Qorkz Kitchen

Welcome to Qorkz Kitchen! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and in anticipation we have put together some of our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes which would be welcome at any Thanksgiving table. We hope you enjoy them while celebrating the season with your family this holiday season.

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Baked Acorn Squash

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Ingredients

1 Large Acorn Squash
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
 

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Directions

Preheat your oven to 425 Degrees F. Using a sharp knife, cut the acorn squash in half. Cutting the squash can be a challenge so be very careful. 

Next, using a scoop or a mellon baller, remove the seeds from the inner cavity of the squash. There are stringy pieces under the seeds, try and remove as much of this as possible. 

Using a pairing knife, score the inside of the squash vertically and then horizontally. 

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Wine Pairings

The blackberry and clove flavors of Mourvedre are the perfect pairing for the this sweet and nutty squash dish. Try this Oak Cliff Mourvedre $32 with your Thanksgiving meal as it also goes great with stuffing and turkey! 

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Place the squash flesh side up in a baking pan. Fill the pan with enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake at 425 Degrees F. for an hour or until the squash is starting to soften. 

Take 1 tablespoon of butter and use it to coat the inside of each half of the squash. Next, pour the maple syrup over both halves. Use a pastry brush to paint the syrup and butter on the surface of the squash. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top of the squash and bake for another twenty minutes. 

Remove the squash from the oven and drain out the puddle of syrup into a bowl. 

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Finish The Dish 

Serve each person one half of the squash with the accompanying bowl of the cooked syrup. 

Movie Night

Having a Friday night in? We recommend a movie, a bottle of wine, and some popcorn. What type of movie? One about wine of course! There are many movies about wine out there to choose from and on Fridays we will share one with you that we have seen and enjoyed. You get the popcorn and let Qorkz send you the wine! This week we are taking a break from our regularly scheduled wine movies to bring you one of our Thanksgiving favorites. 

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A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

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Charlie Brown and Sally are preparing to go to their grandmother's place for Thanksgiving dinner when Charlie Brown gets a phone call from Peppermint Patty, who invites herself over to Charlie Brown's house for the holiday dinner. Two quick subsequent phone calls add Marcie and Franklin to the guest list, and since Charlie Brown cannot get a word in edgewise with Patty, he quickly finds himself in a quandary with no easy solution—at least not until Linus shows up.

Linus suggests to Charlie Brown that he could have two dinners: the first one for Patty and her friends, and then the second one at his grandmother's home. 

The guests arrive and make their way to the backyard for the Thanksgiving feast. Linus leads the group in prayer. Snoopy serves up the food, throwing the plates to each guest Frisbee-style. Each person gets two slices of buttered toast, and a handful each of pretzel sticks, popcorn, and jelly beans. 

At first Patty is shocked, but her shock quickly turns to outrage, and she angrily berates Charlie Brown for the supposed meal. Embarrassed and dejected, Charlie Brown timidly leaves the table and goes back into the house. Patty's tirade continues until Marcie gently reminds her that Charlie Brown didn't invite her, but that she invited herself, Marcie and Franklin. Coming to her senses, Patty asks Marcie to go and apologize to Charlie Brown on her behalf. Marcie reluctantly does so, but Patty soon follows her and apologizes to Charlie Brown herself.

In the midst of the quasi-feast, Charlie Brown loses track of time; The clock strikes four, reminding him that he and Sally are supposed to be at their grandmother's home for dinner in half an hour. So he calls his grandmother to explain his situation. When he mentions that his friends haven't eaten yet, his grandmother suggests that he bring all his friends with him for Thanksgiving dinner; the idea is welcomed with cheers from everyone.

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Wine Pairing 

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is all about friends, family, and giving thanks. In that light, bring mom a bottle of wine this Thanksgiving to show her your appreciation. For my mother, that would be a bottle of her favorite varietal Semillon, specifically the Coruce Semillon $20.97. She loves this gold medal winner for it's big white fruit flavors and balanced acidity. 

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Film Critic 

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is a great representation of Thanksgiving and how sometimes the meaning behind the holiday gets lost. While every other character in the program is worried about the logistics of Thanksgiving and planning the meal, Linus stands in stark contrast reminding everyone of the history and purpose of the holiday. When Sally asks "Why should I give thanks on Thanksgiving? What do I have to be thankful for?" Linus responds "Sally, Thanksgiving is a very important holiday. Ours was the first country in the world to make a national holiday to give thanks" 

Linus gives further history and meaning of the holiday in his Thanksgiving prayer: In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast. They invited the great Indian chief Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food. Governor William Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests. Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this: 'We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land. We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice."

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Why We Love It 

Aside from simply being a classic that we all know, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving reminds us of two very important things. First, to give thanks for family, friends, health, safety, and all the blessings of the year. Second, it reminds us that you have two families in your life, the one you were born with and the one you choose. It asks us to appreciate our friends those around us that we see everyday that help us make it through the year. This Thanksgiving season, raise a glass with your chosen family and let them know you appreciate them and all they do for you. 

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A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving 

Book Club

We love book club. In fact, for us it is mostly a wine drinking social club where we not only talk about the book, but we also use the time to catch up with our friends. When it's our turn to select the book, we pick from one of the myriad of books about wine that are on the shelves today. In the Book Club feature, we will share some of our favorite wine based books that we have read here at Qorkz, and we hope you enjoy them as well.

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Wines of California - A Comprehensive Guide

From Napa and Sonoma to Modesto and Calaveras, take an unparalleled look into California winemaking, history, and geography. "World Wine Guys" Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen have created the most up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of the state's myriad wine-growing regions, including detailed listings of outstanding producers with individual tasting notes. Enjoy winery profiles with tasting notes, winemaker interviews, recipe and food pairings, and photos of all, including wine labels. In addition, there's a foreword by Michael Mondavi and a preface by Kevin Zraly—two of the most powerful names in wine today.

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Wine Pairing For This Book 

What's better than trying the same varietal from two different regions when reading the most comprehensive book written about California's wine regions? You can really taste what the temperature and soils of the regions bring to the final products. 

Coruce 2012 Chardonnay From The Antelope Valley Of The California High Desert AVA

The high heat of the desert sun combined with the cool evenings give the wine a delightful tropical fruit flavor. Think pineapple, star fruit, and guava. The regional characteristics of this wine really come through in the bottle. 

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Oak Cliff Cellars (Unoaked) Chardonnay From Sonoma County 

The cool morning fog and warm daytime sun give this Chardonnay delightful acidity and crisp fruit. Think green apple, pear, and melon. You can taste the chilly Sonoma mornings with every sip. 

Qorkz Kitchen

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Welcome to Qorkz Kitchen! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and in anticipation we have put together some of our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes which would be welcome at any Thanksgiving table. We hope you enjoy them while celebrating the season with your family this holiday season.

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Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

1 Bag (1 Pound) of Cranberries
1/3 Cup of Water
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 1/4 Cups of Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Allspice
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 Grapefruit Zest & Juice

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Directions

Mix the water and sugar together in a put and stir to incorporate. Then bring to a simmer over medium high heat. 

