Apricot round-up
Category: Jen's kitchenOur two apricot trees both produced a full crop again this year. We planted two based on the idea that apricots are alternate bearing—i.e., they bear a crop every other year. It turns out that our trees are not alternate bearing, so we get lots of fruit every summer. Moreover, the fruit all ripens at once, so my kitchen became the venue for an apricot extravaganza. Apricots on everything! This year, Sra. Juana made three large batches of apricot jam, lightly spiced with cinnamon sticks. I made a batch of apricot chutney, which produced three jars to freeze. We enjoyed four apricot pies, an apricot-hazelnut tart (with a late harvest glaze), several rounds of my new favorite apricot-ginger relish, apricot ice cream, and apricot smoothies. We gave away several kilos of fruit. And, needless to say, we ate lots of fresh apricots, both right off the tree and chilled, alone and combined with blueberries and raspberries. I did not, however, freeze any apricots this year, so no more apricots until next December. Phew!
Apricot-ginger relish
Category: Jen's kitchenIt’s apricot season here in Chile, and both our trees are bearing a full crop (more on that later). What this means in practical terms is that if a recipe doesn’t include apricots, I’m not fixing it. Out of desperation, and almost jokingly, I recently googled apricot + fish + recipe. This generated a few cringe-worthy responses, but it also brought up this relish. Now, as a general rule, I only publish my own recipes here, but this relish was just spectacular! If you are also in the midst of apricot season, then you should really try this recipe (which I have tweaked a bit). It was delicious on panfried fish (which I dusted with a Moroccan spice mix before frying) and equally wonderful on fish tacos the next day. It would also go well with grilled anything. I can’t say whether it holds up in the refrigerator, however, as we ate every spoonful, both nights.
Apricot-ginger relish
2 cups ripe (but fairly firm) apricots, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup green onion, minced
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon ginger, grated or minced
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
Combine everything except the apricots and the cilantro in a medium nonreactive bowl; mix well. Add the apricots and gently toss to combine. Let sit for an hour before serving. (If it will be much longer than an hour, refrigerate.) Just before serving, add the cilantro.
Overnight cinnamon rolls
Category: Jen's kitchenI love the idea of a quick cinnamon roll that can be thrown together in the morning and baked right away. Not even I want to wait an hour for a yeasted dough to rise that early in the morning. I have therefore tried several quick cinnamon roll recipes recently, including a so-called cinnamon roll muffin. They all came out looking beautiful, but were otherwise disappointing. The texture was pasty and tough, and the rolls were inedible once they cooled.
The “quick” in quick breads refers to the use of baking powder instead of yeast, so in theory it should work. The problem is that biscuit and muffin doughs need to be handled minimally. Kneading is an all-or-nothing proposition: either fully develop the gluten or don’t develop it all; anything in between will only toughen the flour without providing the benefits of elasticity. As a result, biscuit and muffin doughs don’t hold up to the extra kneading and rolling out required to shape a cinnamon roll.
The solution? Do it right with a yeasted dough, but set it up the night before. This still requires a little extra time in the morning, as you have to bring the rolls to room temperature (or thereabouts) before baking, but at least you don’t have to think before you’ve had your coffee. This recipe uses the same dough I use for monkey bread. For the filling, I prefer a mix of white and brown sugar, so that it is easy to sprinkle. You could use all brown sugar if you prefer. Finally, the rolls freeze really well. I put them in individual Ziploc baggies and left the baggies open for the first hour of freezing (so that they didn’t stick to the icing). To defrost, leave at room temperature for half an hour or so and then microwave for 10 or 20 seconds. Be careful not to microwave for too long, lest the dough become chewy.
Overnight cinnamon rolls
1 tablespoon yeast
1/3 cup water (warm)
1/2 cup milk (warm)
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons (45 g) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
2–3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the frosting
1 tablespoon unsalted buter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk (or more, as needed)
Place the water in the bowl of an electric mixer with a pinch of sugar; sprinkle the yeast on top. After about five minutes, add the milk, sugar, butter, salt, egg, and 1 cup of flour. Use the paddle attachment to mix at medium speed for one minute. Switch to the dough hook, add one cup of flour, and knead (on low), adding in another cup of flour when the last cup is incorporated. Continue kneading for ten minutes. You may need to add a bit more flour, but be sure not to add too much. You don’t want the dough to form a ball around the dough hook–that’s too much flour, and the bread will be heavy and dry. Rather, it should be smooth and elastic, but still cling to the sides of the bowl at the bottom.
While the dough is kneading, butter a bowl in which to rise the dough, then transfer the dough to the bowl when ready. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in bulk (about an hour). You are now ready to shape the rolls.
Generously butter a 10 x 15 inch (25 x 38 cm) baking dish; set it aside. Combine the white and brown sugars and the cinnamon in a small bowl and set it aside.
