A recipe review and personality prelude.
Oooh, aren't we lucky! This year the Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta has attracted a number of particularly savory food and wine experts who will drop in for a long weekend and spice the place up a bit. Rick Bayless, the master of Mexican cuisine, will be on hand for a demo and lunch, and we managed to procure the not-yet-published recipe for the ceviche he'll be serving. Laura Werlin, whose
All American Cheese and Wine Book
won a prestigious James Beard Award, is back again this year to
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talk about all kinds of cheese, not just American. Oaxacan mole guru Iliana de la Vega will share her secrets at a cooking class. The chef promises to demonstrate three of her seven famous moles during the class. We've got the recipe for one of them. Other notable appearances at this year's event include Chef Stephan Pyles, who will be cooking a luncheon at The Compound. You might recognize his name from the excellent cookbook,
Tamales
, he did with John Sedlar and Mark Miller. Pyles' newest restaurant, humbly named "Stephan Pyles," is in Dallas. Southwest cooking maven Barbara Pool Fenzl will be at The Santa Fe School of Cooking for a demonstration of her techniques. Pool Fenzl is the Phoenix-based owner of Les Gourmettes Cooking School, the author of
Savor the Southwest
, and the host of a PBS cooking show of the same name.
A conversation with Laura Werlin, author of The All American Cheese and Wine Book.
***image2***What will you talk about in your seminar at Santa Fe Wine and Chile?
My whole thing is American cheese. It's been my focus since I started writing about cheese about five years ago, and last year [at the Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta] my seminar focused on exclusively American wine and American cheese. This year I'm doing cheese and wines from around the world. Part of what I want to show is that where they're from matters less than the style of cheese and the style of wine.
I understand you'll be talking about your 10 basic guidelines for pairing wine and cheese. Can you share a few of the most important rules?
Once people understand the guidelines for pairing, the sky is the limit as far as what they can do at home. Some of the guidelines are pretty straight, like pairing light cheeses with light wines, or "whiter means lighter." A fresh goat cheese or fresh mozzarella is lighter in color because it's closer to milk, so you'd pair it with a Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc. Another guideline is pairing textures of cheese with textures of wine, so I separate cheeses in seven styles from fresh all the way to blue and from soft to hard. Take, for example, a semi-hard cheese like a cheddar or Gruyère. It's got a little more of a dense texture and you can go with a more full-bodied wine.
I think many people would be hesitant to get into wine and cheese because they think it's too complicated and too expensive. If you had access to only the most basic grocery store wine and cheese selections, could you still make a knockout pairing?
What cheese and wine pairing comes out to is less the cheeses and wines and more the cheeses and wines that you like. Whether you're at a grocery store or at a wine and cheese shop, you're going to find a pairing that you like. If you're at the grocery store and it has a basic cheddar and maybe a basic Riesling or something, you'll be fine. Cheese and wine should never be intimidating, not because of the variety or because of the prices. It's just a matter of shopping where you normally do and taking some chances.
If I have a wine and cheese party where Guest Number One only drinks red wine and Guest Number Two only drinks white, which one is going to have a better time?
The person who drank the white! There is less in white wine to butt up against when it comes to cheese and wine pairing. Really, only Chardonnay has any oak on it, and it's the oak and tannins that cause problems. Many times cheese will exaggerate the tannins in the wine.
One of the rules of pairing wine with desserts is that the wine has to be sweeter than the dessert. Does cheese work the same way?
In a way, yes. When you think of hard cheeses like Parmesan, you think of them as salty-and they are-but they're also sweet. So if you pair them with a big, dry red wine what you'll find is that you'll taste primarily the tannins in the wine and not the fruit. Contrasting pairings are easy to make, like salty cheese with sweet wine. But you need to have equal and opposite contrasts, so if you have a super salty cheese you can get away with a super sweet wine. If you have only a mildly salty cheese, you need a moderately sweet wine.
While you were researching The All American Cheese and Wine Book, you must have come across some really bad combinations. What were some of the worst?
One thing that I try to do in most of my seminars is to have people taste a really creamy, wonderful cheese with a big, tannic red wine. You often read that creamy cheeses cut the tannins in red wine. But when you taste them together, all of a sudden you find your tongue sticking to the roof of your mouth, because the tannins are so exaggerated by the cream and fat in the cheese.
Have you ever been totally shocked by a fantastic pairing that conventional wisdom says should be god-awful?
There have been times when I have found blue cheese and red wine to go OK together, but in general I find that to be a pretty horrendous combination. But blue cheese and sparkling wine makes a lovely combination. Sparkling wine is often served with salty foods like caviar and smoked salmon, so pair it with a salty cheese. You know [for the book] I profiled 25 winemakers across the country and Gruet was one of them. I'd had their wine in Santa Fe years ago and I just loved it. I think they're doing a magnificent job. The price can't be beat and the quality is terrific.
Oooh! I'm thrilled that you like Gruet as much as we New Mexicans do! What's your favorite cheese to drink with Gruet?
You mean
eat
with Gruet?
Yes! Eat! Yes! Oh God. You can tell I didn't have that question written down.
Of course I go back to the blue cheese, but there's a cheese made in Vermont, based on a Gorgonzola, but called Gore-Dawn-Zola, because the woman who makes it is named Dawn. I'm going to try to have that at my seminar. It's lovely with the Gruet Brut. Another good one to try is Brie or Camembert.
Werlin will be presenting a wine-and cheese-pairing seminar at La Fonda Hotel on Thursday, Sept. 22.