Once the sugar is incorporated add the cranberries and stir to combine. Next, add the cinnamon stick, reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer together for ten minutes. 

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Wine Pairing

Cranberries are a common red fruit flavor detected in Pinot Noir, making it the perfect match for this dish. Looking for a Pinot Noir full of red fruit flavors for your Thanksgiving table? Try the Brooks Note Marin Pinot Noir $36.  

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Use a microplane or zester to zest the outside of the grapefruit. Then cut the grapefruit in half and extract the juice using a reamer or a press. 

Combine the juice, nutmeg, allspice, and the zest with the simmering cranberries. Cook over medium heat for another two minutes. 

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Finish The Dish 

Cranberries are full of pectin which will help firm up the cranberry sauce as it cools. Take the cranberries off the heat and let them cool for twenty minutes prior to serving.

The Art Of Wine

One of history's greatest pairings? Wine and art. They go together like Cabernet and steak. In fact, not just wine but drinking culture as a whole has been a prominent feature of some of the greatest artworks of our time. In the Art of Wine, we look at some of these artworks and their significance to us, the drinking class.

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Freedom From Want - Norman Rockwell 

Thanksgiving is upon us and what better time to look at our first Norman Rockwell? Freedom From Want is a portrayal of good old fashioned Americana and has become the quintessential image of the Thanksgiving table. 

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The Painting 

Norman Rockwell painted Freedom From Want as part of a four part series named "The Four Freedoms." The Four Freedoms works were inspired by a speech given by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941, where he stated Americans have the right to freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Freedom From Want was painted in oil on canvas by Rockwell in November of 1942, but made it's public appearance in the March 1943 issue of the Saturday Evening Post. The painting was accompanied by a contrasting essay from journalist Carlos Boulosan, which depicted the socioeconomic hardships that Americans were facing at home inspire of President FDR's assertion to the contrary.  

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The Characters 

History tells us that all of the people in the picture were friends and family of Rockwell in Arlington, Vermont, who were photographed individually and subsequently painted into the scene. The work depicts a group of people celebrating around a Thanksgiving table.  It has become an iconic representation of the Thanksgiving holiday and family holiday gatherings in general. We'll look at the characters at the table and examine our favorite members of the holiday drinking class. 

The head of the table. Reserved for the head of the family, it's the most important seat in any family gathering. Here, Rockwell gives us this depiction of both matriarch and patriarch in that role in the form of these adorable grandparents. A lot has been made over the years about the size of the turkey and how if this scene were real the weight would tip her over, but I think Rockwell did it on purpose. 

The Freedom From Want depicts the wealth of America during a time of war torn Europe. It is a statement on how great Americans have it at home when compared to their European counterparts. Personally, I can imagine that anyone who takes the requisite 18 hours to cook a turkey that large could probably use a glass of wine or two. 

One of the most interesting people in this painting is the man in the lower right hand corner who is looking at the audience. History tells us that Rockwell painted this man in the traditional style of the renaissance painters by challenging the viewer by staring back. For me though, this is the family ham. The grandparents are bringing out the turkey and he is paying no attention at all, instead choosing to ham it up for the family portrait. We all have one of these guys in the family who probably has a bit too much wine, but keeps the mood light.  

One of my favorite parts of this painting, the girls looking at one another and laughing. I have always viewed them as sisters who are incredibly close. That's what Thanksgiving is all about right? Spending time catching up with the ones we love? I love that they are not sitting right next to one another where they would be giggling and gossiping together, but instead say across the table which allows the entire group to be included. I'm guessing Pinot Noir fans. Just a hunch. 

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The Venue

As big as that turkey is, I think the lack of side dishes on the table is telling. Freedom From Want is not just about material items. It challenged Americans to look inside themselves for what really mattered. Family is the most important thing. Rockwell painted an empty table to remind us all that what is really important during the Thanksgiving holiday is family and being with the ones you love. For the drinking class, what better venue is there to have a drink? The whole family is together, the best bottles of wine are opened and maybe the dinner is finished with a fine scotch or brandy? 

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Wine Pairing 

Looking for the perfect wine for your Thanksgiving meal? Look no further than the Sabina Pinot Noir $55. This wine has hints of raspberry and rose petal aromas mixed with flavors of cranberry, leather and green tea in the mouth. The wine is smooth and concentrated on the palate with notes of spice and sweet oak round out the rich, velvety texture producing a spectacular pinot noir that would shine at any Thanksgiving meal. 

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The Drinking Class

In my house at Thanksgiving as much care and thought goes into picking the wines as does preparing the meal. Thanksgiving is the classiest holiday for the drinking class to celebrate together and enjoy some of your finest bottles. Not that we have anything against the Christmas eggnog or the St. Patrick's Day green beer, but Thanksgiving is your time to really shine. And like Rockwell showed us in Freedom From Want, spending time with family is what the holiday is all about. So go on, show your family that you appreciate them this Thanksgiving and celebrate together as members of the drinking class. 

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A View From An Art Historian

Want to know more about Freedom From Want and the rest of the Four Freedoms? WMHT and the Norman Rockwell Museum have put together this excellent presentation on the paintings. 

Qorkz Kitchen

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Welcome to Qorkz Kitchen! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and in anticipation we have put together some of our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes which would be welcome at any Thanksgiving table. We hope you enjoy them while celebrating the season with your family this holiday season.

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Green Beans and Shallots

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Ingredients

2 Pounds of French Cut Green Beans
1 Tablespoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
5 Turns of Black Pepper
2 Shallots Diced

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Directions

Wash the green beans and cut away the stems from the end of the beans. 

Peel away the outside of the shallots. Cut the shallots into a fine dice. Cut the shallots lengthwise twice and then crosswise across the ribs. Then cut across the width to create the dice. 

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Wine Pairing

The buttery green beans go great with a wine featuring well balanced acidity and citrus floral notes. The Picayune Sauvignon Blanc pairs beautifully and would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving table $21

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Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium add the green beans and cook for 3 minutes. 

Add the butter and olive oil to a deep frying pan over medium high heat. Add the shallots and sauté for five minutes or until the shallots are tender. 

Drain the green beans and add to the shallot mixture. Season with salt and black pepper and cook for about a minute to combine. 

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Finish The Dish 

Remove the green beans from the heat and serve immediately. 

Movie Night

Having a Friday night in? We recommend a movie, a bottle of wine, and some popcorn. What type of movie? One about wine of course! There are many movies about wine out there to choose from and on Fridays we will share one with you that we have seen and enjoyed. You get the popcorn and let Qorkz send you the wine! 

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A Good Year

A feel-good movie that highlights the beauty of France as much as it does its stars, A Good Year provides a languid, gorgeous viewing experience. Director Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe--who first worked together on the Academy Award-winning Gladiator--are reunited in this romantic film, which is based on Peter Mayle's book A Year in Provence. Crowe plays Max, a workaholic London bonds trader who doesn't know the meaning of vacation. When his uncle dies, leaving him a picturesque estate in the south of France, Max views it as an opportunity to cash in the winery and pocket the profits. The film is reminiscent of Diane Lane's Under the Tuscan Sun in the way the scenery plays as much of a role in the film as its characters. The lush village and streaming sunlight portray Provence as an idyllic, magical place. 

