Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Torte

I have one chocolate recipe that is as surefire as it is delicious - Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Torte. Infused with raspberry and a little port baked in a water bath, simply covered with chocolate Ganache and served with raspberry puree is about good as it gets. Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Torte Ingredients: 1 lb Butter unsalted ½ Cup Sugar ½ Cup Coffee ½ Cup Port, Banyuls or Maury ½ Cup Raspberry Puree (Raspberry jam) 1 lb Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped 8 ea Eggs ****Ganache 1 Cup heavy cream 8 oz Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped 1 tbl Butter Printable Recipe and Instructions

A nice Ruby Port would be a classic pairing for a dish like this - Kopke or Porto Rocha would be great. However, another lesser known category of sweet wines from the south of France in Banyuls and Maury are a great alternative. Made from Grenache in a method similar to Port, they have their own unique characteristics.    Banyuls and Maury come from the region of Rousillon, in the Southern most corner of France on the Mediterranean coast against the Pyrenees. It is French Catalan country, mountainous with Spanish influence. The wines made here are based on Grenache and Mouvedre. What makes Banyuls and Maury unique is the "muté sur grains" or "mutage" method used to produce these wines. "Muté sur grains" means "muted or halted on the grapes." This is because in this method, during the fermentation of very ripe grapes, distilled grape alcohol is added which kills the yeast and stops the fermentation prematurely. This leaves the wine naturally sweet from the sugar, with a higher alcohol percentage per volume.  This is the same method as used in Porto, but here the wines are lower in alcohol, averaging 15%, high for table wine but lower than Port. What results from this method is fresh fruit, slightly higher alcohol, and richness of residual sugar along with concentrated taste. 2010 Vignobles d'Agly Maury VDN $15.99   Black raspberry preserves mingle with coffee, mint, and licorice on a velvet palate with fine tannins; hints of crushed stone, as well as touch of tartness with dried berry and mocha of a lingering finish. Maury is an excellent option for desert, but I have to tell you that I have seen Maury paired successfully with everything from strong cheeses to barbecue ribs.

Spanish Scented Lamb Skewers and Principe de Viana Graciano 2013

Tempranillo is the classic grape of Spain and arguably the noblest of Spain’s varietals. In Rioja as well as elsewhere Tempranillo is blended with other grapes – Garnacha, Mazuelo – for example. But many of best wines are blended with Graciano. The Wine Spectators #1 wine last year CVNE Gran Reserva 2005 is a slightly different blend than there other offerings, with a good splash of Graciano. Bodegas LAN Culmen the Spectators Highest rated Rioja of recent years is made with 15% Graciano.  2004 Bodegas Fernando Remirez de Ganuza Gran Reserva which Parker gave a 100 point score is graced with 10% Graciano. Is Graciano the secret ingredient to making legendary Rioja? What is Graciano anyway?

We know Garnacha, known as Grenache in France and the key to great Chateaunuef-du-pape and Mazuelo is also known as Carignane with is famous in Priorat and the south of France. Graciano is thought to be native to Rioja, where it is used to provide color and aroma to blended Rioja red wines. Oz Clarke compares Graciano to how Petit Verdot is used in Bordeaux, giving the wines especially Gran Reservas in Rioja and Navarra, their structure and aging potential.  

With Less than 1% of the vineyard plantings given to Graciano one might think it has been relegated to blending grape because it is an inferior grape. Oz Clarke says that it is "far and away the most interesting red vine in Rioja," and Jancis Robinson writes "it is to the Riojanos' shame that so little Graciano survives in their vineyards today.” Why then is so little planted? Graciano is notoriously low-yielding and susceptible to powdery mildew and rot, which means it needs more attention in the vineyards. From a business standpoint it totally makes sense, especially when Spain’s wines weren’t held in as high regard nor could they command higher prices.

The Spanish wine renaissance of the last twenty years has not only provided Spanish winemakers with economic incentive to produce better more interesting wines, it has also given them the economic wherewithal to tend to these persnickety yet delicious grapes. The Spanish government has even identified Graciano’s unique qualities and has helped to subsidized research and planting of this ancient varietal.

Principe de Viana Roble Graciano 2013 $13.99

Bodegas Príncipe de Viana was created in 1983 as part of a sustainable farming development project. Over 2000 acres are managed on a chalky-stony plateau at the confluence of the Aragón and Ebro River. Here adjacent to a national park where high mountain winds blow through the vineyards at the intersection of Atlantic, Mediterranean and Continental climates grow meticulously cared for Graciano Vines.

"Deep ruby.  Lively, expressive aromas of black raspberry, smoky minerals and subtle oak spices.  Smooth and silky on the palate, offering good focus to its vivid flavors of fresh cherry and cassis.  Spicy, lively and taut on the finish, framed by supple tannins. "

Remarkable deft on the palette this wine calls out for traditional Spanish Fare. When I think of Navarra and Rioja I think Lamb. The wines balance of deep intensity and bright flavors play well with lamb.

