The Rocket Nutcracker

Our salesperson of the day! We are selling the Rocket Nutcracker at Gosford Wine. $19.99

Châteauneuf du Pape wines: A celebration of a wonderful 2007 vintage

Please join us at Five and Ten on December 1, 2009 at 6:30 PM for a six-course dinner accompanied by Châteauneuf du Pape wines. According to the American Institute of Food and Wine , Mr. Robert Parker stated that, "2007 is the greatest vintage I have tasted in my thirty years working in the Southern Rhône." These are wonderful autumn wines that will surely warm your palate on a chilly evening.

1. seared scallops: woodland baby carrots, crushed edamame, soy brown butter, sesame
CDP blanc, Cuvee du Vatican, 2007

2. puy lentil soup with merguez sausage, yogurt, pomegranate
CDP rouge, Bousquet du Papes, 2007

3. duo of pork: tenderloin & belly with grits, mustard greens and redeye gravy
CDP rouge, Domaine Lafond, Roc Epine, 2007

4. Jamison lamb shank with ratatouille, salsa verde and grenache enriched braising jus
CDP rouge, Domaine Olivier Hillaire, 2007

5. Bittersweet Plantation cheeses
CD rouge, Mas de Boislauzon, 2007

6. tiny apple tart


$120 per person plus tax and tip.

The Atlantan: November 2009

Red Eye

If you have not stopped by Red Eye Coffee on Prince Avenue, go! This is a shop that celebrates the craft of making coffee and tea. Red Eye serves a variety of teas and fresh coffee Counter Culture Coffee. Counter Culture Coffee is a company based out of Durham, North Carolina that only produces coffee that has come directly from the hands of farmers. This company is dedicated to fresh, delicious, and sustainable coffee that educates consumers by making the coffee chain transparent. Take some time and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea at Red Eye on this beautiful fall day.

Red Eye is located in the Bottleworks building, 297 Prince Avenue.
It is open Monday-Sunday from 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. (Closed on Tuesdays)

pan roasted mahi mahi: soy braised hakurei turnips, turnip greens and potlikker jus

Hakurei turnips are those beautiful, ivory white, smooth skinned little turnips about the size of a golf ball or even smaller. They take about five to ten minutes to cook and are just about the best thing ever. It's another one of those things where people say to me, "I don't like turnips... yuck." I feed the naysayers these turnips and they have a quick change of heart. And don't you dare throw away those greens, mostly because you need them for the first part of this recipe.

Mahi mahi is a great home cooking fish because it lend itself well to many different styles of cooking, it's sustainable, it's local to many of us Southerners and it's some fine eating too.

Don't be afraid of pan roasting. Just turn on your hoodvent and have at it!

turnip greens and potlikker jus

1 tablespoon bacon fat or olive oil

2 tablespoons minced country ham

1 bunch turnip greens, washed & torn into two inch squares (about two quarts torn greens)

1 cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

pinch of red chile flake

pinch of salt (remember that country ham is salty)

In a medium sized pot heat the bacon fat or olive oil over medium heat. When hot add the ham and the greens. Add the chicken stock, vinegar, chile flake and salt. Cover and cook for 15 minutes until the turnips are tender and cooked through. Remove from heat while you cook your turnips and mahi.

soy braised hakurei turnips

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

8 turnips, greens removed (and cooked above), cleaned and halved from north pole to south pole

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon chicken stock

tiny pinch of salt (the soy is salty as well so balance)

1 sprig fresh thyme

Warm a small saucepan (one that has a lid) over medium high heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted and foamed add the turnips, cut side down. Let them get a little color by cooking them for about three minutes without turning them.

Add the soy, stock, salt and thyme and cover the pot. Cook for five minutes and then remove lid. Reserve warm until mahi is done.

pan roasted mahi mahi

Preheat oven to 450.

four portions of mahi mahi, about 5 ounces each (about one inch thick)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat a large frypan to high heat. Add the olive oil. Season the fish and then add them carefully to the hot oil. Don't fiddle with the pan, rather let the fish brown nicely for about three minutes and then turn it over to the other side. Cook for three minutes and then place in the oven for three to five minutes, or until the fish is cooked through but not overdone. Mahi turns a beautiful ivory white when cooked.

plating

Drain off about four tablespoons of the potlikker (the juice from your turnip greens) and place in a small pot. Bring to a boil, turn off heat, and while its still hot whisk in about a tablespoon of butter and some chopped parsley. That's your sauce.

Four plates. Equal sized piles of greens on each plate, then turnips, then the fish, Then a touch of sauce.

Eat.

Brandini and Bastianich

If you could not make it to the Fisher Vineyards Wine Dinner that will be happening tonight, reserve your spot at our Brandini Farms Wine Dinner on November 3rd (that is next Tuesday). Brandini La Morra, a winery in the Barola region of Italy, was recently purchased by Joe Bastianich. Bastianich and award-winning Italian winemaker Beppe Caviola are two very talented guys who are producing inspiring and delicious wines. First, they have a great regions to work in, wine from Barola is considered to be Italy's best wine. Second, Bastianich (if you don't already know) is the partner of Mario Batali in the James-Beard Award winning restaurant Babbo, one of New York City's finest restaurant, and also co-owner of eleven other eating establishments in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It can be said that Joe Bastianich does nothing second-rate and knows his stuff. Beppe Caviola was chosen the best Oenologist of the year in 2002 by Gambero Rosso-Slow Food, and he is native of the Piedmont region of Italy. Caviola understands his region and cares for his wines with the passion and patience that it takes to create great wine. While I am sure that we would all love to take a trip to Italy, let us settle for a taste of the culture by enjoying these authentic Italian wines.

Click here to see the menu and wine pairings.

Here are some details on a few of the wines we will be tasting.

Brandini Barolo
A typical garnet red, that is graceful, spicy and fruity with floral notes of rose and current. This wine is smooth and full-bodied upfront and then followed by a prominent tannin, young and persistent with a clean finish.

Brandini Dolcetoo d'Alba
This wine is ruby red with a purple reflection. It is fragrant, strongly fruity with notes of cherry and raspberry. The Dolcetoo d'Alba feels rich and refreshing in the mouth with balanced tannin.

Langhe Rosse
The Langhe Rosse is a dark garnet red that is complex and diversified with sophisticated aromas of plums, blackberry, coffee and highly detailed natural spicy notes. This wine is fully-extracted, important, full-bodied and enveloping with a well-balanced acid-tannic ratio and long finish.

http://www.agricolabrandini.it/pagine/eng/vini_brandini.lasso

Dinner begins at 6 pm
Five & Ten
$100 per person not including tax and gratuity

Food and Wine: The FourCoursemen

Mahi Mahi recipe is still in the works..Sorry. However, if you have been thinking about this fish the past few days (as I have) you can get your fix tonight at Five and Ten. Try the Roasted Mt. Pleasant Mahi Vermouth Emulsion, Sea Island red peas and rice, carrots, radish, & micro greens 27. Or if you are in the mood to cook at home and were hoping for a good recipe posted today, then pick up a copy of the November issue of Food and Wine. for some great recipes from The FourCoursemen. Have a good weekend.