I HOPE the way to your heart is through your stomach!

I know I've been a bit MIA lately... I've been traveling for the last 5 weeks and it was hard to justify spending time on the computer rather than spending time with friends and family, playing with my neice, visiting my 90-year-old grandmother, relaxing on the beach, celebrating my future sister-in-law's wedding... and the list goes on.  Enough excuses, I'll leave it at that.  Please accept my apology and I'll attempt to make amends by offering up one heck of a recipe. 

I didn't have many opportunities to lose myself in the kitchen while I was in the States but I made sure to take advantage of the seasonal summer produce whenever I could.  There's nothing better than going shopping with an open mind and being inspired by the fresh and local produce.  On one of those rare nights that I was able to cook dinner, I was greeted by an enormous display of cherries upon walking into the grocery store.  That made for an easy decision!  Not only are cherries deliciously sweet but they also contain numerous health and healing properties.  I always make sure to look for those that are large, firm and have an even deep red coloring. 

A nice cherry and wine sauce over some browned pork came to mind.  When I hear cherries and wine, I immediately think Pinot Noir, done.  I picked up a few more items and hurried home to the tune of my stomach rumbling.  Let's get to it, I've talked enough.  Without going into any more description, it was too die for!

Spiced Pork with Pinot Noir & Cherry Sauce

Ingredients

Pinot Cherry Sauce:

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
1/2 cup Pinot Noir
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

For the chops:
4 bone-in pork loin chops
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. For cherry sauce, heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add shallots and cook for about 4 minutes or until soft.  Add remaining ingredients and increase heat.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until desired consistency. 

3. Meanwhile, mix spices for pork chops and season evenly.  Heat oil over medium high in an oven-safe pan and cook pork chops on one side for 4 minutes until browned.  Flip chops and place pan in the oven.  Cook for about 10 minutes until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F (pork will continue to rise in temperature after removed from the oven).  Cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. 

4. Serve pork chops with sauce spooned over the top.  Sprinkle with fresh herbs such as thyme or parsley.

Hmmm... what to do with the rest of that bottle of Pinot... 

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Review : 3rd Edition

After a disappointing morning at the Prahran Market Flavour Fiesta, we headed over to Southgate Promenade for the annual Cellar Door at Southgate.  There was pretty much no way this event was going to the disappoint.  It was a beautiful day and most importantly, we were going on a wine tour of Victoria all within the confines of the city. 

I was pleased to see representation from all of the major wine regions across Victoria.  It was a great opportunity to taste new releases from undiscovered boutique wineries, grab a few sips of your favorites, and try some new varietals you might normally ignore. 

We were not disappointed with our familiar favorites, but I was delighted to discover a couple of new gems to add to my list:

Berrys Bridge Victoria Pyrenees Shiraz 2005 - I love that their single vineyard wines are estate grown and produced.  This intense shiraz is packed with the flavors of dark fruits, hints of spice so characteristic of Australian shiraz, and has a long earthy finish.

Downing Estate Shiraz 2005 - Another earthy and rich shiraz, it is surprisingly smooth.  Plummy with hints of chocolate to be noted.  I would assume this wine would continue to develop over the next decade.

Nearing the end of our day, we picked up a plate of local artisan cheese and nibbles at the adjoining Providores’ Market.  Enjoying superb local cheese and wine with a backdrop of the iconic Melbourne city skyline, perfection.

If you were in need of something a bit more substantial after a couple hours of tasting, Southgate restaurants were offering tasting plates for an additional charge.

On a humorous note, I was certainly drawn over to this winery for a taste... happy drinking.

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Review: 1st Edition

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is currently underway and there are fabulous events going on all over the city!  This is the first of many events that I plan on attending.  I look forward to taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity to further explore the food and wine culture which Melbourne is so well known for. 

"Lose yourself in Melbourne."  As Melbourne is famous for it's hidden treasures found in the most unrecognizable laneways, we figured a laneway party was a great way to start enjoying the festival.  Again this year, Comme Kitchen in Melbourne's CBD hosted Joie de Vivre. 

Alfred Place was shipped overseas to France as guests enjoyed the tastes and sounds of France.  Contemporary French fare served hors d'oeuvre style, Frech wine, Kronenbourg, and French accordion music were enjoyed alfresco.   

My take.  We had a wonderful time, the weather held out and we enjoyed some nice food and drink.  Would we have had a great time if it weren't for good company?  I dont know if I would use the word great.  Although there were a limited number of tickets sold, they seemed to be short on food.  Servers brought around hors d'oeuvres throughout the evening, but at times, we didn't see any for 15 minutes or more and they ran out before the server made it to our table.  There was a point when they ran out of wine as well and had to restock. 

I was limited in what I tasted as I am not currently eating meat.  The ratatouille tarts were good although the actual tart was a bit dry.  The salted cod balls were fantastic, perfectly light and fluffy with a nice crunch.  Unfortunatly, we did not get to taste the scallop ceviche as they seemed to run out before it made it's way over.  Obviously, there were many hors d'oeuvres which I did not get to try so I am not sure if my review is a good reflection of the fare.

Would I go again next year?  No, unless I had the great company that I did this year and was confident that I would leave with a bit more food in my stomach.  I will be doing some catching up this weekend... looking forward to Cellar Door at Southgate, The Flavour Fiesta at Prahran Market, and the Roman Block Party at Giuseppe Arnold & Sons.

