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2B
♦ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2006
The
noble
grape
Ifyou read about Burgundy
even a little, you are sure
to hear about it being the
most exciting, most roman
tic, and sexiest of all wines.
You will also hear that the
Pinot Noir, the grape of red
Burgundy, is fickle and fin
icky and is very difficult to
coax great
wine out
of year
after year.
Real
Burgundy
is not a
color, but
a wine
■PRIIHRt w
that comes Brian Goodall
from The Wine Guy
Morris News Service
France,
is made
of Pinot Noir, and will say
Bourgogne on the label.
It is not made by Carlo
Rossi and you can’t get it for
five bucks a bottle.
The Burgundy region
of France contains sub
regions which produce
wines of a somewhat differ
ent style even thought they
are from the same grape.
Cote de Nuits selections
tend to be deep, full bodied
wines that match up well
with lamb and prime rib.
The Cote de Beaune style
is lighter, and often more
appropriate with poultry or
ham.
Since most of the world’s
wine exporting nations are
growing varietals that have
their roots in France, com
parisons are naturally going
to be made.
Pinot Noirs from around
the world continue to be
held up against Burgundies
and judged accordingly.
The good news is, most
varietally labeled Pinot Noir
is far less expensive than
Burgundy, and more and
more of it is very good.
The days of Pinot being
an afterthought are gone,
and as growers adjust to its
wants and needs in the vine
yard, the wine keeps getting
better and better.
Many of the more
Burgundian style Pinots
made in the US come from
Oregon where the cooler cli
mate and long growing sea
son allow the grape to devel
op its character more fully.
Washington State and parts
of California are also making
noteworthy Pinot Noir in a
wide range of styles.
Unfortunately, the same
phenomenon that swept
over domestic wineries when
Merlot became the darling
of the American public now
threatens the integrity of
Pinot Noir as the rush to
make a quick buck is on.
The market is already
being flooded with hastily
produced wines that bear lit
tle or no resemblance either
to Burgundy or even vari
etally correct Pinot Noir.
Of course the consumer
is king, so if these wines
sell, one can hardly fault
the makers, but I fear the
good reputation this grape
deserves may be tarnished
as first time buyers pick
up wines that truly do not
reflect what Pinot Noir is
supposed to be.
You certainly don’t have
to spend thirty dollars a bot
tle, but you probably need
to shell out more than six
or eight to get something
appreciable.
Next week, I will be review
ing Burgundies and Pinots
from a variety of countries
and regions.
These will also reflect a
wide range of price points, so
there should be something
for everyone.
To share your thoughts,
wine experiences, or to ask
a question, write me at
goodellwineguy@sbcglobal.
net
From sea to shining sea
Beignets, dirty rice and gumbo
“It had a French face, a Spanish
soul and African hands. Soon it
would get an Italian heart and a
Cajun smile.”
Tom Fitzmorris, on the history of New Orleans food
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Lifestyle Editor
“On August 29, 2005, one
of the most vital and impor
tant capitals of the culinary
world came to a complete
and abrupt halt Hurricane
Katrina, the most destruc
tive storm in the history
of the United states, shut
down all of the restaurants
in New Orleans and those
within a hundred miles in
every direction.”
Those words were written
by Tom Fitzmorris, noted
New Orleans restaurant
critic and radio personal
ity, just three weeks after
the hurricane hit, when he
had set his mind to writing
a cookbook, with a portion
of the funds to donated to
Habitat for Humanity.
The resulting cookbook,
named simply “New Orleans
Food,” has an introduction
by Emeril, and a wealth,
of entertaining comments
and background informa
tion along with some very
tempting recipes.
The recipes, apparent
ly influenced as much by
Fitzmorris’ mother’s home
cooking as by the great
meals he has enjoyed in
New Orleans restaurants,
cover a lot of territory.
The recipes range from
a simple dish of field peas
and rice to a New Orleans*
Bouillabaisse that begins
with making a stock of the
bones, heads and scraps
from a 5-8 lb. whitefish
with the livers and gills
removed.
You’ll find the jambalayas
and gumbos in this book,
but also a good many sim
pler dishes, and it includes a
couple of pages on that end
lessly debated New Orleans
culinary task, the making
of roux.
