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Posts Tagged ‘Castillo de Perelada Brut Cava’

Week 24: What to Eat with the Gran Sarao Brut Cava

14 Feb

First of all, happy Valentine’s Day, dear readers.  It was an absolutely picturesque day here in Los Angeles with bright blue skies and temps in the mid-70s – a wonderful change from the cold, gray rainy days we’ve had recently (and are SO not used to….).  J and I had a great day – brunch at Bottega Louie followed by a matinee show of the LA Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.  Neither of us had been to the WDCH yet, so it was quite a treat, and the show was great – Schumann, Debussy, and (one of my faves) Ravel.

How does one top such a day, you ask?  Well, when you’ve got the CorkPopper calendar to keep up with, you top it with a delicious dinner of Seafood and Chorizo Paella paired with this week’s winning Cava, the Gran Sarao Brut.  The gentle acidity and effervescence of this wine is a fantastic counterpoint to the spicy heat of the chorizo as well as the briny flavor of the clams, squid and shrimp.  Yum.









Seafood and Chorizo Paella

Serves 2

Ingredients
3 ounces fresh chorizo, casings removed
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1/3 cup canned diced tomatoes (with juice)
1/2 cup short-grain Spanish rice (substitute arborio rice if necessary)
Pinch of saffron threads dissolved in about 1 tablespoon water
3/4 cups water
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 pound small Manila clams (you can also do 1/4 pound clams and 1/4 pound mussels), scrubbed and rinsed*
1/4 pound squid tentacles and bodies, bodies sliced into rings
4 ounces cooked chicken
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
1 scallion, thinly sliced

Preparation:

In a paella pan or large wok, cook the chorizo over medium heat, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon until browned slightly.  Add the onion and garlic and saute over low heat until translucent, about 7 or 8 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes, rice, saffron (with the liquid), and water.  Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer over low heat until the liquid is absorbed (the rice should be just about al dente at this point), about 15-17 minutes.  Try not to open the lid or stir during this time.


Heat a small pan with a lid over medium-high heat.  Add the wine and lemon juice and the clams (and mussels, if using), cover and steam for about 3 minutes, shaking the pan a couple of times.  The clams (and mussels are done when they pop open).  If any clams (or mussels) do not open, discard them.  Pour the shellfish and the liquid over the rice.

While the clams (and mussels) are steaming, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick pan.  Season the shrimp and squid with salt and pepper and cook them over high heat, turning once until the shrimp are just pink, about 2 minutes.  Transfer the shrimp to the rice.

Stir the cooked chicken into the rice.  Garnish with parsley and scallion and a wedge of lemon.

Buon appetito!!

Cheers!!

* When buying clams and mussels, ask for the ones that are closed.  If they are open, ask the person at the seafood counter to tap them on the counter.  If they don’t snap shut, they are dead and unsafe to eat.  I forgot to ask for this extra step and ended up with unusable mussels.  So sad….

 
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Posted in Castillo de Perelada Brut Cava, Gran Sarao Brut Cava, Spain, paella, recipes

 

Castillo de Perelada Brut Cava

12 Feb

I had a great pro bono success at work yesterday.  LM and I represented to absolutely adorable Tibetan kids whose parents (who have long resisted Chinese rule over Tibet) were arrested in Tibet by the Chinese government after pictures were taken of the children protesting outside the Los Angeles and San Franscico Chinese embassies during the 2008 Olympic torch relay (the kids have been in the U.S. on student visas and live with their aunt and uncle).  No one had heard from the children’s parents since their arrest, and there was no way to know if they were even still alive, leaving the children potentially orphaned.  Well, yesterday LM and I learned that our efforts to obtain Permanent Residence status for the children were successful.  Hooray!!!!

If that’s not a reason to celebrate, I don’t know what is…. enter the Castillo Perelada Brut Cava.

Made from the traditional, indigenous Cava grape varieties – Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo – this is the Cava that Juan Carlos I, King of Spain, serves at all official state functions.  With persistent, almost aggressive bubbles (J’s glass had what looked like a tiny bubble twister going in his glass for several minutes) and a nice citrusy (mandarin oranges rather than lemon, grapefruit or lime) flavor, this is a good, although not great, sparkling wine.  It is pleasant and easy to drink, but it lacks that bread dough aroma and flavor that I love so much in both Champagne and, in fact, the Gran Sarao Brut Cava I tasted earlier this week.  That said, it’s certainly worth a try and would be a great sparkler to have on hand for impromptu celebrations like the one J and I had last night!  You can find it at K&L Wine Merchants for $9.99/bottle.

3.5 corks popped….

Cheers!!

