going old-school

This post is inspired by my grandmother who wrote the book on "how to be fancy without being spendy" ... and in this economy, chicken livers are priced just right!

Buddy's Chicken Livers, originally uploaded by rustyrabbit.

Chicken Liver Pate

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of butter
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 Granny smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard
1 pound of chicken livers, fat removed
4 tablespoons of apple brandy
1 stick of butter, softened

Heat the vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy saucepan. Add onions, apples and seasonings and sauté until lightly brown. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes until apples are soft. Remove mixture from pan and set aside. In same pan, sauté the chicken livers, adding a little more butter if necessary. But do not overcook them. Heat the brandy, set aflame and pour over the chicken livers. when flame dies out, add the onion and apple mixture. Mix well and let cool. Then put mixture into food processor, add the stick of soft butter, a little at a time, and puree until smooth. Put it into a dish or an oiled 2 cup mold. Chill for several hours or overnight. It would keep for 4 days in the refrigerator and it could be frozen. It is much better made a day ahead.

Anthony Bourdain, Maple Bacon Camp & Twitter

San Francisco played host to Anthony Bourdain the other week. He put in face time the same weekend as Bacon Camp. And some bacon campers, met up with him and even made him a special Maple Bacon Latte.

Tom his producer is a boozer. And a fun time. Bourdain was traveling with wife and kid. He even put in some face time in Oakland.

How do we know all this? How'd we get the scoop?

Twitter.

green bottle glassware

Stumbled upon this site and fell in love.



About the Artist & Re-Purposer

I am a self-taught artist born and raised in upstate New York. There, I was surrounded by the rolling hills and vineyards of wine country in the Finger Lakes region. Growing up, my interest in art became entwined with philosophy and psychology. I recognized the power of art to forge a new mentality within us all.



Green Wine Bottles is inspired by my advanced degree in psychology, interest in art made from found objects and the point at which they intersect. Both the recycling artist and the therapist have as their central intention the goal of renewal and expanding perspective. So it is with the word “green” that I celebrate not only ecological conservation but psychological inspiration towards balance and health. Green Wine Bottles began in Seattle, Washington where they debuted at the historic Pike Place Market. The following year, my fiancée, Sophi, and I moved to the Midwest to get married and start a family. Today, I am at home near Madison, Wisconsin practicing psychotherapy and celebrating the process of renewal through my art.

Jerry Lee
Restaurant Wine Buyer & Manager Extraordinaire



Born in Taiwan, Lee came to the U.S. when he was just 7 years old. His grandparents had Chinese restaurants all over the country. Eventually his dad worked in the kitchen and his mom worked in the front of the house at one of these restaurants. The Lee Family worked very hard because their dream was to open their own restaurant. In 1985 his parents dream came true.

After moving to San Luis Obispo to open their own place -- Jerry became very excited about the wines of Arroyo Grande Valley since it was in his own backyard. Throughout his adulthood, Lee would take weekend trips to wineries and taste what Santa Ynez had to offer. After graduating high school Lee moved to Santa Barbara and landed a great job at Michel Richard’s CITRONELLE.
After 9 years at CITRONELLE, in 2006 the famous dining spot closed its doors. Lee accepted a Restaurant Manager position with San Ysidro Ranch. You might say restaurants are in his blood.

“When I came on board there was not one single lick of juice and they wanted me to build this world class wine list. I was like a kid in a candy store. NO budget and taste every day. As of today I have build this list at the ranch of 1100 selections with wines focusing on local and Europe. I LOVE Syrah, especially local Santa Barbara Syrahs. I have won The Best of Award of Excellence for 2007 and 2008 my goal is to get the Grand Award before I leave.”

1. What has proven to be your biggest obstacle? Traveling the world, finding the wines & seeing where they come from. I am a very visual person, reading books isn’t enough. I have to SEE it for myself.

