Show Stealer: Lindeman's bin99 Pinot Noir 2007

Go out and buy this wine! Don't keep reading, go out and buy this wine and then return to read the remainder of this post.

I have been looking forward to the free Vampire Weekend concert in Central Park for about a month now. I decided it would be nice to pack a picnic, eat and drink while waiting to get in, and then see an amazing show. Well, I ate and drank; but, I didn't get to see the show. I always forget that I DON'T like free events. There are always mobs and mobs of people and a very very long wait. I decided that leaving two hours early for the show would be plenty of time...WRONG! There was a huge line when I arrived, and by huge, I mean I would be standing there for two hours before even getting into the venue. This what not a line that was moving; in fact, it was not a line. It was a mass of people that seemed very chaotic. After about 20 minutes of standing in line Zach and I realized that we weren't going to get to picnic or drink our wine if we stood in this line. There was no space to really eat/drink, at least not in a civilized manner. So, we made the decision to get out of line and setup our towel as close to the stage as possible. As soon as we cracked Lindeman's bin99 Pinot Noir 2007 open, we knew we had made the right decision. I had never had a pinot noir, not even after watching Sideways, and I am now a big fan. It is a red wine with great depth and flavor. The wine had lots of fruit flavors, that lasted throughout. I then pulled out the cous cous I had made earlier (a new one!). It had beets, corn, goat cheese, diced mixed greens, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. As we settled into the picnic, it started to rain. Right as the concert began, there was a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning. We decided to pack up, skip the concert, and got drenched in the process of walking back.



We continued to drink the wine after drying off. We drank the remainder of the bottle with a sweet potato bisque and a brie and havarti grilled cheese. The wine certainly stole the show. I think it would go well with anything. To me, the pinot noir was a perfectly balanced wine. I am no wine expert and certainly haven't had many bottles over 15 dollars, but this was certainly one of my favorite reds and it was only 7.99!

Manchego and Malbec

Memorial weekend was filled with lots of gourmet. Not just once a day. However, I am going to focus on just one particular gourmet experience for this post. I have decided to try a new wine and cheese pairing every week and this one blew last weeks out of the water. I had purchased a bottle of Black Mountain-Malbec 2005 from Trader Joes. I have had several malbec's before and I know that they go well with spicy food. I have had Black Mountain's Cabernet and really enjoyed it. Malbec is generally grown in Argentina and Chile. It is a mid-bodied red wine. I decided to pair it with manchego cheese after doing some research. I had never tried manchego cheese, but I knew of its sharp saltiness. Manchego is a sheep's milk cheese that is imported from Spain.



These two, manchego and malbec, go together like two peas in a pod. It might have something to do with the fact that they both start with "M"; but, a more likely reason is because the saltiness of the cheese balances with the medium floral/fruity flavors of the wine. The Black Mountain malbec was a dark red color. It was surprisingly smooth, earthy, and lots of blackberry. The Manchego cheese was firm and had a distinct salty taste. Buy both and try. Tell me what you thought or suggest another pairing you have tried.



p.s. there will be more highlights from this weekend posted soon!

Gourmet Sunday

So, I am sorry I haven't posted in two days! I got swept away by life this weekend and decided to post later. I had lots of amazing food, that for the most part I don't have pictures of because I did not bring my camera. My grandmother moved back to NYC this weekend and my boyfriend moved in! On Saturday to celebrate we had wine and cheese. I skimmed over a book that my mom got me for Christmas before making any decisions! The book is titled "Cheese & Wine: A Guide to Selecting, Pairing, and Enjoying" by Janet Fletcher. This book is terrific, especially if you want to learn more about cheese! I love cheese and I love wine; but, I don't often worry about how they go together. I had bought a bottle of Fetzer 2005 Sauvignon Blanc at my last visit to Trader Joes Wine Shop. In the cheese and wine book, I looked up varying cheeses that might go well with a Sauvignon Blanc. There were lots of choices, so I wrote down a couple and headed to Whole Foods. I never spent anytime in the cheese section, mainly because I know where to find my favorites; but, it was time to try something new. I picked out a wedge of Mahon, imported from Spain. Well, let me tell you, the wine and cheese were delicious. The wine buy itself was not a knock out, but it was a great bottle for the value. I would certainly go back for another bottle. I believe it was 6.99 or 7.99 at Trader Joes. It was light, not overly dry, and somewhat sweet. The cheese was firm and salty, which balanced out the sweetness of the wine. I decided that the cheese tasted like the love child of muenster and cheddar cheese. I recommend picking up both of these for a special occasion!



On Sunday, I had a lot of gourmet! But, I have decided to focus on one meal. It was time, I bought a mini-chop, and we made hummus and falafel. It wasn't outstanding, but it was great. Both the hummus and falafel completely surpassed my expectations. I can't imagine what the hummus will taste like at the end of the summer when I have been allowed ample practice sessions! For the hummus we started with a Barefoot Contessa recipe for the foundation and then kept adding stuff to our taste.



The original recipe we used called for 4 garlic cloves (we would use less next time, so maybe 3), 2 cups of chickpeas drained, 1/3 cup of tahini (maybe use a little less of this next time as well), 6tbs of lemon, 2tbs of water, and a couple dashes of hot sauce (we used a lot more than a couple dashes!), and salt and pepper to taste.



We also added some olive oil to ours and chili powder. It was really easy and fun to use my new mini-chop! Start by chopping the garlic in the mini-chop and then add all the rest of the ingredients and let the machine do all the work. We tasted throughout, which I recommend doing.



The falafel we didn't make from scratch, but we plan on doing so soon! We took a mix, added water, let it sit for 15 minutes, made mini patties, drizzled olive oil on both sides, and broiled in the oven for 8 minutes (must flip halfway through).



We decided to make falafel sandwiches. We had forgotten to buy pitas at the store so we used tortillas. In the sandwich we added a couple falafel, hummus, hot sauce of our choice, lettuce, tomatoes, and a drizzle of goddess dressing. The falafel was a little dry, but the sandwich was amazing. If you have any tips for making hummus leave a comment.