Chabernet

Another Glass of Chabernet

Sourdough Bread Recipe

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Please accept our apology for the delay in providing this bread recipe after whetting your appetites with stories of wild yeast. You might recall our prior posting regarding foraging for Sourdough yeast. Hopefully you have had success in culturing your own variety of wild yeast or have obtained a Mother starter. In any case, let’s get started with Sourdough Bread Baking 101. We have tried many recipes for baking Sourdough loaves of the years, but none came close to our “Ideal”: the classic Sourdough of San Francisco. Throwing caution to the wind, we went back to the Fountainhead of superb bread baking – Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume Two. I won’t recite her bread baking techniques here, but please Read more [...]

Best Pork Chili

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The issue with most recipes for pork chili is that you either wished you had cooked beef chili, or you go running for the tortillas to turn the shreds of pork into chili verde burritos. This recipe stands on its own as a delicious alternative to beef. The secret is the use of boneless Country Style Ribs. Country-style ribs are more like pork chops, more meaty and less fatty than real ribs. When sliced into half inch cubes and cooked low and slow, you end up with a chunky, meaty, chili that might just win you some praise at home. If you can't decide between and red or white wine, just go for the Chabernet. Actually, beer will wash this dish down just fine.   BEST PORK CHILI RECIPE YIELD: With rice, dinner for 8 (08 Servings) PREP: Read more [...]

Thin Crust Pizza in Italy

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Pursuing Perfect Pizza - one bite at a time. We usually steer clear of any snobbery in regard to Food and Wine, hence our choice of "Chabernet" as our mast head. If there is an exception to our rule, it would be Italian Thin Crust Pizza. This single dish might qualify as a Perfect Bite; perfection in a mouthful! Neapolitan pizza (pizza napoletana) consists of crust made from high protein flour, San Marzano tomatoes grown in the volcanic soil of Mt Vesuvius, Fresh Mozzarella cheese (from cows or water buffalo), then baked at high heat in a wood-fired oven. What an awesome Food Memory - The crunch, then the chew, of the yeasty crust with its touch of char followed by the creamy, salty cheese and the sharp acid of the tomatoes. Join us in a photo Read more [...]

Seafood in Italy

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Our favorite destination for seafood is Italy. Sure, anywhere in the Mediterranean is great. You have to love the fresh fish in Hawaii, right? And then there is Asia where seafood has been raised to the level of Art. So, why is it that Italy resonates with our tastes? Pairing with local wines is certainly one reason. Another is the simplicity of preparation: freshest product, the very best ingredients, and a few simple herbs and spices. Garlic and Olive Oil play central roles as they also do in Greece, Spain, and France. Take a look at some of our food memories below and decide if the dishes inspire you to travel to Italy. Read more [...]

Caesar Salad Joy of Cooking

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Classic Caesar Salad - Joy of Cooking Times have changed, but the Joy of Cooking recipe for Caesar Salad remains the very best. The problem is that “times have changed” and the iconic Joy of Cooking is not well known in the digital age. I just Googled the search terms Joy of Cooking Caesar Salad, but there were no links to the authentic cookbook or the author’s family who carry on the Joy name. Hopefully Irma Rombauer’s kin will publish her original recipe and give it the credit it so greatly deserves. Meanwhile, here is our version of this heavenly salad: P.S. We also like the restaurant version prepared table side at Assagios in Kailua, Hawaii. CAESAR SALAD JOY OF COOKING RECIPE YIELD: 6 Servings PREP: 15 mins Romain Read more [...]

Lunch at a Buddhist Temple

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  We are definitely not vegetarians, but there were no other options when we stopped for lunch at a Buddhist Temple in South Korea. Much to our surprise, the food was superb and as delicious as it was beautiful. Three tiny pancakes made with bean flour and artfully studded with forest treasures.   The artistry of presentation is exhibited in the rolled vegetables. The radish was died gently with beet juice and the spring rolls were single bite finger food better than the best sushi.   A chilled soup was topped with fresh, lightly pickle vegetables, plus wafers of lotus root. The lotus is a symbol for Buddha and the effect was certainly spiritual. Read more [...]

Foraging Sourdough

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This particular loaf of Boudin Sourdough Bread was “foraged” from an Airport Shop at San Francisco International. If you enjoy San Francisco style Sourdough bread but don’t have convenient or affordable access to the authentic stuff, you could do as we do and develop your own Sourdough starter at home. Actually, you MUST develop your own starter because the bread companies will not sell you their starter or give you their recipe. Since Sourdough starter is made from wild strains of yeast, your results will vary with your geography. The trick is to encourage the growth of acid loving strains so the resulting rise in acidity of your starter-dough will kill off the other unwanted strains i.e. the strains that grow in your athletic Read more [...]

Cheffy Tricks – Browning 101

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We collect “Cheffy Tricks” for working magic in our own home kitchen. One secret known by many chefs is the clever addition of anchovy filets or anchovy paste to a braising liquid or pasta sauce. We’ve been doing that for years and no one has ever guessed what made the meal so “extra meaty” and delicious. One especially effective “Cheffy Trick” is for quickly browning a difficult protein like skinless chicken. By difficult, I mean that the item might overcook before it has a chance to nicely brown. Since Golden Brown and Delicious is always a wonderful thing, you might want to make note of how to brown quickly and even put classy grill marks where you’ve never had them before. The secret is based upon the science of the Read more [...]

Surprise in a Tequila Bottle

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... and it is not a worm. The hand-blown Patron bottle is a thing of beauty, and the Patron Silver Tequila is not bad either (see below for our perfect Margarita recipe). So, it came as no surprise when my wife asked me to retrieve an empty bottle from our recycle bin. What to do with an empty tequila bottle? Why, you re-fill it with home-made fruit-flavored Vodka. I’d expect nothing less from the woman who coined the word Chabernet. This time she substituted Vodka infused with foraged Pitanga (Surinam Cherry), but any edible fruit might work. A club recalling the days of the Pan Am Clippers In Hawaii, Guava also grows wild, as does Lilikoi (passion fruit), and Mountain Apple. In Texas, Wild Plum trees abound, as do wild Persimmon Read more [...]

Marinated Flank Steak

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My father broiled flank steak “back in the day” when it was an inexpensive cut of beef used mostly in long braises. His secret was an acidic marinade that permeated the meat, rather than just coating the surface as is the case with 9 out of 10 recipes. As my father would say, if you don’t like your steak on the rare side, you’re not invited. It remains one of my favorite steaks to prepare at home because it has the beefiest flavor and most appealing texture. I also enjoy the family style service from a plate piled high with juicy slices rather than the boring “cut it yourself” steakhouse style. The sliced meat also pairs well with Asian and Latin unlike whole steak. Marinate the flank steak for no more than 3 hours in the Read more [...]