 
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Posted in 3.5 corks popped, Castillo de Perelada Brut Cava, Cava, Spain

 

Week 24: Spanish Cava

09 Feb

When I developed the CorkPopper Calendar last August, I was sure not only to schedule the most important wine-producing countries during long months but also to ensure that certain weeks would focus on certain special wines.  Thus, the last week of December was dedicated to French sparkling wines (in order to celebrate New Year’s Eve), and this week stars Spain’s famous sparkler, Cava (in order to coincide with Valentine’s Day*).

Cava is a type of Spanish sparkling wine that is most commonly found in the Catalonia region just southwest of Barcelona, although under Spanish DO laws, it can be produced in any of six different regions.  These same laws require that Cava be produced using the champagne method and must be made using a combination of Macabeo, Parellada, Xarello, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and/or Subirat grapes.  More Cava is made than any other sparkling wine in the world, and tens of millions of cases are distributed all over the world every year.

Cava comes in varying levels of dryness, much like other sparkling wines, and is usually easily recognized by its slight rubbery aroma (which sounds horrible but, in a good Cava at least, is not reflected in the palate).  I’ll be tasting three different Cavas this week, all of which are available for under $10/bottle.  Woohoo!!!

First, is a Segura Viudas Brut Reserva, which earned 90 points from Wine & Spirits and is available at wine.com for just $8.99/bottle.

Second, we have a Gran Sarao Brut Cava Penedes, which is a K&L Wine Merchants Top Pick and is available for just $9.99/bottle.

Finally, we have a Castillo de Perelada Brut Cava, which is also available over at K&L for just $9.99/bottle.  This Cava is apparently what the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, serves at all official state functions.  I’d say that’s quite a recommendation.

Cheers!!

* While I don’t entirely buy into consumer-focused holidays such as Valentine’s Day (J and I will be doing something special together rather than spending massive amounts of money on gifts), I never pass up an opportunity to celebrate with a fun bottle of bubbly.

 
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Posted in Castillo de Perelada Brut Cava, Cava, Gran Sarao Brut Cava, Segura Viudas Brut Cava, Spain

 

Week 14: What to Eat with the 2004 Emilian Gillet Vire Clesse Quintaine Jean Thevenet

07 Dec

What a great CorkPopper week it has been.  All three of this week’s white wines from Burgundy were delicious in their own way.  Of course, even in an excellent week, there was one that stood above the rest…. the 2004 Emilian Gillet Vire Clesse Quintaine Jean Thevenet.  If you missed the review, you can read it here.

As I thought about what to pair with this wine, I found myself drawn to the idea of fish with some hearty, earthy notes.  I wanted something light but with warm and earthy flavors.  It is, after all, December, and I don’t know about you, but I find myself drawn to all things comforting and warm during these cold days.*

And without further delay, here’s this week’s CorkPopper recipe (tweaked from a recipe I found on Epicurious).

Milk-Poached Alaskan Halibut with Asparagus and Chanterelle Mushrooms
4 halibut fillets
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
About 1/4 cup white wine, preferably white Burgundy
12 thick asparagus spears, peeled and trimmed
Extra virgin olive oil
2-3 ounces fresh chanterelle mushrooms, trimmed, washed well, patted dry, and halved or quartered if large
3-4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Pat halibut dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  In large, heavy skillet over moderately high heat, heat vegetable oil until hot but not smoking.  Add fish and sear lightly.  Add the milk, cream, and wine. Bring to light simmer, cover, and place in oven until just cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove halibut from liquid, cover, and keep warm. Reserve poaching liquid.

Meanwhile, in heavy 10-inch skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add mushrooms and asparagus and sauté 5 to 6 minutes.  Remove from heat and add sherry vinegar and thyme, stirring to scrape up any mushrooms that might stick to bottom of skillet.  Just before the mushrooms and asparagus are done, add a splash of Brandy.  Tilt the pan and allow the Brandy fumes to light on fire.  Voila!  You’re doing a flambe!

Place poaching liquid over high heat and simmer until reduced by half.  Remove from heat and stir in butter.

Divide asparagus between 4 plates.  Place 1 fillet on top of the asparagus on each plate and top with mushrooms.  Spoon sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

J and I are trying to get into the habit of inviting friends over to share in our weekly CorkPopper dinners, so we invited two of his good friends from business school.**  Cheers to JW and VG for joining us!!

Cheers!!

* Yes, 50 degrees is cold for an Angelino.

**Although this meal turned out relatively well, J and I are discovering that it’s much harder to cook an absolutely fantastic meal when you’re trying to entertain at the same time… especially with a recipe like this, where everything happens very quickly and must be timed well.  Thanks to JW and VG for hanging in there!!

 
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Posted in Burgundy, Emilian Gillet Vire Clesse Quintaine Jean Thevenet, France, recipes, white wine