Umami

I recently saw the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a documentary about Jiro Ono, a Japanese sushi master and endearing character, who at 85 years old, still works day and night at his 10-seat sushi only restaurant located in an underground subway station in Tokyo. It is a tale of dedication that evokes a full range of emotions - from inspiration (his apprentices must train 10 years with him before they are allowed to make sushi for the diners) to bittersweet triumph (the level of dedication that he achieves means that other areas of his life must suffer) to family ties and strain (his sons both work with him, one has his own restaurant and the other is in line to succeed his father).

The movie is beautifully shot, with close ups of Jiro and his sons molding the warm grains of rice, slicing the ruby flesh of fresh toro, and plating morsels of sushi glistening with just a brushstroke of soy sauce. A further depiction of Jiro's life and success is rounded out by interviews with a former apprentice, fish market and rice purveyors (who work exclusively with Jiro in several cases), and a Japanese food critic.

I was struck by what the food critic had to say, that in all the years of dining at Jiro's restaurant, he had never had a bad meal or an unsatisfying piece of sushi. He also used those dining experiences to describe the sense of umami, that often elusive fifth or sixth food sense that is achieved with the perfect balance of a pleasant savory sensation. For him, it is something that makes him say, "ahhhh", which Jiro's sushi often did.

I have struggled to define umami in my own words. For me, it has to elicit a "food revelation" in my mouth, first by taste, then cerebrally, before traveling through my body as if by a mild electrical pulse.

And it's been a long time since I've had a revelatory food moment (click here for the last one), something that brings you beyond the ahhhh, and delivers you to an AHHHHH (think golden lighting, angels singing, both hands outstretched in front of you, rising up towards the sky).

That is my idea of umami, and I achieved it at EN Japanese Brasserie. A girlfriend who loved the movie warned that I would have severe cravings for sushi afterwards, and urged me to have a dinner lined up. Since I was in the West Village (the movie is playing at IFC Center), there were many options, but I was drawn to book a reservation at EN Japanese Brasserie. It seemed a more fitting venue given that I was being treated to a belated birthday dinner by my good friend Mary Ellen, another passionate movie goer and adamant foodie.

But, it was not the toro sashimi or the spicy tuna roll that delivered my umami moment, but the freshly-made (four times nightly) scooped tofu. Yes, tofu.

Maybe it was partly because the sensation of warm, freshly scooped tofu was so unexpected that I experienced such a strong reaction. Perhaps it was the silky mouthfeel that resembles nothing of the gelatinous chilled blocks you buy at the grocery store. Or maybe even further still it was the wari-joyu, a delicate balance of soy sauce and fish broth, poured on top of your individual serving, that delivered the one-two umami punch.

Serving vessel for warm, freshly-made tofu - scoop generously into porcelain bowl and add wari-joyu sauce

It was probably a combination of all of those things; in that singular moment, your tastebuds kick into high alert, the pleasure center in your brain awakens, and you are truly experiencing something so pleasurable, that you can hardly explain it. Except maybe to call it umami.


Glass of rosé pairing: this isn't really a pairing since I mentioned it in the post, but please see Jiro Dreams of Sushi - to inspire your own dedication to your dreams and to attain visual umami

Click here for the trailer....

Melt for Tuesdays

Let me tell you why Tuesdays are special.

Tuesdays are both an acceptable day to talk about the weekend just past, and to start planning for the weekend to come. It allows you to day dream, to stop and remember what you actually did over the weekend before you rushed back to the weekday routine. Even if you work weekends and are exhausted after work, you may recall slipping into a luxurious soak in the tub, stopping on your way home for a treat (gelato and/or pizza come to mind for me!), or seeing a friend for a nightcap.

I had such a busy week last week (not that I'm complaining - much of it entailed sharing meals with friends, both local and far flung), that I was grateful to be home on Saturday night enjoying a simple dinner with my husband. Lest I care to answer the question and try to defend my answer to, "where's the meat?", I almost always incorporate it into dishes I prepare for Matt. One of my favorite go to dishes is pasta (I'm a self-admitted pasta and carb freak), but to satisfy both our palettes, I make a spicy Arrabiata sauce laced with crushed red pepper flakes and crispy cubes of pancetta.

But that's not even the best part...even though Matt went to bed early, I allowed myself a naughty indulgence. Naughty because I didn't tell him about the Melt chocolate bar I received as a belated birthday gift, direct from London! I enjoyed a few squares the whole bar (less a few squares) while reclining lazily on the couch, sipping a glass of wine (Francis Coppola Director's Pinot Noir, though I suspect a crisp Chateau Rasque rosé may have been better suited), and tapping away on my laptop. While this may not seem indulgent to everyone, the precious moments of quiet time to write  are few and far between, and I seek to create more of those. Perhaps if I had more chocolate...right! The chocolate.

