Thanksgiving at Silverlake Wine

Another day, another tasting for Silverlake Wine!  We did our own twist on Thanksgiving because, after all, Thursday is upon us.  Matt did a Roasted Fall Harvest Salad with a Brown Butter Sage Dressing and a touch of maple syrup. Next was Fresh Artichoke Lasagna with Pulled Mozzarella and Saffron. Then Stuffed Guinea Hen served over a Potato Cake and Braised Greens. Okay, and then for dessert, because I refuse to be left out… Pumpkin Brioche Bread Pudding in a Spicy Custard layered with Banana Caramel, served with a Cream Fraiche Chocolate Sauce and of course ice cream. Butterscotch Pecan.

I hope you’re drooling, because if I do say so myself, it all came out fabulous. And with wine pairings… divine. Only twenty bucks. Can’t beat that.

Our next tasting is December 7th and that’s it for this year, folks. So here’s to fair warning, make your reservations now

Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding

My dear friend Danielle, who lives in Arizona now, has this big family who all like each other (I know, unheard of), and for Thanksgiving they are having a dessert contest. She asked me for some recipes and I just couldn’t send her out there with a pumpkin pie. I love bread and I love custard which always leads me to bread pudding. Guilty. I love the stuff. So why not pumpkin  bread pudding? For the tasting at Silverlake Wine I got all fancy because one has to when competing with guinea hens and artichoke pasta, but because I know Danielle works and has two kids and a husband, I wanted to simplify things. All the flavor components are still there, it’s just not going to take you two days to make.

PUMPKIN SPICE BREAD PUDDING

1 Loaf Pumpkin Brioche or Challah or any sweet, rich bread.

2 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

2 cinamon sticks, toasted

15 cardomon pods, toasted

3 star anise, toasted

3 cloves, toasted

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 teaspoons pink peppercorns

1” piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

6 egg yolks

1 egg

2/3 c brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons Blackstrap Molasses

3 Tablespoons Brandy

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Chocolate Sauce

12 Ramekins

Turbinado Sugar

Preheat oven to 275F

Make an ice bath.

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, cream, vanilla, and all spices to a simmer over medium heat. Then remove from heat, cover and let marinate for one hour.

Meanwhile cut up Brioche or Challah into ½” cubes, place on a sheet pan, and toast until crisp, about 15 minutes.

Set out ramekins on a sheet tray and generously rub them with butter. Then sprinkle the bottom with turbinado sugar or even brown sugar. This will make a glaze when it is cooked.

Fill each ramekin with the toast cubes and increase oven temperature to 325F

Whisk eggs and sugar and molasses together. Reheat custard to just before a simmer, then slowly drizzle a cup of the warm milk into the eggs while whisking. This warms the eggs and prevents them from scrambling when you pour all of them into the remaining warm milk which you should do now while stiring with a rubber spatula.

Continue to stir. Milk mixture will thicken. Check the rubber spatula by running your finger across it. If the milk slips down quickly, continue to stir, but check every 30 seconds or so to see if the milk stays put without slipping immediately. Remove from heat. Strain. Place in the ice bath.

Once cool, add brandy and then pour custard over the toasted cubes, immersing them. Then with your fingers, make sure all toast cubes are covered in liquid. Let them soak up the custard for a good 20 minutes.

Next, place in oven for about 15 minutes until the custard is slightly firm. Cool a bit.

You can refrigerate at this point and cover tightly. Puddings will hold for 3 days. They also freeze nicely for about 2 weeks.

Serve in ramekin or turn upside down and remove pudding. Top with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Good Luck, Danielle!!

Thank You Guests of Silverlake Wine!!

As those of you in attendance of our Sunday October 12^th Silverlake Wine Tasting know, our apartment had been burglarized two days before this event. At first glance, we spotted that the bandits took our new television, I MAC computer, a Canon G9 camera, and all of Matt’s socks from Target for crying out loud.

Immediately, we panicked! What about the pig?? We raced to our second refrigerator stationed in the backyard as we imagined ourselves empty handed for the hungry folks at Silverlake Wine. Travesty!

“If they took the pig,” Matt sparked, “I will LOSE IT!!!”

“Not a chance,” I reasoned, my tone as calm and Gandhi like as I could muster. After all, the thieves left behind all of my socks and for that I was grateful. “How would anyone besides you even know what to do with it?”

I sure wouldn’t. I’ve watched Matt skillfully debone various farm animals at different restaurants we’ve worked at and always with a captivated audience and a stop watch (now he breaks it down in 7, no 6, no 5… 4 minutes!! A record! The crowd roars!!). This was no job for a ham-fisted (ha!) crook.

Well it turned out I was right. Matt’s baby suckling pig was left safe and sound. The delicious little nugget would make it to the Silverlake Wine Tasting as planned and feed the people! What I didn’t anticipate however, what pushed me past any Zen state of acceptance of our material losses was the following day as I pulled out the base for my Lemon Verbena Ice Cream anxious to start spinning it so I could lick the bowl of it’s delicate flavor when I realized THE BOWL WAS GONE!! Yes folks, along with a TV and computer, a point and shoot camera, and a bundle of Matt’s socks, the intruders also stole my ice cream machine. Words escaped me. I was totally distraught.

A well-meaning friend suggested I just buy some ice cream. “The people will understand,” she explained.

