Pinot Noir and Wild Caught Cedar Planked Salmon

 There are tales a plenty!  Tales of good fish and good red wine---together!

I have had red wines and fish together many times and it definitely works.  When pairing red wine with fish, keep in mind that a light red wine like Pinot Noir or Beaujolais will complement and not over-power the flavor of a grilled, smoked or baked  fish.  Once you start adding sauces and different preparations, the wine suggestions will include some bolder reds. 

My father in law, Abe came down with his brother Raymond for a special visit.  Raymond has been living near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  Being an avid hunter and fisherman, Raymond came to the house with a special treat in hand--Steelhead Salmon he had caught himself in clearwater river just below Dworshak Dam.  The nearly 20 pound fish found itself on the cutting board of Chef Mark.  The big fish was filleted and made to walk the plank--the cedar plank. 

This was the perfect occasion to pull out the two bottles of 2006 Argyle, Dundee Hills, Cowhouse Pinot Noir that we had been saving. 

The cast was set and the show was as follows:

We served the Salmon with Grilled Fennel, Asparagus, Mushrooms and Peppers and a
Cast Iron Quinoa-Jasmine Rice Pilaf

Oh yeah.  It was Excellent!  Next time you should join us!

Rewards of Teaching

Greetings Everyone!

I have been teaching Culinary Arts at PPCC for five years now and with each semester I have the priveledge of meeting, working with and educating future chefs. 

Not all who go through our school will become chefs.  As we all know a chef is someone who will go the extra mile, work harder and longer then the average cook.  A chef studies more, learns more and develops individuals, creates the menu and leads a kitchen.

So what does my opinion of what a chef is have to do with the rewards of teaching?

I've seen many students through out the years of teaching moved on into kitchens around the area, country and even the world, and grow into very good culinarians.  Some have even started their own restaurants, catering businesses, and cooking shows and a few are now chefs. 

Just before Christmas this year, I was relaxing at the homefront enjoying my wonderful home nicely decorated with a fresh beautiful Pointsetta for the holidays.  The phone rang and a grateful past student Nathan Jordan called to inform me of his new promotion.  He was now Sous Chef at his latest job. 

Nathan wanted to invite my wife and I in for a dinner.  This was his way of thanking me for all that I had taught him in his years at the college.  He told me that I influenced him so much and that he would have not done so well if not for me.  Wow!  That made my toque tight and of course, I accepted.  

We went out to an excellent dinner at Nosh Restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs.   I had been to Nosh a few times before and enjoyed it just fine.  Now they had a new chef, sous chef and menu to offer.

Shane Lyons is the Excutive Chef and Nathan is the Sous.  We were greeted by both chefs at arrival and told not to order.  They had planned our meal for us.  Our meal went like this:

A Flight of Soups--Coconut & Lentil, Puree of Carrot with Chile Oil and Butternut Squash Bisque with Apple Butter & Brown Sugar

Excellent Starter!

 Spicy Buffilo Wings

Perfect Crispyness and Flavor on These Wings

A Salad Trio of Beet Caprese, Basil chiffonade, Pesto and Cheese

Shredded Buffalo with Breaded Onions and Pickled Carrots

A Chicken Liver Pate with Pickled Red Onion and Whipped Honey

Bangers --Apple Sausage and Miso Sausage

These were excellent!

Chicken with Brown Sugar Apple Butter Sauce

Dessert! Okay--the dessert might need some attention!

What did we think?  Excellent flavors, beautiful atmosphere and great service.
Overall, this couple in shades gave it our Mark Of Excellence!

California Cabernets

BoaVentura's  2007 Cabernet Sauvignon - Black Label from Livermore California.

The photos below are a selection of ingredients that omit aromas associated with wines.  It is intresting to see them in the class and adds a nice visual intrest.



Aromas Found in Wines

As the weather consistently gets colder here in Colorado Springs this early January, I have two wonderful thoughts to comfort me.  One is the thought that I will be vacationing in sunny Flordia very soon.  The other is the thought of enjoying this lovely bottle of red wine with my beautiful wife, Kerri Jo.

Let's learn something about the Cabernet Sauvignon.

A hybrid offspring of the Sauvignon blanc and the Cabernet Franc, the Cabernet Sauvignon could be the dominate grape of the world as far as many are concerned.  We love Cabs and they are among our favorite wines to drink. 

The small black, thick skined grape produces wines that carry aromas and flavors of black currants fresh or stewed, green bell pepper, cigar box, leather, chocolate, cedar and notes of mint and violet.

They are medium to full bodied with medium to high tannins and medium to high acidity full of richness and liveliness.

This grape thrives everywhere it has been planted arond the world, however the predominate growing regions most recognized include: Bordeaux, California, Australia and Chile.  In California, the well known Cabs are from Sonoma, Napa and Paso Robles.  

Today we get to explore Livermore in the Central Coast and spice up our day with this limited production of Cabernet Sauvignon from Brett and Monique at BoaVentura de Caires Winery. 

A blend of 50% grape juice from the back flat area of the winery and 50% grape juice from the front slope where the grapes develop a rich earthness and mineral quality that make this wine something to be desired.

