Pickling!

Early Wednesday morning a couple of weeks ago I sprung out of bed and skipped my way down to Union Square Cafe. Well. Ok so I kind of sleepily rode the train there. But in any case I got there. Where there was coffee, Danny Meyer, a pickling seminar and my grandfather.

My grandfather, Barry Sterling, has pickled ever since I can remember – far longer than this current trend of pickling anything and everything (I never thought I’d say this, but I could really do without pickled ramps this Spring. Really guys, it’s ok, they’re just not as impressive as people seem to think they are). He mostly makes traditional pickles: sours, half sours, etc. And my favorite: cornichon. Yum. When I was small I remember our fridge always having at least one jar of cornichon at all times. His recipe is near perfect, but a little seminar never hurts anyone.

The morning started with coffee – sweet, sweet, coffee – and pastries, notably a delicious pumpkin muffin. Then Danny Meyer, the Danny Meyer who gave us things like fancy Indian food at Tabla and delicious, near In-N-Out worthy burgers at Shake Shack, got up and spoke for a while about the state of his restaurants and the importance of using the customers’ time well. He looked charming as ever and was drinking some healthy-looking brown concoction from a glass. mmm.

But then the real event started: Pickles! Rick Field, a former media-type turned pickler, of Rick’s Picks, which can be found at the Green Markets as well as at their website, spoke about his journey through the wilds of pickling and about his methods. Fun fact: He looked vaguely like Tim Robbins who, coincidentally, I once saw eating at the same restaurant. Well, it was fun to me. But where was the real pickling action?

That’s where Chef Carmen Quagliata came in. He demonstrated how to make pickled eggplant and mushrooms sott’ olio. It’s a pickle done with olive oil and a great bruschetta topping – if you like eggplant that is, which a lot of people are skittish about (coughmyfathercough). I am not though. So into my recipe bank this went.

He also demonstrated pickled vegetables giardiniera – you’ve seen it before. Usually it’s a concoction in a large jar set on tables to look pretty. But guess what? It’s also totally edible. It’s a blend of cippollini onions, cauliflower, green beans, bell peppers and carrots. While it does involve a lot of pots (probably too many for a NYC apartment…I only have two burners myself and they’re electric, sigh) it is an easy thing to throw together. Nope, not going to print the recipe. There’s a bunch out there. It’s a pretty simple couple of pickling solutions blended together at the end.

BUT! The best pickle was a surprise pickle from special guest Chef Suzuki of Sushi Zen. He made a Japanese pickle that is more fermented than actually pickled. It (it being a daikon radish, carrot, cucumber, etc) is buried in a mixture of rice bran and powdered anchovy. After aging for a few days the vegetables are dug out and eaten. The mixture is saved and left to age. The one Chef Suzuki was using was 5 years old.

Finally we were able to taste. Here’s the plate, which was served with a delightfully hoppy IPA. I should start the day out with pickles and beer every day.

On the left is a bagel with cream cheese and lox topped with some of Rick’s pickled beets, which were very yummy and tangy with a slight Christmas spiciness. In the middle on the top is the eggplant and mushroom sott’ olio, below that is the garden pickle. To the right are dill pickles from the Cafe and Rick. Next to them is a small dish of rarebit. Cheese and pickles is one of Chef Carmen’s favorite combos and now it’s one of mine. Who knew. On the very top of the plate is a slice of the Japanese pickle, which was amazing. It tasted a little like beer and was really refreshing. I’m thinking a large bag of rice bran will soon be on my shopping list.

After the event was over my grandfather and I meandered around the Green Market where we bought delicata squash, apples, really cook purple and orange cauliflower, bread and a couple of jars of Rick’s Mean Beans – slightly spicy pickled green beans. Later that day I used them to make one of the best bloody marys I’ve ever had. Yep. Just a typical Wednesday as a freelancer.

Avec Eric at Iron Horse

If you’d like to briefly escape the tiny ones dressed up as minute Batmans and a plethora of Disney princesses this coming All Hallows’ Eve, then turn on KQED (if you’re in the Bay Area) and watch Avec Eric at 1:30pm, PST. In this episode,  Eric Ripert visits the winery and tours the property with my Father while discussing sparkling wine. What did Eric say? Did my Father ever remove his sunglasses? The suspense is killing me! If you’re not in the Bay Area go here to find when it will air on your local station.

