The Heat is On

Finally, after several weeks of uncharacteristically cool June weather, the sweltering, all too familiar summer heat is back. I feel like a slab of baby back ribs slowly cooking in a 225 degree oven every time I step outside. Even Suki, our shrub smelling, bird chasing chow mix doesn't want to test the scorching pavement against her paws.

It's Sunday afternoon, and I'm thinking...what to eat tonight? I need something light and refreshing. But the food still has to be substantial and speak to me if you get my drift. What's that? Grilled chicken apple sausage and a salad dressed with a tangy citrus vinaigrette? Why that sounds delightful thank you.

You see folks, it would never do to just have a salad for dinner. I mean, it would have to be one ginormous salad heaped with steak or chicken for me to actually consider it a meal. Ever since I was a wee lad, I've always consumed lunch and dinner with huge hunks of animal on the plate. Really, it's just not a meal without meat. I'm probably isolating the legion of vegan readers I have, but it had to be said.

Now I've got to figure out the beverage situation. I could serve it with Chardonnay, which would compliment the chicken and vinaigrette. But that seems like taking the easy way out. Perhaps a Rose of Pinot Noir is the perfect pairing. Everyone goes crazy for Pinot these days. It's the reigning king of food and wine pairing right? And Rose is supposedly one of the best wines for picnic food. So why not? Both of the options seem completely reasonable and tasty. But let us take it one step further. Why not a heftier varietal like Viognier? After all, In my humble opinion, the only true rule in food and wine pairing is: "Drink what you like". That said, lunch or dinner should be a joyous and happy time with friends, family or a loved one. We shouldn't be confined to hard fast rules and other food/wine pairing snobbery. I find it best to keep it simple when selecting a beverage to go with a meal. I end up enjoying the experience much more if I just try something without over analyzing and dissecting the food and wine. Whatever the choice tonight, it has to be cool and refreshing!

Until next time, stay cool peeps!

Get Your Dough On!

Walking into the lobby of the downtown Il Fornaio restaurant, I was unsure of what to expect. All I knew was, there would be pizza, and that was good enough for me. My father-in-law had the good sense to sign us up for a pizza-making class. I’m so glad he took the initiative. Quite frankly, my crust is not a thing of beauty. Lets just say it has issues and leave it at that.

This particular branch is near and dear to me for a couple of reasons. More than a couple major life decisions and events have gone down there. Siege and I dined there the night I begg- I mean, asked her to marry me. It’s also one of the first places I was really introduced to regional Italian cuisine. I even worked there for a very brief moment. But, that is a story for another time.

Needless to say, I was fairly familiar with this restaurant. If there was a place on earth that would be able to cure my pizza crust “woes,” it would be the good folks at Il Fornaio. They’ve been making killer pizza and other baked goods since they opened their cooking school in Lombardia back in 1972. Their name means “The Baker” in Italian.

Let me assure you, I still had hesitations about going. A few questions were floating around my head as I cruised into the restaurant. Would it be awkward going alone (father-in-law had to cancel)? Will I see any of my former co-workers (I did)? Would I suck even with professional instruction (I actually didn’t)?

In the end, my concerns were needless. Bruno, the Chef-Partner, did an excellent job, along with the assistance of his two sous-chefs. The class was fun, very informative. Everybody seemed to enjoy the pizza and free house wine that was provided. Some, people were really enjoying the free wine. Every so often I would here a glass break, a strange cackle followed by the dreaded snort of doom, and various other jokes and comments one normally refrains from when in public. We were all in pizza-making euphoria, enjoying the wine, the easy banter, camaraderie and the skilled chefs’ advice.

The most beneficial tip for me was the step when you roll out your dough. At home, I usually manage to put together a decent dough that could be ingested, although at times it tended to be more cracker-like than chewy and tender. Once it would rise and it was time to get down to the good part, things would start to go south. The technique demonstrated at Il Fornaio was simple and effective. Prior to this class, I would merely slap down the risen dough on a floured work surface and go to town on it. It would end up looking more like the shape of Africa then a circle. The stubborn dough would snap back in place, taunting and laughing at me and my infantile experience. One of the sous-chefs, Israel, had a much more effective way of rolling out dough. He first would hold the dough in his hands and gently unfold the ball into a small circle about an inch thick. Next, he would gently hold the small circle by it’s edge, up in the air, quickly turning it and letting its weight do most of the work in creating a more circular form. He then put the dough down and continued to enlarge the circle by pushing out the edges and turning the dough at the same time. Once the dough is nearly the size and thickness you’re looking for, you can cheat a little and use a rolling pin to finish it off.

