The annoying part of Cabo San Lucas: What I DON'T like

After being and living together for 18 years, my lady and I decided to get married. We decided to go to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for our vacation/honeymoon. The experience was mixed at best.

we get out of the airport looking for the shuttle to the hotel. a nice man with airport credentials asks where we're going and directs us to a desk. When we researched the whole thing, we found that the shuttle services don't depart from the hotel (or the hotel cannot help us schedule it), so when this guy tells us he can arrange it, we feel a little relieved. What happened was we got roped into a time share promo for 60 dollars (same price as the R/T shuttle ride). Once the duh moment settles, we try to bail out of the whole thing, but instead wind up negotiating with the promoter for money instead of activities and all the other junk they offer.

The irony of it was that my wife was commenting how she might be interested in checking out the possibilities of a time share in the area. They say: "careful what you wish for", and boy, was it apropos this time!

The basic hook of these setup goes like this: They ask you for some deposit (varies all the time depending on how you get roped in) and ask you to go to a 90 min presentation. In exchange, you get free transportation to and from the place, breakfast or lunch, one or two tickets for activities, dinner certificates, and in our case, transport back to the airport. You need to bring an ID and a Visa or Mastercard because (supposedly) they're sponsoring the promotion. Sounds pretty harmless, doesn't it? Just listen to a sales pitch and that's it...

We go to the place and do the initial meet and greet. Somehow, we know this is going to be a bit awkward. We meet the sales guy (Ernesto) play along regarding questions, etc. and tell them straight up not buying. we're just curious about the process.

The easy stuff begins. We're explained the way this particular setup works. Shared ownership, not a time share, premium properties better than four seasons, ritz, etc. They show us the grounds and pitch their other properties (only in mexico and south america). How the owner is a mexican guy with oodles of cash and how they got an american corp from Texas to manage the place, etc. We go to the breakfast, which was good. So far, everything is going okay. we still mention that we're primarily curious about the experience, etc. One of the things I notice is that we're probably one of the youngest couples there (we're pushing 40, by the way), so we're felling a bit funny about that. The guy chats up about how successful they are about getting people to buy (50% supposedly), and how owners love their setup, etc. To me, it sounds like a load of crap, but that's mainly because I don't trust sales people especially.

Then, the fun starts: we go to what I like to call the kill room. This is where they sit you on a table with the guy that gave you the tour and talked you up, tell you all the other deals they have with other companies (so you don't feel like you're buying just mexican property), and all the other poo. The initial salvo gets tossed: You can buy 4 weeks with a huge apartment for 189K and you can easily start with a 17K deposit using your Visa or Mastercard.

Now, remember how Visa/MC supposedly sponsors the promotion? well, depending on how you look at it, it may be true. Considering that there's a percentage fee associated with credit transactions, you could say they're promoting the whole thing. I seriously doubt the CC companies have any direct involvement in this bullshit, but I give them an A on creative shit shoveling. :)

Back to the "present": we repeat that we're not buying anything. The price and options begin to drop, giving at least 6 or 7 more times to say "No". The guy's face begins to turn to frown... By the time we're done with him, the price dropped to something like 5K for a week, timeshare-like bennies, for a 600 Visa/MC deposit. We repeat: no, and now, I add the closing argument: "we're done".

In their last-ditch effort, they bring you down to do an "exit interview" with a no-pressure-like young man, now from the US, to ask you what was the reason you didn't buy and to tell you that your gifts will be ready in 10 minutes because there's someone ahead of you. I repeated the same thing, and told them their switch from friend to douche bag didn't help. He concurs, and proceeds to make us a final final effort to take our cash. At this point, I'm pretty pissed off, but I refrain from calling him out, so I conclude with "I'm not interested. We want to leave now".

By the time the whole thing's done, they load you in a van that brings you to the front of the property where you pick up your stuffs and taxi money to your place. Even then, after all that, the last person that handles the cab call and pay the driver to take you to your hotel tries to sell you some other non-descript shit. I felt like punching someone at that point.

