Wednesday, February 4, 2009
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:
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,
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 "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,
Thursday, December 18, 2008
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:
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,
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,
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
A little beer tasting.
Last week, the office crew decided to do an impromptu beer tasting with a main focus on German seasonal brews and as few odd-balls just for good measure.
We tried:
Ayinger Oktoberfest
Ayinger Brau Weisse
Aventinus
Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest
Anchor Porter
Weihenstephaner Korbinian
And the odd-balls...
Trader Joe's vienna lager (Marzen)
Budweiser American Ale
Michelob Porter
Black label (yes, I know...)
(I'm not linking the Black Label. It's for your own good)
That last one was bought as a joke for one of the guys that constantly reminisces about his college days and black label. I tend to associate BL with piss, so that should sum it up.
We started with the German examples.
First came the Ayinger Marzen. It was pretty well balanced and it was a crowd favorite. It lacked that "malty" character that I like on the Paulaner Oktoberfest, but Overall, nose and flavor profile was very good.
Second was the Hacker-Pschorr. For some reason, this is not a mark that I enjoy. I have tried their Hefe-weissen, and I find it "lacking". This Marzen fell under the same general category: "Needs something". I would not get this again. There are better examples for a better price, IMO.
Next, the Ayinger Brau Weisse. This was a late addition (along with the Aventinus and the Black Label), and it was a very good one. It had a very good nose, and a great fruit and spice flavor reminiscent of the exotic combos usually found on Belgian whites (like Hooegarten). I could have easily stayed drinking this one, but alas, only two bottles for 6 people :(
The Anchor Porter followed. I was pleasantly surprised. Great roasted malt flavor, and enough body to define it as a porter without weighing it down. A new favorite of mine (still, Sammy Smith's Taddy Porter is my hands-down favorite). Probably the best American Porter I have tasted. I hear the Brooklyn Porter is good, but I have not checked it out yet.
I have this "thing" with modern American brews and their liberal use of finish hops. Sometimes, it is obvious that the finished product would be superior if they have skipped the damn step, but such is life. You know that bitter finish you taste at a micro-brew place that reminds you it's not Bud? That's what I'm talking about. It has its place, and it is on the IPA brewing style. That's it! Everywhere else it's just a deterrent from the actual flavor of the beer. You heard of Pete's wicked poo? they put that flavor in everything, and that's reason #7462 why I will not spend a dime on Pete's anything.
Next, we tried the Aventinus and the Korbinian. I like the Aventinus because it reminds me of those tasty Belgians like Chimay that I like so much. The fact that it is a German brew (with their strict laws) makes it very interesting, and definitely a winner. It is a bit scary at over 8% ABV. You must respect it. The rest of the guys were kind of knocked back by the heavy clove taste from the bottle fermentation. It's not for everybody :)
The Korbinian was much more in line with the traditional doppel bock style (see Celebrator), and it was definitely good. Very good balance of yeast, malt and hops with a slight bite in the finish. Very good, but I still like Celebrator better. The rest of the guys except one liked this beer also. The one guy that didn't loves the Celebrator as well.
After a pretzel-eating break and a nature call, we checked out the other stuff. Remember that Black label? I poured it in a cup and gave it to the aforementioned buddy. He proclaimed it wasn't bad, and everyone that was in on the joke immediately laughed. I think we caught him off guard because he maintained that it wasn't as bad. I took a sip of it, and I'm still regretting it! Compared with all the other stuff we've had until this point, the black label was absolute garbage! It has a nose that reminds you of pissed-on bar floors, and a taste of warm miller(or bud) mixed with honey or some other sweet thing. Definitely disgusting. Worth the money for the joke, though :)
The Bud American Ale was a beer that I almost wanted to like. I've been waiting for them to actually make a good beer, and the fact that they're willing to try to compete with the likes of Sam Adams gives validity to the changing palate of the American consumer. The beer has a very nice color, a nice head, and a good hoppy nose. The flavor, however, seems muted, and the finish almost IPA hoppy. The moment you drink it, you think "Okay, where's the rest of it?" It lacks something, and the finish is that micro-brew finish hops thing I already bitched about. It almost overpowers the flavor of the beer, as if to make you forget what you just drank. I still give them a B+ for effort. I think it is a good first pass, but it needs work. Everyone agreed that, compared to Sam Adams, it wasn't as good.
