wineshark Cooking Class - 33. Chicken a la King

First we make the blond sauce:

Ingredients:

• Butter - 0.5 oz
• Cooking oil - 0.5 oz
• Flour - 1 oz
• White stock - 10 oz
• Avoset - 1 oz
• Evaporated milk - 1 oz
• Lemon juice - dashes

Procedures:

1. Heat the butter with cooking oil, then add flour under s medium-low fire to cook till fragrant.

2. Add the white stock gradually, using the whiskey to stir until it gets smooth and not forming lumps.

3. Add avoset, evaporated milk and lemon juice.






Then we prepare the chicken a la king:

Ingredients:

• Chicken filet - 1 lb 4 oz
• Blond sauce - from above
• Button mushroom - 4 oz
• Onion - 4 oz
• Red bell pepper - 2 oz
• Butter - 2 oz
• White wine - 1 oz
• Salt - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp

Procedures:

1. Blanch the chicken and cut into cubes.

2. Blanch the onion.

3. Use butter to sautee the mushroom, then add red bell pepper. After cooking for a while then add onion and chicken.

4. Pour in the blond sauce and mix well. Season with salt and white pepper powder.

5. Pair with rice.

Wineshark Cooking Class - 32. Prawn Toast

Ingredients (for person):

• Prawn - 2 
• Bread - 6 per slide
• Egg - 1
• Salt - dashes
• White pepper powder - dashes
• Ham - 2 strips
• Oil
• Flour
• Tartare sauce

Procedures:

1. Remove the shell of the prawns but keep the tail, and cut at the back and flatten it.

2. Marinate the prawn with salt and white pepper powder.

3. Cut the bread to the appropriate size.

4. Coat the prawn with flour, then dip in egg and put on bread. Wrap with a ham strip.

5. Deep fry in hot cooking oil.

Wineshark Cooking Class - 31. Hot Cake

Ingredients:

• Self-raising flour - 5 tbsp full
• Sugar - 2 tbsp
• Egg - 1
• Soft butter - 1 tsp
• Evaporated milk - 1 tbsp
• Water - 3-4 tbsp
• Vanilla oil - 1-2 drops

Procedures:

1. Sieve the flour and then mix with all other ingredients.

2. Heat the pan and wipe with a tissue soaked with oil.

3. Pour a ladle of batter (about 2 oz) and cook under a medium-low fire.

4. Once it turns golden brown, then flip to the other side to cook for a while.

Wineshark Cooking Class - 30. Roast Spring Chicken

Ingredients:

• Spring chicken - 1
• Onion sliced - 1 oz
• Celery shredded - 1 oz
• Carrot shredded - 1 oz
• Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Thyme - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1.5 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 1 oz

Procedures:

1. Clean the chicken and drip dry.

2. Mix the vegetable, herbs and seasonings together, then squeeze to get the juice out.

3. Marinate the whole chicken and also stuff the vegetable inside the chicken.

4. Pour some oil on the chicken skin, then roast in oven for 45-60 minutes.

Wineshark Cooking Class - 29. Cream of Chicken

Ingredients:

• White thickening - 2.5 oz
• Stock - 2 lb 3 oz
• Evaporated milk - 1.5 oz
• White wine - 1 oz
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Whipping cream - 2 oz
• Sugar - 1/4 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cooked diced chicken - 2 oz

Procedures:

1. Prepare the white thickening by heating oil and butter, then add flour to cook under a small fire.

2. When the flour gets good smell, add warm stock to dissolve it.

3. Whisk the white thickening and add stock slowly, until it blends well, before adding more stock.

4. Cook the soup slowly for about 45 minutes, then add white wine, milk and whipping cream.

5. Season and add the diced chicken.

Noon Winery

Wines from Noon Winery are made in small quantities by hand, using traditional open fermenters and basket presses, with maturation in small and large oak for 18 months before bottling without fining or filtration.

The estate was started by Drew’s father David, a former French teacher. Production is based on estate-grown old Grenache bush vines, and historically David purchased a little Shiraz to blend with the Grenache to produce the signature red, Eclipse.

Noon also produces some Cabernet because it was perceived as a premium red wine by Australians then. Very little has changed over the past 27 years, but from 1987 onwards Noon only bought fruit from the Borrett family at Langhorne Creek, providing a consistent, single-vineyard source for Cabernet and Shiraz.

No plan to expand to avoid losing control, quality and consistency, Drew now took over from his father, and with his wife Rae, managed this 10 acres of chocolaty sandy loams and red clay soils, with the vines originally planted between 1934 and 1945.

Drew was a trained oenologist before becoming a winemaker and one of the few Masters of Wines in Australia.

I have recently tasted the 2004 Eclipse and below is my tasting note:

 

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with fading garnet rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit of blueberry and blackberry, some red fruit of raspberry and red cherries, pungent spice of licorice and pepper, kernel notes of roasted almond and , mineral notes of tar, maturity notes of game. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium (-) tannin of ripe and smooth texture, with high alcohol but only a bit warming. It has a medium (+) body and medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit such as plum and dark cherries, pungent spice of pepper, oak notes of toast, kernel notes of walnut, mineral notes of tar. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Very good Australian Grenache-Shiraz blend, but the cork was broken upon opening, which was shared by some other tasters of the wine from the same vintage. Despite that, the wine has a good intensity on the nose, showing a nice range of complex characters. On the palate it is robust, strong with an alcohol level but not too overwhelming. The palate is reasonably concentrated with a nice finish, though the length was not phenomenal. It is ready to drink now and at peak, not supposed to further age.

