Clams with Chorizo and Citrus

Tonight I made [Clams with Chorizo and Citrus](http://www.tylerflorence.com/blog/?p=250).

Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 links of Spanish chorizo, ground up in the food processor
- 2 cloves of garlic,
- 2 slices of orange
- 1/2 cup of Albarino wine
- 2 dozen littleneck clams, cleaned and scrubbed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Flat leaf parsley for garnish


METHOD:

Begin by grinding up chorizo in food processor. Set a large, heavy-based pan over medium heat and add a 2-count of extra-virgin olive oil. Dump in garlic and orange peel followed by ground chorizo. Gently sauté until fragrant and fat begins to render. Add clams followed by wine. Season, then cover and steam for 12-15 minutes until clams are opened. To finish, remove lid and spoon 1/4 cup of saffron aioli over the top. Toss to combine and coat the clams. Serve in a large bowl garnished with flat-leaf parsley.

2006 Domaine Georges Vernay Condrieu Coteau de Vernon

**2006 Domaine Georges Vernay Condrieu Coteau de Vernon (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu)** The nose had loads of honey and floral notes, plus apricot, peach, apple, spice, and a little vanilla. The palate was rich and floral, with lemon, peach, spice, and a orange finish (95 pts.)

The Big Two: Cabs and Chards

Here are the [wines](http://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=8460) I tasted today along with [photos](http://mmurry.posterous.com/farpointe-tasting-8292009):

* **2006 Forchini Cabernet Sauvignon Proprietor's Reserve - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley**
The nose had boysenberry, chocolate,cherry, spice, and vanilla. The palate is rich and juicy, with cherry, cassis, chocolate, spice, and a vanilla finish. (91 pts.)
* **2005 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - USA, California, Napa Valley**
The nose had currant, chocolate, tar, and some smoke at the end. The palate was rich and thick, and had chocolate, black currant, cedar, and a tar finish. (91 pts.)
* **2006 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Prelude - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River**
The nose had toast, mango, papaya, and a bit of spice. The palate was crisp, and had apple, tropical fruit, spice, and a toasty finish. (89 pts.)
* **2005 Three Rivers Winery Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley**
The nose had cherry, dark chocolate, and spice. The palate was soft, and had cedar, spice, chocolate, and a cherry finish. (87 pts.)
* **2006 Summers Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Andriana's Cuvée - USA, California, Napa Valley**
The nose had raspberry, mocha, a little cedar and spice, and a vanilla finish. The palate was rich and thick, and had raspberry, espresso, cedar, and a slightly oaky finish. (87 pts.)
* **2006 Chalk Hill Chardonnay Estate Bottled - USA, California, Sonoma County, Chalk Hill**
The nose had spice, citrus, and a buttery finish. The palate is super buttery, with apple, and spice. (84 pts.)
* **2005 Roberts + Rogers Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain**
The nose had blueberry, plum, stone, currant, and some raspberry at the end. The palate was thick, and had raspberry, spice, currant, and a spicy finish. (93 pts.)
* **2006 Ramey Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley**
The nose was overloaded with butter, but also had a little spice and apple. The palate was crisp, and had apple, butter, spice, and vanilla. (89 pts.)

Bistro-Style Short Ribs

Tonight I made the [Ultimate Short Ribs](http://www.foodnetwork.com/tylers-ultimate/ultimate-short-ribs/index.html).

Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 lbs. short ribs, in 1 long piece or at least in pairs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 large tomato, quartered
- 3 ribs celery
- 1/2 head garlic, peeled
- 1/4 bunch fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups low-sodium, organic beef stock
- 4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley


METHOD:

Preheat a cast iron grill or outdoor grill.

Season the short ribs with salt and pepper, drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, and brown on all sides.

Place the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and tomato into a food processor and blend until you reach a consistent, smooth pulp.

Take a large Dutch oven and place over medium-high heat. Add a 3-count of extra-virgin olive oil and add the thyme to infuse the oil. Next add the vegetable pulp, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for about 10 minutes. Pour in the red wine and stock and bring it to a boil. Using tongs take the ribs and nestle them into the braising mix; the liquid should just about cover the meat. Place the lid loosely on top, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the meat is very tender, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

When the ribs are about finished, remove about 1 to 2 cups of liquid and strain into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat the sauce until slightly reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.

