Alsace, Wines & Sürkrüt (*)

(*) Sauerkraut or Choucroute garnie (French for dressed sauerkraut), choucroute is a phonologically French form of Alsatian Sürkrüt, c.f. German Sauerkraut) - a famous Alsatian recipe for preparing sauerkraut with sausages and other salted meats and charcuterie, and often potatoes.

Spes nemo mos eat meus saeta colo colui cultum est amo sauerkraut (*)

Choucroute in French is also the name of a sort of beehive hair style with a slightly disorderly appearance, first sported by French actress Brigitte Bardot in the 1960s. Her blond hair arranged in such a hairstyle was deemed reminiscent of choucroute heaped high on a plate, hence the name. Cool huh?

(*) from Latin: Hope no one will eat my hair - the color is like sauerkraut

Alsace

Historically part of the Holy Roman Empire, the Alsace has passed between French and German control numerous times, resulting in a rich cultural blend. Alsace is today a very peacefully French area on the boarder of Germany. It was not always like this: for hundred of years, this place has been the grounds of many wars, and often changed hands between the German and the French. |more information|

As a result of this, most of the population of this area are polygote: they speak both German and French. They have the same culture and same culinary traditions, one of them being the Sürkrüt in German or the Choucroute in French.

Famous people from Alsace:

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (August 2, 1834 – October 4, 1904) was a French sculptor born in Colmar, Alsace. His most famous work is the Statue of Liberty, donated in 1886 by the Franco-American Union to the United States. Rumours all over France claimed the body of the statue was modeled over his mistress, and the face based on his mother. Bartholdi traveled to the United States to personally select New York Harbor as the site for the statue. |more information|

Johannes Gensfleisch zur Ladenzum Gutenberg (c. 1400 – February 3, 1468)
Born in Germany, it was during the ten years he spent in Strasbourg that he perfected his method of printing using movable metal type. As a result of his invention at the end of the 15th C, Strasbourg and Nuremberg were the cities with the largest number of printers in the world.
|more information|

Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac, (February 22, 1040 – July 13, 1105) better known as Rashi, is one of the most famous Biblical commentators of all times Born in Troyes, Rashi departed while in his teens to study at the Yeshivot of Mainz and Worms. He returned to Troyes and founded his own yeshiva in 1067. Rashi completed this commentary in the last years of his life. His commentary, which covers nearly all of the Babylonian Talmud (a total of 30 tractates), has been included in every version of the Talmud since its first printing in Italy in the fifteenth century.|more information|



Alfred Dreyfus (9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French artillery officer of Jewish background whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most sensational political dramas in modern French and also European history. It is still known today as the Dreyfus Affair.



Marcel Marceau (March 22, 1923 – September 22, 2007) was a well-known mime artist.
Marceau performed all over the world in order to spread the "art of silence" (L'art du silence). Marceau passed away on September 22, 2007. He was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France. He was honoured with two minutes of silence, a particularly appropriate gesture.

Alsace Wines - Notable Facts

Seventy miles long and two miles wide, Alsace is a beautiful,
picturesque region situated along the border of France and Germany, nestled between the Voges Mountains and the Rhine River. These landmarks give Alsace an ideal climate for the white grapes that have become the mainstays of the region

Riesling Grapes
Alsace wines have four noble varieties: Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat. These are the only varietals allowed in the 50 Alsacian Grand Cru wines. Pinot Blanc, while not noble, is key in making many of the Cremant d'Alsace (sparkling wines) and is found in many Alsace AC blends.

Most of the wines from the region are dry – with steely acidity and round fruit flavors, typically more full bodied (aka, more alcohol) than their German counterparts. There are also sweet wines and of course sparkling.|more information|

Riesling is considered the lord of Alsatian whites. Riesling is also considered one of the noblest of vines. The warmer, drier and sunny Alsatian climate makes distinctively different Riesling than in Germany. It is fuller-bodied, more intensely fruity and dry to the palate. At the sweet extreme of the spectrum, Riesling is responsible for many of the world’s best dessert wines.

Somewhat prone to Botrytis cinerea (aka ‘noble rot)’, Riesling in some vintages makes sweet wines classified as Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese in Germany, Vendages Tardives and Selectiones de Grains Nobles in Alsace. |more information|

2004 was a great vintage for Riesling, and a very good vintage in Alsace, with extremely healthy, ripe grapes and beautiful crisp acidity. One could compare this vintage with famous vintages like 1995 or 1996, which were wonderful vintages for classic Rieslings.
The grapes harvested in late October. The fruit was fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel and concrete vats. There was no secondary malolactic fermentation, so as to maintain as much natural acidity as possible. The wine was released after two years of cellar aging.

Back to Sauerkraut or Choucroute:

The French choucroute - a la mode de l'alsace, the one from Strasbourg, or from the other side of the border, the German Sauerkraut are all similar. Some are using white wine, other are using Beer, some will use Champagne, but all will have the same basic: Fermented "choux", cooked for a long time at a low temperature, with smoked part of pork added, together with other pieces of meat - mainly pork.

The Sauerkraut Fermentation Process:
By definition, sauerkraut is "acidic cabbage." It is the result of a natural fermentation by bacteria indigenous to cabbage in the presence of 2 to 3% salt. The fermentation yields lactic acid as the major product. This lactic acid, along with other minor products of fermentation, gives sauerkraut its characteristic flavor and texture. In the production of sauerkraut, mature cabbage heads are washed and shredded. The salt is mixed with the shredded cabbage to a final concentration of about 2.5%. The salted cabbage is then tightly packed into a tierce or crock. The cabbage is protected from air (oxygen) in a manner that will permit gases produced during the fermentation to escape. A temperature of about 21.1°C (70°F) is preferred for the fermentation. About five weeks is required for a complete fermentation.|more information|

My Recipe of the week:

Choucroute Garnie (Sauekrut)

beer ero melior tamen ego can recipero vinum(*)

It is winter: Here in Montreal it is dark at 17:00, Cold, windy, plenty of snow - it is time to have sauerkraut with some nice smoked meat and sausages. Although sauerkraut is a traditionally German and Eastern European dish, the French annexation of Alsace and Lorraine brought this dish to the attention of French chefs and it has since been widely adopted in France.

