Maine wineries 1 – Cellardoor Vineyard, the Barn

It is a quiet Sunday. The air is hot and it quelches any human (and feline) activity. A light breeze in the tree brings a welcome, short-lived reprive  from the 90s temperatures.

After driving on Route 1, and grabbing a tomato grueyere tart at Chase’s Daily in Belfast, we ventured off Rt 1 in Lincolnville and found ourselves on narrow streets through rolling hills, groomed cape cod houses and arrived in 15 minutes at this gem of a barnyard wine tasting place. The Barn is an original barn from the 18s century, recently renovated into a luxury wine tasting location, with vistas, decks, tours, and good wines, nothing short of a vineyard of Napa Valley proportions --- minus the actually vineyard, since Cellardoor imports all their grapes from Washington State, but has a vineyard for the atmosphere. The barn part of the building kept its rustic flair with a 2-story wine tasting bar area and store, and an adjacent, modern restaurant style area for wedding receptions, paella cooking classes and business functions. A store area combines both, selling all the necessity for a decent wine tasting, good cheeses from local stores like “Eat more cheese” in Belfast, platters with grapes, cheeses and nuts, even Cellardoor wine sorbets.

After taking in the spectacular set-up we set down for the wines. The first 4 wines are free when tasting but if you want to try 4 more, it is $5. With about 25 to choose from it was difficult to stick with 4, and I did find a few nice ones, especially the light whites. I bought a viognier, and I think I keep it for special dinners.

Cellardoor Winery,
Cellardoor Winery at the Vineyard
Hours of operation:
April through December, 11 AM – 6 PM daily
January through March: By appointment
367 Youngtown Road
Lincolnville, Maine 04849
(207) 763-4478






A motto I can easily sign up for.

A new love

My neighbors got a new kitten last November, a beautiful Maine Coon, fluffy, loving, gentle, outgoing and I enticed him to friendship already. His mom and dad  were a white cat and a gray tabby, I have to smile when I look at him. The cutest are his two white cheeks in the gray tabby head.  He comes over to me to be petted and cooed at and has dedicated his first summer to exploring his new neighborhood. At the moment he goes by “The Kitten”.

He still thinks he can be invisible by laying low in the lawn.

 

Grandma’s marbled Bundt cake

Grandma’s Bundt Cake
recipe for a small loaf form or a small bundt cake

• 150 gr sugar with a packet of Dr Oetker Vanille Sugar
• 150 gr soft unsalted butter
• 3 eggs
• 90 g light cream
• pinch of salt
• 180 g all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 ts backing powder
• 100 g dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)
• 20 g mini chocolate chips (separate)

Preparation

1. Spray Bundt cake form or loaf form with baking spray. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. With a hand or stand mixer mix the butter and sugar and the vanille sugar until sugar is dissolved.
3. Add one egg at a time, and mix well.
4. Add light cream and salt, and mix well.
5. Mix flour and backing powder, and carefully add to the dough. Now, separate the dough into 2 bowls.
6. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish. To avoid burning the chocolate, microwave in 30 second intervals and mix the chocolate in-between. Should be melted in 2-3min. Mix the melted chocolate and the chocolate chips to one half of the dough.
7. Place some of the white dough first in the cake form. Add the chocolate dough, and finish with a layer of white dough. Draw a fork through the dough layer to get the marbeling.
8. Bake cake for 50 minutes at 350F. 
9. Remove cake from oven, rest for 10min and then remove and cool.
10. Add powdered sugar before serving.

Layering the chocolate and white dough.


Fluffy, light perfection!

Potatoes with Olives, Capers and Caperberries

For the dinner party, I studied a stack of my middle eastern cookbooks and found this wonderful recipe: potatoes, first cooked, then chilled, and stovetop browned with capers, caperberries, olives, fresh parseley, and green onions. – A recipe from the fabulous “How to roast a lamb” (Psilakis).

