Who decides which wine is most devine?

Vino a-go-go

When we head to the mountains to ski for the weekend we love to dress bottles of wine in luxurious little fur coats.   These fun finds from Pottery Barn keep them safe and cool, not to mention the fact that they look chalet chic on the counter!  But these beauties are not just fancy -- they are functional -- a bottle was dropped on a cement floor the other day, and thanks to it's furry frock it survived unscathed!

Mout Rainier

So, what wines, you may wonder, do we like to serve with our varied alpine cuisine? In the white category a crisp white bordeaux (sauvignon blanc) or chablis will go with most anything we serve.

We recently came across a nice little bottle of red that is good with most anything as well.  We were introduced to it at a wine dinner at the Hunt Club at the historic Sorrento Hotel in Seattle.  At the dinner we met the family that owns and operates Hedges Winery in the Columbia Valley of Washington state.  Beyond having a gorgeous label, their wine "La Bourgeoisie', a 2007 Merlot is a nice, mellow, well-balanced red.

Here is a review of the wine, with which we would agree with from the Charolotte Observer:  "his merlot still is a nicely balanced little gem that isn't over the top. With aromas of raspberry and black cherry over an interesting minerality, this is a great bottle to have around as a "house pour" with weeknight dinners."  It's priced well too, just under $15.00.

We enjoyed a conversation with the family about a part of their mission: "To capture terroir in its most raw form and to preserve the integrity of the wine world by rebelling against the 100 point Rating system."  

The proprietress of this winery is from the Champagne region of France, she, along with her husband, have created their family estate with a definite french influence, which is part of the origination of the "no rating" philosophy.

Have you ever found yourself at a dinner or wine tasting where everyone is ooohing and awwing over the wine (s) being served including impressive numbers about the ratings, the exclusivity, the cost, etc.   Then, when you take an anticipated sip of the nectar you end up thinking "hmmmmmm??"and wondering what all of the who-haw is about?   The point that the Hedges family is making is that wine, like food, is a very personal taste.   Who says that the professional wine tasters of the world share your palate preferences??
 
Their son, Christophe (who runs sales and marketing for the company) emphasizes the point "Wine is too personal of a product to generalize under the umbrella of scores.  A numerical unit cannot possibly describe a pleasure or displeasure unit".

He goes on to point out that the rating system can ruin a perfectly good winery "Scores have destroyed terroir, and increased pricing for everyone."

Chef Bertrand de Boutray has also questioned the reliabilty of the rating system lately in his newsletter Bertrand Chez Vous.  Here he describes a wine tasting where the exact same wine was in two differently labeled bottles "they served a panel of 57 wine experts two identical midrange Bordeaux wines, one in an expensive Grand Cru bottle and the other in a bottle of cheap table wine. Guess what, these “experts” could not find adjectives good enough to compliment the wine in the Grand Cru bottle but for the “cheap bottle”, they were more critical, using words like “unbalanced, flat, etc.” The result of this study showed they all preferred the Grand Cru bottle although the wine in the cheap bottle was identical."

I think moods, atmosphere and company also affect ones appreciation of wines.  Bertrand says "Others will tell you that French or Italian wines taste better in France and Italy. I tend to agree with this idea simply because when travelling abroad we have a tendency to be more relaxed and more receptive of the good things of life"

Professional taster can also be influenced by circumstances.  This was confirmed in Bertrands' research for his article "They agreed that wine ratings are influenced by uncontrolled factors such as the time of the day, the number of hours since the taster last ate, the number of wines to taste, the mood and many other factors. Very often wine critics taste too many wines in too short of a time."
 
Like the Hedges family he takes the more french attitude towards wine "I wish we could treat wines as a simple beverage while keeping in mind that what you have in the bottle is made from grapes and is the embodiment of providing memorable times, intense feelings, great pleasure, love, passion and unfathomable emotions – wine - a great pleasure of life."

