Orange chrysanthemums in the garden this morning …
Author Archives: Laurie
Travel Theme: Delicate
Thanks, Ailsa for this week’s travel theme!
Pictured here, a Japanese Painted Fern in the autumn garden …
Thanksgiving Wine Recommendations: An Interview with Chad Lohman, C.S.
As I mentioned in my last post, Thanksgiving is a month away and already I am preparing our menu. I do love planning a holiday meal! Thinking ahead, I decided to go into Nespor’s Wine and Spirits to chat with Chad Lohman – owner of Nespor’s and Certified Sommelier – about his wine recommendations for Thanksgiving.
Our conversation went like this …
(Me) Hi, Chad, if you have time, I’d love to talk with you about your wine recommendations for Thanksgiving so that I can pass them along to my readers. I don’t want to take too much of your time, but I have a couple of specific topics on which I am hoping to pick your brain.
(Me) First of all, I think that Champagnes are great for serving with special meals because they go well with so many different types of food.
(Chad) I agree, but unfortunately a lot of people don’t realize that Champagnes, Proseccos, and Cavas – basically, any good sparkling wine – are great for serving at holidays because they do go so well with food. We have a Cava from Spain that we are recommending for Thanksgiving this year. Naveran Cava Brut 2010 ($16.99), which was given 90 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, is a nice neutral sparkling wine for pairing with foods.
(Me) Since not everyone appreciates sparkling wines, what would you recommend for a white wine to serve with Thanksgiving dinner?
(Chad) For holiday meals where there are so many different flavors on the table, it is a good idea to have a wine that works well with a lot of foods rather than trying to pair a wine with every dish. Also, you want something that is accessible to different palates. An off-dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer – but not the sweeter varieties – would perform well in this role. You want something that is lightly sweet, but has good acidity. A couple of recommendations would be Alsace Willm Riesling and Hook & Ladder Gewürztraminer ($19.99).
(Me) Oh, yes, I purchased some of the Hook & Ladder around this time last year. It’s not too sweet and has a bite of grapefruit in the finish. I remember liking it with food, but that it wasn’t what I would consider a sipping wine.
(Chad) Right. For a sipping wine, I would go with a Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.
(Me) … something like Rodney Strong Charlotte’s Home Sauvignon Blanc ($19.99)
(Chad) … which is a classic Sauvignon Blanc, or Honig from Napa Valley which is Cabernet country.
(Me) Thanks. Sorry, I digressed. So, getting back on topic, I am quite happy to drink white wines with Thanksgiving dinner, but I know that we have some friends who don’t like white wines. I briefly considered serving a dry rosé from France, but thought that would be too light to hold up to most of the foods on the table; and someone who doesn’t like white wines, probably isn’t going to like a rosé anyway. Do you have any reds to recommend for me?
(Chad) A darker colored dry rosé – not a sweet White Zin – should hold up ok. Les Lauzeraies Tavel 2012 ($15.99) is a dry rosé with more body and would go with a Thanksgiving ham, for example. For reds, a Pinot Noir or Gamay Beaujolais would pair nicely with Thanksgiving dishes … and, of course, there is always Beaujolais Nouveau which comes out around the 3rd week of November.
(Me) Right. I usually have a Beaujolais Nouveau for one of our Thanksgiving selections. It is very light and as you put it, “accessible”; and also is a traditional selection for the time of year. But if I wanted to serve a Pinot Noir or Gamay Beaujolais, what would be your recommendation?
(Chad) We have two Pinot Noirs that we are recommending right now: Monte Degli Angeli 2012 ($12.99) and Lomas del Valle 2012 ($14.99). The Monte del Angeli is more earthy and has a softer mouth feel. The Lomas del Valle ($14.99) has more of a big fruit, big (alcohol) mouth feel.
(Me) In my November (Thanksgiving) newsletter, I am including a recipe for Chanterelles Risotto with Truffle Butter.
(Chad) The Monte del Angelli should go nicely with the earthy flavors of the Chanterelles and truffles.
