Thursday, Jun 26 2014

Paris Grocery seattle June 26, 2014 Bonjour Les Amis!Attention all curd nerds & savvy wine buyers… Have I got news for you! Just got in an FDA approved version of Mimolette & a 92 point red for a song. so get your derriere  in here on the double. Send me a note or give us a call if you’d like me to set some wine aside for you. A Bientot, Catherine Chateau Pesquie Les Terrasses Rouge 2012, Cote du Ventoux $14.99 I love this wine every year, but this vintage has the critics going crazy!!! From grapes grown in Mormoiron, a tiny village in the shadow of Mont Ventoux’s countryside. 70% Grenache, 30% Syrah grown in clay & limestone. This is the joint effort of a couple who left their careers in voice and physical therapy, to study wine at Suze la Rousse. I think their jump was well made…  Let me know if I can get you a case.  “Following on the heels of the outstanding 2010 and 2011, the 2012 Chateau Pesquie Cotes du Ventoux Terrasses is up there with the best vintage of the cuvee to date. Comprised of 70% Grenache (60-year-old vines) and 30% Syrah (30+ year-old vines), aged 6-8 months in 40% new oak barrels, it is essentially declassified Quintessence and comes from hillside vineyards lying between 840-930 feet in elevation. Bottled unfined and unfiltered and transparent ruby in color, it offers up a gorgeously pure, supple, and seamless profile with kirsch and berry styled fruit, licorice, and flower like qualities all emerging from the glass. Elegant, forward, delicious, it gains in stature in the glass, is ridiculously textured from such an inexpensive wine, and has sweet tannin emerging on the finish. Buy this thrill ride of a Cotes du Ventoux by the case and enjoy bottles over the coming 3-5 years.” (03/13) – 92 Pts Jeb Dunnuck – The Rhone Report “Easily one of my favorite estates from the up-and-coming Ventoux region, Chateau Pesquie is run by the talented brothers, Alexandre & Frederic Chaudiere. The wines sell for a song, yet always deliver high-quality, loads of character and impeccably made profiles.” (12/13) – 92 Pts Jeb Dunnuck – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate Domaine de Thulon Rouge 2013, Beaujolais Villages $9.99 Domaine de Thulon Blanc 2013, Beaujolais Villages $14.99 Arriving tomorrow!!! Both of these wines had me scratching my head when I heard the prices… This independent vigneron makes a small amount of rare white Beaujolais that you’ve got to try. 100% Chardonnay aged partially in oak, this has peach on the nose, with baked apple fruit. Delicious! The red is silky, supple, and a flat-out bargain in Gamay. An exciting discovery to be sure. Brique du Nord $28.99 lb So as you probably know, Mimolette is banned from the US, and that is where Brique du Nord steps in… Same deep egg yolk orange color due to annatto, it has a brick shape similar to the stones paving the streets of Northern France. The taste is phenomenal–like salted butter caramels. Pair with a Bordeaux. Warm Sausage & Puy Lentil Salad adapted from Pork & Sons by Stephane Reynaud $39.95 This padded pink cookbook is part of my personal collection. A fantastic weeknight dinner recipe that’s gluten free & packed with protein.  A few alterations: I prefer this without the extra marinade suggested in the book, as I thought it was over-dressed that way.  I cooked up the suggested 2 1/4 cup lentils & felt that was far too much for 2 links of sausage. I also debated about just buying French green lentils or Puy, and after researching I decided Puy were worth the extra cost, due to texture & flavor. Ingredients 1 cup green lentils, preferably Puy 1 bouquet garni 2 links sausage, about 1/2 pound ( I recommend Toulouse) 1/3 cup chopped bacon 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Balsamic vinegar to taste Tbs walnut oil 1 shallot, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped hazelnuts 3 fresh tarragon sprigs 5 chives, finely chopped Simmer lentils with sausage in plenty of water and a bouquet garni for 30 to 40 minutes, until the lentils are cooked through.  In the meantime, broil bacon, turning once, until golden.. Combine the Dijon, oil, shallots, chives, and bacon with its fat in a small jar or bowl. Shake well or whisk, then add the balsamic vinegar little by little to form a vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Once cooled, slice the sausage. Drain & rinse lentils. Toss the lentils with the vinaigrette. Mound sliced sausage around lentils. Finish with a little chopped shallot, chive, and the hazelnuts.