If you suffered through that last paragraph about the Bud, then you know what I'm going to say about the Michelob Porter. Good first attempt, but it needs work. This was definitely a Porter designed for the Bud crowd. Too subdued, almost tasting like a dark lager. The malt was too light, and again, the finish hop flavr came back on this one. Same rant here: I had such high hopes for this line... Maybe the others are better?
The Trader Joe's marzen also suffered from the same "toned down example" syndrome of the two above. Everyone else agreed as well. It was almost like a nice alternative lager rather than a good marzen. It is a low-priced beer supposedly made by a decent micro brew company. Maybe the price constraints don't match the labor of the process? I suspect either the target palate doesn't really like a marzen, or the cost of making a true marzen is too high. Who knows?
At the end, the rankings were almost unanimous:
Some people liked the Korbinian more than the Anchor, but I think it is mostly about style preference rather than quality. Porter is not everyone's favorite.
I can't wait to do this again!
Later,
We tried:
Ayinger Oktoberfest
Ayinger Brau Weisse
Aventinus
Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest
Anchor Porter
Weihenstephaner Korbinian
And the odd-balls...
Trader Joe's vienna lager (Marzen)
Budweiser American Ale
Michelob Porter
Black label (yes, I know...)
(I'm not linking the Black Label. It's for your own good)
That last one was bought as a joke for one of the guys that constantly reminisces about his college days and black label. I tend to associate BL with piss, so that should sum it up.
We started with the German examples.
First came the Ayinger Marzen. It was pretty well balanced and it was a crowd favorite. It lacked that "malty" character that I like on the Paulaner Oktoberfest, but Overall, nose and flavor profile was very good.
Second was the Hacker-Pschorr. For some reason, this is not a mark that I enjoy. I have tried their Hefe-weissen, and I find it "lacking". This Marzen fell under the same general category: "Needs something". I would not get this again. There are better examples for a better price, IMO.
Next, the Ayinger Brau Weisse. This was a late addition (along with the Aventinus and the Black Label), and it was a very good one. It had a very good nose, and a great fruit and spice flavor reminiscent of the exotic combos usually found on Belgian whites (like Hooegarten). I could have easily stayed drinking this one, but alas, only two bottles for 6 people :(
The Anchor Porter followed. I was pleasantly surprised. Great roasted malt flavor, and enough body to define it as a porter without weighing it down. A new favorite of mine (still, Sammy Smith's Taddy Porter is my hands-down favorite). Probably the best American Porter I have tasted. I hear the Brooklyn Porter is good, but I have not checked it out yet.
I have this "thing" with modern American brews and their liberal use of finish hops. Sometimes, it is obvious that the finished product would be superior if they have skipped the damn step, but such is life. You know that bitter finish you taste at a micro-brew place that reminds you it's not Bud? That's what I'm talking about. It has its place, and it is on the IPA brewing style. That's it! Everywhere else it's just a deterrent from the actual flavor of the beer. You heard of Pete's wicked poo? they put that flavor in everything, and that's reason #7462 why I will not spend a dime on Pete's anything.
Next, we tried the Aventinus and the Korbinian. I like the Aventinus because it reminds me of those tasty Belgians like Chimay that I like so much. The fact that it is a German brew (with their strict laws) makes it very interesting, and definitely a winner. It is a bit scary at over 8% ABV. You must respect it. The rest of the guys were kind of knocked back by the heavy clove taste from the bottle fermentation. It's not for everybody :)
The Korbinian was much more in line with the traditional doppel bock style (see Celebrator), and it was definitely good. Very good balance of yeast, malt and hops with a slight bite in the finish. Very good, but I still like Celebrator better. The rest of the guys except one liked this beer also. The one guy that didn't loves the Celebrator as well.
