Stay at Stove Dad

New Year's Money Saving Tip: Buy Wine by the Case

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I’m always looking for ways to improve my behavior. Also to save money. In recent years, I switched from a credit card that gave me airline miles when I used it, to one that gives me cash back. After I became a father, I simply wasn’t travelling much. Cash, on the other hand, speaks for itself.

Recently, I read a new book, “The Behavior Gap: Simple Ways to Stop Doing Dumb Things With Money," by Carl Richards, and it is full of sage advice, and great drawings. Richards makes a number of good suggestions, and if you’re looking for a book to help get your financial bearings in the New Year, it’s a good place to start.

I have my own bit of financial advice: If you’re looking to save money on wine, buy it by the case. Most stores will offer ten to fifteen-percent off when you do this. I also find it handy to have a few extra bottles of wine to have on hand, in case I need one for a hostess gift or to bring to a family gathering. And if you're not sure what bottles to buy, find a trusted store and ask the staff for suggestions. You probably won't go wrong.

What money saving ideas do you have around the kitchen? If you have ways of economizing, I'd like to hear them.

Late Autumn Sangria Recipe

In my item about Progressive Dinners, a month or so ago, I mentioned that I would post some of the great recipes for the food and drink that was served that night. In the holiday spirit, I present a recipe for Sangria, served by a dad who used to be a professional chef, so he knows what he is talking about. It's an autumnal recipe, and even though the temperature is dropping, trees are lighting, and carolers are out, it is still autumn. He does mentions glüwein, or mulled wine, in his intro, though, so I'll have to see if he has a recipe for that. It might be more appropriate for the coming months (and if you have a good glüwein recipe, be sure to let me know).

Autumn Sangria

Sangria is a great way to use bottles of wine that have been opened but not finished. A wise restaurant will use all of the opened by-the-glass bottles from the previous day to make a house sangria or similar punch e.g. glüwein, resulting in consistently fresh wines by-the glass (I hate it when I get served a glass of wine in a restaurant that was clearly opened days ago.) This is an autumn adaptation of the Spanish classic.

Many sangria recipes specify wine varietals, but due to the amount of sweeteners and adjuncts, I feel that this is irrelevant. The only exception is over-oaked wines, which I feel are inappropriate for all occasions.

The purpose of making sangria is to use the ingredients at ones disposal; including, but not limited to, the season and one's preferences. The following recipe is only a framework from which to work. The crucial ingredients after the wine are the sugar, orange juice, and citrus to provide a balance of acidity and sweetness.

 

Sangria

•       Approximately one 750 ml bottle of red wine (mixing in some white wine is fine too)
•       1 cup spiced simple syrup (see below)
•       1/2 cup orange juice
•       1/2 cup brandy
•       1/4 cup Triple Sec
•       2 juice oranges, cut into thin half slices
•       1 lemon, cut into thin half slices
•       1 red apple, halved, cored and cut into large dice
•       1 red pear, halved, cored and cut into large dice
•       1 cup sparkling apple cider (can substitute Sprite)

Combine all the ingredients, best if allowed to macerate overnight. Add the sparkling apple cider just before serving. Serve over ice.

Spiced Simple Syrup

•       2 cups water
•       1 cup sugar
•       1 cinnamon stick
•       ½ teaspoon whole cloves
•       1 teaspoon whole allspice
•       5 whole star anise
•       2 slices fresh ginger
•       Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

To make the spiced simple syrup

Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until reduced by half. Allow to cool and strain.

What I'm Drinking Now: 2010 Frenzy Sauvignon Blanc

Part of our hurricane preparations involved buying a bottle of wine. It was the day before the big storm, and already the rain was starting to come down. I was in a hurry to grab a bottle, so I dashed into Big Nose Full Body and  picked up one of their New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, a 2010 bottle of Frenzy, from Marlborough, for $12.

I was in too much of a hurry to read the store notes, but the clerk told me it had a good and solid New Zealand-ish citrus side to it. I couldn't wait to try it. At home, I took a look at the back label, and what was written there struck a note with me. "Frenzy is a name inspired by the myriad, uncontrollable forces of nature that must fall into place in order to make great wine," it declared. The same could be said, I thought, about raising a kid.