On the way back, the Wife and I look at each other and agree that it was both an infuriating and enlightening experience. When we get to our hotel, they're doing the same thing, so we proceed to set them up straight fast. That didn't stop them from trying at least twice more to get us in. Come to find out: every hotel in the area work the same way. It was so disappointing!

I will finalize the rant about the vultures soon. If you're going to Cabo, the moment you step out of the customs area, skip the fist room and go to the next one to get a shuttle and/or taxi. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars.

...However... If you have the stomach to withstand high-pressure sales turds and you enjoy making people suffer AND want to get free money and/or activities while there in exchange for about 2hrs time, then do stop by the first booth, negotiate for just about anything you want, then go get a free breakfast and piss of the sales people. Remembering that you can do this in every single place in Cabo, you can effectively eat and keep busy effectively for free. If I had the disposition and or necessity, I would clean these people out to the point of being black-listed. I just can't. My time is precious, and fortunately, I can afford to do the stuff on my own.

Apartment hawking notwithstanding, the town is effectively a tourist trap mainly designed for prototypical herds of tourists getting off cruise ships and timesharing people looking to golf and drink. Some activities like hiking fishing etc. are thee, but still designed with these people in mind. There's little to no character to the place. The locals are piss-poor and we're the best thing they have since we give them money all the time and tip well, even if it is in Pesos.

For the most part, it is relatively inexpensive-unless you do the american thing and stick with american franchises which make about 90% of the places. The rest of the allure is drinking on the cheap and shopping on outlets at prices that are decent but not great in my opinion. Being foodies, it was disappointing to see such a meager dining scene. The main food is seafood. It's very fresh, but it is more of the same every time, so there's no major variety. For some bizarre reason, the main cuisine attraction seems to be Mediterranean and primarily Italian. That makes no sense to me, but I'm crazy like that...

We went off the beaten path and checked out a local taqueria that served typical bite-sized tacos for 10-20 pesos (0.80 to 1.60 US) Frankly, that was probably the best food we had there.

Besides the critiques, the weather was great. Sunny, not too hot, and great wait staff at the pool keeping us well fed and hydrated. Our last dinner experience at La Frida at a resort called Pueblo Bonito in the Pedregal region. We had considered this place when booking the vacation. It is a very beautiful place, but I'm glad we didn't stay there. It was very very seculded with an entrance way at least a mile long. When I got there, I even bet the wife that they'd offer us a 90 minute presentation before we leave. She didn't think they'd do it, but alas, she lost the bet...

The La Frida choice was a recommendation from one of the locals as authentic mex, but it was mostly a fusion place. The decor was hacienda style Mexican room. The most authentic thing was a chicken in mole given to us as a chef taste (not on the menu). The wife had sea bass (again) and I had a guajillo chile short rib that was good, but not authentic mexican in any way. The wait staff was wonderful and the live singer added an extra bit of romance to the place. Once again, I noticed we were the youngest people in the room. We were very happy until they took over an hour to deliver the final dish, which was extremely excessive in my opinion. Either the waitress messed up the order, or they were killing the cow for the rib and/or went down to the water to fish out the sea bass... That alone buzz-killed the experience for me. The prices were very high compared to the rest of the experience, so that was another negative.

Would I return to Cabo? Unlikely. The place is just another american-ready tourist trap with good weather. It's just another box checked on the list. My verdict? skip it unless you like the trap concept

A visit to Bina Osteria

My lady and I have been meaning to check the place out for quite some time now. We have been to another of the owner's places (Bin26 Enoteca) a few years back and enjoyed the experience. The place has a similar vibe, but on a larger scale since Bin26 is located on a very small place along Charles street in Boston. The choice was made even easier by the return of Restaurant week.

We started by Moseying over to the bar and having a drink. We had an interesting drink made with a bitter liqueur called Amaro. It was refreshing but it seemed a little pricey at $10 a drink.