Potatoes, Olives and Capers With White Anchovy Vinaigrette

2 pounds fingerling potatoes, scrubbed, with skin on
salt and black pepper, to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cup small sprigs parsley
1 TB dried dill

18 whole caperberries
1/2 cup capers, drained
18 mixed green and black olives, and pitted
12 whole scallions, sliced on a diagonal
White Anchovy Vinaigrette

White Anchovy Vinaigrette:
4 anchovies, soaked in hot water to rinse off some of the salt
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 tablespoon small sprigs parsley
8 leaves fresh mint
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dry Greek oregano
1/2 cup champagne vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper to taste

Put the potatoes in a large pot of generously salted cold water and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently until just crisp-tender, about 7 to 9 minutes. Drain the potatoes and spread out on a plate. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. Cut into rustic, bite-size chunks and season with kosher salt and pepper.

In a very large skillet (I used the turkey roasting pan), heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the potatoes (no crowding!). Roast the potatoes, shaking the pan, for several minutes, until most pieces turn a golden color. Add the herbs, caperberries, capers, olives and scallions, and shake the pan for 1 minute more; just to wilt the herbs and scallions.  Place potatoes on a serving dish, and drizzle with the White Anchovy Vinaigrette before serving. These are good hot or at room temperature.

For the White Anchovy Vinaigrette: In a small food processor, combine all ingredients, and serve.

Coconut Chocolate Cake, Round 2

I found another coconut recipe, this time very similar to the flourless coconut cake but this time with flour and also with butter. With the flour this coconut cake rises and is less dense, with still the great taste of coconut. This one is pretty fabulous for the traditionalists!

Coconut Chocolate Cake

(for a 9 inch spring form)

• 100 g butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 ts vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 TB baking powder
• 1 cup coconut flakes (I used unsweetened)

Glaze:

• 1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Lindt couverture, a bulk product for pastry chefs, often found at Lindt Stores)
• 1 TB butter

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt the butter in a microwave safe dish in the microwave on high for 20 seconds.In a kitchen standmixer with a paddle attachment, beat the better and the sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, and then 1 egg at a time. Mix in the salt and the heavy cream until well-combined. Slowly add in the flour and the coconut. The dough texture at this point is firm (see photo below).

Spray a springform pan with baking spray (mix of butter and flour), pour in the batter, and bake at 350F for 55min. Let cool and remove from pan.

Pour the chocolate chips (or couverture) in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 30sec on high. Stir, and microwave for 30sec, and stir. Repeat until the chocolate is melted (if you don’t do it in step, and stir, the chocolate will burn).

Pour the melted chocolate on the cake, distributed with the backside of a spoon evenly. Let cool until firm. Serve!

Coconut chocolate tart

Sunday I had some time to bake again – a dense coconut cake with a thick dark chocolate glaze. The texture of the cake reminds me of a bounty bar, just less sweet. This tart is rich and decadent. And very easy to make. There is not even butter or flour in this cake. Note the time that the coconut flakes and the egg and sugar base mixture need to rest so that the coconut flakes can absorb the mixture. I did not wait long enough, just 10min instead of 30min. The cake is supposed to rise more.

Coconut Chocolate Cake

(for a 9-10 inch spring form)

• 3 large eggs
• 120 g sugar
• 1/2 ts vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 85ml unsweetened condensed milk (almost a small can)
• 100ml heavy cream
• 200g coconut flakes (I used unsweetened)
• 1 TB baking powder

Glaze:

• 1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Lindt couverture, a bulk product for pastry chefs, often found at Lindt Stores)
• 1 TB butter

Preparation:

In a kitchen standmixer with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract on medium-high for at least 5min (best 5-10min) until the mixture is really thick and creamy, and changes its color to a buttery white (from a initially more yellowish color). Mix in the salt, cream and the condensed milk until well-combined, and now gentle mix in the coconut flakes. Let the mixture rest for 30 min (don’t omit this step!). The cake dough changes from a more liquid texture (photo below) to a soaked up texture.

Preheat the oven to 360F and spray the springform with a baking spray.

