Great little wine gadget

About a month ago, I became very frustrated with having to wait for a nice bottle of wine to open up in the decanter.  I would decide to open something nice for my wife and me, and we would have to let it sit there for a half hour to breath before consuming.  That put me on the hunt for a solution- and I found one.  It is a nifty little gadget called the Vinturi Wine Aerator.  It can be purchased for around $40, depending on the store.  It also comes with a screen for older, sediment-filled, wines.  It has two small ports on opposite sides from each other which draws in air as the wine passes through the opening in the bottom.  The air is infused into the wine, so to speak, allowing the bouquet and subtle notes in the wine to present themselves much sooner than if you were to just let it aerate in a decanter.  So, while this will only really save you an hour, it really wakes up the wine much faster.  Some people believe that it can even add a few years of cellaring, or the maturity that a few years would bring to a wine.  I am not sure that this is true, but it is certainly true that this aerator makes a difference in the wine.  I challenge you to get a decent bottle of wine (after all there is nothing that you can do for some shitty wines) and have two glasses- painful I know.  Pour about once to two ounces through the Vinturi and, in a separate glass, pour right from the bottle.  I swear, you will be able to tell the difference.  

Its Braising Season Kids- Beef Short Ribs

As everyone knows, the cooler weather lands itself to big, rich flavors coupled with deep, complex wines.  For the first installment, I am offering you a simple and traditional braised beef short rib.  Now, there are multiple variations of braised or barbequed short ribs.  There is the Korean version with soy, sugar, sesame and green onions.  There is also just a ketchup based American-style barbequed short rib (see my post on bbq sauce).  This version is a red wine/tomato-base braising liquid that easily infuses into the beef.  This post will give you the basic steps to have a tender, juicy, flavorful short rib.

The first step in having a successful dish is choosing good ingredients.  Most stores sell short ribs for about $4/lb for standard choice grade meat.  Even though they are short ribs and are going to be cooking low and slow, I suggest that you find prime grade beef.  It should have great marbling, which means that there should be veins of fat running throughout the meat.  They should look something like this:

 

To begin the cooking process, you want to season the meat liberally with salt and fresh cracked pepper.  If you have not read my post on seasoning meat, check it out before you begin here.  You want to give short ribs AT LEAST 6 hours of seasoning time.  That includes a re-salting before you begin to brown.  So, the braising process begins with browning the meat on all sides.  Choose your most dense cooking vessel, preferably a enamel coated cast iron dutch oven.  Coat the bottom with vegetable oil and crank the heat.  Make SURE that the heat is intense- usually when the oil begins to smoke a bit. (Open the windows a little during the browning process, it will definitely get smoky.)  Place a few ribs in the bottom of the cooking vessel, but be sure not to crowd them or they will cool the metal and the sear will not be sufficient.  

Each side should take about 4-5 minutes.  They should look like this:

  

Now that you have your meat seared, you need to get your sauce going.  As crazy as it may seem, pour off the fat that rendered out of the ribs.  Put clean oil back in the pot and start cooking your mirepoix (onion, carrot, and celery diced to 1/2 inch cubes).  Use two carrots, one sweet spanish onion, and three ribs of celery.  Season your veg and brown it.  Some people suggest that you put your mirepoix into a food processor and make a paste to ease browning.  I did about half and half diced to paste.  I also add two cloves of garlic to the mix.  Let the veg brown, then scrape the brown up, and let brown again.  Once your veg is cooked, add in a cup to a cup and a half of tomato paste.  Combine that with the veg and let cook for 5-8 minutes.  Now, there will be a lot of brown, but don't worry, it will be fine.  Add three cups of a fairly bold red wine (a cabernet or an equivalent).  The wine must be good wine, something you would drink otherwise.  de-glaze the bottom of the pot with the wine, scraping up all of the lovely little bits.  I suggest using a whisk for this- it will also help homogenize the sauce.  Bring it to a simmer and reduce the sauce by half.  Add back in your meat.  You must make sure that the braising liquid covers the meat- you should add water to cover, about three cups.  Add into the pool two bay leaves and four sprigs of thyme.  It will look something like this:

Place your covered vessel into the over at 350 degrees and cook for three to four hours for juicy, fall off the bone ribs.  Most of the rib bones will not adhere to the meat, but it will still look delicious.  Remove the ribs, plate, and cover in the braising liquid.  You can reduce the liquid more, but the cooking time should have reduced the sauce adequately.  I prepared a simple garlic and parmesan smashed potato dish for the meat to rest on.  I was tempted to take the smashed potatoes and make a Jonny Cake out of it, but I did not have time.  I hope you try this recipe and please enjoy.

Wine follies

In the past few weeks, I have been noticing a trend in the wine I have been buying. Wait, backup... I drink mainly reds. I prefer Spanish reds, California Cabs, strong full-bodied Merlots, and Rhone Valley blends. I will rarely spend more than $16.00 on a bottle, with my regular price range from $9.00-$14.00. I will, on occasion (like twice a month) go for a $25.00 bottle of something special. I will be divulging some of my favorites soon.

To the post at hand. I have noticed lately that an increasing percentage of bottles have an odd feature. When I remove the foil and pop the cork, there is a small pattern of purple crystals on the underside of the cork. After a few seconds of puzzlement, I realize that the strange looking crystals were the product of tartaric acid, the natural acid inherent in grapes. When the wine ages, the tartaric acid can precipitate on the cork. This will not affect the flavor of the wine, only the balance of acidity, for the crystals, again, are a product of acid in the wine.

