Ox Tail, Part II

You marry ox tail with tomato. There is no other way. Thick slices of fresh tomato, ready to go into the pan with minced garlic and onion.

DF

Ox Tail, Part I

Cold weather means hearty, rich soups. Doesn't get more soul-warming than ox tail soup. Cook in the pressure cooker to break down the meat a bit - the benefits of this kind of cooking is that it's quicker, and maintains the perfect balance of tenderness and texture. Once cooked, this is what it looks like...keep the soup, let it simmer...

DF

Out and about

I'm really tired.

Sorry for the lack of quality this week. Heading out soon to a buddy's place - big dinner tonight. Will rest up and be back strong next week.

Right. And tasting notes from the Bordeaux Meets Burgundy event up soon.

DF

Male bloggers...........dogs?

A piece in today's Globe and Mail: Why are blogger's male? I don't even care about the fact that she's arguing how stupid men are. I don't care that she wrongly asserts that most bloggers are males because we love dicking around online. What's unforgivable is her idea that bloggers (male or otherwise) have nothing to say.

So misguided. This woman is getting paid to write, right? Clearly, she's never read a (properly written) blog before in her life. You know, using tired stereotypes and clichés as a basis for your weak argument is fine and all - just not what a writer for a nationally distributed, highly reputable newspaper should be presenting. What's next...all male bloggers are balding, paunchy men in their late 30's, living in mom's basement?

Real blogs have credibility, and are based on subject matter - not just a medium where:

Opinionizing in public is a form of mental jousting, where the aim is to out-reason, out-argue or out-yell your opponent.

No, we write about specific topics, backed by well-researched arguments. We have a story to tell, and a distinct viewpoint. And we do it all without being paid.

I have a lot of female friends who blog. Each is unique, and is subject matter oriented. So to paint all bloggers with such a vicious broadstroke is not only ignorant, it's laughable. The hack continues that:

Perhaps you've noticed that most of the comments on these websites are not terribly sophisticated. They contain a large insult quotient, even when they come from people with advanced degrees. They remind me of nothing so much as a bunch of 12-year-olds holding peeing contests in the snow.

I encourage this hack writer to research fully on the variety of blogs out there. Sure, many are filth. But as a member of a community that's slowly driving out traditional media and publications like the Globe, I have reason to take offense at the nonsense being slung at us by paid columnists.



Bitch.

DF

Après-tasting

Came back from the Bordeaux Meets Burgundy tasting. Met a lot of great people. I think wine makes me more outgoing, more social. It was a lot of fun - tasting great wines and talking to like-minded wine lovers is why I go to these things. Exhausted, because I sure as hell didn't spit a drop tonight. Not a single, precious drop.

Tasting notes will be up shortly. As soon as I sober up a bit.

DF

Bordeaux Meets Burgundy Tasting

Going to this tasting tomorrow, really excited. Bordeaux Meets Burgundy, an Extraordinary Rendezvous. Showing Bordeaux 2005/2006 as well as Burgundy 2005/2006. I'm going straight for the Burgundy first. Then the dry white Bordeaux. And if it was meant to be, a taste of 2005 Mouton-Rothschild. Really, really excited. Not able to go to Niagara before April, but at least I'll be drinking at this event. No spitting is foreseen - I will be taking the subway.

Staggering drunk on the TTC, in a suit and tie? All kinds of awesome.

DF

Gloom and doom

I needed some time alone, so I caught up on my favourite tv shows and drank, in the dark.

DF

NV Jerez

NV Emilio Lustau East India Solera Sherry, Jerez

We don't see a lot of sherry in Toronto. Unfortunately, because sherry is a wonderful wine with food. This example is a sweet wine, which I opened to drink with the venison my friend brought over.

In a 37.5 cL bottle. Very dark colour, like molasses. Aroma like it too, but showing caramel and spice. Like an old, nonvintage tawny port, without the fruit. Round and pillowy in the mouth, with good sweetness. Harmonic. Alcohol very well integrated. Good length. With the meat, I thought it paired well. The spiciness of the wine contrasted well with the subtle perfume of the rosemary, and it helped bring more richness to the very lean meat.

My friend was a bit skeptical about drinking a sweet wine with dinner. Stayed skeptical afterwards.

DF

Dammit

Nothing's more shattering in wine than pulling the cork on an eagerly-anticipated bottle, only to find it hopelessly, and entirely, corked. Especially when I really wanted to drink a bottle of 2000 Gran Reserva Rioja, from Duque de Medina. Wire net is a bit of a gimmick, for now at least. It derives from when merchants were safeguarding against counterfeits.

