July 13 – Masumoto Peaches & More

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Guy

My guest this week is David Mas Masumoto.  The Masumoto family have been producing heirloom peaches that are sought after by restaurateurs and consumers alike.

A cookbook showcasing the luscious flavor of peaches in 50 sweet and savory dishes, drawing on the life stories and experiences of America’s foremost peach farming family, the Masumotos of California’s central valley.Enjoy the luscious versatility of summer’s finest fruit with fifty sweet and savory dishes.

The Masumoto family’s amazing heirloom peaches—which are available for a few weeks each year at the best produce markets and top restaurants in the country—are widely considered the best peaches in the world. Their debut cookbook gathers the family’s favorite recipes, from classics like Hearty Peach Cobbler, Peach Chutney, and Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos to inspired combinations such as Prosciutto-Wrapped Peaches, Caprese with Peaches, Spice-Rubbed Pork Chops and Grilled Peaches, and Stuffed French Toast. And the pristine flavor of a just-picked summer peach can be enjoyed year-round with the easy-to-follow instructions for drying, canning, freezing, or jamming the best of the harvest.

David, Nikiko and Marcy Masumoto

With rich recipe and location photographs fresh from the orchard, this beautiful cookbook paints an intricate portrait of an organic farm that has been in the family for four generations. Accompanied by eloquent essays that evoke the soul of family farming and the nuances of a life filled with peaches, The Perfect Peach is for anyone who longs to savor the flavor of a pristinely ripe peach.

Then Tricia Carr, AKA: The Concoctologist joins the party to share some “Peachy” drink ideas for summer fun!  Tricia is Director of Mixology for Southern Wine and Spirits, Southern California and President of United States Bartenders Guild Los Angeles Chapter.  In her own words:

Tricia Carr

“I have been inspired by the craft of the cocktail since I first experienced how “cooking” a cocktail with fresh and quality ingredients is like creating a delicious entrée.  I travel all over training professional and home bartenders how to concoct libations from a place of passion and thoughtfulness.  I am passionate for this work because it is means of communication; it brings people together!   Learn more here and follow Tricia on Facebook & Twitter.

 

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:

Let’s keep the peach theme and talk about Trenel Crème de Pêche de Vigne

The small “pêche de vigne” (wild peach) is so named thanks to the tint of its flesh, which evokes the colour of wine lees. Made with wild peaches gathered in Burgundy, Trénel’s Crème de Pêche de Vigne is a beautiful brilliant golden colour, with an amazingly fresh and pure, intense nose that exudes the distinctive fruity notes characteristic of this variety of peach.

The fruity flavours explode on the palate, powerful and rich but never cloying. – Learn more here!

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July 6 – Fabio’s Italian Kitchen

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Guy

My guest this week is Fabio Viviani with his latest book; Fabio’s Italian Kitchen.  If you were lucky you got to see his Wichita cooking demo at the Kansas Star Casino a few months ago.  But now you can learn even more about this dynamic Chef and his new book.

When Fabio Viviani was growing up in a housing project in Florence, Italy, the center of his world was the kitchen, where his mother, grandmother, and especially his great-grandmother instilled in him a love for cooking and good food.   Now he shares the best of Italian home cooking while telling the story of his hardscrabble childhood, his success as a chef in the United States, and the women in his family who inspired him. In more than 150 delicious recipes, Viviani takes us from his family home, where his great-grandmother taught him to make staples like Italian Apple Cake and Homemade Ricotta, to the kitchen of a local trattoria, where he honed his craft cooking restaurant favorites like Gnocchi and the Perfect Tiramisu, and then across Italy where he studied each region’s finest recipes, from Piedmont’s Braised Ossobuco to Emilia Romagna’s Perfect Meat Sauce.   Learn more at www.fabioviviani.com

A gorgeously illustrated cookbook, Fabio’s Italian Kitchen is a celebration of food and family that brings all the joy, fun, and flair that Fabio Viviani embodies to your kitchen.

Fabio Viviani

Fabio Viviani was born in Florence, Italy, and became a sous chef at Il Pallaio, a trattoria in Firenze, at the age of sixteen. He now works as the owner and executive chef of Cafe Firenze, a renowned Italian restaurant in Ventura County, California, and Osteria Firenze, a Los Angeles Italian eatery. He has appeared on Top Chef (season five), Top Chef All Stars, and Life After Top Chef.