On the 2nd Day of Christmas, the Recipe Diva made for me...

Mulled Wine

Can't express how much I love this holiday libation, so perfect for the season!

It's very easy to make and you certainly don't need to follow a 'recipe' -  it's really just a combination of wine, citrus, and spices - use what you like, heat but do not boil, and serve warm. 

For this recipe I poured a magnum of dry shiraz into a saucepan and placed over low heat.  For my citrus, I cut the zest of half an orange using a pairing knife - make sure you do not have any of the bitter white pith.  I went ahead and squeezed in the juice.  For my spice, I added cinnamon sticks, freshly grated nutmeg, and whole cloves stuck into the other orange half.  I added a bit of sugar for some sweetness.  After about 20 minutes or so, I strained the wine and served warm.

 

Like I said, use whatever appeals to you!  Orange, lemon, apple cider... any wintery spices, and if you want an extra kick, you could add brandy or Grand Marnier.

Presentation is a bit tricky - I didn't exacty do the best job (not picture worthy!)  If you have glass mugs, I'd fill up one up and garnish with a cinnamon stick.  Any other suggestions, I'm at a loss???

The bigger the better? Not in this case!

With the recent trend of all things mini, it's surprising you aren't seeing these little guys popping up everywhere!  I have to admit, when I picked up a couple of Cornish game hens for dinner, my initial attraction was the novelty of a tiny chicken.  If that doesn't do it for you, buy them for their easy preparation and beautiful presentation!

There's often some confusion about what exactly Cornish games hens are (despite the name, the birds can be male or female).  The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines a Cornish game hen as "a young immature chicken ... weighing not more than 2 pounds ready-to- cook weight, which was ... (bred) from a Cornish chicken or the progeny of a Cornish chicken crossed with another breed of chicken."  I define them as delicious, easy and fun!

Prepare them as you would when roasting a chicken.  Rinse and pat dry.  Season inside and out with salt and ground pepper.  I chose to surround and stuff the chicken with onion wedges, lemon wedges, garlic cloves, rosemary, and thyme.  I then oiled the outside of the chicken and seasoned with a combination of poultry seasoning and lemon pepper.  Ideally, elevate the birds so their juices drain, but I used what was readily available. 

Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes, this varies depending on size, or until internal temperature reaches 165° F. 

If serving for company, you could make a beautiful platter adorned with a number of these hens.  I split each in half and found that was the perfect serving size.  How easy!

This Côtes du Rhône matched well with the succulent cornish hens,

I love the holiday season!

As promised, I will be trying the pumpkin pancakes.  Because of this year's shortage, it took me a few trips to find the puree!  It's a bit too much for me for breakfast so after an early, light dinner tonight, I'll enjoy these while watching The Santa Clause!  Anyone want to come over?

I'll toast the coast!

This weekend, The Bellarine, Surf Coast, and Moorabool Valley wine regions have opened their doors to showcase their fine wines along with local produce, music, and entertainment. Yesterday, we spent the day driving through the countryside and visiting some of our favorite wineries in this region. Here are some highlights from this beautiful, relaxing, spring day....

We started the day off at Pettavel Winery on the Surf Coast. They had great live music, food, and had even invited 6 local boutique wineries to offer tastings. Most wineries were offering tastings of their most recent vintages. A couple of our favorites:

• Wayawu Estate Harry's Shiraz 2008 - a relatively young wine but made from very old vines which gives it a nice complexity; aged in French oak for 9 months, this wine is a full bodied wine with soft tannins
• Barrgowan Vineyard Simonsens Shiraz 2008 - another boutique winery with hand-pruned vines and hand picked grapes, this shiraz is also aged in French oak and is not quite as full bodied as the Wayawu. Although this wine is ready to drink now, it would make an excellent addition to your cellar as it has years ahead of it and is expected to be one of their best vintages.

Our next stop was Bellarine Estate on the Bellarine Peninsula. In addition to the winery, a few local vendors attended the event offering samples of spices, cheeses, olive oil, and local produce.

After picking up a few goodies from Screaming Seeds and Manzanillo Grove, we relaxed in the vineyard listening to the tunes of one of the region's local musicians.

Our favorite wine here:

• Bellarine Estate Cellar Reserve Shiraz Viognier 2007 - unlike many of their wines, this one didn't have a catchy name but certainly caught our attention. This very fragrant wine is typical of a cool climate shiraz with dark berry and spice flavours, but complemented by the viognier that gives it that extra lift!

Heading home, we made our last stop at Leura Park just in time for the annual Great Wine Spit Challenge. Yes... you read that right, wine SPIT challenge. Unfortunately, I've had the pleasure of witnessing John's skills in this area so he had no choice but to enter. We didn't go home with a case of wine, but it was hilarious watching him make his way to one of the top contenders.
Our last purchase of the day:

• Leura Park Estate Block 1, Reserve Hand Picked Chardonnay 2008 - This beautiful wine was aged in French oak for 12 months which has given it an elegant and lengthy finish. This wine would be fabulous paired with some buttery lobster!

Overall, a great day and we came out of it with some good food and wine! Now I'm left to plan some great meals to do these wines justice...