Wine Lover's Shindig

Well, that time of year has come again, the State Fair is in full swing and that means it almost time to get crazy drunk at the ever wonderful annual California Grape and Gourmet event! Sadly, I cannot go this year. (I work for a Non-Profit. It's called that for a reason.)

What is this event you ask? Well it's a special fundraising event, California wine contest, and social gala of Cali's great food and wine people. More than 600 medal-winning wines from over 200 vineyards in California will be showcasing their wines. You'll also have the oppotunity to taste practically every single one (make sure to spit for this event), and purchase some of truly noble bottles. A perfect chance to sip the best that California has to offer. Local restaurants will provide food. A perfect chance to get to know some of the local restaurants and see a display of California's colorful and luxurious edible bounty.

Tickets are $50 in advance, $60 at the door, and all proceeds go into a scholarship fund, which might pay to send someone into the UCD Eneology Dept. And it's in everyone's best interest to encourage the future's next great wine maker.

To Market, To Market (Taylor's Market - Sacramento, CA)

So on Saturday I went to Taylor's Market in downtwon Sacramento. Honestly, I had passed by the place dozens of times but I had never bothered to actually go in. After I did, I was only filled with the strong desire to go back in time and smack myself upside the head.

The place is, simply put, quite excellent. This is a specialty food store with something to offer everyone. The produce section is pretty darn complete with some awesome deals and some not so awesome deals but all balances out in the end. One of the definite stand outs were the colossal bunches of grapes, each one looking as if it were to literally burst with juice and flavor. Though the real prize to be had was the basket of kumquats I found for a mere two freakin' bucks. TWO!

For all you carnivores out there they also have a meat section that rivals, if not beats, the Nugget markets'. I mean seriously, they have everything. Jumbo prawns big enough to bait and then club a seal. Soft shell crab for a decent right-from-the-wharf price. And hey, if you gotta 100 bucks to spend, you can get 10 lbs of ground beef, 5 lbs. of BBQ steaks. 5 lbs. pork steaks or ribs, 5 lbs. fryer leg quarters, 5 lbs. of bacon (cue heavenly choir), and 5 lbs. of prawns. You're now set for your family get together or nuclear fallout, though for me and prolly many of you out there that's really the same damn thing.

They also have local chefs and vitiners come in and demo their wares. Michelle and Dina, two of the authors of The Plank Grilling Cookbook. were there showing off their grillin' expertise. They were cajoling me to try some their gauc with plank grilled onion and corn. (Okay, so by cajole I mean I had them at knife point demanding fifths seconds.) They were a hoot to chat with, and totally awesome. I checked out their book and recipes like duck breast with wild rice and cranberries demonstrated their quite couture plank grillin' style.

After pestering them and browsing, Rob and I reluctantly took our leave. We picked up a bottle of Raspberry Ancho chille marinade and a basket of those kumquats to go. After waving good bye to my new friends and to the meat department, I knew I'd be back. Cause hell, where else am I gonna find a place that sells bison at a price like that!?
Outs.

Taylor's Market
2900 Freeport Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95818
(9160 443-6881

So Sorry!

Yeah, it's been a while since I posted, but hear me out, I've been busy with work and a few other obligations. No worries though, tonight there will be a post. Many posts this week. A recipe and war story from the kitchen (I promise this won't become a recipe blog, but who can resist kumquat n' lime salsa?) . Two restaurant reviews. One, maybe two book reviews. PLUS, a specialty market review, and a looksy at a neato grilling demo! Stay tuned.

S'all shibby.

Trust me.

hearts,
Garrett

Tennessee Hushpuppies

So a few days ago, my friend Sarah, a super home style cook, made some awesome hushpuppies for me. Now, there is nothing wrong with southern style food in my book; any culture which encourages you deep fry your veggies is on to something! Anyways, after trying these bad boys, I asked her to share these on Vanilla Garlic, and luckilly she did. These are perfect for any picnic or function, and sure to please.

And now, Sarah's Tennessee Hushpuppies, verbatim:

Tennessee HushPuppies
serves 12

When hunters in the South were cooking their dinner over a campfire, the dogs would get all excited with the smell of the food. Some cornbread batter dropped into hot oil and cooked was then tossed to the dogs to make them be quiet. This recipe involves a 200-year-old (or so my Mom says) cornbread recipe that my Mom gave me. Mom and I have slightly altered the recipe to use vegetable oil instead of lard because, well, we like our arteries just the way they are. I use a cast-iron skillet on medium-low heat, but a deep-fryer works really well too if you've got that.

Ingredients:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 egg, well beaten
1/4 cup veggie oil
1/4 cup white sugar (1/2 cup if you want to use brown sugar)
1 cup buttermilk
1 can whole kernel corn, well drained

Directions:
~mix first four ingredients in a bowl
~add the egg to the center of the bowl and mix well
~mix oil and sugar together
~add sugar/oil to bowl, mix well
~add buttermilk, mix well
~stir in corn
~drop the batter into hot oil one tablespoon at a time
~after a couple minutes, you can unstick them from the bottom using a spatula
~cook until brown (a little darker than golden)
~let cool on a couple layers of paper towel to drain the excess grease off.
~don't try to eat it too soon, or you'll burn your fingers
~I warned you, now go put your finger under cold water
~okay, now it's cool enough to eat

Strawberries Romanoff with Poundcake

It's summer, as I'm sure we all know by now. It's getting damn hot out there, and when I start sweating like a hooker at confession, I know that my baking season is done. Yet I still want something classy and fantastic tasting. A decadent dessert that'll wow friends, and yet, still only take me about 5 minutes of time so I can go back to a glass of iced tea, Xena DVDs, and my AC.

My answer to that is Strawberries Romanoff with Poundcake. It's a combination of two classic desserts; Strawberries Romanoff and Strawberry Shortcake. Very quick, very classy, and very simple. I highly suggest it for company or for the hell of it on a sweltering summer evening.

Strawberries Romanoff with Poundcake
Serves 4

What You'll Need...
Frozen pound cake
1 1/2 pounds strawberries
2 tablespoons Cointreau (or Grand Mariner)
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 generous tablespoon of sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons of powdered sugar

What You'll Do...
1) Slice up the strawberries. Place them in a bowl and combine them with the sugar, orange rind, and booze. Drink some of the Cointreau. Refrdigerate for about 1-3 hours. Afterwards, take about 1/3 of the mixture and puree it. (I couldn't puree it since my blender is shot, but do it if you can. I just saved some of the juice instead.)

2) Whip together the powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold in the puree/juices.

3) Place slices of pound cake in a dish. Spoon on the strawberry mixture, and then some of the whipped cream. If you have crystal goblets or good wine glasses then use those for presentation, however bowls will do just dandy.

Feel free to make these ahead of time and refridgerate them until needed. It's an elegant solution to entertaining and beating the heat. Enjoy.