After a pretzel-eating break and a nature call, we checked out the other stuff. Remember that Black label? I poured it in a cup and gave it to the aforementioned buddy. He proclaimed it wasn't bad, and everyone that was in on the joke immediately laughed. I think we caught him off guard because he maintained that it wasn't as bad. I took a sip of it, and I'm still regretting it! Compared with all the other stuff we've had until this point, the black label was absolute garbage! It has a nose that reminds you of pissed-on bar floors, and a taste of warm miller(or bud) mixed with honey or some other sweet thing. Definitely disgusting. Worth the money for the joke, though :)
The Bud American Ale was a beer that I almost wanted to like. I've been waiting for them to actually make a good beer, and the fact that they're willing to try to compete with the likes of Sam Adams gives validity to the changing palate of the American consumer. The beer has a very nice color, a nice head, and a good hoppy nose. The flavor, however, seems muted, and the finish almost IPA hoppy. The moment you drink it, you think "Okay, where's the rest of it?" It lacks something, and the finish is that micro-brew finish hops thing I already bitched about. It almost overpowers the flavor of the beer, as if to make you forget what you just drank. I still give them a B+ for effort. I think it is a good first pass, but it needs work. Everyone agreed that, compared to Sam Adams, it wasn't as good.
If you suffered through that last paragraph about the Bud, then you know what I'm going to say about the Michelob Porter. Good first attempt, but it needs work. This was definitely a Porter designed for the Bud crowd. Too subdued, almost tasting like a dark lager. The malt was too light, and again, the finish hop flavr came back on this one. Same rant here: I had such high hopes for this line... Maybe the others are better?
The Trader Joe's marzen also suffered from the same "toned down example" syndrome of the two above. Everyone else agreed as well. It was almost like a nice alternative lager rather than a good marzen. It is a low-priced beer supposedly made by a decent micro brew company. Maybe the price constraints don't match the labor of the process? I suspect either the target palate doesn't really like a marzen, or the cost of making a true marzen is too high. Who knows?
At the end, the rankings were almost unanimous:
- Ayinger Heffe-Weisse
- Ayinger Oktoberfest Marzen
- Anchor Porter
- Korbinian
- Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest
- Aventinus
- Trader Joe's Vienna Lager
- Michelob Porter
- Budweiser American Ale
- Black Label
Some people liked the Korbinian more than the Anchor, but I think it is mostly about style preference rather than quality. Porter is not everyone's favorite.
I can't wait to do this again!
Later,
Friday, August 15, 2008
Restaurant Week Foray #1: The Left Bank
Restaurant week is upon us on once again in the Boston area. It is nice to check out more places "on the cheap". This time, we traveled out of the city to a place called The Left Bank located in the Stonehenge Inn in Tyngsboro, MA close to the border of NH. It is positioned as one of the hidden restaurant jewels in the area. It boasts a large wine selection and a Wine spectator award of excellence. We have friends that live close by, so it seemed like a good choice.
They have a very extensive wine list of primarily "A" list wines. The wine list seemed more "vertical" than usual. They have all the usual big name suspects from California and Bordeaux. The red Burgundy selection was very small for some reason. The Spanish selection was also a little light. The Australia section seemed ok, but I can't remember. In the interest of being fair, I looked at the red wine selection only. Their while wine list might have been different.
If you are looking to do a vertical tasting of many high-end wines, this is the place to go. If you're looking for lots of variety and some of the new players, you will probably not find it here.
The RW menu consisted of either Ceasar salad or potstickers for the starter, Steak, Salmon or Fetuccini for the second course, and Sorbet or a Banana spring roll for dessert. Out of the four of us, three stayed with the RW menu, and one went off-menu. I went for the Caesar salad, the steak, and the spring roll.
The salad course was very good. The truffle oil gave the salad an extra bit of earthiness to go with the Parmesan cheese. I'm not a big fan of Romaine lettuce ribs, and they kept them to a minimum. The Steak was undercooked on all three cases. We ordered medium-rare, medium well and medium. Every single one of them came one-notch back (medium-rare was rare, and so on). The accouterments were very meager for the amount of steak, which was a little disappointing. Being a "veteran" of RW outings and this is the one part where restaurants don't skimp. I wasn't looking for buffet portions, but something that matched the amount of steak would have been nice. It just seemed odd.
The other thing that was a disappointing was the wait staff. They simply disappeared in between . The place seemed busy, but not full by any means. Maybe they're not used to having that volume of people at a given time, or maybe they thought that we were not going to order anything else since we ordered from the prix fixe menu. They probably would have done more drink business with us if they stopped by from time to time. Their loss, I suppose.