 Spanish Spiced Lamb Skewers with Romesco

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients:

2 lbs Boneless Lamb Leg, cut into 1inch cubes

1 Tbl red wine vinegar

1 Tbl Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Tbl Spanish Paprika, Pimenton de la Vera

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Cumin (ground)

2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Oregano

1 Sweet Red Pepper

1 Yellow Pepper

Lemon wedges for serving

Dozen Bamboo Skewers

1.      Trim lamb of excess fat and silver skin. And cut into 1 inch cubes

2.      In a bowl combine lamb, vinegar, oil, garlic and spices. Let marinate at least  one hour.

3.      Soak bamboo skewers in water to prevent burning.

4.      Cut peppers into 1 inch squares. Slide peppers and lamb onto skewers, alternating pepper and lamb.

5.      Pre heat grill. Grill lamb 8 -9 minutes turning every 2 -3 minutes.

6.      Remove from grill to platter and tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes

Serve with rice or roasted potatoes, a squeeze of lemon and Romesco sauce  

Romesco Sauce

2 Each Red pepper roasted

2Tblsp Tomato Paste

1 Tblsp Pimento de la Vera

1Tsp    Cayenne pepper

1 Slice Bread

½ Cup Almonds Roasted

2 Tsp   Sherry Vinegar

1 each Lemon- Juice and Zest

3 Tblsp Parsley Chopped

4 Clove Garlic

2 cup   Olive Oil

1.         Combine almonds, roasted Peppers, Garlic and tomato Paste in bowl of Cuisinart pulse until thick paste forms

2.         Add juice and zest of lemon, sherry vinegar, Parsley, salt and spices. Pulse until combined

3.         With motor running break bread into small pieces and add to mixture one at a time

4.         With motor running add olive oil in a slow steady stream

Moroccan Red Chicken and Lafage Bastide Miraflors

January, is a time for resolutions, snuggling up with a good book, intimate dinners with good friends. January is a time for hearty simple food and banging country wine. Vin de Pays in French, wines that are step better than vin ordinaire but still from somewhere, taste of a place, have terroir. VDP or IGP or as the go by now - Indication Géographique Protégée, or Protected Geographical Region - designation, are wines that were once seen as inferior to the AOC wines, but in the last 20 years many winemakers are purposely making wines outside the AOC (AOP) with spectacular results.

 Cotes Catalanes is one of the most important IGPs in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France, covering the Pyrenees-Orientales department on the border with Spain. One of the oldest viticultural areas of France, vines in the Roussillon were first cultivated by the Phoenicians and later by the Romans. With some of the most dramatic topography in France, with garrigue-covered steep hills and a hot, dry climate and poor, dry soils - resembling the Priorat in Spain in many ways.

 Here young winemakers like Jean-Marc Lafage are making new wines with very old grapes. Jean-Marc Lafage is one of our favorite winemakers (Period). And if you shop at Esquin, most likely he is one of yours too. He makes some our favorite wine in Spain, France and even South America - Evodia, Tessellae Vieilles Vignes, Novellum Chardonnay ,Las Rochas Garnacha to name a few. However, his best work is perhaps at home at his estate in the hills of the Roussillon with his wife, Eliane. Although only in his thirties, Jean-Marc Lafage already has almost 20 years of world-class wine making behind him.

2012 Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors Vieilles Vignes $13.99   The Miraflors is a blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache that spent one year in 80% concrete tank (Grenache) and 500-liter demi-muids (Syrah). From a Roussillon vineyard dominated by gallets roules that resembles many Chateauneuf du Pape vineyards, the wine undergoes a long maceration of six weeks. Yields are amazingly low for wines at this price level. The wines are bottled unfiltered. "Notes of violets, forest floor, black cherry jam and blackberries make an appearance in this medium-bodied, high-toned, dense, rich, complex, well-delineated red wine. Drink it over the next several years." -91 points Robert Parker Wine Advocate One would normally think such a superb, remarkable wine would cost over $50 a bottle, but this beauty is available for an astonishing $14 a bottle. You'll have to taste it to believe it!

Moroccan Red Chicken and Couscous Now back to that stew. In the eighth century the Roussillon was over-run by Moors and became Moorish Septimania an outpost of al-Andalus. If you travel there you can see the Arab influence in architecture and even place names for example names such as Castelmaur (Castle of the Moors) and Castelsarrasin (Castle of the Saracens) and the medical school at Montpellier. In Roussillon, you are just likely to find Couscous as you are baguette.   One of my favorite dishes is Morrocan Red Chicken and a perfect winter warmer that is as easy to make as it is soul satisfying. The blend of pepper and spice makes for a rich enticing dish that is not too piquant but will still spice up your evening meal.  Moroccan Red Chicken 6       oz               Butter 4       Lb               Chicken, Thigh and leg meat, boneless skinless 4       each            Onions, Large dice 2       each            eggplant 1       tbl               Salt 3       each            Sweet Red Pepper 4       ounces       Sherry 1       32oz           Tomatoes, canned ********* SPICE MARINADE: 1       tsp              black Pepper 1       tsp              Chile Flakes 1       Tbl             Hungarian Paprika 1       Tbl             Pimento de la Vera 2       Tbl             Chile Powder 1       tsp              Cumin 1       tsp              Cinnamon ********* TO FINISH ¼      Cup            Cilantro, Chopped fresh 1.5    oz               Sherry Vinegar 1.5    oz               Honey 1.    Separate chicken into pieces add spices 2.    Cut eggplant into 1” cubes and purge with salt 3.    In large pot melt butter add onions and peppers 4.    Add chicken brown stirring occasionally 5.    Deglaze with sherry 6.    Add eggplant and tomatoes bring to boil 7.    Place pot into 375 degree oven for 30 – 40 minutes 8.    Finish with mixture of honey and vinegar together 9.    Garnish with cilantro Serve with couscous and preserved lemon Printable Recipe