I must say I concur.   One of my most memorable wine experiences was finding a well chilled bottle of rosé wine at a roadside bakery/rotisserie/produce stand in Raumatulle, France.  We had arrived the night before, and suddenly I found myself surrounded by french people in espadrilles, buying their picnics to take to the plage (beach) that day.  The labels were falling off the bottles (from being in an icy bath for so long), but when I served it for lunch that day our entire party fell in love with the local rosé and were ready to enjoy all that the south of france had to offer.

Now, when in the south of france, or anywhere (many of the french rosés can now be found in the states) I always enjoy the crisp light flavors of a rosé, even while bottles of trop cher champagne are readily accessible.  Many of the rosés come from small producers, so the labels may not be familiar.  When choosing a rosé, I usually look at the color of the beverage -- I've found the lighter, coral colored wines are crisper, lighter and less sweet than the the deeper, rosier colored wines.

What are your favorite wines/ wine experiences and how do you choose what you drink? To leave a comment click on the word "comment" below. We'd love to hear from you.

A Votre Sante!

Daffs on the doorstep

If you were assigned with the task, could you come up with a flower that is "cheerier" than the humble daffodil??  This is a bouquet we left on someones doorstep lately, it was so easy to assemble.   It surely made them smile!

As they begin showing up in the grocery stores and flower stands, we find daffodils so hard to resist. Many times they are closed and less-than-lively looking, even displayed without water.  But don't let this cause hesitation, buy a bunch (or 10!!) trim the stems, put them in water, and you will be rewarded.

In the Seattle area we first receive buds coming from more southern locales. But, in the Washington state Skagit Valley, a riot of yellow is preparing to explode.

The other thing we love about daffodils is that one can make a pretty spectacular presentation, for a nominal cost.  For other bouquet ideas featuring daffodils click on the title: thirty centerpieces, in a hurry, or, go big with daffodil divinity.

For this bouquet we pulled together as many stems as we could in a handful, about 40.  We simply trimmed the stems to a uniform height and dropped them into a low square vase.   Then we turned the buds so they were all facing out.

In another day, accessorized with a ribbon and a card, they were in full bloom and ready to share their cheer!

South of France Chicken Saffron Soup recipe

I'm just mad about Saffron

Here is a recipe for a splendidly simple and delicious chicken and vegetable soup that offers of the warming flavors from one of our favorite regions in Europe, the South of France. 

Most prominently, the soup is made with saffron.  We love the flavor, aroma and color of Saffron.  Not surprisingly, we are also passionate about some of the most famous dishes that feature this spice, the Spanish Paella, Rissotto Milanese (Italian) and the famous French Bouillabaisse. 

Saffron is the dried stigmas from a small purple crocus called Crocus sativus.  Each flower produces only 3 stigmas.  The stigmas must be hand picked and dried.  It is because of this labor intensive process that saffron is the world's most expensive spice, almost $400.00 per ounce.   But do not worry, a little saffron goes a long way.  The jar of saffron in the above photo costs $11.29 at amazonfresh.com.   It contains .02824 ounces of saffron, or about 2 tablespoons (this recipe calls for 1 tablespoon so the ingredient cost is under $6.00).  It takes over 14,000 of these stigmas to make up an ounce of saffron -- that is a whole lot of crocus! 

This satisfying chicken and vegetable soup is made with a delicious nod to the traditional bouillabaisse from the south of France.  Oh, how we love spending days lunching and lounging at our favorite beach club, Nioulargo (click on the name to enjoy the scene) and then heading to Chez Camille, for bouillabaisse made in the time honored traditional fashion.  Click on the soup name to learn about this famous beach restaurant and a little about the process of making this traditional dish (and to hear a handsome voice speaking French).

Do not worry, Splendid ones, this soup recipe offers the pleasures of a bouillabaisse, but it is much easier to make.   Also, it is made with chicken instead of fish.