In principle, there is no fixed recipe for this dish - any preparation of hot sauerkraut with meat and potatoes could qualify - but in practice there are certain traditions, favourite recipes, and stereotypical garnishes that are more easily called choucroute garnie than others.

Traditional recipes call for three types of sausage: Frankfurt sausages, Strasbourg sausages, and Montbéliard sausages. Fatty, inexpensive or salted cuts of pork also often form a part of choucroute garnie, including ham hocks, pork knuckles and shoulders, back bacon and slices of salt pork.

(*) from Latin: "Beer will be better - but I can accept wine"


Mood: Winter-Nostalgic




15 min prep, 2:15h cooking




6 servings




Easy




Drink matching: Gewurtztraminer or Riesling wine



Ingredients:


1 Kg of sauerkraut (about 2lb or 3.5 can of 11 oz)




3 middle sized white onions cut in chunks





4 cloves garlic, peeled




4-6 Potatoes





1 apple, cut in chunks





6 Bratwursts




300-500 gr. Double smoked bacon



6-8 Frankfurters wurstchens





600 gr. Smoked pork




6-8 Knackwursts



400-600 gr. Kassler rippchen




10 Juniper berries




2-3 bay leaf




5 Cloves




Coarse salt




1 litre of Beer

A great song to listen to wile having a beer and tasting the Choucroute!

Preparation: (it is very easy!)

• First and crucial step will be to drain, rinse for 5 minutes (with a lot of cold fresh water) and squeeze dry the sauerkraut.

• Then, Cut bacon in cubes and saute in a heavy saucepan. you do not have to add any oil, the bacon will melt and give enough oil for the all process wile adding a great taste and flavour. this should take about 5 minutes.

• When lightly crisp, add onions and garlic and saute until tender. Add the sauerkraut, the beer, juniper berries, bay leaf, and the apple. Mix all ingredients well, cover, bring to a boil and simmer slowly 1 ½ hours.

• Add all the meats: the Kassler rippchen, knackwurst, smoked pork, bratwurst and frankfurters. Add the potatoes on top.

• Cover and continue simmering at low temperature for another 20-30 minutes until potatoes are done.

Important:

• Do not add to much salt: the meats are already salty, taste before serving, then decide!
  
• Make sure you have enough liquids and it is not getting dry. if needed - add more beer.
• It is a long BUT at low temperature cooking process.
  

Bon Appétit!

Useful links:

Tourisme Alsace.com - a useful site in multi-languages. recommended.
Everything about the Alsatian Wineroad. My recommendation "Alsace Routes des Vins")
Les Vin D'Alsace - dedicated to the wines from Alsace (France), very detailed!
The Wine Cast Blog - a great review on Wines, mostly from North America

They have some great beers in Montreal (*)

(*) And some other great stuff as well, la vie est belle au Quebec!

Quebec

|more information|

You can get some nice beers in Montreal:
Since choucroute (see next post) goes well with beer, and we had as deserts cooked pears in fruity beers (see last post), it was clear that we will go shopping at the Atwater Market (were you can find anythings from anywhere in the world), and after 2 hours - I was already in a (french) animated discussion with Gabriel Bourcier, a great Quebequoi guy working at "La Fromagerie Atwater" . This place is a great delicatessen with all kind of products, and beside an impressive collection of beers, it has plenty of charcuteries, milks and cream, from the terroir du Quebec, but this is another story.

Jean Talon
Beer was first introduced to Canada by European settlers in the seventeenth century, as Canada had an ideal climate for making beer before refrigeration was introduced. The first commercial brewery was built by Jean Talon in Quebec City, in the year 1668. Over a century later a number of commercial brewers thrived, including some that became the staple of the Canadian industry: John Molson founded a brewery in Montreal in 1786 |more information|

Some nice beer from Quebec (Canada)

So maybe I should start with the bottom line: from a personal taste point of view, I definitively preferred La Maudite Beer from (Unibroue brewery) , Quebec, Canada) over all the other beers we tasted last Friday evening, with some friends here at our place in Montreal, Quebec (Canada). On the table (beside a wonderful chicken au citron - thanks Dana) we had the following beers:

La Maudite (Unibroue brewery , Quebec, Canada)

A «Strong Ale type of beer»
Maudite (Damned) is a strong (8%/alc.) red Ale, refermented in the bottle, with a nice & deep mahogany color. Aroma is malty with a subtle wild spices and flora. Taste wheat, with subtle spices clove, and citrus.

Maudite beer is excellent with pizza, apple-pork tenderloin, pasta marinara, beef stew, and rice curry fish.


La Blonde d’Achouffe (Brasseurs R.J brewery, Quebec, Canada)

A «Strong Ale» type beer with, (8%/alc.) Clear hay-golden body with light carbonation presence, aroma is sweet & malty, with a hint of spice, and spicy with some yeast. flavour is light, sweet, fruity and mild with some coriander notes. a nice and good beer to drink

So this is a belgium beer, done under license |more information|. In 1988, exports began to Québec, Canada. Started initially as an experiment, it represented, by the following year, big business for this small brewery. In 1989, twelve 20-ft containers filled with "La Chouffe" were shipped from Achouffe to Montréal.In december, 1997, the "Beverage Tasting Institute" of Chicago selected the Achouffe Brewery as one of the top-ten breweries of the year for the World Beer Championships.

La Blanche de Chambly (From Unibroue brewery , Quebec, Canada)

A «White Ale» type beer, La Blanche de Chambly (5%/alc.) is White Ale, refermented in the bottle. Lightly clouded pale golden, tiny head, body with an effervescent white head

Strong spicy aroma, lemon zest, coriander, floral. Flavour is balanced with the spices, mostly coriander, Smooth and creamy, very refreshing,
Recommended with fresh lettuce salads, lemon-chicken, Ceviche, Shellfish and any fruit. great in a hot summer!

L’Éphémère Pomme (From Unibroue brewery , Quebec, Canada)

bières de type «Fruity White Ale», This beer (5.5%/alc.)Pale golden color White Ale brewed with apple must a fine Apples and spices aroma, taste with a delicate balance of fruit and spice notes and just a hint of sweetness.
Excellent served with Minestrone soup, Apple compote and pork tenderloin, or old Cheddar cheese.




