Calina Reserva 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon

I like wine. I truly, truly like wine. Unless a wine is execrable in every way, I firmly believe that there's a little bit of joy in every bottle.

Today's offering is a 2006 Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon from Calina Reserva. It advertises itself as possessing "concentrated ripe fruit, dark cherry and peppery flavors," with "smooth tannins and a long finish."

The wine was a touch tight when I removed the cork, so I used my Vinturi to open up a glass, assuming I could decant the rest or simply let it breathe in the bottle. Introducing aeration via the Vinturi, however, brought a number of unsatisfying notes to the fore.

To be fair to the wine, I waited an hour before my second glass. I decanted a portion, and allowed the rest to breathe in the bottle. Unfortunately, like a number of relationships, time and familiarity did not improve the situation.

In all honesty, it's not a bad wine, it's simply not a good one.

The tannins are agreeably soft, and the wine is not noticeably astringent; however, when I think of a Cabernet, I think of rich, chewy tannins, and a luxurious sweep of flavour across my tongue, and this doesn't meet that mark. The finish is smooth and lingers a bit, but it doesn't make itself known much beyond the quarter-minute mark. There is a touch of swift-fading peppery heat and a faint hint of chalk at first sip, but both are severely overpowered by the sweetness of the wine. As to the nose, it's primarily boysenberry and pine: very fruity, but it has an aroma reminiscent of breakfast syrup. The colour is gorgeous -- it looks like crushed burgundy velvet -- but there are no legs to speak of.

Calina usually does a decent job of blending its sourced grapes, but in this case, I find the wine to be a bit too flabby, and a bit too sweet. It's drinkable, yes, but it's also eminently forgettable.

NaNoDrinkMo'

The month of November is National Novel Writing Month, and this year is its tenth anniversary.

While I am going to be participating, I am also going to be celebrating the anniversary of this venerable institution by cracking open my wine cellar, and -- as I proceed, bottle by bottle -- noting my impressions of each wine on this blog.

Although not as heavy a tippler as once I was, I still anticipate I'll be going through an average of a bottle each week while writing. And don't worry, the reviews will be written whilst sober.

So onward to November, my friends. À votre santé.

Sorry I've been out of touch - but at least there's pie

I apologize for not updating in a more timely manner. I've dealt with some surgery issues that left me unable to enjoy gourmet food or imbibe any of the hundreds of wines sitting in my cellar. Still, that doesn't mean that I've been sitting -- or, in this case, lying -- idle.

As we keep vacillating between <60° and >100° Fahrenheit days, we need food that will carry us through both extremes. For that, I offer the following: Chilled Cheddar Pie.

One word of warning, though: you have to really like cheese ...

The Ingredients

• 2 Cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese: if you can find it, the Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp is the best ... not just for this recipe, but in the world
• 4 Extra Large Eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne or Chili Pepper
• 2 Cups Heavy Cream
• 9-10" Pie Shell
• Salt and Pepper to taste

The Preparation

• While the oven is preheating to 425° F, grate the cheese with the medium size holes in a box grater - it's easiest if the cheese is thoroughly chilled beforehand
• In a large -- and preferably chilled -- glass bowl, gently beat the four eggs, and fold in the heavy cream
• Once the eggs and cream have incorporated fully, fold in the Chili or Cayenne pepper
• Incorporate the cheese into the cream and egg mixture, then taste -- yes, it's raw egg, but a microscopic taste won't shouldn't kill you -- and add salt and pepper to season
• Gently pour the mixture into the pie shell: if you use a 9" shell, it will come up to the edge of the shell, so make sure you have a drip pan underneath to catch any spatters
• Bake the pie for 20 minutes, until it appears as though it's beginning to set, then lower the temperature to 300° F and bake an additional 20 minutes
• Test the pie after the second 20 minute interval by inserting a knife into the center: if the blade is clean upon removal, the pie is done
• If the pie needs more time, test every five minutes until the pie is ready
• If the edges of the crust begin to brown, cover them with aluminum foil, leaving the center open for the pie to continue to cook
• Remove the pie from the oven and place onto a cooling rack once finished

The pie can be served warm on cool days, and can be served cold on the hottest of days. Pair it with a baby spinach salad on a hot day, and you have an excellent light lunch when served with a chilled glass of Semillon or perhaps a light Pilsner.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I play one on television

I'm an omnivore, and I'm proud of that fact. I enjoy the taste of blue-rare steak and well-charred ribs, brisket that's been smoked to fork-flake tenderness, grilled salmon and pan-seared trout, and a rack of lamb succulent with juice and redolent with herbs. By the same token, there's nothing quite so satisfying as the first crunch of a cold Pippin apple or a crisp Bosc pear, couscous and rice hold a strong place in both my heart and my pantry, oatmeal with cranberries is a marvelous comfort food, and an arugula and spinach salad topped with candied walnuts and fresh mushrooms goes well with almost any meal.

