Pretentious Salad: Shaw's Birthday Dinner

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Shaw's Birthday Dinner

Grapefruit Gimlets

Hummus with Baby Carrots

Champagne

Tomato and Shell Peas with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Mini Farfalle, Artichokes and Lemon

Arugula, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

Dessert: NONE!

We just got back from that cruise and used up our dessert allotment for about 32.8 years each. Shaw asked for no dessert at all. So either he is testing me, and really wanted a dessert and I should have instinctively known that and made his favorite cake, or he truly wants no dessert. I'll find out by tonight. I think I have some leftover icecream in the freezer if I need a cover.

It is 100 degrees here today, and most of this dinner uses no heat. Yeah! And also no animal products, so vegetarian is our theme this week. Wait, I might use some cheese on the pasta, but cheese is essential for physical and mental well-being.

I'll post recipes of those that work well. Hummus is already on the blog somewhere, and we eat it all summer. Tomatoes are at their PRIME right now, in taste as well as price (ouch!), and must be consumed as often as possible. I'll be eating them for lunch as well, stuffed in pita with some Greek cheese called Kefir, which is more like sour cream, and probably some of the leftover beans from tonight. We'll see.

I'm so jet-lagged I just realized I haven't even showered today. I really should splurge, as it is Shaw's birthday and all...

2 comments:

Jackamo said...: So, how was the dinner? I'm curious! Happy Birthday, Shaw!!!; June 29, 2009 at 9:19 AM
Watoosa said...: Give me enough champagne and gimlets and I won't need any dessert. It sounds so light and refreshing! Happy Bday, Shaw!; July 10, 2009 at 11:52 AM

Post a Comment

Enhancing the Experience

It's a cruel twist of nature that nothing will make a bad wine good and plenty of things can make a good wine bad. These are some things I (Sean) have learned to enhance the enjoyment of a decent wine.

Temperature is as important as it is misunderstood, particularly with reds. The usual rule for reds is "room temperature", but that was translated from the [pick your European language and insert here]. Room temp on the continent is somewhat cooler than in the U.S. and therefore, since our cellar consists of shelf space in various closets around the apartment, we arrive at the 65-68⁰F by putting a red in the fridge for a while. Usually we chill it for hours and take it out an hour ahead; vary the formula as you see fit. Also, see below for a further tip that will impact temperature. Just don't suffer through a warm bottle of red wine. It pains me and you won't like it, either. As for whites, we put them in the fridge a couple hours and go, or in an ice bucket (filled with water and ice to maximize contact with the cold) for 30 minutes or so. Whites can handle a little experimentation with temperature, so pay attention to how you like various wines at various temps. Sometimes we take a cold bottle of some white wine out of the bucket and just leave it on the table if we like it to warm slightly over a short period.

Speaking of suffering, Karen suffers my "clean glass" obsession with great patience. I have been known to wash the glass to store it, wash it again before using it, possibly twice if I detect any problems, and she's so indulgent with me that she got me the coolest microfiber finishing cloth (from Riedel, maker of those fun but ultimately non-wine-glass stemless stemware). I just believe wine is a beautiful thing for the eyes as well as other senses and it kills me to look and drink through spots and watermarks.

Our glasses are Schott Zwiesel. We have a couple for white and a couple for red, essentially the same shape but different sizes.

Don't fill the glass. You want to be able to tilt and swirl (yeah, we ooh and aah over the color and hold it to the light [sunlight if possible]) and put your nose in it without drowning (see my picture for why this is important). I also find it rushed and unnecessary to pour more than a couple ounces at a time -- our rule of thumb is "to the point on the glass where it begins to taper toward the top". We often have several courses and the smaller pour allows us to keep pace with the meal without guzzling. Also, you get more control over temperature by going slow. Whites don't warm up too much and reds, if too cool in the bottle, can be warmed by cupping the bowl of the glass in hand.

Wines We Love, Wines We Hate

ROSE
Give Rose a try. Find the nice and dry-ish ones, not the ones with BartlesnJames on it.

2006 Turkey Flat Vineyards Rose (Grenache, Shiraz, Cab and Dolcetto): This was the prettiest wine we have ever seen, and also one of the tastiest. It was hard to find, so try mail order sources. About $16.00? We would actually buy a case of this one, its so yummy.

2005 Marques de Caceres (Rioja): Very accessible and great value. Remember, there is hardly anything you would eat in the summer that a Rose wouldn't complement.

2005 Castello di Ama Toscano Rosato: Not a great Rose, so we include it as a public service. Save your money for the better ones.

2005 La Brasserie Rose: This was the best value we've ever had in a Rose. Under $7, and very tasty. Nice and dry, crisp, strawberry. Works with a variety of dishes, like seared ahi tuna. We would buy a case of this, and that's saying a lot. We have only found it at Sherry-Lehman in NY (online purchasing).

SPARKLING WINE
Includes Champagne, as well as domestic and other international sparkling wines.

2006? Gruet Brut: I was shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, when I tasted this one. I haven't been a Brut fan in my past (KK), but this one was so delicious. I can't even remember what we ate with it, but sparkling wine goes with anything. This winery is in Albuqueque, NM of all places, about $15. Buy several.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Shaw's Birthday Dinner

2 comments:

Post a Comment

Pretentious Salad

My Blog List

Sean and KK

Blog Archive

About Me

Enhancing the Experience

Wines We Mention

Wines We Love, Wines We Hate