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Rick Bayless is the author of two of the most
beloved Mexican cookbooks of our time,
Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico
, and
Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen: Capturing the Vibrant Flavors of a World-Class Cuisine
. He is the owner of two Chicago-area restaurants, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo. This recipe, one of several that he'll be serving during the Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta, is from his forthcoming book,
Mexican Everyday
, to be released Nov. 7, 2005. The book is a collection of recipes from his PBS-TV series
Mexico One Plate at a Time
.
Serves 4
Ceviches, the wonderful lime-marinated seafood cocktails of Latin America, are experiencing a new evolution. In Mexico, for centuries ceviche has meant ultra-fresh fish or shellfish that's preserved/marinated/"acid-cooked" in lime juice. But many modern chefs have broadened the concept to include practically any bold-flavored combination of seafood, vegetables, chiles, herbs, even fruit, that can be served as a cool appetizer or snack, usually with a bracing bolt of lime. My version here is pretty traditionally Mexican, except that the fish in Mexico would often be mackerel or kingfish, it would typically be marinated long enough to "cook" through, and it would be served in a glass or on a tostada, rather than nestled into greens. I've recently become enchanted with the Peruvian take on ceviche (the fish is marinated only moments before serving), especially since sashimi-grade fish (the top, okay-to-eat-raw grade) is becoming more common in our fish markets. Whatever your marinating preference, this salad is just the ticket on a warm summer night, served with crusty bread or crackers.
1 cup fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, roughly chopped
Fresh hot green chile to taste (I like 2 serranos or 1 jalapeño), stemmed and roughly chopped
Salt
1 to 1-¼ pounds sashimi-grade boneless skinless fish (tuna, snapper and salmon are options you'll likely find), cut into 1/2-inch cubes; OR about 1 to 1-1/4 pounds medium-to-small cooked shrimp
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into ¼-inch cubes
1 large head of Boston/butterhead lettuce (or an equivalent amount of Bibb lettuce), leaves separated
1 green onion, roots and wilted outer leaves removed, thinly sliced crosswise; or a little chopped cilantro, for garnish
• In a blender or food processor, combine the lime juice, garlic, cilantro, chiles and 1 scant teaspoon salt. Process until smooth.
• Scoop the fish into a large bowl. Pour the lime marinade over it and let it "cook" in the lime juice to suit your own taste: You can eat it right away (Peruvian-style) if you like raw fish or let it "cook" for up to 4 hours if you like it well-done; cooked shrimp need only a few minutes to soak up the flavor. (If you are going to let the ceviche marinate more than ½ hour, finely chop the cilantro and add it just before serving to keep the color vibrant.)
• Pour off half of the marinating liquid and set aside. Toss the avocado with the fish, then taste and season with additional salt if you think necessary.
• Divide the lettuce between 4 dinner plates. Scoop a portion of the ceviche into the center of each arrangement. Sprinkle with chopped green onion or cilantro. Drizzle some of the reserved lime marinade over the lettuce and you're ready to serve.
Practically any edible piscine morsel can be made into ceviche: squid and baby octopus are favorites-I simmer both of them until tender (usually 20 to 30 minutes) before marinating them. Scallops are wonderful raw and barely marinated, as are sardines. Around Guadalajara, the fish markets offer ground fish for making ceviche to pile on little tostadas-it cooks through in a matter of minutes; if that appeals, look for ground fish for fish cakes in your local fish market. Avocado is just a start when it comes to add-ins: tomato, red or white onion, olives, cooked cactus (nopales), roasted poblano chile-those should get your creative juices flowing.
-Rick Bayless
Rick Bayless will be at the Santa Fe School of Cooking and Coyote Café for a demonstration and luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 22.
Chef Iliana de la Vega is the owner of the much lauded Restaurante El Naranjo in Oaxaca, Mexico. Named for the orange tree situated in its spacious courtyard, El Naranjo is famous for de la Vega's moles; Mole Manchamanteles is served every Wednesday. Its name is derived from the way the sauce tends to splash around and stain the tablecloths.
Serves 6
5 ancho chiles
½ medium onion, peeled and chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 medium tomatoes
Vegetable oil
5 almonds, blanched
4 black peppercorns
4 cloves
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon thyme
1 medium cinnamon stick
3 sprigs parsley
Stock or water, as needed
8 pieces chicken
1 quart water
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
3 medium garlic cloves
1 tablespoon salt
1-1/2 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 slice fresh pineapple, chunked
2 ripe plantains, sliced
• Cut chiles open, remove stems and seeds, and spread flat on a baking sheet. Roast at 250° for 15 minutes or until chiles shrivel and turn slightly darker. Soak toasted chiles in hot water for about 20 minutes.
• In a heavy skillet, sauté onion, unpeeled garlic and tomatoes until charred around the edges. Remove garlic cloves and peel.
• To another pan add 1 tablespoon oil and fry the almonds, peppercorns, cloves, oregano, thyme and cinnamon until heated through and the spices release their aroma. Remove cinnamon stick and puree in a blender. Press mixture through a sieve.
• Transfer soaked chiles to a blender, process with just enough of the soaking water to form a thick paste. Press through a sieve.
• In a heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil, add the chile mixture and sauté. Add pureed onion, garlic, tomatoes, almonds, herbs and spices.
• Simmer the mole, adding water to achieve the correct consistency: It should coat the back of a spoon. Add salt and parsley.
• Cook the chicken. To a stockpot add chicken, 1 quart water, onion, garlic and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and poach the chicken until tender, about 30 minutes.
• To finish the dish, heat the oil and butter in a skillet and sauté the pineapple chunks. Remove and set aside. Sauté the plantain slices until golden, add plantains and pineapple to the prepared mole, along with the chicken and parsley sprigs, and simmer for 10 more minutes.
De la Vega will demonstrate three of her famous moles at The Santa Fe School of Cooking on Thursday, Sept. 22.
Santa Fe Reporter