Daily Olive

Tips on Hosting a Port Tasting Party

As the weather gets cooler, a port tasting party is a great way to warm up and get cozy.  Here's some quick tips on hosting a port tasting party (via WineSkinny.com).

Port makes an outstanding choice for a winter wine tasting. Cold nights, a cozy fire, good friends, fabulous port. What else could you want out of life?

If you are new to port, here are a couple of basics: Tawny port is usually ready to drink, because it's had all the aging it needs before it's bottled. Typically, it has a reddish-brown color and a mature, nutty, dried-fruit flavor that matches beautifully with foods that feature blue cheeses, nuts, certain grains or dried fruits. Vintage port, on the other hand, is bottled after only a couple of years in the barrel and needs quite a bit of aging to soften bitter tannins and to integrate the often harsh spirit into thickly textured, luscious wine.

We're going to focus on tawny ports here, simply because there would not be much point in you going out to buy vintage ports for a tasting party now. We do encourage you to buy some vintage ports, and we've included some great suggestions, but they will need some aging before they're ready to drink.

So, here are a few terrific selections that are currently available.

The Wine:

Tawny Ports:
Rosemount NV Tawny Port South Eastern Australia Solera Aged Old Benson Fine Old Tawny ($24)

Ramos-Pinto NV Tawny Port 30 Years Old ($75). Wow - a blockbuster finish.

Dow NV Tawny Port 20 Years Old ($39). Huge wine. Intense. Sweet. Balanced. Wonderful.

Cockburn NV Tawny Port 10 Years Old ($23). Medium bodied and nicely balanced. Great with food.

Penfolds Club Port Reserve (Australia, $11). Great value on this complicated, spicy port with a long smooth finish.

Seppelt NV Tawny Port Australia Old Trafford ($12). Sweet and lingering, without being cloying. A true dessert wine.

Vintage Ports:
1997 is shaping up to be an excellent port vintage. The '97s are just beginning to hit the shelves, so pricing is still a bit undecided. The bottom line seems to be that if you are a port aficionado, and you see a '97 vintage port that you can afford -- buy it! Here are a few specifics:

1997 Fonseca (should be around $100). You cannot go wrong with a Fonseca vintage port. The '97 has received rave reviews from all corners. Buy it if you can find it.

1997 Niepoort ($60)
1997 Dow ($60) -- a great buy!

Other Ports:
These are unique bottlings that do not fall into the usual categories -- definitely worth a try!

Osborne 1994 Late Bottled Port ($12). One heck of a price and delicious. Not as sweet as the name might suggest.

Cockburn 1994 Late Bottled Port ($17). Rich and raisiny, this is an excellent wine.

The Food:

We know all about the classic pairing of Port and chocolate. Great. Fabulous. But, frankly, we get a little bored with that. Besides, we come dangerously close to lapsing into sugar comas in a pretty short period of time.

Instead, try an assortment of cheeses, nuts, and dried fruits. It's easy and impressive, and your blood sugar levels will thank you.

For a cheese selection, try Parmigiano Regiano (a whole piece, not the canned, grated stuff!), Manchego, Munster, and Stilton (heavenly with port).

Nuts: Toasted almonds, Unshelled pistachios, and lightly-salted cashews.

Dried fruits: apricots and prunes.

If you want to include a sweet, try your favorite recipe for pecan or walnut pie.

Tasting Notes:
We've found that our guests really enjoy the opportunity to "grade" the wines. You can make it as casual or controlled as you like. We tend to put out a pile of our tasting notes sheets and then encourage our guests to take notes. Somewhere toward the end of the evening -- or once everyone has had time to taste the various wines -- we like to have a little group discussion of the favorites. It really is a lot of fun to hear everyone's opinions of the wines, and there are always some interesting surprises.

The most important thing is to have fun with your tasting party. Branch out to wines that are new to you. Don't worry about the results -- everyone will have a great time participating in the tasting.

Visit WineSkinny.com for more details on wine tasting party ideas and wine winners.  Their site is tremendously helpful for the novice and experienced wine lover.

The French Chef DVD with Julia Child

French Chef DVD with Julia Child plus Bonus "Cooking Under Fire" --
An eCookbooks.com Exclusive

See Julia Child in 18 of her original PBS French Chef episodes.  Long before there was Emeril, Wolfgang, or Rachel Ray, there was Julia, and part of the joy was laughing along with her bloopers when things didn't exactly go right.

Entertaining, fun, and real in a way that influenced every television cooking program that followed, The French Chef embraced Julia’s passion for food and teaching and reflected her joie de vivre: “If I can do it, you can do it…and here’s how to do it!”