Beyond being joyfully drenched in a saffrony broth, this soup provides a great excuse to indulge in aioli. Aioli is a garlicky mayonnaise from that region which is very easy to make and is delicious on everything. We like to keep a tub in the refrigerator to add to sandwiches or dollop on salads for a delicious burst of garlic and green olive oil flavor.  You may want to indulge in a bottle of cold Rosé wine with this dish, no need to wait for summer!  The Pernod and fennel root round out the classic bouillabaisse flavor profile.

Ingredients

serves 4
5 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon saffron threads
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 boneless-skinless chicken breasts, sprinkled with salt, pepper and thyme leaves.
1 red onion, chopped (for easier chopping, with a sharp knife, halve the onion, then cut through the onion layers, cutting through the arches to the desired thickness.  Then cut the other way, again, being mindful of the size of pieces you desire)

1 cup chopped celery (about 4 stalks)
(for quicker chopping, with a sharp knife, run the blade down the length of the stalk, making 3 or 4 "streamers" depending upon your desired size.   Next, cut width-wise to desired size).   For a minced vegetable, use these techniques and then chop the pile, left to right, right to left until it is the desired size.

1/2 cup chopped fennel root
2 cups coarsley chopped ripe tomatoes (about 2 medium tomatoes)
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup white wine
3/4 cup Pernod (or Pastis)
10 sprigs fresh thyme

6 baby red potatoes, cut in ½ and thickly sliced (optional)

Place saffron threads in medium sauce pan over medium high heat, stir around until you smell the fragrance, then pour in chicken stock (this allows the saffron flavor to infuse the broth).
Allow the seasoned chicken to sit at room temperature for up to an hour.
Drizzle olive oil into the pan and heat over medium high heat.
Cut the chicken into 1 inch chunks.
Put chunks in heated oil.  Cook until lightly browned.
Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm.
Toss potatoes into remaining oil/fat, allow to become golden brown and remove from heat (store in oven if possible).  The potatoes can be omitted, or if another starch is desired, cooked pasta, cous cous or rice would be nice.

Reduce heat to medium, add chopped onion, celery, and fennel root, cook until just translucent.
Add tomatoes and garlic to vegetables.  Cook until the tomatoes are just soft.

Add saffron infused stock, Pernod, wine and the thyme sprigs.
Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 1/2 hour.  After about 25 minutes, add the chicken and allow it to warm.

Set the table with soup bowls and spoons. The potatoes can be put in the soup bowl with the soup ladled over them.

Serve with a large bowl of aioli (click on the name to go to the recipe -- this can be made the day before) to dollop on top!

Pour the rosé, et, bon appetite!

Lovely Totes

A friend brought over these lovely totes as a hostess gift lately.   We love them.  During the winter months, most every weekend we pack up a portable pantry (and refrigerator) and head to the mountains to ski.  Packed in this set of damask printed bags, our roaming kitchen looks much more polished and chic.

We prepped and packed our paella ingredients, polished our paella pan and headed for the hills.

Click on Paella for the recipe (it's a great way to feed a chalet full.)

The bags have a shorter and a longer handle, offering several options for carrying and securing.   They also have deep side pockets for storing taller items.  Find these in many stylish designs at Libbygreen.com.

Feu de Bois

A great interior design/ life style blog that is always full of interesting ideas and images is Habitually Chic (click on the name to read).   Reading through the other day I saw a post on the authors favorite things listed in Lonny magazine.   I loved seeing the photo my favorite summertime candle, Baies from Diptyque.  The fresh, seaside fragrance of this candle wafting through the market in the summer is hard to beat.

In the winter, my favorite candle is also by Diptiyque, It is called Feu de Bois.  The fragrance reminds me of the small alpine strawberries called by the same name in France.   But most outlets in the US translate the name as "firewood", and there is sort of a sweet firewood smell to the fragrant flickering torch. Fluent French friends out there -- can you share with us the correct definition?