Because I am an omnivore, and also a foodie, I've tried various vegetarian offerings for meat replacements. No, not because I'm giving up meat -- far from it -- but because I want to continue to expand my horizons. I'd found, unfortunately, that while some animal protein replacements were moderately tolerable, most of the vegetarian options I'd tried had been less than appealing. Lately, though, I stumbled across a rather delectable exception to that rule.

The greater part of Lightlife's brand of vegetarian products is exceptionally tasty, and they have a benefit many of the other replacements don't: they have low to no cholesterol, and they're either low in fat or completely fat free. Now, in the sake of full disclosure, I have to say that their hot dogs are not the best I've ever had; however, both their Smart Ground beef replacement and their Gimme Lean faux sausage is quite good, and I love their Smart Chili and Smart BBQ. Unfortunately, the lighter proteins -- poultry, for example -- don't seem to translate as well as the beef and sausage replacements. Oh, they're good enough for use in recipes, and Lightlife's breaded nuggets and stuffers are quite flavorful, but I personally wouldn't use their turkey substitute in a sandwich.

All that being said, I feel it's important to experiment with your food choices. After all, it's how I discovered that I like pistachios, and it may give you the opportunity to find a heretofore undiscovered treasure. Then, too, continued testing -- even when I'd previously experienced some supremely unsatisfactory results -- is how I discovered that good taste doesn't always need to include animal protein.

Even so, I'm most assuredly not giving up steak and lobster for the 4th of July.

It's not bought, it's Stollen

I'll admit it: I'm a carb lover. Whether pastas, breads, rice or potatoes, I adore carbs in all their warm, gooey glory. Occasionally -- even though I often prefer a clean, uncluttered flavor -- I get the urge to make something sinfully rich and obscenely heavy. When that urge hits, I usually wind up making Stollen.

While traditionally a Christmas dessert bread, Stollen has been gaining popularity outside of the holiday traditions. Although the exact recipe used varies from maker to maker, one constant remains: it relies on candied fruits for its dense, sugar-rich appeal. When I make it, I prefer to use a mixture of candied and preserved fruit in order to cut down on what can become cloyingly sweet.

1/4 c candied cherries
1/4 c candied citron
1/4 c raisins or Zante currants
1/4 c dried apricots, diced
1/4 c candied lemon peel
1/4 c candied orange peel
1 T fresh lemon zest
1/2 c dark rum
1/2 c castor sugar
1/4 t salt
3-4 c high-protein flour
1 pkg dry yeast
1/4 c toasted almonds
1/4 t almond extract
1/2 c whole milk
1/2 c butter
3 eggs

In a glass bowl, combine all of the fruit and the candied peel, and pour over it the rum. I've found that Cruzan Black Strap holds up quite well, and it lends a delicious hint of chocolate to the mix. Cover the bowl with cling film and place in the refrigerator for 12-48 hours.

When ready to make the Stollen, combine the yeast with 1 t castor sugar and 1/4 c warm water. Make sure the water's approximately 110° F, so that the yeast will bloom. The bloom usually takes about 10 minutes, depending on the warmth of the water, and the ambient temperature of the room.

While the yeast is blooming, take the fruit out of the refrigerator and strain it through a fine-meshed sieve or cheesecloth. Retain the rum, and place the fruit on clean lint-free kitchen toweling or paper toweling. Do not squeeze the fruit, but allow any excess rum to separate naturally. At this time, melt the butter either in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove.

In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, the milk, the eggs, the retained rum, the sugar, the salt, the almond extract, the yeast, and 1/2 c warm water, mixing well. Add to this the flour, and mix until a soft dough is formed. You want the dough to be smooth, not tearing: that indicates that you've over-mixed it. I prefer high-protein flour because I've found it to offer a chewier, heavier texture which fits the nature of this bread.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured board or countertop and knead for five minutes. If the dough remains sticky, add more flour to the board and gently work it in. As you knead, fold in the candied fruit, the lemon zest, and the almonds, incorporating them as evenly as possible.

Take yet another bowl -- the largest one yet -- and lightly oil the inner surface. Work the dough into a ball and roll it in the bowl until the entire surface has been covered with oil, then cover the bowl with a sheet of waxed paper and a clean kitchen towel and leave it to rise in a warm area until it has approximately doubled in size.

Once the dough has doubled, punch it down, then separate it into two equal portions. Roll out each portion into 10" x 8" rectangles, approximately 1/2" thick. Fold the Stollen into uneven thirds lengthwise: the center section will be approximately 4", with each folded 'flap' approximately 3". There should be an inch overlap in the center. Pinch the seams firmly so they don't separate when raising or baking. Place the Stollen on a Silpat or parchment paper covered baking tray, and brush it with more melted butter, then allow to proof in a warm place until it has approximately doubled in size.

When the bread is ready, preheat your oven to 375° F and bake the Stollen until golden brown, approximately 30-45 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and allow to cool completely on wire racks before cutting.

