From Duskie.... I just went somewhere in California I adored: Yosemite! I had not been there since I was 16 to climb half dome with some of my high school buddies. That was a summer trip of teenagers. I remembered being scared, us being full of drama and hormones, and the dichotomy of the intense natural creation amidst buses and bodies. Odd. In the winter, twenty plus years later, Yosemite took me! I feel no words justly describe or honor what that place feels like. I could say AWEsome, AMAZing, WONDERous. It’s not enough. It’s not enough to say it took my breath away, but it absolutely did. The ever whiteness of the snow cover makes the trees, mountains, and all you can see just perfect. We went to cook a dinner and offer a cooking class at the Ahwahnee about our favorite thing, the pig. They offer winter series of classes and dinners in January and February. Each series starts off with a “Meet the Chefs” reception. I wasn’t quite sure what we were getting ourselves into and it ended up being one of my favorite moments of the weekend… a chance for the attendees to meet us and the other chefs (Percy Whatley of the Ahwahnee, Mark Estee of Moody’s Bistro, Georgeanne Brennan, an award winning author, and Bill LeBlond from Chronicle Books), mingle, ask questions, and chat. In between our prep days in the kitchen, we snuck out for a snowshoe trek with our 5 and 6 year olds, a few spins and twirls around their outdoor ice skating rink, and to make a gathering of “snow pigs” (winter sports available through mid-march). We are definitely sure to go back again and again for winter. This is a special place. Head out! Here is a recipe and wine pairing with none other than our dear friend, the pig (see recipe below) …
From Ziggy... While Duskie headed South towards Yosemite, I actually ventured North to Mendocino! My mission is to catch the tail end of the Mendocino Crab & Wine Days events as well as to enjoy the 3rd annual International Alsace Varietals Wine Festival. To me, one of the most beautiful drives in California you can experience is the road to Mendocino. As you cruise up Hwy 101 through glorious Sonoma County--passing picturesque vineyards and old barns, it sets the mood for your turn onto Hwy 128.... the tempo quickly slows from 65 mph to a leisurely 35-40 mph; at which point you're saying, 'oohhh, aahhh' at every winding curve - - - the impulse to stop and take a picture is ever present the entire drive. My first stop -mandatory on every trip to Mendocino- is in Boonville. This cute, very small town (pop. 700) is home to the Mendocino County Fairgrounds, the FABulous Boonville Hotel (great hotel and restaurant), Anderson Valley Brewery, Mosswood Market & Cafe, Stella Cadente Olive Oil Bar, Claudia Springs Winery & Raye's Hill Winery tasting rooms as well as a few cute shops. I pull into Mosswood Cafe to enjoy a bite of lunch. Everything on the menu is made from scratch, using only fresh local ingredients. I enjoy a beautiful sandwich of seasonal roasted vegetables & local goat cheese along with a lovely glass of local wine. I then take a couple of minutes to stretch my legs and wonder through a few stores and fun boutiques for a little retail therapy. Before too long, I'm back in the car continuing on Hwy 128 entering the Anderson Valley. This incredible wine appellation is known for producing world class Pinot Noir as well as amazing aromatic white wines, like; Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc & Muscat. The 3rd Annual International Alsace Varietals festival takes place here in a few days....first, I'm heading out to the Mendocino coast to enjoy the annual Crab and Wine days, as well as to try and catch a glimpse of some migrating whales.
Every season is great for visiting Mendocino. But now, winter time, everything here seems perfect! I've arrived just in time to enjoy the 'Crab Cake Cookoff'. This fun annual event takes place under a large white tent at Mendocino's Noyo Harbor on waters edge. Noyo Harbor is a quaint little area/village where the fisherman depart and return bringing their catch. All the chef's arrive and prepare their version of fresh crab cakes in hopes of winning top prize. Several different wineries from Mendocino set up their wines to taste in between each of the chef's. This unique event allows you to taste excellent wines along with delicious hand crafted crab cakes. With my fill of wonderful wines and scrumptious crab cakes, I head to Glass Beach to take a stroll and look for whales. While the wind is chilly, the skies are blue and it's a great winter walk on the beach.....what a fabu way to enjoy a day. I must now get checked into my hotel before I head to my favorite Bistro for a crab themed dinner. Mendocino Coast has some fantastic places to stay. The historic Little River Inn, The Brewery Gulch Inn, & The Mendocino Hotel are my favorites.
