July 2 – Homemade Ice Cream, Starmont Chardonnay

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Guy

So, today is my birthday!  With that in mind, we are going to talk about one of my favorite major food groups…ICE CREAM

My guest is Jeni Britton Bauer with her new book “Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home – More than 100 Addictively good artisanal Recipes.”
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home is the essential resource for making smooth, scoopable ice creams, yogurts, and sorbets in your own kitchen. The cookbook includes more than 100 of Jeni’s signature recipes — from Salty Caramel to Queen City Cayenne — along with color photographs and helpful tips on ingredients and techniques. Jeni tested every recipe in the book with a Cuisinart ice cream maker to ensure that they are foolproof for the average cook and home kitchen.

Check out www.jenisicecreams.com Click here to get a copy!

ABOUT JENI BRITTON BAUER

Jeni Britton Bauer and her husband, Charly Bauer, founded Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in 2002. There are currently seven stores in Columbus, Ohio, and one scheduled to open in Cleveland in 2011. The ice cream is also available in fine restaurants and stores throughout the country, and via mail order. Devotees who scan Jeni’s Web site, blog, Facebook, and Twitter feed daily cause a veritable run on new flavors. Jeni and her ice cream have been featured in The New York Times, Bon Appetit, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Departures, and The Atlantic, among others.

Starmont winemaker Sean Foster joins us in the second half to talk about the winery, vineyards and the stunning 2009 Starmont Chardonnay…this week’s featured wine.  Pick up a bottle at Jacob liquor Exchange and join us for a live tasting with the winemaker 🙂

 

The Good Life Guy Wine of the Week:
2009 Starmont Chardonnay
The fruit for Starmont Chardonnay is grown in our favorite cooler areas of the Napa Valley, including Oak Knoll District and Carneros, where the maritime influence keeps the focus on crisp, vibrant fruit. The fruit was carefully sorted and whole cluster pressed to preserve freshness. The light oak treatment gives a round mouth feel and improved complexity, while highlighting the fruit driven focus of the wine.  The wine shows intense aromas of mandarin orange, fresh pear, melon, apple butter, spice and honey. The mouthfeel is soft, round and fleshy with a long layered finish.

BEST NEW WORLD CHARDONNAY / BEST OF VARIETAL / BEST OF CLASS / PLATINUM MEDAL – Jerry Mead New World International Wine Competition 2011

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June 25 – Jill Hough “Perfect Pairings – Main Dishes”

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Guy

First, I’ll be talking to Jill Silverman Hough about her latest book in the 100 Perfect Pairings series “Main dishes to enjoy with wines you love.”

100 Perfect Pairings: Main Dishes to Enjoy with Wines You Love helps you prepare main dishes that will perfectly complement the wines of your choice. An ideal resource for both casual dinners and special occasions, this handy book presents 100 main dish recipes that pair deliciously with favorites like Chardonnay (Roast Chicken with Potatoes) and Merlot (Mixed Mushroom Pappardelle), as well as new varietals like Viognier (Lobster Tails with Vanilla Drawn Butter), and Syrah (Rib Eye Steaks with Green Olive Butter).

Organized into 12 chapters (six for white, six for red) and illustrated with 40 lush color photos, 100 Perfect Pairings makes it easy to match a variety of main dishes with your favorite wines.

  • Features 100 tempting recipes to suit many occasions from weekday dinners to celebration brunches.
  • Offers simple pairing guidelines for white wines from Sauvignon Blanc to Gewürztraminer and red wines from Rosé to Cabernet Sauvignon.
  • Packaged in a small format that’s great for gift-giving and for taking with you when you shop for food and wine

Whether pairing with a white or red wine, these 100 delicious recipes offer exciting options that will make every meal an occasion to remember.

