Madame Clicquot Ponsardin (bow down)!

Madame Clicquot known as the "Grand Dame of Champagne", was only 27 when she became a widow and took over her husband's wine business 200 + years ago!

Her riddling technique of placing bottles upside down and turning them is still used today. 

This Champagne house has an annual production of approximately 18,000,000 bottles and they ranked number two by volume behind Moët & Chandon in Champagne kingdom. 

Even the 'yellow label' NV is inimitable. 

For such a large operation, the consistency of Veuve Clicquot is truly admirable. 

Instead of showing up to a special event with flowers, why not bring a bottle of yellow level NV 

VC? You can find this bottle for less than $ 50.00 at whole foods or Trader Joes. 

I get mine from San Diego wine Co for just 42.00, in a beautiful metal box. 

We love it so much we even buy a magnum to share with friends.

Concerns and potential problems

I am generally a naturally cheerful person but I do have character flaws. I have serious concerns and
worry about things often. For example, why is there sooo much hair in the tub after i shower?
Am I living beyond my means?
What if i forget the smell of Loui and Orielle's fur?
Or what if i waited way too long to enjoy my 1976 Dom Perignon?

I was conceived in 1976, this is an important vintage.
Maybe I am finally experiencing what they call "First world problems"?
Or spoiled American issues? I can pinpoint which conflict of privilege I could
be judged with!

Dom Perignon has mistakenly been referred to as the person who "invented" Champagne.
The truth is, no one invented Champagne; it invented itself.
All wines begin to bubble the moment grapes are pressed. Yeast on the skin comes into
contact with sugar in the juice, converting it to carbonic gas, a process called fermentation.
In colder wine growing areas (like Champagne) the yeast goes into hibernation during the winter before all the sugar has been converted. In the spring, it wakes up and attacks the sugar which results in a second fermentation, creating BUBBLES.

In Dom Perignon's time, no one really understood yeast and bubbles were considered a flaw.
What Dom Perigean accomplished was something else, he set down some golden rules to wine making. His procedures are followed today: Use only the best grapes, prune vines in early spring to avoid over production, press grapes gently and keep the juices from each press separately.
He possessed  a wonderful palate, he was a genius at blending and because of this he made wine
better than anyone else's. He was the first in Champagne to use corks for sealing bottles!

It is such a tragedy that many of his records were lost during the French revolution.

Did you know that Dom Perignon is the prestige cuvée of Moët & Chandon?
The two brands are under the same umbrella.

Dom is known for its long aging endurance but I know I am really pushing it...

Grower Champagne ..WTF is GROWER?

Récoltant Manipulant: The French designation for a producer of "GROWER" champagne. 

So what is Grower Champagne? 

It is simply wine produced by the same Champagne house who owns the vineyards. 

A grower champagne can be identified as RM or referred to more commonly as 'grower champagne'. 

Larger houses such as Veuve clicquot who mass produces their famous yellow label brut has to source their grapes from the entire Champagne region.

A grower champagne such as Chartogne Taillet (pronounced Shah-tone- Tie-yair) obtain their grapes from their single and owned vineyards, terroir being at the forefront of things. 

Grower Champagnes are limited to only their vineyard while larger houses have the flexibility of the entire region. 

My favorite grower Champagne so far is the Chartogne tailed cuvée le rosé brut NV. 

60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, vinified in stainless stell tanks. 

A great rosé at an enticing price!

This bottle provided depth and dimension with incredible fragrance. 

2008 base vintage; a masterfully crafted rosé!

I first tasted at village vino in San Diego but is is now sold out.

WHERE TO BUY:

I can't find this bottle anywhere locally.

I ordered online (best price) from Hi times in Costa Mesa for 

49.98 as of today. 

Wine spectator rating is 93 points but it think points are for people who have no opinion of their own.

Trust your own taste and preference, taste as many bottles as you can and enjoy!

SPECIAL CLUB

Today was my first visit to the liberty station public market in San Diego, CA. 

I have posted my yelp review of the "Grape Smuggler" for any locals who wish to

know about my experience there. 

I brought home a Gaston Chiquet (pronounced Gas-toh- shi khe) 2005 special club bottle.

So what is SPECIAL CLUB?

This is a club of 28 producers of 'grower' champagne who since 1971 act as their own

judge and jury when blindly tasting wine to decide which ones have the potential to be an exceptional champagne. Once approved, the wine goes through a second formation and bottled in a uniquely shaped special club bottle (look for the special club logo on the glass - see picture above).

