If you are in the market for fine French wine and food, why don’t you consider the up and coming wine region of southwestern France? You may even find a bargain. I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local red wine based on the indigenous Negrette and the international Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah grapes.

Among France’s eleven wine-growing regions the South-west ranks sixth in acreage. Surprisingly enough this is the first wine that we have reviewed from this region. The most famous alcoholic beverage produced in this beautiful region is Armagnac that many prefer to Cognac. Parts of this region neighbor Bordeaux so don’t be surprised that some of the local wines are quite good, and yet more moderately priced than many of its world-famous neighbor’s offerings.

If you are visiting southwestern France, and you really should, make sure to stop by the village of Bergerac that was not the home of the famous Cyrano de Bergerac who actually lived in Paris in the first half of the Seventeenth Century. The town is beautiful. Market days are Wednesday and Saturday. You can take a guided walking tour of the old city and cruise the Dordogne River from Easter to October. The Cloitre des Recollets was a convent and now hosts a wine business. Go a few miles south to the Chateau de Monbazillac. Their sweet wine is famous but fairly expensive.

Before reviewing the southwestern wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are some suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Foie Gras Frais avec Myrtille (Fresh Duck Liver in a Berry Sauce). For your second course savor Piperade Basquaise au Jambon (Eggs, Tomatos, Green Peppers, Onions, and Ham). And for dessert indulge yourself with Gateau Basque (Lemon Shortbread, Baker’s Cream, and Tart Cherry Jam.)

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed La Foret Royale 2004 13% about $13.50 (Appelation Fronton Controle)

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. La Foret is a blend of the indigenous Negrette (45%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), and Syrah (25%). The wine goes through fruit-enhancing and tannin-mellowing micro-oxygenation and acid-softening malolactic fermentation. The resulting wine is full of flavors and aromas, including raspberry, blackberry, cassis, dark chocolate, licorice, and a hint of tar. Serve it with grilled steaks, backribs, or gourmet sausages. And now for the review.

My first meal consisted of commercially prepared beef spare ribs, spicy Moroccan carrots, and potatoes roasted in chicken fat. The meat was seasoned with Tunisian Harissa, a very spicy hot-pepper sauce. This was a great combination. The tannins melted in my mouth. I tasted black cherries, chocolate, and a lot of tobacco. The wine was robust and mouth filling. It held up both to the fat and the strong spices.

The next meal included meatballs with harissa, rice, and green beans. This wine was round and moderately long. The chocolate and tobacco tastes were fairly powerful.

The final meal was a commercially prepared barbecued chicken with a paprika-covered shin and store bought potato salad. The wine was a good antidote to the fat. Once again the chocolate taste was predominant.

The first cheese pairing was with an Emmenthaler (Swiss Cheese). The wine handled the pairing nicely. It was quite round and strong. On the other hand I barely tasted the cheese. And a goat’s milk cheese really denatured this wine.

Final verdict. This wine is a winner. I expect to come back to southwestern France for more wines.

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If you are looking for fine German wine and food, consider the Mosel region of central western Germany on the border of Luxembourg. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local white Qualitaetswein (read inexpensive) Riesling.

The Mosel Valley is felt to be one of the most beautiful river valleys in the world. This region, previously called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer in honor of its three rivers, is famous for its Riesling wine. Some of the greatest Rieslings in Germany and in fact in the entire world come from the Mosel Valley. Experts can often identify Mosel Rieslings because of the slate in the local soil, which may impart a taste of flint. The slopes are among the steepest in the wine-producing world, and sometimes attain 70 degrees. The soil is so precious that every spring local workers lug pails of soil up these steep slopes, temporarily reversing the effect of the rains that wash the soil down every winter.

Mosel ranks number five among the thirteen German wine regions when it comes to both vineyard acreage and total wine production. Slightly over three quarters of the regional wine is classified as QbA and somewhat less than one quarter is higher quality QmP wine. Only one percent is table wine. More than half of Mosel wine is Riesling. The German hybrid white grape variety Mueller-Thurgau represents about 20% of the wine production. In third place is the historic Elbing that dates back to Roman times. Only about 2% of Mosel wine is red.

The Mosel Valley pretty well stretches from Koblenz which isn’t far from Germany’s former capital Bonn to the city of Trier sitting very close to the border with Luxemburg. These two fine cities are linked by the Mosel Weinstrasse (Mosel Wine Road) which is approximately 140 miles (224 kilometers) long on the eastern side of the river and somewhat less on the western side. Of course, you could take the autobahn to travel between Koblenz and Trier at breakneck speed. If you do, you’ll miss the interesting little towns and vineyards along the way.