The French Chef DVD with Julia Child  |  $28 (30% off) at eCookbooks.com
includes exclusive bonus "Cooking Under Fire"

The 18 episodes on the three-disc DVD are:

Starters and Sidedishes
1. The potato show
2. Your own french onion soup
3. Bouilabaisse à la Marseillaise
4. The spinach twins
5. Salad Niçoise
6. French fries

Main Courses
1. Bœuf Bourguignon
2. To roast a chicken
3. The lobster show
4. To stuff a sausage
5. Tripes à la mode
6. The whole fish story

Baking, Desserts, and other Classics
1. Queen of sheba cake
2. Cheese and wine party
3. Apple dessert
4. Mouse au chocolat
5. The good loaf
6. The omelette show

Order The French Chef DVD with Julia Child today from ecookbooks.com.

Eva Solo Garlic Press is Simply Beautiful

We love the design of the Eva Solo line, and their Garlic Press is no exception.  Designed in the shape of a garlic clove, Eva Solo designers also eliminated the cleaning hassle of traditional presses using slits instead of holes for their press plate.

Eva Solo 2-pc. Garlic Press with Glass Container, Stainless Steel
$65 at Cooking.com

Related Link:  Eva Solo's CafeSolo Coffee Set

Three Wine of the Month Clubs from K&L Wines

When you purchase a Wine of the Month Club package from K & L Wine Merchants, you'll be assured that you'll get a great deal and some excellent wines.  Reviewed by many as one of the internet's best wine retailers (Inc.com, Time, Wall Street Journal, Forbes to name a few), choose from three wine clubs--Best Buy Wine Club, Premium Wine Club, or Signature Red Collection.

Order your Wine of the Month Club directly from K&L Wine Merchants online.

Gourmet Magazine's 2005 All-American Restaurant Issue Contents Released

Released September 27th, the October Gourmet Restaurant Issue features split covers: the newsstand cover highlights America's most famous chef, Emeril Lagasse, and the subscriber cover features chefs from the 20th Anniversary of the Chefs' Tribute to Citymeals-on-Wheels--Wolfgang Puck, Larry Forgione, Joachim Splichal, Daniel Boulud, and Nancy Silverton.

Gourmet Restaurant Guide October 2005 Contents

-- Where to Eat Now in 18 American Cities
-- Profiles: Emeril Lagasse (newsstand cover)
-- David Myers: Team Bonding at Sona, in Los Angeles
-- Citymeals-on-Wheels 20th Anniversary: Star Chefs of Tomorrow
-- Two Views on the Las Vegas Restaurant Boom by Caroline Bates and Anthony Bourdain
-- Menus: Ruth Reichl's Favorite Dishes
-- Jonathan Waxman's Menu from New York's Barbuto
-- Robert Sietsema on African Restaurants in the U.S.
-- Roadfood: The Sterns Eat at Diners in Maine
-- Daring Chicago Chefs at Alinea and Moto
-- Chef Tools
-- Mail Order Food Gifts
-- Celebrity Chef-Designed Kitchenware

Gourmet's October 2005 Restaurant Issue, available on newsstands on September 27, includes the annual Gourmet Restaurant Guide. As always, the guide will be indispensable to any traveler, and this year it tells you where to eat right now in 18 American cities. Editor in chief Ruth Reichl, along with several of the magazine's food critics, ate anonymously at hundreds of restaurants across the country, making 132 selections in four categories: restaurants for conducting business, hot new spots with the buzz, classic old favorites, and neighborhood gems that the locals love.

"2005 Restaurant Guide: Where to Eat Now in 18 American Cities" begins on page 169. Gourmet's critics offer restaurant suggestions across the country in: Atlanta; Boston; Charleston, SC; Chicago; Dallas; Honolulu; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; New Orleans; New York; Philadelphia; Portland, OR; San Diego; San Francisco; Santa Fe; Seattle; and Washington, D.C.

The Restaurant Issue was shipped to the printer prior to Hurricane Katrina. Gourmet will host--along with Mario Batali, Lidia and Joseph Bastianich, and Emeril Lagasse--an October benefit for New Orleans Displaced Hospitality Professionals.

