Top Shelf: Spring Barrel Tasting 2009

This past weekend was Spring Barrel Tasting in the Yakima Valley. One of my best friends from college, Alisa, lives in Prosser with her husband, Jordan Ferrier, and their three beautiful boys. Jordan is a wine maker at Hogue Cellars (on the right, with Ray, a wine maker from Chateau St. Michelle). Jordan takes pride in his knowledge of wine chemistry, which makes him the perfect tour guide for this event. I felt lucky to be with Alisa and Jordan, as they chauffeured me from winery to winery.

Our first stop was Goose Ridge Estate Vineyards and Winery. One of the reasons they call it Spring Barrel Tasting is because wineries offer tastings straight from the barrel. There's nothing like the oaky, non-filtered taste of a good red wine and the barrel at Goose Ridge was very satisfying. I am a fan of the pinot wines, however, which seems to be the trendy "flaveur" these days. I took home the pinot gris for a nice price of only $8 a bottle.

Next stop was Gamache Vintners, located atop the White Bluffs of the Columbia Valley. This family-owned estate offered free tastes with a sold out malbec to die for. The sign, at right, welcomed you into their tasting room.

The next two wineries are my favorite: Bookwalter Winery and Chandler Reach Vineyards. I am not a wine snob, but I am a sucker for romantic scenery. Yes, the wines were good. The No 22 and No 23 reds at Bookwalter are worth a case or two, but the grounds are worth the trip alone. Cozy up on the lush sofa in the tiny lounge and share the Salumi plate or take your party outside on the patio with the fireplace that overlooks the vineyards. If you consider yourself a wine snob, they got you covered, too. (Above: Taking a break at the Bookwalter grounds, Alisa sits with her brother, Andres, former chef at local Seattle restaurant Stumbling Goat).

Chandler Reach Vineyards is not your average winery. It's a villa. Take a walk around the place and you feel like you're thousands of miles away in Tuscany. Stop in, grab a glass (or bottle) of vino and take it outside to one of the cute little cafe tables. Better yet, sit on the green grass, take off your shoes, and experience the views of Rattlesnake Hills on one side, Horse Heaven Hills on the other, and the Yakima River flowing right through the valley.

After lingering on the grass at Chandler Reach, we stopped for a tour at Mercer Estates. Mike Hogue partnered with the Mercer family to create this winery. He walked us through the lots, stopping to pour us a sip as he explained the process from grape, to barrel, to bottling, to production.

Our last stop was Desert Wind Winery. Absolutely beautiful. If you love wine and views of the hills and river, stay here. This was the only winery I saw where you can actually spend an entire weekend. Perfect for a girls weekend get-away, or a romantic setting with the one you love. Where the other wineries were either free or only charged a $5 tasting fee, this one was a bit pricey, forcing you to pay $10 for five tastes and a tacky wine glass. But the Barbera barrel tasting is outstanding and the Chardonnay Bare Naked is worth the name.

Cheddar Corn Chowder

You may think that I've become a slacker lately. But I've become very good friends with Ina Garten. She and I have been very close in the kitchen this week and it all started with her Cheddar Corn Chowder from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. My signed cookbook; yes, as in autographed. I am a huge fan and I stood in a very long line, while eight months pregnant in heels at the UW Bookstore to get it. I was wearing my red vintage coat with the fur collar and she complimented me on it. I remember like it was yesterday. When I had the time, before children, I used to watch her show religiously on the Food Network. The set is amazing. Her kitchen fabulous. I always wondered if her show was actually filmed in her house. So I took this opportunity to ask her and with a big friendly laugh, she said yes, almost as if it was an invitation for tea.

This soup is sold at her store, The Barefoot Contessa, in the Hamptons on Long Island, NY and is a best seller (she sold the store in 1996, but she is still affiliated). This soup can be made year round with fresh corn in the summer or frozen corn in the winter. What makes this soup special is the melted cheese and crisp bacon topping (didn't I say bacon makes everything better?).