Cochem lies about one third of the way from Koblenz to Trier. It’s a fine little Mosel River Valley town. This medieval town is long and narrow. You should take a boat trip as well as a walking tour. Outside the town gate is the Kaiser Wilhelm railway tunnel, which at 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) is the longest in all Germany. After about a fifteen minute walk you will reach the Reichsburg (Imperial Fortress), a thousand year old castle that overlooks Cochem. The castle hosts a medieval banquet which features period costumes and music on Fridays and Saturdays but you must reserve in advance. North of the city is a larger castle, the Burg Eltz a few miles inland from the Mosel.

Before reviewing the Mosel wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Aalsuppe (Eel Soup). For your second course enjoy Rolladen (Beef rolls with Bacon and Pickles). As a dessert indulge yourself with Moselweintorte (Chocolate and Wine Cake).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Moselland Bernkasteler Kurfurstlay 2005 9.5% alcohol about $8.50

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Pale straw yellow colour; citrus, mineral and dried apricot aromas and flavours; balanced with crisp acidity in the finish. Serving Suggestion: Serve chilled with pork, turkey or appetizers. Spicy asian dishes.

My first pairing was with a homemade pizza with lots of tomato sauce, vegetables, and cheese but no meat. This wine displayed refreshing acidity that worked well with the pizza sauce. It had good fruit and was surprisingly long.

The next meal included a barbecued chicken marinated in a commercial Mediterranean-style light sauce, red-skinned potatoes, and a somewhat spicy Turkish salad. The wine’s acidity cut the fat very well and yet complemented the tomato’s own acidity which largely defined the salad. This little and lightly alcoholic wine (9.5% when 13% plus seems to be the new norm) was quite assertive, especially with the potatoes. And yet it was somewhat flat with dessert, some orange fruit-juice candy.

The final meal was whole-wheat pasta in a sauce that started out with your basic commercial pasta sauce. I livened it up with a fried medley of garlic, red onions, red and green peppers, topped with anchovies and shredded (local) Asiago cheese. The wine was light and fruity and the combination was quite tasty. I was happy that this Riesling was low-alcohol (and inexpensive) so that I could drink quite a bit without any negative effects, including to my pocketbook.

The initial cheese pairing was with a mild Italian Pecorino Fruilano. The wine was sweet but didn’t impress me very much. Then I tried it with a nutty Dutch Edam cheese. Once again the wine was sweet but it was round and the combination went quite well.

Final verdict. Great bargain. The wine really goes well with simple food. I didn’t get a chance to try it with gourmet specialties but wouldn’t be surprised if it did as well as many wines including Rieslings at twice the price. If I weren’t saddled with so many wines to taste (talk about problems) I’d buy half a case and drink one every two months or so. Then I’d try one from the next vintage and hope to repeat the process.

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Image taken on 2008-04-05 16:15:51 by Michael_Lehet.

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Visit: cookingastory.com This is not your typical story, for Anthony Boutard, of Ayers Creek Farm, is not your typical farmer. Trained as a forester, he and his wife, Carol, backed into farming – as he likes to tell it. He shares many stories, including how he goes about deciding what to grow for a particular season, and shares his wealth of farming knowledge, some of it borrowed from indigenous cultures.

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Bringing Taste Back to Corporate Events ”The opportunity to provide my services to the Atlanta business and corporate community is exciting,” said Angel Ramirez, owner of Angel’s Catering, who has trained at the country’s top culinary schools and has over fifteen years experience. Read more on dBusinessNews.com

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Find more Garlic Recipes at www.joyofgarlic.com!

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You will be surprised to know that many people with regular body weight are also looking for weight loss programs because they believe that they need to burn some fat. It sounds crazy but people would pursue the newest weight loss or latest fat burning system, then once they discover that information, they would not act upon it but rather sleep on it. Losing weight is certainly not going to happen by simply sleeping over it.

Sleeping will get you nowhere, but doing something on your diet will. Doing something does not mean hunting for the best weight loss program or fad diets. Doing something refers to changing your way of life. It simply means, you need to stop eating bad foods and stick to good foods.

What are bad foods?