BoaVentura de Caires Winery is located at 9309 Tesla Road in Livermore California and is opened for tastings the first weekend of each month.  Owners Brett and Monique hand craft all the wines themselves and the grapes are all hand picked as well.  The Winery was established in 2000 and is located on a five acre lot that was once an old ranch, still lurking with chickens, dogs, geese, goats and maybe even a donkey, kids and lots of love as far as I could tell.  

I learned from Brett that he developed the art of winemakeing from family and friends like Karl Wente, Noah Taylor and many others.  It Does not matter to us, his wine is excellent.

In the old barn that serves as the Winery's tasting room a bar is constructed of tables from an old San Fransisco orphanage.  BoaVentura wines sell out really fast and are sought after by lovers of fine wines from everywhere.   They produce mostly Cabernet Sauvignon but also offer a small seclection of Petite Sirah, Syrah and a white table wine.  We love their Cabs.

How to Make Tamales--Click link below

El Tamale.pptx - Google Docs

Kerri Jo's Birthday night Out in Denver @ Cafe Brazil and The Living Room

October 23 we celebrated by going out on the town in Denver.
Starting early that day at Jeanne's house we enjoyed appetizers and a bottle of 2005 Gundlach Bundschu Merlot from Sonoma. What a treat.
At 8:00pm we arrived at Cafe Brazil. Kerri's brother, Casey arranged our reservation.
We loved the atmosphere, restaurant style, interior paint, art on the walls, clean restrooms and the simple cork decorations.
The service staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Our evening went like this...



Cafe Brazil boasts a wonderful selection of fine Rums and Wines from South America.

The Rum caught this Pirate's eye.

And the Wine? We selected Tabali Pinot Noir from Chile.

Kj and I become a 'Couple In Shades' and embark on a perfect night in Denver


Kerri's brother Casey, Kerri Jo and Mark in between courses

The girls are smiling big and having fun

Kj's Grouper My Dinner Entree - Xim Xim
We ended our evening at the Living Room www.coclubs.com/venue in downtown Denver. Where we listen to the music of Elizabeth Rose. The music was fantastic. We like discovering new music and restaurants.

Here is a link to the band's web page-- http://www.elizabethrose.net/. The Living room was top notch in atmosphere, service and style. One of Regas Christou's hot spots in the Denver Metropolitan scene.

We gave this night a perfect 10 as far as great evenings go and we also put our Mark of Excellence seal of approval on both these establishments. Check 'em out next time you're in the Denver area!

Coaching the 2010 Pikes Peak Region Student Team Competition

I recently coached a Student Team from Pikes Peak Culinary School. We competed state-wide to represent our Chapter/School at the regional ACF Conference happening in April. Here are some photos of the team in action!




This is the team preparing to create a feast! The actual food is center...and here's the display

Members of the team stand at attention during judging.

Amuse Bouche--Spanish Olive Tapenade over Amontillado Sherry

Zarzuela--A Seafood Stew from Spain

Salad--Red Onion, Valencia Orange and Fennel with Pomegranate Vinaigrette



Poulet Saute a la Catalane / Almond and Chocolate Torta

All this effort earned us an ACF Bronze Medal!

We also honed our skills, increased our knowledge in many ways and grew as professionals.

Cooking Japanese Cuisine at School with Class

Cooking Asian at home is one thing. Let's take it to school and cook with the students. Above are photos of International Cuisine class and their Japanese Cuisine Lab.

Cooking Japanese/Asian at our house with guests

Miso soup--

I've made this dish many times over the past 14 years and I still remember the first time I encountered it. I was the Banquet Sous Chef at the Orchid at Mauna Lani Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii. I had to make a batch for a 200 person banquet. I thought this soup was extremely salty and the presense of tofu and seaweed only made it more nasty.

My tastes have grown over the years and today I often hear my son order it from a restaurant menu all on his own.

My Miso Soup doesn't always come out the way I think it should. Here is a shot of another attempt. I will not give up and will someday master the art of preparing Miso Soup.

Making Sushi for the next course...

Just a few rolls of steamed sushi rice with rice wine vinegar, salt, sugar, mayo and wasabi, crab meat, long beans, carrots and nori paper.

From the sushi to these steamed pork buns. These were not created by me, but they reminded me of my days in Hawaii. I used to snack on these Mauna Pua Buns.

Next, we enjoyed steamed Edamame coated lightly with Hawaiian sea salt.

TempuraVegetables. Tempura batter is so easy and cheap. Ice cold water or soda water, egg and a light flour. (maybe rice flour) Stir these together with your chopsticks and keep the batter a bit lumpy. We used a sweet chili and shoyu sauce with scallions for dipping.

Now some steamed Chinese Long beans tossed with Sesame Oil, Shoyu and Sesame seeds. These beans are nutritious, delicious and classy.

Next--are you getting full????? We deep fried a wonderful batch of Coconut Shrimp. This may not be traditional Japanese cuisine, but they sure went great with our meal! Sauce consisted of chiles and guava jelly.

Our meal included steamed rice, the long beans and the coconut shrimp. We paired it with a great Riesling from Chateau St. Michelle and ended with this bottle of Ty Ku Sake. Oh yeah!