Even Max falls under its spell. While not a particularly likeable character, especially in the early part of the film, Max also isn't a bad guy. When he gets the chance to live life at a less manic pace than which he is used to, he finds that a good year isn't dependent on a financial windfall. Though Scott tries to drum up some suspense in the film (Is the beautiful visitor really Max's illegitimate cousin? Will Max fall in love with the feisty local woman he trades quips with?) nothing that happens comes as much of a surprise. Still, while the film doesn't fully utilize Crowe's range of skills, the actor is charming in his role and A Good Year provides a fine time in the cinemas. --Jae-Ha Kim

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Film Critic 

A Good Year asks us to look our our lives and evaluate what is truly important. In this day and age where the stresses of the work day never really seem to end, this film reminds us to take a good hard look at our lives and the people we are and become the people we were meant to be. It reminds us that while the rest of life moves along at a thousand miles an hour, the wine industry remains steadfast in its time honored winemaking techniques and the continuing drive to make the perfect bottle of wine.  A Good Year asks us the all important question "What's more important, your money or your life?"  

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Why We Love It 

First of all, you can't beat the scenery in this movie. A Chateau in Provence sets the stage for the film and the views alone are enough to make you want to run off to spend time at a winery. They were able to perfectly capture that "second glass of wine on the patio of my favorite winery" romantic notion that brings so many of us back to wine country. There is also the element of leaving your high stress job to do something that really matters to you that is prevalent in the film. How many of us haven't thought of doing that once or twice? A Good Year shows us what is really important in life and that's why we love it.  

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Wine Pairings

For this movie we recommend the best of French winemaking techniques but with a California twist. Try the Picayune Padlock Red Blend. $29. This  deep layers of black cherries, cassis, blackberries, cocoa, currants with a bit of truffle on the nose.  

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Movie Trailer

Qorkz Kitchen

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Welcome to Qorkz Kitchen! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and in anticipation we have put together some of our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes which would be welcome at any Thanksgiving table. We hope you enjoy them while celebrating the season with your family this holiday season. 

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Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes 

Ingredients

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4 Sweet Potatoes
3 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
4 Tablespoons Butter
4 Tablespoons Cream Cheese
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

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Directions 

Scrub the sweet potatoes under running water and then pat them dry. Cut some vent holes with a pairing knife along the top middle. Coat the outside of the sweet potatoes with the olive oil and sprinkle with the sea salt. This step makes the outside skin fry a little during cooking and will make the final result have firm and crisp skin. 

In an over preheated to 400 degrees F., bake the sweet potatoes for an hour to an hour and twenty minutes or until you could push a knife through without resistance. 

Using a pairing knife, cut the skin away from the top of the sweet potato. Then, using a scoop or a melon baller, scoop out the middle of the sweet potatoes and place the contents inside the work bowl of a stand mixer. 

Looking For A Wine To Pair With Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes? 

The white fruit flavors and rich mouthfeel of the Coruce Semillon balance well with the starchy sweetness of the sweet potatoes. It also pairs well with Turkey!

In the work bowl of the stand filled with the inside of the sweet potato, add the cream cheese, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and black pepper.  

Using the paddle attachment, mix the ingredients together on low speed until everything is combined. 

Using a scoop or a spoon, fill the skins with the filling and smooth out with a spatula. Return the sweet potatoes to the hot oven and cook for fifteen minutes. 

Finish The Dish 

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The sweet potatoes are ready to serve right out of the oven. Serve and enjoy! 

Cheese Boards

Looking to put together a cheeseboard? We have taken some of our favorite cheeses and put together a series of cheeseboards we have seen at some of our favorite wine bars to help you take the thought out of it.  We'll also recommend some wine pairings for those cheeses to ensure that your board will be the toast of your party. 

Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue

We came across this cheeseboard pairing at Lucy's Whey in New York City on the Upper East Side. They pair the mild blue cheese with Mike's Hot Honey which highlights the creaminess of the cheese while toning down the pungency of the blue. We've added Grand Marnier soaked Bing cherries to the board to add some tartness and a hint of orange flavor. 

The Cheese 

“Aged at least 90 days in our Roquefort modeled caves, it’s an approachable blue with a firm but buttery paste and a bouquet of flavors to satisfy a range of palettes. Bite into Oregon Blue and find a clean, briny flavor, notes of sweet cream and veins of mellow, earthy blue molds blooming throughout.”

— Rogue Creamery

Wine Pairing 

The perfect pairing for blue cheese? A wine that is a little sweet, a little acidic, and just a hint of floral. The Ascension Evangelist Late Harvest Viognier has all the elements you need to make this cheeseboard a perfect pairing. $36

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Mike's Hot Honey 

Mike's Hot Honey is infused with chilis and has a deep slow burn. It's perfect for highlighting the creamy texture of the cheese while the sweetness takes some of the tang out of the blue cheese. 

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Wine Pairing 

Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc is an ideal pairing for blue cheese. The sweet floral notes compliment the creaminess and pungency of the blue cheese. Try this his late harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Petrified Forest. $39 per bottle. 

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Grand Marnier infused Bing Cherries. 

Take 1/2 cup of dried bing cherries and add them to 1/3 cup of Grand Marnier. Soak them overnight in the refrigerator. They are sweet, sour and with just a touch of an alcoholic burn. 

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Other Wine Pairings 

Dry Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Madeira, Port

Qorkz Kitchen

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Welcome to Qorkz Kitchen! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and in anticipation we have put together some of our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes which would be welcome at any Thanksgiving table. We hope you enjoy them while celebrating the season with your family this holiday season.

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Creamed Corn Cornbread

Ingredients

2 Cups of Yellow Cornmeal
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Buttermilk
2 Eggs
1 Cup Creamed Corn
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil

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Directions 

Preheat an oven to 430 degrees F., and insert a cast iron skillet to warm up. In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, salt, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together to combine well.
 

Combine the buttermilk, eggs, and creamed corn in the work bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk to combine. 

With the stand mixer on low, pour the dry ingredients into the work bowl containing the wet ingredients. Mix to combine. 

Looking For A Wine To Pair With Cornbread?

Try Humanitas Sauvignon Blanc. $30. The salty sweet flavor of the cornbread pairs perfectly with the floral and citrus notes of this Sauvignon Blanc.  The best part? With all the proceeds of this wine going to charity, it makes it easy to open that second bottle. 

Remove the hot cast iron skillet from the oven with your best oven mitts, it will be extremely hot. pour the canola oil the pan making sure it coats the entire inside of the pan. 

Pour the batter into the cast iron skillet and return to the oven. Bake the cornbread for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes away clean. 

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Finish The Dish 

Remove the cornbread from the dish and pair with whipped butter, honey, and cranberry sauce. 

The Art Of Wine

One of history's greatest pairings? Wine and art. They go together like Cabernet and steak. In fact, not just wine but drinking culture as a whole has been a prominent feature of some of the greatest artworks of our time. In the Art of Wine, we look at some of these artworks and their significance to us, the drinking class.