A corked bottle, as I've previously written about, is a bottle affected by 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), an airborne fungi which permeates cork trees, and remain when the corks are improperly sterilized. A corked wine can show this flaw in many ways, but the most common are odours of mustiness, damp newspaper, moldy basement - you get the idea. In less obvious cases, the wine is dull, and lacking any sort of fruit. While TCA is harmless when ingested, it does ruin your wine experience.

At least LCBO refunds in cash.

DF

Ontario Ale

Nickel Brook Ale

My dear readers, I've been working hard to find a profound Ontario beer. Could be a lager, a pilsner, an ale, a stout...I'm keeping an open mind. I'm not going to comment on how pathetic it is that the Beer Store doesn't support its own local microbreweries - I'm not going to go there. But it's a shame, and an absolute travesty that you can't find a selection of proper Ontario beers at the LCBO or the Beer Store.

No matter. I found it! I found what I was looking for - a well-made, complex, profound beer. Look at the colour - orange amber, well-saturated. Very complex bouquet, nutty, caramel. Wonderfully fragrant. Palate shows great richness, very round, sweet barley - long finish. Delicious, just a great, great beer. Well done.

DF

Dolce & Gabbana eyewear

I bought my mother a pair of sunglasses. Men's, tortoise frames, brown lenses. Discreet, for D&G at least. Understated is always best. Inimitable swagger, all day, all day.

DF

Dressing for a funeral

D'Urban MTM grey wool suit, Brooks Brothers OCBD cotton shirt, Yves Saint Laurent silk tie, Pierre Cardin tie bar, Banana Republic leather belt, linen handkerchief, Cartier Tank wristwatch

This is what I wore to Saturday's funeral. Started off the day with a nosebleed. I love white shirt, ties, but not under these circumstances. Usually, I refrain from black belt and shoes, but in this case, nothing else would do. A dignified, respectful look is the key - understatement is the crucial element. Attention should never be drawn to yourself, and what you're wearing.

DF

Death at a funeral

Tristemente, I attended a funeral yesterday. It was a well-attended service - the old gentleman had done a lot of charity and church work, and many came out to pay respect. What do you say to someone who is grieving? What words can you possibly say, to really comfort them? I don't think there are any. Unfortunately, many of these things end up turning into spectacles. Everyone deserves dignity, even in death. I've always believed in treating the people you love well when they're still alive - anything you do after death is but a show for the living.

A shame. I think the family deserves to mourn in private. A death in the family is an extraordinarily difficult circumstance, and sometimes, the best thing to do is to leave them alone.

DF

LOTR, in Blu-Ray

I watched all three Lord of the Rings films again, only this time in Blu-Ray. It blew my mind. The visual imagery is just stunning - colours are sharp, lots of texture in their costumes...you can even see every crevice and crease in Gandalf's face. Extraordinary, how different the experience is. I don't think I can ever go back now. And I still think they portrayed Gollum as over the top. Gets kind of ridiculous, really.

DF

2007 Franken

2007 Bürgerspital Würzburg Silvaner Kabinett Trocken, Würzburger Pfaffenberg, QmP Franken

Ok, I'll be honest - I bought this bottle mainly because of the bottle. A wine of Franconia, bottled in a bocksbeutel. These round, flat containers are traditionally used for the finest wines of Franconia, in this case, a silvaner. Humble varietal, but this vineyard is interesting.

Pale colour, citrus, just a hint of minerality. Lean, crisp, lacking a bit of weight on the palate. Maybe it's because it's a Trocken, a dry wine - alcohol is a bit heavier, and it shows in the mouth. Finishes slightly bitter. Interesting, but this is as good as it gets for a silvaner. Now if LCBO released a riesling in a bocksbeutel...

DF

In corners, under tables

This is what happens when all your free time is spent on wine. Empties everywhere, anywhere.

DF

With what to serve Shaoxing wine, Part III

...and with the cup out. The deep bowl is for you to fill with hot water - that is what will warm your wine. Shaoxing wine, always with indirect heat, no? People used to be so civilized. Imagine having dinner, one of these for everyone. You'd have to have a servant to keep filling these with hot water, while you leisurely sip at your wine........that's how it should be done.

My grandfather wasn't a wine drinker by any means, but sharing a drink with him in his prime would have been amazing.

DF

With what to serve Shaoxing wine, Part II

Lid off, this is what you see. You pour the wine into the little cup. Place the lid back on to keep the wine warm.

