:: The Zen Gourmand ::

You take a sharp knife, cut it in half and eat it by scooping out the innards with a spoon!

Seriously!

Don’t believe me?

OK, here we go…

The other day I was picking up some fruit at the local super market when my eyes fell on these pretty strange looking, bright pink, sort of scaly fruits that were about 12 – 15 cm long (5-6") and with varying diameters making some look somewhat elongated and others almost perfectly round.

I just had to pick one up to see what this was. Well, the tag said that this was a "Dragon Fruit", aptly named so as the skin certainly had that dragon scales look and the shape of some of them made them look positively medieval in a fairytale sort of way.

I’d never seen these before, certainly not in the local supermarkets. I conservatively put one of them in my basket and, after checking out, brought the Dragon back to my house.

I had no clue what I had just brought home. I assumed it was edible and that you would be able to eat it raw. I Googled around for a bit and in no time found all my answers.

A Dragon Fruit is:

• the fruit of several species of cactii
• also known as ’strawberry pear’, ‘pitaya’ or ‘pitahaya
• immune system enhancing, antioxidant, vitamin rich, digestive tract function boosting, colon cancer and diabetes fighting, blood pressure and cholesterol reducing as well as cough and asthma targeting in it’s health benefits department
• low in calories
• very zen

These Dragons come in 3 different versions:

• Hylocereus undatus – pink skin and white flesh
• Hylocereus polyrhizus – pink skin and red flesh
• Selenicereus megalanthus – yellow skin and white flesh

You already know how to eat this Dragon since I told right at the beginning, however, it is widely recommended to chill the beast in the fridge prior to devouring. As you will see from the pictures below, the fruits have dark seeds throughout – a bit like a Kiwi. One warning – this fruit looks more exotic and exiting than it tastes. The taste is actually pretty bland but reminiscent of a Kiwi-Melon hybrid.

So there, go slay a Dragon :)

Yesterday I hinted on releasing my secret recipe designed to make the “Baby Spinach & Carrot” salad a superior culinary Zen Gourmand experience.
Take a deep breath because here it goes…

This is to make a salad for an enlightened couple (that’s 2 people resonating on the same page; adjust to suit actual number of gourmands):

We start by preparing my secret vinaigrette.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, saucier or other suitable vessel add:
2 tbsp of Red Wine Vinegar
2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 (preferably 2 or even more) cloves of Garlic, pressed (use a decent Garlic Press or chop really fine)
1 tbsp of Ketchup
1/2 tsp of Honey
1/2 tsp of Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp of fresh, carefully picked and chopped Thyme leaves (if available, otherwise use dried)
1/2 tsp of fresh, carefully picked and chopped Tarragon leaves (if available, otherwise use dried)
Whisk these ingredients together to make a homogenous vinaigrette.
Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

Now on to the salad.

Gently scrub and peel 2 medium sized carrots.
Coarsely shred or grate these carrots.
Take 1 good handful of washed, dried and chilled baby spinach.
Artistically arrange the leaves on a plate.
Arrange half the grated/shredded carrots in the center of the spinach using up about 2/3rd’s of the available spinach-estate.
When I feel particularly in tune with the Universe, I arrange the spinach and the carrots in a Yin-Yang pattern – quite attractive too, actually.
Repeat to make 2 plates.

Serve with my secret vinaigrette on the side.
Offer fresh ground pepper.
Optionally, and only if you are within your prescribed weight range and free of any other contra-indications, offer to liberally grate some really tasty Parmigiano Reggiano on top of this creation.
It will double the benefits of the the iron and vitamins in this salad by sheer psychological subversion – trust me.

Enjoy.

I started to write about the “Spinach & Carrot Salad vs. Dragon Fruit” on http://www.juliemoorespa.com/zen_gourmand.html.
Unfortunately, all the batteries for my digital camera died on me and I wasn’t able to download the amazing pictures for my “Dragon Fruit” essay.
So please bear with me.
I will have them (the pictures) and the essay, on-line ASAMBAC (As Soon As My Batteries Are Charged).
At least, you can read up on the Spinach & Carrot Salad at http://www.juliemoorespa.com/zen_gourmand.html.

Hmmmm….