Then I’ll be talking to Andy Titus from Mid-Western Meat Processing and Equipment Supplies about a great line of seasonings that I had the chance to taste at Johnsons’s Garden Center on West 13th.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of The Week:
2009 STRUB Riesling Kabinett Niersteiner Bruckchen

The name of this wine is a mouthful but don’t let that stop you from enjoying this excellent Terry Theise selection. The Niersteiner Brückchen vineyard is part of the Rheinhessen region located at the crook of the Rhine River between the Nahe and the Pfalz. While the Rheinhessen used to be known primarily for Liebfraumilch, Terry Theise is now calling it “Germany’s most interesting wine region.” Strub’s 2009 Riesling Kabinett is a well balanced wine with a pleasantly mild sweetness. It has notes of apricots, citrus, herbs and a distinct minerality which is true to the Rheinhessen. It pairs perfectly with Thai food (my favorite is Thai Green Curry) because the refreshing sweetness and acidity cut through the spice. The 2009 Strub Riesling Kabinett Niersteiner Brückchen is delicious, and I think you’ll love it, even if it is a mouthful to say. – “The Living Grape”

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June 18 – LIVE from Aspen

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Guy

For 28 years, the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen has been the premier culinary and wine event of its kind. Each June, FOOD & WINE magazine hosts 5,000 highly targeted consumers, members of the restaurant industry and press in Aspen. The three-day weekend brings FOOD & WINE to life with cooking demonstrations and wine tastings. Seminars led by wine and food superstars such as Mario Batali, José Andrés, Jacques Pépin, Gail Simmons, and Joshua Wesson provide a world-class experience. 

I’ll be chatting with  Viña Carmen head winemaker Sebastian Labbe.
Carmen, the oldest of the Chilean wine brands, was founded in 1850 by Christian Lanz, who named it in honor of his wife. The Claro family acquired the brand in 1985 and began the process of transforming it into a world-class winery. A new winery was completed in 1992, located in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, just one hour from Chile’s capital city of Santiago. Today, the winery seamlessly blends state-of-the-art technology with traditional winemaking processes.

The Carmen team firmly believes in terroir and is continually reevaluating regions and plantings in a quest to produce super premium wines that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s finest. Carmen’s vineyards are located throughout Chile’s prestigious Central Valley in the premium growing regions of Maipo, Casablanca, Apalta, Rapel and Maule.

Carmen takes pride in its pioneering history. Carmen was the first winery in Chile to cultivate grapes organically (released under the Nativa label) and the first winery to identify and cultivate Carmenère, a variety that originated in Bordeaux but is no longer largely cultivated in France.

Plastics Make it PossibleIn the second half I’ll be talking to Steve Russell about some of the new and innovative plastic items to make indoor or outdoor entertaining great fun.   From wine stemware, food storage containers, even plastic wine bottles, there are some great products that are eco-friendly, durable and of course; recycleable!
Learn more at www.plasticsmakeitpossible.com

Don’t forget…Jeff Bramwell’s new book VinoBurger is available at Jacob Liquor Exchange and you can try one of his burgers (thanks to Chef Jamie Stratton) when you buy a book from the Cigar Chateau at Jacob’s on N. Rock Road this Saturday June 18.  VinoBurger is also available at Watermark books. 

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2005 Carmen Reserve Syrah
Carmen Reserve Syrah 2005Dark red cherry color. Stony, minerality, full of jammy black cherries. Ripe fruit notes blended with eucalyptus. Very rich, concentrated, soft and velvety. You can feel the smoky and tobacco notes along with black cherry fruits, prunes and dark chocolate aromas that opens to violets. All of this framed by mocha and spicy aromas. Live acidity and nice tannins.

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Jun 11 – VinoBurgers & Montepeloso Eneo

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Guy

My guest this week is Jeff Bramwell with his first book; “VinoBurger – Gourmet Burgers Inspired by the Cuisines of the World’s Greatest Wine Regions.”