Once the dough is ready, pour it into the springform and bake for 60min. If the top gets too dark, cover with alu foil for the remaining baking time. Remove from oven and cool.

Pour the chocolate chips (or couverture) in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 30sec on high. Stir, and microwave for 30sec, and stir. Repeat until the chocolate is melted (if you don’t do it in step, and stir, the chocolate will burn).

Pour the melted chocolate on the cake, distributed with the backside of a spoon evenly. Let cool until firm. Serve!

Chocolate Amaretto Cake

This is one of the first cakes that I ever made when I taught myself cooking (by my wonderful teacher, Giada Di Laurentiis on food network TV), and it is still one of my go-to cakes when I need a cake for a potluck (or any other cake) fast. Giada originally discovered it in a cafe in Venice, and ‘reengineered’ it. I love the simplicity of crushed amaretti cookies, melted chocolate, grated orange peel and then just a bit of sugar, butter and eggs, and that’s it. I typically make the entire dough right in the food processor and it does not take more than 10 min to prepare. It has the texture of a dense brownie but with an exotic, surprising taste of amaretto. It is simply elegant – like made in Italy by an Italian…. Best eaten with some strong Italian coffee.

Chocolate Amaretto Cake:

• Butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray  
• 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate or semisweet chocoate chips  
• 1 cup whole almonds
• 1 cup baby amaretti cookies (about 2 ounces)
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh grated orange peel
• 4 large eggs
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, for sifting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9-inch springform pan the nonstick spray. Refrigerate. Microwave the chocolate in 20 second intervals, and stir, repeat until melted (might take up to 5-6 repeats but if you don’t stir it it will burn).

Add the almonds to a large food processor. Pulse until the almonds are a fine meal, and add the amaretto cookies, pulse until they are finely ground, too. Place the butter stick from the fridge with the wrapping paper into the microwave and microwave for 20 sec. This will make it almost liquid and very good to add to the almond/cookie mix. Also add the sugar to the processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Add the grated orange peel and pulse briefly, until incorporated. Add the eggs 1 at a time. Blend until the eggs are incorporated. Clean the sides of the mixing bowl and blend again. Add the melted chocolate. Pulse until blended. Clean the sides of the bowl. Blend again.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the center puffs and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes.

Transfer the cake to a platter. Sift the cocoa powder over and serve.

Carrot soup with the volume pumped up

Finally, a recipe again. Since things are busy at work, this very simple carrot soup with the pumped up volume is just the right thing to make, eat and blog about. The key to the soup is that the carrots are cooked in fresh pressed carrot juice -- not broth or water. It makes the carrot flavor so pronounced it does not need much else beside a few sprinkles of dried thyme, a tad of butter and a pinch of dried ground ginger.

The Carrot Soup

(makes 4 servings)

• 1 pound organic carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1/2 red onion, small diced
• 1/2 TB butter
• 3 cups fresh pressed carrot juice
• 1/2 ts dried thyme
• 1/4 ts dried ginger
• salt to taste (or 1/2 ts Rapunzel organic vegetable bouillon) 
• optional: 1/4 cup baked butternut squash or any other baked squash

In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter and sauté the onion until slightly brown. Add the raw carrots, and sauté for about 1 min. Add the carrot juice, the thyme and ginger, and bring to a simmer. Close with a lid, and simmer on low gently for about 20-30 min until the carrots are very tender.

Puree with an immersion blender in the pot, or take the soup off the stove, and cool. Once cooled, pour into blender and puree. Reheat before serving and garnish with baked squash, goat cheese crumbles or a dash of creme fraiche and chopped hazelnuts. Bon appetite! 

Spiced red cabbage with cloves, red currant jelly and red wine

The holidays are over (for now) and things are getting back to normal – until we are gearing up for the next holidays, which are not too far off. This was a dish I brought to this year’s thanksgiving holiday dinner; it is a bit of different, interesting and still fabulous side dish that compliments any holiday dinner. It is a traditional German holiday feast or Sunday roast side --- sauteed spiced red cabbage, based on my mom’s recipe here.

