What's for Dinner

Montage Laguna Wine Tasting at The Loft

We finished our fabulous Montage Laguna spa day by hanging out with one of the hotel's eight sommeliers, who had a special pre-Mother's Day treat for us: Three very different varietals that shared one trait in common: all were produced by female winemakers... and all were sumptuous.

We began the way all celebrations should, with sparkling wine: a Domaine Carneros Brut, which, according to the tasting notes, is "beautifully focused and refined, with Gala apple and raspberry aromas and flavors that are crisp yet layered, with creamy lemon and lime notes and a finish that lingers with mineral and a hint of yeast."

Domaine Carneros is the California outpost of Taittinger, and our sommelier informed us that it's one of Napa's more popular spots, because the tasting room stays open longer than the rest and - well, what they're serving is what we like to call champagne (even if that appellation is not official if it's not made in the Champagne region of France).

I didn't catch all the elements mentioned in the tasting notes, but I found the Domaine Carneros a very easy wine to drink -- and with a retail price of $35-$40 per bottle, it's one we can afford for special occasions. (In fact, I picked one up at the supermarket this weekend to celebrate Mother's Day with my sister, and Ralphs only charged $31.)

Domaine Carneros' founding winemaker is a woman named Eileen Crane, and she is something of a legend in oenology circles, as you don't hear of famed French wineries hiring that many women to head their US operations.

The second wine we tried was absolutely amazing: A Puligny Montrachet from Olivier LeFlaive. First of all, it was a white burgundy - which sounds like an oxymoron. The other unusual thing about this variety is that this white burgundy can be aged up to 20 years and the flavor will improve. This is very unlike the whites I'm used to drinking (cheap Chardonnays from California and New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, which should be sipped while they're young). 

This wine tasted unlike any other white I've ever tried. The notes describe it as having "distinct aromas: almond paste, ferns, exotic fruit, white flowers with discreet acidity on the palate and a smooth, impressively long finish." All I can say is it tasted amazing.

Olivier LeFlaive is an offshoot of a very old French winemaking house, whose products often will retail for hundreds of dollars per bottle. This one - headed by the founder's granddaughter Anne-Claude - can be found online for around $100. This is more than I've ever spent on a bottle of wine (and these days, we're on a two-buck Chuck budget)... but I'm thinking I could give it as a gift to (really special) wine loving friends and amaze them as much as it amazed me.

The sommelier explained that Anne-Claude has instituted a policy of "biodynamics" to enrich the soil at her vineyards. This is like the next level of organics and the hot trend in viticulture, here in California as well as France. It's where they take the entire ecosystem into consideration when growing their fruit.

The final tasting was a dessert wine from Alsace: Domaine Weinbach, Cuvee Ste.Catherine. I'm not a big fan of sweet wines (although I have been known to enjoy a Riesling or Gewurztraminer with summer barbecue). This one was terrific; sweet but not cloying.

The tasting notes described it as having a "very ripe pineapple nose. Velvet-textured fruit, combined with round creamy vanilla. On the palate, enjoy rich tropical fruits with a sweet and sour buttery finish."

Domaine Weinbach is actually run by a trio of women: Colette Faller and her daughters, Laurence (the winemaker) and Catherine (who handles the business end of the operation).The sommelier told us of visiting the winery in France and being welcomed warmly by the Fallers. She also noted that each wine is named for one of their children (which I loved!)

There's a whole range of prices for Domaine Weinbach's Rieslings - online, I'm seeing a 2006 Cuvee Ste. Catherine for as little as $24. The one we sampled was from 2002.

If you live near Laguna and enjoy wine tastings, you should know that the Loft at Montage holds them most Sundays from 2:00 - 4:00. The next one is titled "Hidden Treasures of the United States" and will include wines that are NOT from California, Oregon or Washington. It sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon!

View the complete Montage wine tasting schedule here.

DISCLOSURE: I received no monetary compensation for this post and have no business affiliation with the Montage Laguna or any of the wineries mentioned.

When the Kid's Away, the Grown-Ups Will... Cook

Although my daughter is starting to enjoy a wider variety of foods, her palate is still that of a toddler.

She turns 14 this weekend.

Megan boarded a plane on Saturday morning for Washington, DC. She's having a wonderful time - and I miss her terribly. But her absence has given me the rare opportunity to cook the way I did before she started turning up her nose at just about everything.

You might think I'd go through my old recipes and come up with something elaborate - but last night, I settled for a simple meal centered on an ingredient that's been banished from my kitchen ever since she learned to read the packaging label: lamb.

Leg of lamb with mint sauce (not jelly) and roasted vegetables used to be a winter and spring staple in our house. It's a little bit too much food for just my husband and me now (since we've both reduced our calorie intake), so I decided to make lamb chops instead - accompanied with a balsamic vinegar reduction and some nice Swiss chard:

Preparation was easy - and quick. And I'm going to try that balsamic vinegar sauce again when my daughter returns - but probably served with salmon.

You'll find the recipe on Epicurious.com here.

Restaurant Review: Small Cravings at CPK

Let's get the disclosure out of the way first: I was not paid to write this post.

I did it for the free meal.

You see, I absolutely LOVE California Pizza Kitchen. It is one of the few restaurants where I know that EVERYONE in the party will be happy... even us dieters, thanks to their vast array of really interesting salads. (If you don't think a salad can be exciting, I dare you to go to your local CPK and order the Moroccan Chicken Salad. It is out of this world.)

So I didn't think twice when their PR people asked if I wanted to go to a blogger tasting of their new Small Cravings menu, especially since they were holding it here in the Valley, at their Studio City location. 