Atlanta
Business: Restaurant Eugene
Buzz: Rathbun's
Classic: Pano's & Paul's
Neighborhood Gems: The Globe Cafe Restaurant Bar; Nam; One. Midtown
Kitchen

Boston
Business: Excelsior
Buzz: Neptune Oyster
Classic: Hamersley's Bistro
Neighborhood Gems: The Elephant Walk; Franklin Cafe; Troquet

Charleston, SC
Business: Anson
Buzz: Cru Cafe
Classic: Hominy Grill
Neighborhood Gems: Grace Episcopal Church; Il Cortile Del Re; 39 Rue
de Jean

Chicago
Business: Crofton on Wells; Morton's The Steakhouse
Buzz: Alinea; Blue Water Grill
Classic: Ambria; MK
Neighborhood Gems: Acqualina; Hotchocolate; Scylla; Vinci

Dallas
Business: Nana, Wyndham Anatole Hotel
Buzz: 62 Main
Classic: Duni Latin Kitchen and Baking Studio
Neighborhood Gems: Hattie's; Hector's On Henderson; Local

Honolulu
Business: Chef Mavro
Buzz: Town
Classic: La Mer, Halekulani
Neighborhood Gems: Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas; Nico's at Pier 38; 12th Ave
Grill

Houston
Business: Da Marco; Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
Buzz: Bistro Moderne, Hotel Derek; Noe Restaurant & Bar, Omni Houston
Hotel
Classic: Brennan's of Houston; Pico's
Neighborhood Gems: Cova Hand-Selected Wines; Kubo's; Rioja Spanish
Tapas Restaurant; Shade

Los Angeles
Business: The Grill on the Alley; Sona
Buzz: Beacon, An Asian Cafe; Providence
Classic: Michael's; The Restaurant, Hotel Bel-Air
Neighborhood Gems: Chameau; Enoteca Drago; Mandaloun; New Concept
Restaurant

Miami
Business: Bizcaya, Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove
Buzz: Prime 112, The Browns Hotel
Classic: Norman's
Neighborhood Gems: Captain Jim's Seafood Market & Restaurant; Pacific
Time; Tamarind Thai Restaurant

New Orleans
(The Restaurant Issue was shipped to the printer prior to
Hurricane Katrina. Gourmet will host--along with Mario Batali, Lidia
and Joseph Bastianich, and Emeril Lagasse--an October benefit for New
Orleans Displaced Hospitality Professionals.)
Business: Emeril's Delmonico; GW Fins
Buzz: Cobalt; The New Orleans Grill, Windsor Court Hotel
Classic: Brigtsen's; Gautreau's
Neighborhood Gems: Casamento's Restaurant; Dick & Jenny's; Liborio
Cuban Restaurant; Liuzza's

New York
Business: Michael's; The Modern
Buzz: Gusto Ristorante e Bar Americano; Nobu Fifty Seven
Classic: Gotham Bar and Grill; Peter Luger Steak House
Neighborhood Gems: Bistro Du Vent; Devi; Momofuku Noodle Bar; The
Queen's Hideaway

Philadelphia
Business: Barclay Prime
Buzz: Marigold Kitchen
Classic: Susanna Foo Chinese Cuisine
Neighborhood Gems: Southwark; Sovalo; Standard Tap

Portland, OR
Business: El Gaucho
Buzz: Gotham Bldg Tavern
Classic: The Heathman Restaurant & Bar, The Heathman Hotel
Neighborhood Gems: Alba Osteria & Enoteca; Noble Rot; Nuestra Cocina

San Diego
Business: Arterra, San Diego Marriott Del Mar
Buzz: Cafe Chloe
Classic: The Marine Room, La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club
Neighborhood Gems: Dumpling Inn; Extraordinary Desserts; Fresh Seafood
Restaurant

San Francisco
Business: Farallon's; Michael Mina, Westin St. Francis
Buzz: Americano; The Dining Room, The Ritz-Carlton
Classic: Bix; Tadich Grill
Neighborhood Gems: Bocadillos; Fish; La Suite; Limon

Santa Fe
Business: Trattoria Nostrani
Buzz: Kasasoba
Classic: Tomasita's Santa Fe
Neighborhood Gems: Aqua Santa; Cafe Pasqual's; Copa de Oro

Seattle
Business: Barking Frog
Buzz: Ibiza Dinner Club
Classic: The Georgian, The Fairmont Olympic Hotel
Neighborhood Gems: Crow; Lola; Monsoon

Washington D.C.
Business: Charlie Palmer Steak
Buzz: Cityzen, Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Classic: Kinkead's
Neighborhood Gems: Buck's Fishing and Camping; Burma Restaurant; 2Amys

The "2005 Restaurant Guide: Where to Eat Now in 18 American Cities" is published in the Gourmet October 2005 Restaurant Issue, on sale at newsstands on September 27, 2005. Gourmet is published by The Conde Nast Publications.

via Restaurant News Resource

What Makes Hawaiian Coffee So Special

Coffee was first introduced to the Islands by Chief Boki, the Governor of Oahu, in 1825. He acquired coffee plants in Rio de Janeiro while aboard a British warship, the H.M.S. Blonde. These first coffee plants were planted in Manoa Valley, on Oahu, where they flourished. From this original planting, coffee trees were introduced to locations around the Islands, including the now famous Kona Coast.