Spiced red cabbage with cloves, red wine, and red currant jam

(makes a large pot, about sides for 10 people)

• 1 medium sized head of red cabbage (ca. 2-3 pounds)
• 1 red onion, diced finely
• 1 TB butter or ghee (my mom’s recipe actual calls for bacon fat)
• 1 medium sized tart apple, finely diced (not peeled but core removed)
• 1/2 TB whole cloves (or 1/2 ts ground cloves, whole one are better)
• 1/2 TB juniper berries
• 1/2 cup of red wine (e.g. cabernet sauvignon or a good table blend)
• 1/4 cup of apple juice (if not using red wine, use more 1/2 cup of apple juice)
• salt, pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-2 TB red current jam or black currant jelly(e.g. Bonne Maman or Schwartau)
• 1/2 TB beef broth concentrate, diluted in 2-3 TB of water
• optional: 1-2 TB  aged good balsamic vinegar

Prep: quarter the red cabbage head, remove the core, and slice the quarters really thinly with a sharp knife (or use a mandoline) – the finer shredded, the better.

In a large cast iron pot, dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, melt the butter or clarified butter and add the diced onion, and saute until slightly browned. Now, add the shredded cabbage, the cloves, juniper berries, the bay leaf, and the diced apple to the pot, and mix all ingredients well.

 

Add the red wine and the apple juice, and close with the tight fitting lid (there is no other liquid and make sure the steam from the gabbage does not evaporate but helps steam the cabbage). Turn heat on medium-low, and cook for ca. 20-25 min depending on how ‘crunchy’ or ‘well-done’ you like the cabbage to be cooked. Nevertheless, stir once in a while to make sure it does not burn on the bottom. If it gets too dry, add more apple juice.

Once the cabbage is tender, turn the heat to low, and add the red or black currant jelly or both, remove the bay leaf, add more salt and pepper to taste, and a half TB of beef broth concentrate (or bouillon) dissolved in some hot water. Mix well, and add a glug of balsamic vinegar to round out the flavor. Enjoy!

Beef Bourguignon

It is US Thanksgiving holiday week, work is winding down (I wish) and it is time to focus on cooking, turkeys, side dishes, buy good wine, and invite friends and family and/or be invited. To warm up, I cooked a beef bourguignon with some grass-fed local organic beef from the farmers market.

Beef Bourguignon (makes ca 4 not too large servings):

• 4 oz smoked bacon, diced
• 1-2 TB olive oil
• 1 – 1 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound carrots, cut into larger cubes
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 1 cloves of garlic, microplaned 
• 1/4 cup cognac
• 1/2 bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2 cups of beef broth
• 1 TB tomato paste
• 1 ts fresh thyme leaves (1/2 ts dried)
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dry
• 1/2 pound fresh whole pearl onions
• 1 TB butter
• 1/2 ts thyme, 1 bay leaf, salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced
• 1/2 TB butter
• 1.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Add the diced bacon to a large Dutch oven and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is releases the fat and is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate. Add the olive oil to the pan.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside. Add more olive oil if the pan gets too dry.

Again, add more olive oil if the pan is too dry at this point, and add the carrots, and onions to the dutch oven, 1 ts of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned and the carrots caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol (or just cook off). Add the braised meat and bacon back into the pot with all the juices.

Now, pour the 1/2 bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme and stir in. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 3-4 hours until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork (*).

Meanwhile, prepare the pearl onions. Peel them, and heat 1 TB butter in a pan. Add the pearl onion and brown from all sides for 10 min, gently roll over for even browning. Add salt, pepper and a bay leaf as well as the thyme. After browning, add 1/2 cup of broth, cover, and simmer for 45-60min until tender and most of the liquid is evaporated. Discard the bay leaf.

Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the dutch oven from the oven and add the sauteed pearl onions and the mushroom. Also, sprinkle 1/2 TB of flour and stir into the beef stew. Heat, stir and see that the stew starts to thicken. Optionally, add a 1/2 TB butter. Serve with crusty bread, or boiled potatoes.