We finally sat down for dinner, and as it is usually the case, one of us orders from the RW menu, and one orders a la carte. They had 3-course menus for both options, and the price difference was minimal between the two (an oddity in most other times we've done RW). I chose a chicken wing appetizer and the lady chose the Carne Cruda (Beef Tartar). The Carne cruda was excellent. The celery pesto was a bit strong but still paired well with the beef. The wings were a little bland. they sat in what looked like a celery puree, but I really could not tell. It in fact seemed to "suck" the flavor out of the wings making them taste even less of them. It seems odd, but I can't describe it any other way.

For the main dish, the lady selected the Bistecca (steak) with the creamed cauliflower, peppers and spinach, medium. I chose the Agnello (lamb), medium-rare with the vegetable caponata and grilled polenta with herbs. For wine, we chose their featured nebbiolo (can't remember the label).

For some reason, the kitchen messed up both preparations by at least two levels. Her steak was well done and my lamb was medium well. Neither dish was "destroyed", but they certainly missed the mark. It could be that they could not properly control the final rest temperature of the meats because of their small size. Mind you: I'm not complaining about the dish sizes-which were small but fine-but rather about the lack of attention to the resting temperature. The only saving grace was that somehow the dishes still tasted good enough to eat. I must have had the laziest lamb ever because it had none of the characteristic "gamey" taste associated with lamb cooked past medium doneness. The Polenta was excellent, and it helped in overlooking the meat faux-pas.

The Lady's dish suffered from the same ailment, sans the goodness of the polenta. The cauliflower was like a buffer between the caponata and the beef. It really brought nothing of note to the dish. If you've ever made cauliflower puree, you know that it needs a lot of help (especially when used as a replacement for mashed potatoes, which are nothing more than a delivery mechanism for butter, cream and whatever else tasty-but-bad you want to put in them), but alas, these had none :( Her steak was still quite good despite being overcooked for her taste, so that helped.

The dessert was the highlight of the meal. It was a simple dark chocolate gelato that tasted like it was made just before serving. The flavors were bright and fresh along with a great, intense dark chocolate flavor.

Meal preparation notwithstanding, the entire staff were extremely nice and our waiter was excellent. I only wished that the meal matched their enthusiasm.

Would I recommend Bina to a friend? I'm not sure. I guess I'd say the staff was great and the place is very nice, but I'd be wary of at least ordering meats there, since (based on my experience) they tend to overcook them. Considering their usual (high) dinner prices, I'd say go there for a nice drink and maybe an appetizer, but that's about it.

I do recall the waiter telling us that they usually carry two menus (inside/outside tables), so maybe the outside menu is executed better?

Later,

AOC: A good hangout in west LA

After yesterday's documented so-so foray, I was juggling between two choices: A comfortable choice like BLT Steak, or a new venture like AOC. I decided to take the one mile each way walk to AOC instead.
Being still in-between the east coast and west coast time, I showed up "early" at 7:30 for some eats and plenty of wine. They have a pretty good selection of wines by the glass, although I would have hoped a more extensive champagne offering and more mature vintages, overall the list is pretty good.

The place offers small sampler platters a-la tapas (many of them Spanish inspired) and they recommend about 3 per person. The prices are not exactly cheap, but definitely average for a typical tapas bar.

My starter was a fried squid, arugula, and radish salad with a garlicky remoulade that was actually quite good. I chose to have the Albariño (Cambiata), and it was a decent choice. The acidity and citrus notes worked well with the greens and even put up a fight with the garlic. I couldn't ask for more.

Next I chose to have a glass of a Cremant de Borgogne rosé (Parigot & Richard) offered in the sparking list. It was probably the first sparkling rosé I actually felt like I liked, For the most part, rosés are simply boring. They have a beautiful nose, but when it comes to flavor, they just don't seem to deliver. The next dish was roasted dates with parmagianno and bacon. I was shocked to see the cremant actually "survive" the dates. I've had a similar dish that is much stronger (serrano ham and cabrales cheese) which would have destroyed the rosé, but this one actually worked relatively well. A pleasant surprise.