These candles can be bought from Gorsuch.  If you are not familiar with this company, click on the name and take a visit.  These stores and catalogue are the epitome of Chalet Chic. 

Oh, how I love to visit their Colorado based stores.   Beyond the fashions featured in the catalogue, they offer amazing home furnishings.   It's probably for the best that I usually have to settle for the catalogue and the candle.   Whenever I find myself alone in one of their lovely rooms, decorated with the perfect balance of rustic and refined furnishing, and those gorgeous linens, I really get the urge to very quietly, very secretly, just move in...

Fast and Fabulous Steaks with a demi-glaze sauce

If you're ready for something delicious and satisfying for dinner, try this simple recipe. 

Follow these simple steps and in a less than a half hour, you and yours will feel like you are dining in a cozy little bistro in France.












Ingredients
4-6 steaks (we use top sirloin steaks) about 1 inch thick

dry marinade ingredients

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Sprinkle the rub on both sides of each of the steaks about an hour before cooking.   Rub the seasoning onto the meat to provide a light, even coating.  Allow the beef to sit at room temperature.

cooking and deglazing ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup chicken or beef stock
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 heaping teaspoon tarragon dijon mustard (regular dijon can be used but PLEASE try to find the tarragon dijon, the tarragon adds so much flavor to the sauce.  If you're lucky enough to be in an area they serve, it is available through Amazonfresh.com.   You can also order it from the Splendid Items section on the main page of Splendid Market, these products are shipped by Amazon).

In a large non-stick skillet, over medium high heat, melt one tablespoon of butter.  Pour in olive oil. Circle the pan around to evenly distribute the butter and oil.  Lay the steaks in the mixture as the bubbles begin to get smaller.  Make sure there is about 1/2 inch space between each of the steaks.

Cook the steaks for about 3-4 minutes per side for a medium rare finish.  When the steaks are finished, remove from heat and cover to keep warm. 

Pour off all but a tablespoon of the saute fat.  Pour the minced shallots into the fat and allow them to sizzle for about a minute.  Pour in the wine and the stock and stir with a wooden spoon, loosening up any cooked bits on the bottom of the pan.  Raise the heat to high and let the sauce bubble for about 2 minutes, it will become a deep burgundy color. 

Remove the pan from the heat.  Stir one tablespoon of the butter into the sauce.   When that has melted and been absorbed, stir in a second tablespoon. 

Next, spoon in the mustard and whisk the sauce quickly to smooth it out.  Sprinkle in the parsley and thyme.   Spoon sauce over the steaks and serve.

Now then, this is going to be very delicious, but, honestly, aren't you just dying for a lovely plate of frites to serve with those steaks???  But who has time to peel, cut, soak, fry, drain, fry again, drain and salt (which is what you have to do for really great frites).

Here's a great lazy lady (or elegantly efficient) solution.   These can be made before you begin making the steaks and held in the oven to keep warm.  Don't wrap them in foil, they will loose their crisp exterior.  These can also be made at the same time you are cooking the steaks, they take about the same amount of time. 

To give the pleasure of frites without the labor, make frite cakes (or would they be gateaux de frites??).

In the refrigerated meat section of most grocery stores (or at Amazonfresh), one can buy "Simply Fresh" potatoes.   These are coarsely shredded fresh potatoes (never frozen) in a sealed green plastic bag.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium hign heat in a non stick pan.   Take handfuls of the shredded potatoes and pat them down in the sizzling oil.  Drizzle a little more olive oil over the cakes.   Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.

Allow one side to become crispy, golden brown.   Flip, crisp up the other side and serve them up with those splendid steaks and demi glaze sauce.

oh, yum!!

Olive Blossom Hand Soap

Pure and Good

The Pure and Good hand soap we picked up at Anthropologie just before the holidays has truly been pure and good, plus so much more!

First of all, we love the beautiful thick, faceted glass bottle filled with pale golden liquid.  Next, we found that when you press the pump, just a small (but ample) amount of soap comes out (the soap seems to be very concentrated -- which is good for the environment).

