Nov 21 – 500 Best Sauces, Dressing, Marinades & More; 2005 Ironstone Reserve Meritage

Posted on November 16, 2009 by Guy

500 Best Sauces, Salad Dressings, Marinades and MoreAuthor George Geary joins us to talk about his new book 500 Best Sauces, Salad Dressings, Marinades & More.

As more people get serious about cooking at home, they look to dress up old recipes. The easiest and most effective way of doing this is by using a sauce, salad dressing or marinade. The addition of one of these elements can turn a simple meal into a spectacular meal.

Grilled steak with a rich mushroom sauce. Pomegranate vinaigrette dressing on fresh greens. These are just two examples of the incredibly delicious yet easy-to-prepare recipes featured in this book, and many are accompanied by tips and techniques.

 

Roman-Patty-MeltSutter Home Winery 2009 Build a Better Burger winner was Suzanne Banfield of New Jersey.  An innovative and tasty take on a patty melt…click here for the recipe!

 

 

Then it’s all about family run Ironstone Vineyards with winemaker Stephan Kautz.  Stephan will be in Wichita for the American Institute of Wine & Food annual holiday dinner at the Wichita Marriott December 5th.

2005 Reserve MeritageWine of the week: 2005 Ironstone Reserve Meritage

92 POINTS, Wine Enthusiast, May 2009!

Aromas of blackberry jam, cassis and cola layered by mint and white pepper are displayed. Luscious cooked berry fruit fills the mouth with hints of vanilla and rich blackberry carries through to a smooth and well-rounded finish.

This is just one of the wines being poured December 5th at the AIWF holiday dinner.  To learn more and make reservations: www.aiwfwichita.org

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Nov 14 – Classic Lebanese Cuisine & Chateau Musar Hochar

Posted on November 8, 2009 by Guy

classiclebaneseMy guest is Chef Kamal Al-Faqih with his new book Classic Lebanese Cuisine.

The cuisine of Lebanon epitomizes the best of the Mediterranean diet, which is esteemed for its health benefits. Abounding in a wealth of heart-healthy ingredients—including fresh vegetables, grains, herbs, and spices; poultry; lamb; yogurt; and olive oil—it yields meals replete with robust, earthy flavors. In Classic Lebanese Cuisine, a leading chef presents 170 dazzling recipes that reflect the full breadth of authentic Lebanese cuisine. Many recipes include several variations, giving you the option of preparing a vegetarian dish or adding chicken, lamb, or beef.
Featuring favorites such as baba ghannouj, tabbouli, and kibbi, and a large variety of Lebanese classics ranging from entrees to hors d’oeuvres, salads, desserts, and side dishes, this book also presents Chef Kamal Al-Faqih’s signature dishes. From London broil layered with garlic yogurt and pita, to heart-healthy fire-roasted wheat with lamb, he developed these singularly sumptuous recipes over two decades as the preeminent Mediterranean caterer in the Washington, D.C., area. Feedback from clients, friends, and family allowed him to focus on each dish individually and refine the ingredients and flavors. And, more recently, he devoted two years to further perfecting these recipes—for this book.    
We are lucky to have a great selection of Lebanese restaurants here in Wichita, but if you want to try making this cuisine at home Chef Kamal’s books is a kitchen requirement!
 
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week, available at Jacob Liquor Exchange at Rock Road and 29th St. North

Wine of The Week:  From Lebanon & The Bekaa Valley
hochar label2001 Chateau Musar Hochar Père et Fils
Produced by Château Musar and derived from old vines with low yield, the Hochar Père et Fils is in harmony with the evolution of taste in the 21st century.
A mix of cabernet sauvignon-25%, of carignan-25% with a dominance of cinsault-50% and a hint of grenache, the HPF is partially aged in oak vats 6 to 9 months.
“Serge Hochar is a remarkable man – after all would you brave the ravages of war just to make wine? Only the vintages of 1976 and 1984 succumbed and became another casualty of war, but Serge has stuck it out to fight his “own personal battle”. The wine is supple and balanced with complex layers of berry fruits; mulberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants with a touch of cedar.”
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Nov 7 – Eric Christensen wine art, Frie Brothers Reserve Merlot & Cabernet

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Guy

My guest this week is artisit Eric Christensen.  While in Aspen this year and visiting my favorite art store, we found one of Eric’s water color paintings called “Progressions”, while I was enamored, we didn’t purchase it.  But lucky me…my wife bought it for me for my birthday. 

progressions_355x450

Progressions

Eric’s photo realistic wine themed painting are truly amazing as you can see.  I have some Thomas Arvid oil paintings and Tom has been on the show…I had to have a copy of Progressions and hope to have more of Eric’s work in the future.

