What are you cooking for Valentines day?

We did cheese and pate with champagne while I cooked.

Fennel and blood orange risotto, Seared scallops & lobster tails with blood orange sauce & a herb and blood orange salad. (Guess what I found on sale!!)

Finished with a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake.

A pretty great first "married" valentines day!

EmBrooks in Home Cooking

A good pairing?

Does it matter that the fennel is roasted and therefore sweeter than if it were raw? I'll head to the wine store tomorrow and see what I can find.

Thank you both for your responses!

EmBrooks in Wine

A good pairing?

I am planning our Valentines day meal....the menu is a blood orange & fennel risotto with seared scallops (see recipe links below if it helps - I am not making the brussels sprouts portion of the scallops recipe).

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Scallops-with-Blood-Orange-Gastrique-363869

http://www.cannellevanille.com/2012/01/days-of-blood-oranges-and-fennel.html

My question...I have a bottle of 2005 Hengst Alsace riesling - and I am wondering if it would be a good pairing for dinner?: http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=404755

If this wine does not work, what would be a good pairing for this meal? Bonus points if it goes with dessert - white chocolate & raspberry cheesecake. Only one wine tomorrow - it is Tuesday after all!

Thank you!!

EmBrooks in Wine

Restaurants and wine in Charleston

For Sunday night I would suggest looking into Coast. They have half off all bottles of wine from 5-8 and $3 fish tacos which are good. They also have live music starting at 7.

http://coastbarandgrill.com/

EmBrooks in Southeast

What are you baking these days? July 2011 [old]

I love reading this thread, but haven't been baking much lately. Last night I made key lime cheesecake (from epicurious) for my fiance's birthday. My favorite comment: "Wow, this is like restaurant quality....and I don't mean Applebees".... Thank you?

EmBrooks in Home Cooking

What are you cooking for Valentines day?

Happy Valentines Day!

Starter - two fantastic cheeses from our fav cheese shop with the last of the homemade fig jam
Dinner - Cedar planked grilled salmon (bf's favorite), roast asparagus and roast potatoes
Dessert: White chocolate raspberry cheesecake - another bf request

Lots of cremant to wash it down.

EmBrooks in Home Cooking

Wine pairing help for dinner tonight

I had not thought of pinot noir, that sounds great! I wanted red and was leaning toward heavier cabs or zins, but wasn't feeling it now that it has finally gotten warm out.

Thank you!

EmBrooks in Wine

Wine pairing help for dinner tonight

I didnt plan very well so I dont have time to make it to my favorite wine store before dinner tonight which means I will be left to my own devices in the Earthfare wine section...

I am making this:
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Ground-Lamb-Meatballs-with-Loquats

Most likely serving with saffron couscous and a green salad.

Please help with wine serving suggestions. I am open to red or white.

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!!

EmBrooks in Wine

Looking for a good chocolatiere

Luca's Belgian Chocolates in Charleston, SC is wonderful.

73 State Street
Charleston, SC 29401-2067
(843) 722-0461

EmBrooks in Southeast

Peaches and Apples oh my!

Things got a little out of hand this weekend in the mountains and after spending last night canning I still have 8 pounds each of peaches and apples to put up. I already have 2 kinds of peach jam and peaches in cognac as well as tons of apple butter. I need some ideas for what to do with the rest of my haul. Any out of the box ideas?? Thank you!!

EmBrooks in Home Cooking

Your Single Favorite Thing In Your Kitchen

I am not sure if this counts, but my very favorite thing is my little herb/vegetable garden on my back porch (just outside the kitchen) - every time I go out to pick some herbs or a tomato, it makes me so happy!

EmBrooks in Not About Food

Cuisinart mini wine cellar

No problem! Mine was also Christmas 2007 so I can't comment on any newer models...

EmBrooks in Wine

Cuisinart mini wine cellar

Hi Procrastibaker,

I recieved the Cuisinart Wine Cellar as a Christmas gift and was not impressed. After I got used to the airplane landing sounds the thing makes all day, it broke after 6 months. No idea what happened to it, it just stopped cooling but kept running and making the plane sounds. Also during the whole time I had it water pooled at the bottom (the customer service guy said that was "normal"). The good news is that WS has a great return policy and my mom kept the receipt so I was able to return the fridge a year after it was purchased.