DF

With what to serve Shaoxing wine, Part I

This is a family treasure. It was my grandfather's. I'd never dream of using it...too scared I'll break it. It's a serving cup, used for Shaoxing wines. These traditional Chinese rice wines are usually served warm, and this is what the southern Chinese used to drink them in. The porcelain is so fine, so pure in its sheen. The flowers, the calligraphy are all so intricate - no, I could never actually use this. Comprised of three pieces - lid, lower bowl, and a drinking cup hidden inside. More photos coming.

DF

WS Vintage Port articles

The articles. I can't wait to drink these wines. Can't wait. Only 20 more years left to go.

DF

Wine Spectator, 100 point wines for 1997

As I wrote about in A Perfect gift. My friend gifted me with a bottle of 1994 Fonseca Vintage Porto, the beauty on the right. He's promised me a bottle of the 1994 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Porto as well, when he opened the case. My man. These are the scans from the actual 1997/1998 Wine Spectator issue that awarded these wines 100 points. Perfect wines. I've talked so much about how vulgar scores are, right? Especially 100 point wines. But then why am I so excited? The article, in the following posts.

DF

Can a teacup improve the tea?

In all seriousness, this teacup is modeled on the traditional chalice used for Chinese green tea. You hold it by the little saucer, to avoid burning yourself. The lid, you use to keep it warm, as well as to gently sweep away any floating tea leaves, so you're not drinking them. Does the teacup you use influence the taste of the tea? This goes back to the wine glass/wine issue now, doesn't it?

DF

Wooden torture

Don't tell me the Dutch actually wore these. This has to be some kind of joke they plop on dumb tourists right?

DF

Ontario Oatmeal Stout

Brasserie McAuslan Brewery St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout

I love stout. Just love rich, thick beers. Yes, I'm a Guinness man. I like St. Ambroise - really enjoyed their pale ale. Took the advice of the gent at the Beer Store - unfortunately, this is brewed in Quebec, so it doesn't fit in to my search for an Ontario beer. But, I was really tempted. Really tempted. Because this beer is spectacular.

Dark colour, soy sauce. Mousse is brown, very fine. Has all the incredible roasted character I'm looking for in a stout, deliciously bitter espresso, caramel aromas and flavours. Long finish. This beer is wonderful - stout is one of those beers that people have a hard time understanding, which is a shame. A profound beer, that dammit, is not from Ontario.

Still on the search for a profound Ontario beer.

DF

Kitchen towels

My friend gave me these last week. Is she trying to tell me something? Cotton kitchen towels, because I go through at least 2 every dinner I cook. Hope these don't stain...

DF

Imperial yellow

I bought these tea cups from Shanghai many years ago. Yellow was a colour reserved for the Emperor of China. DF has the imperial swagger...all he needs now is his concubines and eunuchs.

DF

Ontario Lager

Mill Street Brewery Organic Lager

An organic lager. I remembered having this at the pub in the Distillery District and really enjoying it. Bright colour, amberish tint. Shows as very rustic, almost a bit........dirty in the mouth. Like sucking on a sweaty sock. Yeah, wasn't feeling it. Maybe it was something wrong with the freshness of the bottles, maybe some heat damage. Who knows.

Still searching for that profound Ontario beer.

DF

Post No. 1501

Toronto's winter this year hasn't been all that bad now, has it? I supposed that's why I've renewed an interest in white wines, white Burgundy and riesling in particular. Starting to pick up a bit, calendar is starting to look a bit more interesting. Trying to take the photography more seriously. It's overwhelming, starting a new hobby. But fun.

Spring almost here!

DF

2005 Bordeaux

2005 Château Bonnet, AC Bordeaux

A bottle that a friend brought over for dinner. Always a pleasure to drink 2005 Bordeaux. Ripe, round, supple...balanced with a hint of sweetness. The cynic in me says that it's a bit of residual sugar left in to sweeten the palates of neophytes, but..........it's not entirely unpleasant. Good to see the quality of 2005 consistent all across the board. Classified Growths still sitting in the cellar, biding their time. Five more years? Ten?

DF

Cranes and things

For the poor saps who bought units already, you've been got. A 20 minute walk to the subway, 25 minute walk to the mall, and oh right, the ravine view so advertised by the builder? Nothing more than the dirty puddling stream that used to be the Don River. Hope you like the senior's hospital next door though.