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Thursday, Jun 19 2014

Paris Grocery seattle June 19, 2014 Bonjour Les Amis!Well you never know what you might see down at the market. A few minutes ago a giant Bigfoot walked by… Before that, I helped a lovely woman from Anacortes select cheese & charcuterie for a French fete she’s throwing this weekend.  I’m also getting ready to order more Amora mustard, so let me know in advance how many jars you’d like. The last batch sold out in a flash! A Bientot, Catherine _____________________ MOREISH WINES Famille Gonnet La Jeanette 2013, Ventoux $8.99 A direct import steal. Etienne Gonnet works in Chateauneuf de Pape, but now buys wine from other appellations to bottle under his label. Mount Ventoux is the most gruelling leg of the Tour de France. 60 % Grenache, 40% Syrah, this is peppery & lithe and explodes with juicy cherry fruit. Pair with tapenade, charcuterie and bread with truffle oil. La Petite Perriere Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Vin de France $9.99 Nine generations of the Saget family have been making wine in the Loire Valley. Famous for their Sancerre  & Pouilly Fume, the Saget’s have created the Petite as an introduction to their tasty wines.  100% clean as a whistle Sauvignon Blanc with stone fruit aromas in a deliciously crisp style. I’ve seen this on restaurant lists for $34. ” Light, clean, refreshing, ready to be chilled and sipped without any fuss.” -The Seattle Times Les Capucins 2012, Coteaux du Languedoc $11.99 Jerome Calmes decided to move UP in the world, literally… The coast was too hot to make his wines, so he planted his vineyards on the highest plateau above the Minervois. The microclimate has a long growing season, but the benefit of cool breezes in the evening, AND rabbits love it here. Syrah & Grenache that ain’t shy, this has smoky tar in spades along with plump and spicy cherry/berry fruit. Take a trip to France & serve with gardiane de taureau, or Rancher’s Beef, made with bay leaves, thyme and rosemary. Les Carderes 2012, Corbieres $11.99 The ‘cardoon’, is another killer table wine & a charming Corbieres. Syrah, Grenache & Carignan blended in a Mediterranean style that begs for grilled lamb chops & cured black olives. Mineral nose, with raspberry & rosemary. _______________________________ Jacquard Francais Tea Towels $14.50/$19.50 Made in France since 1888, these towels are simply gorgeous. 100% combed cotton in vibrant colors–they can also double as placemats. Add an instant touch of France to your kitchen…  I know what I want for my birthday! The perfect wedding gift: A set of Duralex glasses & these towels ______________ MOROCCAN CHICKEN PASTILLA PARCELS WITH CINNAMON SUGAR & HARISSA YOGURT DIP from the Kitchen Alchemist  You asked for Feuille de Brick, you got it. Feuille de Brick is Tunisian in origin, but now a pastry staple in France. Fried, it’s crisper than spring roll pastry, baked, it’s crunchier than filo.  