Recipe: Peachy-Basil Sangria

Summer may be rolling to a (too fast) end, but there's still Labor Day weekend & plenty of warm days ahead.

And per my summer potluck/party tradition, that also means it's sangria time! And this year's version might be my favorite yet, since it goes down so easy but has a few touches to keep the flavors interesting. On top of lusciously sweet & fragrant peaches, I've also added a hearty helping of refreshing aromatic basil and a pinch of sweet spices. Then the batched syrup is spiked with a nice slug of gold rum and ready to be combined with some crisp white wine & served when needed.

Peachy-Basil Sangria (for 2 pitchers' worth, approx. 10 to 16 servings)

Ingredients:

3 ripe medium peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced (alternatively, a 12 oz. bag of frozen peaches)

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 handful of fresh sweet basil leaves, plus additional for garnish

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg

3/4 cup gold rum (I used Mount Gay Eclipse)

2 bottles of light and crisp white wine (I used Flip Flop's pinot grigio)

Ice cubes

1 medium ripe nectarine, for garnish (optional - and I only opted for the nectarine because I don't care for peaches' fuzzy skin)
Virgin option: Omit the rum, swap white wine for dry ginger ale.

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine water, peaches, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Allow it cool on stovetop for 10 minutes afterwards.

2. Place the mixture in a blender along with the fresh basil leaves, then pulse blend until the leaves are pulverized and incorporated. Then add rum to the mixture. The color/appearance will be a bit unseemly but this will improve when combined with the wine. (This mixture can also be stored up to three days in a fridge.)

3. In a pitcher, combine the wine & syrup in a 2:1 ratio and give it a quick stir, garnish with additional basil leaves and nectarine slices. Serve over ice.

Ode to Tomatoes Day 1: Artisan, Paso Robles Wines & Apple Farm Inn Dinner

Paso Robles wines have piqued my curiosity for a long time but visiting the area itself has—until recently—eluded me, since I either didn't have enough time to make a side trip en route to Northern California, or I just get lazy and sooner make my vino-focused daytrip with Santa Barbara County wineries instead.

So, when the Boutique Hotel Collection had invited me for an "Ode to Tomatoes" weekend to check out what their resorts and restaurants have to offer, I decided to pad the already long weekend with a few extra excursions of my own.

And it was so worth it.

The three and a half hour drive up the 5 and then westward on the 46 was largely uneventful, but it was a great opportunity to polish off my podcast backlog (a mish mash of This American Life, Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me, Slate Gabfests, The Table Set, and Science Friday.)

Upon arriving in Paso Robles, I was ravenous - so I heeded the advice of a friend and went to Artisan, a casual-chic restaurant in downtown that does local-seasonal fare. 

And I'm so thankful for that rec, my lunch there was delectable: a luscious potato soup gratin made with pork stock and topped with gooey aged white cheddar and crispy lardons, followed by a meltingly tender lamb leg French dip with an almost gravy-like lamb neck jus; the latter was beautifully paired with Talley Vineyard's 2011 Estate Pinot Noir.

My only regret was not having a dining companion (or a few) so I can sample more of their dishes and drinks (many of which utilize locally made spirits.)

After lunch, I spent a few hours going through Paso Robles Wine Country, which was really mellow and laid-back (reminded of the back roads of Sonoma wineries, and in contrast to the touristy Napa.) Of the wineries I tasted, these three were my favorite stops:

• Tablas Creek - no stranger to the lovely wines they make, so I was thrilled to finally visit their winery. My only grievance, they had already sold out of their amazing Mouvedre-dominant dry rosé when I went. On the other hand, I did discover several new wines from their label that I loved, including the 2011 Esprit de Tablas red blend and the 2012 Vermentino.
• Villicana - my "hidden gem" find of the roadtrip, they had an amazing Roussanne—which I got a bottle of—and also distill their grape juices to make vodkas and gins under the Re:Find label, and having sampled them, I can vouch for the tastiness of their gin and cucumber-flavored vodka (and kicking myself for not getting a bottle of those too!)
• Daou - being one of the highest vineyards in the Paso Robles region, this place offered an amazing view of the whole area, and their gorgeous tasting room and patio makes it a perfect spot for lazying a day away with a picnic and a bottle of their wine (which, from my tastings, lean on the big, bold red side—not exactly my type considering the warm weather and that I was tasting them on their own, but I could see potential for chillier times and when paired with meaty dishes)

After my pleasant afternoon of wine tasting, I finally made my way back down to San Luis Obispo to Apple Farm Inn & Restaurant, the first official stop on the "Ode to Tomatoes" tour.

I had heard & read about Apple Farm Inn before, but was unprepared for delightful country decor of the property and warm hospitality of the staff. It was like getting the charms of a bed and breakfast with the amenities of a boutique hotel.