Every special club bottle is assured to be great, a special club can only be made for outstanding vintage years, each champagne is subject to two blind tasting before and after bottling.

The beauty of grower champagne is that each house is devoted to their grapes and passionately work to display their quality and unique characters. 

Blog entry on GROWER champagne coming soon!

WHERE TO BUY:

In San Diego - Best price i found was at the Grape smuggler in liberty station, $ 80.00 as of today.

On line - 89.00 plus shipping and handling. 

Salted-Caramel-Apple-upisidedown- cake

Football is here and I need to keep myself occupied while my husband is glued to our couch.
Today's creation was inspired by my sweet tooth and craving for caramel apples and a soft cake.
It requires you to make your own caramel sauce which is super easy.

Salted caramel sauce recipe:

1 cup of sugar
3 ounces of salted butter
1/2 cup of heavy cream

Directions:
Melt the sugar over medium/high heat in a pot, stirring the sugar as it melts to ensure it melts evenly.
Cook the liquified sugar until it is a nice deep brown color (do not burn the sugar),
you want a light copper color.

add the butter all at once, lower flame to low heat and slowly pour the heavy cream while you vigorously stir (the heavy cream will cause the caramel to bubble).

continue to stir until you get a smooth sauce and remove from flame to cool.

Cake recipe:

1 cup of salted caramel sauce 

2 granny smith apples -  (peeled or un-peeled, your choice. I like my peel), cored and cut

into eights. 

2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt 

3 eggs

3/4  cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter - softened 

1 1/3 cups of sugar 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a glass cake pan and pour just half of the caramel sauce into the cake pan. 

The other half can be refrigerated or used with cake when serving (as a drizzle) or over vanilla ice cream with the cake.

Arrange the apples over the sauce in circle, overlapping just slightly. 

In a bowl, which the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. 

In a new (Largest of the) bowl, beat the butter and sugar about three minutes until fluffy.

Beat in the dry and wet ingredients into your butter; alternating one 

after one. 

Beat until smooth and pour the batter over your apples in even layers.

Bake the cake for 75 minutes or until golden on top and toothpick inserted in

center comes out clean.

Cool for at least 30 minutes and place a plate on top of the cake and invert cake into

plate.

First day of Fall 2015!

I turned to my husband last night and announced "tomorrow is the 1st day of fall!" 

"Reaaally?", he doubted. 

-"i wouldn't be in the kitchen baking if i was kidding"

-"GOOD POINT" as he grins.

So here is my little creation: Peach, Ricotta Pecan cake.

Serves just 4-6.

I suggest you freeze left over stone fruits and use it on future cakes.

Ingredients:

-Nonstick vegetable oil spray

-3/4 cups of all purpose flour

-1/2 cup of sugar

-1 Teaspoon of baking powder

-3/4 teaspoon salt

-2 eggs

-3/4 Ricotta 

-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

-1/2 stick of unsalted melted butter

-1 peach/thin sliced

-Pecans

Preparation 

preheat oven to 350. Line a round cake pan with parchment paper and lightly 

coat with nonstick spray. 

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.

Whisk eggs, ricotta, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. 

Fold into dry ingredients just until blended. 

Then fold in melted butter (room temperature butter works great).

Scrape butter into prepared pan and gently place thin peach slices on top,

top off with a handful of pecans (or hazelnuts).

Bake until golden brown, 50-60 minutes,

Let cool for at least 15 minutes before unmolding.

ENJOY!

SANTANA BRUT

One of my favorite CA sparkling producers has paired up with Carlos Santana for

a series of limited release wines. 

I tasted all three during my visit in July. 

This wine is aged 48 months in the lees before disgorging. 

What this means is, the wine is not transferred to another container (racking) but rather bottled directly from the lees. I find that this results in a fresh and almost creamy flavor. 

The aging brings out subtle tones of vanilla and hazelnut. 

This wine is perfect on its own, the aging potential according to the winery is 5-10 years.

60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay. 

$ 50.00 per bottle, Carlos Santana is donating ALL proceeds to 

the milagro foundation. 

The milagro foundation helps poor children around the world, primarily Mexico.

A must for any sparkling lover, almost sold out and available only through MUMMS website. 

Ruinart Blanc de Blancs brut NV

I decided to start the champagne reviews with my most favorite:

Ruinart Blanc de Blancs brut NV.