Finally, we love the scent.  We chose Olive Blossom, it is slightly fragrant but not too purfumed.  It really just smells CLEAN, and isn't that all one really wants in a soap?

Don't you just love shopping at Anthropologie?   I go regularly, but when I was at a store during December, I found myself lost in a daze - smiling and gasping at most everything I saw.  It dawned on me that this store to me is what Tiffany's was to Holly Golightly -- a place where nothing bad could ever happen.

The displays always leave me in awe, especially when they take common items and turn them into works of art.  I couldn't resisit taking photos of the giant ostriches made of recycled paper...

There is a great interior design blog I like to follow called Beach Bungalow 8.  She recently did a piece on the "Anthro" stores in New York, where they had display animals made of take-out utensils!!   Click on Beach Bungalow 8 to see her piece and puruse her blog.  If you don't have a store in your area, I'm so sorry!  Please click on Anthropologie for a little cyber visit!


To me, Antropology is sort of the Grand Bazaar of the retail world, I love exploring all of the nooks and crannies; I find myself pondering about the origins of many of the items; and I usually walk away with something that I love.

The blue patterned tablecloth and napkins were splendid for Christmas dinner, they blend well with my decor.

I have a feeling they will be gracing the table for many a meal  to come.

Dearest Dahpne

My, do I feel fortunate today. The very catastrophic situation in Haiti is so troubling. I feel like I should go to help these people. A very good friend is a rockstar of a surgeon and is involved in the organization Direct Relief International. Instead of trying to catch a flight to Port-au-Prince, we have donated a small sum to this group, because we feel our funds will go so far.

This Santa Barbara based organization serves as a clearing house for the major pharmaceutical and surgical supply companies willing to help people in need. Fed Ex is on board and delivers these donations for free. Because of this unique situation, for each dollar spent, DRI delivers $21 - $37 in medical materials. Forbes magazine rated this organization 99% efficient for the past 8 years. If you would like to see daily updates on what they are doing in Haiti or learn more about this organization please click on Direct Response International.

We love the shocking sight of Daphne in the winter when the skies are grey and the rain is cold and constant.

Here these brave little clusters of pale pink flowers appear, just as confident as can be.

They must get the feeling that they look out of place. But we are so happy they choose to keep their heads held high and choose to believe they are the best dressed girl in the room.

Last year we wrote a post on the whims and desires of Daphne Odora (click on the name to read and see photos), a lovely (though difficult), low evergreen bush which offers blooms similar to those in the photo above.

This is Odora's tall, awkward, gawky cousin, Mezereum (or commonly called Feburary Daphne).  We've had a mild winter in the PNW, which has brought her to bloom earlier than usual.

We must admit, we seem to have let this girl get a little out of control, it seems to be time to bring her down a size.

This winter pruning project is actually quite a pleasure,

because the by-product is a beautiful sight to behold indoors!  To read about other Splendid Market posts on branchy bouquets, click on the name of your choice: quince, lilac, flowering fruit branches.

We cut the branches at an angle, to allow them to absorb more water.   Any smaller branches that would be below the water level of our vases have been trimmed off.  Into the vases they go..

The spicy-sweet, earthy fragrance fills the rooms and  keeps away the chill of winter.

Any smaller branches which were trimmed off are perfect gracing a nightstand or two.

Sometimes, I wonder if these delicate puffs were the influence for the ballerinas' tutu? 

This one is a little haute couture, but the color and the straighter sides look like the base of the stalkless flower clusters that appear on the dark burgundy branches.

This tutu looks like the fullest part of the petite petals.

We were recently introduced to a great lifestyle blog, the author is also based in Santa Barbara.   We love her photography and intrepretations of nature.   She offers some great product ideas and her posts are  VERY fun to read!

She did a piece comparing a flower to runway fashions, click on Slim Paley to enjoy.