NOTES:

I did a few things different then the directions called for. First, I browned the short ribs in the Dutch oven instead of a grill. It means that you have one less thing to clean, and you don't waste those wonderful brown bits. Just add the vegetable pulp to the Dutch oven after you brown the ribs and use that to deglaze the pot. Second, I used veal stock instead of the beef stock. I did this because I make veal stock 3 or 4 times a year, so I always have some on hand. It is also 100x better than any store bought stock. If you want to raise your food to the next level, veal stock is the key. Just do a Google search to see what I mean.

2006 Domaine de Cassan Côtes du Rhône Villages Beaumes-de-Venise Tradition

**2006 Domaine de Cassan Côtes du Rhône Villages Beaumes-de-Venise Tradition (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Beaumes-de-Venise)** The nose had sweet raspberry mixed with cedar, along with a little earth and vanilla, and a cherry finish. The palate was a little tannic, but had some sweet red fruit, vanilla, cedar, and a nice earthy finish. (88 pts.)

The South of France

Here are the [wines](http://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=8420) I tasted today:

* **2005 Calvet Thunevin Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes Cuvée Constance - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes**
The nose had pencil lead, coffee, chocolate, raspberry jam, and cassis liqueur. The palate was rich, and had pencil lead, raspberry, cassis, chocolate, and a coffee finish. (92 pts.)
* **2007 Domaine les Grands Bois Côtes du Rhône Cuvée les Trois Soeurs - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône**
The nose had black cherry, black currant, pepper, tar, and a little cinnamon at the end. The palate was rich and juicy, and had pepper, tar, smoke, black currant, and a cherry finish. (91 pts.)
* **2005 M. Chapoutier Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Bernardine - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape**
The nose had loads of blackberry jam, a little pepper, and some licorice. The palate was juicy, and had dirt, licorice, blackberry, and a nice stone finish. (91 pts.)
* **2005 Domaine Tempier Bandol - France, Provence, Bandol**
The nose had manure, leather, and blackberry. The palate had a lot of herbs, along with blackberry, leather, and an earthy finish. (91 pts.)
* **2007 Château de Saint-Cosme Gigondas - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas**
The nose was somewhat tight, but had blackberry, spice, and a little cassis. The palate was soft, and had blackberry, pepper, and cassis. (90 pts.)
* **2004 Domaine Gayda Vin de Pays d'Oc Chemin du Moscou - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d'Oc**
The nose had raspberry, rocks, cherry, mocha, and a bit of vanilla. The palate was slightly tannic, and had raspberry, minerals, chocolate, cherry, and a nice oak finish. (90 pts.)
* **2007 Prieure de Montezargues Tavel Rosé - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Tavel**
The nose had strawberry, cherry, and a little stone. The palate was crisp and clean, and had dirt, strawberry, and an herbal tea finish. (88 pts.)
* **2007 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape**
The nose had eucalyptus, blackberry, pepper, cassis, grilled meat, and a little tar. The palate was super smooth, and had pepper, blackberry, tar, cassis, and a meaty finish. (95 pts.)
* **2006 Tardieu-Laurent Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape**
The nose had loads of meat, some blackberry, a little spice, and some saddle leather. The palate was thick and rich, and had blackberry, spice, meat, and a leather finish. (93 pts.)

Only In Texas

[This story](http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/aug2009/texa-a22.shtml) illustrates everything that is wrong with the justice system in the US. We are more interested in the letter of the law then we are in the spirit of the law.

2006 Luigi Bosca Malbec Reserva

**2006 Luigi Bosca Malbec Reserva (Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo)** The nose had black currant and pepper, some cranberry and vanilla, and a nice earthy aroma at the end. The palate was rich and juicy, and had pepper, black currant, cranberry, vanilla, earth, and a pleasant spicy finish. (90 pts.)

