Tales from the Wandering Cook

[echoes]

I am not really a basic bitch, I mean, I have my moment and all but for the most part I groove to the beat of my own drum. My midlife crisis has involved remembering my 90's roots and rocking old school goth t shirts instead of buying some hypo car or chasing after people half my age. Wish I had more hair, would totally do the silver and white just past the shoulders but that is not to be. If you were to ask about my body type I would tell you to check out Star Wars : Rebels Captain Rex with a bit more hair and a darker goatee.

So, with that as a beginning I'm going to drop you all a line on a white wine that really did live up to its billing. First off, I do not work in the food an beverage industry anymore so this is not a product drop for a company. Secondly, I'm here in the states and the wine I am going to talk to you about is from Argentina.

El Enemigo is the brand and the wine I am talking about is their Chardonnay. Now, I am not Chardonnay drinker, usually I like Sauv Blanc  or a Pinot Gris but if you are looking for an all around baller wine you need to try this. It usually runs you around $21, which is not a bad price, but the price hides a 97pt James Sucking awarded wine that is perfect in any situation. Table wine, check; meal accompaniment, check. The wine is not forward, perfectly balanced and leaves almost no lingering aftertaste after each sip. It is sweet but not so much so that it dominates the palate. This is honestly one of the most even keeled wines I have had and, wine I don't drink wines like I used to, I would go back and buy this one over and over again if I ever have to host a tasting. I mentioned in previous posts that I did the food and bar for a rather bougie event in Cincinnati Ohio back in October. This was one of the whites that I brought and after we cracked the first bottle we cashed our stash in about 15 minutes. The rating is legit and the wine was amazing. 

This all said, buyer beware, you can drink a bottle before you know it is done and that is a headache inducing thing if there was one. Now, I was busy working so I did not overindulge but you could really easily if you are not careful.

I look forward to trying more wines from this vineyard and I hope we get more at work because then I know the price I am paying is not more than a 15% markup compared to other places. I am also looking forward to cooking with this wine; I have a feeling it will really applying itself with pasta.

If you are a white wine person I can highly recommend this even if Chardonnay is not your normal style of wine. 

Cheers,

E.

[echoes]

Back in another life I worked in food and beverage for most of my misspent young adulthood. I did my time in the trenches as I think everyone else should as well. I really do believe that everyone should spend at least 1 year in a full service restaurant; 6 months in the back of the house and 6 months in the front. I say this so everyone can learn what the people who do this to pay bills go through on a nightly basis and so that you can be a better guest when you go out to eat. My last restaurant was a Tex/Mex joint that was active during the 90's and I spent 9ish years with that concept. When the store closed it broke my heart and I got out of the business to follow other pursuits. Part of the reason for it breaking my heart was that  I had 0% turn over for several years as a kitchen manager. Those of you in the bizz know that number is insane as turnover in food service is ridiculous. My entire staff was cross trained to do about everything that could be done in the kitchen. These guys, back then, were my second family so when corporate closed us because of their fuck ups I was furious, hurt, betrayed and mostly worried about my crew. I helped as many of them find new places to work but not everyone stayed in the industry and we all moved on.

I bring up the past because, due to it being Tex/Mex, I drank a lot of Tequila during my time with this concept. This a time before every: actor, music mogul, sports personality and so on had their specific brand of booze. Sammy Hagar and his Cabo Wabo Tequila was the first named celebrity that I remember but we didn't carry his brand. We had all the familiar, for then, brands: Cuervo, Sauza Hornitos and Tres Generacions, Patron and Don Julio to name a few. Even after leaving the bizz I still drank tequila for quite a while and I love it almost as I love Bourbon.

Recently we got in a tequila I had never tried before and I am now kicking my own ass for not buying three or four bottle of the stuff as we are already out. The tequila I am talking about is : Corazon. Specifically the Corazon finished in Blanton's Bourbon casks. You can check google and see that you can find this for around $70 but we were selling if for $23 and change.

This is one of the smoothest Tequilas I have had in a long time. A lovely color, refreshing aroma, and whether you wanted to sip, shoot or mix this tequila did it all. I can't even go into the complexities of the flavor but it was so balanced you could do just about anything with it. Top shelf style margarita; yep, its can do that. Tequila Sunrise or Sunset; yep, can do that as well. Shot, shot, shot, shot shot shot; oh you will pay in the morning but yes, this will get you there.

Have not tried it with cooking, was jealously guarding if for drinking, but I bet it would make a hella good Tequila Lime shrimp or chicken.

More Later,

Cheers,

E.

[echoes]

I am still here, I promise.

That may be for better or worse.

I'm getting nice and bombed tonight so I will have to disappoint everyone who may read this by not posting anything about food or booze. Don't feel bad, I disappoint my parents on a regular basis so you can commiserate vicariously with them if you wish.

That said, I will post soon about 7 hour beef spare ribs in the near future and hopefully that will temporarily redeem myself in your eyes. Then again, it might not.

That said, until then...

guess what.

Cheers.

E.

[echoes]

Quick and Dirty Whiskey Sour with a a Twist;

1.5 oz. Bourbon ( I like Basil Hayden's Dark Rye)
.5 oz Amaretto
2 oz Lemonade
Optional splash of Grenadine

First things first will be the use of lemonade instead of Sweet and Sour mix. I find most pre-made mixes to be way too syrupy and I think that ruins the drink. Homemade lemonade, or store bought, will work so much better here than a bottled mix. You can use frozen can, powdered or lemonade already made and it ought to do you well.