Coup de Grisou (Brasseurs R.J brewery, Quebec Canada)

«Copper colored Ales» type, this beer (5%/alc.) refermented in the bottle have a Clouded light amber color and a fine white swirled head. A deep aroma of yeast, buckwheat malt and coriander. a fine taste of yest, nutmeg spice and coriander. Goes well with fish, medium-rare Roast-beef, and a rich fruity salad. Will be friendly with any kind of fermented cheese


Cardinal de Richelieu (Les Trois Mousquetaires brewery, Quebec Canada)

Clear, medium golden, fair white head. Aroma: Sticky sweet malts, honey, some bread/biscuit, quite fruity, a few esters, a touch of grassy hops. Palate: Medium body and carbonation. Flavour is malty, sweet, honey, a bit floral, a little bread.
Tastes a quite fruity; woody and alcoholic on swallowing; certainly sweet with a not-altogether-pleasant bitterness at the end.





So Now - we are ready for a funny stuff: Têtes à claques, a must be seen (in French Quebequoi,



Additional reading:

About brewery in Quebec (Liste des brasseries au Quebec) - Excellent bolg!
If you feel like moving to Montreal - ARIANNE - a reliable & professional relocation agency
10 Days Weather Forecast in Montreal
Têtes à claques You must see this!

Beer is better in Belgium - Help save Belgium! (*)

The Tower of Babel

Pieter Brueghel the elder, 1563,
oil on panel, 114 x 155 cm

(*) please be nice and forward this to the Belgium (updated news) government

Saxophone, Beers, Mussel, Chocolate-truffles, French (why not Belgium?) fries, Rene Magritte , Jacques Brel, Comics (Tintin, Asterix etc), Flemish painters (Jacob de Backer, Jan Frans van, Adriaen Brouwer Bloemen, Jan Brueghel the Elder ), waffles, and more - remember: they all emerged from Belgium

I know - I am loosing right now a couple of my friends from Rue Mont-Royal and St-Denis in Montreal, but - Truth must be said: Beer in Belgium is (much) better than the one from Quebec, same for the chocolate...it is not that those products are bad in Quebec, on the contrary, they are excellent. but it is not the same league.

Some of you may disagree but as we say here in Montreal: question de gout... being honest,I need to give a full disclosure: I grow up in Belgium, I am crazy about this country - specially about Bruxelles (Brussels). And about chocolate - I prepare a post about this - before the holidays- keep posted: Yami Yami, it will include my recipe for great Chocolate Truffles!



All this started couple of days ago because of the weather: once it is bellow zero degrees in Montreal, I am switching to "winter mode": it includes (but not limited): choucroute (sauerkraut), with beers, chocolates, Waffles and long nostalgic nights with Jacques Brel in front of the fireplace - reading again and again Asterix le Gaulois & Tintin





At the bottom of this post - like every week- my new recipe: Cooked Pears in Belgium fruity Beer with Vanilla Ice-cream. I have been asked to add nutrition facts...well I am not yet sure about this, why to spoil our pleasure and Petit péchés. Bonne lecture, Bon Appétit!

Belgium

|more information|

Ho la la...La Belgique, who knows what is going to happend next in the politic between the walloons (the French spoken) and the flemish (speaking Flemish - dutch)

Let leave them to solve this internal problem (I am confident they will) we have an interest it will be solved and fast: none will argue that they produce one of the greatest chocolate ever, and some other great stuff like moullen fritten: mussels and fries (with mayonnaise),

Le plat pays (Jacques Brel)- a song about Belgium, take a minute and listen to a great singer!|more songs|

René Magritte the son of man, 1964
A consummate technician, his work frequently displays a juxtaposition of ordinary objects in an unusual context, giving new meanings to familiar things. The representational use of objects as other than what they seem is typified in his painting, The Treachery Of Images (La trahison des images), which shows a pipe that looks as though it is a model for a tobacco store advertisement. Magritte painted below the pipe, This is not a pipe (Ceci n'est pas une pipe), which seems a contradiction, but is actually true: the painting is not a pipe, it is an image of a pipe. (In his book, This Is Not a Pipe, French critic Michel Foucault discusses the painting and its paradox.)|more information|


Brussels - la grande place
Some years ago, I was told by a beer connaisseur to try La mort Subite ("Sudden death"), so in a summer of 1995, in Brussels, before having lunch, I spent couple of hours in some bars in avenue Louise "trying" some of the beers of this brand...well, it was rather a beautiful "death" of my mind....and I somehow found myself next morning in my bed in the Hotel - even today I can't recall how I managed to go back to the hotel. Next morning, the staff at the reception were specially nice to me, they have respect for people who can survive une mort subite!|more information|

It reminds me, that years ago, before the train became the TGV (kind of high-tech trains) only rich people could take a flight from Paris to Brussels.
So in the 60' the train from Paris to Brussels was a real trip, and you knew you are arriving to Brussels train-station a couple of minutes before, because the factory of Côte d'Or Chocolate was located near the station - you could smell the chocolate aroma miles away, and you knew a great day will start. But this was long before Kraft acquired Côte d'Or.

It is a good question what makes one chocolate better then others? well, besides the (of course) gift and creativity of its creator, and the quality of the cacao used, it is as far as I know to do with the sub-micron size of the powder the Belge are using: it is about this.|more information|



The inventor of the Saxophone
Antoine-Joseph 'Adolphe' Sax
(November 6, 1814 – February 3, 1894) was a Belgian musical instrument designer and musician (clarinetist), best known for inventing the saxophone. Adolphe Sax was born in Dinant in Wallonia, Belgium. In 1841, Sax relocated permanently to Paris and began work on a new set of instruments valved bugles, and although he had not invented the instrument itself, his examples were so much more successful than those of his rivals that they became known as saxhorns. By 1846 Sax had designed, on paper at least, a full range of saxophones . Rival instrument makers attacked the legitimacy of his patents , driving him into bankruptcy twice (in 1856 and 1873). He died in 1894 in Paris and was interred in the Cimetière de Montmartre.