DF

Prepping sea cucumbers

While we still have some, I'm going to keep writing about sea cucumbers. The undisputed King of Seafoods. You've seen how it is dried, as well as the final dish. This is what it looks like in between. Soaked in water for a week, then cleaned. That's the hardest step - there's a thick layer of hard, almost rocky innards caked inside the body. The membranes have to be removed without damaging the flesh - 10 minutes of pulling and scraping feel akin to scratching boulders with bare nails and knuckles. Once cleaned, they go into the pressure cooker, and emerge glistening and soft, plumping up to 5 times their original size. We keep these soaked in water, in the fridge for another few days. Then, sliced into thick chunks, to create the most amazing braised dish...

DF

Walk around the neighbourhood

Went out for a walk, with my wide angle lens. Beautiful outside. But not quite yet spring. See those ugly cranes in the background? They went up a few months ago to build new highrises. I can't wait for that eyesore when it's all done.

DF

Venison, cooked two ways

So, I halved the piece of venison, to make two preparations. The first piece, I wanted to do really simply - seasoned 5 minutes prior, seared really hard in olive oil, basted in butter. No oven. The second piece, seared in olive oil, whole peppercorns, rosemary, whole cloves of crushed garlic, and bay leaves. The gaminess of the meat comes through, but the texture is just extraordinary. Tender, silky even. Very flavoursome. I think if the meat was dried, the taste of game would come through even more. Finishes slightly sour.

I actually served this with a solera sherry - the sweetness brought a bit of richness to the meat. Delicious all around. Many thanks to my buddy who brought over the venison...we'll have to do this again!

DF

A hunk of Bambi

My friend dropped by yesterday with some venison. Didn't (personally) hunt for them. I'm 99% certain he didn't. Look how lean it is, the beautiful colour. Not a ribbon of fat. Extraordinary. It was Bambi. But I was hungry.

DF

A Perfect gift

So, I was supposed to see a trainer at another gym today. It was time to renew my current plan, wasn't happy with what the guy I was working with proposed and after some theatrics, got set up at another franchise. Good. Only now they think of me as a new customer and insist on getting me to sign up for another round of personal training. Not going to happen.

I even set up an appointment. Didn't appreciate his attitude over the phone. And I'll be damned if I have to get up at 9am on a Sunday to go be infantilized by a personal trainer.

In happier news - my dear friend, the wine collector, sent over a bottle of vintage port yesterday. A bottle of 1994 Fonseca Vintage Porto, the wine that along with a 1994 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Porto, was awarded 100 points by the Wine Spectator. Two perfect wines. My guy had bought a case of each on release, and he's promised me that when he opens his case of the Taylor Fladgate, I'm getting one of the bottles as well. My man. My favourite guy in the whole wide world right now.

It's going away, obviously, for at least another 10 years. He sent over a copy of the Wine Spectator, the issue that presented these scores: Dec 31, 1997 - Jan 15, 1998 issue. Scans will be up shortly.

DF

Ahh, la mer!

Oh God, I miss the Côte d'Azur so much. So much.

DF

More beer tasting

Waiting for my friends to arrive. You work on a bit of a different schedule with your friends that are still in school, but that's alright. Always good to, you know, see people. More beer tasting tonight. As I wrote earlier, I'm on the search for a profound Ontario beer, micro-brewery required. So if you know of any..........

We'll see what they think of the beers I picked up today. A hearty stout and a nice hoppy lager. Friends are useful because they don't bullshit. Or do they...

DF

Four more oysters

Right, the oysters. I bought 4 more different varieties of oysters last week. Apologies, thousands of, for not documenting. But life shouldn't be experienced behind a viewfinder. So I put the camera away and gorged myself on the sweet, succulent texture that only the freshest raw oyster flesh possesses. The 4 were all good - 2 from British Columbia, 2 from Washington.

The French Kisses from Washington were briny, with good minerality, crisp and translucent. The Fanny Bay, also from Washington, were meaty, fleshy, and very rich. The Wattaki, from British Columbia, were sweet, creamy, with pleasant marine flavours. And finally, the Shigoku, from British Columbai, was the clear star of the night. They were so incredibly sweet, so round in texture, so palate coating.........so perfect in size, texture, and flavour.

Man, I love oysters.

DF

And Canada scores!

One more look at what middle-aged people look like when Canada wins the most important Gold Medal in the history of the country. Men's Hockey, 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Crosby for the win...remember?

DF

2009 Mendoza

2009 Cristobal 1492 Chardonnay, Mendoza

A chardonnay of Argentina. You know, I don't drink as much South American wine as I should. Although this is a chardonnay. Authenticity goes out the window when you want to make a wine with an internationally recognized name. To make money is the highest virtue, no?

Pale yellow, very lacking in colour. But, very fresh nose, all flowers and citrus. Nice. Lean, high acidity, but with good roundness in the mouth. Delicious. Very well-balanced, alcohol is extremely well integrated.