Would I go back? sure. It is tough justifying the trip for me having similar places in the city, but if you live in the area, it is certainly a good place to visit.
Later,
They have a very extensive wine list of primarily "A" list wines. The wine list seemed more "vertical" than usual. They have all the usual big name suspects from California and Bordeaux. The red Burgundy selection was very small for some reason. The Spanish selection was also a little light. The Australia section seemed ok, but I can't remember. In the interest of being fair, I looked at the red wine selection only. Their while wine list might have been different.
If you are looking to do a vertical tasting of many high-end wines, this is the place to go. If you're looking for lots of variety and some of the new players, you will probably not find it here.
The RW menu consisted of either Ceasar salad or potstickers for the starter, Steak, Salmon or Fetuccini for the second course, and Sorbet or a Banana spring roll for dessert. Out of the four of us, three stayed with the RW menu, and one went off-menu. I went for the Caesar salad, the steak, and the spring roll.
The salad course was very good. The truffle oil gave the salad an extra bit of earthiness to go with the Parmesan cheese. I'm not a big fan of Romaine lettuce ribs, and they kept them to a minimum. The Steak was undercooked on all three cases. We ordered medium-rare, medium well and medium. Every single one of them came one-notch back (medium-rare was rare, and so on). The accouterments were very meager for the amount of steak, which was a little disappointing. Being a "veteran" of RW outings and this is the one part where restaurants don't skimp. I wasn't looking for buffet portions, but something that matched the amount of steak would have been nice. It just seemed odd.
The other thing that was a disappointing was the wait staff. They simply disappeared in between . The place seemed busy, but not full by any means. Maybe they're not used to having that volume of people at a given time, or maybe they thought that we were not going to order anything else since we ordered from the prix fixe menu. They probably would have done more drink business with us if they stopped by from time to time. Their loss, I suppose.
Would I go back? sure. It is tough justifying the trip for me having similar places in the city, but if you live in the area, it is certainly a good place to visit.
Later,
Sunday, August 10, 2008
EVOO
If you live in the Boston, you have probably heard of EVOO restaurant in Somerville. It is classified as an "eclectic and creative" restaurant that seems to be focused on interesting combinations (like nectarines with thyme and garlic flan) and organic ingredients.
The starters (Fried oysters with apple bacon salsa, Rabbit confit salad) were actually quite good. I was pleasantly surprised that the confit salad actually worked because I was wary of the rosemary dressing working with the port-soaked dried cherries. The wine list had some interesting choices, but for the most part it was "adequate". We stuck to wines by the glass. We had a French Sauvignon Blanc that worked great with the oyster dish. I had a glass of a Cote du Rhone that was good, but not memorable. The Lady had a California Pilot Noir that also pretty decent.
The Main entrées were a mixed bag. My lady got the "Duck, duck, goose", and I got the "Lamb two ways".
The Duck dish was very well executed. Consisting of Goose breast, Confit of duck and foie gras with lentils, haricot-verts, escarole and a sherry-ginger sauce. It was very delicious!
My dish, on the other hand, was disappointing. It was supposed to be a southwest-inspired dish consisting of ribs with adobo sauce, and a lamb empanada. The Adobo ribs were cooked more in the style of a lamb chop. They were also a little too fatty, and to put the nail in the coffin, the adobo sauce tasted more like BBQ than a southwest flavor. Not at all what I had hoped :(
The waiter was very courteous and friendly, but the overall pace of the place is very slow. The Kitchen seems a bit small, so I don't know if that is the root of the cause, but I would hope that they get it sorted out. Looking online for opinions, These things seems like common issues among consumers.
While I don't dislike the place, there are so many other great places in the city that supersede it. I think if wind up returning to the place, I would probably stick with the Duck dish, or something a little more traditional. There are so many good restaurants in the Boston area these days, so I don't think I will be making it back here any time soon.
The starters (Fried oysters with apple bacon salsa, Rabbit confit salad) were actually quite good. I was pleasantly surprised that the confit salad actually worked because I was wary of the rosemary dressing working with the port-soaked dried cherries. The wine list had some interesting choices, but for the most part it was "adequate". We stuck to wines by the glass. We had a French Sauvignon Blanc that worked great with the oyster dish. I had a glass of a Cote du Rhone that was good, but not memorable. The Lady had a California Pilot Noir that also pretty decent.