Some nice Beers from Belgium

si bibam hanc cerevesiam, quae speciem insolitam praebet, urinane mea eveniet quoque viridans? (*)

But let's focus on the beer this time - since my post on Chocolate will be ready for the coming holidays.
It will be nearly impossible to make in one post an overview of the Belgium Beers. let's say that if Japan is the mecca of the Sushi, Belgium is the holy place for beer connaiseurs. the real one...

Belgian beer varies from the popular pale lager to the esoteric appeal of lambic beer and Flemish Red. Belgian beer-brewing's origins go back to the Middle-Ages, when monasteries began producing beers.|more information|

Although beer production in Belgium is now dominated by Inbev and Alken Maes, there are approximately 125 breweries in the country, producing about 500 standard beers. When special beers are included, the total number of brands of Belgian beer exceeds 1000. Complete brewery lists can be consulted at the Belgian Beer Board

(*) In Latin: If I drink this funny-looking beer, will my pee turn green, too?


Some of the best brewery in Belgium (in some you can even eat, drink and sleep...)

Huyghe brewery
Ever since 1654 there has undoubtedly been some kind of brewing activity in the "Appelhoek" in Melle. In 1902, Léon Huyghe settled in Melle. Barely four years later, in 1906, he bought the brewery, which he named "Brouwerij-Mouterij den Appel". During the First World War, several breweries got into trouble, and after the war the brewing-coppers, which the occupying forces had claimed, had to be replaced as quickly as possible.|more information|

Abbaye de Leffe
The abbey Notre Dame de Leffe was founded in 1152 on the Meuse River in the province of Namur in southern Belgium.
The monks of the abbey brewed ale, using knowledge passed from generation to generation and ingredients found in the wild near the abbey, developing a unique ale, brewed only at the abbey. The brewery was later bought by the international beer company Interbrew (now InBev). Now all Leffe brands are brewed at the Stella Artois brewery in Leuven. |more information|

Liefmans
The first written reference to the brewery goes back to the year 1679. The Liefmans home brewery is one of the rare breweries which still produce entirely natural beer. Fermentation is done in open tanks. Lambic beer is instead produced by spontaneous fermentation: it is exposed to the wild yeasts and bacteria that are said to be native to the Senne valley, in which Brussels lies. It is this unusual process which gives the beer its distinctive flavour: dry, vinous, and cidery, with a slightly sour flavour
|more information|

Het Anker Brewery
Although the oldest documents which are currently in the archives of Mechelen date from 1369, the brewery was in operation before that time, which proves that it is probably the oldest brewery still working in Belgium. The Goude Carolus cuve van de Keizer Gouden Carolus "Cuvee of the Emperor" is brewed once a year, on the 24th of February, birthday of Charles the Fifth, in a limited quantity.Try it!|more information|

cogito sumere potum alterum(*)

History:
Exactly when beer was first brewed cannot be determined. Two slate tablets are displayed in the British Museum in London, which were, in the year 1926, scientifically estimated to be about 9000 years old. The scientist, a Mr. E. Huber, believed that the inscriptions on these tablets showed the coarse milling of emmer (A prehistoric grain type, similar to spelt, used for the brewing of beer). He concluded that this was possibly the oldest evidence of the brewing of beer. More recent research has indicated that the tablets are probably not so old as Mr. Huber thought and that even the connection with the brewing process may be doubtful. The oldest proven records of brewing are about 6000 years old and refer to the Sumarians.[more information|

The Lambic style can trace its roots back over 400 years, and has remained mostly unchanged from its introduction. The first written recipe is dated 1516 and accounts from 1559 mention the production of Lambic "according to an old recipe".

In fact in ancient Mesopotamia a beer that could be thought of as the "roots" of Lambic was brewed by the Sumerians, about 5500 BC. Sikaru, the premium beer of the day, was brewed from 60% malt, 40% raw wheat, used wild fermentation and was flavoured with herbs like aniseed and cinnamon.
Although it is impossible to confirm the origin of the word "Lambic" ("lambiek" in Flemish / Dutch), it is most likely a distortion of Lembeek (Flemish) or Lembecq (French), a present and historic Lambic brewing town. Other sources relate it to "alambic" or to "lambere" (Latin). aftertaste.|more information|

(*) in Latin: I think I'll have another drink.

Bubbly, frothing and ticklish -- soft drinks and beer promise a welcome taste of home to faraway space travelers.
Will fermentation work the same in weightlessness? What happens to carbonation when there's no buoyancy to bring the bubbles to the top? Can space beer form a proper head? Scientists who study the physics of gas-liquid mixtures would love to know! Two separate space shuttle experiments tackled these questions. Both were engineered and mediated by BioServe Space Technologies, a NASA-sponsored Commercial Space Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. NASA's Space Product Development (SPD) program encourages the commercialization of space by industry through 17 such CSCs. [more information]

Kirsten Sterrett, recently a University of Colorado graduate student, first became interested in how beer would brew in space while working at the Coors Brewing Company. Having studied aerospace engineering as an undergraduate, she began to wonder: How would yeast that perform fermentation fare in orbital free fall? The answer would not only shed light on the possible makings of space-beer, but also provide valuable information to pharmaceutical companies with a keen interest in the biology of orbiting microbes.[more information]

"Beer Drinkers in Space" Now the DVD!

Beer Drinkers in Space has a special place in cinematic history (was created in 1983) in that it never made cinematic history. It's hard to understand what went wrong. You'd think a story about a star tanker crew led by an inept, Captain Kirk-wanna be commander and an openly gay navigator hauling beer across deep space to Nebulae 7-11 would have mass audience appeal. [more information]

poring a perfect a glass of beer

Serving and glassware
Virtually every beer has a branded glass. Beyond the basic shape of the glass (wide-mouth goblet, curvaceous tulip glass, tall Pilsener, etc), each glass is imprinted with a logo or name. Some maintain that the different basic shapes are designed to enhance the flavour and aroma of the particular beer, owing to the different paths that the bubbles travel up the sides of the glass, while others regard them as promotional or novelty items.