Get a copy of this cool book today and start cooking Fabio Style!
Click here to order from Amazon 

Good Life Guy’s Wine of The Week:
Something great from Italy 🙂

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Jun 29 – Bacon Nation, Blueberries & Mercer Canyons Red

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Guy

Everything tastes better with bacon. One of those flavor-packed, umami-rich, secret-weapon ingredients, it has the power to elevate just about any dish, from soups to soufflés, braises to bread pudding.  My first guest is Peter Kaminsky!

Peter Kaminsky and Marie Rama know just how to employ it. Peter is the author of both Pig Perfect—a paean to the noble swine—and, most recently, Culinary Intelligence, which argues that the healthiest way to eat is to eat less but really well. He and Marie know that adding irresistible bacon transforms an ordinary dish into an extraordinary one.

Bacon Nation is a bacon-lover’s dream, a collection of 125 smoky, savory, crispy, meaty, salty, and sweetly sensuous recipes that go right through the menu. Starters like Spiced Nuts with Bacon; Bacon and Butternut Squash Galette; Bacon, Pear, and Humboldt Fog Salad. Main courses featuring meats—Brawny Bacon Beef Bourguignon, Saltimbacon; poultry—Paella with Chicken and Bacon; fish—Flaky Cod Fillets with Bacon and Wine-Braised Fennel; and pasta, including an update of the classic Roman dish Bucatini all’Amatriciana. Even dessert: Rum Ice Cream with Candied Bacon Chips and Chocolate-Peanut-Bacon Toffee.

Or, as Homer Simpson would say, Mmmm, bacon.

In the second half I’ll be talking to Lance Chastain of Chautauqua Hills Farm in Southeast Kansas.  Lance and wife Elisabeth started a blueberry farm as a hobby…now it’s a full blown business with demand for their nickle size blueberries, fresh asparagus, blackberries and garlic increasing at an astronomical rate.

We purchased the ground on which Chautauqua Hills Farm now sits a few years ago with recreational enjoyment in mind for our family and friends.  As we worked on developing the farm into a place we could enjoy, we discovered some interesting and unique characteristics about our climate, water, soil structure and interestingly, an over-abundance of native pollinators (native bees, bumblebees, carpenter bees, etc…), which led us to explore what could be grown there – with a couple of caveats – we had to really enjoy eating what we grew and it must be really healthy!

After many months of research, time and work, we settled on growing blueberries, blackberries and asparagus.  Since then we’ve been nurturing and growing healthy, maturing plants and refining the conditions in which our plants grow and produce.  We use natural, sustainable and organic products and methods in our growing operation.  Learn more about the farm and available picking times!

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2009 Mercer Canyons Red Blend
84% Merlot, 8% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Petit Verdot.  This wine is deeply complex with notes of ripe black cherry, cocoa powder, warm spices and char. On the palate the wine is full and rich with supple tannins and lush fruit. The balanced acidity and tannins lead to a lingering finish of dark fruits, earth and spice.  Wine Spectator 89 


A BIG red wine that mirrors the aromas and flavors of blueberries! 

Get some at Jacob Liquor Exchange on North Rock Road
Hurry it’s going fast!

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Jun 22 – Flavors of My World

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Guy

Good Life Guy loves ethnic cuisine and the many flavors and textures from great worldly food.  My guest this week is Maneet Chauhan with her new book “Flavors of the World – A Culinary Tour Through 25 Countries.

Entering her fourth season as a Judge on the Food Network s hit show Chopped, James Beard Award of Excellence winner Celebrity Chef Maneet Chauhan, has received glowing accolades from a vast array of media for her globally-inspired culinary acumen. The only Indian female to ever compete on Iron Chef and lauded by Bon Appétit, USA Today, Time, Esquire, Travel & Leisure, Gourmet, Town & Country, Business Week and O Magazine, as well as getting a stunning 3-star review from the Chicago Tribune, Chef Chauhan is a force with which to be reckoned and a celebrated chef who is an inspiration to many. With new restaurants, products and television shows in the pipeline, 2013 will be the beginning of another exciting chapter.  You need a copy of this book NOW!

Update your passport and join me on this culinary journey as we go off in search of the finest cuisine from 25 different countries. We will take inspiration from all of our travels and “bring it home” by putting our own twist on it—an Indian twist!

In the second half I’ll be talking to Kristina Vanni LIVE from Manhattan Kansas and The 2013 National Festival of Breads.

Eight home bakers from across the nation will come to Manhattan June 20-22 to participate in the National Festival of Breads, America’s only amateur bread baking contest. The biennial contest – sponsored by the Kansas Wheat Commission, King Arthur Flour and Fleischmann’s Yeast – celebrates the relationship between producer and consumer and highlights the art of baking bread at home.