Roll out the dough into a large rectangle about 12 x 20 inches. Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a half inch unbuttered along one of the long sides (the side farthest away from you). Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the dough, making sure to go all the way out to the sides. Add the chopped pecans. Starting from the long side closest to you, roll up the dough jelly-roll style. Pinch the unbuttered edge into the outside of the roll to seal it, then place the roll seam-side down. Slice the roll in half, then slice each half into six pieces. Place the pieces cut-side down in the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 to 60 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to bake. (If you want to bake these the same day, just let the rolls continue to rise until they double in bulk. There will still be some space between the rolls, but they will puff up in the oven. You will also need to reduce the baking time by about ten minutes, since the dough won’t be so cold going into the oven.)
Remove the rolls from the refrigerator for at least half an hour before you are ready to bake them (an hour would be better), while you preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Bake for about 30 minutes, until the tops are a light golden brown and the rolls are not quite fully baked (I like them best when they are a little underdone). Let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the icing.
To make the icing, combine the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of milk in a small bowl. Mix briskly with a small whisk to combine. Add additional milk as needed to make a smooth icing. Use a spatula or knife to spread the icing over the tops of the rolls. Serve warm.
Flaherty 2009 Limarí Valley
Category: The wines
A red wine blend from the
Limari Valley of Chile
34% Syrah
33% Cabernet Sauvignon
33% Carmenere
Yield:
Syrah: 9.5 tons /ha
Cabernet Sauvignon: 7 tons/ha
Carmenère: 8 tons/ha
100 % Barrel aged for 16 Months
Total Production:
1,680 bottles (140 cases)
Bottled 9 December 2010
Alcohol: 15.2%% (Vol%)
Volatile acidity: 0.69 g/l
pH : 3.40
Total acidity: 6.00 g/l Tartaric Acid
Residual sugar: 2.96 g/l
Flaherty 2009 Limari was grown by our friend Jim Pyror at his Aguatierra vineyard near the Punitaqui in the Limari Valley of Chile. The vineyard is Organically certified and is also uses biodynamic practices. The Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon were hand harvested and delivered in small picking lugs on the 1st of May and the Carmenere arrived the 9st of May. The vineyard planted using the tradicional Parron style trellis and spacing. The grapes were crushed directly into one ton fermenting bins the fermentation was punched down by hand three times a day at our home in the Aconcagua Valley. The wine macerated with the skins for an average total of 18 days before draining and pressing. The wine was basket pressed racked to barrel and aged 14 months in barrel. The components were aged in was aged in two and four year old French and American oak barrels. The 2009 Flaherty Limari blend is 34% Syrah and 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Carmenere, the wine was filtered but not fined before being bottled in December 2010.
Tasting Description
Our 2009 Flaherty Limari displays the classic ripe fruit flavors and violet notes of the Limari Valley, with a rich base of dry fruits like cherry, strawberry, black plum and spicy herbal notes of Carmenere Notes of spearmint, black pepper, forest floor, new leather jacket, dark chocolate, licorice, toasted oak and new leather jacket contribute complexity and depth. This medium-bodied wine has a twist of acidity on the entry and finishs with sweet juicy tannins. Best before 2017.
Enjoy as we do with friends, family and food.
Ed Flaherty
Winemaker
Flaherty 2009 Valle de Aconagua
Category: The wines
Un vino tinto del valle de
Aconcagua de Chile
58% Syrah
31% Cabernet Sauvignon
11% Tempranillo
Rendimiento:
Syrah: 9.5 ton /ha
Cabernet Sauvignon: 6.0 ton/ha
Tempranillo: 2.0 kilos/plant
100% guardado en barrrica por 19 meses
Producción total:
5,646 bottles (471 cases)
Bottled 8 February 2011
Alcohol: 15.0% (Vol%)
Acidez volátil: 0.72 g/l
pH: 3.53
Acidez total: 5.88 g/l tartárico
Material reductor: 2.16 g/l
Con el apoyo de la familia y varios amigos fue hecho el Flaherty 2009 en nuestra parcela cerca del pueblo de Santa María en el Valle de Aconcagua. El Syrah y Cabernet Sauvignon fueron cosechado a mano entre el 11 y 28 de abril, ambas cepas del viñedo de la familia Manzur ubicado en las afueras de San Felipe en el Valle de Aconcagua. Este viñedo, que fue plantado en el año 2000, se caracteriza por suelos francos aluviales con muchas piedras fluviales. El Tempranillo, que fue cosechado el 11 de abril, representa la tercera vendimia de nuestra parcela en Santa María, un sector mas caluroso del Valle de Aconcagua. El viñedo tiene suelos francos con buen drenaje. Todas las uvas se despaliadan directamente a bins de fermentación de una tonelada. Se hizo un pistoneo a mano al mosto tres veces al día hasta el término de la fermentación. Después de una maceración con el orujo de 18 días, el vino se pasó por una prensa tradicional tipo canasta y se guardó en barricas por 19 meses. Las barricas incluyeron 15% de roble americano y rumano nuevo y 85% de roble francés y americano de segundo y tercer uso. El Flaherty 2009 comprende 56% Syrah, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon y 11% Tempranillo. Se filtró, pero no se trató antes de ser embotellado en febrero de 2011.