On the road…North Carolina

Just a week or so back I went on my first real sales trip. Three days in North Carolina for a marathon of wine expos. I’d been to NC before but only to the Outer Banks for a wedding, which, while beautiful, didn’t really show me the South I wanted to see. Of course when I say the South I wanted to see I mean BBQ. Oh, but before I dive into that I should just say a great thank you to everyone from Mutual Distributing who helped out so much and put on some really great expos. But now, back to the BBQ. 

I couldn’t hit up everywhere I wanted to due to time and stomach constraints. But I was able to get a good amount of pulled pork into my belly. First stop was a place in a strip mall, right next to a Food Lion. Now, I forget the name of the eatery…terribly unprofessional. But to tell you the truth I went here because it was close to the hotel and I had been traveling since early in the morning. I just needed food. Which is why I went somewhere that looks like this:

A bit cleaner and more corporate than I thought BBQ joints should be. But tasty nonetheless. I ordered the BBQ sandwich, which came on Texas toast with a side of collard greens. I also ordered some fried Okra, a vegetable I usually abhor but decided to give a chance because it was fried and I hate disliking food so I try and find a way to like it whenever I can.

The meat was a little dry but the sauce make it all better. The greens were good, though a tad watery. The okra was pretty awesome. Just moist in the insides and nice and crispy on the outside. Perfect when dipped into the mustardy sauce. 

Next up was a bit of a trek over to Greensboro. At this point I would like to thank the Garmin that was given to me with the rental car. I would have been lost without you, little Garmin. On the way to Greensboro my little Garmin took me to Allen and Son, which a buddy back at Best Cellars had recommended I visit. Now, I did some research on the ever reliable Chowhound.com and realize that there is a lot of controversy about Allen and Son. It’s not real BBQ, it’s a tourist trap, blah, blah. But look at it:

And look at the view from the “parking lot.”

It’s railroad tracks with a little pond. It’s adorable. 

And inside there’s a fox! Any restaurant that is genuinely decorated with taxidermy is A OK with me. 

I ordered up the same as before: a BBQ sandwich with a side of fried okra.  

I officially like okra now. That only leaves swordfish and bear to win me over. 

The sandwich came on a poppy seed bun, much like a Big Mac would but oh so much better. Here’s an innards view:

As you can see it came topped with cole slaw. It was super moist and needed zero sauce. Sometimes I dream about this sandwich. Ok, a lot of times. 

Then it was onto and out of Greensboro, which I loved. It was adorable. But it provided me no BBQ. So to Charlotte it was. The next day I broke my pork pattern and went for some chicken instead. 

It was just a bit past noon and there was a line to the door inside. Though Price’s is known for its fried chicken, I was feeling slightly adventurous. After all, I can get good fried chicken in New York. I can, I swear. So I ordered fried chicken livers. 

That box could probably feed about eight. I didn’t come close to finishing the rich, livery chunks. The meal also came with a small dish of cole slaw, a roll, hushpuppies and fried potatoes – like mini hashbrowns.

If I could take one thing from North Carolina back to New York…It would probably be Allen and Son. But if I could bring two things home, the second would be Mac’s Speedshop. 

A motorcycle bar/BBQ joint, this place was slightly daunting at first but the second I stepped up to the bar I felt at home. 

Back to my pork-ish ways, I ordered a BBQ sandwich but this time with a side of Brunswick Stew, which is kind of a stewp, somewhere between a soup and a stew filled with pork and veggies and awesome. 

A close up of the Brunswick:

Thanks to everyone I met in North Carolina. I didn’t have a single unpleasant interaction. In fact, by the time the trip was over I was actually being nice to people myself, something which New York has thoroughly shaken out of me, that I was worried I’d become a changed woman. But fear not. The cab drivers at JFK soon turned me back to my old, NYC ways.

Headin’ South

Hello faithful readers (aka mom and dad and person who searched “I like wine” on a whim). I am in need of some assistance. I will be heading down to the great wilderness of North Carolina on Monday and need some restaurant recommendations. Now, when I say restaurant I mean….shack. Or picnic bench. Or roadside curb. Because all I want to consume is barbeque. 