This is no ordinary bar of chocolate! Melt chocolates are handcrafted using the best possible ingredients - the boutique is located in London's Notting Hill, and the open kitchen allows patrons to view world class chocolatiers at work. While their truffles are made daily, they also sell small batch bars of chocolate, of which I was the lucky recipient. The bar I had was blackberry and cinnamon folded into exquisite milk chocolate. I relished biting into that first square and let the chocolate melt a little on my fingers. And indeed that is the philosophy behind the name - chocolate is the only food that melts at body temperature, and so the people behind Melt encourage people to eat it in a slower, rather more seductive way.

Can you spot the melty smudge marks? ;)

The smokiness of the cinnamon swirls around your mouth, and yet the milk chocolate renders it almost sweet, not spicy. Paired with a dark chocolate the cinnamon may have gotten lost as it competed with the bitter qualities, but with the milk chocolate, it shone. As for the blackberry, it was not a mere essence of blackberry, but actual bits of fruit. You get the seedy texture just as you would biting into a plump, fresh berry. And again, the residual creaminess from the milk chocolate was the perfect foil for those tart bursts, making for a very silky mouthfeel.

Are you dreaming of next weekend yet?


Glass of rose pairing: Liberty stationery - for penning greetings to friends or love letters

Liberty of London stationery, showcasing Liberty's trademark floral Liberty prints

Rosy Inspiration

After attending the food blogger conference TECHMunch this past Friday, I left inspired (to write more and with purpose), happy (to meet there people like me), and overwhelmed (so much useful information!). During one particular panel I confirmed what I had already suspected - I need a focus, a niche, an area of expertise.


But as my dear friend Amber (also a talented writer and a musician) pointed out, my focus can also be a perspective. 


As the name of my blog implies, I love rosé wine. The first glass of rosé I ever sipped was on a work trip to Cannes, a city in the south of France in the region of Provence, and a prime location for this type of wine production. 


With that first sip of Minuty at a sidewalk cafe bordering the seaside, I tasted sunshine, crisp fruit notes, and as those refreshing droplets danced across my tongue, I felt myself breathe. It was one of those all encompassing deep breaths, almost like a sigh, and I felt everything melt away. I'm sure that the romanticism of sipping it looking out at the Mediterranean Sea had something to do with it too, but I really felt like I was living in the moment.


This is the perfect time of year to be introduced to rosé wines; when spring is blooming and the promise of summer brings beach days, summer Fridays, picnics in the park, barbecues, and mini getaways to visit friends and family. It's also a good time to reevaluate and find that thing that causes you to have a moment of ahhhh, and then figure out ways to recreate that. Rosé wines also pair with a variety of dishes, from grilled vegetables to pasta to fish. And there are varietals from many other countries, including the U.S., that even I have yet to discover.


So with my blog, you can still expect to hear about my adventures with food and travel, but I'm also going to incorporate my love of fashion, wellbeing, and all around positive lifestyle. With every post there will be a glass of rosé pairing, which may be a literal wine pairing, or might be a song, fashion accessory, or something else that inspires me to recreate that ahhhh moment. It is my hope that in sharing in my experiences, you too will appreciate what is good in life, sipping a glass of wine, finding that perfect piece of produce - be it a summer tomato or a statement necklace - and find the next thing that is going to feed not only your belly, but your soul.


I hope that you will raise a glass of rosé with me and see the world through rose colored glasses.


Today's glass of rosé pairing: Chateau Minuty rosé - to represent beginnings

Perfect birthday gift

I was fortunate enough to receive a bottle on my birthday from Hud, another close friend, who first introduced me to this wine, but I know it's available in New York at Morrell & Co. Another great resource is Astor Wines & Spirits, who currently feature rose wines and have an excellent variety of bottles under $10.

Elegant Saturday Supper

The last few times my brother, Will, has come for dinner, I've opted for hearty, braised meat dishes. Partly because Spring has been particularly finicky in NY/NJ lately, and partly because this technique is fool-proof and produces succulent, crowd-pleasing results. Especially for my meat-loving Brit husband, Matty.

With the onset of what at least appears to be summer, last night I opted for something a bit lighter overall, but simple enough to feed my ego and belief that yes, I can cook!

Enter this delightful roasted salmon recipe from Bon Appétit - simple, elegant, and virtually fool proof. A whole side of salmon gets slathered in a sauce full of fresh herbs - licorice-like tarragon and mild-oniony chives - then placed on a parchment-lined sheet pan in a 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes. The thicker part of the salmon takes a bit longer, so I used a digital thermometer to gauge the doneness - the internal temperature should register between 135 and 140 degrees.

I served the salmon with roasted asparagus (drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper, then pop them in the oven during last 10 minutes of salmon roasting), plain white rice (though quinoa would be a nice side as well), with fresh baked rosemary focaccia and a Campari tomato salad to start.