Bad foods contain bad carbohydrates and bad fats. Examples of these are your favorite chips, cakes, cookies, candies, colas, sodas, biscuits, beer, alcohol, pizzas, white bread, packaged fruit juice, burgers, white bread, white pasta, fast foods and more. They are also labeled as bad foods because in one way or another they have:

a) High calorie content b) Low on nutritional value c) Rich in saturated fats or bad fats d) Rich in simple carbohydrates or bad carbohydrates

What are good foods?

The good foods are usually fat burning foods. These foods are normally loaded with nutrients like vitamins, minerals, iron, zinc, protein and more. They also contain complex carbohydrates and unsaturated fats. Good foods are low in calories. Overall, our body should be nourished with a healthy diet, this means we need to eat the following top 3 good fat burning foods daily:

a) Foods Rich in Protein – Protein builds more muscles in our body. We learned that muscles burn fat. The following foods are known to be rich in protein: lean chicken meat, eggs, soy milk, cheese, yogurt and more. However, always remember that you need to cook those protein-rich meat by either steaming or roasting them. Frying in fatty oil will only make you gain fat. You also have the option to take protein shakes and protein supplements.

b) Foods with Unsaturated Fats: Unsaturated fats are good fats that you need in your body. It gives you good nutrients and is not bad to your heart. It won’t make you gain more weight. The types of foods that are rich in unsaturated fats are: fishes, especially those that are oily, and some nuts. There are also fish oil supplements that most people take in addition to those foods. But you have to check if the fish oil supplement you are taking does not contain toxic elements.

c) Foods with Complex Carbohydrates: Unlike foods with simple carbohydrates, foods rich in complex carbohydrates are processed much longer by our digestive system that it certainly helps in losing weight. You can get complex carbohydrates from these foods: whole grains, chicken, sea foods, tuna fishes, natural fruits and vegetables.

The key to losing weight is not to reduce the amount of foods that you are eating everyday but rather to avoid bad foods. Eat good fat burning foods that are beneficial to your body and you will surely lose weight in a healthy way.

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From all your health nuts here at herb and spice headquarters http://www.sharpweblabs.com/ and http://www.floridaherbhouse.com/ we welcome you to our blog. April we hope will bring more spice business in as the spring approaches and the outdoors become active again with picnics, parties, and fun filled festivals! With all these come of course what else…. Food, Food, and more Food. With food comes chefs be it beginners or the most seasoned cook out there (No Pun Intended). With cooking comes new recipes and wit new recipes comes our spices. With now over 600 specialty organic certified and natural herbs and culinary spices we are excited to welcome to our herb house our newest member Cilantro and Cilantro Powder.

We have been unable to get a quality cilantro spice that passes all our quality and taste tests but we have finally found one and expect it on our shelves by mid April 2009. So for those who have little or know real knowledge of this award winning spice lets talk about it!

Our good friend Branford who makes his own line of marinades, hot sauces, and barbecue sauces recently came out with a new cilantro sauce. We must say that is tasted better than it sounded and we wish Branford from BranfordsOrginals web site great success with this new creation!
Cilantro is from the parsley family but has an entirely different taste so we try not to use the two terms together much. Two terms that can be used together are corainder and cilantro. Actually the leaves from the corainder herb plant are called cilantro. The corainder plant that develop more slowly produce the leaves we harvest as cilantro. The plants that are allowed to develop longer have their seeds used as corainder seeds.
Cilantro is very popular in Mexico, Asia, and Italy as a garnish for delicious salsa, sauces for chicken and pork, and other great cuisines. Cilantro is usually added to recipes at the end to preserve its flavor.
Below is our favorite cilantro recipe!

Ingredients: 4 pork chops, trimmed of excess fat Salt and pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped and divided 1/2 red onion, chopped Salt and pepper to taste 2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided 2 teaspoons chili powder, divided 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Heat vegetable oil in large non-stick skillet. Rub pork chops with salt and pepper. Place on hot skillet. Sear each side 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, place half of the chopped cilantro, red onions, half the cumin, half the chili powder, and salt and pepper in bottom of crockpot. Place seared pork chops on top. Place chopped tomatoes, remaining cilantro, remaining cumin, remaining chili powder, and salt and pepper on top of pork chops. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Serve with Spanish flavored rice and steamed broccoli.

Have A Spicy Day! Sincerely, Stephen C. Sharp FloridaHerbHouse

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RAW FOOTAGE: A startling discovery of this Jewish gourmet food… major false advertising!! We reveal the scam.

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