Two Shrimp Dishes

I made two shrimp dishes tonight. They were both quick and easy, so I decided to make enough stuff to have left overs for a few days.
Here are the two dished I made with links to the recipes:

* [Shrimp Scampi](http://www.foodnetwork.com/tylers-ultimate/ultimate-shrimp-scampi/index.html)
* [Teamed Shrimp with Lager, Lemon and Thyme](http://www.tylerflorence.com/blog/?p=300)

Here are pictures of the finished meals:

Shrimp Scampi

I didn't include the Linguini, for obvious reasons, but the shrimp was so good by itself that I didn't even miss it.

Teamed Shrimp with Lager, Lemon and Thyme

The market didn't have any head on shrimp that looked good, so I got some without the head, but with the shells. The recipe called for a teaspoon of sugar. You can leave that out if you want, but it helps to bring out the flavors in the other ingredients, and the stock gets dumped anyway.

I had a glass of [2007 Pretty Sally Sauvignon Blanc Estate](http://blog.michaelmurry.org/2009/08/16/2007-pretty-sally-sauvignon-blanc-estate/) that went perfect with the shrimp.

2007 Pretty Sally Sauvignon Blanc Estate

**2007 Pretty Sally Sauvignon Blanc Estate (Australia, Victoria)** The nose had apple, peach, minerals, and pear. The palate was sweet and tangy, and had melon, peach, and pear. (89 pts.)

Old World Vs. New World

Here are the [wines](http://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=8356) I tasted today:

* **2006 Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands**
The nose had black currant, cherry, chocolate, spice, and vanilla. The palate was soft, rich, and juicy, and had black currant, spice, chocolate, and a nice clove finish. (91 pts.)
* **2004 Garretson Wine Company Syrah The Aisling - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles**
The nose had musty earth, raspberry, cherry, pepper, and spice. The palate was soft and slightly sweet, and had raspberry, smoke, earth, spice, and a good cherry finish. (91 pts.)
* **2006 Ferraton Père & Fils St. Joseph La Source - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph**
The nose had raspberry, cherry, and earth. The palate was smooth, and had stone, raspberry, cherry, and a dirty finish. (90 pts.)
* **2006 Château Clerc Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac**
The nose had chocolate, creme brulee, black currant, and vanilla. The palate was smooth, and had cedar, black currant, and a chocolate finish. (90 pts.)
* **2006 Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir Saratoga Cuvée - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains**
The nose had raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, and raw cookie dough. The palate was soft and had raspberry, blueberry, spice, forest floor, and a good vanilla finish. (89 pts.)
* **2005 Château Saint-André Corbin - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Georges-St. Émilion**
The nose had lots of toast and oak, leather, earth, and dark berries. The palate was smooth and had leather, earth, oak, raspberry, and a toasty finish. (88 pts.)
* **2006 Summers Winery Merlot Reserve - USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley**
The nose had wet leaves, bitter sweet chocolate, and raspberry. The palate was juicy, and had raspberry, earth, and a chocolate finish. (87 pts.)
* **2004 Surh Luchtel Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley**
The nose had manure, plum, raspberry, and a smoky finish. The palate was soft, and had smoke, barnyard, raspberry, and a good plum finish. (91 pts.)
* **2006 Château Clerc Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac**
The nose had chocolate, creme brulee, black currant, and vanilla. The palate was smooth, and had cedar, black currant, and a chocolate finish. (90 pts.)

2006 Viña Calina Carménère Alcance

**2006 Viña Calina Carménère Alcance (Chile, Central Valley, Maule Valley)** The nose was earthy and fruity, with nice dark berries, a touch of pumpkin pie spice, and some vanilla. The palate was soft and spicy, and had lots of black raspberry and black cherry, and finished with a dirty oak flavor. (88 pts.)

2003 Domaine La Florane Côtes du Rhone Villages Visan Terre Pourpre

**2003 Domaine La Florane Côtes du Rhone Villages Visan Terre Pourpre (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhone Villages Visan)** The nose had cloves and dirt, some cherry and black currant, and a touch of oak on the back-end. The palate soft and juicy, and had dirt, cloves, cherry, black currant, vanilla, and a peppery finish. (89 pts.)

2006 Soos Creek Artist's Series #6

**2006 Soos Creek Artist's Series #6 (USA, Washington, Columbia Valley)** The nose had lots of chocolate covered raspberry, a bit of dirt, and some vanilla at the end. The palate rich and jammy, and had raspberry, chocolate, vanilla, and a nice earthy finish. (92 pts.)