Tomato salad with pomegranate balsamic vinaigrette and fresh crumbled goat cheese

Here it is, your moment of dinner zen:


Roast Side of Salmon with Mustard, Tarragon, and Chive Sauce

From Bon Appetit Magazine, December 2008

Prep: 20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup spicy brown mustard (such as Gulden's)
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
• 1 3 1/2- to 3 3/4-pound whole side of salmon with skin (about 1 1/2 inches thick at thickest part)

• 
  

  • Preparation

  
  Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 450°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Season mustard sauce lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Place salmon, skin side down, on diagonal on prepared sheet. Spoon 1/2 cup mustard sauce atop salmon, then spread over, covering completely. Sprinkle salmon generously with salt and pepper. Roast just until salmon is opaque in center, about 15 minutes. Using parchment as aid, transfer salmon to platter. Cut crosswise into pieces and serve with remaining mustard sauce.

• 
  

Roast salmon - finished product

For dessert, simple macerated strawberries and blackberries over vanilla ice cream. Maceration in food preparation means soaking or steeping in a liquid to soften (usually in some type of acid to help the food break down). With fruit, it results in a gorgeous, almost syrupy topping which is excellent over ice cream, cake, yogurt - whatever! I opted to let my berry mix hang out in a refreshing bath of lemon zest, lemon juice and about a tablespoon of sugar.

This meal is also what I like to call a bonus meal (unless you were truly feeding a crowd of 8-10 as the recipe yield suggests): the leftover salmon and asparagus were an excellent addition to an egg scramble for breakfast, with leftover focaccia smeared with cream cheese, and the berries a perfect topping for tangy Greek yogurt.

Bonus breakfast: egg scramble with leftover salmon and asparagus

Courage: Ingredient of the month

It occurred to me that I have not written at all during the month of April. And certainly, there has been plenty food-related stuff to write about - a trip to Cannes, moving to a new apartment with a real kitchen, new recipes (including a breakfast pizza and veggie lasagna)...but I just haven't felt the courage to write.

Writing is something that has to be a discipline, and it takes courage to be disciplined. I realize that I need to write like my life depends on it, or I'm not going to reach the next chapter.

Tonight I attended a panel discussion entitled "Food Writing Today". Put on by the New York Women's Culinary Alliance, of which I am a proud active member, I gleaned choice \advice from this esteemed panel of women: Ms. Sara Moulton, one of the original stars of Food Network and current host of Sara's Weeknight Meals on PBS, Deb Perelman of successful food blog Smitten Kitchen (and soon to be cookbook - congrats!), Irena Chalmers, whose accomplishments are too many to list if I am to follow her advice "keep it short", top literary agent Judith Weber, and Susan Schwartzman, dynamo book publicist.

When it comes to food writing...

1. Quality over quantity

2. Spend time developing your voice

3. Find your focus and stick to it

4. Read magazines, blogs, cookbooks...and cook

5. Have the courage that YOU CAN!


Even though the landscape of food writing has changed drastically over the last five years, I'm bolstered by these women's experience and knowledge, and encouraged that I just have to keep at it in order to find my focus.

I know that I have the courage to keep writing. To not do so, would be simply unthinkable.

Pet Grain: Chia Seeds

"Whoever heard of such a thing as a Snozberry?"

That about sums up my reaction to the Chia Seed. When Carla (do I keep calling her Chef Carla after we're out of the kitchen?) asks the bow-tied guy behind the counter for a Chia Seed Muffin, I look over at a row of muffins and my eyes don't land on any single one. I realize that I don't know what a Chia Seed is, but it had rolled off of Chef Carla's tongue like she had said "poppyseed" or "banana walnut".

When she said asked if I would split something with her, I have to admit that I was looking at (and had been looking forward to) the madeleines, pain au chocolate and mini tartlets, not a "healthy muffin".

But, Chef Carla hasn't steered me wrong yet, and I never should've doubted her. Besides having impeccable taste for all things gourmet, she works day in and out creating healthy meals and a variety of super snacks, so of course she'd be up on her grains.

As Carla and I discover using her hand i-phone (she truly embodies the "there's an app for that" mantra). Chia Seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, balance your blood sugar levels, and make you feel more energized. Things we've all heard before from reigning "super foods" acai berries and quinoa, but did you know that because of their unique gelling action they keep you full for longer? And Chia Gel can substitute for half the butter in recipes.

And as I learned this afternoon, accompanied by coffee, crazy story catch up time, and sunshine in the park, they also have a delightful textural effect on muffins, healthy or otherwise, punctuating the moist center of the muffin with their staccato crunch.

Lazy Sunday Pasta Salad

Hello friends! Hope you're enjoying your weekend - I certainly am reveling in some of the true small luxuries in life - sleeping in, watching everything on my DVR and getting to have lunch at home.