Next was a half glass of Ribera del Duero (Valduero) that played okay with the figs.The structure and tannins actually stood up to the sweetness of the figs, but not as good as I hoped.

Next was a very good combination of tetilla cheese pan fried with membrillo (quince paste) and romesco. The cheese crisped very well almost to the point of making you believe it was bread. It gave you the illusion of a grilled cheese with all the other goodies. the romesco sauce seemed darker than I remember. I don't know if it bought anything to the taste buds, for overall the dish was good. I chose a Savigny les Beaune by Jean luc Dubois that had this nice floral nose and delicate flavor. The cheese actually didn't overpower it.

The waitress offered a suggestion of grilled mussel skewers with back fat (uncured bacon) that I chose to have with the rest of a rosé. She was nice enough to bring me a taste of a fumé blanc they had in the list that was amazingly good. Fumé blanc is not part of the wines I tend to request, but this one was a pleasant surprise. It had the strong mineral and petrol notes of a Riesling, but with a more pronounced citrus component. The acidity worked great with the mussels. The rosé had all the typical complaints: great nose, but average taste. I guess not for me :)

I had to push it and get dessert (good thing the place was a mile walk each way). I was really hoping they'd serve me a glass of Kracher #6, but alas, it was available only by the bottle. I had to switch gears and get a dark chocolate torte with a glass of LBV port. A very good match indeed. I would have hoped they had some Brachetto d' aqui(Rosa Regale), but no dice.

My only small "beef" is that all wines by the glass were quite young. I wish they had some mature offerings. Considering the price of glasses, I think it wouldn't be too bad of a stretch.

I even broke a sweat walking back to the hotel, but it felt good. I felt satisfied with the service, the food, and the ambiance. It was not a cheap dinner by any one's standards, but it was definitely fun. I could only wish my lady were here with me to enjoy...

On the way back, I waled by a sushi bar packed with Japanese people waiting to get in. Now, that sounds promising!

Later,

Comme Ça: so-so

It's been a while since I felt the "need" to share stuff about what I like. Mainly, it's been due to what I mentioned before (broken hand), and some due to the economic situation. Well, things are starting to get back to "normal", so I have been able to indulge in the occasional dining out foray.

This time, I'm back on the west coast on some business around west Hollywood where there's a restaurant in practically every corner. I am going to try my best to sample as many interesting places as I can.

Today, I searched the web and some local mags for some suggestions. This place (Comme Ça) popped up on the list as a french bistro fare, and google maps put it a few blocks away, so I decided to give it a try.

The place is on Melrose avenue in a nicely decorated place that attempts to give you the feel of a french bistro in what feels like an American way. There's a nice bar as well as a cheese "bar" close to the maitre d' where a lovely lady was working on cheese platters.

I ordered a glass of '04 Bordeaux that I cannot remember the name (it was just OK), a roasted beet salad with goat cheese for the starter dish, Duck confit for the main course, and decided to finish with a raspberry breton for dessert.

The salad was reasonably well executed. I would have hoped the beets were warm, but they were nonetheless good. The dressing worked well with the vegetables as well as the herbed goat cheese.

The main dish was rather strange: The menu said Confit leg of duck with roasted potatoes and caramelized onions. I got the aforementioned ingredients, but with a bizarre (to me) addition: a mound of cold, regular run-of-the-mill cole slaw between the duck and the roasted vegetables. I even had to ask the waiter if they had put the slaw there by mistake. He claimed that is was "a new preparation". That it was...

If you happen to enjoy duck confit as much as I do, you can think of many things that could complement it. KFC-style cole slaw isn't one of them!

Imagine beautifully roasted vegetables covered in a coating of lukewarm mayonnaise and mustard dressing. Or how about the terrible texture of lukewarm cole slaw against a very hot piece of meat that is not:

a) BBQ
b) Fried chicken

I like cole slaw. It has its place- and duck confit is not one of them! I could even forgive a fancy sweeter slaw with a flavor profile similar to a currant reduction or some other duck complimentary fruit, but not fracking mayonnaise!
you can tell I have a very strong opinion about this

I proceeded to move the slaw as far from the actual stuff as possible. The rest of the items were very well prepared. The confit was crunchy and falling off the bone; the potatoes were roasted perfectly as well as the caramelized onions. It paired pretty well with the Bordeaux, although the tannins interfered a few times. An otherwise fine dish, except for the KFC offense...