I didn't even have to cajole my daughter into coming along. California Pizza Kitchen is one of her favorite places, too. In fact, whenever her middle school schedules a half-day, my daughter and her friends end up organizing a lunch at our neigborhood CPK. (And as they are not yet old enough to drive, we moms often end up dining together at a table beside them.)

According to the company, the Small Cravings offerings "deliver the big innovative flavors CPK is known for, but in smaller portions, inviting guests to explore the many tastes the restaurant offers." Items on the Small Cravings menu cost $4-$7. There is also a companion Small Cravings wine list - smaller pourings of vintages selected to go with the food.

It's kind of like tapas - done CPK style. And it would be a perfect selection for those impromptu early dismissal day luncheons.

So what did I think of the food?

We sampled nearly everything on the menu: The Arugula-Asparagus salad, White Corn Guacamole and chips, the Mediterranean Plate, Crispy Artichoke Hearts, Buffalo Chicken and the Sweet Corn Tamale Ravioli. I'm glad we did it that way, because each dish was so good that I would have a hard time selecting just one... or even two. All together - and shared among everyone at our table - it was a hearty and varied meal.

And yes, I also enjoyed a glass of Murphy-Goode Sauvignon Blanc. After all, it was small.

DISCLOSURE: I was not paid to write this review, nor did I promise that it would be a positive one. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Improvising

I am enjoying our bright new kitchen - especially after being without one for most of last year.

You wouldn't know it to look at this blog, which I launched out of excitement at finally being able to cook again.

There are a number of excuses reasons for that neglect. For one thing, I lent my camera to my sister for her trip to Cuba (and have yet to get it back), so it is that much harder to put up a photo of the meals I prepare.

December was crazy busy and it was all I could do to keep up with the completion of the work on the house, let alone the holidays and entertaining (no time to document what we did).

Trying to create tasty meals while on a diet is a bitch. I simply don't enjoy "cooking light."

And while dealing with all of the above, I quickly found myself relying on the tried and true dishes I can throw together quickly (and have some chance of getting eaten by my picky family).

But this last week, I decided to really make the effort to try something new. And I've concluded that being unable to attach a photo is no excuse for neglecting to write about it.

So...

When our friends Tim and Debbie heard we'd acquired a new dog and suggested we get together, I suggested they come for dinner on Sunday. They're kind of picky themselves (about the only thing they eat is poultry) and I'm a nervous hostess, so this is one occasion where going with something tried and true made sense: Roast chicken.

My favorite roast chicken recipe comes from chef Jamie Oliver's cookbook of family meals, Jamie's Dinners. It's really easy to prepare, and once it's in the oven, you can hang out with your guests. But what really makes this meal stand out is the par-boiled potatoes you add to the pan about halfway through the roasting. Jamie instructs you to toss them in the fat that's cooked out of the bird.

This simple step makes the potatoes unbelievably flavorful! I've learned to limit the amount of potatoes I include in each pan so they end up with a crispy crust.

I rounded out this meal by roasting broccoli, cauliflower and a couple of sliced garlic cloves tossed in olive oil (and finished off with a little salt and pepper and a sprinkling of almond slices).

The starter was a salad of lettuce and homemade croutons with a choice of Caesar or Balsamic dressing (recipes taken from Wolfgang Puck Makes it Easy).

Dessert was where I got creative. When it's just the family dining together, I tend to omit dessert entirely. Dieting, remember? But when I went to the store for some last minute items Sunday afternoon, I remembered that most people expect it. But I had no idea what to do.

I ended up walking up and down the aisles at Gelson's, looking for some inspiration. I eventually found it in the fresh bakery section: luscious slices of chocolate pound cake. I picked up some strawberries (which I sliced and sprinkled with sugar) and heavy cream (which I whipped with a little vanilla extract and sugar) and used these to top the slices. It was simple - and good, and I predict it will be another of the dishes I will describe as tried and true. 

I only wish I had a photo.

Thanksgiving at Linda's House

My sister set a beautiful, colorful table for the holiday. Note the autumn fruits as a centerpiece.

Of course, we had turkey. This year, Linda succumbed to fashion and brined the bird. We discovered that everyone is right: it did result in meat that was moister.

I know it's sacrilegious, but not everyone's a fan of turkey. So Linda also offered salmon fillet, which she cooked on the outdoor grill.

Of course, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the wonderful side dishes:

The stuffing...

Yummy yam and sweet potato casserole. I think this was my favorite!

Green salad.

Homemade cranberry sauce.

I've left out the appetizers and the beautiful array of pies and desserts. We went to bed with "food babies," as my husband and Homer Simpson would say.

Autumn Salad

Credit for this autumn salad goes to the chefs over at the Getty Center, which served me something similar on a visit last fall.

I noticed that Costco was selling diced butternut squash (for Thanksgiving, I suppose), as well as pomegranate seeds. I roasted the squash and let it cool. Then I placed some on top of mixed field greens and added a handful of pomegranate, a bit of crumbled feta cheese and some chopped walnuts. It's all topped with a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.

Salmon alla Checca

We were pressed for time when I was ready to cook my first meal in our new kitchen, so I relied on one of my tried and true favorites.

Checca is an Italian "sauce" that's basically fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic, chopped and served at room temperature. I like to add artichoke hearts, capers and kalamata olives but forgot to buy those when I went on what proved to be just the first of several pantry restocking trips.

This meal is SO easy. I started by tossing cut red potatoes, sliced garlic and chopped rosemary leaves in some olive oil, and roasted them in a baking pan at 400 degrees.

Twenty minutes later, I placed the salmon and asparagus in another baking pan, drizzled a little olive oil on them and sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

After another 20 minutes or so, all was ready. I spooned the checca over the fish and voila!

This meal isn't all that low-calorie because of all the olive oil, but the fats are the good kind - and it's hard to think of anything simpler.