2. How has wine changed your life? Because of wine I never finished college…{laughs}. It’s changed my life tremendously, I wasn’t big into school, but I grew up in a restaurant world. I’m infatuated with wine, I can relate to it. Constantly evolving, nuanced, changing, different to different people.

3. Do you believe in fate or serendipity? I have to make things happen. Ultimately. I do to a point, believe in fate, but I go back and forth all the time. That’s a grey area in life. I think things come to be, its not a miracle, you have to work for everything. Ya gotta WORK.

4. What’s your favorite place to relax with a bottle of Syrah, say Kinton Santa Barbara Syrah? At my house, with friends, with my barbecue on high and closest friends around. Can’t beat it, good wine and cooking.

5. Living or dead – what 5 people would you like to invite over for dinner? Bruce Lee, Marilyn Monroe, My great-great grandfather (heard so many stories), Thomas Jefferson and Kermit Lynch.

6. What motivates you to get up in the morning? Sunshine and a good cup of coffee

7. What makes you proud? To see the closest people I have around. To see how far I’ve come in life.

8. Where would you like to visit/travel next? Italy & Germany

9. You have the worlds crankiest person send back dish after dish – what do you do when they finally leave your restaurant? CALL them an ASSHOLE! Or, laugh at them.

10. How do you gauge happiness? Smiling, I’m a smiler. When happiness is around me, I’m constantly moving. I’m an agenda guy. The busier the happier.

11. Besides Syrah, what are the other popular bottlings on your list? Pinot Noir (hands down). But everyone should be learning their Spanish wines (Tempranillo, Grenacha) they offer great prices and are great gems.

12. Do manners matter? Yes, it does matter! Formal or informal – the way you present yourself is reactionary to and for the people around you.
13. Why do you work so hard? Because I don’t want to work later on, I work now so I can travel later. I want to see what the world has to offer, seeing everything….

14. Describe a typical Tuesday Night meal at your house… Grilled or seared pork chops with a red wine demiglace, baby bok choy, potatoes and a hearty red wine.

Jerry Lee encourages you to come visit him at his resort, which was just named by Forbes Traveler as the best hotel in America.

Ewe not EW

photo credit: Ben

Sheep's Milk Cheeses are incredibly earthy, creamy and mouth-coatingly rich. They set the perfect stage for Syrah. Especially Santa Barbara Syrah, in all its bold, bright purple gem beauty.

TODAYS RECOMMENDATION: Torta del Casar is a cheese made from sheep's milk in the Extremadura region of Spain. It is named after Casar de Cáceres, its city of origin. The milk is curdled using a coagulant found in the pistils of the cardoon, a wild thistle. This ingredient lends a subtle bitterness to the otherwise rich and slightly salty tasting cheese. It is aged for at least sixty days. The fully ripe cheese has a creamy consistency in the center, and is traditionally eaten by slicing off the top and scooping out the inside.

In 1999, the cheese was given protected-origin status, regulations that stipulate not only where it can be produced, but also that it can only be made with the milk of Merino and Entrefina sheep. These breeds have a low yield of milk, and it takes the milk of 20 sheep to make a 2.2-pound wheel of Torta del Casar.

Torta del Casar is produced commercially today by eight family-run dairies. Only about 10 percent of the production is exported from Spain.

Fury Friends

Did You know that Koala's like Shiraz too????

Australian Shiraz Harvest time

We are getting right into the Shiraz harvest at Yangarra, the really hot January/February brought forward the physiological ripeness while slowing down the sugar maturity. This is a winemkaing dream, because you end up with all the ripe flavours and tannins, dense black colour at lower sugars resulting in wine with less alcohol and more finesse.

We are trialling some whole cluster (25%) fermentation to add complexity to the fruit profile as well as the tannin structure. I've seen some amazing wines done like this both new and old world, PAX is a big advocate of this fermentation technique, so i'm excited about the potential results, and being such an ideal Shiraz harvest the timing is perfect!