The Italian word “appassimento” translates loosely to “withering” and refers to the process of producing “passito” wines. The Italian word “passito” translates to “raisin wine” and can be applied to both the method of producing the wine as well as the wines made by this method.
The wines produced by the appassimento process tend to be sweet wines but the process can also result in full bodied dry wines. Because of the effort required, such wines also tend to be serious and in the premium price ranges.
One of the best known and greatest wines produced by the appassimento process is undoubtedly the Amarone (e.g. Amarone della Valpolicella, Vento region).
So what is this process called “appassimento”?
It is the method of manually harvesting only perfect bunches of fruit grown on hillsides facing southwest, and, since the goal of the process is to concentrate sugars in the grapes, many if not most of the producers will leave the grapes on the vine longer thus beginning the process with elevated sugar levels and helping to reduce drying times.
Grapes are laid out on straw or bamboo mats in large rooms of controlled atmosphere for the first day or two and then moved to old farmhouses with large opening or windows which allow the prevailing winds to provide the air to freely flow around the grapes. Here they are left until the middle of January. In that time, the grapes lose 35 – 40% of their weight, and develop higher concentrations of sugar and flavour.
In the early stages of the appassimento process, producers check regularly for any development of rot. If the rot is of the “noble” type (botrytis), it is often allowed into the wine as it is complementary to the process. In fact this, along with the variety of the grapes, the duration of the appassimento process as well a maturation post fermentation, are some of the distinguishing factors between one Amarone and the next.

Modern versions of the appassimento process see stacked wooden and even plastic boxes replacing the straw and bamboo mats and mechanically ventilated and dehumidified facilities replacing the old, naturally vented barns.

The wines resulting from the appassimento process are inevitably powerful and fullbodied having rich, intense and complex flavours.

You and five of your newest business acquaintances, soon to be contributing 12 Mio. to your annual bottom line, are sitting at THE prime table at "Fresco Di Papa" (if you don’t know this coolest of restos, don’t bother to read any further) (ahhh…cmon man… there ain’ t no such place… is there?… really? and and and…) (never mind). So as I was saying, the bottle of "Chateau Jenesaispa’s" (Obligué, 1963) that you so knowledgeably ordered has just arrived via your waiter (Gino), the sommelier, the summer student to be sommelier, the cellar master, the sommelier (again) and finally Gino (the attendant waiter, again).

As refined culture would have it, Gino presents the bottle for your inspection.
You verify that indeed the bottle presented is the bottle ordered. More importantly, you ascertain that the YEAR of the bottle is indeed the one you ordered (learned that lesson at the very fine and trendy "Baise Moi", frequented primarily by politicos) .

Label authenticated (you are assuming the summer student, soon to be sommelier, didn’t shtick a fancy label on a crappy wine here…learned that at… never mind), Gino proceeds to swiftly and elegantly remove the cork from the bottle (in the prescribed manner dictated by the renowned "Cork Saveur" school of thought) and places it ceremoniously in front of you.

In studied motions, you retrieve your reading glasses from your starched shirt’s breast pocket and slowly pick up the cork with a precisely executed flourish reminiscent of the great conductor "Caraya Parmegiano" picking up his baton in order to conduct the "Verdachi" operetta "Demisere di ultima snobo".

Your 12 Mio newly acquired contributor’s eyes are fixed in hypnotic fascination on you and the cork.

You study the cork beginning with the state of it’s constitution:

• It is sound (it didn’t crumble when you picked it up).
• It is old and of good quality (several "age rings" visible, feels firm over all)
• The markings confirm that the bottle it belonged to is the bottle you ordered
• The inside end is slightly moist and appears to be saturated (confirms the bottle was stored properly)
• No visible mold
• No creepy crawlies or worms exiting from the cork’s pores

You then give the cork a squeeze. First the outside end, then the inside end.
Firm on the outside, medium to medium-rare on the inside. Just how it should be.
Again confirming the soundness of the tree bark and it’s function of keeping the wine in the bottle and the nasties outside of it.

You then proceed to maneuver it (the cork) towards your highly educated and perfectly attuned sniffing organ (sometimes referred to as "the nose" but henceforth referred to as the "sniffer") in order to obtain from it an opinion on the health of the wine you are about to taste.
Your sniffer informs you authoritatively of the fact that the wine in the bottle it came from is in fact probably but almost certainly if not definitely maybe OK.
No vinegar smell, no musty smell, no unrecognized smells.
You are thinking to yourself "Ahhhh, what a relief. I don’t have to send back the bottle." (Sending back the bottle – that’s a whole other story right there so come back later).

Satisfied that you are not about to insult everyone around the table by letting Gino pour bad wine, you motion to Gino with an elegant head movement akin to a head movement you saw "Romanoff Padwiskyii" perform in the ballet "Vino di Dodo", to proceed and pour the obligatory mouthful of wine for you to taste and reach a final verdict.