vinoburger photos

VinoBurger is more than a cookbook. It is a vinous and culinary travelogue intended to provide the home chef and wine enthusiast with a fun and unique approach to learning about the world’s greatest wine regions. Recipes feature ingredients authentic to each wine region, presented in the familiar, unpretentious form of America’s favorite food: the hamburger. Wine education is served up in easy-to-grasp portions, providing the reader with a snapshot of what each region does best. VinoBurger takes a global approach to exciting, new wine and food pairings, best enjoyed over the course of a leisurely evening, shared with friends and family.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week, as seen in VinoBurger:
2007 Montepeloso Eneo
MontepelosoEneoThe 2007 Eneo shows remarkable detail, clarity and freshness in its red cherries, flowers, sweet tobacco and licorice. In 2007 Eneo is surprisingly open, perfumed and accessible, with a seamless quality that softens some of the linearity that the wine typically shows at this stage. The finish is best described as long, pure and exceptionally silky, with subtle nuances of sweet tobacco, earthiness and crushed flowers that linger on the palate. Eneo is 40% Montepulciano, 25% Sangiovese, 25% Marselan and 10% Alicante Bouschet that was aged in used French oak barrels.

Robert Parker WA91-93

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June 4 – Jamie Deen, Myron Mixon – Grilling & BBQ

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Guy
Today’s show is all about grilling, smoking and cooking outdoors…now that’s the Good Life!
First up is Jamie Deen, 1/2 of the Deen Brothers, Paula Deens son and co-author of their latest book;  “The Deen Bros Get Fired Up.”  

Deen Bros Fired UpHungry for the great outdoors? Jamie and Bobby Deen know just what to make—whether it’s in your own backyard, on the beach, at a potluck picnic, or tailgating before the big game. In The Deen Bros. Get Fired Up, Paula Deen’s sons share a new batch of more than 125 mouthwatering recipes and entertaining ideas to make your outdoor dining a breeze.

Jamie and Bobby have always preferred eating at a picnic table to a dining room. For the guys, backyard grilling means more good eats and less mess, tailgating is all about friendship and fun, and a beach picnic is a chance to splash around in the sun between courses. Now the brothers are sharing their outdoor cooking know-how to help you wow your friends and family with everything from grilled meats and barbecue to sandwiches, pizzas, and smoky sides. This irresistible cookbook also offers up delicious nibbles, tasty salads, and refreshing Seaside Sippers. Featuring ingredients easily found at your local supermarket, these effortless dishes are made even more special with the Deen brothers’ signature Southern flare.

Then the smoke and fun continues with “Smokin with Myron Mixon” – Myron, judge of TLC’s BBQ Pitmasters and the winner of more BBQ awards than anyone, joins us to talk about his new book.

The secret to the best barbecue from the man who barbecues the best: Keep it simple!

Myron Mixon SmokinIn the world of competitive barbecue, nobody’s won more prize money, more trophies, or more adulation than Myron Mixon. And he comes by it honestly: From the time he was old enough to stoke a pit, Mixon learned the art of barbecue at his father’s side. He grew up to expand his parent’s sauce business, Jack’s Old South, and in the process became the leader of the winningest team in competitive barbecue. It’s Mixon’s combination of killer instinct and killer recipes that has led him to three world championships and more than 180 grand championships and made him the breakout star of TLC’s BBQ Pitmasters.

Now, for the first time, Mixon’s stepping out from behind his rig to teach you how he does it. Rule number one: People always try to overthink barbecue and make it complicated. Don’t do it! Mixon will show you how you can apply his “keep it simple” mantra in your own backyard. He’ll take you to the front lines of barbecue and teach you how to turn out ’cue like a seasoned pro. You’ll learn to cook like Mixon does when he’s on the road competing and when he’s at home.

Talking to Michael Webb about the June 18 “Hulas & Harleys” event supporting Families Together Inc.
Learn More:  www.hulasandharleys.eventbrite.com

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week, perfect with Grill meat:
2006 Dry Creek Old Vine Zin
06 dry creek zinOld Vine Zinfandel carries special meaning at our family winery. The term, originally coined by founder David Stare, refers special “old vine” vineyards located in and around the Dry Creek Valley. With vines averaging more than 80 years in age, the 2006 vintage displays incredible aromas of black stone fruit that ooze lushness and richness. On the palate the wine is dense and concentrated with classic briary and raspberry flavors along with the wine’s signature cardamom spice complexity. The finish incorporates smoky vanilla notes from the French oak, leading to a long and satisfying aftertaste. A blockbuster Zin! Wine News 91 points

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