The dessert was good. The berries were fresh and very juicy. The shortcake was a little too cold, which tended to mute some of the other flavors. This dish also had a superfluous addition of smoked salted nuts. They were relatively good, but it didn't seem to add anything to the dessert (except more questions)

The wait staff was actually pretty good. I got there relatively early in the evening, so the place was less than 1/2 full. The staff paid good attention to me throughout the meal. Everyone was pretty friendly and offered suggestions when prompted, which is great.

I don't know: maybe I caught the chef in a special mood and paid the price for his faux-pas. If that's the case, then I can understand. But if this is the normal way of things at Comme Ça, then I'd hate to think of them appropriately "so-so".

Let's hope tomorrow brings a better experience.

Later,

Been off the air for a while

I've been on the D/L since I broke a hand and ran into other fun problems. I will start posting more regularly once the whole situation gets back to "normal"... whatever that is :)

Windows Mobile 6: GPS device settings lost after installing FakeGPS

This is not the usual subject matter, but since it happened to me, and I could not really find a solution through the great Google, here it is:

If you happen to develop mobile apps, and you're tinkering with location-aware apps, beware that if for some reason you install the FakeGPS utility on the actual target(a bad idea), it will happily disable your integrated GPS device! The best part is, the uninstaller will not restore your old settings, and you will then have one of two choices:

• Hard-reset the device (and wipe out everything)
• Roll up your sleeves and modify the registry

The first option was not acceptable for me (although I did a full backup in expectation that I might have to), so I looked at the second option.

The "good" thing is that WinMo6 has the concept of an intermediate driver that allows you to swap between device ports while shielding the apps from the changes. It's basically a COM port proxy. The FakeGPS utility overwrites the default GPS driver entry for the intermediate device driver.

In \HLKM\System\CurrentControlSet\GPS Intermediate Driver\Drivers, change the CurrentDriver entry to read:

GPSOneDevice

Exit whatever registry editor you're using, then power cycle (not a soft reset) the device to ensure the registry hive is flushed and saved.

Once you restart the device, the GPS should work again.

Later,

The belated thanksgiving post

Although it's almost winter holiday season, I thought I'd share some of the things we cooked for thanksgiving this year. We tried a few different things and most of them were a hit with the guests.

Some of my family members do not enjoy the traditional turkey. Their prejudice, if you will, is that the meat is dry. Ours never is, but their minds are made up... :) Our solution to the problem is to cook a turkey roulade with traditional herbs for us, and something else for the rest of the crew. We rotate between most of the other available proteins out there. This year, we chose Cornish hens with a garlic, salted pork and plantain stuffing.

The side dishes consisted of traditional mashed yukon gold potatoes, mashed roasted sweet potatoes and traditional stuffing. One new side dish we attempted was mashed celery root and apple pureé. Personally, I did not enjoy it. The rather strong licorice taste of the celery root is more than I enjoy. You might love it.

We also decided to change things up a little bit on the dessert side. We decided to make apple pie empanadas (turnovers) instead of the traditional pie. Most of my family loves a crunchy crust, so that was the easiest way to guarantee crunchiness for everyone :)

Our mid-day snack consisted of a rather lavish French plate of various cheeses (Camembert, Brie, Eppoisses, Roquefort), Pâtés (Champagne, Duck liver mousse), and warm Foie Gras with a currant and pomegranate reduction sauce. The Foie Gras was a big hit, and it paired with the burgundy wine and the sauternes exceptionally well.

If you'd like to try these, here are the recipes:

Roast Turkey Roulade with herbs

Ingredients:

1 turkey breast
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoon of thyme (approx.), finely chopped
4 cloves or garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of old bay seasoning

butcher's twine

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°F

Mix the garlic, the herbs and the spices with some of the kosher salt. Use the salt to grind the garlic and the herbs together to mix in the essential oils with the salt. (Feel free to use a herb/spice mixture that you like).