My girls are forever fascinated with whatever I'm drinking. "Beer" they tend to call "beard," having trouble the word, and no matter what is in my glass they want a taste of it. I always let them try it. They put their finger in the glass, and I wonder if they'll ever be able to tell the difference between one wine and another. Maybe someday. For now, I take solace in Pinta's developing senses. I gave her a whiff of Frenzy, and asked her what fruit it smelled like. "Grapefruit," she said, and she was right. Talk about a signature New Zealand wine. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

I'm headed to the beach for the next few days, and will try to post if I can, though I'm not sure how good the Internet access will be. Rest assured, I'll still be cooking. Enjoy the remainder of your summer.

 

 

What I'm Drinking Now: Tortoise Creek Sauvignon Blanc “Cuveé Jeanne”

Tuesday, we had an earthquake, and its effects were felt last night. A shelf of dishes came crashing down in the kitchen—the little pin holding the wood must have been loosened by the earth’s recent rumbling. The crockery shattered right around my mother, who was in the kitchen getting reading for a dinner with Santa Maria’s folks. They’re visiting, and Santa Maria cooked her famed Rose Revived Flounder for them.

I had been charged with shopping and getting the wine. I meant to get the fish from Blue Moon, at the Greenmarket in Union Square, but I didn’t get out of the house in time that morning to do so and to get to work at a reasonable hour, so I opted to go to the market in Grand Central Station, near my office. There’s lots of fresh food there now, but boy is it pricey: note to self, always, always buy from Blue Moon.

I thought about getting the wine in Grand Central, too, but after paying through the nose for the fish, I wasn’t in the mood to shell out anything extra for the convenience of getting it there. There are many good wine stores in Brooklyn, and the one nearest to our place, Big Nose Full Body, is small but exceptionally well run. Here’s how I know: they sell good cheap wine. It’s one thing to stock your shelves with expensive bottles of great wine. It’s another to find the ones people can afford on a weeknight that will make them feel like they are at a fine restaurant.

Last night I picked a $12 bottle of 2010 Tortoise Creek Sauvignon Blanc “Cuveé Jeanne” from their shelf. The store notes described as something like “everything you might want in a Sauvignon Blanc.” They were right. It was crisp and citrusy, but well rounded and full. I hear there’s a hurricane coming our way, and I might have to get myself a case before the winds and rains arrive. Who knows what Mother Nature will throw at us next.

A Curious and Delicious Brew: Innis & Gunn's Oak-Aged Beer

I was out on Monday night at a couple of parties, including one for "Red Hot + Rio 2," the latest offering from the AIDs fighting group Red Hot. The album features Alice Smith, John Legend, Beck, David Byrne, and countless other contemporary artists interpreting classics from the Brazilian Tropicália movement of the late sixties.

Tropicália mixed blues, rock, psychedelia, folk, jazz, bossa nova, and samba into a revolutionary stew, and the new compilation is a tasty treat. But a strange brew they were serving at the party left a more lasting impression on me: Innis & Gunn's Rum Cask Finish Oak Aged Beer has the lightest, sweetest, most complex taste of any beer I've ever had.

The beer, which is aged in oak casks that have been used to make Navy rum, was an accidental discovery on the part of its producer a few years ago. A Scottish whisky distiller, William Grant & Sons, wanted to make an ale-finished liquor, so it commissioned a leading brewer to make a beer to season the casks that would be used for the whisky. The beer was supposed to be discarded, but some thirsty employee tasted it instead, and realized that they were on to something.

The amber brew is delicate and sophisticated, with hints of vanilla and, of course, oak. There's no trace of bitterness at all. The brewer’s website suggests pairing it with food, like a fine wine, but I disagree.

I was so enthusiastic about the beer that I bought some last night at Bierkraft, and had it with my quick chicken curry. The food overwhelmed the beer, though, and rendered its delicate flavor closer to water than anything as delightful as I had downed the night before. Next time, I'm having it strictly as an aperitif. It deserves a moment of its own.