After checking in and freshening up, I went to the restaurant for their backyard winemaker dinner with Le Vigne winery. Of course, given the theme, every dish was infused with freshly harvested tomatoes -- which taste worlds beyond what one would find in a supermarket aisle. 

With tomatoes this vibrant-tasting, there is very little that needs to be done to them, so I am glad that every dish really highlights their fresh essences than muddle them up with other strong flavors. While the entire five-course meal was solid, I was particularly delighted by the bright heirloom tomato gazpacho with green zebra tomato sorbet; the oxtail ravioli with beefsteak tomato sauce, Thai basil and crispy shallots; and the caramel-poached green tomato goat cheesecake. The last of which I hope to reverse-engineer at home (unless Chef Smeets can bear to part of that recipe!)

Needless to say, I went to bed that night with my tastebuds thoroughly satisfied (though for good measure, Apple Farm did have two gigantic chocolate chip cookies on the nightstand and sparkling apple cider in the fridge waiting for me, in case I get any late night snack attacks.)

And this is the only the beginning of the epic 3-day journey, more to come in a future post...

Additional photos on Flickr set here

Artisan

843 12th St

Paso Robles, CA 93446

(805) 237-8084

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Tablas Creek Vineyards

9339 Adelaida Rd  

Paso Robles, CA 93446

(805) 237-1231

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Villicana Winery & Vineyards/Re:Find Distillery

2725 Adelaida Road

Paso Robles, CA 93446 

(805) 239-9456

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Daou Vineyards

2777 Hidden Mountain Road

Paso Robles, CA 93446

(805) 226-5460

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Apple Farm Inn & Restaurant

2015 Monterey St. 

San Luis Obispo, California 93401

(805) 544-2040

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Disclosure: My meal & accomodations at Apple Farm Inn & Restaurant were hosted. 

LQ Fooding @ Vertical Wine Bistro

I've known Laurent Quenioux and his eclectic fare since his Bistro K days in South Pasadena, so when I heard he's doing a few "foodings" (that's food+feelings, a concept that I'm familiar with but still don't fully grasp—and I'm not sure if anyone's meant to,) I made a reservation, snagged Conbon, grabbed a bottle of wine and up the stairs we went to Vertical Wine Bistro.

And just like he promised on his site, these foodings are unique, one-of-a-kind experiences, with a menu of dishes that sounds disparate but induces curiosity at the same time. Oysters with chicharrones & figs? Porridge with pomegranate & teriyaki chicken? Would that really work?

Had I known that Domaine LA was doing the wine pairing & selections for the LQ foodings, I would've readily gone with her picks. But since that wasn't disclosed on the LQ site (and I myself didn't know until shortly before the dinner over twitter,) I wound up bringing along a bottle of Zaca Mesa's 2009 Z Cuvee Rhone-style red blend. And it worked pretty well throughout the meal, with its mix of berry & spice notes, a medium body and soft tannins (which got mellower as the night went on.)

As for the dishes, they were all very playful indeed. With so many different components, no two forkful are ever the same, and wekept playing mix and match with each course. Of the six courses, my favorites were:

Rice & chestnut porridge with teriyaki pintade hen & pomegranate - a surprise to me since I generally prefer my porridges to be on the mellow side, but here it acted as a balance against the piquant pom arils and the luscious, richly flavorful chicken.

Wild Scottish hare pie with huckleberries, quince, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, brussel sprouts in XO sauce, sichuan peppercorns - Admittedly the pie on its own was a bit too salty but upon mixing it with the tart berries, sweet, fragrant quince and the savory sprouts, it was like technicolor of tastes compared to the black & white of a standard pot pie, with various flavors and textures mingling merrily on my tongue.

Lychee Cremeaux, passion fruit gelee, vanilla froyo, cherry granita, blood orange caramel, cookie crumble - like the hare pie, I loved the fiesta of flavor variations and combinations on this plate. I'm also thankful that this was a lighter dessert, considering the heftier courses we've had prior and because we also ordered...

...selections from LQ's cheese cart, which has a reputation of its own. With almost 40 kinds of French cheeses of every imaginable variety (aged vs. fresh, hard vs. soft, bleu vs... not), it's another experience that's near impossible to replicate (well, my not taking notes of what we actually might be a factor too.) But the seven we chose spanned all three milks, a range of textures, ages & rinds, and even a vein (to Conbon's hesistance, but even she found that one "not bad.")

The accompaniments are just as unique, with an array of fruit forward spreads, some hazelnuts and helping of truffle honey. The last one is worth the $3 extra splurge, since it goes well with every cheese we had that night.

My only real sadness is that this fooding will be LQ's last for 2013 (there are still some spaces available for this coming Sunday & Monday, check out the reservations page or his twitter feed.) But I do look forward to what inspirations he'll bring back in '14, after his debut in London.

More photos on my flickr set here.

LQ Fooding @ Vertical Wine Bistro
70 N Raymond Ave
Pasadena, CA 91103