Seriously, SG readers, if you get a chance, definitely hit up one of these types of classes. You’ll have a great time, learn something, and meet some fun people, not to mention you might get a lot of free house wine to boot!

Next on SG:

A startling expose: “Swedish Made Meatballs and Me. This sort of thing is my bag, baby!”

Summer Wine Search 2009

Fresh off vacation and I’m feeling replenished and inspired. Spending 4 days in Sonoma amongst the vineyards will do that to you. Siege and I made our home base in a Windsor timeshare thanks to our longtime pal Mikey. For geographical clarity, Windsor sits just North of Santa Rosa off Highway 101. A sleepy little town with what I am certain is the cleanest “downtown” I’ve seen in my life. I mean freaky clean! I was looking for garbage on the floor, a tossed chip bag or gum wrapper- something! Not a bad thing though. If nothing else Windsor is a cool place to leisurely stroll around the “Windsor Town Green” slurping down gelato from Powell’s Sweet Shop.

Okay, so we didn’t drive all that way to walk around a meticulously kept town center. We were in search of summer wine. The type of wine you could bust out on a scorching Sacramento afternoon and feel good about it. Sipping a robust, intense Cabernet, Merlot, or even Syrah in the dog days of summer just doesn’t do it for me. Now, I could totally get down with some lighter varietals: Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, any of these will do. This is not to suggest that most reds sit collecting dust during the hotter months of the year. Zinfandel is great for pairing with nicely charred meats, burgers and such. Barbera, too, can take grilled chicken and balsamic glazed veg to the next level.

With our quest, the open road before us, and nothing but time, we set out for Anderson Valley (AV). This AVA (American Viticulture Area) has built quite a reputation over the years for churning out some great Pinot Noir. I’ve also read great things about the production of Riesling and Gewurztraminer. The Anderson Valley is a stunning piece of California land, located just less than 100 miles north of San Francisco. The climate is ideal for the aforementioned Pinot Noir, due to the sunny warm days and the fog that rolls in off the coast in the morning and at night. Sounds like a perfect place to grab some tasty grape juice to beat the heat.

A word to the wise, if you plan on visiting this lovely slice of wine country, keep in mind, these wineries are truly generous with their pours (not necessarily a bad thing), so take it slow and be responsible. There, I’ve made my obligatory PSA for the year! Another bonus- out of the four tasting rooms the highest charge was a mere $6.

The first winery we visited was Breggo Cellars. Despite one of the tasting room sales associates having just a smidge too much sarcasm and attitude, the wine was killer and the overall experience was good. Most of the wines we tried were more than palatable and well priced, but the varietal that we enjoyed the most was their 2008 Anderson Valley Gewurztraminer. It had a very pleasing bouquet and taste. I can safely describe it as being both exotic and refreshing all at the same time!

At the suggestion of our hosts from Breggo, we turned our attention to Roederer Estate a few miles up the road. After sampling some 8 or 9 different wines at Breggo, we were in dire need of even tastier beverages to quench and cleanse the palate. Roederer seemed to fit the bill. Roederer offers a number of great values in the world of sparkling wine. Both of us enjoyed pretty much everything we tried, but the warmth of the tasting facility tainted the experience. It felt like it was 85 degrees in there! Needless to say, we made our visit short and sweet and moved on to confines of our air-conditioned vehicle in search of a couple more winery gems.

Thus far, Siege and I having already consumed what we considered world class Pinot, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Champagne, we wondered if the fantastic voyage would continue. And that’s when we came to Navarro Vineyards. Aside from being a beautiful place with gorgeous views, we found the wines to be less than memorable. If you’re going for sheer quantity, though, this is your place. You'll have your choice of 14 or 15 wines and no tasting fee.

All is not lost SG readers! The day ended on a high note as we made our way to Toulouse Vineyards. A small producer of very fine wines including: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling. All of which were very well made and extremely drinkable. The staff at Toulouse were laid back, unpretentious, helpful and friendly. It’s one of those tasting rooms where you drive up to along an unpaved road to a barn/shed structure and say to yourself, “Is this the tasting room or are we shooting the Texas Chainsaw Massacre part 4: Terror in Terroir.” Let me assure you, there was nothing frightening or scary about this place, just high quality grape juice in rural Mendocino County. Our favorite was the 2008 Rose of Pinot Noir. It was a beautiful refreshing example of the quintessential summer wine, the perfect way to end our day in the AV.