Growing up on the vineyards I was privy to many an awesome meal. But none of those meals were real barbeque. Moving to Brooklyn meant that I was closer to the truth. Fette Sau is a fantastic substitute, or so I imagine. But still, not real barbeque. So now I’m heading to one of the lands of real barbeque for business and I’d like to taste their wares. 

I’ll be arriving in Raleigh and then making a stop in Greensboro and Charlotte. So where do I eat? I’ll have a car and will be willing to drive. Just point me in the right direction. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some to go so I can do some pairing experiments with some Iron Horse. I’m betting that the Estate Pinot Noir is going to go real well with some vinegar spiked pulled pork. Yum….

Don’t Mess With Texas (Sommeliers)

Last week I went to Texas. Dallas to be exact. I went for Texsom – the annual Texas Sommelier Conference during which there were seminars, a competition (won this year by Austinite June-Ann Rodil, yay lady sommeliers!) and a grand tasting, which is where I played my role. 

First, here are some Texas observations. I’ve never been to Texas before. I used to listen to a lot of country music though, so I felt pretty prepared. I knew it was big. I knew there were cowboys. I knew that’s where all of George Strait’s exes live. I didn’t know how cool the clouds were (yes, this is where you would expect a photo…but I was too busy admiring them to photograph them). They cast shadows on the incredibly flat land just like you see in the movies – very “No Country For Old Men” – esque…just without all the senseless murder. Unfortunately I wasn’t around long enough to sample any of the Texas BBQ I’ve heard so much about. But I was pleased to see that people really do wear cowboy boots and hats. Even at sommelier conferences. Let’s talk about that now. 

Here’s something Texans like: bubbles. It was a seriously hot day the day of the conference, so when the sommeliers flooded into the Grand Tasting they all came straight for my table where I was pouring the Iron Horse Classic Vintage Brut. I popped open the first bottle at 7pm and was finishing off the fourth bottle at 7:45pm. Texans like their bubbles. 

Another note: there is little more stressful than having to open four bottles of sparkling in front of eager and expert sommmeliers. 

Of course, the still wines got their chance too. I was pouring both the Estate and the Unoaked Chardonnays, which are tasting wonderfully right now and also come in handy on a hot day. I won’t intrude on his spiel, so if you want to talk about the future of Iron Horse Chardonnays, ask my Dad (that would be Laurence Sterling). I’ll tell you this much, as good as they are now they’re going to get better. 

And finally, we were pouring the Estate Pinot Noir. Not long before my trip to Texas I was back home on the winery. My trip happened to coincide with the Russian River Pinot Noir Forum, which was three days of all pinot all the time. I was just helping out, so I wasn’t quite as entrenched as the the other attendees or winemakers, which meant I was still able to enjoy a glass of pinot after the forum. The rest of them are probably just now recovering from the forum. I know, I know, how awwwwful to have to drink soooo much pinot noir. Ah, the life of a wine professional. Anyway, the Estate was tasting as good as ever and after the AC kicked in and cooled everyone off, the Texans were definitely in the mood for some red wine. 

Ah yes, my other obstacle. Besides having to open up sparklings in front of the kind but knowing eyes of a large group of highly skilled somms, I had to use the above wine opener for the stills. I know what you’re thinking, “hey, that’s just a normal wine key, what’s her problem, what a wine key snob she must be.” Look, I’m not saying I need one of those $300 keys inset with ivory and whatnot. But I do need one with a knife. Why did I have to make do with the key from my hotel room’s minibar? Because you’re not allowed to carryon your own wine key on a plane. It’s a problem for all of us traveling wine-type people. We don’t check baggage. We carry-on. Makes for an easy getaway from the airport. So, alas, we must make do. 

‘Twas a lovely time out in Texas and a great conference. Congrats to all the sommelier finalists and a big congratulations again to Austinite for winning first place! 

Oh and a final note. To answer your question, “Is everything really bigger in Texas?” No. Not really.

A now only slightly relevant fourth of July post!

Back home on the vineyard we don’t need an excuse to pop open a bottle of bubbly. Iron Horse Blanc de Blancs or Classic Vintage Brut flows freely as an accompaniment to everything from a salad of homegrown greens to a feast of greasy takeout Chinese food. While the rest of the country has yet to adopt our everyday is sparkling day mentality, everyone can agree that the Fourth of July is an occasion to break out the good stuff – the American good stuff of course.  