Chateau Pouget

The history of Chateau Pouget dated back to Prieure de Cantenac, thus this estate shared the same heritage with neighbors Boyd-Cantenac and Prieure-Lichine. There was a record showing that in 1748 the estate was inherited by Francois-Antoine Pouget, presumably from his father.

Francois-Antoine subsequently passed to his daughter Claire who went on to marry Pierre-Antoine de Chavailles in 1771, with the estate under the family for over a century, during which it was ranked as a fourth growth in the 1855 classification.

In 1906 it came into the hands of the modern-day proprietors, purchased by Pierre Guillemet, who also purchased Boyd-Cantenac in 1930s, directly opposite the estate on the road. The two chateaux remained under the same ownership since, and now Pierre’s son Lucien is in charge.

The vines account for 17 hectares of the Margaux appellation, sited on sandy gravels, averaging 37 years of age. Planted at 10000 vines per hectare, the mix is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.

No heavy use of chemical fertilizer or other treatments were given at Pouget, with Lucien focusing on natural methods against oidium and mildew. There is no grand chateau at Pouget, with the buildings essentially cellars and then converted into living quarters in the 19^th century.

The grapes are hand-harvested, undergoing fermentation in stainless steel vats, with pumping over and about 35 days of maceration. The wine then spent up to 18 months in oak, of which half were renewed each vintage.

The wine is then bottled without filtration, with the grand vin being Chateau Pouget with only 3000 bottles were made per annum. A second wine called Chateau La Tour Hassac was also produced, with 2000 cases.

I have recently tasted the 2005 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance
Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with garnet rims and legs.

Nose
Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit of blackcurrant, plum and blackberry, oak notes of cedar, pungent spice of licorice, sweet spice of cloves, maturity notes of sweet tobacco, kernel notes of coffee. The wine is developing.

Palate
Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium tannin of ripe and silky texture, fully-integrated into the wine, with medium alcohol and medium body. It has medium intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry, cassis and plum, oak notes of cedar, pungent spice of licorice, and finishes with a medium length.

Conclusion
Very good quality Margaux with elegant with good finesse, a pleasant surprise in fact, the wine has an intense nose showing good range of characters, but the real enjoyment comes on the palate, with a fine structure, balanced acidity and ripeness, offering what a fantastic Margaux is noted for, feminine and with grace. If only the length can be longer this wine would reach another level. Ready to drink now, it can further develop for another 4-6 years.

Saint-Paulin

Saint-Paulin is a semi-hard cheese made from cow’s milk. Similar to the famous monastery cheese Port-du-Salut, in 1930 it was the first cheese made from pasteurized milk to be put on sale. Now it is made all over France.

The mass is pressed, not heated, and the ripening period is two to three weeks. There are two sizes: 8 inch diameter and 5 inch diameter, with firm, very smooth mass having irregular holes, white interior with slightly salty, orange rind of mild, slightly strong, pleasant flavor.

It is best to pair with fruity white wines and also young Bordeaux with ripe tannins.

Wineshark Cooking Class - 28. Pancake with Ham filling

First we make the pancake batter.

Ingredients (for 20):

• Milk - 5 oz
• Water - 12 oz
• Plain flour - 8 oz
• Whole egg - 5
• Butter - 2 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• White pepper powder - dashes
• Chopped parsley - 1 tsp
• Cooking oil - 1/2 oz

Procedures:

1. Mix the flour, egg, butter, salt and white pepper powder together, then gradually adding in milk and water, stirring well.

2. Sieve to remove any deposits, then add parsley and cooking oil.

3. Wipe some oil on heated pan, pour in a ladle of the batter and cook till the edges peel off.

4. Turn over the pancake to cook till the other side is also done.






Then we make the pancake filling.

Ingredients (for 4):

• Blonde sauce - 1 lb
• Diced ham - 10 oz
• Butter - 1 oz
• Mushroom - 4 oz
• Diced onion - 4 oz
• Green peas - 2 oz
• Salt - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Avoset - 2 oz
• Egg yolk - 1
• Parmesan cheese - sprinkle on top

Procedures:

1. Sautee the onion with oil.

2. Add the ham and mushroom, then add the blonde sauce.

3. Add avoset and season with salt and white pepper powder.

4. Add egg yolk and green peas.

5. Wrap the fillings in the pancake.

6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and put into oven till the cheese turns slightly golden brown.

Wineshark Cooking Class - 27. Waldorf Salad

Ingredients (for 4):

• Boiled potato - 8 oz
• Apple - 2
• Celery - 4 oz
• Mayonnaise - 3 oz
• Avoset - 1 oz
• Lettuce - 4 pcs
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• White pepper powder - dashes
• Walnut - 8
• Lemon juice - 2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Clean the potatoes and then boil with skin.

2. Peel the skin after cooling, then cut into stripes.

3. Remove the fiber of the celery and cut into stripes.

4. Peel apple and cut into stripes.

5. Mix all ingredients with mayonnaise and seasonings.

6. Put the lettuce on bottom, then add the salad mix, placing walnut on top.

Brillat-Savarin

Brillat-Savarin is a soft cheese with white mold made from cow’s milk. Invented by Henri Androuet, the well-known cheese affineur from Paris, he named it in honor of the renowned 18^th century food writer and statesman Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.

It is the best known representative of the category triple crème, a typical soft cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk to which warm cream is added. Rennet is then added to separate the cheese, before maturing it for three to four weeks.

Flat wheel of about 5 inch diameter and over 1 inch thick, weighing 14 oz to 1 lb, its rind is white to ivory in color with a soft flora. The mass is smooth, very delicate, creamy and soft.

When fresh it has a mild flavor, goes well with fresh fruit or berries. It is good to pair with lots of wines, particularly fruity ones, but not red wine with too much tannin.