I’ve been so busy lately with knitting group meet-ups, work parties, and other random appointments; my home cooking has really suffered as a result. Like some kind of harried mom or overworked career woman (of which I’m neither), I’ve been relegated to putting together quick and easy - dare I even say “30 Minute” - meals. As someone who favors calm and order and routine above all else, this has been a slightly stressful month for me. Things are finally starting to settle down, however, and I am gratefully finding myself able to return to a more normal cooking schedule. And, that means it is winesday time!

This week’s wine was a gift from our good friend Jason: Clos Pegase 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. I think this is my first time featuring a Cabernet Sauvignon on winesday. I don’t drink too much Cab, not because I don’t love it (I do) but because I am usually looking for lighter, fruity reds that can be served with vegetarian fare. Cabernet Sauvignon is the opposite of light and fruity; it is gutsy and full-bodied with lots of tannins and powerful flavors, all of the qualities that go wonderfully with…a rich, juicy steak. But, for vegetarians, as well as everyone else, it should be noted that Cabernet Sauvignon can also be paired with many different kinds of cheese, particularly blue and aged cheeses (and who needs a steak when you could be eating lots of cheese instead!)

Clos Pegase Winery is located in Napa Valley, near the town of Calistoga. It was founded by Jan and Mitsuko Shrem in 1983 and is known for being somewhat of a landmark in the wine world. Feeling the need to create something above and beyond your average winery, Jan commissioned renowned Princeton architect Michael Graves to build a “temple to wine and art” on the grounds, a place designed to showcase Jan’s extensive art collection. In addition to Graves’ beautiful structures and the equally beautiful sculpture garden surrounding the buildings, 20,000 feet of aging caves were also excavated from the rocky knoll rising above the winery, including a dramatic Cave Theater where concerts and specials events are held.

Clos Pegase is an estate winery which means that they grow, vinify and bottle all of the wine that they produce. They sell approximately half of their grapes to other wineries in the area, but the best grapes of the harvest are reserved for their own wines. Over 15 different wines are produced at Clos Pegase; primarily this is Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. They also produce, in small quantities, other varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel. Clos Pegase’s winemaking style has been described as balanced, with respect to tannins and acidity, and food friendly, avoiding high levels of oak and alcohol.

In keeping with the idea that Cabernet Sauvignon matches well with cheese, I decided serve the wine with macaroni and cheese. Now, I’m not talking macaroni and cheese from a box here (nothing against boxed mac and cheese; it certainly has its place, but I think it is much better suited to a fruity Beaujolais than a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.) No, for this winesday, I served up an ultra-deluxe homemade four-cheese macaroni and cheese (which I made with ziti pasta instead of macaroni just to separate it from its boxed counterpart that much more.) I used a blend of Maytag Blue and Beecher’s Flagship cheeses with smaller amounts of Havarti and Parmigiano Reggiano thrown in for added flavor and texture. On the side, I served spicy mustard greens. It was so delicious. Robert and I don’t eat too much cheese so this was a real treat.

The wine was wonderful. It was a deep, rich red color with aromas of dark cherries and vanilla. It tasted like black cherries, black currants, blackberries…all the black fruits! Unlike many Cabernet Sauvignons I’ve tried, this one wasn’t too heavy with the tannins. They were certainly there but, rather than drying your mouth out to desert-like conditions, these tannins were smooth and silky giving the wine a satisfying mouth-feel. This was a very nice bottle of wine, and a good match to my uber-rich macaroni and cheese. Thanks Jason!

A couple of months ago, I started making my own yogurt at home. Two things brought this on: 1) on the final day of our neighborhood farmer’s market in November, I bought some fresh yogurt and learned that it was so much better than most commercial yogurt, and 2) a few weeks after that, my sister mentioned that she had been making homemade yogurt so I figured that I could be doing it too. A quick internet search informed me that it was really quite simple to do.

Although making yogurt does take a good chunk of time from start to finish, it doesn’t require much active time. All you need is a reliable kitchen thermometer, some milk (I’ve been doing a half gallon each week which results in 4 to 6 servings of yogurt), and some prepared “starter” yogurt. The starter yogurt is where you get your active cultures from so you need to make sure you buy a yogurt that contains active live cultures. Once you have made your first batch of yogurt, you can use that as the starter yogurt the next time (I do buy a fresh starter yogurt every so often just because I don’t like the idea of some part of my yogurt, however small, being more than a couple of months old.)