My Recipe of the week:

Cooked pears in Lambic beer with Ice-cream

iam est satis superque linguae Latinae-Fatuinae edamus (*)

Mood: Zen

60 min prep (45 cooking)





6 servings




Easy



(*) In Latin: "so enough already with the latin-schmatin, let's eat"

Ingredients:



6 Pears, do not peel them, just wash them nicelly.







2 bottles of a fruity beer, can be raspberry (framboise), but cherry can work as well. Take a good one, it will be rewarding! you need about 1-1.5 liters of beer.





3 tablespoons of brown sugar or Cassonade (1 tablespoon = 15 ml)





A bit of a lemon peel (un zeste de citron), not more then 1/4 teaspoon (1 teaspoon = 5 ml)






Hight Quality Vanila ice-cream







Cinnamon best is a real one, some powder can work as well




Dark Chocolate (85% min dark pure chocolate Crunched with a knife)



Preparation:

• After washing the pears under cold water, cut their base so they can "sit" well in the pot in a vertical way. Gently put them in a small, mid-size pot ( marmite like Le Creuset ), best kind is the heavy metal pots. They distribute the heat in an even way, so it is better for long cooking processes.
• Add the 2 bottles of beer to the pot, and make sure the pears are nearly 2/3-3/4 inside the beer, do not worry if they are fully emerges insides.
• Add 1/4-1/2 of a cinnamon stick in the pot, as well as the brown sugar.
• Cook at mid-low temperature, for 45 minutes. The first 30 minutes - cover the pot so only some small amount of steam can come out.
  
• Make sure from time to time that there is enough liquid in the pot and that the heat is not too high. The idea is to have a low cooking process in the fruity beer to let all the flavours to develop.
• After 30 minutes - open the cover, so the liquids start to evaporate and reduce.
  
• After another 10 minutes, (for a total of 40 min) - take the pears out and put them carefully in the serving plate (best individual ones) - take care: they are fragile after being cooked!
• Reduce the liquid to a semi-dense syrup, add the zest of lemon - turn off the fire.
  
• Add some ice-cream next to each pear, add some crunched pieces of dark chocolate on the top of the pear as well as on the ice-cream.
• Put some of the syrup you just made on top of each pear and a bit on the ice-cream.
  
• The mint leaf is for decoration, you can add some additional cinnamon - not to much.

To be eaten immediately, can be served with some fruity beer - Bon Appétit!

Some interesting related reading:

Beer Advocate.com: The largest Beer Community in the world
Jacques Brel singing "Ne me quitte pas", "Amsterdam", "Les Bourgeois"
René Magritte
Belgian Beer - a complet blog (english) - very good.
The New World Order's Belgian Conspiracy (a bit anarchist...)

A tribute to fish: the Ceviche (citrus marinated seafood salad)

About Fish:
Fish is consumed as food all over the world; with other seafoods, it provides the world's prime source of high-quality protein: 14-16% of the animal protein consumed world-wide; over 1 billion people rely on fish as their primary source of animal protein. I know many people do no like fish. in fact, most of the people I know hate fish. I believe it is something to do with the smell, the handling and the eating...So before we move on, let me give you some facts about fish:

The meat of a fresh fish is almost odorless. Fish take on that really fishy smell, only when they're dead and bacteria and enzymes go to work at breaking down the tissue. Fish also have trimethylamine N-oxide
(scientists believe they use it as kind of "antifreeze" to lower the freezing point of their body fluids), makes fish smell like fish when they are dead.



Fish are the most numerous of all groups of vertebrates alive today. The ray-finned fishes alone number in the region of 24,000 species or more.



Fish do not sleep, but most fish do rest. Usually they just blank their minds and do what we might call daydreaming


Most fish have very little salt in .
More than 240 species contain so little salt that doctors recommend them in salt-free diets. Shark meat is salty - as salty as the sea the shark lives in.




Iceland, Japan and Portugal are the largest fish consumers per capita in the world.


There are eight commercial and sport-caught tunas, as well as several related species.Tunas are fast swimmers—they have been clocked at 77 km/h (48 mph).


How do I know the fish is fresh?

Fish are fragile creatures, and their quality begins to deteriorate within minutes of being hauled from the water. That is why being able to choose the freshest fish in the market is crucial for a great meal.
So how can you know if it is really fresh? Well, you can alway talk to it, but in order to be sure, a fresh whole fish should be and have:

• A fresh smell
• A shiny skin with firmly attached scales and bright coloring
  
• Bright red, moist gills Firm flesh, which bounces back when touched
  
• Crystal clear eyes - not sunken into the surrounding skin
  
• Moist, and even slippery, skin

If you prefer the convenience of buying fillets look for:

• A fresh smell
• Firm flesh Clear white or red color, depending on the variety of fish
• Even coloring
• Moist appearance
  

I am often asked about how long can a fish be keep fresh?, my advice is to eat/cook the fish immediately, but you can always if needed keep it wrapped in a waxed paper in a fridge for one day.

Nutrition and Health:

Fish, especially saltwater fish, is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, which are heart-friendly, and a regular diet of fish is highly recommended by nutritionists. Fish products have been shown to contain varying amounts of heavy metals, particularly mercury and fat-soluble pollutants from water pollution. According the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the risk from mercury by eating fish and shellfish is not a health concern for most people.

What is Ceviche? from Wikipedia:

Ceviche (also spelled as cebiche, seviche or cevice) is a form of citrus marinated seafood salad that originated in its current form somewhere in the coastal part of Ecuador. One theory suggests that it got its name from the Quechua "siwichi". However, it is likely to be a cognate of another Spanish word, "escabeche" (marinade), derived from the Arabic term "sikbaj". Also known as Tapadas Limeñas, some believe the dish was developed in the regional north coast of Peru, somewhere between Lambayeque and La Libertad, as a mestizo inspiration replacing the chicha (originally used by the Moche as the dish's marinade) with lime, the aromatic and acidic touch of the Moorish cuisine.The popularity of ceviche spread internationally in the latter part of the 20th century, and is now a significant part of the Mexican cuisine, as well as those of Central America and other parts of South America, especially Peru.

