Pizza with Spanish wine

When we make pizza at home, it's usually that I make the dough and tomato sauce, and JC does the rest (shaping, topping and baking).

The tomato sauce was made with tomatoes I harvested during the end of the tomato season (until December!). Those had less sweetness and more sourness, and the resulting sauce tasted like that.

JC used three kinds of cheese: chevre, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Wine was Bodegas La Horra Corimbo Ribera del Duero 2010

Black fruit, preserved red fruit, cumin, vanilla and chocolate.

The pairing was good although the wine with lesser oak notes would have worked better with this light-flavored pizza.

Rakkyo trial

Rakkyo is indispensable pickles for Japanese style curry rice.

I love the sweet and sour pickles and spicy curry combination, and pickled Rakkyo can be used to make finger food, so I pickle them whenever I could get my hands on Rakkyo onion (you can only find them at supermarket in early summer).

Finding Rakkyo onion is the hardest part.
The process of pickling is not that complicated (clean them, pickle them in salt water for a week, drain, then pickle them in vinegar and sugar) so I wanted to try something different this time.

I made Rakkyo using two kinds of vinegar to see how different the result would be.

After some months of pickling, the result came in.

The one with simple distilled vinegar tasted just like standard Rakkyo I buy at supermarket.
It's delicious and I have no complaint.

The other one, made with expensive brown rice vinegar, had similar flavor but more depth.
If the standard Rakkyo has supporting role, this Rakkyo has more presence by itself.

So Rakkyo can be made with any kind of vinegar, but the quality of vinegar really makes difference.

Chateau Musar

Chateau Musar 1999

Chateau Musar is the renown winery from Lebanon.
And this chateau is one of the reason I started this blog.

This bottle has been open for more than a week and is still very good.

Black cherry, plum, raisin, chocolate
Tannin is very soft. Deep and complex.

I've been drinking little by little everyday.
It shows reliable consistency while provides development so I can enjoy the small difference every time I try, and I detect no signs of deterioration.
Gosh, I might love their wine too much.

Yuzu Marmalade making

The season of yuzu is almost over.

We harvested fruits to make marmalade.
It weighed more than 10 kg!
There will be lots of marmalade!

First, squeeze yuzu juice.
Clean inside and julienne skins then blanch them.

Mix skin, juice, sugar (5 kg) and water, and cook.
Add seeds when it started to boil (for pectin), and keep cooking for 40 ~ 50 min.

To check the consistency, spread some of the marmalade on a plate and cool it down in a freezer. This is a tip from JC's friend who is a chef.

As we expected, we ended up with a lot of marmalade!
If you ran out of glass jars, you can keep marmalade in a plastic bag and store in a freezer.

I don't like it too sweet so used less sugar, but if you want more sweetness, you can add honey when you use.

These are also tips from the chef.

I made a steamed cake with this marmalade. The recipe is from "Yuzu" by Shigeko Nakamura.

Next day, I mixed marmalade and soy sauce, then marinated beef in it for quick Yakiniku (BBQ). Yummy.

Gruner Veltliner from California

Vocal Vineyards Alfaro Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Gruner Veltliner 2015

Gruner Veltliner from California with sleek design.

White flower, bruised apple, green tropical fruit, white mushroom.
Creamy mouth feel.
There was distinctive cedar aroma. This probably was because of pines surrounding vineyards, not oak.

JC said this wine was made in Austrian style.


This oily-textured wine went good with grilled fish with smokey flavor.

Note:
It's better to drink this wine early once it's opened.
Fruits were lost and woody note became almost harsh two days later.

New Years Feast

The first sake we opened this year was Urakasumi Junmai Daiginjo

Made with Yamada Nishiki rice.

Apple, pear. jasmin and caramel. Subtle umami flavor.
Smooth and easy to drink.

We had this sake with new year feast: grilled lamb, vegetables and yakitori.

The flavor of food could have been a little too strong for this sake.
As for lamb, JC opened Domaine J. Despesse Cornas 2005

Domaine J. Despesse is a small producer from Cornas, northern Rhone, and this bottle is a gift from JC's friend.
100% Syrah.
Pink, red and purple flower, dried fruit, pepper and a lot of mineral.
This wine cut the greasiness but didn't disturb the flavor of lamb.

Good wine, good sake and good food.
Happy new year.

Count Down

JC is working and I'm home alone for the new year's eve, but I'm well prepared.
My count down partners: Champagne (half bottle) and caviar.

Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose

Billecart-Salmon is an environmentally conscious winery founded in 1818.

Fresh apple, pear, tarragon and cream.
Lively but delicate bubble.

The wine softened the saltiness of caviar while kept its freshness.
Great pairing!

Best wishes and wines for this coming year.
Happy new year!