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Madame Georges Charpentier and Her Children - Auguste Renoir 

Want to know another great pairing? Parenting and wine. Kids just say and do the darnedest things don't they? This week we are featuring a blog cross over with Amanda from the blog Kids and Cabernet and what better time to discuss this beautiful painting by Renoir?  As we all know, kids are the greatest gift in the world, but they can also make you throw your hands up and go in search for something to take the edge off.  We'll take a look at what's going on in this painting from Renoir's view, and we'll view it through the modern lens of the parent drinking class. 

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The Characters

History tells us that this painting was commissioned in 1878, by Marguerite Charpentier to give "poetry to an elegant home and the beautiful dresses of our time." Located in the Japanese tea room of her Parisian townhouse, Madame Charpentier is seated next to her two children Paul and Georgette along with the family dog. Let's be honest though. This could perfectly encapsulate any modern view into the home of a stay at home parent with two rambunctious kids.  Let's take a deeper look. 

Madame Marguerite Charpentier was the wife of a well-to-do and well connected publisher. She loved to open her home and throw lavish parties that were impeccably planned. She also hosted elite literary salons attended by the top authors of the day.  She reminds me very much of the modern stay at home parent. Just because she is a parent two times over doesn't mean she has lost an ounce of her grace and charm. She could just as easily be out being the socialite that she was before but isn't this where she'd rather be? 

I love the scene too. She has everyone dressed up, has Renoir over to do a portrait and her daughter decides it's a good time to ride the family dog. Classic. I think the look on her face says it all. About ready for a glass of wine? I think so. 

Next we have the children. Okay, first and foremost let's just get this out of the way now. You thought that was two girls on that couch didn't you? Whelp. It's not. The child on the right is Paul, Madame Charpentier's three year old son. His hair is uncut and he is wearing a dress due to the style of the day. You know, sometimes kids just want to dress themselves right? So he wore a matching dress for the family portrait because he wanted to match his sister, who coincidentally, is sitting on the family dog. I tell ya, kids do the darnedest things. But that's why we love them so much. It's also why I'll have that glass of wine now please. 

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The Venue

What? Your house doesn't have a Japanese tea room? Mine doesn't either. Let's pretend that it's the modern family living room. You are trying to get your kids to sit still and behave for two minutes but instead one is riding the dog. Sounds like a fairly common occurrence in parenting. I think it explains that look on her face quite well and also why there is a carafe of wine just over her left shoulder. The living room is often the drinking establishment of choice for those with young children because going out is not really practical sometimes. Like Madame Charpentier though, we don't have to avoid the finer things in life just because we're home. In fact drinking a nice bottle of wine at home without the markup or corkage fee may just be the best place to do it. 

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The Drinking Class

Why does this painting so well represent the drinking class? A few years before this painting Madame Charpentier was a woman about town. She was attending all the parties and social events she could fit into her calendar. Now, she is trying to prevent her daughter from riding the dog around the house like it was a horse. The suburbs are a necessary step for those of us that want to have children, but that doesn't mean our minds ever really leave the city or the experiences we had in our youth. You get to take that stuff with you into parenthood. You can see it in her impeccable sense of fashion and home decor. But that's just half of it, this painting shows us more. It shows us the best is yet to come by shining a spotlight on the real joys of parenting. If Madame Charpentier is like any mother I know, she will steal a few private moments later to giggle about what her kids did that day and wouldn't trade a moment of it for the world. She truly is a woman who has it all, style, class, a sense of self, and adorable kids. She and all the parents like her are first-rate members of the drinking class.

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A View From An Art Historian 

Book Club

We love book club. In fact, for us it is mostly a wine drinking social club where we not only talk about the book, but we also use the time to catch up with our friends. When it's our turn to select the book, we pick from one of the myriad of books about wine that are on the shelves today. In the Book Club feature, we will share some of our favorite wine based books that we have read here at Qorkz, and we hope you enjoy them as well.

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A Very Good Year: The Journey of a California Wine From Vine to Table

Situated amidst the lush soils of Sonoma County in the heart of California’s wine country, the Ferrari-Carano Vineyards produce some of the best-loved wines in America. Founded by casino mogul Don Carano and his wife Rhonda just over twenty years ago, the winemaker has won praise from consumers and connoisseurs alike for its affordably priced premium bottles, particularly its Fumé Blanc. In A Very Good Year, award-winning journalist Mike Weiss goes behind the scenes at this renowned winemaker to tell the story of how a bottle of this wine is created, from the first grapes picked by the hands of Mexican migrant workers to the vintage’s initial public tasting at the Four Seasons in New York

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Wine Pairing For This Book 

What you get in this book is the story of a bottle of wine made with love and care by someone who took great pride in their wine. The story vividly describes Sonoma from the cool foggy mornings to the hot afternoons. Want a wine from that terroir while you contemplate the region? Look no further than the Weir Pinot Noir from Brooks Note. The warm days help ripen the grapes while the cool evenings let the grapes ripen slowly and develop tremendous balance.  We know you'll love it. And with 1 cent shipping on orders of 4 or more to California it's that much easier to love! 

Movie Night

Having a Friday night in? We recommend a movie, a bottle of wine, and some popcorn. What type of movie? One about wine of course! There are many movies about wine out there to choose from and on Fridays we will share one with you that we have seen and enjoyed. You get the popcorn and let Qorkz send you the wine! 

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Bottle Shock

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In 1976, Steven Spurrier, a sommelier in Paris, comes to the Napa Valley to take the best he can find to Paris for a blind taste test against French wine. He meets Jim Barrett, whose Chateau Montelena is mortgaged to the hilt as Jim perfects his chardonnay. There's strain in Jim's relations with his hippie son Bo and his foreman Gustavo, a Mexican farmworker's son secretly making his own wine. Plus, there's Sam, a UC Davis graduate student and free spirit, mutually attracted to both Gustavo and Bo. As Spurrier organizes the "Judgment of Paris," Jim doesn't want to participate while Bo knows it's their only chance. Barrett's chardonnay has buttery notes and a Smithsonian finish.

Available To Stream On Netflix

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Film Critic

This movie strikes close to our heart because it follows the core message of Qorkz: Good wine is good wine no matter where it's grown. It also champions the cause of small producers and the care and craftsmanship they put into their wine. The winning Chateau Montelena wine only produced 500 cases. This movie highlights the blessing and the curse of small production wines. One minute they are near bankruptcy and struggling to sell this tremendous product and the next, the world discovers how great it is, and you will struggle to get your hands on another bottle.  I love that last scene of everyone desperately trying to find a bottle of it. The takeaway? Don't wait until its too late. 

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Why We Love It 

"Wine is sunlight held together by water" I mean, how do you not love that? Bottle Shock is a great film for all of us who love wine because it allows us to live the struggle of the winemaker. The highs and the lows. It's an emotional struggle from start to finish. It's also the classic underdog story. It's a multitiered challenge of youth v. the establishment and not just with Napa against France either. You have the free wheeling hippie son against his father, and natives to the Napa wine industry v. newcomers seeking to make wine, who challenge established ideas at every turn. Everyone can find their underdog to root for in this film, and it's why it's one of our favorites.  