What I'm Drinking Now: 2009 Natura Cabernet Sauvignon

I’m always shocked when I think about how my life differs from the life my father led. He never cooked for us, but he was always home for dinner. After eating, he would often have to go out again, and at that hour he had a few expressions that I’ll never forget. He would say  “I feel like a yo-yo,” or “I’m at the end of my string,” and I was always very amused, though even at that age I was certain that he wasn’t trying to be funny.

I’m rarely home for dinner. My job keeps me at my desk until 6 pm, and by the time I walk in the door, the  kids’ dinnertime is long past. Last night, the trains were delayed, and my commute took longer than usual. I arrived home somewhat late, relieved our fantastic babysitter (Santa Maria was tied up with the same commuting problems as I was), and greeted the girls.

Nina told me she was hungry. Typically, at such an hour, there’s a good chance that this is a ruse to spend time with me and to delay her bedtime. She’s a smart child, and she knows that for me, the Stay at Stove Dad, I can’t bear to send her to bed with an empty stomach.

A sure-fire way for me to find out if she’s really hungry is to offer her a vegetable. She eats her greens well enough at dinnertime, but she’s never eager for seconds of them. Last night I said she could have some green beans. To my surprise she said that she would like some—the poor child really was hungry. I steamed a bunch very quickly, buttered them up, and gave them to her. I'm sure my father never did that for me.

Later, after I had experimented with an Asian sauce to dress up my go-to Salmon fillet for my own dinner with Santa Maria, I sat down with a glass of 2009 Natura 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, from Chile's Emiliana. It was in the house because it came with a recent four-pack from our former local wine store, Red, White, and Bubbly.

Their four-packs are always full of winners, but this wine made me nervous. It was made with organic grapes. I love organic produce, but wine is wine. As it turned out, there was no need for me to be concerned: Emiliana is Chile's leading organic wine producer, and for good reason. It was delicious, with a hearty bouquet, a substantial body, and delicious floral and fruit notes. As I sipped the wine, I thought again of my father. He stopped drinking in 1973, but even before then, I’m ceratin he never had a glass of organic wine.

Wine Tip of the Day: Six Leading Flash Sites

Deep down, I'm a hopeless romantic—I believe in marriage; I believe in a better future for my children; and I believe it's possible to save money buying wine. I've gone to great lengths to prove the last point. Once, in the time before the Internet, I attended an auction at a hotel on Madison Avenue with a friend, and we dashed across the street to Sherry-Lehmann during the bidding to consult one of Robert Parker's reference works. We came home happy that day.

I'm more likely these days to seek out a good low-priced wine by sticking to my local store and considering terroir. The French term for the effect land has on a given grape is also away to think economically. Broadly speaking the wines of Spain, Chile, and New Zealand are going to be less than those of France.

Now, I just discovered a new way to save on wine. In the past few years, in part because of the recession, wine producers have quietly turned to what are called flash websites to unload excess inventory. These sites "sell wines at deep discounts for short times have become the darlings of many wine lovers," according to the industry trade magazine Wines & Vines, which recently started tracking the sites. The top six, they say, are as follows:

• Cinderella Wine
• Lot 18
• WineShopper
• The Wine Spies
• Wines Til Sold Out
• Wine.Woot!

I haven't tried any of these vendors, but the Wines & Vines article has details on the pros and cons of each site. Their appeal seems clear to me though: good deals on quality wines. Has anyone else tried them? I'm interested to hear about your experiences.

 

What I’m Drinking Now: 2008 Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon

Nina picked up on my enthusiasm for my latest wine purchase, and turned the bottle into a little girl. Here’s why.

I’ve lived long enough and bummed around Bordeaux sufficiently to know the name Château Lafite Rothschild, which produces some of the finest—and most expensive—wines in the world, but my regular drinking tends to skew toward less famous—and cheaper—wines. I believe that many delicious wines can be found for less than $20; much less, if you know where to look.

