Jan Norris: Food and Florida Online

A fun wine read comes from Mark Gauert, my editor at City and Shore magazine in Fort Lauderdale. He writes about the American Fine Wine Competition, held at Lincoln Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach in mid-January. Gauert tells of marrying into a French winemaking family, yet finding American wines that rival his new family’s creations. How to work with that?

Read his story, published in this month’s issue of City and Shore, here. (Click around on the site to discover my story on Sunday brunches.)

3rd Year of Event brings more than 500 wines

During the two-day event, a panel of well known wine experts – sommeliers, wine writers and others – sipped their way through more than 500 entries in 10 categories.  Top prizes included two Best of Show medals – red, and white – and eight  Best of Class awards.  Thirty-one Double-Gold medals were awarded to those wines that received unanimous votes from the judges’ panel.

Surprise results from a Midwest wine

The winner of  Best of Show, whites category, was a 2008 Ferrante Winery Estate Bottled Pinot Grigio from (drumroll….) Geneva, OHIO!

This winery’s been in business since 1937, and the family-run vineyard and winery, on the south side of Lake Erie off I-90,  produces mostly whites, with a Cabernet Franc thrown in, according to winemaker Nicolas Ferrante.

The down-to-earth Ohioan said his grandfather began the winery, but he’s not quite sure how he got into it. “I think they probably just continued their grape-growing and wine-making from Italy,” he said.

Small-scale production

He produces only 2000 cases of the wine, but said the win, while bringing some prestige and credibility to his winery, won’t go to his head. “Maybe we can get some interest in distribution in Florida now, I don’t know,” he said.

He’s been making estate-bottled wines only five years, and his first harvest of pinot gris grapes were in 2006. He’s now expanding some, with new plantings of Pinot Noir and Gruner Veltliner.

Location, location – and terroir

“Our climate is best for whites,” Ferrante said. “The Grand River Valley is a perfect microclimate.”

The river is a quarter-mile away, and Lake Erie is nearby. The clay loam gives plenty of terroir to the fruit.

As for problems, they’re mostly to do with drainage, and the extreme weather Ohio sometimes sees. “We don’t have the insect problems they do in California, but it got down to -16 last January (‘09),” he said. “They don’t have to deal with that in California.”

Nonetheless, he perseveres and produces award winners, like the dry Riesling that’s taken several gold medals over the years.

Turnbull wines

Turnbull Cellars Best Red

Judged Best of Show, red, was a 2007 Turnbull Cellars Cabernet Franc, from Oakville, Ca. This winery’s produced a number of reds since its inception in 1979, known then as Johnson Turnbull Vineyards.

Best of class winners

Wines that took Best of Class included:

• Cabernet Sauvignon: 2006 Mi Sueno, Napa Valley, Ca.
• Chardonnay: 2007 Castello di Amorosa, Bien Nacido, Ca.
• Pinot Noir: 2008 Frank Family Vineyards Reserve, Napa Valley, Ca.
• Zinfandel: 2007 Ravenswood Winery Teldeschi, Dry Creek Valley, Ca.
• Other Red Blend: 2006 PureCos Red, Napa Valley, Ca.
• Meritage Style Blend: 2006 Sea Biscuit Ranch Superfecta, Redwood Valley, Ca.
• Sparkling: 2003 Domaine Carneros Le Reve, Los Carneros, Ca.
• Late Harvest: 2008 Bouchaine Vineyards Bouche D’Or, Los Carneros, Ca.

Taste the winning wines at March AFWC Gala

The contest itself leads up to the March 13 culinary gala, also at the Lincoln Culinary Institute, with the winning wines from the AFWC paired to great foods. To get tickets or for more information, click here.

[Editor's Note: the original story was filed with the wrong date. March 13 is the correct date. Sorry for any inconvenience.]

Dips rule!

Everyone who sends me recipes for Super Bowl party foods sends in a dip recipe.