Just north of the village of Mendocino is a town called Fort Bragg. Fort Bragg is home to my favorite dining spot, Mendo Bistro! Chef/Owner Nicholas Petti has a wonderfully creative menu with a focus on local ingredients-- fish, meats, produce, cheese and wine. Nicholas and his beautiful wife Jaimi are the kind of folks you just want to hang out with. Hip, fun and real! They have done a fantastic job at creating this groovy bistro. The atmosphere is comfortable, spacious and casual with an upscale twist. I enjoy another awesome Mendo Bistro dinner ; award winning crab cakes, sauteed black cod with rock shrimp ravioli and spinach pesto. For dessert, their famous candy cap crème brulee is outstanding. (candy cap is a type of mushroom that tastes just like maple syrup). I am now eager for a good night's sleep, dreaming only of my exciting ventures the following day. No trip to the Mendocino Coast is complete without a visit to the historic Little River Inn for breakfast. Of course, like many of the places here this time of year, they have several seasonal fresh crab items on their menu. The Crab Cake Benedict at Little River Inn is a classic! With a view of the ocean, incredible food & great service, it's a fab start to my day. Actually, it is also the perfect place to end your day too... as their bar, “Ole's Whale Watch Bar” (named after the Inn's founder) has billion dollar views of the ocean. Legendary bartender, Sue Bondoux, makes you feel right at home—where you can enjoy a casual dinner and drinks (note: they have a great selection of local wines by the glass) or you can venture back to their all star dining experience with Chef Marc Dym. Of note, the wine list here is one of the BEST you will find! .... wtg, John Sverko... A great trip to the Mendocino Coast...and yes, I did see whales-- 4 of them, playing in the sea near Fort Bragg.
It's now time to head to the 3rd Annual International Alsace Varietals Festival. This annual event is held at the Mendocino Fairgrounds in Boonville. This year, 35 wineries participate. While there are a number of wineries participating from Mendocino's Anderson Valley, there are also wineries from several other spectacular California appellation's, Texas, New Zealand, Oregon, Michigan, France and Germany. Traditional Alsace fare is made by local restaurant's and caterers. The food is fantastic and the wines are amazing. It's always such a treat to have the winemaker present to talk about the vineyards and winemaking! It helps to paint the canvas creating the picture of where the wines come from. To be honest, I am missing Duskie right about now, as there are so many great pork based dishes and incredible Riesling's (Duskie's favorite varietal). She would absolutely love it! And, for me? Nothing is better than a perfect piece of pork and a glass of Pinot Blanc followed by a glass of Pinot Noir! Brings me right back to Alsace....
I enjoy my drive back through the scenic Hwy 128 and daydream about my return to beautiful mesmerizing Mendocino.
Cheers! - Ziggy, The Wine Gal
RECIPES
apricot, bourbon, and vanilla braised pork shank
serves 4 – 8 people
4 pork shanks, (ask your butcher to cut these “osso bucco style”)
1 cup bourbon
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon ground allspice
a healthy pinch of chili flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and rough chop
3 ribs celery, rough chop
2 onions, julienned
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup dried apricots
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and scraped
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
to make the marinade, combine the bourbon, vinegar, molasses, allspice, and chili flakes. Marinate the shanks over night in the refrigerator. Remove the shanks and reserve marinade. preheat the oven to 350°. Pat the shanks dry and season with salt and pepper. Sear in large sauté pan on medium high heat until browned on all sides, about 10 – 15 minutes. Transfer to a roasting pan. Add the reserved marinade, stock, brown sugar, apricots, and vanilla pods and seeds. In a large sauté pan with oil on medium high heat, saute the carrot, celery, onion, and ginger until browning and aromatic, about 5 minutes. Add to the shanks. Cover with foil and braise until the meat begins to fall from the bone, about 3 hours. Remove the shanks and strain the braising liquid and reduce by half in a saucepan on medium high heat, occasionally skimming to remove the fat. Return the solids to the sauce and puree with an immersion blender (or in a blender). Meanwhile, peel the outer skin from the shanks with a pair of tongs. Adjust seasoning of the sauce to your taste (with salt, chili flakes, vinegar, and brown sugar). Serve with mashed potatoes!
WINE PAIRINGS
2006 GIRASOLE, PINOT BLANC, MENDOCINO
Aroma's of leechee nuts, apricots and spice bring you at medium to full bodied flavors of red apples, pears, vanilla, citrus and a hint of young apricot. The texture is velvety and the finish is long and lingering. This is one of my favorite white wines so far this year. Very limited production and VERY affordable. The grapes are grown organically by Charlie Barra of Girasole Vineyards, one of my most admired Mendocino winegrowers. Charlie has just finished his 62nd harvest! He has farmed every one of those organically. One my favorite quotes from Charlie is "I've been farming Organically for 62 years......the first 40 I didn't even know it!"
2005 TOULOUSE ESTATE, PINOT NOIR, ANDERSON VALLEY-
Beautiful garnet in color. Seductive aromas of cherry, spice, framboise and violets fill the glass and draw you to flavors of earth laced red fruits, tea leaves, plum and spice. WOW is this nice! A terrific food wine. Toulouse Vineyards is quite small, growing only about 50 tons of grapes total. (1 ton of grapes = @ 2 1Ž2 barrels of wine) I fell in love with their wines the moment I tried them. Owner/Winemaker Vern Boltz is a retired firefighter and is really creating some beautiful limited production wines as well as a cult name with this vineyard.