Here are some recipes to
try, and don’t be put off by
the length of the instruc
tions. Fitzmorris apparently
believes in giving his read
ers the kind of step-by-step
guidance that can be a help
in cooking any dish for the
first time.
“New Orleans Food,” pub
lished by Stewart, Tabori &
Chang at a cost of $19.95, is
available at area bookstores
or from major on-line book
sellers.
Beignets
This is the traditional New
Orleans breakfast pastry, a
deep-fried square of dough,
dredged in confectioners’
sugar and served with case
au lait. Fitzmorris’ home
recipe bypasses the use of
yeast.
2 cups self-rising flour
3 tablespoons Crisco
1 tablespoon sugar
Vegetable oil for fry
ing
1 cup confectioners’
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sugar, sifted
1. Combine the flour
and Crisco in a bowl with
a wire whisk until the mix
ture resembles course corn
meal, with perhaps a few
lumps here and there.
2. Warm % cup of
water in the microwave oven
until barely warm to the
touch. Pour the water into
a large bowl, add the sugar
and stir until dissolved. Add
the flour mixture and blend
it with a kitchen fork. Work
the dough as little as pos
sible.
3. Turn the dough out
on a deem counter and dust
with a little flour. Roll it out
to a uniform thickness of
about V* inch. Cut into rect
angles about 2x4 inches.
Let sit for a couple of min
utes while you heat the oil.
4. Pour oil to a depth
of 1 inch in a large, deep
skillet and heat to about
325 degrees. When the beig
net dough squares have
softened and puffed up a
little, drop 4-6 at a
time into the hot
oil and fry until
light brown. Turn
once and fry the
other side. Drain
on paper towels.
It’s all right to
fry the misshapen
dough pieces from
the edge of the
dough sheet.
5. Dust with
confectioners
sugar and serve
hot.
Dirty Rice
Va lb. chicken
giblets (hearts
removed)
1 large yellow
onion, quar
tered
1 green
bell pepper,
stemmed and
seeded
1 rib celery
halved
Vs lb. ground
port
2 tablespoons
butter
2 teaspoons
salt-free Creole
seasoning
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce
Vx teaspoon crushed
red pepper
Vi teaspoon marjoram
2 Vi cups chicken
stock
1 Vi cups Uncle Ben’s
or other parboiled rice
Freshly ground black
pepper to taste
1. Preheat the oven to
300 degrees. Working in 2-
3 batches, finely chop the
giblets, onion, bell pepper
and celery in a food pro
cessor. Set aside. Saute the
ground pork in a skillet
until all the pink is gone.
Drain the excess fat and
1500 Sam Nunn Blvd.
Exit 136
(Sat in Quality I an)
FOOD
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*****
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Sep
The spirit of New Orleans is represented by this landmark statue of Andrew
Jackson.
set aside.
Tom .
Titzmorrub
Orleans
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2. Melt the butter I a
large, heavy saucepan. Add
the giblet-vegetable mixture
and saute until the onion is
clear. Add the Creole sea
soning, the 2 teaspoons of
salt, Worcestershire sauce,
crushed red pepper and
marjoram, and stir to com
bine. Cover the pot, lower
the heat, and let simmer
while you prepare the rice.
3. Put the stock, rice
and salt to taste in another
saucepan. Bring the stock
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•PLUMS
•SHILLED
PEAS
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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
to a boil,
lower to
a simmer,
cover and
cook 25
minutes
or until
all the
liquid
has been
absorbed.
4.
4. When
the rice
is cooked,
fluff it
with a
kitchen
fork and
add it to
the pan
with the
chicken
vegetable
mixture.
Add the
ground
pork and
stir to
distrib
ute all
the ingre
dients.
Season
to taste
with salt
and pep-
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Experience warm Southern
hospitality while dining with family
andfriends.
Open Tuesday - Saturday
10:00 am-5:00 pm
for lunch, specialty desserts
and afternoon tea
neworleans.oom
5. Plase the rice loose
ly in a casserole dish and
bake for 5 minutes or longer
if the rice is very damp. It
should be a little dry but not
hard.
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•SEASOHAL
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Owners:
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