Friday, October 3, 2008

Wine, slow cookers and cake


Beouf Bourguinon - beef with carrots, onions, mushrooms, garlic, thyme and wine. Burgundy wine. Have you tried to find Burgundy at the liquor store? Yeah, no.
So I was wandering, carrying two bags of groceries and a twelve pack of toilet tissue, looking for Burgundy. The shopkeeper came over to help. He didn't look like a wine guy. Crewcut, piercings, celtic necklace, black teeshirt, Doc Martens, long black apron..... Another lesson in not judging. He knows wine. He explained that the Burgundy wine is made from Pinot Noir grapes, that the wine from the Burgundy region of France is priced way out of the reach of most people, and that Pinot Noirs from other parts of the world are really good. He asked my price range and steered me toward Parker Station 2006; he said it was the most 'drinkable' wine in the price range. He wished me luck with the recipe. If he didn't smell like a smoker I might take him some. The wine is certainly tasty. One bottle provides the two cups for the stew and one generous tumbler for the cook. It's a bit on the tannic side, (it sort of curdles the edges of my tongue) but I like it.
And I needed a glass of wine with this recipe. Every ingredient needs to be browned, sauteed or simmered before going into the slowcooker for 8-10 hours. So it's simmering overnight. Because trying to pull this off before going to work is just not going to happen.
Total change of subject - go to http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com. Let the schadenfreude begin.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

8-10 hours of simmer? Talk about your all day cooking experience! I can not even begin to imagine how tender that will be when it is done though! Yummy McYummerson!

disabled account said...

speaking of slow cooking and the need for wine, i need to start planning for thanksgiving in case someone wants me to participate this year. what are you guys doing?

i think what store were you in? you can buy burgundy at the liquor store next to my house (in season)and i believe at applejack liquors.

Bridgete said...

OMG I love cake wrecks! I read it every day!

What was the wine? I love Pinot Noir. =)

pastrywitch said...

Burgundy has a season? I thought that was Beaujolais? Gosh, there's a lot to know about wine....I went to the one next to King Soopers at Belmar because that's where I was.
The Pinot Noir was Parker Station 2006. There's a racoon on the label; I don't know why.
I have no idea about Thanksgiving; it's not a holiday I really care about. It's more Bevin's thing, but I'll ask her.
I know you read Cake Wrecks - I found it on your page! :)

disabled account said...

i read cake wrecks, but it's not on my page...where did you see it?

and oh, sorry. my bad. beaujolais is a type of burgundy with a season, but burgundy itself has none. woops. it just has to come from the burgundy region.

and if you don't care about thanksgiving i don't care either. truthfully, the thought of the smell of turkey is already kind of grossing me out. i just need to get over the feeling of obligation.

pastrywitch said...

I saw it on Bridgete's page - I've passed it along to several pastry friends.
My all time favorite (which I don't think is on Cake Wrecks) is a cake that reads:
You're not getting older on the top, you're getting better on the bottom!

Karen said...

Great blog! Look forward to reading more and more...