I bring this up for two reasons. One, don't return wines with tartaric acid crystals on the cork, it will taste fine with a good 15-30 minutes in a decanter. Second, this topic brings to the forefront a practice that any wine-drinker should make a ritual. Before decanting or before drinking a full glass if you don't have a decanter (go buy one at a cheap store like Christmas Tree shop for $8.00), every bottle should be tasted. Pour a small amount of the wine, about a half an ounce, into your glass and swirl like crazy. The swirl will allow the wine to aerate and enhance the bouquet (smell) of the wine. Before letting the it into your mouth (thats what she said), smell the wine. You ought to be smelling for a musty smell, much like wet newspaper or your grandparent's basement. If you are unfortunate enough to smell this, it means your wine is corked. Corked wine=return to the store, do not drink it. (This will certainly be its own post soon) The tartaric acid crystals, however, are not such a problem. You can feel free to drink the wine as long as it taste and appears to be drinkable. When you taste, swirl the wine around your mouth, then suck some air into the wine and swirl again. You should get the notes of the wine intended by the vintner. If you think it is crazy that you can taste cherry, leather and black currant in a wine, read up on the wine you are drinking for intended flavors so you may keep them in mind when you taste. I promise you will be able to get at least one or two.

So, next time you open a bottle, pour a small amount in a glass, swirl briskly, smell for basement, and taste a bit for a clean crisp taste that is commensurate with the variety you are drinking. If all goes well, decant it, wait as long as you can (but no need for more than 30 minutes) and drink until your heart's desires are drunk. I often find it handy to open the second bottle before you start drinking the first to let it aerate a bit before decanting, but then again, I drink a lot!

First Blog

This is the initial offering of the GastroMetrics blog.  This blog will review and rate ingredients, food products, wine, restaurants, and most importantly the tools we use to prepare and enjoy some of our most delectable treats.  

First, a little about me.  I am currently a law student in my last year of law school.  Although I spend my days reading, writing, and learning, I take time every day (usually three times a day) to enjoy the best of life has to offer- preparing and devouring delicious food and drink.  

From my first job at fifteen years old cooking in a Hospital kitchen, I have been mesmerized by all things edible.  I grew up with a Pennsylvania-Dutch baker for a fraternal grandmother and a first generation Italian butcher for a maternal grandfather, not to mention a mother whi is a fantastic all-around home cook.  Growing up, both sides of my family  were at their best at the dinner table.  These influences certainly have influenced my style of cooking in ways that present themselves daily.  

From that horrible job cooking in a hospital kitchen, I moved into chain restaurant kitchens.  The product was only slightly better that the mass produced "food" that the beaten and broken chef in the hospital was forced to produce.  These jobs taught me exactly how I didn't want to cook.  Instead, I observed by grandmothers and mother cook the food that defined who they were and where they came from.  For instance, my Italian grandmother, my mother, and now myself all prepared our gravy (pasta sauce for those without an Italian heritage to live up to) in different ways.  I would elaborate, but this will certainly be a posting in the very near future.  

By the end of high school I worked my way into the restaurant job that taught my more than any other.  It was in a chain steakhouse that is everything but the drab chain restaurant food that is probably coming to mind.  Everything was scratch-made and steaks cut twice daily in a walk-in butcher's cooler.  The ground meat was the trimmings of the whole tenderloins, rib roasts, and top sirloin.   Salad dressings, sides, sauces and gravies were all made fresh daily.  During the weekdays the restaurant was not open for lunch because the prep took all day.  Needless to say, the food was spectacular and the lines were out the door every night.  I took advantage of it all.  I learned the intricacies of butchery that my grandfather did not have the chance to teach me (he passed away before I was old enough to wield a knife).  I learned southwestern flavors from a true master, Bianca Ruiz, a quiet Mexican woman who grew up in New Mexico.  I learned how to make homemade mayonnaise with nothing more than a whisk and bowl.  In short, working there taught me that good food takes time.

After a few other kitchen jobs I moved to the front of the house, waiting tables and eventually finding my way behind the bar.  It was there that I learned how to compose a perfect Martini or Manhattan for people who had been drinking the same drink for years.  I learned which drink best complimented the meal, be it an oaky chardonnay, a robust pinot noir, a dry vodka martini, or a hoppy ale.  From that point in time I was more able to have a rounded approach to gastronomy, or the relationship between food and the people who love it. (Okay, that is my definition of gastronomy, not Webster's)  

Strangely, however, it was the time of my life spent out of restaurants that is the true drive for this blog.  For the last five years I spent time in the business world, and now back in school.  During that time, I moved out on my own (now with my lovely wife) and away from the support of my family's home cooking ability.  I suddenly realized that I was unable to reproduce what I was creating in the restaurants of my past because I didn't have the tools I needed to produce a successful dish.  It was not until recently that I have been able to equip myself with the proper tools, the best ingredients, and ability to produce restaurant quality food for my family, friends, and the occasional competition judge.  

SO, at this point in my life I have taken all that I have learned practically, all that I have read, and all that I have tried in restaurant and formed a perspective on all things edible.  I cannot exactly describe what that is to someone else, but it drives me to want to share with you what I know, what I hope to find out and what I may just stumble across.  So read frequently and enjoy.

-Kris