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Wine Pairings For This Film 

Looking for that wine that has yet to be discovered that you can still get your hands on? That wine that will be impossible to find once the public truly finds out how great it is? That small player doing everything the right way and cutting no corners?  If so then we have two wines for you. 

2010 Anthem Beckstoffer Cabernet Sauvignon

$95.00

This wine is phenomenal. It has all the makings of a cult wine and only 300 cases were produced with about 60 cases remaining. Will you be one of the lucky ones to have said, "oh yeah, I tried that!" 

$0.01 cent shipping on orders of 3 or more. 

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Brooks Note Weir Pinot Noir

$44

You know that scene in the film where Jim Barrett wants to rack the wine again because he knows that extra effort will make all the difference? That's Garry Brooks in a nutshell.  That level of care and driven perfectionism is present in every sip of his Weir Pinot Noir. You have to try this stuff, it's phenomenal. 

$0.01 shipping on orders of 4 bottles or more shipped to California. 

$0.01 shipping on orders of 6 bottles of more shipped outside of California.

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Movie Trailer 

Qorkz Kitchen

Xiao Long Bao - Pork And Shrimp Soup Dumplings 

Welcome to Qorkz Kitchen! This week we are making one of our favorites of all time, soup dumplings! It might be our proximity to Chinatown in San Francisco that gives these meat and soup filled dumplings their cult like following, but people around here will go far out of their way to find the best ones. While there are many types of Shanghai dumplings, our favorites are Xiao Long Bao which are filled with pork, shrimp, and a smokey pork and chicken soup. We tried our hand at the recipe created by Steamy Kitchen and we found it to be a huge success! 

Looking For A Wine To Have While Cooking?

Try Humanitas Sauvignon Blanc. It's delicious, it pairs great with Xiao Long Bao, and the proceeds go to charity, making it okay to open that second bottle. $30 on Qorkz.com 

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Ingredients

Soup

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2 Quarts of Water

2 Pounds Chicken Wings

1.5 Pounds of Smoked Virginia Country Ham Bone In

10 oz of Salt Pork

1 Inch Piece of Ginger, Sliced Into 4-5 Ginger "Coins"

2 Green Onions, Cut Into 3" Pieces

2 Garlic Cloves, Smashed With Side of Your Knife

2 Teaspoons of Chinese Rice Wine

1 Tablespoon Powdered Agar Agar

Dough 

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400 Grams of All-Purpose Flour

3/4 Cups Boiling Hot Water

1/4 Cup Cold Water
 

Filling 

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1 lb Ground Pork

1/4 lb Shrimp, Shelled, Deveined and Minced Finely

3 Stalks Green Onion, Finely Minced

2 Teaspoons Sugar

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/4 Teaspoon White Pepper

1/2 Teaspoon Grated Fresh Ginger

1 Teaspoon Chinese Rice Wine

1/4 Teaspoon Sesame Oil

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Soup Broth Gelatin 

Fair warning in advance, it takes awhile to make this broth. You have to steep the ingredients and then let the gelatin set up for at least 5 hours after adding the Agar powder. I made this the day before I made the soup dumplings and I had a well steeped and firm gelatin. 

Start by cutting your chives in half, smashing your garlic cloves, and cutting your 1 inch piece of ginger into medallions. Add them along with your water to a deep stock pot. Then cut the salt pork and smoked Virginia ham away from the bone. Add the chicken necks, wings, salt pork and Virginia ham to the broth.  

Bring the stock to a boil on high heat. Once the stock starts to boil, turn the heat to medium and a gentle simmer. If any foam rises to the surface, be sure to scoop that out and discard. 

Simmer the stock for 1 and a half to 2 hours or until the remaining meat falls off the ham bone. 

Remove the solids from the broth and discard. Strain the broth through a fine strainer and return the stock to the pot. 

Return the stock to the heat and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat off and stir in the 1 tablespoon of powdered Agar Agar and whisk for two minutes. 

Once the stock has come to room temperature, pour the stock into a 9x11 baking dish. Place the stock into the fridge to cool for at least 5 hours. (I let mine sit overnight).

When you're ready to make your dumplings remove the jello tray from the fridge and cut it into small cubes in preparation for adding to the dumplings. 

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Filling 

To make the filling you first need to devein your shrimp. If you have never done this before, it can look intimidating but can be done in a few short steps. Peel the shell off the back of the shrimp and remove the legs. Then cut down the back of the shrimp and remove the shrimps digestive tract and then rinse. That's it! 

Next cut the shrimp into a fine dice and place into the work bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. 

Next, cut your scallions into a fine dice 

Remove the outer-skin of the ginger. Using a grater or microplane, grate the ginger and set aside. 

Combine the shrimp, pork, scallions, ginger, sugar, salt, rice wine, sesame oil, and soy sauce to the work bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. 

Mix the ingredients together in the stand mixer until blended, usually about 30 seconds on medium. Next, add about half of your broth jello cubes to the mix and blend for another 30 seconds. Refrigerate until you are ready to use. 

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Looking For A Wine With Dinner? 

Try the Chateau Lane Sauvignon Blanc. Crisp and refreshing with a hint of citrus, it is a terrific pairing for the hot soup dumplings. $28 on Qorkz.com 

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Make The Dough 

This dough is made of just hot water and and flour with a touch of cold water added at the end. I made this in a food processor with the dough blade but it could easily be made in a stand mixer. Place the 400 grams by weight of all-purpose flour in a work bowl and turn on the food processor. Pour the hot water into the bowl in a slow and steady stream. 

Once you have added the hot water and the dough becomes crumbly, add the cold water in a slow and steady stream.  Process for another 20 seconds or until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. 

Remove the dough and form it into a ball. Place the dough in a ziplock bag and set aside to hydrate for at least 30 minutes. Since the dough is hot, the the bag will fill with steam. 

After 30 minutes, take the dough out of the bag and place it on a floured surface. Cut the dough into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time, roll the dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Using a knife or pastry scraper, cut the dough into 1 inch sections. Using a dowel or small rolling pin, roll the each section flat. 

Using a a pastry cutter, cut 3 inch circles out of the dough. Repeat until all the dough is rolled out and cut. 

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Assemble The Dumplings

We like our dumplings with extra soup, so we place a jello cube of broth in the bottom of the dumpling underneath the filling. You don't have to do this step however. Using a spoon, place one ounce of filling inside of the dough circle on top of the jello cube. Place the filled dough in your hand and begin to pleat the outside. Make small folds all the way around to seal the dumplings. This does not need to look perfect for the home cook, but it does need a proper seal or the soup will evaporate during the cooking process. 

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Cook The Dumplings

For this you will need a bamboo steamer. If you don't have one, you should be able to find one at your local cooking store. I found them for sale cheaply at the Wok Shop in Chinatown. You can also find them on Amazon here. 

Use Napa Cabbage to line the bottom of your steamer basket, then set the steamer over a pot of boiling water. Let the steam pass through the steamer for for 15 minutes before adding the dumplings. 