The Main entrées were a mixed bag. My lady got the "Duck, duck, goose", and I got the "Lamb two ways".
The Duck dish was very well executed. Consisting of Goose breast, Confit of duck and foie gras with lentils, haricot-verts, escarole and a sherry-ginger sauce. It was very delicious!
My dish, on the other hand, was disappointing. It was supposed to be a southwest-inspired dish consisting of ribs with adobo sauce, and a lamb empanada. The Adobo ribs were cooked more in the style of a lamb chop. They were also a little too fatty, and to put the nail in the coffin, the adobo sauce tasted more like BBQ than a southwest flavor. Not at all what I had hoped :(
The waiter was very courteous and friendly, but the overall pace of the place is very slow. The Kitchen seems a bit small, so I don't know if that is the root of the cause, but I would hope that they get it sorted out. Looking online for opinions, These things seems like common issues among consumers.
While I don't dislike the place, there are so many other great places in the city that supersede it. I think if wind up returning to the place, I would probably stick with the Duck dish, or something a little more traditional. There are so many good restaurants in the Boston area these days, so I don't think I will be making it back here any time soon.
Friday, August 8, 2008
A nice summer meal
My lady and I have this very good friend that just came back from visiting family in England. We try to help her our with her ongoing love/hate relationship my her motorcycles (yes, more than one...), and in return she gets us all kinds of good stuff when she travels. Nice deal if you ask me :) This last time, it was no different. She bought me a bottle of one of my favorite scotch whiskies: Isle of Jura Superstition, and some organic Stilton cheese.
I figured the proper thing to do was to make some accoutrement for steak, so we made a blue cheese butter sauce to go with our Rib-eye steaks. It was phenomenal (yes, heart attack on a plate, but oh-so-delicious). we also made Prosciutto-wrapped figs with stilton, and those never disappoint either. We had it with an old standby on the lower price scale: 2003 Chateau Greysac Medoc. I think it is a very good bargain at around 20 dollars. I find it very well rounded with good tannin structure and a perfect finish. I was quite surprised when I discovered it that is was so accesible. I really should have bought a case!
The previous night we tried a new wine: Two Hands Brave Faces. This is a new-world style wine with lots of fruit, full-on attach at the front of the palate, and a deep purple color. I'm not the biggest fan of new-world style wines (I did not care for a bottle of Quintessa I had in California), but I am amenable to the Rhone blends made in the new world style. It is more than the Greysac at mid 30's, but definitely worth a try if you like that style.
My lady was "complaining" that I have a pile of Nicolas Potel wines I haven't touched. I keep telling her that those babies are for long term study! :) I tried finding some of his 2005 Clos St. Denis, but they're almost impossible to get, and the prices are prohibitive. I don't clear that kind of cash.
Later,
I figured the proper thing to do was to make some accoutrement for steak, so we made a blue cheese butter sauce to go with our Rib-eye steaks. It was phenomenal (yes, heart attack on a plate, but oh-so-delicious). we also made Prosciutto-wrapped figs with stilton, and those never disappoint either. We had it with an old standby on the lower price scale: 2003 Chateau Greysac Medoc. I think it is a very good bargain at around 20 dollars. I find it very well rounded with good tannin structure and a perfect finish. I was quite surprised when I discovered it that is was so accesible. I really should have bought a case!
The previous night we tried a new wine: Two Hands Brave Faces. This is a new-world style wine with lots of fruit, full-on attach at the front of the palate, and a deep purple color. I'm not the biggest fan of new-world style wines (I did not care for a bottle of Quintessa I had in California), but I am amenable to the Rhone blends made in the new world style. It is more than the Greysac at mid 30's, but definitely worth a try if you like that style.
My lady was "complaining" that I have a pile of Nicolas Potel wines I haven't touched. I keep telling her that those babies are for long term study! :) I tried finding some of his 2005 Clos St. Denis, but they're almost impossible to get, and the prices are prohibitive. I don't clear that kind of cash.
Later,
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