The coffee tree needs six specific conditions to thrive: rich soil, proper elevation (between 500 and 3000 feet is ideal), sunshine, cloud cover, rain and a moderate slope for proper drainage of roots. While some good coffee comes from climates which offer just a few of these conditions, The Hawaiian climate offers all six elements. This perfect blend of conditions provides coffee trees with the ideal environment, and allows Hawaii to produce some of the richest coffee in the world.

The growing season in Hawaii begins in January and ends in June. Coffee growers watch expectantly for coffee blossoms to appear on the trees after rains early in the season, and these flowers eventually turn into coffee cherries. Much like the grapes destined for fine wines, coffee cherries are allowed to ripen on the tree, under the close watch of the farmers. When they are bright red and ripe, each coffee cherry is harvested individually.

At Maui Coffee Company, meticulous care goes into each phase of the ensuing coffee-making process, from roasting to flavoring to dry milling. You will taste the time we put in with every cup you brew! For more information please visit our website http://www.mauicoffeecompany.net

Source  |  EzineArticles.com

Chocolate Fondue Fountain for Holiday Parties

Wow your guests with your own chocolate fondue fountain!  Perfect for holiday celebrations, birthdays, weddings, and turning any party into a memorable one.  Be careful - your friends might want to borrow it for their parties too.

Chocolate Fondue Fountain
$69 at Chef's Depot

Sephra Chocolate Fountain
$249 at Chef's Depot

How to Bake Bread in a Dutch Oven

Dutch ovens were made for baking. In the hands of a practiced baker, a Dutch oven will create beautiful breads and desserts. (Though some of us tend to burn breads in a Dutch oven.)

You can always bake bread in a well-oiled Dutch oven but instead of baking directly in the oven, consider this method: Put the dough in a baking pan and the pan in the Dutch oven.

Recently, a reader from California told us of her success baking bread with a pan inside of a Dutch oven. She used a mix for Irish Potato Bread. This mix creates a large loaf and she made it according to package instructions. She formed the dough into a round loaf and placed the dough in a greased nine-inch metal pie pan. She then set the pan atop small rocks in bottom of her twelve-inch Dutch oven. She put the lid on the Dutch oven and the oven on ten briquette coals. Another fourteen briquettes went on the top. She baked the bread for 45 minutes, turning the lid occasionally. She was baking at an elevation of 7,000 in the Sequoia Mountains.

“I was surprised and delighted to find that the bread was perfect,” she said. “The crust was brown on top and it was a real treat . . . a great success.”

You should have similar success baking rolls in a baking pan or a loaf in a traditional bread pan. To get the right-sized loaves for a Dutch oven, consider bread machine mixes or recipes for single loaves. A bread machine mix will give you that single loaf or smaller batch of rolls, just right for a Dutch oven. If you crowd two loaves into a Dutch oven, there may not be adequate air circulation between the loaves. Without adequate space, the loaves will tend to be lopsided.

It is important that you elevate the pan off the bottom of the Dutch oven using small stones so that it does not burn the bottom of the bread. Make sure that you have enough top clearance so that the rising bread does not reach the lid.

You can use this same technique to bake great desserts or pastries. Consider baking sweet rolls or pasties in a raised pan in your Dutch oven.

Dennis Weaver is the general manager at The Prepared Pantry with recipes, ideas, and the best selection of mixes and ingredients. Visit the free Bakers' Library for more articles like this, free baking guides, and tested recipes.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook is All You Need

From Cook's Illustrated Editors, America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook is the hottest cookbook in the country right now.  With 1,200 foolproof recipes, this comprehensive cookbook is written simply and clearly, with photos showing every cooking technique.  This could be the one basic cookbook that you'll ever need, covering every course, from appetizers to desserts, plus chapters on breakfast, sandwiches, sauces and condiments, and beverages. Friendly and to-the-point test kitchen tip boxes accompany the recipes and point out either where you might go wrong, or a special technique or ingredient that makes the recipe successful.

Includes classic Cook's Illustrated charts and test kitchen tips and fast recipes.

America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook  |  $20.97 (40% off)  at ecookbooks.com

Fresh Wild Salmon Shipped Direct

Get wild salmon caught by hand with hook and line by The Alaska Wild Salmon Company, and have it shipped directly to your door.  While farmed salmon contains added colors, antibiotics, or vaccines, these hand caught fish are quickly dressed to preserve its freshness, taste, and Omega-3 nutrients.  Run as a family owned business, every order comes with a satisfaction guarantee.

Visit GoodSalmon.com for your fresh caught wild salmon.