Add the dumplings one at a time over the both layers of your bamboo steamer. Be careful not to overcrowd the steamer and be sure to double check the seals on the dumplings so the soup does not evaporate. 

Steam the dumplings with the lid on the steamer for 12 minutes. The steam will melt the jello cubes into soup during the cooking process. After 12 minutes take the dumplings off the heat and eat immediately. 

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Dipping Sauce

What good is a dumpling without a dipping sauce? Mix together 1 tablespoon of sambal (hot chili & garlic sauce), 1/4 cup black vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger cut in a fine dice.

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Finish The Dish

Either serve the dumplings inside the steamer basket or plate with the sauce to serve. These are best when enjoyed immediately out of the steamer and piping hot. 

Looking for more wine pairings? Sparkling White, Fume Blanc, Riesling, and Grüner Veltliner all pair well with Xiao Long Bao. 

Aroma Compounds

Pyrazines 

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Have you ever smelled a glass of red wine and experienced the surprising scent of grass or bell pepper? Has anyone ever described a glass of wine as being vegetal? When that happens what you are really smelling are the Pyrazines, which are organic compounds in the stems, leaves, and unripe berries of grapes.  While Pyrazines are present in the grapes themselves, they begin to lose their strength during veraison and are generally eliminated when the grapes are fully ripe. It is generally believed that Pyrazines are a defense system for the grape, preventing it from being consumed before it is fully ripe and the seeds are ripe enough for successful germination. 

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The Winemaking

Grapes undergoing veraison and losing the strong Pyrazine characteristic

Vegetal flavors in a wine are hit or miss depending on the wine drinker's palate. Some winemakers choose a stronger fruit flavor and higher alcohol content and leave their fruit on the vine to ripen to a point where there are no Pyrazines left to alter the flavor of the wine. Many winemakers feel that vegetal component adds a deep complexity to their wine and they go to great lengths to preserve some of its characteristics. Further still, the presence of Pyrazines is often a regional characteristic with darker or colder regions struggling to ripen the grapes enough to eliminate the Pyrazine flavors. This is why you don't see Cabernet Sauvignon grown and produced successfully in colder climates. 

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The Result 

Pyrazines help us to know our bottle of wine. When you are considering buying a red wine made from Bordeaux grape, read the back of the label and see where it was made. Is it generally sunny or generally cold? If it's dark and cold, then you know your bottle may have some vegetal characteristics to it. So the next time you smell bell pepper or asparagus in your red wine, have a cheers to the Pyrazine and enjoy its unique characteristics. 

The Art Of Wine

One of history's greatest pairings? Wine and art. They go together like Cabernet and steak. In fact, not just wine but drinking culture as a whole has been a prominent feature of some of the greatest artworks of our time. In the Art of Wine, we look at some of these artworks and their significance to us, the drinking class.

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La Goulue Dancing with Valentin le Desosse - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

We could do an entire series on the works of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec for the Art of Wine because they are the genuine article depictions of the drinking class. Toulouse-Lautrec was one of the great bohemian artists of Montmartre in the late 1800s, and painted what he saw night in and night out at the nightclubs of Paris. We don't even need to assume drinking roles for the people in his paintings, we already know what they are thanks to his watchful eye and careful depictions. 

Toulouse-Lautrec was disabled due to two broken legs that never healed properly and resulted in him only reaching a height of five foot tall in adulthood. Being unable to do many of the activities of normal aristocrats of his day due to his height, Toulouse-Lautrec immersed himself in the nightlife culture and would often be found drinking with his sketchbook in hand. 

This painting is my wife's favorite of his and probably many others who have been to the Musée d'Orsay has seen this giant work by on display. The painting itself is 9 and a half feet tall and is positioned adjacent to its equally large sister painting Le Goulue Dancing. The Moulin Rouge opened in Montmartre in 1889, and instantly became the nightclub of choice for Toulouse-Lautrec until he was institutionalized for health reasons in 1895. While institutionalized, he painted many of his famous depictions of the Moulin Rouge from his sketches, including La Goulue Dancing with Valentin le Desosse. 

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The Characters

The two characters in this painting were La Goulue who was the star of Montmarte dancing with her partner the famous Valentin le Desosse. These two were the top performers of the day living in Paris and were personal favorite subjects of Toulouse-Lautrec. 

Next is her partner Valentin le Desosse. He was a wine merchant by day who was dancing at night in the Moulin Rouge. He was purported to be the best male dancer in Montmartre. I love this guy, but who wouldn't love a dancing wine merchant? Wait, it gets better, he was a contortionist and could perform feats while dancing that made him appear to be boneless.  I assume that explains why Toulouse-Lautrec painted his feet in such a contorted angles, but we don't know for sure.  Valentin le Desosse danced for recreation and was never paid for is dancing at Moulin Rouge. He is credited for taking in La Goulue and showing her the ropes. Not much is known of him after he left the Moulin Rouge but I like to think that he returned to his wine merchant business and sold small production wine. It's the romantic in me. 

First up is La Goulue. Her real name was Louise Webber and she was the undisputed star of Montmartre dancing for sold out clubs night after night. The original party girl of Paris, she is often credited with starting the craze of the Cancan as she danced an early version of it named Chahut. She was known for her outlandish behavior and healthy appetite for wine. I like her already. Unfortunately, like many modern day stars, she thought she could do better striking out on her own and she left the Moulin Rouge to do a solo act. That decision became a financial disaster for her that she never recovered from. 

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The Venue

Moulin Rouge opened in 1889 and instantly became the the premier nightclub in Paris. Known for the invention of the Cancan and being the first burlesque show in Europe, Moulin Rouge was instrumental in the evolution the night club scene of the times. I love imagining the great artisans of the day in Montmartre drinking and dancing side by side with the aristocrats of Paris. You can see the different classes of people in the scene, the alcoholic regulars with their red noses, the middle class in their bowler hats, and the well to do in their top hats and bowties. It must have been a wild scene. 

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The Drinking Class

The images captured by Toulouse-Lautrec may have been the founding of the drinking class. It doesn't matter what walk of life you are, you are welcome here so long as you drink, dance, laugh and have a great time.  We are talking about a time when people drank so much wine they were institutionalized and drank so much Absinthe they were chasing green fairies. Toulouse-Lautrec painted over 1,000 paintings or canvases capturing scenes from the ongoing party and preserving them for us of the modern day drinking class to examine and enjoy. In La Goulue Dancing with Valentin le Desosse, we can lift a glass and cheers to the star performers of the day who brought us the Cancan and to Toulouse-Lautrec for capturing such epic scenes. 

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View Of An Art Historian

Want to know more about Toulouse-Lautrec and the Moulin Rouge? Check out this video from Art Historian Jay A. Clark  to learn more. 

Book Club

We love book club. In fact, for us it is mostly a wine drinking social club where we not only talk about the book, but we also use the time to catch up with our friends. When it's our turn to select the book, we pick from one of the myriad of books about wine that are on the shelves today. In the Book Club feature, we will share some of our favorite wine based books that we have read here at Qorkz, and we hope you enjoy them as well. 