Noooooooooooooo!!!! You cannot just buy lemon verbena ice cream. It’s hard enough to even find lemon verbena. And, furthermore, store bought ice cream? Yuck.

At the tasting, after everyone had enjoyed Matt’s Heirloom Tomato Salad, Pumpkin Lasagna, and Whole Roasted Pig, it was my turn. I told Matt what to say.

“You want me to tell everyone we were robbed?” he asked, surprised. We usually don’t get too personal at these events, but I had to let people know that I did not in good faith leave out such a critical component to my Caramelized Polenta Peach Cake. To me, the situation was the same as if I had neglected to brush my teeth before a job interview.

Sorry sirs and madams. So sorry. I typically have very fresh minty breath, just not today when the impression I make matters the most. Please know I am aware of this offensive shortcoming and will be certain, despite all odds, to have scrubbed my grill with strong toothpaste at our next encounter.

As it turned out, the people of Silverlake Wine were as crestfallen as I was. Was it the wine or were we building a community here? A collective motion of empathy materialized as, unbeknownst to me, they passed around a bowl and tossed in George Washingtons, Abe Lincolns, and, even a couple Jacksons, then handed it to me without a trace of fanfare.

“This is to help buy you a new ice cream machine,” said a solemn man whom I had never met. “Everyone contributed.”

I was beside myself. Matt and I looked at each other dumbfounded. Two days before, strangers thrust themselves into our home, furiously tearing through all of our belongings to find something, anything of value (warm feet anyone?). The worst part of this violation was there was no way of fighting back, no fingerprints were found, no witnesses. It felt as if our entire apartment had been stuffed into a bottle, shaken up and then hurled across town to the Rose Bowl Flea Market, broken glass and all our things scattered everywhere. I didn’t know how to start picking up the pieces or if I should even bother.

Now this new set of strangers, the guests of Silverlake Wine, who so quietly and kindly reached out with such a lovely gesture, simultaneously coaxing us into renewing our commitment to what brought us there in the first place, to cook with love and intention, but more importantly they also made us feel that the world was just a little bit smaller and for that we thank you with heartfelt sincerity and much deserved fanfare.

Please come join us for our next tasting at Silverlake Wines, Sunday November 23^rd where we will be doing our own spin on Thanksgiving. Looking forward to seeing you and offering you, belatedly, some sweet, velvety ice cream from my fabulous new machine.

Roasted Heirloom Carrots

Serves 6 people

4 Bunches Mixed Heirloom Carrots

3 Shallots sliced Thin

1/2 cup Red or White Wine Vinegar

1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Bunches Chopped Italian Parsley

1 Bunch Chopped Chives

2 Tablespoons Ground Cumin

2 Lemons juiced

Kosher or Sea Salt/Black Pepper to taste

Cut off the Green Tops of the carrots and Wash In Ice Cold Water to remove any sand. Reserve until later.

In order to preserve the beautiful colors of Carrots, do not peel, instead take a new green scrub sponge from the sink and lighly scrub the outer layer of the carrots removing any dirt or sand from them.

In a Large mixing bowl season the carrots with salt, pepper, sliced shallots and half of the olive oil and lay flat on an aluminum lined baking sheet. Roast in oven at 450 degrees until the tips become blackened and the Carrots are toasted on the outside and tender on the inside approximately 30 minutes

Remove from the oven and cool.

Combine in mixing bowl the roasted carrots, chopped herbs, cumin, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and the remaining olive oil. Transfer to Platter.

**For an additional component, Puree in a food processor the tops of the carrots, 5 basil leaves, 10 mint leaves, shallots, one garlic clove, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Red Wine vinegar

Panzanella Heirloom Tomato Salad

serves 4 

2 Large Heirloom Tomatoes (Soft to Touch)

1 English Cucumber sliced into thin Rounds

2 Branches of Purple and/or Green Basil Leaves Torn into peices

½ of One Red Onion Sliced Thin

Burrata Cheese (Fresh Mozzarella Cheese)

½ Loaf of Ciabatta Bread

2 cloves of Raw Garlic

1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Cup Good Balsamic Vinegar

Kosher or Sea Salt/Black Pepper to taste

Cut the Heirloom Tomatoes into 1 inch Cubes and throw away the Stem/core on top. In a mixing bowl, season the tomatoes with salt, pepper, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

(Always season Tomatoes separately for salads otherwise the salad will be bland)

Add the Basil, Onions, and Balsamic Vinegar to start the Marinade of the Vegetables.

Slice the Ciabatta Bread in ½ inch slices and season with Salt, Pepper, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil on both sides. In your oven at home on Broil or over a grill on High, toast the bread until you begin to get a light Char of the bread and flip for the same on both sides.

While the bread is still hot, rub the raw garlic on both sides of the bread, grating the garlic into the toast. When cool Dice the Grilled Bread into 1 inch pieces and Reserve to the side.

By now the Tomatoes will have released some of the Tomato Water and created a Mild Vinaigrette with the onions and Basil. Toss the Diced Bread, Sliced Cucumber, and Tomatoes together in Large Mixing Bowl and Transfer to Platter or desired Plate.

Garnish the Salad with pulled pieces of the Burrata Cheese and the remaining Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

This Salad is a Great Accompaniement with Roasted or Grilled Meats such as Chicken or Flat Iron Steak