The marinade used in ceviche is citrus based, with lemons and limes being the most commonly used. This being said, all citrus will work. In addition to adding flavor, the citric acid causes the proteins in the seafood to become denatured, which pickles or "cooks" the fish without heat. The result tastes more like a cooked dish and less like raw fish preparations such as Japanese sashimi. Old style ceviche was left up to 3 hours for marinade. Modern style ceviche usually has a very short marinating period. With the appropriate fish, it will marinate for as long as it takes to mix the ingredients, serve and carry to the table.

From Linda Stradley, and to the web site What's Cooking America:

Ceviche's birthplace is disputed between Peru and Ecuador, and as both countries have an amazing variety of fish and shellfish, it could easily have come from the ancient Inca civilizations of Peru and Ecuador. Every Latin American country has given ceviche its own touch of individuality by adding its own particular garnishes. In Peru, it is served with slices of cold sweet potatoes or corn-on-the-cob. In Ecuador, it is accompanied by popcorn, potato chips, nuts, or corn nuts. It is also served in a large crystal bowl with the guests helping themselves, either by spearing it with toothpicks or filling the pastry shells. In Mexico, Ceviche is accompanied by slices of raw onions and served on toasted tortillas

My way of preparing Ceviche:

I am preparing Ceviche in a fusion way...being very careful not to participate in the geographical war regarding the birth of this great meal. Remember: the most important is to use a very fresh fish. Personally, - I prefer not to "cook" too long the fish in the lime (never lemon!), since I like it raw - with all the taste of a fresh raw fish. therefore - 15-to-30 minutes in the lime is the maximum for me. You can of course leave it longer (in the cold!) up to few hours - but remember: the longer it is in the lime - the more it is "cooked" . It is a question of taste.


I am adding Mango (my preferred fruit), creating a contrast effect with the lime. I am very generous with the Cilantro (Coriander). Some are adding garlic, I never use garlic for such a meal: the garlic is too aggressive. I am adding coarse salt at the last moment before eating- so it will not dry the fish.



What to drink with this? Wines are not really suitable with the lime. I recommend you to read the great blog of Alejandro - a specialist in Peruvian food: Peru Food

The juice that stays in the plate after eating the fish, is perfect to cure a "resaca" (hangover) after drinking too much the night before. So you can drink it as it, but you can also put it in a glass, alone or with some vodka or Pisco, if you like, for a great drink! Salute my friends.



I am usually using Red Snapper or Sea Bass, but I will alway choose the freshest fish available.
Cut a firm fleshed white part of the fillet, which won't disintegrate in the lime juice. Limes should always be squeezed just at the moment of preparation and ingredients kept well chilled. Ceviche should be eaten immediately. The lime will 'cook' the fish as you bring it to table and the fish will maintain a sensational taste and texture


Mood: Salsa dance



20-30 min prep



6-8 servings



Very easy

Ingredient:


1 Kg (2 lbs) fish fillets (I like red snapper) cubed 1x1 cm (0.4x0.4 inc)




1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper (green pepper can be used as well)




4-6 teaspoons of gorgeous and fresh grossly chopped Cilantro (Coriander)




10-12 fresh leafs of basillicum, grossly chopped




4 spoons of high quality virgin olive oil




1 Habaneros (fresh) pepper, fine chopped (I am taking the seeds out)




12-14 Limes freshly squeezed and strained without any pulp (pulp make it bitter) use a juicer that squeezes the juice out of the limes, not one that will tear the membrane of the lime sections since this will make the lime juice bitter.




1 Mango ready to eat with fruity aroma and slightly soft to the touch. take out the skin and cut in cubes of about 1x1 cm (0.4x0.4 inc)






1 Red onion fine sliced



Preparation and serving:

Combine all ingredients except red onion and mix well. Place red onion on top and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes. Before serving, mix well and serve with lettuce, corn, avocado or other cold salad vegetables on the side. Add to the fork a spoon (for the juice). to enjoy slowly with a good Mariachi music. I recommend Chingon - Malaguena Salerosa with (sorry guys from Peru and Equator, if I choose Mexican...Mariachi)



The Peruvian Ceviche (1) :

Cucho la Rosa (is also known as Don Cucho), is an extremely popular Lima-based chef and a true defender of the faith when it comes to ceviche. you can have more details if you read the great blog of Alexjandro, the best blog on Peruvian food. the specific post you want to read is: Peru Food: la casa De Cucho in Pachacámac. Great Job Don Cucho, Great Job Alejandro

Cucho La Rosa allows only 5 ingredients in a ceviche: fish, lime, salt, onion and ají. Clean, simple, fresh tastes; here is his recipe.The very special taste of the Peruvian tropical lime is difficult to replace, though closest in flavor is its cousin the key lime. To prevent the ceviche from being too acidic, refresh just before serving by tossing with a couple of ice cubes, but be careful not to let them melt and dilute the taste too much.
Peruvians affectionately call the spicy marination juices of ceviche 'leche de tigre' (tiger's milk), and will drink a small glass to cure a hangover! The traditional accompaniments are corn and sweet potatoes, providing a perfect balance for the complete dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ lb (800g) sea bass or flounder fillets
• 1 red onion, in very fine slices
• ½ red ají limo, chopped very fine
• ½ yellow ají limo, chopped very fine
• Juice of 16 key limes
• Salt

To serve:

• 1 boiled ear of corn, cut into rounds
• Boiled sweet potato
• Lettuce leave

Preparation:

Cut fish into bite size pieces and mix together with onion in large bowl. Wash onion and fish and drain well. Season with salt and ají limo. Toss fish preparation quickly in lime juice. Refresh by adding a couple of ice cubes, mixing well and removing immediately before they have a chance to melt. Serve ceviche immediately in a deep dish, accompanied by boiled sweet potato, fresh cooked corn and leaves of lettuce.

(1) data is also taken from "The art of Peruvian Cuisine"

Some other useful links for Ceviche preparation:

• Delivery of fresh fish
• Vermont high-Quality producer having great fish and other products
• Grocery Shopping around Greater Boston (from Lisa's Stuff, a great blog!)
• How to clean and debone fish
• "Ceviche" - tapas bars in Florida
• Peru Food: La casa De Don Cucho
• Ceviche - Mexican Recipe
• Lima's Taste Ceviche in NYC, USA
• The Wine News Magazine: Sushi & Ceviche

My Cup of Tea: a review on Tea & Teapot

History:
Chinese Emperor Shen Nung did not realize that in 2737 B.C., when dried leaves blew into his cup of hot water, the beverage he discovered would cause sensations around the world. During this time, water was always boiled for hygienic reasons. The pleasant aroma and refreshing taste enchanted him and soon everyone in the realm was drinking tea.