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How To Love Wine: A Memoir And Manifesto

Wine fanatics, or those angling for entry to the world of wine, will find comfort in New York Times chief wine critic Asimov’s down-to-earth discussion of loving wine. His approach welcomes all, untangling the preposterous hype around wine scores, blind tastings, and memorizing grape varietals, aspects that supposedly separate the masters from the rest. But readers expecting some handy checklist should look elsewhere. Asimov wants to challenge readers. Answers do come, though, while he considers his own unlikely path from casual drinker to the powerful industry voice he has become. And while much of his story strays from wine, what’s really special here is that Asimov’s argument not only makes so much sense but that he doesn’t take the easy way out, letting wine drinkers off the hook to drink whatever simply tastes good. He values any opinion, as long as it comes with thoughtful reasoning. Moreover, what he argues is most essential for a relationship with wine, and what’s most refreshing to read, is an approach free of anxiety and open to love. --Casey Bayer

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Wine Pairing For This Book 

Drink what tastes good? A novel idea in the world of wine. We are big fans of drinking what you enjoy, even if it goes against the mainstream thinking. Looking for a wine that just tastes great from a varietal that hasn't had its break out moment yet?  Try the Counter Punch Petite Sirah. Blueberries, rich tannin, and incredible mouth feel for $40 a bottle. We have a feeling author Eric Asimov would love it.  

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Winemaker Steve Hare

Movie Night

Having a Friday night in? We recommend a movie, a bottle of wine, and some popcorn. What type of movie? One about wine of course! There are many movies about wine out there to choose from and on Fridays we will share one with you that we have seen and enjoyed. You get the popcorn and let Qorkz send you the wine! 

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Red Obsession

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Available to stream on Netflix

For over three centuries, Bordeaux has commanded an almost mythical status in the world of wine as a symbol of wealth, power, and influence. But recently, prices for the prestige red wines have been skyrocketing. Something unprecedented is happening to the Bordeaux fine wine market and that something is China.

Red Obsession sets out to explore the Bordeaux phenomenon. Just how good can really good wine be? What compels a cashed up industrialist to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single bottle? Is it taste, prestige, or investment that is driving the demand for the wines of Bordeaux? Or is it simply the need to own something ethereal, unworldly and limited?

Red Obsession is a story of aspiration for greatness. It is also a study of power and passion in high places and the economic power shift from West to East. - Red-Obsession.com

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Film Critic 

The Chinese economy has grown exponentially in recent years and has trapped the wine industry in its tremendous wake. While this film focuses on the Chinese obsession for Bordeaux wines, the effect of the new Chinese wine fever has most certainly reached the United States as well. With the prices of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon inching towards averages of $250 - $300 a bottle, we can see how these wines are slowly becoming beyond the reach of the average wine consumer.  When will the ever escalating prices of these wines slow down? If Red Obsession is any indication, we might not discover that answer for a long, long time. 

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Why We Love It

Are you the nouveau riche and want to have the absolute very best of something? Is money not really an object for you in getting what you want? No? Me neither. But if you want to be, then this movie is your guilty pleasure.  From transplanting whole wineries brick by brick, to astronomically high bidding wars for single bottles of wine, this movie shows how the other half lives when they want something done right. For most of us wine drinkers, being able to drink any bottle you want, whenever you want is the pinnacle of being an oenophile and that's exactly the life being depicted here. We love the film because it makes us jealous, terrified, and leaves us in awe, all at the same time.  

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Wine Pairings

This movie calls for Cabernet, and not just any Cabernet, really really good Cabernet.  Try any of these selections and you won't be sorry. 

Anthem 2010 Beckstoffer Cabernet. Looking for a Cabernet that makes you lean back in your chair and go "WOW! That's incredible" Then this one's for you.  

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2011 Sabina Cabernet Sauvignon. Grace, elegance, and class, are just a few words to describe this highly sought after Cabernet. It's everything a Napa Cabernet is supposed to be. 

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2011 Chateau Lane Cabernet Sauvignon. Big, bold, and completely unafraid, this Cabernet is deep and complex with assertive fruit and lingering spice. When you taste it you reminder why Cabernet is king. 

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Movie Trailer

Qorkz Kitchen

Butternut Squash Ravioli In a Sage Brown Butter Sauce

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Welcome to Qorkz Kitchen! This week we are doing one of our favorite Fall meals of all time, butternut squash ravioli in a sage brown butter sauce. It's hard not to be excited about this dish as the squash starts popping up at our local farmers market and the weather starts to turn brisk. It's always a crowd-pleaser, and we're excited to share it with you! 

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This dish has 6 unique cooking elements and we will go through them in order. Make compound sage butter, toast the spice mixture, make the pasta dough, make the filling, assemble the ravioli, and finally, cook the dish. 

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Sage Butter Ingredients 

1 Quart Heavy Cream
1 Bunch Sage Leaves
1 Tablespoon Salt 

Combine the salt and cream in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Place the protective cover on the bowl and turn the power to medium-high. Let the cream work itself to stiff peaks like you're making whipped cream, this is the halfway point. Let the cream keep churning until the fats combine to form butter and you have liquid buttermilk in the bottom of your work bowl. 

While your butter is churning, take out your sage leaves, remove the stems, and chop into a fine dice. 

To make the compound butter, remove the buttermilk from the work bowl and discard or save for another use. Return the butter to the work bowl and add the sage. Using the whisk attachment, turn the power to high and cream the butter for two minutes. Once the butter is creamed, remove it from the work bowl and store for later use. 

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Spice Mixture Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Black Peppercorns
1/2 Tablespoon Red Chili Flakes
3 Tablespoons Fennel Seeds
1 Tablespoon Coriander Seeds
2 Cinnamon Sticks
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt

Combine the fennel seeds, black peppercorns, coriander, red chili flakes, and cinnamon sticks in a dry frying pan set over medium-low heat.  Stir the spices frequently until they start to be come fragrant, usually about 5 minutes. Spices burn very easily so be sure to give this process your undivided attention. 

Remove the spices from the pan once toasted and grind them in your spice grinder. We use a basic coffee grinder as our spice grinder, but the hand crank ones will work as well. Mix your newly ground spices with the chili powder and salt to combine. Set aside for later use. 

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Pasta Dough Ingredients 

115 Grams Semolina Flour
225 Grams  Durum Flour
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Water
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Fine Ground Black Pepper
3 Eggs

Flour measurements are by weight. We like this kitchen scale for our measurements because of its weight zeroing function allowing us to weigh everything in one bowl. 

Mix the semolina, durum, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a stand mixer to incorporate them together. Then slowly add one egg at a time, then the oil, and let the dough start to come together. Depending on the humidity in the kitchen you're working in, the dough may be finished at this point or still may need some water to help smooth it out. Add the water one tablespoon at a time until the dough forms a ball and comes away cleanly from the sides of the mixing bowl. 

Once the dough releases cleanly from the sides of the work bowl, form it into a ball and wrap it in saran wrap. Leave the dough to sit for 30 minutes to an hour to allow for the flour to fully hydrate.  