Other Reds and Whites

Here are the [wines](http://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=8310) I tasted today:

* **2005 Robert Sinskey Vineyards Cabernet Franc Vandal Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Carneros**
The nose had lots of bramble, herbs, raspberry, and vanilla. The palate was smooth, and had dirt, herbs, raspberry, and a floral finish. (91 pts.)
* **2007 Terra Andina Carménère - Chile, Central Valley**
The nose had black currant, blackberry, peppercorns, and a little dirt at the end. The palate was rich and juicy, and had blackberry, black currant, and a peppery finish. (89 pts.)
* **2008 Mollydooker Verdelho The Violinist - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale**
The nose had honey, cantaloupe, cinnamon, and some floral notes at the end. The palate rich and creamy, and had peach, melon, spice, and a slight honey finish. (89 pts.)
* **2004 Bunan Bandol Moulin des Costes - France, Provence, Bandol**
The nose had berries, and a little vanilla. The palate was sodt, and had blackberry, spice, dirt, and peppery finish. (87 pts.)
* **2005 Cantine Due Palme Squinzano - Italy, Puglia, Squinzano**
The nose had plum, earth, and a little blackberry. The palate was slightly sweet, and had plum, dirt, spice, and a blackberry finish. (85 pts.)
* **2006 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Dolcetto di Dogliani - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Dolcetto di Dogliani**
The nose had black currant, vanilla, raspberry, and a little spice. The palate was a bit tart, and had black currant, oak, spice, and an earthy finish. (85 pts.)
* **2003 Conterno Fantino Barolo Sorì Ginestra - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo**
The nose had grilled tomatoes, smoked wood, cherry, plum, and a dirty finish. The palate was very tart, and had toasted oak, cherry, plum, herbs, and a spicy finish. (92 pts.)
* **2007 Robert Foley Pinot Blanc - USA, California, Napa Valley**
The nose had peach, floral notes, and some floral notes. The palate was crisp and clean, and had floral notes, peach, and a stony finish. (90 pts.)

2006 Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir Seven Twenty Eight Fiddlestix

**2006 Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir Seven Twenty Eight Fiddlestix (USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills - Sta. Rita Hills)** The nose had cherry, nutmeg, raspberry, thyme, and vanilla. The palate was soft and juicy, with cherry, forest floor, spice, and a good raspberry and oak finish. (90 pts.)

California vs. Washington

Here are the [wines](http://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=8241) I tasted today:

* **2006 Two Angels Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley**
The nose had black currant, spice, cherry, and a little earth at the end. The palate was soft, and had black currant, spice, cherry, and a cedar finish. (91 pts.)
* **2005 Saint-Laurent Syrah mrachek vineyards - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Wahluke Slope**
The nose had black cherry, black currant, and espresso. The palate was soft and juicy, and had mocha, mint, black cherry, and black currant. (90 pts.)
* **2007 Shannon Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, North Coast, Lake County**
The nose had cherry, blueberry, and vanilla bean. The palate was rich and juicy, and had blueberry, spice, vanilla, and a cherry finish. (90 pts.)
* **2007 L'Ecole No. 41 Recess Red - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley**
The nose had had plum, toast, cherry, and a little dirt at the end. The palate was juicy and rich, and had spice, cherry, raspberry, and a tobacco finish. (89 pts.)
* **2007 Sunset Road Merlot Independent Producers - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley**
The nose had black currant, cherry, and a bit of dirt and oak and the end. The palate was a bit tannic, but good, and had black currant, earth, plum, and a cherry and oak finish. (87 pts.)
* **2004 Long Shadows Wineries Chester-Kidder - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley*
The nose had leather, cedar, graphite, blackberry, and some coffee at the end. The palate was soft and rich, and had blackberry, mocha, pencil lead, leather, and some cedar on the finish. (94 pts.)
* **2005 Ristow Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Quinta de Pedras - USA, California, Napa Valley**
The nose had blackberry, plum, cherry, and oak. The palate was rich and had espresso, blackberry, cherry, and a great chocolate finish. (94 pts.)