FOR AROUND 30 PASTILLAS 16 sheets feuille de brick pastry ($3.75 for 10 sheets) 4 chicken breasts 2 medium red onions 1 large piece of ginger, peeled and minced 75g almond slivers 4 heaped tablespoons ground cinnamon 3 heaped tablespoons icing sugar Ghee or clarified butter for frying 2 tablespons ground cumin 4 eggs whisked 300mls water 1 teaspoon sumac (available at Spanish Table) 1 teaspoon ground tumeric (available at Spanish Table) A handful fresh coriander and mint (mint isn’t traditional in this but it is delicious) finely chopped just before being needed A few scrunches of sea salt A few grinds of black pepper Oil for frying Half a large pot of natural yogurt 2 large tablespoons either of harissa paste or ground harissa spice METHOD Remove the pastry from the fridge. Place the yogurt into a bowl and mix in the harissa spice to combine. Place back in the fridge to keep cold and before you need it just check that it’s strong enough, you may want to add a little more. In a deep bottomed saucepan fry your onions until translucent in some frying oil with the ginger. Whilst they’re cooking blitz the chicken breasts in a food processor until quite finely minced, then add to the translucent onions. When the chicken starts colouring add 1 tbsp ground cinnamon, the cumin and tumeric, a scrunch of salt and grind of pepper and mix together thoroughly. Once combined add the water to the pan and turn on to simmer with the lid off, letting the liquid reduce down by around half. When that’s done (will take around 20 minutes) turn the heat off and stir in the whisked egg. Using a wooden spoon to mix it through the chicken mix, the heat will cook the egg and thicken the sauce. Then add the fresh herbs and allow to cool before making the parcels. Whilst that’s happening heat some clarified butter or ghee (a couple of tablespoons) in a large frying pan and when hot add the slivered almonds, they need to colour just a little and it only takes a minute, quickly remove them from the oil (they’ll keep cooking in the hot fat if you leave them) and drain on kitchen paper, then place on a tray or plate, and keep the ghee for later in the recipe. Into a bowl place the remaining ground cinnamon and icing sugar and mix them together with a fork. Spread the almond slivers out and using a very fine sieve or tea strainer, dust them with around half of the cinnamon sugar mix. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Take a sheet of pastry and cut it in half lenghtways. Place a heaped tablespoon sized dollop of the cooled chicken mixture onto one end and press a pinch of the almond slivers onto the top. Then lightly dust the top and the length of the pastry strip with the cinnamon sugar. Fold the pastries up into a triangle, and the edge of the triangle then folds in again (a bit like folding a flag, or practice on a strip of paper before having a go until you get the knack). Fold them over until you get toward the end of the sheet and brush some melted ghee over the end strip so that when you give it the final fold it stays shut. Repeat until you have as many parcels as you need and place them on a lined baking sheet. Now, you can either bake them like this, or you can brush them with ghee. Either way gets a crispy result, but the ghee brushed ones are super crispy. The choice is yours. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the oven, turning them over half way. They’ll be done when they’re nicely golden brown. Remove and sit on a plate or serving dish, and dust with more cinnamon sugar or just icing sugar on it’s own. Give them a final sprinkle of sumac and eat them dipped into the harissa yogurt.