Using a boning knife, or a thin sharp knife, remove each breast meat from the breast bone, retaining the skin.

Place the breast skin side down and using the same narrow knife, butterfly the breasts around the thicker part to make them about 1/2 inch in thickness. You can also cover the breast with plastic wrap and pound each breast out to achieve the same thickness.

Distribute half the garlic and herb seasoning mixture as evenly as possible.
Roll the breast onto itself to form as even a roll as possible. You can tuck the ends into the roll to make it more uniform.

Using the butcher's twine, tie up the roulade to form a small roast.

Brush or massage the skin with half of the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Repeat the same procedure for the second breast.

Place the roulades on a roasting pan, skin side up and roast in the oven until the meat registers about 140°F around the center. About 30 minutes. Turn the roulade upside down and bake for another 10 minutes, or until it registers about 155°F.

Remove from the oven, and rest on a plate, skin side up, for about 10 minutes.

Remove the butcher's twine and cut into 1-inch slices.

Any gravy you like would go great with it. you could also make a mushroom-herb gravy or a sage butter sauce.

Roasted Cornish hens with mofongo stuffing

Mofongo is a Caribbean side dish served in Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. It is essentially a mashed plantain ball seasoned with garlic, salted pork and the local adobo all purpose seasoning. It can be served soft with fried pork or chicken, or fried up with consomme or soup. It has a savory, starchy flavor that is well complemented by the garlic.

Ingredients:

2 Cornish hens (look for them packaged in pairs in the poultry section)
3 teaspoons of adobo seasoning (Goya brand on the ethnic aisle) OR
equal parts of cumin, garlic powder, onion powder,
oregano, salt and pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter

For the stuffing:

3 light green plantains. They should look like a large green banana.
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
about 4oz. of salted pork (preferably with some meat), soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes. Drained and chopped into 1/4 inch strips. (Bacon also works fine for this)

olive oil

Coarse salt (like kosher)
Vegetable oil (for frying)

Special equipment:

- Mortar and Pestle. Medium to large ones (> 1 cup ) work best for this.
It might be possible to achieve close enough results with a food processor, but I have never tried it.

Preparation:
Preheated oven set to 450°F

Wash and clean the hens. Pat dry and season with the adobo to taste. brush or rub the skin with the oil (or butter). Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the stuffing.

Cook the salt pork or the bacon in a skillet with about a tablespoon of oil set to medium heat until most of the fat has been rendered out and the pieces are crisp. Drain the pieces on some paper towels.

Prepare a dutch oven or any other deep cooking vessel with about 1-inch of oil set to 350°F

While the oil heats up, peel and slice the plantains by cutting about 1 inch off each end, then making two shallow lengthwise cuts on each side. The idea is to cut deep enough to peel the skin, but not too deep as to cut the plantain in half. Using your thumb or a butter knife (thumb preferred), lift the skin on one end and run the thumb lengthwise to lift the peel off the fruit until it falls off.

Cut the peeled plantains cross-wise into 1-inch discs.

Place the cut plantains in the oil for about 3-4 minutes. The idea is to blanch the plantain so that the inside is soft and the outside has a light golden color, but it is not very crispy.

Pull the pieces from the oil and drain in paper towels. Do them in batches until all of them are cooked.

Pull the hens from the refrigerator.

Place about a good pinch of salt on the mortar. Add some chopped garlic and mash using the pestle. Add some pork and about 3-4 pieces of plantain (start with the coolest ones first), depending on the size of your mortar and mash the mixture together. Add more plantains if you can. If the mixture seems dry, drizzle some olive oil to moisten it.

Pull the mixture from the mortar and use your hands to form a ball (careful as the mixture might be quite warm). If your mortar is small, make more and add to the ball to get the size you need to stuff the cavity. If the ball is too warm, set aside for a minute or so. Repeat the same to make another ball for the second hen.