(*) I used a very low-fat beef, and even after 4h in the oven it was still not tender. So, I placed the stew in a pressure cooker, the wonder weapon to get any meat tender, and cooked under pressure for another 30min. It was not perfect, but tender enough. If you are short on time, you can also cook the entire stew in the pressure cooker for about 45min.

Streuselkuchen (German crumb cake)

It was my late great aunt Jenny’s 100th birthday yesterday (10-11-12, and suddenly it was 100 years later), and in her honor and to remember her I baked one of her most famous cakes (famous across generations in our family) – the streuselkuchen. 

No one could make this cake like my great aunt. It is involved, you have to have patience, nurture it, and it richly rewards you. Just like my great aunt was, one of the best cooks and bakers and gardeners I’ve ever known. Aunt Jenny, this is for you!


Streuselkuchen (German Crumb Cake)
this is a 1/4 of the original recipe, but the original recipe makes a whole large 8x13 inch cookie sheet. This fills the bottom of a small spring form; if using a 10 inch spring form, double recipe.
Special equipment: standmixer with dough hook (can also be kneaded manually), 7 inch spring form
Base layer:

• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
• 2 TB warm milk
• 1 ts fast rising yeast
• 1 ts + 3 ts sugar (20 g altogether)  (divided: 1 ts for the yeast + milk, 3 ts for the dough)
• 1 TB bakers milk powder (optional, but helps the yeast to rise)
• 2.5 TB (20 g) unsalted sweet cream butter, room temperature
• 1/2 egg (reserve other half for the crumbs)
• pinch of salt

Mix the yeast, 1 ts of sugar and the lukewarm milk in a small bowl, and wait until yeast starts to get bubbly (ca. 15min).
In the bowl of a standmixer with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, 3 ts sugar and the bakers milk powder, and mix all three ingredients. Make a well in the flour, and pour the milk yeast mixture in it. Turn on the standmixer, and on slow mix the dry ingredients with the yeast mixture (do not yet add: butter, egg or salt since it interferes with the yeast). Once the yeast is well incorporated and distributed in the flour mix, add the butter, 1/2 egg and salt. Knead the dough on medium speed until it comes together as a ball (it will be crumbly for quite a while, ca. 10 min). If it does not come together after 15min of kneading, add 1 TB of warm milk.  Once the dough forms a ball around the hook, continue kneading for another 15min on medium speed.

Now, remove dough from bowl of standmixer, and place in a metal, glass or ceramic bowl, and let rise for ca. 30min at a warm place. Time to make the crumbs!
Streusel (crumbs):

• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 60 g sugar
• 60 g unsalted sweet cream butter, room temperature
• 1/2 egg (reserve other half for the crumbs)
• 1/2 ts bitter almond extract
• 1 pouch Dr. Oetker Vanille sugar (or 1/2 ts liquid vanilla extract)
• pinch of salt

In the bowl of a standmixer with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, sugar, and the butter, cut into small cubes. Start the mixer on low speed, until the flour/sugar and the butter start to incorporate. Add all the other ingredients, and let the mixer run for about 10-15 minutes until uniform-sized crumbs are form. At the beginning, the butter will be large lumps, and the flour has only tiny crumbs, but over time the butter distributes over the flour more evenly, all crumbs are about equal in size. When it doubt, just let it run a little longer. Patience!
Stop the mixer, when the crumbs are at equal size.

Preheat the oven to 50-80F (warm). Spray a spring form with baking spray, and distribute the base dough into the pan.

Take a fork, and gently poke the dough all over the pan. Once done, brush lightly with some warm milk.

Now, distribute all the streusel on the cake evenly.


Place in the oven at 50F for about 45min for the yeast-based base layer to rise to about 0.5-1 inch thickness. After that, remove cake from oven, and preheat to 425F, and bake the cake for ca. 20-25min.
Before serving, sprinkle wit granulated sugar.