Go figure – you must love dips.

Think of what you’re dipping

Consider healthier dip-ettes, just to at least give lip service to the vegetables and grains out there:

• Cauliflower and broccoli florettes
• Yellow and red pepper strips
• Green beans, raw or slightly blanched
• Asparagus spears, raw or slightly blanched
• Celeriac (celery root) peeled, cut into batons
• Carrots, in batons
• Celery – cut it on diagonal
• Green pea pods, raw or slightly blanched
• Flax or sesame-seed crackers
• Whole grain bread, rolled flat, cut in strips and grilled
• Shredded wheat biscuits

And if you’re using tortilla or pita bread chips, warm them before serving – it’s an extra touch that counts.

Dip recipes for Super Bowl

Below are a few recipes reprinted from The Coastal Star, where I’m food editor. This award-winning monthly newspaper covers the Southeast coastline of Palm Beach County and its communities. Well worth reading, whether you live there or not. Go here to read more of the recipes and more of the paper.

Dan Oliver, the Beer Man on my site, paired his favorite beers with these dips.

Cheesey Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

This is one of the most popular recipes I ever published. I’ve adapted it here for full cheese flavor. If you’re cutting calories, in place of cheeses, use 1 cup of light blue cheese salad dressing and replace Monterey jack with feta cheese.

• 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup Franks Red Hot Wing sauce (more or less, as desired)
• 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked, diced or shredded
• 1 cup Monterey jack cheese

Put all ingredients into a saucepot, or a small Crock-Pot. Cook on medium-low heat until cheeses are melted. Reduce heat to low and cook 30 minutes to blend flavors.

Serve with scoop-like corn or tortilla chips, or flatbreads.

Dan Oliver’s Beer Pairing: There are three roads to take here; light, cold lager to cut the heat; sweet lager or ale to cut the heat; or spicy ale to match it. Helles or Dortmunder should fill the first bill. A strong Belgian golden ale or sweet stout the second and an IPA or Saison the third. I opted for Penn Gold, a Munich-style Helles brewed not too far from Buffalo.

Swamp Cabbage Hummus

We natives know hearts of palm as swamp cabbage — and cook it as a cabbage with bacon and onion. In hummus, it substitutes for often-added artichoke hearts: simply cut up and blended with the chickpeas.

• 1 16-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
• 1 cup chopped hearts of palm, drained
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• Juice of 2 lemons, plus a grating of lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Olive oil for topping

In the bowl of a food processor, combine all ingredients except olive oil. With machine running, slowly drizzle olive oil until hummus is creamy and slowly drizzle in olive oil as the ingredients are being processed to a creamy consistency.

Serve with toasted pita points that have been sprinkled with olive oil and cumin.

Dan Oliver’s Beer Pairing: We’re back down to earthy here and your favorite Hefeweizen will do the trick nicely. Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat may sound kind of wacky, but it’s an excellent example of the traditional German style. However, if clove and banana flavors are not your cup of tea, a nice mild English brown, such as Newcastle, won’t swamp your taste buds.

Bacon And Roasted Pineapple Dip

Don’t scoff — especially when we tell you to roast the pineapple first. This is what pretzels were made for.

• 2 16-ounce cans pineapple chunks, drained well
• 4 strips smoked bacon, cooked crisp, crumbed
• 1 1/2 packages Neufchatel (farmer’s) cheese, softened 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 green onion, finely chopped

Heat oven to 400 F. Spread pineapple chunks on a nonstick baking sheet and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until starting to color. (Alternately, if you have a grill going, skewer pineapple and toast over flames until beginning to char.)

Put other ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and mix well. Add charred pineapple and pulse to chop roughly.

Serve with pretzel crackers.

Dan Oliver’s Beer Pairing: Cheez Whiz, Jan, you’re throwin’ the kitchen sink at me here! Smoky, sweet, salty and cheesy? I think we’ve got to go to the dark side on this one, a Dopplebock or robust porter. The winner is Left Hand Black Jack Porter, an English version of the style which I believe has enough sweetness not to clash with the pineapple.