(Me) Now what about dessert? I’ve served dessert wines a few years and they don’t seem that popular at Thanksgiving. Everyone is pretty full by then, of course. I’m thinking about maybe having a brandy for after dinner instead.
(Chad) My recommendation would be a Ruby Port or a Tawny Port, but not a Vintage Port. Now with ports, you are going to want to avoid the inexpensive ones. Which do you think you would prefer? Tawny ports are going to have a little bit more of a nutty flavor. Ruby ports will be a little fruitier.
(Me) Let’s try a ruby.
(Chad) Nierpoort Ruby is actually not a bad price ($19.99) and would be nice for after dinner. Serve it at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, around the same temperature that you would serve a rosé.
(Me) Great. Sounds like we have some good ideas. Thanks, Chad!
Chanterelle Risotto with Truffle Butter
If you are like me, you start planning your Thanksgiving menu a month in advance. Chanterelle Risotto with Truffle Butter is a dish that I like to prepare around the holidays, because it is deliciously rich and decadent. So I thought that I would post this recipe early to give you time to consider including it (or some variation) in your holiday planning. (In the U.S., Thanksgiving is one month from tomorrow – but no pressure!) Buon appetito! 
Chanterelle Risotto with Truffle Butter
makes 6 first course servings
1 oz. dried Chanterelle mushrooms
hot water
1 1/2 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 c. Arborio rice
2 oz. dry white wine or Scotch*
3 c. chicken or vegetable broth
crushed hot red pepper**
2 slices cooked duck bacon, chopped (omit for a vegetarian risotto)
1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (loose, not packed down)
2 – 3 T. truffle butter
1. Wipe or rinse any grit off the Chanterelles. Place mushrooms in a small bowl, cover with hot water and soak for about 20 minutes. Reserving the liquid, strain the mushrooms. Strain the reserved liquid into the chicken or vegetable broth. Chop mushrooms. Set aside.
2. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 T. of the olive oil, then swirl oil around pan. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently until tender and almost translucent. Remove onion from skillet. Add the remaining 1 T. olive oil and rice to skillet. Stirring frequently, cook until the rice is evenly coated with oil and starts to turn golden. Stir in the wine or Scotch. Allow the rice to cook until the liquid is almost entirely absorbed. Meanwhile, in a medium pan, heat broth until simmering. Cover and keep it at a simmer until you have finished cooking risotto.
3. Raise the temperature under the skillet to about medium-high. Add enough broth (about 1/2 c.) to cover bottom of skillet. The skillet should be hot enough to allow the broth to keep simmering. Stir occasionally. Continue the process of adding small amounts of broth and letting the rice absorb the broth. When rice is about half-cooked, stir in mushrooms and onions. Continue adding broth and cooking rice, until the rice is almost cooked and the broth is almost absorbed. (If you run out of broth, simmer a little water to finish recipe.)
4. Shortly before rice is done cooking, sprinkle lightly with hot pepper, then stir in duck bacon.*** Add a hunk of truffle butter to risotto. Stir vigorously to melt and to distribute evenly. Stir in freshly grated Parmesan cheese until melted. Taste. Adjust seasonings (salt, pepper, cheese) if necessary. Serve immediately.
Notes:
* Scotch is not traditionally used in making risottos, but the flavor blends well with the mushrooms and duck bacon and does not overwhelm the truffle butter. For a more traditional risotto, use white wine.
** How much pepper you should use depends on your pepper. I usually use crushed, dried Chenzo peppers from my garden, which are very hot, and I only use about 1/8 t. You want to use enough so that there is just a faint heat to the flavor of the dish. Err on the side of adding too little pepper. You can always add more when you adjust the seasonings.
*** When the risotto is finished, the rice grains should be just somewhat tender but still distinct in shape and texture – and definitely not mushy. Recipes often call for risotto to be al dente, but I find that sometimes people undercook the rice in an effort not to overcook it. The rice should be creamy not crunchy. Keep in mind that for a short while, the rice will continue cooking from the heat of the risotto. Achieving the proper degree of doneness might take a little practice. A finished risotto should be a bit loose and jiggly in consistency, but not runny or liquidy.