I visited our nation’s capital over the weekend. Friends and I grilled up skewers of chicken, vidalias, bell peppers and pineapple chunks, which were delicious – cooked pineapple can be a wonderful thing when it’s not canned – especially when paired with a bottle of Wedding Cuvee and some pretty good fireworks (there were no shapes! I wanted to see hearts made of fire and cowboy hats made with falling stars! Come on DC!) 

Call it sparkling, bubbly, Champagne (yes, legally you can call it that), the fizzy stuff calls for immediate jubilation upon pouring. Iron Horse has been making sparkling wines since 1980. We’ve provided wine for five White House administrations, starting with the Reagan administration when our Russian Cuvee was served at the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit Meetings (according to my Grandfather this lead to the end of the Cold War, sparkling can accomplish some amazing things). Our five standby cuvees (Russian, Blanc de Blancs, Classic Vintage Brut, Wedding and Brut Rose) have been served and sold all over the country and beyond. And, not to force a point home, we actually purchased the land in 1976, our country’s bicentennial.  

So celebrate this Fourth (retroactively) with a few bottles of American bubbly. And then keep popping them open throughout the summer, the fall, the winter, etc. Because while sparkling is the perfect celebratory beverages, it can also go darn well with an order of pork fried dumplings (we call them pot stickers back at home).  

Some catching up…

Things have been busy, busy, busy over on this side of the country. So I haven’t had time to post (oops). Here’s a short recap of some of the things I have failed to blog about lately. Also I apologize for the blurry pictures….again. 

The Philadephia Wine Festival happened a few weeks ago. It was a marathon day of pouring for me and tasting for the festival goers. As you can see in my awkwardly taken upside down photo, we were pouring the Classic Vintage Brut, the Wedding Cuvée, the Blanc de Blancs and (I believe) the Estate Chardonnay. Winners of the night: The Wedding Cuvée with the industry crowd and the Blanc de Blancs with the guests at the regular tasting. 

Since I was down in Philly I took advantage of the break between the two tastings (industry and general) and get a cheesesteak:

It wasn’t at any of the famous places since I couldn’t get to them quick enough. This one was just from the nearest pizza place I could locate. I got it with Provolone and mushrooms, which is acceptable but not traditional. I can’t handle the idea of Cheese Whiz – especially melted – and I wasn’t in the mood for American so Provolone it was. Also, I get nervous about ordering cheesesteaks. There’s all those code words like “wit” and a specific order to say it in….So I just muttered my way through this thing. My anxieties were without reason though. For one, I got my sandwich just fine (and it was delicious) and secondly, the guy in front of me had ordered a cheesesteak with tomatoes and mayonnaise. I would have thought he would have been banished from Philadelphia for that.

The next event I haven’t blogged about is the Chefs for a Cause event that took place at the Yale club, which is also the Dartmouth club so I was justified in being there – or at least that’s what I kept telling myself.

The event was a great success. We poured the Wedding Cuvée and the Unoaked Chardonnay and some of New York’s best restaurants served up some fantastic dishes. But the highlight of the night for me was meeting Jacques Pépin.  I grew up watching Chef Pépin on PBS on Saturday mornings. He was one of the first and greatest culinary influences in my life and being able to shake his hand and speak to him was … I’m going to say giddying, which apparently is a word since there’s no red squiggly line under it. Here is a picture that, if it was taken with a real camera rather than an iphone, would be of Monsieur Pépin speaking to the crowd. 

That’s all for now…hopefully things will start to cool down over here or I’ll learn how to give up sleeping and will blog again soon!

Somm. Classes Part II

When we last left each other, it was eight in the morning on a Monday and I was faced with the task of blind tasting.  The Guild has a guide for deductive tasting.  You start with appearance: color, brightness, viscosity, abnormalities, etc.  Then you move on to nose: at least four fruits, is there oak, what kind,  earthiness, spices, flowers, age.  Next is taste (yay!  Though we had spit buckets, and for one of the first times in my life I actually used one… it was 8am): acidity, body, alcohol, tannins, confirm the fruits on the nose, how about that earthiness, those flowers, those spices, what’s the length, is it balanced?  Then you get to the hard part.  Yes, those steps were the easy part.  (To be fair, picking out fruits and flavors has been a tad bit of a hobby of mine since I was about 10.  In some places they would have called me a freak.  In my family I was just a little entertainment for the guests.)  It’s time to make a first conclusion: new world/old world, climate, country, quality, grape, age.  Then you make your final conclusion.  What is it exactly?  