Deviled Egg Dip

Nothing says football like deviled eggs: We know men who can eat dozens. But it’s work doing deviling for a party group, so turn them into a dip with a kick instead. Serve with rye party toasts or rye bagel bites with party sausages on the side.

• 1 dozen hard-boiled eggs (see note)
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 6 hard cooked eggs
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon scallions, minced
• 1 small jalapeno pepper
• 1/4 cup Miracle Whip
• 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Pinch chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed

Slice eggs in half and remove yolks to large mixing bowl. Chop whites finely, add to mixing bowl with remainder of ingredients and combine.

Note: 1 teaspoon baking soda added to the egg water before boiling helps eggs peel easily.

Dan Oliver’s Beer Pairing: Deviled egg on rye, huh? What, we’re a deli now? I’m thinking nothing overly bold here, a Kolsch, maybe a blonde ale. But you know what they say: The devil is in the details and what’s the best way to do battle with the devil? A monk. The smooth, easy-drinking and Florida-brewed Monk in the Trunk, a Belgian amber ale, could be a heavenly match.

Other readers helped me out

A low-fat, completely tasteful, organic, vegetarian and yummy dish.

Baba ghanouj (or baba ganoush)

• 4 organic eggplants
• 3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 1 tablespoon whole organic garlic
• 1 ounce organic lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons. chopped organic parsley
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Poke holes in the eggplants with a fork. Grill eggplants until they are tender. (Or, put in tightly covered bowl in microwave for 6 minutes, and check.) Cool, then peel and discard skins.

 Cut up the eggplants and place them them with tahini, garlic and lemon juice in a blender or a food processor fitted with steel blade. Process on high for five seconds (until blended). Put the mixture in a bowl, add salt and pepper to taste, and fold in the parsley with a spoon at the end.

Serve with flax crackers.

Gianuzzi

(From Chef Joseph Gianuzzi, of the Green Gourmet in Delray Beach. Former surfer and now organic chef. He serves lunch and dinner, Monday-Saturday and lunch/early dinner Sunday, at The Green Gourmet, 16950 Jog Road, Delray Beach: 561-455-2466. He also caters.)

Crock-Pot Pulled Pork Tacos

• 1 large onion, white or yellow
• 3 to 4 jalapenos (Use a habanero if you want true heat)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 pounds pork tenderloin
• 1 jar (12 ounces) apricot preserves
• 1 package large soft flour tortillas, warmed for serving
• Sour cream, optional
• Shredded Mexican blend cheese, optional
• Chopped cilantro, optional
• Lime juice, optional

Dice onions and peppers.

In a small bowl, mix the salt, pepper and cumin to create a rub. Place the pork in the Crock-Pot and rub the spices all over . Pour the apricot preserves on the pork and rub well on all sides. (Cook’s note: Sometimes I even pour extra preserves in the bottom of the Crock-Pot before adding the pork and then the rest over the top (if I have extra in the jar).

Pour onions and peppers on top of the pork. Cook on high for 1 hour then lower the heat and cook on low for another 7 hours. For best results, do not lift the lid to peek. Once it’s done, carefully pour it all (with juices) into a serving dish.

 Serve in warm soft tortillas. Top each pork taco with sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro and a squeeze of lime, if desired.

Makes 12 regular-size soft tacos.

(Recipe from Razonia McClellan, public relations executive, foodie and wife of football enthusiast.)

Nirvi’s Black Bean Dip

• 1 16-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or as need
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
•  1 clove garlic, minced or 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• Chopped green onions for garnish

Combine all ingredients except green onions in bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Process until smooth – add a touch more oil as need. Serve, garnished with onions, with tortilla chips. (Make tortilla chips yourself by slicing corn tortillas, spraying with vegetable spray, and baking at 400 till crisp. Sprinkle with a  mix of salt and cumin for a twist.)