Amaretto cuts the bourbon and also adds another flavor to the mix.

Choice of bourbon does come into play here and I am just a fan of Basil Hayden. You can use the regular Basil Hayden but I would not use their "toast" line. I also would not use a high end bourbon for a mixed drink like this so don't think using something bougie will make this any better. Mixed drinks like this are meant to take off the burn of the bourbon and so using a high end, with a deeper flavor profile, pretty much wastes the uniqueness of the high end bourbon.

Pour all the above into a shaker with ice. Shake and then strain into a fresh glass already waiting with ice and you will do just fine.

One note of warning for those of you who have not put 2+2 together to get 22. The sugar content in the drink is really going to affect your hangover the next day. yes, you can pound these all night if you wish but the tax collector will be coming for you in the morning and it may not be pretty.

Cheers,

E.

[echoes]

Simple brown sugar glazed carrots. Great side for people to enjoy and a mix of savory and sweet at the same time. I'm going to give you the low cost fast prep version for those who do not have the time, or the inclination, to go all in.

Ingredients:
Depending on how many people you are feeding---
2-3 bags of frozen sliced carrots ( $.98 a bag at the martia of walls.)
3 cups - vegetable broth ($1.78)
Splash of Lemon Juice
Salt to Taste
pepper is optional
3/4 stick of butter
1 Cup Brown sugar

In a pot throw the veggie broth and heat it up without the carrots on a medium high heat ( 6 0r 7 out of ten on an electric stovetop.) Thaw the carrots if you want but if you dont throw them in once the broth is bubbling. it will cool the broth but it will heat back up pretty quickly. As they are cooking add your first round of salt to taste, a few dashes here, don't over do it. You can add a dash of pepper here or, if you are feeling aggro, add some garlic powdered garlic or onion but just a dash.

Let this cook until the carrots are still firm but you are able to easily cut them with the side of a fork.  While this is happening melt the butter ( microwave wut?) and mix in the brown sugar with the butter. set it aside.

When the carrots are ready drain out all the liquid ( trust me, as the carrots continue to cook there will be more.)Put the carrots back into the pot and put it back on heat. Add the lemon juice and then the butter and brown sugar mix. stir and coat everything and then drop temp down to medium low ( three or four.)  Cook for about 5 minutes and taste. add salt, if needed, or more brown sugar depending on if you want it sweeter.

All in all this takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish and is a great side to add to many different style meals.

Now, once I sober up, I will go back and see if I posted this before. Until then...

Cheers,

E.

[echoes]

The whiskey sour is a traditional American drink that is a combination of Whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup and cherries for a garnish. Some perverse people, and you know who you are, include an egg because they are simply weird. Im going to give you an alternative if you do not want to make simple syrup and then tell you how to bastardize it with another sour drink,

Whiskey sour +1

2 Ounces Whiskey ( or in my case bourbon)
.5 ounce Amaretto
4 Ounces of lemonade
Splash of Grenadine
Ice

Add all ingredients to a shaker and mix. You can either strain and pour this on fresh Ice or dump the entire thing into a glass. I usually, like tonight, poured everything into a carafe x3, or maybe x4, without ice and then poured it into a waiting cup with ice. You can garnish with cherries, or an orange slice, but I didn't do either because I wanted to get a buzz and because I don't give a fuck.

I read something a while back that I completely agree with and apply it to drinking and drink mixing liberally. Cooking is art and baking is science. With this in mind cooking is like this:

No Rules
No Gods
No Recipes
Now go!

Baking is very German and is like Eddie Izzard once said, " Eins , Zwei, now we build and Empire." It is very precise and it does not tolerate fools easily. Making drinks and cooking is different. You go with what feels and tastes good. Mess around, Fuck up or create a beast. Do you.

This is a cheat on a great summer cocktail, or an anytime cocktail if you like whiskey/bourbon.

NOTE!!!!!! You bougie fucks who buy high end whiskey/bourbon because you can taste all the notes that I can't. Do not waste your top end on this. Why drink a top end when you are muddling it with other things. This drink is for the mid range alcohol, non pricey shit, that doesn't mind sharing the stage with other ingredients.

Drink, be merry and always...


Cheers,

E.

P.S. and now for a post script and a little history about American Bourbon. It starts with the Scottish settlers her and the English, God save the Queen/King and they are amazing Bastards. The Brits took the Rum trade over because they wanted to ween their sailors off of French Cognac and Wine for their sailors. See, their fleet, like their army and ours, runs off of booze as much as they do orders. Their reasoning was simple, they fought with the French like two siblings; i.e : all the fucking time. So they take the Caribbean and they got their rum and and their grog ( diluted rum) to keep their sailors happy before Gin was their preferred drink. Now, this is just a story at this point, but, when us colonists decided to be uppity we had to make a booze to sometimes pay soldiers and so we did. Now, the grain mash combo would not get its name until the late 1700's and we named it after the French house of Bourbon ( prolly just to piss the English off) but this is part of a never ending argument that it may come from Bourbon street in New Orleans. Whatever the truth is, it was the first American Liquor and it is a lovely thing. If you ever get a chance, hop over to Youtube and watch " irish people trying... well... anything" but especially bourbon. Good times. As an American, I love their voices and their responses.

So anyways, Bourbon was an American response to the need for a homemade alcohol to make people ready to "Foight!"

I may be buzzed.

Cheers,

E.