Christensen’s “wine art”” begins where most contemporary wine artists leave off. Eric loves to capture the romance of the wine country, which he points out, , “is so much more than just the wine”. Collectors of Christensen’s art typically own several of his creations and enjoy the varied themes they portray; lifelike landscapes and intimate still life paintings that incorporate a variety of elements including food, flowers or fruit with appropriate background settings.

echristensen faceBy “pushing” watercolor paint to its absolute limits, Christensen has invented a new way to paint with this traditional medium. Using non-standard watercolor paper and employing a dry-brush technique, Eric starts out with thin washes then builds meticulously to over 30 subsequent layers of paint. You can actually see the build-up of the paint layers when you look closely at his originals. Eric’s technique allows him to achieve much stronger colors and shadows than can be found with traditional watercolor art; his paintings actually appear more like an oil painting on canvas. Christensen achieves his lifelike hyper-realistic images through his genius for understanding the technical aspects of his subjects and his dedication to capturing an image as it truly exists. His love of natural materials particularly flowers, fruits and vegetables also combine to make this possible. He possesses the stunning ability to paint the subtleties of light traveling through a flower petal or its reflection off a wine glass. Composition is one more factor that sets Christensen’s paintings apart. Each painting is a study in the balance between texture, height and shape. The placement of objects in his paintings must all make sense and represent a scene found in real life; in a kitchen, a wine cellar, or in the vineyard.

You must visit www.ericchristensenart.com

If you like wine, there’s bound to be something you like!

Good Life Guy’s wine of the week:  Two great wines from Frei Brothers

Frei Brothers Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 20062006 Frei Brothers Reserve Cabernet
Alexander Valley
Intense aromas of cassis, dark berries and toasty oak. The firm, velvety tannins are complemented by flavors of blackberry, raspberry, cedar, and tobacco with hints of vanilla and dark chocolate that linger in a long, elegant finish.

 

 

 

 
 Frei Brothers Reserve Merlot 20072007 Frie Brother Reserve Merlot
Dry Creek Valley
A medium-bodied wine that exhibits intense flavors of blackberry and cherry from the vineyard with hints of complementary barrel spices. This wine was made to be enjoyed young, but a bit of bottle aging will make it even more rewarding.

 
Both of these wines are classy examples of terroir from both Alexander and Dry Creek Valley. 
 
The Merlot has intense aromas that make it hard to take your nose out of the glass for a sip, but a sip is worth the brief interuption.  Soft, fleshy and lingering…a great buy.
The Cabernet is rich in Alexander Valley aromatics with chocolaty, toasty vanilla cream leading to a firm mouthfeel and long finish of black fruit, menthol and mint…look for big ratings to pile up.  Buy both by the case!
Cheers,
Guy 
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Oct 31 – Thirty Minute Pasta & Substance Cab Franc

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Guy
Join me this week for a chat with Giuliano Hazan about his new book “Thirty Minute Pasta: 100 Quick and Easy Recipes.”
30minpastaNow that America’s low-carb obsession is over, home cooks are once again looking to prepare well-balanced meals that include everyone’s favorite food—pasta. Few of us, though, have the leisure to create a classic Bolognese meat sauce from scratch. For those who are as pressed for time as they are starved for a toothsome bowl of beautifully sauced pasta, Giuliano Hazan has created 100 scrumptious pasta dishes that can be put together in half an hour or less. 
Hazan’s repertoire—hearty pasta soups, fresh-from-the-greenmarket vegetarian dishes, and meat and seafood sauces that take their cue from the classics of Italian cuisine—will let you bring healthful, hunger-satisfying pasta back to your family’s weeknight-supper table. Included are recipes for last-minute dishes, as well as useful advice on stocking your pasta pantry, choosing cooking equipment, and figuring out which pasta shape goes with which kind of sauce.
Giuliano Hazan is the son of famed Italian cookbook writer Marcella Hazan. He runs a cooking school in Verona with his wife and won the IACP award for Cooking Teacher of the Year in 2007. He is a contributor to Cooking Light magazine and author of The Classic Pasta Cookbook, Every Night Italian, and How to Cook Italian.
 