I recieved another, larger (24 bottles, I think?) cooler as a gift this past Christmas. I can't remember the brand, but it comes from Home Depot. It is much quieter (sounds like an aquarium), I havent had the water issues and it just made it past the 6 month mark and is still kicking!

EmBrooks in Wine

Eggplant Issues

Thank you for the help. I will adjust watering and feeding schedules and see if things improve. Mother nature is taking care of both watering and the heat today....

I do still have one perfect eggplant so i dont think end rot is the issue.

EmBrooks in Gardening

Eggplant Issues

The bottle says every 2 to 3 weeks; I'll go to three weeks and see if that helps. I will also adjust my watering schedule - other research says water twice a week very deeply - not sure if this applies to container plants or not?
What would blossom end rot look like? The flowers are still white and pretty when they fall. The pot is either 12 or 14 inches, i cannot remember.

It keeps producing lots of buds so there is still hope I can make adjustments and get a decent crop!

EmBrooks in Gardening

Eggplant Issues

Hi All,

I am hoping to get some help with some eggplant "issues" I have been having. First eggplant (Louisiana Long Green) - looks healthy, lots of blossoms, one beautiful eggplant. Unfortunately all the blossoms keep falling off (except the one - so I know it can produce!). Based on research I did via google I thought the issue might be overwatering so I cut back, but the blossoms keep falling off - and this morning I lost the second tiny eggplant that formed. WHY??????

Second eggplant (Rosa Bianca)- again leaves look great, but is just now forming its first blossom. This could be a patience issue since it is living under the exact same conditions as the one that has been blooming for a month.

Living conditions: in containers on my balcony, 6 hours of sunlight, watered when they look dry, fertilized every two weeks with organic fish emulsion/kelp blend. Based on the post about tomato plant production I started seeing if i could pollinate them myself by touching the buds, but that doesnt seem the help. I have hyper-producing tomato plant and bell pepper plants next to the eggplants, and from what i understand they like similar growing conditions. I live in Charleston, SC - it has been hot!

Any advice?? I am so sad every morning when I go out and see that more blossoms are down!

Thank you!!

EmBrooks in Gardening

thanks chowhound! also, what's your plan for spring and summer herbs?

Fun...I have only a porch at my condo, it is currently jammed packed with containers of:

Herbs (most of these survived the winter, except the basil): genovese basil, sicilian oregano, sage, chives, kentucky mint, tarragon, french thyme, rosemary, parsley

Veggies (never tried any of these before, fingers crossed, advice welcome): bell pepper, rosa bianca & lousiana long green eggplant, sungold tomatoes.

Celeste fig tree - in its second year, tons of beautiful leaves - but doesn't ripen fruit (it all drops off before it ripens)...might be too cold still?

Key lime tree - bought at the end of last summer - TONS of buds this spring....if they all actually become limes i am going to be in trouble!

Wish i could have: cilantro; i had luck with it this winter but it bolts at the first sign of warm temps here.

I am looking forward to this board!

EmBrooks in Gardening

Growing Cilantro [split from General Topics]

Hi,

Have you guys had any luck growing cilantro indoors (at a sunny window) in the summer? Mine goes to seed after 2 days of warm weather here and I would love to grow it since it is one of the herbs i use the most. What about growing cervil or other cool weather herbs?

Thanks!

EmBrooks in Gardening

Indoor Herb Gardening — questions answered by an expert

That is exciting, I can't wait for them to produce. I moved everything indoors last week when i was on vacation and they all shot up! I am now wondering if I can grow cilantro indoors? A couple of warm days here (Charleston, SC) and it goes to seed. If it lives in a sunny window, do you think it would be OK?

EmBrooks in Gardening

Indoor Herb Gardening — questions answered by an expert

Great, I will bring everything inside including the basil!

Thank you!

EmBrooks in Gardening

Indoor Herb Gardening — questions answered by an expert

The porch gets about 7 hours of sun and is fairly protected from wind - this is where they live. I was going to bring them inside to a window that faces the same direction, but probably only gets about 4 hours of sun. I am just worried about zapping the little guys, i just planted them a couple of weeks ago.