Cheddar Corn Chowder
8 ounces bacon, chopped

1/4 cup good olive oil

6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

12 cups chicken stock

6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)

10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)

2 cups half-and-half

1/2 pound sharp white Cheddar cheese, grated

In a large stockpot on medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cobs and blanch the kernels for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn, you can skip this step.) Add the cornto the soup, then add the half-and-half and Cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Next, I'm making her Vegetable Coleslaw for an al fresco dinner in the back yard of Hogue wine maker, Jordan Ferrier, in Prosser, Washington. I was just there last weekend, and I am going back for Spring Barrel Tasting. My next post will tell the story.

A Recipe for Relief

Lately, I've been out of commission due to a nasty cold. The sinus pressure in my head is literally a writer's block. So this post is short and to the point. The following is a recipe for the perfect cure for a spring cold or seasonal allergies. If you suffer from sinusitis like I do, you will love this. I use it daily to cleanse my nasal passages and it works.

1 heaping teaspoon salt (kosher, canning, or pickling salt)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 pint of warm water

Measure the salt and the baking soda into the water. Use a baby syringe to suck up some of the solution. Lean over a sink (about 45 degrees) so you are looking directly into the basin. Rotate your head about 45 degrees so that one nostril is directly over the other. Gently insert the spout of the syringe into the upper nostril so that it forms a comfortable seal. Squeeze the syringe to flush the solution through the nose. The solution will begin to drain from the lower nostril. When the syringe is empty, exhale gently through both nostrils to clear the excess solution and mucus. Gently blow your nose into a tissue. Repeat with the other nostril. You can also use a neti pot to do this, but a baby syringe is cheaper and you may already have one around your house. Watch a demonstration, using a neti pot.

Along with this routine, drink a lot of water and take your mother's advice and sip a hot, soothing bowl of chicken soup made with lemon and garlic. Mmmmm....and get some rest!

Egg Salad with a Kick

This holiday, your kids got a kick out of dying the Easter eggs and finding them one by one in the rain in your back yard. They sit so pretty in their colorful Easter baskets next to their chocolate twins wrapped in shiny foil and plush bunnies. But I bet a sack full of chocolate coins that all that's left in their baskets are the real eggs that were once so fun to watch change color. By now, the chocolate high may be crashing, and you may be wondering what to do with all these colorful eggs.

A fast, economical way to use them up is to whip up a batch of egg salad. But this isn't your mother's egg salad. This recipe has some kick to it and is worthy of your next Spring tea party. I also added a salty surprise to this all American sandwich. Doesn't bacon make anything taste better?
Kicky Curried Egg Salad

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Hor D'oeuvres Handbook, you can easily turn this sandwich into bite sized wonders using a round biscuit cutter and then place them on a cake stand for a nice presentation.

Makes four sandwiches
4 large Easter eggs
3 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 slices Canadian bacon
4 lettuce leaves (I used lettuce from a Spring Mix salad bag)
8 slices whole wheat bread

In a small bowl, combine 2 1/2 tablespoons of the mayonnaise, the curry powder, and the mustard. Season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well. Chop the eggs into approximately 1/4-inch dice and gently stir them into the mayonnaise mixture. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Spread half of the bread slices with the egg salad. Place two slices Canadian bacon and lettuce on each half. Spread the other half of the bread slices with the remaining mayonnaise. Close the sandwiches and serve with a pickle and the best, crunchiest, local potato chips.

Mexico Mornings: Cafe Lechero

I recently took a trip to Merida, Yucatan, where seventy-eight percent of the population is Catholic. I am also Catholic, and during this Lenten season, I gave up my daily dose of caffiene at one particular place that is too close to home: Starbucks. I thought this would be easy in Mexico, but low and behold, there are two Starbucks in Merida (not to mention a Wal-Mart and a Home Depot!). But I remained faithful, as I was introduced to the most succulent of coffee drinks. At the end of Paseo de Montego on Calle 47 is El Gran Cafe where they serve Cafe Lechero.

Oh. My.

Although Cafe Lechero has only two ingredients, espresso and steamed milk, it ends up as three layers of creamy heaven served in a Collins glass.

The waiter at El Gran Cafe serves a shot of espresso with a glass of hot, steamed milk.

Next, the espresso is poured in the cloud of milk as you watch the chemistry take place:


The next time I sit down with a Cafe Lechero, I will be writing a letter to Howard to let him know exactly how it's done!