Notas de cata
El Flaherty 2009 demuestra los sabores clásicos del Valle de Aconcagua, con una rica base de berries maduros. En la nariz dominan aromas de cereza, kirsch, y huesillo, con notas de regaliz, menta, azúcar flor y vainilla. Este vino de cuerpo medio tiene un toque de acidez en la entrada y un final mas largo que el 2008. Recomendamos tomarlo antes 2017.
Ed Flaherty
Winemaker
Flaherty 2009 Aconcagua Valley
Category: The wines
A red wine blend from the
Aconcagua Valley of Chile
58% Syrah
31% Cabernet Sauvignon
11% Tempranillo
Yield:
Syrah: 9.5 tons /ha
Cabernet Sauvignon: 6.0 tons/ha
Tempranillo: 2.0 kilos/plant
100% Barrel aged for 19 months
Total production:
5,646 bottles (471 cases)
Bottled 8 February 2011
Alcohol: 15.0% (Vol%)
Volatile acidity: 0.72 g/l
pH: 3.53
Total acidity: 5.88 g/l tartaric acid
Reducing sugar: 2.16 g/l
Flaherty 2009 was made by friends and family at our home near the village of Santa María in the Aconcagua Valley. The Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon were hand harvested and delivered in small picking lugs from the 11th through 28th of April from the windy riverside Manzur vineyard just outside of San Felipe, beside the Putaendo River in the Aconcagua Valley. The Manzur vineyard, which was planted in 2000, has alluvial sandy loam soils with lots of river stones. The Tempranillo is the third vintage from the vineyard at our home near Santa María, a warmer section of the Aconcagua Valley with well-draining loam soils; it was harvested on the 11th of April. All the grapes were hand harvested and delivered to the winery in small picking lugs, We punched down the musts by hand three times a day throughout the fermentation. The wine macerated with the skins for an average of 18 days before being drained and basket pressed. It then aged 19 months in oak barrels, with 15% in new American and Romanian oak and the rest in two- and three-year-old French and American oak barrels. The 2009 Flaherty blend is 56% Syrah, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Tempranillo. The wine was filtered but not fined before being bottled in February 2011.
Tasting Description
Our 2009 Flaherty displays the classic fruit flavors of the Aconcagua Valley, with a rich base of ripe berry fruit. The nose features forward aromas of cherry, kirsch, and dried peach (called huesillos, en Chile), with notes of licorice, mint, powdered sugar, and vanilla. This medium-bodied wine has a twist of acidity on the entry and a longer finish than the 2008. Best before 2017.
Enjoy as we do with friends, family and food.
Ed Flaherty
Winemaker
Cauquenes update: spring 2011
Category: Cauquenes vineyardPlanting a vineyard in Cauquenes has turned out to be rather more complicated than initially envisioned, essentially because we are trying to establish a dry-farmed vineyard. The region receives plenty of rainfall (around 700 ml annually), and the plot has deep clay soils that retain the water. The mature vines should thus do quite well with dry farming. The problem is getting the tender new plants established. We have learned that syrah does not do well at all under these conditions, whereas petite syrah and tempranillo have both proved fairly hardy. Nevertheless, our loss rate is still higher than it would be with drip irrigation. As a result, we have had to replant major sections of our (tiny) vineyard each year. The fact that the vineyard is six hours away from our home doesn’t help. We have people working onsite, but it just isn’t the same as when the owner is present.
It appears, however, that we are finally moving forward. Nearly all the plants leafed out this spring, so we have a much more continuous vineyard than last year. Next winter we will start to gradually extend the planting, with a long-term goal of planting five hectares. We will be planting more petite syrah and tempranillo (probably a different clone than we currently have) and experimenting with cabernet franc and carignan.
In addition to planting, we improved the well last year by cleaning it out, digging about half a meter deeper, reinforcing the walls with concrete, and installing a pump. It is a surface well about 10 meters deep on the lower section of the property. We now pump water through a fixed line up to the water tanks and then gravity feed it from the tanks to the vineyard. The improved well gives us an excellent water source through at least half of the summer, so we’ll be able to irrigate the plants more consistently. Young vines need more irrigation in their first few years. Once they are established, we will gradually wean them from irrigation to encourage the development of deep roots.
We also installed protectors on the plants to keep them safe from hungry rabbits. Finally, we improved the fencing where the property faces the road.
