Seattle Bon Vivant

Drink This!: Hyatt Vineyards 2000 Merlot

Uploaded to Flickr by Seattle Bon Vivant on 13 Jun '06

When is a Merlot a Syrah? When is a bottle a case? When it is this baby, baby!  Hyatt Vineyards 2000 Merlot. Not a wimpy Merlot by any means. A Yakima Valley wine that is not only dirt cheap and v. good -but that tastes meaty and peppery, almost like a Syrah (with great legs, says my friend Peter).

As much as I love a good value wine, I don't usually drink "Three Buck Chuck", but this Hyatt is a tastyand rock bottom priced quaffer. At only $2.99 a bottle (Trader Joe's used to sell it for $4.99) if you don't buy a case ($35.88) I'll come to your house and beat you over the head with a wet noodle.

Fabulous with hearty pastas with red sauces (we had it with spaghetti with garlic, chicken, mushrooms, onion, peppers and garlic spears), red meat, burgers, venison and grilled lamb chops.

Grab it while they have it and drink over the summer with friends and family.  Buy it to give away to friends and they'll love you for it. Or you could always squirrel it away for the winter because this wine cellars for 2-5 years.

In the Seattle area, it might be absolutely gone by now at TJ's. Some stores might still have some. But I had to put this out there just in case.

And what if you do not find the 2000, you say? Well, as good as this wine is, I bet any later vintages are as good or better (even if it costs a few dollars more), since this is a Merlot grown in Washington, and we all know by now how good out Merlot really is.

So seek this one out, pronto! And don't say I did not warn you. ;-)

Lime & condensed milk= sweet and sour heaven

Uploaded to Flickr by Seattle Bon Vivant on 12 Jul '06.

Just made with the freshest of limes (my parents Fedexed them to me as part of a huge care package of fruits and vegs from their Caribbean garden).

All I did was make a strong limeade with very cold sparkling water (I use Gerolsteiner because I find it cheap, by the case, at Trader Joe's but you can use any or you can always use tap water if you dislike gas)), added a couple tablespoons of condensed milk and stirred, added 2 ice cubes (or blitz in blender) and served it in one of those cute O Riedel glasses. Delish! I first tried this at Tamarind Tree as it is a traditional Vietnamese drink but I think mine (perhaps due to the freshness of the limes) is --modesty aside--much, much much better.

Imagine a little bit of Coconut or lemon infused white rum added to this and it might be just the thing to turn this simple beverage into a little party in a glass. I'm just saying...

Taste: Olive Oil and Tahitian Vanilla in White Ganache Chocolate

Uploaded to flickr by Seattle Bon Vivant on 27 Jul '06.

"Olio di Oliva - This unique chocolate is a favorite from Florence and Perugia.  It is a unique blend of fresh extra virgin olive oil blended with Tahitian vanilla in a white ganache.  The ganache is tinted slightly green from the infusion and is left with a sweet yet slightly spicy flavor from the oil. 

It is not at all oily though.  Rather its flavors melts from the warmth of your mouth with the mellow flavor parted by the fresh vanilla.  This one is really a delight to make...well actually to eat.  :)" Lee Johnson

What's better than having a great cup of hot chocolate? Chasing it with a piece of great chocolate. This fits the bill in every way.

And speaking of olive oil tasty things available in Seattle right now, how about pairing this bite with a serving of Sitka & Spruce's Olive Oil Gelato and their Olive Oil Cakes. What an excellent way to pile up on your Omega 3's.

For more information on where to find these, click here.

Coffee & Photographs

Uploaded to Flickr by Seattle Bon Vivant on 11 Sep '06.

"In my view you cannot claim to have seen something until you have photographed it." Emile Zola

Starting tomorrow, when you stop by Motore Coffee for an espresso or a latte, you'll be able to take a peek at some pictures by yours truly (and some others by Mr. C).

La Isla Del Encanto
A trip to Puerto Rico by Viv & Mr. C
through October 13th, 2006

Motore Coffee

1904 9th Avenue
Seattle, Washington
206-388-2803
(corner of 9th & Stewart)
Monday-Friday 6am-8pm
Saturday 7am to 4pm
Closed Sunday

Over my morning coffee, looking back, five years ago

Like every other work week morning, I had set up my alarm clock to 7:00am.

It was always the same spiel. Press snooze button, with eyes closed try to find the clicker on my bedside table, turn on the morning news and listen from under the covers, while Mr.C made the coffee. To let sound and smell slowly finish the job of getting me out of bed to start the day.