Makes about 1-1/3 cups dip.

(Recipe from fellow journalist Nirvi Shaw.)

Let the good times roll! (Sorry, can’t help ourselves. We love the underdogs, and since it’s the Saints’ first trip here, we hope they win!)

Spicy Beef Recipe Great for Super Bowl Party

By Debbie Moose, Columnist

Of course, we’re watching the Super Bowl in Miami this Sunday, with the New Orleans Saints playing the Indianapolis Colts. It’s the time for grillmeisters to bring their A-games for those big Super Bowl parties.

Forget the trite

Now is not the time to get lazy, to foist soggy take-out wings and gelatinous bowls of dip on your cherished friends. A lot of ”fans” don’t even care about the game, but just come for the food — and the commercials.

As a host, you have got to step it up, people. Now is the time!

Munchies, followed by the Big Feed

For a night-long Super Bowl feed, I like to put out finger food or munchies for the whole game, then offer more substantial chow and side dishes around halftime. You want recipes that can be done ahead of time, so you don’t miss a minute of the commercials, or ah, game –  but can still impress your friends.

Have it Your Way

The first recipe, from my cookbook Fan Fare: A Playbook of Great Recipes for Tailgating or Watching the Game at Home is really versatile. It can be prepared a day ahead either on the grill or atop the stove. And it can be served as sandwiches or a hearty, elegant salad. You can spice it up for the fire-mouths in your group, or leave it mild for the bigger crowd. How’s that for some play options?

The second recipe, from the same book, is a do-ahead munchie that’s different from the boring chip-and-dip routine. Make extra – they go down quick with good beer.

Double Play Spicy Beef

For beef:

• 1- 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 pounds beef tenderloin

For sauce:

• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 pound Parmesan cheese, thinly shaved

For serving: Sandwich rolls (for sandwiches), or salad greens, tomatoes and onions (for steak salads)

In a small bowl, combine the thyme, marjoram, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, 1 teaspoon of the black pepper and the paprika. Rub the mixture into the beef and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

To grill, prepare a gas or charcoal grill for indirect cooking and oil the grate. Place the meat on the grill and cook, turning frequently to cook it evenly and prevent the rub from burning. Cook the beef to medium-rare, 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. When done, remove the beef to a cutting board and let rest.

To cook  indoors, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the beef, turning to brown on all sides, until it reaches medium-rare, 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. When done, remove the beef to a cutting board and let rest.

While the beef rests, prepare the sauce: Combine the lemon juice, horseradish, chives, sour cream, remaining 1 teaspoon black pepper and a dash of cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate if preparing the night before serving.

If preparing the beef the night before, let the beef cool, then wrap it, whole, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, slice the beef very thinly and serve.  (The key is thin slices to pile up.)

To serve as sandwiches: Place slices on hearty rolls, top with sauce and Parmesan.

To serve as a steak salad: Toss greens, chopped tomatoes and onion rings lightly with a red wine vinaigrette, then top with slices of beef and Parmesan; drizzle with sauce to taste.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Rosemary-Garlic Pecans

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Stir in the rosemary, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Place the pecans in a large bowl, then pour the butter mixture over the pecans and toss to coat the nuts thoroughly.

Spread the pecans in a single layer on a rimmed nonstick baking sheet (or coat a regular baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray). Bake for about 20 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times, until the pecans are crisp and fragrant but not dark.

Let the nuts cool completely on the baking sheet, then store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

(Above recipes from Fan Fare: A Playbook of Great Recipes for Tailgating or Watching the Game at Home by Debbie Moose, Harvard Common Press, 2007)

***

Debbie Moose, a food writer and cookbook author from Raleigh, NC, writes about cooking outdoors for JanNorris.com. Check out her cookbooks: Potato Salad: 65 Recipes from Classic to Cool; Wings: More Than 50 High-Flying Recipes for America’s Favorite Snack; Fan Fare: A Playbook of Great Recipes for Tailgating or Watching the Game at Home; and Deviled Eggs: 50 Recipes from Simple to Sassy. Find out what else Debbie is cooking on her blog, Moose Munchies, at her web site, debbiemoose.com.