You confidently raise the glass to your lips, take a measured sip of the wine, swirl….no, expectorate it instantly into the face of the person across from you, dropping the glass to the floor in the process, grabbing your throat with both hands and slowly but surely die the death of the wine snob and kissing the 12 Mio. goodbye.

The moral of the story is simple.
The cork is just the cork.
It tells nothing reliable.
If the waiter is waiting for you to do something with it before pouring you some wine to taste, outsnob the snobs – pick it up and put it back down a bit further away from you.
Hopefully she’ll get the message and pour you the wine to taste.

The Zen Gourmand’s Cooking Class & Wine Tasting this past Saturday was a tremendous success and great fun. Thanks to all who attended. Your attendance, participation, contribution and support made for a wonderful evening.
We started our with introductions, light snacks and drinks followed by an overview of the evenings program.
The first item on the program was a tasting of “20 BEES LATE HARVEST VIDAL VQA“. Participants were handed out a tasting notes form allowing each to assess, judge and rate and comment on each of the 3 wines to be tasted this evening.
This tasting was followed by the evenings “cooking class” during which the Zen Gourmand demonstrated the preparation of a delicious Italian pear crostata, the recipe for which can be downloaded in 2 versions.
Click here for the metric measures version.
Click here for the imperial measures version.
While the crostata was baking in the oven, we proceeded to the 2nd tasting of the evening. The wine selected for this tasting was the 2001 “POMINO VIN SANTO” from the FRESCOBALDI estates in Tuscany. This very lovely dessert wine, somewhat reminiscent of fine ports, was enjoyed by all and ultimately declared the favorite of the 3 wines tasted.
With the crostata finished and ready to sample, the 3rd wine of the evening made its appearance to be tasted alongside a slice of crostata. The wine selected for this tasting was a fine 2001 “TOKAJI ASZU 4 PUTTONYOS” (DISZNOKO estates). It was generally felt that the Vin Santo would have made a better companion for the Pear Crostata.

VINTAGES 661249 | 500 mL bottle

Price: $ 33.95
Wine, Fortified Wine, Dessert/Fruit/Miscellaneous Wine
15.0% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : 21

Made in: Tuscany, Italy
By: Marchesi De Frescobaldi

LCBO 18499 | 375 mL bottle

Price: $ 19.05
Wine, Still Table Wine, White Still Table Wine
12.8% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : 17
This is a VQA wine

Made in: Ontario, Canada
By: NIAGARA VINTNERS INC.

Tasting Note – LCBO
“Medium deep yellow gold colour; aromas and flavours of apricot and white peache, with pineapple/citrus notes; sweet, medium bodied, rich, yet well balanced by acidity on the finish; good length.”

Tasting Note – WINECURRENT (Vic Harradine)
“A stunning wine. It was picked at 34 Brix, a hair under the regulation for ice wine. This helps explain the generous 12.8% alcohol. The aromatic nose is honeyed and beguiling. This medium to full-bodied dazzler offers caramel, toffee, raisins with desiccated nectarine and peach. Great balance and a lengthy luxurious finish make this tasting a special experience. The price to quality ratio is tipped heavily in your favour. Sip on its own, well chilled, with your best friend.”

Serving Suggestion
Fruit cake or flan and trifle.

VINTAGES 27177 | 500 mL bottle

Price: $ 34.95
Wine, Still Table Wine, White Still Table Wine
12.0% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : 15

Made in: Hungary, Hungary
By: Compagnie Medocaine Des Grands Crus

Tasting Note – UNKN
“A lovely dark golden colour. Attractive honeyed spice on the nose and palate, along with ripe stone fruits.”

Tasting Note – WINEWRITING
“2001 (potentially very good; cool and rainy, lots of botrytis Tokaji Aszú 4 Puttonyos (8.5 TA, 110 RS) – quite complex honey melon and spice, more mushroom v exotic fat fruit; citrus peel intensity vS creamy raisins, quite developed and oxidised with acidity more in the background, forward and drinking nicely now.”

“Come with us to Tuscany, Italy in 2009!”

A beautiful adventure with friends in a rustic Tuscan Villa, eating delightful regional delicacies, tasting fine local wines and cheeses, touring wineries, art exhibits and spa relaxation moments by the pool, this travel event will be co-produced with Julie Moore Spa (JulieMooreSpa.com)

To receive more information about this trip please email us at:
info@zengourmand.com.
or at
tuscany2009@juliemoorespa.com

In the meantime….