Only that morning, they were talking about awful, inconceivable things that made no sense to my ears or to my heart. So instead of playing wake up for the next 20 minutes I propped myself up, opened my eyes, looked and listened.

Five years later I still hear those voices, reporting what was happening back east. And I still grieve for the city where I was born and every day I think about it a little.

But on days like today, every September 11th of every year since--when I take the day off from work to stay home, close to my loved ones--I think about it, a lot.

"Without End Event: Visual art, spoken word, music and public meditation will observe 9/11 and the 100th anniversary of the first nonviolence campaign launched by Mohandas Gandhi in 1906. Westlake Plaza Park, Fourth Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle. Today, Monday September 11th, 2006 at 5 p.m." Seattle Times

Tostones & Matouk's

Uploaded to Flickr by Seattle Bon Vivant on 19 Jul '06

The last batch of tostones made from the *green plantains my parents sent last week in a care package. Served with my favorite hot sauce of all time, Matouk's.

I fell in love with this thick and fruity hot sauce on one of my trips to St. Martin/St Maarten over 15 years ago. I've been buying it ever since. In Seattle, DeLaurenti's has been known to carry it from time to time. 

If hot sauce by itself is not your bag, you can always use a bit of ketchup to soften the heat. Or you can make a garlic sauce with olive oil, salt, pepper and minced garlic (to taste) to dip these in.

*In the Seattle area I've been able to find pretty decent green plantains at Whole Foods, Metropolitan Market, Larry's Markets, Uwajimaya and Viet Wa. Peanut or Canola ( I really like the Spectrum Organics brand) are the best oils for frying these.

Crabapples poached in 2004 Rancho Sysquoc Sylvaner and Lemon Verbena

Uploaded to Flickr by Seattle Bon Vivant on 23 Aug '06

My friend Su and I purchased the crabapples and lemon verbena from Langley Fine Gardens farm stand last Sunday while on our daytrip to Vashon and Maury Island. As we had missed the Vashon Farmers Market by a day we figured other than U-Pick farms it would be slim pickings for us, tooling around in a car.

But we drove down this street looking for beach front access and came up to a sign that said "Farm Stand Open", right in front of a big fence with lovely artsy house numbers that we imagined was shielding a fab house with a great garden.

There was a table and refrigerator with produce and eggs and you pay using the honor system. How cool is that?

Of course we went shopping!

When we returned home Su prepped the little applettes and I trimmed the verbena and dug a bottle of the 2004 Rancho Sisquoc Sylvaner from the cellar.

Wine (2 cups), sugar (1 cup), crabapples (a pound) and lemon verbena, simmered until apples are tender and wine/sugar reduced in half. Couldn't be simpler or more delicious. Best of all, not too sweet so it is tart and refreshing enough to have on its own or over very good quality vanilla ice cream.

*Su suggests saving the liquid for granita or sorbet and serving the apples with cheese.

Click here for more photos of Jams & Jellies, Compotes & Preserves previously featured on this blog.

Three Berry Jam

Uploaded to Flickr by Seattle Bon Vivant on 27 Aug '06

Made with the Vashon u-pick berries we collected last Sunday, put to very good use in the Christine Ferber overnight jam cooking method. Little sugar, no pectin, only the juice of a just squeezed, super fresh lemon.

The glass jar is a recycled (and generously sized) Maille mustard jar, one of the too many jars of mustard we always bring back with us whenever we travel. This one brought back from one of our Paris trips. This particular size and style jar comes from Monoprix in the Marais.

As the jam is so fresh and delicious we plan to eat it exclusively over the next couple of weeks. No sealing necessary, only refrigeration. By modifiying the basic recipe I was able to make enough jam for two full jars like these. About 8 ounces each.

*When cooking with fresh berries, organic ones in particular, it is imperative to use them up ASAP. We did the first cooking of the jam the same night we picked them, last Sunday. Jam was finished the following day.

Click here for the rest of the photos of our recent day trip to Vashon & Maury Island

On absence and gratitude

I've written this post a thousand times over. In my head most of them, on draft a few others. But I could never hit the publish now button.

In the beginning it was just impossible for me to write without bursting into tears. Days, weeks and even months later it was just impossible to even start at all.

So I stopped writing because the words were not coming. Only the thoughts were happening. Many of them, at the same time, choking me up.

Back in May, a few days after I wrote about the Monastrell (four months ago yesterday) I got on a plane to be with my mother, who had called a few days before to tell me that the results from her tests were back and that yes, she had cancer.