Japan was introduced to tea by Yensei, a returning Buddhist priest residing in China at the time of the discovery. Tea was immediately embraced by Japanese society and resulted in the creation of the intricate Japanese
Tea Ceremony, elevating tea to an art form.

Tea continued to travel throughout the Orient and it was during the time of the European explorers tea made its cultural broad jump.

The East India Tea Company brought tea into Holland but its prohibitive cost of $100 per pound kept tea as a rich man's beverage until so much was imported that tea prices fell and was sold in small food shops. In 1650, Peter Stuyvesant brought tea to the American colonists in New Amsterdam, later called New York.

Soon the colonists were drinking more tea than all England. In England, tea gardens, ornate outdoor events with fancy food and tea, fireworks and gambling, seemed to sprout up overnight as entertainment centers of the day and many British enjoyed the festivities offered there. Russia discovered tea when ornate chests of the dried leaves were sent to Czar Alexis by the Chinese Embassy in Moscow in 1618.

It became Russian custom to sip heavily sweetened tea from a glass in a silver holder. Russians also enjoyed honey or strawberry jam stirred into tea as their ethnic contribution. Even today, Vodka and tea are the national beverages of Russia. To recover extensive expenses from the French and Indian War, England levied a huge tax on tea imported to the colonies, mistakenly believing the colonists were so hooked on it they'd pay anything to keep their supply coming in. One night the men of Boston dressed as Indians, reminiscent of the French and Indian War, stole aboard the ships docked in the Boston harbor and threw the expensive tea cargo overboard and into the harbor. England reacted by having a raging fit, closing Boston's port and sending Royal troops into occupation of Boston. Because of this, colonists met to discuss these events and declared a revolution.

At one point, England even gave the John Company the power to not only import tea but to coin its own money, make peace, declare war and other privileges previously only held by countries. In the 1880's, America came to the forefront as the biggest importer of tea due to faster clipper ships and the ability to pay its debts in gold.

Preparation:
The traditional method of making a cup of tea is with loose tea placed either directly, or in a tea infuser, into a tea pot and pouring boiling (or very hot depending on the type of tea) water over the tea. In the second half of the 20th century the use of teabags has largely supplanted the use of loose tea in the Western world; this has enabled brewing directly in a cup or mug.

The amount of tea to be used per amount of water is obviously of critical importance, yet is the subject of some confusion. One reason is to do with knowledge in popular culture (one spoon per person and one for the pot etc), another to do with the varying nature and quality amongst different teas and within the same garden from season to season.

One basic recipe may be one slightly heaped teaspoon of tea (about 5 ml) for each 200 ml of water prepared as above.

This may be varied according to tea and taste, with a stronger Assam to be drunk with milk prepared with more leaf, and a more delicate high grown tea such as a Darjeeling prepared with a little less.
Another way to taste a tea, throughout its entire process, is to add hot water to a cup containing the leaves and after about 30 seconds to taste the tea. As the tea leaves unfold ("the Agony of the Leaves") they give up various parts of themselves to the water and thus the taste evolves. Continuing this from the very first flavors to the time beyond which the tea is quite stewed will allow an appreciation of the tea throughout its entire length.

Type and Classification of Tea:
Tea is traditionally classified based on the degree or period of "fermentation" the leaves have undergone:

White tea:
Young leaves (new growth buds) that have undergone almost no oxidation; the buds may be shielded from sunlight to prevent formation of chlorophyll.
White tea is produced in lesser quantities than most other styles, and can be correspondingly more expensive than tea from the same plant processed by other methods. It is less well known in countries outside of China, though this is changing with increased western interest in organic or premium teas.
Green tea:
The oxidation process is stopped after a minimal amount of oxidation by application of heat, either with steam, a traditional Japanese method, or by dry cooking in hot pans, the traditional Chinese method. Tea leaves may be left to dry as separate leaves or they may be rolled into small pellets to make gun-powder tea. This process is time consuming and is typically done with pekoes of higher quality. The tea is processed within one to two days of harvesting. Water for green tea, according to most accounts, should be around 80 °C to 85 °C (176 °F to 185 °F); the higher the quality of the leaves, the lower the temperature. Hotter water will burn green-tea leaves, producing a bitter taste. Preferably, the container in which the tea is steeped, the mug, or teapot should also be warmed beforehand so that the tea does not immediately cool down.

Oolong:
Oxidation is stopped somewhere between the standards for green tea and black tea. The oxidation process takes two to three days. In Chinese, semi-oxidized teas are collectively grouped as blue tea (青茶, literally: blue-green tea), while the term "oolong" is used specifically as names for certain semi-oxidized teas.
Oolong teas should be brewed around 90 °C to 100 °C (194 °F to 212 °F), and again the brewing vessel should be warmed before pouring in the water. Yixing purple clay teapots are the ideal brewing vessel for oolong tea. For best results use spring water, as the minerals in spring water tend to bring out more flavor in the tea.

Black tea/Red tea:
The tea leaves are allowed to completely oxidize. Black tea is the most common form of tea in southern Asia (Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.) and in the last century many African countries including Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The literal translation of the Chinese word is red tea, which is used by some tea lovers. The Chinese call it red tea because the actual tea liquid is red. Westerners call it black tea because the tea leaves used to brew it are usually black. However, red tea may also refer to rooibos, an increasingly popular South African tisane. The oxidation process will take between two weeks and one month. Black tea is further classified as either orthodox or as CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl, a production method developed about 1932). Unblended black teas are also identified by the estate they come from, their year and the flush (first, second or autumn). Orthodox processed black teas are further graded according to the post-production leaf quality by the Orange Pekoe system, while CTC teas use a different grading system.