5 stars/ Price range $ 75.00 - 130.00.

The most fancy-schmancy of them all!

Ruinart blanc de blancs really captures the bubbly, light, crisp, elegance of Champagne I've come to love. Subtle citrus blossom notes of fresh lemons and the fragrance of flowers.

Champagne doesn't travel well and i have serious concerns for this being
light struck - Please remember to keep clear bottles in a dark room or protected by dark bag.
Why would this champagne house bottle this delicate and delicious wine in a light bottle?
Ugh, who knows.

I stepped into Cucina Enoteca in Del Mar and saw the bottles sitting out in the front lobby, under
bright light and i cringed.

On a positive note, Cucina enoteca sells this for around $80.00 plus corkage fee.
Encore Champagne in downtown sells a bottle for around $ 140.00 and Bevmo seems to be
the least expensive for around $75.00.

Ruinart blanc de blancs continues to hemorridge my savings, I can't get enough of it.
It captures the lightness of chardonnay and it smells like NO OTHER Champagne I've come across,
the most fragrant in all the right ways.
My last bottle was consumed yesterday while i geeked out and finished my comic books.

the finest fizz on earth

I love Champagne!

I am rating sparkling wine in this blog- A SUPREMELY cocky thing to do in the comfort of my sunny San Diego deck.

There's a dazzling world of sparkling wine to be discovered and I am up to the task.

 

Champagne offers a variety of styles to add to ANY occasion, your food, your mood and your taste.

I find this to be a thrilling chase, to find the right bottle for every taste.

 

I am not talking epic drunkness but honestly tasting and learning about sparkling wine.

 

I love wine but SPARKLING wine (to me) is in a class of its own!

BUBBLES lift champagne off the two-dimensional page of aroma and flavor into texture and feeling.

I am creating an archive of every champagne /sparkling wine I've ever tasted into this blog!!

 

Every sparkling wine featured in this blog was tasted recently, early 2014.
~CHEERS~

 

A letter to Loui

I have not updated my blog in months.
Loui passed away July 5th and life has not been the same... Here is my letter to Loui:
i lost you much too soon.

I still can't put away your harness and keep your toys in a safe place near my bed. Tim called Frank while we were 'celebrating' our anniversary in Napa and something told me there was something wrong; i answered the phone and knew there was a problem.

Tim told me you were dead and my concern quickly shifted to Tim and his broken heart and pain.

All i could tell him was "its okay, we will catch the earliest flight back home".

I lied, i hung up the phone and my heart was broken.

We left the winery in tears and I threw up in our hotel as i cried uncontrollably.

ONLY eight years with me seemed so short, I felt so upset and so angry, i thought life wasn't fair.

I still remember driving to fall brook with a check and hating myself for not 'rescuing' and buying from a breeder but i saw your photo online and fell in love with you instantly!

i couldn't stop thinking about the expensive dog i shouldn't buy, i heard a song that afternoon

'WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD" by Louis Armstrong and i knew what your name would be.

Loui.

My Loui, what a wonderful world.

I have never met a more loving dog, you actually kissed me when i asked, smiled at me, loved me and slept next to me every night.

You loved the squeaky ball, i have your last one in my bra drawer. . .

I still hate walking in the door each day, our house will never be the same. Orielle keeps me going but i still cry in my car some days and hate to walk inside the house.

I am so sorry i was not there for you when you left this world, I find a bit of comfort in knowing Orielle was there for you to see you go and Tim did all he could.

Your absence leaves a GIANT hole in my life, you are in my heart forever. i will always love you and  never forget you. I love you Loui, thank you for your love and affection.

Mama cries for you and misses you so so so so so so so so much.

I still can't believe you are gone.

i love you. 

Asparagus gratin with cheese béchamel

This is an excellent side dish to go with steak!

I mix both green & white asparagus for the recipe. 

Preheat oven to 400˚Start with the béchamel sauce first.

Ingredients

40 grams of butter40 grams of flour1 & 1/2 cup whole milk½ tsp ground nutmeg½ tsp salt¼ tsp black pepper80 grams of grated sharp cheddar cheese (you can experiment with different
cheeses here but i like cheddar)80 grams of grated parmesan cheeseA small amount of fresh breadcrumbs (about a slice)

Instructions


1. In a saucepan, on a medium heat, melt butter and add flour. 

2. Whisk until smooth and gradually add milk whisking away. 
3. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. 
Stir until sauce thickens.
4. Remove from heat, add grated cheese, parmesan cheese and black pepper, mix well until melted. Set aside

5. Wash the asparagus under cool running water and trim away the bottom, about 1/3 of the stalk. 

6. Fill a medium to large saucepan with water, about half way to the top. Add salt and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and reduce heat slightly – cook for 10 minutes, or until crisp and tender, depending on thickness of asparagus. 