From my notes (which are scattered and rushed because this was an immense amount to learn in a very small amount of time) I seem to have gotten within the ball park but not dead on.  Example: I thought that an Australian Shiraz was a Californian Syrah.  Terribly embarrassing, I know.  But that was just the beginning of class.  As we went on I got a little better. 

Are you starting to see why it’s like jedi powers for us?  Just try it.  The next time some one offers you a glass, demand in a loud, authoritative, magician-like voice, that they not tell you what it is.  ”I will deduce it for myself!” you will say.  And then you will, in all probability, fail…unless you’re at my family’s house in which case you can probably narrow it down to one of our wines and if it’s not bubbly then it’s either pinot or chardonnay (and I just gave you more of an advantage there than we ever got in class). 

I’ll give you another hint, which I probably should charge for since I had to pay to learn it.  If ever you are in a blind tasting situation (as, of course, we all are at one point in time…you know, when you’re tasting for the hand of a fair maiden or tasting for the honor of one’s clan) and you are tasting a red – a safe bet for a fruit is cherries.  Always say cherries.  The harder part is qualifying that – are they red or black?  Stewed?  Dried?  Fresh?  And if you’re tasting a white – go for citrus (lemon and lime are safe) and apple.  Again with the apple: yellow? Red?  Granny Smith?  Did it fall on the ground or did you pick it off the tree?  Be specific, man!  So that’ll be $20.

When I return I will talk about some fun tidbits and a few wines to be on the look out for.  Until then, good luck and good night!

Master Sommelier Classes, Part I

Not long ago I attended (and passed) the introductory course given by the Court of Master Sommeliers.  Rather than bore you all with one giant post, I’ve decided to tell you about it in installments.  This one is particularly short because it is late….and I am tired from speaking at a tasting (ask me about meritage!). 

I arrived at 8am – no coffee in hand (I didn’t know the protocol) – to the space that used to be Fiamma to find what looked like the beginnings of a line.  Young men in mildly disheveled suits and fashionably dressed women had already filled the interior of the restaurant.  The rest of us stood in the reception area.  All in complete silence.  Restaurant biz-types are not known for their early morning perkiness.  They are a late-night people.  A people who probably went to bed only a few hours ago, if at all.  After a few minutes of wondering if this was the first test, a very young looking woman came down the stairs to assure us that everything was almost ready.  Very young looking indeed, but wearing the all important pin that signified that she was a Master Sommelier – the pin we were all here to begin our quest to receive. 

Once we were all checked in and had filed up the stairs we seated ourselves along long banquet tables, all set with four glasses of wine.  Now, I love wine.  I have no problem drinking a glass of sparkling before noon.  But four glasses of wine at 8 AM (after my birthday weekend, mind you) was a little daunting, even for me.  It was even more daunting when we were told what we were supposed to do with those wines: blind taste.  Blind tasting – at its highest level – requires that one deduce the wine’s grape varietal(s), region (the most specific as is possible, example: Green Valley of the Russian River Valley, rather than say, Sonoma County), quality level, oak involvement and year.  It’s about as close to a Jedi mind trick as us oenophiles will ever get.  

Wine for Wishes

On Wednesday May 25th Charles Merinoff and the Charmer Sunbelt Group are going to host the Sixth Annual Wine and Wishes event. The proceeds will benefit Make a Wish and the event itself should be a great time. It will include a walk-around tasting of wines from over 40 wineries (including Iron Horse) as well as food from some great NYC restaurants like Tribeca Grill, Pescatore and even the Culinary Institute of America will contribute. A live and silent auction will also be held – items include a Yankees package and trips to Barcelona or California. Sounds like it is going to be a heck of a lot of fun and benefits a great cause. I’d say I’d look forward to seeing you there but I will be absent for the event – - – in Jamaica, so don’t feel too bad for me. If you’d like to buy tickets or hear more about the event please go to www.Metrony.wish.org. And if you happen to win the Yankees package (or the Triple Crown Experience – Kentucky Derby, Belmont and Preakness tickets) and need a buddy…don’t hesitate to invite yours truly along.