November 4th - This Date in Wine History

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Wine has a long established history of being our drink of choice for celebrating, entertaining, and savoring life; but it didn't start out that way. From the invention of the barrel to the designation of the separate viticultural areas, wine has a long and sorted history.  In our daily feature "This Date In Wine History," we share an event of critical importance in wine history.

  • Joan of Arc liberates St. Pierre-le-Moûtier in 1429.  This was part of the Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War.
  • Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine was born today in 1661.  Upon his succession as the Elector, he expelled his brother’s mistress and appointed his court jester as the guardian of the castle’s wine stocks.
  • Carolina Otero, known as La Belle Otero was born in 1868.  She was a Spanish dancer, actress and courtesan.  The Chef at the Hotel Carlton in Nice named at dish in her honor. Lobster Casserole Belle Otero is lobster and vegetables in a creamy Champagne Sauce.

March 9th - This Date in Wine History

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Wine has a long established history of being our drink of choice for celebrating, entertaining, and savoring life; but it didn't start out that way. From the invention of the barrel to the designation of the separate viticultural areas, wine has a long and sorted history.  In our daily feature This Date In Wine History, we share an event of critical importance in wine history.

  • The Franco-American Cookery book; or How to live well and wisely by Felix J. Déliée in his menu for Friday, March 9thincludes a recipe for Baked Cod with Smelts that includes cod, chopped only, parsley, salt, pepper half a pint of white wine and water, topped with butter, flour bread crumbs smelt and lemon.
  • Spain’s Cigales DO was created in 1991. This region is found on both sides of the Rio Pisuerga
  • The Snake River Valley AVA was designated in 2007.  Evil Knievel jumped a canyon over the Snake River in 1974.

Qorkzgiving Turkey

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Photo of brined Qorkzgiving Turkey by Gretchen Miller Neuman for Qorkz.

The turkey is the centerpiece to the feast.  You know that, I know that.  Peppermint Patty from a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving knew that.  But how should you cook your bird?  We at Qorkz have tried almost all of the modern methods.  We have deep fried, roasted, injecteddeboned and basted turkeys for almost two decades… and yes.. that’sa lot of fowl.  We have tried almost everything to keep our turkey moist.  Then we found brining.  When you brine, you create a chemical reaction that pulls water out of the meat then sucks in flavor.  So the key is to make your brine as flavorful as possible.  I like to use apple cider because it is a seasonal flavor and stout provides a sugar that coats the skin and makes the turkey roast with a nice browned color.  

Qorkzgiving Turkey

  • Turkey 
  • Butter
  • Brine

Turkey brine: 

  • 1/2 Gallon of apple cider
  • 2 cups Dragons Milk Stout
  • 1/2 C of Kosher salt
  • 1Tablespoon Coriander seed
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 2 small or 1 large shallot whole
  • 3 bay leaves
  • A sprig of fresh rosemary (my piece was about 6 inches)
  • several sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 2 Quarts of ice or more.

Put first nine ingredients in a pot, stirring occasionally.  Bring to boil.  Turn off an add ice.  Bring to room temperature.  Again, stirring periodically.  When at room temperature add turkey.  Put in fridge for up to 24 hours.  I used stout in this brine instead of a sherry because the malt will add color to the bird later on.  Though I guess a cream sherry or Marsala would do the trick as well.  I like to mix it up occasionally.

After brining turkey for up to 24 hours, remove the bird from the savory liquid.  Rinse the bird under running water and pat dry.  Place on rack on a baking sheet (or roasting pan) and rub with softened butter.  Roast in an pre-heated 350 degree oven for twenty minutes per pound.  Baste periodically.  Cook until an internal temperature of 165. Remove the turkey from the oven and rest for 30 minutes.  Also, I abide by the Alton Brown theory that stuffing = death.  If your bird is moist then your stuffing is undercooked infecting your nearest and dearest with any number deadly bacteria.  Don’t do that.  Cook that stuff in a separate pan covered in tin foil to give that slightly steamed quality without salmonella and that would make your fowl foul.

Wine Pairing:  During prep?  Have a beer.  It is said that it takes a lot of bad beer to make a good wine... I think that is equivalent for a turkey.

At the Feast:  An unoaked Chardonnay for a full fruit flavor or a cool climate Pinot Noir.  

Cranberry Zinfandel

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Cranberry Zinfandel by Gretchen Miller Neuman for Qorkz.

Cranberries.  This is a love it or hate it kind of dish.  

Cranberries are very tart berries that grow in bogs but are full of vitamins that would have normally been missing from a colonial diet such as vitamin C and manganese   This protected our pilgrim or separatist ancestors from scurvy and neurological ailments.  Better yet, they dried up beautifully in order to be stored for a long winter.  

Anyone who has had cranberry sauce realizes that there are a couple of ways to get it.  Canned jelly which is delicious and unnatural, showing the the ribs of the can.  This version while considered revolting to many people is awesome in many ways.  First?  It is spreadable.  Like on bread or toast. or shaken into a cocktail.  yes. into a cocktail an instant cosmo in your fridge.

The other type of cranberry sauce is more natural looking.  There are chunks of berry still visible. tastable, chewable.  But when push comes to shove still usable in the same ways as the jellied version, maybe more chewable but still tasty, nutritious and awesome.

Something so ubiquitous for the holiday must be tricky right?  Particularly if it starts in such a foul, astringent manner.   But the simple answer is NO! It is crazy easy.  You couldn’t make a simpler jelly if you prayed to.  So what do you need?

  • 1 bag of fresh cranberries
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 cup of zinfandel wine
  • the zest of half an orange (more if you insist)

Pick over a bag of fresh cranberries tossing out the creepy ones.  You know.. the ones that are shriveled or pale and bloated.  You don’t want those.  Add one cup of sugar, the zest of half and orange (I like fresh zest but also making it coarse verses fine.  Add one cup of Zinfandel wine.  Why Zinfandel?  That is a wine that has a rich jammy with flavors of dark fruits.  This makes it the perfect accompanimentto fresh tart cranberries.  This being said?  Don’t skip on the sugar.  You will need that sweetness against the astringent tartness of the berries.  Plus, when you are making a sweet sauce you need sugar to thicken this baby up.

Ok. Ingredients.  We got those.  How do you cook this?  Put everythinginto a pot and bring it into a bowl and stir periodically.  Bring it to a low boil and cook it there for five minutes.  Turn off and let cool until it is cool enough to poor into a lidded container.  Store in the fridge until ready to use on Thanksgiving or using in sandwiches and cocktails until finished.  With that much sugar in it, it will last until at least Christmas.  Maybe longer.  

Wine pairing?  Zinfandel obviously or add some sparkling wine and a bit of cranberry sauce in a glass for a fizzy cranberry cocktail!

You’re welcome.