In a pot, heat the milk over low heat, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching. When the milk reaches 180 degrees (at which point any bad bacteria will be killed), remove from heat and allow to cool back down to 115 degrees. Once the milk has cooled, whisk in a couple of tablespoons of prepared yogurt. The final step is to incubate the yogurt for at least 6 hours so that the live cultures can do their business. The yogurt must be kept between 110 degrees and 90 degrees during this time in order to avoid killing off the cultures. There are several methods you can use here. My preference is to put the yogurt into a large, clean jar, insert the thermometer, top the jar with foil, wrap it with a few kitchen towels and place it in the oven. If the temperature begins approach 90 degrees, I turn the oven on to the lowest setting (around 100 degrees) for a few minutes. I have found that the temperature of the yogurt doesn’t drop too much over time unless it is really cold in my apartment. In fact, I rarely need to turn the oven on at all; once winter is over, I may just leave the yogurt out on the counter to culture. I’ve heard that leaving the oven’s pilot light on is sometimes all you need to maintain the correct temperature. You can also use the hot water bath method (for example, filling an insulated ice chest with hot water and putting the container of yogurt in it.) Or, if you are in doubt, you can always buy a yogurt maker.

After 6 hours, check the yogurt to see if it has thickened to your liking. If not, let it rest for longer, checking again every hour or so. So far, my yogurt has been ready at 6 hours every time. The result is a much milder yogurt than you get at the grocery store. It has much more of a smooth milk flavor than the tangy commercial yogurt you may be used to (although, I’ve heard that the longer you let it incubate, the more sour it becomes.) Homemade yogurt also tends to be a bit stringier in texture which is kind of strange at first, but I’ve gotten used to it. My favorite way to eat homemade yogurt is topped with honey and toasted walnuts, although I’m sure in the summer I will enjoy it often with fresh fruit.

What started out at first as a kitchen science experiment has become a weekly thing in my household. One of my favorite things about making yogurt at home is the lack of waste. I always felt so guilty “recycling” those tiny plastic cups all the time. Now, I am getting my milk in returnable glass bottles from Golden Glen Creamery in Bow, Washington (via either Madison Market or Pike Place Creamery.) The only thing that gets thrown away is the cap to the milk! Robert calls this my hippie yogurt and claims I should be living on a commune somewhere. He’s trying to make fun of me but, if doing something that is good for the earth, good for the local farmers, good for me and happens to taste great makes me a hippie, than so be it!

For this week’s winesday, I picked up a bottle of Barnard Griffin 2005 Fumé Blanc. I’m always looking for new varietals to showcase on winesday so it seemed like the perfect choice. Well, it turns out that Fumé Blanc is just another name for Sauvignon Blanc. It’s all a marketing ploy (apparently designed to sucker in newbies like me.) Oh well, the point of winesday is to learn about wine; now I know Fumé Blanc is just a made up name. But, I love Sauvignon Blanc so I didn’t mind!

Barnard Griffin Winery is located in south-central Washington where the Yakima, Columbia, and Snake rivers all meet up. They have been producing award-winning wines since 1983; one of their most highly regarded wines, in fact, is the Fumé Blanc. The 2005 Fumé Blanc is said to have aromas of fresh flowers, herbs and vanilla. Complex melon and citrus flavors are backed by a hint of grassiness. The 2005 vintage shows good acidity and crispness.

For dinner, I made a recipe from my brand new cookbook: Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson. This is a really great cookbook for anyone interested in eating a bit healthier (but not too healthy, butter and cheese are certainly not taboo in this book!) Heidi provides great recipes and ideas for how to incorporate more whole grains, natural sweeteners and so-called “super foods” foods into your diet. I’ve had great success with the few recipes I’ve had a chance to try. Her Wild Rice Flour Pancakes proved to be deliciously rustic, perfect drizzled with warm maple syrup. The other night, I made Giant Crispy and Creamy White Beans using the jumbo Greek beans I got in my stocking this year. In this recipe, the beans are cooked until tender, sautéed with butter until crisp on the outside and then tossed with onions and greens. Be sure to check out Heidi’s wonderful blog, 101 Cookbooks, for more great recipes.