Cooking amusements when one is ill

Here in the Western world, we've historically avoided foods that are good for us. Oh, we've made some important strides toward health improvement: we've added vitamins to our soda, supplements to our sugared cereals, Omega 3 oils to our artifical butter-flavoured butter substitutes, and bumped up the protein levels in our pre-packaged desserts, but we still don't have quite the same grasp of healthy cooking other cultures seem to take for granted.

I say this as a lead-up to a guilty pleasure: I enjoy watching cooking shows when I'm unable to cook, as I'm saved from the immediate desire to try new things, but I can still get vicarious pleasure from envisioning how a completed dish will taste. Then, too, every now and then I'll hear something that ties in with my degree in History -- or just my twisted sense of humor -- and I'll wind up giggling uncontrollably.

I adore watching Ming Tsai cook, in part because he's got an incredibly sharp wit, and in part because of his phenomenal skill with food. And, occasionally, he'll say something that makes me laugh at its double-meaning. His food knowlege meshed seamlessly with my sense of the absurd during one of his podcasts when he was talking about Edamame, and -- as could be interpreted based on my earlier comments vis-à-vis our cultural leanings -- its "natural anti-Occident properties."

Diet ≠ tasteless

Although I love food -- and that love will never change -- I've had to make a few changes in the way I eat in order to rebuild my health. Yes, yes, diet and exercise are the devil, but if you're careful in how you choose to recreate your food, you can do so without sacrificing taste or texture.

For example, a typical American may grab a McDonald's Egg McMuffin for breakfast on the way to work, and why not? It's fast, convenient, and fairly tasty. I should know: for almost a decade, it was how I started my morning. But what's in one? An English Muffin, an egg, a slice of American cheese, a smear of margarine, and a slice of Canadian Bacon (or ham). Moreover, what are the Nutritional Statistics for said item? Well, while the protein and carbohydrates are in reasonable balance, there's a lot of fat for one meal -- almost 20% of the daily total, based on a healthy person with a 2,000 calorie diet -- and the cholesterol is almost 90% of the daily total. But how to drop the unhealthy elements without sacrificing taste?

I start with extra-crisp sourdough English Muffins, and the Incredible Egg brand of egg substitute. I also use fat-free American cheese and lean ham. Cook the egg substitute while the muffin's toasting, then lay a slice of cheese on one side of the muffin, and place the egg substitute on top to start it melting. Sear the ham for a few seconds on both sides in the egg pan, and lay it on top of the eggs, then top with the other half of the muffin. If you choose, you can use a smear of fat-free margarine on the side of the muffin with the ham.

A McDonald's Egg McMuffin contains 300 calories, 12g of fat, 5g of saturated fat, 260mg of cholesterol, 820mg of sodium, 30g of carbohydrates, 2g of dietary fiber, and 18g protein.

My version contains 205 calories, 2g of fat, 0g of saturated fat, 6mg cholesterol, 735mg sodium, 29g of carbohydrates, 1g of dietary fiber, and 16g protein.

So yes, you're giving up 1g of carbohydrates and 2g of protein by using my recipe, but you're also giving up 95 calories, 10g of fat, 5g of saturated fat, 254mg of cholesterol, and 85mg of sodium; and, if you add back in one cup of fat-free milk (90 calories, 0 fat, less than 5mg of cholesterol, 13g of carbohydrates, 9g of protein), you're more than making up the carbohydrates and protein, and you're still coming in 5 calories shy of the Egg McMuffin on its own.

Here's the big question, though: how does it taste? While I'm admittedly biased -- it is, after all, my own cooking -- it's safe to say that I'm quite reasonably pleased with the substitutions. The taste is nearly identical, with the main difference in the muffin: the extra-crisp sourdough is a bit tangier and less bready than the muffins McDonald's uses. As well, if you want to brighten the flavor of the eggs, you can always use herbs to enhance them, and fat-free Swiss is an excellent change of pace from the fat-free American.

Experiment with your food: I cannot stress that enough. Have fun, play, and learn what you can do to make your favorite meals remain tasty while becoming healthier. You might be surprised at what you can accomplish.

The Julie/Julia Project

By turns both profane and profound, both raucous and restrained, Julie Powell's "Julie & Julia" is a warm, rich, wonderful look at two incredible women.

Nearing thirty, Julie Powell decided that she was going to make what would turn out to be a life-affirming decision: she was going to cook her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1. As her subtitle notes, in "365 days, 524 recipes, [and] 1 tiny apartment kitchen," she cooked, laughed, swore, and learned. Along the frequently wild ride, we're given glimpses of her, her family and friends, and Julia and Paul Child.

I cannot remember when I have last enjoyed a book so much. Even were I not already enamored of Julia Child's warmth and humor -- not to mention her culinary expertise -- I would have fallen in love with the ideal from reading Julie's book. Thank you, ladies, for helping us remember what makes life worth living.

The Julie/Julia Project web site is still online, and it's a marvelous glimpse into the lives of two marvelous people. And if you're unsure that you want to read this delightful book, don't worry: a movie is in the works starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child, with Amy Adams portraying Julie Powell.