logkam o
Lon Smith joins us to share info about this year’s
Annual Kansas Aviation Gala
November 7, 2009 – 6-7 p.m. Mixer, Dinner Program 7p.m. until…
Marriot Hotel – 2975 North Webb Rd., Wichita, KS 67226
Tickets:    $75.00 dollars each       Information at www.kansasaviationmuseum.org
 
Last but not least, I’ll be speaking with Substance winemaker Jamie Brown.  We’ll give you a brief overview of this class-act producer, products available and then focus on the Wine of the Week.  😉
 Wine of the week:  2008 Substance Cabernet Franc-Enstein
Columbia Valley WA, Perfect for Holloween entertianing with Pasta!

substance cfranc“Sacre bleu! If we didn’t actually make this wine, we would have thought it was from Cabernet Franc’s native home of Chinon in the Loire Valley of France. It’s crisp and earthy with a potpourri of herbs. This style is rare in the New World, as any hint of green, or herbs, in Cab based wines makes most winemakers apoplectic. (Whew, we were wondering how we were going to use that vocabulary word in a sentence today). But green in Cabernet Franc can be absolutely fantastic. This wine shows an extremely perfumed nose of black fruit, rosemary and thyme, exhibiting firm acidity, moderate alcohol and a diuturnal length – an absolutely stunning wine. Please don’t buy this wine. We only have 225 cases. We want to drink it all ourselves.” -Winery

This soft, medium-weight wine offers lovely intenity to it’s currant and cherry fruit, which is nicely framed by pretty floral and white pepper notes, with just a nip of tannins on the finish.  WS90
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Oct 24 – Low & Slow BBQ

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Guy

low&slow bbqFirst up is Gary Wiviott with his new book “Low & Slow: “Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons “

Step away from the propane tank. Surrender all of your notions about barbecue. Forget everything you’ve ever learned about cooking with charcoal and fire. It is all wrong. Get it right with the “Five Easy Lessons” program, which includes over 130 recipes and step-by-step instructions for setting up and cooking low and slow on a Weber Smokey Mountain, an offset smoker, or a kettle grill.

This program is guided by a singular philosophy: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Do exactly as Gary says, don’t even think about opening the lid before it’s time, and you will learn:

• What gear you do and, more importantly, don’t need
• Exactly how to start and maintain a proper fire (without lighter fluid)
• All about marinades, brines, and rubs
• To use your senses and trust your instincts (instead of thermometers)
• How to make delicious, delicious barbecue

Gary Wiviott is a barbecue life coach.  From the popular online tutorial that started it all to his lively cooking demonstrations and teaching diehards how to set up a smoker in Chicago’s notoriously brutal winter weather, he is committed to spreading the gospel of low and slow barbecue. He is no stranger to the most popular national barbecue forums and food communities, including TheSmokeRing.com, Slow Food USA, and the Society for the Preservation of Traditional Southern Barbecue. Gary is also the founder of LTHForum.com, the Chicago-based culinary chat site.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of The Week…Something FUN with BBQ!
The wine of the week is available at Jacob Liquor Exchange on North Rock Road at 29th street.   The wine of the week rack signage has been removed to comply with ridiculas Alchohol Beverage Control laws!  Ask any of the wine guys to point out the Good Life Guy wine of the week  😉

arfully cookbk promo

“I love this book…great family & friends recipes that work well in any kitchen combined with great works of art from Wichita’s finest Museum, and all for a good cause! I have a great collection of cookbooks, this one is sure to be one of the dirtiest (i.e. most used), the perfect holiday gift idea!”
– Guy Bower, host of The Good Life’ on KNSS

 

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