The bakers will prepare their original bread recipes in miniature kitchens at the Hilton Garden Inn and Convention Center in Manhattan. One contestant will emerge as the 2013 champion and earn a prize package worth nearly $5,000, including cash, an expense-paid trip to King Arthur Flour Baking Education Center in Norwich, Vermont and a year’s supply of Fleischmann’s Yeast.
Learn more about the Festival here. 

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2010 John Duval Wines “Plexus”, Barossa Valley

Shiraz 52%, Grenache 29%, Mourvedre 19% – 100% barrel maturated for 15 months, with just 10% new fine grain French oak hogsheads (300 litre barrels); 90% 3‐6 year old barrels. Some Shiraz finished fermentation in new French oak.  Deep crimson purple‐red.Fragrant, with some spice. Complex aromatics, combining red and dark fruits with savory notes.  A generous palate mix of black and red fruits. The palate is framed by youthful fine tannins and subtle savory French oak adds to the structure and complexity.

Where you gonna get ya some…Jacob Liquor Exchange on North Rock Road!
www.jacobliquor.com  

 

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June 15 – Wicked Good Burgers

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Guy

It’s all about outdoor cooking this week…

First up is Chris Hart co-author with Andy Husbands of “Wicked Good Burgers.”

We won’t lie. Making a decent burger is pretty easy. But the devil is in the details when making a “wicked good” burger, the kind of burger that hits the sweet spot of juiciness, has a perfectly seared crust, and mouthwatering flavors. Before award-winning chefs Andy Husbands and Chris Hart–two regular guys from Boston–turned the world of barbecue on its burnt ends by winning the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbecue and racking up thirty Kansas City Barbecue Society championships, they became masters of meat by cooking burgers–lots of ‘em. And they got damn good at it, thank you very much! Inside Wicked Good Burgers they reveal their secrets for mouthwateringly good burgers, including techniques for grinding your own meat and cooking it to juicy perfection as well as recipes for killer toppings, side dishes, and burger accompaniments. With their trademark fearless approach, Husbands and Hart bring excitement and edginess to all things between the bun.  Get a copy NOW!

Then, Luca Bombarda joins us to talk about Blaze Balsamic Glaze.

Blaze through summer barbecues and parties with Blaze Balsamic Glazes, in flavors from BBQ to strawberry. Blaze, the hottest thing for cool summer grilling, saves time and adds a big hit of flavor without adding fat. Whether camping, tailgating or out in the backyard, Blaze is guaranteed to help your readers’ inner grillmaster shine.

Cooking down Balsamic Vinegar of Modena to obtain a thick glaze is a long and at the end, demanding process; but the resulting silky, shining, savory glaze is one that chefs around the world rely on. With Blaze balsamic glazes, that time-intensive cooking process has already been done, making it a snap for anyone from a five-star chef to a backyard griller to turn any dish into a masterpiece with a pop of the top.  Learn more about Blaze!

 

Last but not least, Brad Barrett; Founder and President of Grill Grates

GrillGrates are interlocking panels that create a new grilling surface on any grill. The 3-dimensional design of GrillGrate is unique and new. All grates sear, but no other grates sizzle, radiate or protect. Foods are juisier and more tender.

1. SEARS The Raised Rails deliver superior sear marks from more surface area contact and better conductivity.

2. SIZZLES The Valleys capture juices and steam and sizzle for added flavor, moisture and juiciness.

3. RADIATES The added mass and shape radiates with heat for fast, even cooking.

4. PROTECTS The Bottom protects against charring flareups and drying heat. Fats drain off and burn on the bottom of the GrillGrate not on the outside of the food.

GrillGrates are constructed of aircraft grade aluminum which is hard anodized (a natural hardening process) to create an extremely durable, ultra hard surface that is a much better conductor of heat than steel or cast iron. GrillGrates are more efficient and will never rust.

The GrateTool is an integral part of the GrillGrate system. It fits between the valleys to gently lift food off the grill, and it doubles as a cleaning device to shovel debris out of the valleys when it accumulates.

www.grillgrate.com

 

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2011 Conundrum California Red Wine
Conundrum Red Blend 2011 has a nose that is almost floral, with tones of lavender, dried berries, baking chocolate, bacon bits. Aromas are rich, velvety and wonderfully appealing. Silky round entry with acid to balance and high fruit concentration. The nose leaves no doubt about the seriousness of this wine. The palate is fruit driven both before and after the high tannin middle core. The finish is long, not drying of tannin, and beckons a second sip.

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