The recipe that I made for winesday this week was Heidi’s Clemenquat Salad, a crunchy winter salad made by combining clementine wedges, sliced celery, slivered kumquats and toasted walnuts in a lemon vinaigrette. I didn’t actually choose this recipe because I thought it would be a particularly good match with the wine (riesling might have been more appropriate) but because the recipe just looked so darn good (Heidi takes amazing food photos that will make your mouth water.) Plus, I had never actually eaten kumquats before. I always was drawn to kumquats as a child. Of course! They looked like oranges meant for small dolls, what child wouldn’t want to play with them? But, somehow I was never able to convince my mom to buy them for me. I think she thought I wouldn’t like them, and she was probably right. They are more of an adult flavor.

The salad was delicious. The bitter/sweet flavor of the kumquats and clementines paired nicely with the vegetables and walnuts. I threw in some baby spinach to make it more salad-like. I served the salad alongside smashed celery root & potatoes and red snapper with the lightest of all curry-cream sauces (I thought a bit of curry would add an exotic touch consistent with the unusual fruits in the Clemenquat Salad, but I kept it very light so as not to conflict with the wine.) The wine was great as well. It was a nice, not too overly crisp Sauvignon Blanc, falling more towards the tropical fruit end of the scale than the super grassy, super zippy Loire Valley style Sauvignon Blancs.

Thursday night, I met up with a knitting group that I found through Ravelry, the absolute best knitting website on the web today (Seriously, every knitter out there needs to check out Ravelry. It’s amazing! Still in beta, though, so there’s a waiting list to get on.) The Capitol Hill Knitters decided to meet this week at Remedy Teas, a tea shop just around the corner from me that I had been meaning to go to ever since it opened last winter but hadn’t quite gotten around to yet. Somehow, when it comes to going out for beverages, Robert and I seem to always choose beer over tea. Now, I finally had the perfect excuse to check it out.

The first thing I noticed upon entering Remedy Teas is that it is very modern inside. Bright, lime green walls and gleaming silver chairs and stools abound. A couple of funky white vinyl ottoman-style chairs are available in the center of the room. Teas are kept in test tubes giving the place a slight laboratory vibe. Despite the ultra-modern furnishings, however, Remedy Teas is very cozy inside (as any good tea shop should be!) It is a pretty small space so the tables and chairs are closely packed together creating a friendly, jovial atmosphere. That, combined with the mellow lighting and bluesy music that was playing when I was there, made me feel like I was in some kind of cool mad scientist’s lounge room.

Remedy Teas offers over 150 types of tea, divided up between wellness teas, white teas, green, oolong, black, pu-erh (rare teas that that are aged like wine,) and many others. Not being a huge tea drinker myself, I found the tea list to be pretty overwhelming. I mean, I get overwhelmed by the number of teas in our cabinet at work, and that doesn’t even compare to the offerings at Remedy. I had finally settled on the Citra Pu-erh only to find out that it was one of ten teas that they were out of (wouldn’t you know it.) The gentleman working behind the counter happily gave me a recommendation, though, so I felt that I was in good hands. He suggested the Winter Pu-erh which is a blend of bold leaf pu-erh, ginger, cinnamon sticks and clove. That sounded perfect.

You can order tea by the cup, small pot and large pot. All of the tea is served in really cool glass serving ware. My tea arrived at the table in a clear glass pot, with a clear, round-ish cup and another cup full of the brewed leaves which you can use to strengthen the pot of tea if you so desire. In addition to tea, Remedy offers tea sandwiches, such as cucumber or radish and red onion, as well as other snacks. They also have delicious-looking pastries and cookies including lavender shortbread and cornmeal rosemary (yum!) And, if you really want to go all out, you can order full tea service in which you get a “tower of treats” perfectly paired with your tea.

Apparently, tea is the new hip thing. At least, it is at Remedy; the place was packed when I left. I can see why, though. Remedy makes you want to drink tea all the time. My Winter Pu-erh was the perfect “remedy” for Thursday’s cold, blustery weather. I’ll certainly be back. Plus, now that I know they offer organic beer in addition to tea, I should easily be able to get Robert to go with me!

Remedy Teas is located at 345 15th Ave E and is open from 7am-11pm every day.