I favor Spanish wines, which don’t have the acclaim and price of French wines, and I like New Zealand for its Sauvignon Blancs. My one higher priced weakness is for a good Brunello di Montalcino, but even there I’m a minor league player, keeping my rare purchases south of $50 a bottle.

My favorite way to buy table wine these days is to go to one of my neighborhood stores, Red White & Bubbly, and buy their four-pack of the month. Every few weeks they package a nice selection at a price point I’m comfortable with, and I usually find a few good surprises.

Lately, though, I’ve been too harried to make even this nominal effort, and I’ve taken to drinking the cooking wine. I can go without having a glass of wine with dinner, but I cannot abide by a kitchen without big jugs of white and red for deglazing pans, splashing in sauces, and otherwise enlivening most dishes.

To buy cooking wine, I walk to a different store, 7^th Ave. Wine & Liquor, and head to the lower shelves in the back and grab the biggest bottle of dry cheap white I can find. On the way out, I’ll often look for a bargain red, too. The other day I picked up a bottle of the 2008 Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon, from Colchagua Valley, in Chile. I paid about $10.

I’ve never liked Cabernet Sauvignon—it always seemed too aggressive and rough around the edges (at least the ones I was willing to spring for). But this one was different: complex but balanced, assertive not aggressive, and full of rich flavor. I was really enjoying it. I brought the bottle out to the table to have another glass.

As I looked at the label, I noticed a bit of small print at the top: “Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite).” Wow, I thought, am I really having a Lafite with dinner? Sure enough, I was. The French producer expanded into Chile in 1988, taking over an estate where grapes had been planted since 1750, and has been turning out excellent and affordable wines since then.  I went back a few days later for another bottle, and not one to cook with.

What I'm Drinking Now: Campo Viejo Reserva 2005 Rioja

Over this past weekend, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Cooking is very relaxing for me, for the most part, but I can get carried away.

On Sunday, I made pancakes for breakfast, followed by two roasted chickens (and that stunning kale salad) for dinner. On Saturday, I cooked up an old favorite, my red-lentil dhal, for lunch, and then improvised a wild boar and lentil stew for dinner.

Later in the week, I’ll tell the story of the boar stew, which was tasty but fraught; it brought Nina to tears. For now, I’ll share what unites almost all those meals: a Campo Viejo Reserva 2005 Rioja.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m partial to Spanish wines. I picked up this bottle in Pennsylvania over the holiday break, but my in-laws are such relative teetotalers that we never opened it on Christmas night (a blessing, as it turned out, given that I unexpectedly had to drive back to New York City after dinner).

The wine was gentle on the tongue, well balanced, and quite flavorful. It lacked a strong finish, but I found it very delicious. It was also cheap—I think I paid about $12 for it—and I’m recommending it as a perfect everyday red wine. If I didn’t happen to be so tired out from cooking, I’d consider stocking up on a case.

Thanksgiving Postgame Show: The Spanish Wine Tasting

Thanksgiving at my sisters went off without a hitch. The kids careened around her apartment in their stocking feet, enthralled with their older cousin, and no one slipped and fell or lost a tooth.

The food was delicious, too. There was turkey with a fennel and sausage stuffing. Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes—the whole nine yards. All the guests contributed a dish or two. My brother-in-law invited cousins from New Jersey, who brought a tofu marsala (which was so good Santa Maria asked for seconds).

The thing that was on my mind, besides being grateful for all our good fortune as Americans, was the Spanish wines. How would they taste? How would they go over?

A number of other bottles were opened during the evening. One was a 2007 Bordeaux, which proved to be much more popular around the table than the Rioja. I poured the wines. I know. Everyone asked for the French wine over the Spanish. Of course, I chose the Rioja, and I loved it. It was full bodied with hints of licorice. Nice.

The Temps de Flors, the white, was a resounding success. It was crisp and refreshing. My sister loved it, and said that it really tasted like flowers. Funny, I said because it is named for an annual festival that fills the streets of Girona, a city outside of Barcelona, with elaborate floral displays. Perfect.