Not a Pumpkin
One of my goals for this morning was to photograph some of the pumpkins that I have arranged in the yard so that I could have a nice end-of-October themed shot to share on the blog today. But once I got outside, I succumbed to the temptation of photographing my roses which, by the way, are enjoying the cool weather and occasional rains. (They came through last week’s snow just fine – thankfully!) Here is a picture that I took of Marilyn Monroe, dripping wet on this gray morning after last night’s rains. Enjoy! Have a lovely day!
Kansas State University Homecoming Parade, 2013
This weekend is Kansas State University’s Homecoming Weekend. Earlier this evening, the Homecoming parade passed right in front of the Bed & Breakfast. How fun! Have a great weekend, everyone!
Snow Falling on Roses
Just three weeks ago, I posted a photo with the title Summer in September. How quickly things change. Today started out with cloudy skies, turning to a mix of rain and sleet, then rain and snow, and just a little bit ago turned over to snow. I am hoping that it doesn’t nip the roses. We have a garden wedding tomorrow! Fortunately, the forecast is for sunny skies and 66 degrees F. in the afternoon.
Have a lovely day!
Golden Moment
This morning, while waiting for muffins to come out of the oven and guests to come downstairs for breakfast, I decided to take advantage of a little free time to take photos of a mocktail for Morning Star Weddings – my other blog. The only trouble – I also had to wait for the sun to come up and get high enough in the morning sky so that I could get enough light for my photos. So I got all set up and played around with practice shots while waiting. This is one that I took of flowers that I was using as background filler. I was happy that it turned out because I really liked the contrast of materials. Have a lovely day!
Early Autumn on Konza Prairie
I was out on the Konza Prairie the other afternoon and it was just about the prettiest that I have seen it. The grasses are starting to put on their autumn colors – subtle shades of golds, oranges, reds and purple – before they turn brown for the winter. It is delightful to walk on the trails and hear little besides the wind blowing through the grasses, the songbirds and crickets, and the crunch of one’s own footsteps. In some places, the grasses are tall enough that I could extend my arms almost straight out from my sides and touch them with my fingertips as I passed by.
Chocolat Chaud (French-style Bittersweet Hot Chocolate)
The other day I was reading J. A. Brillat-Savarin’s The Physiology of Taste and his discussion of chocolate gave me the greatest craving for a rich cup of chocolat chaud. As we have been experiencing cool weather here in Manhattan, Kansas the past few days, the timing was perfect; but, of course, being Kansas, the weather is supposed back up into the 80’s by mid-week. That’s how it goes here. I hope that you are having a lovely autumn! Enjoy the recipe!
Chocolat Chaud
6 oz. best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 c. boiling water
about 2 c. warm milk
cinnamon sticks for garnish
optional other ingredients & garnishes: brown sugar, Chantilly Cream, cinnamon sugar, chocolate curls
Directions:
1. Place chocolate in a 2-qt. sauce pan over low heat. Pour boiling water over chocolate. Stir until smooth.
2. Gradually stir in 2 c. of the warm milk. Taste. If the flavor is too strong for you, stir in more milk to taste. If desired, stir in a bit of brown sugar.
3. Once you have reached the desired flavor, continue stirring until smooth and hot – but not boiling.
4. If you have an immersion blender, whip the hot chocolate until frothy. Ladle into warmed serving cups. Garnish each with a cinnamon stick. If desired, top with Chantilly cream, cinnamon sugar and/or chocolate curls. Bon appétit!
Note: As with just about anything you make, the are a number of ways to make chocolat chaud. Some recipes omit the hot water. You can use more or less milk if you desire. (About 2 cups of milk is the minimum that I like to use without having to sweeten the beverage.) If you have the patience to wait, after you have warmed the hot chocolate mixture and balanced the flavors, remove it from the heat, transfer to a glass container and allow it to sit for several hours in order to thicken. Return chocolate to clean saucepan, then gently warm mixture and continue with step 4.
A Taste of Morning 