7. Drain and place on a buttered oven-proof dish. Pour béchamel sauce over asparagus, drizzle with breadcrumbs. 

8. Cook in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden. 

Serve hot, this is one of my favorite sides!

 ENJOY

Potage aux primeurs - Spring time soup

I don't even know how to pronounce this delicious French soup inspired by blogging 

food Goddess Mimi. 

I love soups and it was very easy to find all ingredients at the farmers market this morning. 

Even Loui looks forward to goodies from the local market.

This is a very simple and tasty recipe, 

I love it as a starter or even just alone.

Ingredients
2 leeks, cut into julienne strips
1 cup of fresh green peas 
1 large carrot, cut in julienne strips
2 turnips, diced very finely
2 quarts of organic chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

A handful of parsley, chopped (to be sprinkled over soup when served)
4 egg yolks

Instructions:

1. Wash all vegetables, slice and chop according to ingredients list above.  

2. In a large pot, bring the stock to a boil and add all the vegetables except the peas.

  

3. Boil 5 minutes and add peas. Turn the heat down and leave to simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.

 4. Whisk egg yolks in a small bowl, add 4 tablespoons of  the soup to blend.  

5. Take soup off the heat and add the egg yolks, making sure to whisk continuously to avoid any egg curdling.

6. Season with salt and pepper to your taste 

  

Serve immediately and top with parsley leaves, 

Enjoy!

Loui

Loui thinks natural balance should be more SENSITIVE in their 

marketing of low calorie food. 

Zuni inspired roasted chicken

I purchased this beautiful cookbook after i attended a dinner held by a local friend.

If you are in the San Diego area, get on the email list for cellar door. 

Logan and Gary are amazing.

The Zuni Cafe roasted chicken is traditionally served with a bread salad 

which is delicious but not great for my type1 diabetic loved one. 

In this blog recipe I omit the bread salad this time but encourage anyone 

willing to grow and experiment in the kitchen to order the book.

This recipe requires that you salt and season the bird days in advance,
no additional fat is added, the succulent fat from the skin will be enough.
The recipe in the book is three pages long and can be a little intimidating.
I have edited this down tremendously by skipping the bread salad and instead
serving my chicken with fresh roasted vegetables, whatever is in season.

Ingredients:

1 small chicken (I used farm raised and organic)
4 sprigs of thyme
3 sprigs of rosemary
Minced garlic
Salt
Pepper

Step 1
Remove the inside of the chicken and discard,
wash chicken and pat dry.
The chicken must be dry, this is very important.
Use the tip of your finger to loosen skin from the thick part of the thigh,
place sprigs on thyme and rosemary into the pocket (for each side).
Season the chicken.
A wet chicken won't sizzle and give you the crispy skin results.
Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper.
Be generous with the salt on the thicker areas (breast) and less liberal
on the thin parts (ankles).
Sprinkle a little salt inside the chicken, rub minced garlic on
the bird and cover loosely with plastic, I let mine sit in the fridge for
two days.

Step 2
Roast the chicken.
Prepare your pan and preheat oven to 475º.
Choose a dish/roasting pan barely larger than your chicken and ensure the pan is
completely dry so your chicken won't stick to it.
Place the empty pan in the oven for 10 minutes,
pat your chicken dry.
Remove pan from oven and add your (breast side up) chicken, it will sizzle!
Place the chicken in the oven (center of your rack) and roast for 50-55 minutes,
listen for the sizzling sound after twenty minutes and watch the skin start to
brown.

Step 3
Remove chicken from oven, carefully remove the chicken from the pan and
place on a large plate and let it rest.
Add fresh carrots, purple potatoes, onions, mushrooms or any fresh
vegetables of your choice to the pan with fat in it and return to oven for 15 minutes.

Step 4
Serve the chicken!
Remove vegetables from oven, cut the chicken and serve
on the bed of fresh roasted vegetables.
Drizzle the chicken with the juices/fat left in the pan, this is super flavorful.
ENJOY!

