Bean

BBQ Salmon in February!!!

Recipes, Red Wine Pairings, Rosé wine pairings, Seafood, White wine pairings 1 Response »
Feb 212010

Happiness is standing in my front yard, barbecuing salmon over mesquite charcoal in FEBRUARY! We aren’t talking cheating BBQ with propane on a covered deck, we are talking about being out in Seattle sunshine in February. I cleaned out the grill and got it set up with the last bits of mesquite from last summer. It started right up and as my coals heated, I soaked the hickory chips. I lightly sprayed my fish grill with Pam for outdoor grilling.  I rubbed a crushed garlic clove over the salmon, sprinkled some mesquite seasoning on top and squeezed a wedge of lemon.  As soon as the coals were hot, I spread them to the outside edges of the grill. I spread the cup of water soaked hickory chips over the coals then placed the salmon in the center of the grill. I quickly covered my trusty weber grill, but the yard streams of hickory  smoke escaped from the vent to scent my yard with summer.

Hickory smoked salmon

Hickory smoked salmon

Checking the grill every 15 minutes, I removed the salmon after an hour. I didn’t have time to do a traditional smoked salmon. This dish was designed to give potent hickory smoke flavor while slow grilling the fish. I wanted the smoky flavors to infuse the salmon.

I was a little skeptical about February salmon so I only purchased half a fillet of this wild Atlantic salmon. What a mistake, this was sooo tasty! I would have been very happy with this as my main dish.

Wine Pairings

The classic rule is white wines for fish but salmon gives us lots of possibilities to break the rules! Pinot noir is another classic pairing with salmon but barbecued salmon is great with Syrah! Add a bit of pepper and smoked salmon is a great pairing for a big Syrah. I also like salmon with the versatile rosé. We paired it that particular night with  a french style rosé from Lullaby Winery out of Walla Walla, Washington. Vivian thought the salmon was too intense for the this old world style rosé but once the rosé had opened up a bit, I enjoyed it with this tasty salmon.

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Posted by Bean at 11:20 pm Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Succulent Scallop Chowder

Recipes, Soups, White wine pairings No Responses »
Feb 012010

I took a spoonful of this scallop chowder and said WOW! This was the best tasting dish that I have made in a long time. Rich and creamy with layers of flavor, this chowder is elegant and satisfying. The bacon and Swiss cheese really elevate this dish to something special. Easy and fast to make, this is a dish that impresses.

Scallop Chowder

Scallop Chowder

  • 2 strips bacon
  • 1 bunch green onion, minced
  • 1 1/4c. fresh mushrooms, halved and sliced
  • 1 TBS butter
  • 2 TBS  flour
  • 1 c.  whole milk
  • 1/2 cup chardonnay
  • 1 lb bay scallops, rinsed and drained
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
  • 2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
scraping pan

Browning the flour

In a stock pot, brown the bacon. Remove the bacon and set aside. In the remaining bacon grease, sauté the mushrooms and green onions until they just begin to brown. Add the butter to the stock pot. As soon as the butter has melted, add the flour. Stir the flour into the butter and vegetables until it becomes a thick coating and begins to brown.

Add the milk to the stockpot over medium heat until it begins to bubble and thicken. Add the chardonnay to the stock pot, stirring it into the milk-vegetable mixture. Add the drained scallops. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until the scallops turn opaque but don’t over cook. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve in soup bowls, sprinkling the Swiss cheese and parsley on top.  Serve with crusty bread to  best enjoy this creamy chowder. Serves 4.

Cheesy chowder

Cheesy Scallop chowder

Wine Pairing

This is a dish for a buttery Chardonnay. We paired it with a Patz & Hill Chardonnay and it was good but I surprised myself by saying that I wished that I had a bigger, buttery Chardonnay for this chowder. I am not usually a fan of that wine style but this is an exception.

Posted by Bean at 11:27 pm Tagged with: , ,

Lamb Roast stuffed with Feta, Mushroom and Spinach

Meats, Recipes, Red Wine Pairings No Responses »
Jan 192010

I love lamb but not everyone that I love, loves lamb. Lamb is a rare but treasured treat for me so I usually like to do something a bit special with it. This roast is easy to prepare that looks gorgeous and tastes fantastic.

Stuffed Lamb Roast

Lamb roast

  • Approximately 2 lb boneless lamb roast

Marinade

  • 1 cup dry left over red wine (this recipe is a great way to use up days-old wine!)
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 TBS fresh thyme
  • 2 TBS  fresh rosemary
  • 1 TBS fresh thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
  • 2 tsp Minced garlic
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

*Use fresh herbs if you can for this marinade, it does make a difference. If you only have dried herbs adjust the measurements down and be sure to use a processor to release as much flavor as possible.

Continue reading »

Posted by Bean at 4:21 am Tagged with: , ,

French Onion Soup

Recipes, Red Wine Pairings, Soups, White wine pairings 1 Response »
Jan 182010

Many French Onion soups on the Internet claim to be “authentic” Julia Child recipe. This French Onion soup does not, but it certainly is inspired by Julia Child. Ed is a big fan of the Julia and Julie film and book and Nancy was ecstatic about a French Onion soup pairing at Rover’s at their Julia Child inspired dinner event.  So, when we had a dinner “work” party it was time to make soup!

    French Onion Soup

    French Onion Soup

  • 3lb yellow onions (approximately 6-7 cups thinly sliced) -do NOT use sweet onions for this recipe
  • 1 TBS regular olive oil
  • 2TBS  unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 TBS flour
  • 2 boxes low sodium organic beef broth or 6 cups  homemade beef stock
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp sage, ground
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/2 french baquette, sliced into 1/2″ thick slices
  • Olive oil for drizzling
  • 1/2 lb swiss cheese, grated
  • 1/4 lb guyere cheese, grated
  • 1/4 lb parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 raw yellow onion, grated
  • 2-3 TBS brandy
Sliced onions

LOTS of sliced onions!

Thinly slice the onion with a mandoline or food processor. Heat the 1 TBS olive oil and the butter in a heavy stock pot, add the onions to the pot and stir with a sturdy wooden spoon to coat the onion slices with the oil/butter mixture.  Cook the onions over medium-low heat for about 40 minutes or until very tender. Turn up the heat to medium high and add the sugar and salt to the onions.  Stirring frequently with the wooden spoon, cook until the onions caramelize and start to brown. They will reduce in volume by about 25%. Continue reading »

Posted by Bean at 12:17 pm Tagged with: , , , ,
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