Matt is away and I don't have plans to venture out of the house until a bit later in the afternoon, so I can have free reign to make whatever I want! But, I'm feeling lazy, which may or may not have to do with spending the last 3 hours watching last night's SNL (Maya Rudolph killed it!) and a whole week's worth of The Daily Show (the Ricky Gervais episode on Valentine's Day was especially touching, and by touching I do mean...well, just watch it!).

I could've resorted to a veggie burger and side salad, but since that's been in such heavy rotation in my weekday lunch roster, I decided to throw together a quick pasta salad with ingredients I already had on hand. And the only techniques required are whisking and boiling water.

Lazy Sunday Pasta Salad

First off, get a pot of water boiling for the pasta - don't forget to add salt to your water. Once it comes to a boil, add about 1/3 box of pasta - I had rotini on hand. I like anything with ridges or contours for this since the dressing and accompanying ingredients will better adhere to the pasta. I love the feeling of piercing a noodle, popping it into my mouth and discovering a hidden shard of cheese or a bacon crumble that snuck along with it. But back to the pasta salad...

For the dressing, you'll need:
-Zest and juice of one lemon (minus a slice of lemon for your water glass)
-2 Tbsp good Dijon mustard
-1 finely chopped shallot

-Pinch of salt

-1-2 Tbsp good olive oil (I used up the last of my Israeli stuff - thanks Liz J!)

Grate lemon zest (using a microplane or zester) into a medium size bowl. Cut lemon in half (remove one slice for your water glass if you wish, and I do) and squeeze juice (mind the pips!) over zest. Add to that the Dijon mustard, the finely chopped shallot and a pinch of salt. Whisk together just to incorporate. Then, in a slow and steady stream, pour the olive oil into the bowl while constantly whisking. The Dijon helps to emulsify and the constant whisking will get you your dressing-like consistency. Tip: unless you have a third arm or a friend, place a folded damp paper towel underneath bowl to secure it on the countertop and keep it steady while you're pouring and whisking.

Creamy shallot dressing

Meanwhile, you've been keeping an eye on the pasta - it's critical not to overcook it. Even if you aren't of the al dente persuasion, I must sway you to it for this salad. For texture's sake. And leftovers' sake - since the pasta will absorb the dressing the longer it sits in it, you don't want the pasta to get soggy overnight.

Drain the pasta, reserving about a teaspoon of the starchy cooking liquid, and set aside for just a second.

Now to make the bed for the pasta. To your gorgeous dressing, already gussied up in shades of pale yellow flecked with the purple from the shallots, add:
-crushed red pepper flakes (for a bit of heat)
-Italian seasoning (you can't have pasta salad without it)
-fresh cracked black pepper
-fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Now how much should you add, you might ask? I like to shake the spices out so each one creates a single even layer on top of the dressing, and then a double layer for the cheese. Then, you tuck the drained pasta into the dressing, gently folding it in until it's covered. Add the reserved cooking liquid to help disperse the dressing.

A bed of spices and cheese

Now, it's time to invite some friends to the party - some pantry staples:
-Kalamata olives (I prefer them packed in olive oil) - I used about six
-Sun dried tomatoes (also packed in olive oil, and I like to buy the ones already julienned, or thinly sliced) - I used a large forkful
-Marinated artichoke hearts (adds another easy layer of flavor to salads when they're marinated) - a good handful

I like to thinly slice the olives, rough chop the tomatoes, and either halve or quarter the artichokes (which usually come already quartered from their original size). What are these friends bringing to the party, you might ask? The briny olives complement the acidity of the lemon (harmony!), while the sun dried tomatoes, studded like candied jewels throughout the salad, lend a sweetness to offset the dressing's lemony essence and the shallots' sharpness (diffusing any party tensions). And the artichokes lend a meaty bite and some substance, kind of like the guest at the party who makes sure that everyone is talking to each other and having a good time.

Sliced olives, sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts

Toss together with the dressed pasta, then serve a top a bed of undressed (naughty!) greens. I'm really into red vine spinach lately - not sure if there are any added health benefits, but it seems to keep longer in the fridge and lends an added visual component to the salad. To really make this lunch pack a protein punch, I'd add Tonnino, a gourmet tuna that comes in filet pieces (packed in water or olive oil). Though considerably more expensive, it's a far superior product to the canned stuff in taste, texture and presentation.

You could also toss the spinach with the warm pasta right after you drain it, so that it wilts slightly and is mixed into the salad. But I like the crunch of the leaves as a textural counterpoint to the creaminess of the dressing and the al dente bite of the pasta, as well as the balance of a cooked ingredient with a raw one.

Lazy Sunday Pasta Salad

All in all, this is a very tasty salad and so simple to whip up. You can feel all self-righteous that even though you were lazy, you spent some quality time in the kitchen and already have your lunch made for tomorrow.