Get in on one of the sweetest tastings around – the Junior League of Boca is hosting its 9th Annual Chocolate Decadence party at the Shops at Boca tonight.

Tastings of chocolate foods and drinks are offered up under the stars in the courtyard of the Shops, along with live music and other nifty happenings.

For a good cause

Several community organizations serving children, migrants and others in need are   the recipients of the charity work the League does.

They include:

• In the Pines
• Florence Fuller Child Development Center
• Kids in Distress
• Hometown Histories
• Vesgo Community Resource Center
• Community Support Fund
• Done in a Day
• Milagro Center
• Spirit of Giving

Chocolate Decadence

• When: Thursday, Feb. 4, 6-9 p.m.
• Where: Shops of Boca Center, 5050 Town Center Circle (in front of the Marriott on Military Trail)
• Admission: $40 at the door, includes all tastings
• Benefits: Junior League of Boca Raton’s community projects
• For information (online tickets are sold out): www.bocachocolate.com

Naples Pops $8 million at wine auction – the richest wine charity in the U.S.

By Christopher Sherman, guest columnist

What recession?

Wine lovers at the tenth annual Naples Winter Wine Festival in Naples opened their wallets and hearts in a big way, chipping in $8 million for troubled children across Collier County, reversing two years of declining receipts.

Beats Napa by $2 million

The results from bids on bottles of rare wines, luxury trips and the like was $3 million more than last year, when the auction felt the biggest pinch of the recession. It’s also substantially more than the annual auction in Napa Valley ($5.9 million last year) making it one of the richest wine charities in the world and rivaling the famous auction at the Hospices de Beaune in Burgundy.

Prince Robert

French wines top lot list

The top selling wine lot of the day was $150,000 bid for four 9-liter salmanazars of Ch. Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion. The chateau’s proprietor, Prince Robert of Luxembourg, had initially donated two bottles from the 2005 vintage, but after visiting the children’s charities supported by the auction, doubled his lot, adding two virtual salmanazars of the new 2009 vintage not yet bottled.

“I think the 2009 will be among the finest vintages we’ve made in two centuries,’’ Prince Robert told me.

Top selling wine lots

Other top wine lots included:

• $140,000 for sixteen double magnums of great Burgundies donated by baseball’s Rusty Staub.
• $120,000 Harlan Estates , ‘94, ‘97, 2001, 2002 donated by the Harlans, who were this year’s honored vitners
• $65,000 for 12 bottles of Screaming Eagle, 1999-2005
• $100,000 for 30 Burgundies, including nine 2005 DRC’s
• $80,000 for 100 bottles of top Australians, including verticals of Penfolds Grange and Hill of Grace
• $90,000 for four 5- and 6 liter bottles of Araujo Estate with dinner at the French Laundry
• $50,000 for an 11-year vertical of Lail Vineyard’s rare J Daniel Cuvee

Trips, TV roles, and NASCAR passes draw

Of the 61 lots at auction, some included wine together with trips to Thailand and New York, cruises, NASCAR passes and even a walk-on role on the sitcom Modern Family, and they drew big money as well. The top non-wine lot brought $440,000 for a weeklong cruise on a 170-feet-yacht in the Mediterranean.

Francis Rooney, who chaired this year’s auction, said the group never predicted numbers for this year’s auction given the tough economy, so he was delighted that 500 people came up with $8 million.

“I’m gratified that this community dug so deep.’’

Christopher Sherman writes about wine and food on the B-21.com blog, and for Florida Trend magazine’s dining section.