Piña colada cake

This is one of my absolute favorite cakes. 

It took me a couple of tries to get this right but THANK the Lord above, 

sweet success is all MINE now!

Do not make the mistake i initially made and use coconut cream in this

recipe, the ONLY thing that will give you that coconut sweet flavor is 

CREAM OF COCONUT. There is a big difference!

This is the stuff you want to use

I found mine at a local Latin market in the beer and wine section.

You can't use coconut cream, you will be disappointed with the results. 

But lets just jump right in and enjoy this delicious boozy recipe, shall we?

Ingredients 
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup cream of coconut
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple 

(or pineapple from a can if those are the circumstances 

in your life. I prefer fresh pineapple but it is not always in season).

To brush on top of the cake
1 to 2 tablespoons of additional rum 
2 tablespoons pineapple juice 

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 1/2 to 3 tablespoons pineapple juice

2 tablespoons dark rum for sprinkling over cake 

(optional, I told you this is very boozy).

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Butter and flour a round cake pan.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat softened butter and brown sugar with 

an electric mixer at medium 

speed until fluffy, then beat eggs, one at a time, and the rum. 

Add cream of coconut and mix; the batter will look funny but 

it turns out okay once baked. 

Add dry ingredients, half at a time, mixing and scraping down bowl between additions. 

Mix only until flour is just incorporated. 

Using a rubber spatula, fold in bits of fresh pineapple.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. 

Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 

35 to 40 minutes. 

I made individual round cakes by using remekin molds 

so you can do that too and adjust the 

temperature to 28 minutes. 

Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan/ramekins. 

For extra flavor, while the cake is still hot you can brush it with rum.

Cool cake completely at room temperature.

Once cake is cool, place powdered sugar and salt in a small bowl with 

1 1/2 tablespoons pineapple juice and whisk until a thick glaze forms. 

Thin glaze only as needed, adding additional pineapple juice a teaspoon 

at a time until glaze is just thick enough to pour. 

Pour glaze into middle of cake and if it’s too thick to crawl to the edges itself, 

nudge it with a spatula until the top is covered. 

Serve immediately or let it set in the fridge for 20 minutes or so.

Blood orange olive oil cake

Do you like baking MORE than cooking savory dishes?
I always stand on the fence about this but I find my cakes and sweet dishes are just so photo worthy at times, its like they beg to be photographed.
The fact is, i cook meals at home three to four nights a week.
Somehow my savory dishes have not made it on to my new blog but that will change soon.
I swear!
Another successful trip to the farmers market in which i let local and fresh ingredients speak to me; this weekend I was attracted to the fragrant organic oranges and the large and beautiful blood oranges.
I bought half a dozen blood oranges not knowing what to do with them, I told my husband we could always juice them into some cheap bubbly for a great mimosa. He didn't object but certainly i could find a more creative use for these beauties and i did.
Thanks to Smitten Kitchen.
I tweaked the recipe to make it more simple (choosing to mix all ingredients gently together vs one at a time)! The result was a phenomenal moist, delicious, beautiful cake.
I love the lack of butter, the only fat being virgin olive oil.
The original recipe suggests a blood orange compote which I omitted for the sake of my waist line.
If you feel naughty, all you need to do is drizzle blood orange pieces with honey and you have your compote.

Butter for baking pan
3 blood oranges
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. 
Grate zest from 2 oranges and place in a bowl with sugar. 

Using your fingers, rub ingredients together until orange zest is evenly distributed in sugar. The smell will be incredible!

Supreme 2 oranges: Cut off bottom and top so fruit is exposed and orange can stand upright on a cutting board. 

Cut away peel and pith, following curve of fruit with sharp knife. 
Cut orange segments out of their connective membranes and let them fall into a bowl. 

Repeat with another orange. Break up segments with your fingers to about 1/4-inch pieces.

Halve remaining orange and squeeze juice into a measuring cup; you’ll will have about 1/4 cup. Add to buttermilk altogether. 

Pour mixture into bowl with sugar and whisk well. 
Whisk in eggs and olive oil.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently stir dry ingredients into wet ones. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake cake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until it is golden and a knife inserted into center comes out clean. 
Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold and cool to room temperature right-side up. 

Serve with whipped cream and honey-blood orange compote (below), if desired.

Honey-Blood Orange Compote: Supreme 3 more blood oranges according to directions above. Drizzle in 1 to 2 teaspoons honey. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir gently.