The water for black teas should be added at the boiling point (100 °C or 212 °F). Many of the active substances in black tea don't develop at temperatures lower than 90 °C. For some more delicate teas lower temperatures are recommended. The temperature will have as large an effect on the final flavor as the type of tea used. The most common fault when making black tea is to use water at too low a temperature. Black teas are usually brewed for about 4 minutes and should not be allowed to steep for less than 30 seconds or more than about five minutes. When the tea has brewed long enough to suit the tastes of the drinker, it should be strained while serving

Post-fermented tea:
Teas that undergo a second oxidation, such as Pu-erh, Liu'an, and Liubao, are collectively referred to as secondary or post-fermentation teas in English. In Chinese they are categorized as Dark tea or black tea. This is not to be confused with the English term Black tea, known in Chinese as red tea. Pu-erh, also known as Póu léi (Polee) in Cantonese is the most common type of post-fermentation tea in the market.
Pu-erh teas require boiling water for infusion. Some prefer to quickly rinse pu-erh for several seconds with boiling water to remove tea dust which accumulates from the aging process. Infuse pu-erh at the boiling point (100 °C or 212 °F), and allow to steep for 30 seconds or up to five minutes

Yellow tea:
Either used as a name of high-quality tea served at the Imperial court, or of special tea processed similarly to green tea, but with a slower drying phase.




Kukicha:
Also called winter tea, kukicha is made from twigs and old leaves pruned from the tea plant during its dormant season and dry-roasted over a fire. It is popular as a health food in Japan and in macrobiotic diets.

Serving:
In order to preserve the pre-tannin tea without requiring it all to be poured into cups, a second teapot is employed. The steeping pot is best unglazed earthenware; Yixing pots are the best known of these, famed for the high quality clay from which they are made. The serving pot is generally porcelain, which retains the heat better. Larger teapots are a post-19th century invention, as tea before this time was very rare and very expensive.


Experienced tea-drinkers often insist that the tea should not be stirred around while it is steeping (sometimes called winding in the UK). This, they say, will do little to strengthen the tea, but is likely to bring the tannins out in the same way that brewing too long will do. For the same reason one should not squeeze the last drops out of a teabag; if stronger tea is desired, more tea leaves should be used

Adding milk to tea:
The addition of milk to tea was first mentioned in 1680 by the epistolist Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, the Marquise de Sévigné. Many teas are traditionally drunk with milk. These include Indian chai, and British tea blends. These teas tend to be very hearty varieties which can be tasted through the milk, such as Assams, or the East Friesian blend. Milk is thought to neutralise remaining tannins and reduce acidity.
The order in which to make a cup of tea is a much-debated area. Some say that it is preferable to add the milk before the tea, as the high temperature of freshly brewed tea can denature the proteins found in fresh milk, similar to the change in taste of UHT milk, resulting in an inferior testing beverage. Others insist that it is better to add the milk after brewing the tea, as most teas need to be brewed as close to boiling as possible. The addition of milk chills the beverage during the crucial brewing phase, meaning that the delicate flavour of a good tea cannot be fully appreciated. By adding the milk afterwards, it is easier to dissolve sugar in the tea and also to ensure that the desired amount of milk is added, as the colour of the tea can be observed.

In Britain and some Commonwealth countries, the order in which the milk and the tea enter the cup is often considered an indicator of social class. Persons of working class background are supposedly more likely to add the milk first and pour the tea in afterwards, whereas persons of middle and upper class backgrounds are more likely to pour the tea in first and then add milk. This is said to be a continuing practice from a time when porcelain (the only ceramic which could withstand boiling water) was only within the purchasing range of the rich - the less wealthy had access only to poor quality earthenware, which would crack unless milk was added first in order to lower the temperature of the tea as it was poured in.

Sugar, Honey and Lemon:
Other popular additives to tea include sugar or honey, lemon, and fruit jams. In colder regions such as Mongolia,
Tibet and Nepal, butter is added to provide necessary calories. Tibetan butter tea contains rock salt and dre (yak) butter, which is then churned vigorously in a cylindrical vessel closely resembling a butter churn.

The flavour of this beverage is more akin to a rich broth than to tea, and may be described as a very acquired taste to those unused to drinking it. The same may be said for salt tea, which is consumed in some cultures in the Hindu-Kush region of northern Pakistan, and probably in other areas as well.

Teapots:
The teapot probably derived originally from the ceramic kettles and wine pots which were made in bronze and other metals and were a feature of Chinese cultural life for thousands of years.

The earliest example of a teapot that has survived to this day seems to be the one in the Flagstaff House Museum of Teaware. This teapot is made from Yixing clay, attributed to Gongchun and dated 1513. Gongchun is considered the father of the Yixing clay teapot




From the end of the 17th century tea was shipped from China to Europe as part of the export of exotic spices and luxury goods. The ships that brought the tea also carried porcelain teapots. The majority of these teapots were painted in blue and white underglaze. Porcelain being completely vitrified will withstand sea water without damage, so the teapots were packed below deck whilst the tea stayed on top in the dry.

Tea drinking in Europe was initially the preserve of the upper classes since it was very expensive. Porcelain teapots were particularly desirable because porcelain could not be made in Europe at that time. It wasn't until 1765 that William Cookworthy devised a way of making porcelain and founded a works at Plymouth UK for the production of a porcelain similar to the Chinese. When European potteries began to make their own tea wares they were naturally inspired by the Chinese designs.

Samovars come in different body shapes: urn- or krater-shaped, barrel, cylindric, spherical. A traditional samovar consists of a large metal container with a faucet near the bottom and a metal pipe running vertically through the middle. The pipe is filled with solid fuel to heat the water in the surrounding container. A small (6 to 8 inches) smoke-stack is put on the top to ensure draft.

After the fire is off a teapot could be placed on top to be kept heated with the passing hot air. The teapot is used to brew the заварка (zavarka), a strong concentrate of tea.

The tea is served by diluting this concentrate with (кипяток) kipyatok (boiled water) from the main container, usually at a ratio of about 10 parts water to one part tea concentrate, although tastes vary.

It is particularly well-suited to tea-drinking in a communal setting over a protracted period. The Russian expression "to have a sit by samovar" means to have a leisurely talk while drinking tea from samovar.