Note: Plantains lose moisture very fast in this application. If they dry out, the starches solidify and the texture will be crumbly, which makes it difficult to work with. They will taste fine and re-hydrate while in the hens, but forming the ball will be a pain. It is best to work with the plantains while they're still warm because they are more pliable. Use the olive oil to keep the plantain mixture moist, or cover with plastic wrap if you need it to cool.

Stuff each hen's cavity with the plantain stuffing ball until it is full, but not tight. Place hens in a roasting rack and roast for about an hour, or until they register about 160°F at the thigh joint. Pull from the oven and cover with foil for about 5-10 minutes.

Using a large knife or a cleaver, cut each hen length wise and serve each half with your favorite gravy (plain old brown gravy works fine for me) and your favorite side dish.

Serves 4

Celery root and apple Pureé (Ina Garten)

Seared Foie Gras with a currant pomegranate reduction sauce.

Ingredients:

1 tube or Foie Gras (D'Artigan in my case) or a medium size foie gras, deveined and cut into 1/4 inch slices.

1/4 cup of dried currants
1/2 cup of red wine (Pinot variety preferred)
1/4 cup of pomegranate liqueur

Preparation:

Place the currants, red wine and pomegranate liqueur in a small sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking until the liquid is reduced to about 1/3, about 15 minutes.

Note: you must work fast, or you will wind up with very expensive melted fat on the pan!

Heat a small non-stick frying or sautee pan over medium heat. Place each foie gras slice on the pan for about 5-10 seconds until it starts to melt, flip and repeat. Remove from the heat into a serving platter. Repeat for the number of slices you plan to serve (no more than 2/person).

Drizzle with the reduction sauce and serve as is, or with sliced country bread and a glass of Sauternes or a glass of Burgundy.


Apple Pie Empanadas

Ingredients:

1 pack of 4-inch empanada wrappers
(Goya found in the frozen section.
You would also use large round wonton wrappers)

1 large egg
1 tablespoon of water

Apple pie filling (use your favorite recipe)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1/3 cup light brown sugar
4 Granny smith apples
1 teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in water

Two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper

Oven set to 375°F

Preparation:

In a nonstick pan, cook the apples, sugar and spices until tender. About 10 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken the liquid and set aside to cool.

Whisk in the water and the egg to make an egg wash.

Using a lightly dusted surface and a rolling pin, roll out each round to about a 6-inch disk.

Place about 4 teaspoons of apple pie mixture in the lower half of the disk, leaving about 1/2 inch edge all around.

Brush the egg wash on the lower half of the disk.

Fold the upper half onto the lower half, meeting the edges to form a half moon shape. Try to get as much air out of the pouch as possible.

Press the edge lightly with a fork to seal the empanada.

Place the empanada on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg wash if desired for a crunchier top.

Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the empanadas and bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly blistered.

Let rest for about 5 minutes and serve as is, or with vanilla ice cream

On the wine side, we had:

2000 Pierre Morlet Brut 1er Cru Millesime (Champagne)
- This was a "new try" from a small grower in the Reims region. Very crisp with apple notes. It had a pretty good bead, good acidity and a short finish. Definitely good as a starter, but would work just fine with chicken or fish. Not easy to find, but definitely worth the cash.

2005 Frederic Magnien Morey-St.-Denis (Burgundy)
- A little young, but still showed lots of promise. The fruit was relatively well concentrated for such a young wine, and the tannins were pretty well balanced. In a few years, this wine should be excellent. I wish I could afford to get a whole case of this!

2000 Kracher Trocken No. 9
- This is a German wine in the sauternes style. It was recommended to us when we went out to get a bottle of Yquiem about 4 years ago. It is a beautiful example of a sauternes. Good grape concentration. Very good acidity balance with a nose of citrus and apples. It was excellent with the Foie Gras.

Well, I hope you have a chance to try one these recipes and/or wines.

I have to start thinking of what protein to serve next year, and what desserts to cook for the upcoming holidays.

Later,