EmBrooks in Gardening

Indoor Herb Gardening — questions answered by an expert

I am growing 2 varieties of eggplant in containers for the first time this year. I already transplanted them to large pots (a bit early i know, but i have been covering them when the night time temp goes below 60). I am headed out of town for a week and nighttime temps are forecasted to drop back into the high 30s....and i don't trust my roomie to cover the plants at night, he doesnt love them like I do. :) ANYWAY, my question is: would it be OK to move the plants inside to a sunny window for the week?

I also planted a bell pepper plant and tomato plant....should I bring these in as well?

Thank you!!

EmBrooks in Gardening

Cellar question

Thank you both for your replys - I am glad I asked because I was going to go by the vintage date.

winechic - i have been buying multiple bottles of these wines as the budget permits and I am hoping to open them over the course of a couple years to taste how the wines change. I am still just learning about wine, so I am very excited to start this process. I did invest in a wine fridge for storage purposes. It gets way too hot down south to store them in the kitchen.

Thanks again!

EmBrooks in Wine

Hunter Valley (Australia) wineries and wines?

Hi Jonas,

I took a wine tour in the Hunter Valley a couple of years ago. We decided to go there mid-trip so everything was planned on the fly. We did a one day tasting tour - no idea what the company name was, I dont think there are that many, the HV is not nearly as commercial as Napa. My fav vineyard was Ivanhoe. The tour was also really nice because driving "backwards" is a little scary even before a few wine tastings! I carried back all my wine purchases - shipping to the US was double the price of a case of wine. The hotel we stayed at provided shipping cases for us which held up really well. There are a couple other vineyards that we visited that I cannot remember the names of - I will look at home to see if i still have them somewhere. Another fav was a winery in a huge lavendar field - they had an excellent port....will look for the name tonight. Anewton is right Semillons are the star in this region, when I visited, I was primarily a red wine drinker, but ended up bringing home mostly Semillons.

The most memorable meal we had in the HV was at The Cellar Restaurant. http://www.winecountry.com.au/dining.aspx

Enjoy!

EmBrooks in Wine

Cellar question

I have recently started purchasing some wines to cellar and in overthinking some of my purchases I started to wonder about the cellaring dates.

For example, when a reviewer (or whomever) writes up a 2005 wine in 2008 and recommends to "cellar for 5 years" does (s)he mean 5 years from 2005 or 5 years from 2008?

This feels like a very stupid question, but I don't know the answer, so I am throwing it out there.

Thank you!

EmBrooks in Wine

Dining solo in Williamsburg

Thanks - I was intrigued by the Fat Canary, but I thought it would be too formal - great to know I can eat at the bar! Looks like Blue Talon & Fat Canary are going to be the winners.

One more question - any place to get a good cup of coffee in the morning? The "coffee" at the hotel is horrifying...

EmBrooks in General South Archive

Dining solo in Williamsburg

I will be in Williamsburg for business two nights next week and would love some help in choosing dinner places. Based on a search of other threads on this topic, I am thinking Blue Talon Bistro for one night. I eat pretty much anything and would love a casual place with a great wine list.

Thank you in advance for your help!

EmBrooks in General South Archive

Wine pairing for chicken roasted with cumin and Seville oranges?

It was Gentil "Hugel" Alsace 2005. I definitely want to try the dish again, so I will have to open a pinot next time.

Thanks again.

EmBrooks in Wine

Wine pairing for chicken roasted with cumin and Seville oranges?

Hi all,

I have been a long time lurker on this board and I want to say thank you to all the experts to take the time to give advice on these boards. I can honestly say that you all have helped me expand my wine knowledge over the past year - especially about white wines, which I only discovered about a year ago that I love (always been a red wine lover).

That being said...I made this dish last night for V-day (few changes- no Seville oranges at WF so used blood oranges instead, cut up the bird into serving pieces to reduce cooking time, etc.) and for the first time tried a Riesling from Alsace - it was a revelation. Who knew riesling could taste like that??? (Besides all of you who recommended the pairing of course.)

Overall,it was a successful night and the bf and I have a new favorite dish/wine type - I can't wait to try the dish again when i have more time to deal with a whole bird.

Thanks again and keep the advice coming!

EmBrooks in Wine