 cup soft brown sugar / muscovado

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp mixed spice

milk for brushing

2 tbs icing sugar

1/2 tbs Grand Marnier / orange juice

METHOD

Put the milk and egg into the bread machine bin.

Add in flour, salt, caster sugar and softened butter.

Make a shallow hole in the center and put in the dry yeast.

Set the machine to the "dough" setting.

When the cycle is done, remove dough from bread bin and onto a floured surface.

Knock the dough back, then roll it out to a rectangle measuring about 30 X 45 cm.

Brush dough with melted butter and spread the copped fruits evenly over it.

Mix together the brown sugar and spices, and sprinkle evenly over the fruits.

Starting from the longer edge, roll up the dough as you would a swiss roll. Place rolled dough cut side down.

Turn the 2 ends around to meet and seal by brushing with a little milk, pinching the ends together. Place on a prepared baking sheet.

Using a sharp knife / scissors, cut through about 2/3 into the circle.

Twist the sections so that they lie sideways (I did that but somehow it straightened out all by itself ... wooo).

Cover the ring with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about an hour in a warm place or until almost doubled in size and puffy.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200ºC for about 20 mins. After about 15 mins into baking, cover with foil to prevent over browning.

Cool on wire rack.

While the bread is cooling and still warm, prepare the icing.

Mix together the icing sugar and orange juice or liquer until a drizzly consistency. If too watery, add more icing sugar, if too dry ... you figure it out.

Drizzle mixture over the bread ring. Leave to cool.

* If you're using almond flakes to decorate, sprinkle over before the icing sets.

Happy Easter!