Bravo. Bravo for making a balanced, varietally correct wine that's eminently drinkable. Went so well with our oysters, which I'll write about next. What a great surprise from Mendoza.

DF

Spring's coming!

Spring is coming! Toronto had a beautiful day today. Shake off the snow, we're almost out of this mess.

DF

2007 Pfalz

2007 Anselmann Schwarzriesling Halbtrocken, QbA Pfalz

This is so interesting. Red German wines are always interesting, but this is special. The Germans call pinot meunier schwarzriesling, or black riesling. Awesome. More awesome than the fact that this wine is 100% pinot meunier, which never happens. Not in Champagne, not in the New World, not anywhere. Awesome.

So, black riesling. Does that mean it'll be minerally and high-strung? Light in colour, nose that dives into the earthy mushroom aroma you find in Burgundy. But as I continued drinking it, over 5 hours or so, my perception of it changed from enthusiastic, to a bit disappointed. Here's why.

Wine is like people no? You build a first impression on first taste, which may or may not be its true character. The wine started out great - all terroir-imprinted with minerals and pinot noir-ish dirt complexity. But the wine really begins to devolve, becoming clunky, horridly sweet from its oak, and completely expressionless. Nothing really holding it together - I have to work to recall a wine that's fallen apart so dramatically over an evening.

So, what's the lesson from all of this? Don't judge too quickly, for good or for bad. Wine (and people) who seem all nice and genuine at first don't always end up that way. In reference to a specific person? You tell me.

DF

Saying goodbye to my trainer

Yesterday was my final workout session with my trainer. It's been a year (March 5) since I started going real hard at the gym, and 12 months later, the change has been quite dramatic. Stronger, faster, harder everywhere.

It's a bit sad. I really enjoyed working with my (third) trainer. Great guy. Not stacked, not big - looks nothing like what you'd expect a trainer to look like, but being a kinesiology major, he clearly knew what he was talking about. His advice, I dutifully ignored everytime. When my shoulder hurt, I kept going hard. When both my wrists hurt, I kept going hard. And when my left calf hurt (still does), I kept (still am) going hard. What can I say - I pound it hard.

Many thanks to my trainer. I wrote a testimonial for him, as per our agreement. Name taken out, of course.

What makes a trainer special? Four trainers in, I believe that there are three keys: thorough knowledge of the human body, respect for the client's goals, and most importantly, honesty. Honest with the client as to what can, and can't, be achieved. Junior Trainer embodies all three of these keys, and much more. He helped me achieve my goals, and in the process, taught me how to maintain and further my current fitness levels. After all, we can't be with our trainers forever. Junior Trainer's broad knowledge of even the most minute muscle groups brings a scientific perspective to his workouts. Always changing things up, always keeping it exciting, and always making sure it's challenging - that is why Junior Trainer is the best trainer I've ever worked with.

DF

2008 Bordeaux

2008 Château d'Argadens, AC Bordeaux

Have you heard? I really love dry white Bordeaux. While you're there, check what I wrote about Pessac-Léognan Blanc. These wines are racy, lean, and have so much character. So much more character than the vast majority of junk being produced in Bordeaux.

This is just a humble little Bordeaux Supérieur - but far outperforms its reputation. Bright colour, lots of green, lots of spiciness on the nose. With such a young wine, we're getting just a snapshot of what it can become - with about 35% semillon, I have no doubt that with age, it will fill out, get richer, get creamier.

With our fish and oysters, just fabulous. All tension, and green peppers, and acidity. I can't wait for my 2007 Bordeaux blanc to start coming in.

DF

Asparagus, soon

Asparagus season in Ontario begins in just 2 months. Waiting patiently.

DF

Sea cucumber

Recall, Braised sea cucumber. This is what these jewels look like, dried. Soak them in water for 3 days, and they plump and soften right up. Preparing 9 more portions, to take advantage of bamboo season. More photos later, just before they go into the pressure cooker.

DF

Blue fish

Blue fish. Medium sized, about 2 pounds. I've begun cleaning the fish myself at home. There's something oddly therapeutic about cleaning a fish of its scales, intestines, and gills. Soft, white flesh, although fairly nondescript in aroma and flavour.

DF

Snowed in

'Twas on a dark and stormy night...

DF

Diffused

And with the arrival of my diffuser cap, that's it...no more purchases. Illuminating the dark.

DF

For when the lights go out...

Came right into use when we lost our power. Too bad these things are so bloody hard to clean when the tears form a pubble.

DF