Category Archive for "Blog"

It’s Almost Time!

Around this time of year we begin to anticipate the Thanksgiving Holiday and meal. For many of us in Northern California that means Dungeness Crab. This year Thanksgiving occurs on Thursday November 28. Will Dungeness Crab be in season and available? As of right now the answer is yes! The crab season is scheduled to open…

While we would never try to disguise a mediocre sparkler with a fruit infusion, we would transform a really nice bubbly into a fabulous summer cocktail. To explore this idea, we decided to make a beautifully colored hibiscus syrup. Nothing heavy or cloying here. Just a bright, slightly sweet, slightly tangy enhancement to your sunset sip. The basis…

What a perfect time of year to discover the delicious flavors you can create by roasting fruit. Roasting fruit intensifies flavors and allows the sugars to caramelize. Almost any fruit can be roasted, even those that do not readily come to mind. Below are some ideas that you may not have thought of but don't…

GREEN CURRY CHICKEN

I love green curry so I decided to put together a chicken curry and challenge my sister to pair it with a fun wine from Locals. This is a simple, rich dish. It can be spicy or quite mild according to your tastes. It comes together in one saucepan so clean up is quick and easy. Ingredients: One…

EGGS FOR DINNER

We typically think of egg dishes for breakfast or brunch. The Spanish eat a lot of eggs, but never for breakfast. This got me thinking about eggs for dinner. The following is an egg and spinach dish that works great as a dinner appetizer or as a light main course. Ingredients: (for two) This dish is wonderful in…

Cabbage and Sausage Roast (With credit to the New York Times for a lot of guidance and inspiration.) The Wine: The beauty of this dish is the complex flavors and a variety of textures that arise out of the basic simplicity of the ingredients. What this does is open up the possibilities to a number…

For years I've struggled to make a good burger at home. I get a good burger at a restaurant and it always sends me back to the drawing board. Breadcrumbs, panko, egg, different seasonings, different fat content. I’ve tried them all and then some. I knew what I should do. Take total control of the…

In my last blog entry I looked into what wines pair well with spicy food. This time I’m taking a different approach. I’m going to describe a meal I made recently and let Carolyn pick the wines. The Meal: I went to our local great fish shop in search of a simple nice piece of salmon.…

Don’t Let Habit Stand In The Way of New Experiences

Even though the weather is quite warm, that does not stop my desire for spicy food. In fact, there’s a real pleasure to eating a spicy dish on a warm night. And what to drink with a spicy dish... well, the easy answer immediately comes to mind... a cold beer of course. But wait, don’t…

A month ago it was raining. The irrigation ditches you dug in September washed out and long webs of water the color of chocolate milk criss-cross your driveway, which is two miles long. Almost to the road, one of your property’s oldest oaks is downed. There are long white scars where the upper half canted…

CORKED WINE – WHAT IT IS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

There is a lot of commentary out about “corked” wine. Some of that commentary seems designed to create mystery or intimidation. This post is not that. The goals are simple: Explain what corked wine is, how to tell if wine is corked and what to do if you discover your bottle of wine is corked.…

Have you ever made vinegar? I haven’t but I love cooking and experiments. And, vinegar is all the rage right now as a seasoning for many dishes. Never let it be said that I am not one to get caught up in trends! So, I’ve done (a little) research and feel up for the effort.…

We are often told that enjoying wine involves all the multiple senses; taste, smell, appearance, temperature. But you might not be aware of how critical the senses are to the wine drinking experience. One way to get an idea of the importance of all the senses to our perception of a wine is to take…

You're deep in your reverie. What a find! You're sipping some of the best wines you've tasted in ages. Free tastes!!!!!!! Over seventy bottles from ten amazing small production winemakers. Looking up you see one of the coolest curated selection of shoes, yes shoes, you've seen in a long time, along with other carefully selected…

This Blog entry is one of a series exploring some of the more common questions I get asked by visitors to Locals. We will also delve a little bit into how the questions relate to the Russian River Valley wines and Locals’ wines in particular. Today we are exploring the world of GSM wines. GSM…

Pan Roasted Striped Bass with White Bean and Arugula Salad

Some time back my brother Robert who lives on the East Coast, and I decided to collaborate on food and wine pairings. Robert is an amazing cook and here is one of his favorite meals. Give this recipe a try and pair it with the Parmeson Chardonnay.... I promise you won’t be dissapointed! --Carolyn Living…

Well, if you are man or woman ages 25 through 75 and single you absolutely shouldn't—the salt and pepper looks and lachrymose sighs are but tarpits of charm. But, if you have a passing interest in wine then keeping him on the line may just learn you a thing or two—after all I did teach…

The Solipsistic Nature of Wine and Myself

The nature of self is fickle, prone to temper tantrums, runs of bad behavior, and can easily be abraded when brushing up against the ideals and ideas of others. But without the reflections seen in the shining eyes of an audience the self could lack validity--after all, without mirrors we might all believe ourselves beautiful,…

Didn't I grow up in a quiet stretch of country? Every passing year, I hear the name of my small sun-soaked valley on the tongues of people further and further abroad. There are some things they can't know. No one but me saw my grandfather sketch and paint a sign whose grape clusters parted to…

Part One - In which a baking neophyte watches the Great British Baking Show and thinks, without any basis in reality, “I can do that.” It looked doable. Not easy, but only few ingredients and a lot of hard (but simple) labor. After watching the Great British Baking show I was determined to take a…

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Category Archives: Blog

It’s Almost Time!

BEAUTIFUL SPARKLER

Roast Fruit

Featured

GREEN CURRY CHICKEN

Featured

EGGS FOR DINNER

Cabbage and Sausage Roast

From Disappointment to Discovery

What To Drink?

Don’t Let Habit Stand In The Way of New Experiences

Wine Country Commuting

CORKED WINE – WHAT IT IS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

The Vinegar Challenge

THE BLACK GLASS CHALLENGE

Shoes at Locals

What Is A GSM Wine?

Pan Roasted Striped Bass with White Bean and Arugula Salad

Why Pick Up When Patrick Calls

The Solipsistic Nature of Wine and Myself

Welcome to Alexander Valley

Phylo Failure and Redemption

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