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Thursday, Jun 12 2014

Paris Grocery seattle June 12, 2013

Bonjour Les Amis, I am a true child of the 70’s. An early food memory I have is when my parents pulled out their Magic Pan cookbook… For some reason, crepes were my dad’s specialty–to this day he doesn’t know how he got into making them! He would make Crepes Suzette & wow the guests as he lit the brandy on fire. With Father’s Day at hand, I thought sharing this recipe would be a fitting tribute. A Bientot, Catherine THE ULTIMATE CREPE PACKAGE Risoli Crepe Pan $50 Organic Buckwheat Flour $3.50 lb sold in bulk from our fridge Cave Aged Reserve Gruyere $23.99 lb D’Artagnan Jambon de Bayonne 4 oz $10.99 L’Epicurean Apple Cider Confit with Calvados $8.59 L’Epicurean Apricot & Lavender Jam $10.99 GIFTS FOR DAD Jacobsen Sea Salt Travel Tin $3.25; 4 oz bag $10.49 Hand-harvested sea salt from the Oregon Coast. The ultimate finishing salt. Mark Bittman says it has a “satifying crunch” & “minerally tang”.  Production is so small, I had to wait an extra week to get this in… Chateau Labarthe 2012, Bordeaux $8.99 I’ll be the first to admit that this is the type of Bordeaux I’m apt to drink on the daily. Mon dieu, I love the prices on direct-imports! 50% Merlot/50% Cab Franc, this is rich & earthy, full-on peppery with some grit. Just what you need to have on hand while grilling out this summer. Domaine Riffault “Cortem a Batis” Rose 2013, Sancerre $19.99 Made a by a young rising star in Sancerre, whose family has been in the biz for ages. Everything is hand-harvested here, which is a rarity these days in the region. This is rose made with Pinot Noir which exudes gorgeous minerality. Moutard Grand Cuvee Champagne $29.99  “Bright gold. Deep peach and pear aromas are complemented by floral honey and smoky minerals. Lush pit fruit and honeyed pear…” – 90 Pts Wine Advocate Thierry Triolet Grande Reserve Champagne $44 A remarkable bargain in Champagne & a true steal for “Farmer Fizz”. 100% Chardonnay that’s round & toasty with red fruits & brilliant minerality. On the menu at great Northwest restaurants such as Lark & the Herb Farm. Adventures on the Wine Route, 25th Anniversary Addition  by Kermit Lynch $28 “One of the pleasantest and truest books about wine I’ve ever read.” –M. F. K. Fisher “Nearly all wine books are written by experts whose intention is primarily to inform or to educate. They give little aesthetic pleasure. Kermit Lynch is certainly an expert, but his book, Adventures on the Wine Route, is also a great pleasure to read. In Kermit Lynch’s small, true, delightful book there is more understanding about what wine really is than in everything else I have read.” –Victor Hazan Himalayan Salt Block $50 The coolest way to cook! Use on the grill or in the oven, or serve sushi chilled. I was invited to a friend’s house for dinner & had some of the best meat of my life cooked on one of these. __________________________________ RECIPE OF THE WEEK Buckwheat Crêpes ala David Leibowitz 18-20 crêpes It’s best to let the batter chill overnight, but let it come to room temperature prior to frying them up. And keep stirring the batter as you go while frying since the flour tends to sink to the bottom. 2 cups (500 ml) whole milk 1 tablespoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 3 tablespoons (80 gr) butter, salted or unsalted, melted 1/2 cup (70 gr) buckwheat flour 3/4 cup (105 gr) all-purpose flour (In France, I use type 65) 3 large eggs In a blender, or with a whisk, mix together all the ingredients until smooth. Cover and chill overnight. To fry the crêpes, remove the batter from the refrigerator about an hour before frying. Stir it briskly; it should be the consistency of heavy cream. (If not, you can add a tablespoon of milk.) Heat a 8- to 9-inch skillet on the stovetop. You can use a real crepe pan that’s been seasoned, but I use a Tefal non-stick skillet which works great. Drop a tiny piece of butter or neutral oil in the hot pan and wipe it around with a paper towel. (I only do this for the first crêpe.) Lift the pan and pour 1/4 cup of the batter in the middle of the hot skillet, swirling the pan to distribute the batter quickly and evenly. The pan shouldn’t be too hot or too cold: the batter should start cooking within a few seconds, giving you just enough time to swirl it. It may take a couple of crêpes for you to get your rhythm. After about a minute, run a non-stick spatula around the underside of the rim of the crêpe, then flip the crepe over. I grasp the crepe with my fingers, but you’re not me (…consider yourself lucky!) and I’m not you. So use the spatula if you wish. Let the crêpe cook on the flip side for about 30 seconds, then slide it out onto a dinner plate. Repeat, cooking the crepes with the remaining batter, stirring the batter every so often as you go. Crêpes should be served warm. To rewarm the crêpes for serving, fold the crepes and put them in a baking dish covered with foil. Heat them in a moderate oven until warmed through. Serving I fried up a stack this morning and plan to serve them with a spoonful of ruby-red cherry compote and a scoop of melting homemade vanilla ice cream tonight. But feel free to be creative and use any fruits or sauces you wish. A smear of Nutella, your favorite jam or simply a drizzle of honey and a tab of butter is terrific folded inside. For savory crêpes, fold some grated cheese and maybe a piece of ham in the crêpe and warm in a non-stick or lightly-buttered skillet for a minute or so, flipping the crêpe midway though, until the cheese is melted. Storage Since this recipes makes 18-20 crêpes, it may be more than you need all at once. But if you’re going to stand over a hot stove, you may as well make extra and freeze them. Once cool, wrap securely in plastic film, then foil. They’ll keep in the freezer for a couple of months. You can also store them in the refrigerator for up to three days, well-wrapped.

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