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Butternut Squash Filling 

1 Large Butternut Squash
1/2 Cup Compound Sage Butter
3 Tablespoons Spice Mixture
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 Cup Molasses 

Take your butternut squash and peel the outer skin. I always struggle to do this with a peeler, so I use a large pairing knife. Remove the top and bottom pieces, and scoop out the seeds in the middle. Cut the entire squash into 1 inch cubes for cooking. 

Next, place the compound butter in a frying pan set to medium-high. Once the butter stops bubbling and starts to brown, remove the pan from the heat and add the spice mixture, balsamic vinegar, and molasses. This will splatter some so be sure to be very careful during this process. Stir the mixture together to combine and put the pan back on the burner and cook for another minutes stirring constantly. 

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then add the diced butternut squash to the pan. Pour the spiced butter liquid over the top of the butternut squash and stir to combine. 

In an oven pre-heated to 400 degrees F., roast the butternut squash for 45 minutes to an hour or until you can stick a fork in them without resistance. Stir the mixture once during the cooking process.  Once cooked, remove the squash from the pan and place into the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth. If you do not have a food processor, a potato masher will work as well. 

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Form The Pasta Sheets

Sprinkle some semolina flour on your work station. Unwrap your dough ball. Placing it in the center of the flour, cut the ball into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out flat. Take the ends and fold them back into the middle to eliminate the oblong end pieces. Then roll the pasta out again with the rolling pin. Using a pasta roller or pasta rolling attachment to your Kitchen Aid, roll the pasta out into long sheets. You can also do this part by hand with your rolling pin if you don't have a pasta roller. 

These sheets will become the bottom layer of your Ravioli. 

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Decorative Leaf Pasta Sheets

To make the decorative pasta squares, make a sheet of pasta as described above. Then lay out sage leaves evenly spaced across the pasta sheet. Cover the leaves with a second sheet of pasta and trim away the excess. Roll the pasta sheets out again as described above. 

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Fill The Ravioli

Lay out one of the bottom pasta sheets. Using a scoop or a spoon, place a 1 oz portion of the filling evenly spaced across the sheet. 

Next create an egg wash by whisking together one egg with a tablespoon of water. Cut the sage pasta tops into squares large enough to cover the filling. Using a pastry brush, paint the area around the filling with an egg wash. Then place the tops over fillings pressing down gently to combine the layers. Be sure to push the air out during this step so you have tightly packed ravioli. Then fold the edges up to seal the ravioli. 

Using a pizza cutter, slice the ravioli sheets to cut away each individual ravioli. Then using either the side of a fork or a rolling crimping cutter, cut the edges of the ravioli to trim away the excess pasta and crimp them closed. 

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Cook The Ravioli

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower the ravioli into the boiling water one by one. Boil them for about 3-4 minutes. They should be floating when they are finished. 

Melt the remaining half cup of compound butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When the butter stops foaming and is browned, add the cooked ravioli and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Be careful, the ravioli will splatter when you add it to the butter. 

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Finish The Dish 

To serve, plate the ravioli on a plate and add a few decorative sage leaves and enjoy! 

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Wine Pairing

Try: Humanitas Rio Vista Pinot Noir

“This Pinot Noir has big red fruit but also has a earthy quality to it that blends nicely with the sage and squash. I might not usually go Pinot Noir with this meal, but the combination of these two is outstanding.”

— David Toomey - Qorkz

$55

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Exclusively available for residents of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming or those with a California based wine locker. 

Try: Oak Cliff Cellars Syrah

“Syrah brings out the fall spices in the squash and is my choice for this pairing. The smokey nose and deep fruit flavors when combined with the buttery pasta and spiced squash make for an ideal pairing. Yay Fall! ”

— Sarah Toomey - Qorkz

$45

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Exclusively available for residents of Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Texas, Washington DC of those with a California based wine locker. 

The Art Of Wine

One of history's greatest pairings? Wine and art. They go together like Cabernet and steak. In fact, not just wine but drinking culture as a whole has been a prominent feature of some of the greatest artworks of our time. In the Art of Wine, we look at some of these artworks and their significance to us, the drinking class.

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Garden at Sainte-Adresse - Claude Monet

Traveling with family. Sometimes it can be a spectacularly rewarding experience and sometimes... it can drive you to drink. Claude Monet offers us a first-hand look at his family trip to Sainte-Adresse, a seaside resort near Le Havre in his painting Garden at Sainte-Adresse.  This painting is all about leisure at a nice resort with the ones you love and is one of the world's great examples of the vacationing drinking class. 

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The Characters

History tells us that the four people depicted in this painting are relatives of Claude Monet, with his father being situated in the front right wearing the straw hat. When I look at the painting though, I see a mother and father relaxing in the chairs at the bottom of the picture and a young couple, possibly the son and his wife, having a conversation down by the water. We'll look at the characters in this painting and determine how they fit into the scene. 

Next up is mom. Hard to tell what she is doing tucked away under that parasol, but I can imagine her with a book or her knitting, quietly fretting about whether everyone is having a fun time, the way mothers sometimes do. The one thing we can tell is that her style and elegance are at home in the beautiful surroundings of the garden. She seems to be staring more at her son and his wife than at the water behind them. In my mind, she is having a champagne cocktail and is thinking about how proud she is of the man that he's become, and maybe wondering when the grandkids will arrive? 

First up, the father. He is my favorite character in this painting because he looks so content. Any of us who have planned and executed a vacation have had this moment. Sitting in the chair, drink by your side and staring off into the beautiful scenery while surrounded by your family. I'm here, we've made it, it all worked out. This was totally worth it!  There is a certain level of self pride one feels when being able to provide a scene like this for their family and I imagine him enjoying that moment now. 

Lastly, there is the son and his wife. They are standing noticeably away from the parents at the front of the patio. Maybe hoping for some privacy? A quick moment to confide in one another about the stresses of parental expectations which are so often reinforced on these trips? Or possibly they are romantically dreaming of their own family vacations in the future once their kids come along? Personally, I think they are discussing getting out of the sun and going inside for a glass of Rosé and some oysters where they can steal a few minutes alone. 

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The Venue

The garden at Sainte- Addresse is a resort vacationers dream. A flower garden in full bloom right on the waters edge? Say no more. I'm in. This is the type of patio where you could easily spend an afternoon discussing the matters of the day, enjoy a bottle of sparkling wine, or getting lost in your vacation book you have been putting off for so long. When it comes to socially elevated outdoor drinking culture this is as good as it gets. The perfect place to catch up on some quality family time. 

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The Drinking Class

One of the best parts of the parent-child relationship comes when everyone is of age and you can take adult vacations together. That scotch tour your dad always wanted to do? That European city your mom has just been dying to go see? Now you can knock those out while enjoying the finest food and drinks the locale has to offer. Monet's Garden at Sainte-Addresse is a beautiful example of that relationship and the joys of getting to know one another as adults. Monet invites the members of the drinking class to call your parents, pack your bags, and enjoy some time spent as a family. 

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I had the good fortune recently of being able to visit this painting in person at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It was even more beautiful in person, and I encourage everyone to stop in for a visit if they get a chance.  

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A View From An Art Historian