Photo by Chris Andre

Most of the presenters at the sessions are the winemakers at their wineries, which was true for all 4 of the presenters at the session I attended. My session included Rob McNeill of Mumm Napa Estates, Tom Rinaldi of Provenance Vineyards, George Bursick of J Vineyards and Ed Sbragia of Sbragia Family Vineyards presenting with Evan Goldstein of Full Circle Wine Solutions moderating.  This group has been doing these events together for 8 or 9 years now and have definitely built a synergy.  They've also build a following.  They are the best attended session of Vintners' Holidays, no matter if they are first, last or somewhere in between in the series.

Photo by Chris Andre

The lectures are a mixture of wine tasting and wine learning. Some vintners bring barrel samples for the tastings and some bring recent releases.  They discuss the wines, wine making, terroirs, wine regulations, and much more.  In one session we even got to do a wine sushi pairing, but most sessions do not include food pairings.

Photo by Chris Andre

Some interesting tidbits that were shared during the session I attended include:

• -Mixing sweet wines with heat is going to be a hit
• -When pairing wine with food always taste the wine on its own first, then have the food and taste again to see how it has changed.
• -A wine must contain 75% of a single varietal to be labeled as that varietal
• -A wine must contain 95% of the grapes from a single vineyard to be vineyard designated.
• -Cellar wine at 55-60 degrees
• -and many more.

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Japanese food has always seemed a bit out of reach to me; out of reach in my kitchen that is.  I enjoy eating it out, but making my own just seemed to complex with lots of unusual ingredients.  I'm happy to say that is changing thanks to Harumi Kurihara's latest cookbook - Everyday Harumi.

As the title suggests, the book is aimed at recipes for everyday Japanese food - not the fancy dishes that even people in Japan only eat when they go out or on special occasions, but the food of the everyday person: Simple but flavorful food. 

Harumi has captured not only that goal but she has also captured me with her choices of everyday favorites.  Ground pork is a meat I've found myself liking more and more in the past year so I started with her "Green Beans and Minced Pork" dish.  I also chose this as my first Japanese dish at home because, as you can see in the recipe below, it doesn't call for any unusual ingredients.  The dish was easy to make, but full flavored with the ginger and chili peppers. I also liked that it focused more on the fresh green beans than the meat while still having enough meat to provide the underlying flavor boost.

While Harumi does have recipes that don't require special ingredients, a bunch require Dashi stock which is made from seaweed and fish flakes.  You can buy premade Dashi stock or you can make your own with Harumi's recipe.  Other than the Dashi stock the vast majority of the ingredients are common and most I already have in my pantry or routinely buy for other recipes.

After one recipe I was not quite ready to plunge so deeply into Japanese cooking by making my own Dashi stock.  Instead, I went with the "Fried Rice with Crabmeat" for my second Japanese dish.  This dish intrigued me with it's combination of crabmeat and ground beef which I don't think I'd ever had together before.  That's too bad because the result is wonderful. In fact, the dish is a bit addictive.  Harumi says this dish serves 2-4.  My husband and I could have easily ate it all in one sitting, but we didn't.  Perhaps that's another aspect of these dishes that appeal to me - they are not highly fat ridden as many American dishes are.  Yet, they taste great and now I can't wait to try my hand at making the Dashi Stock and hopefully cooking many more Japanese dishes at home…

Green Beans with Minced Pork

From Everyday Harumi by Harumi Kurihara, Conran 2009

This dish is something of a tradition in my household. It is easy to prepare, only needing soy sauce for seasoning, and makes use of wonderful ingredients like ginger, garlic and Japanese leeks. It is a great dish that can be rustled up quickly if guests drop in unexpectedly. I usually serve it with white rice and if there are any leftovers, they don't last long in our house.

Serves 4

• 3 cups green beans
• small leek (about 2oz)
• 1/2 oz fresh ginger, peeled
• 2 fat cloves garlic
• sunflower or vegetable oil-for frying
• 7 oz ground pork
• 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
• Sliced fresh or dried red chilies-to taste
• Sesame oil-to taste
  

1. Prepare the green beans, lightly cook in boiling water, then rinse under cold running water.

2. Drain the beans, pat them dry, and cut diagonally into bite-sized pieces.

3. Finely chop the leek, ginger, and garlic.

4. Put a little oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the chopped leek, ginger, and garlic, allowing the flavors to infuse in the oil, then add the ground pork and stir-fry.

5. Add the green beans, then add soy sauce and red chili to taste.

6. Continue to cook until the beans have heated through. Add a little sesame oil to taste and serve with hot white rice.

Fried Rice with Crabmeat

From Everyday Harumi by Harumi Kurihara, Conran 2009

Fried rice can be enjoyed all year round, I even cook it outdoors when we have a barbecue with friends and family. I like to add soy sauce flavored with garlic and ginger because I think it works well with the crabmeat and as I usually have some of the sauce ready-made in the fridge. If you have the time to make the sauce 2 weeks in advance it makes this recipe quicker and easier and also improves its flavor. The real trick of making good fried rice is to remember to keep tossing the ingredients in the wok to make sure that everything is well mixed and that the end result is light and free from lumps.

Serves 2-4

• 5 oz cooked white crabmeat, without shell
• 1/4 onion, peeled
• 2 scallions
• 3 medium eggs
• salt and pepper-to season
• 4 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil-for frying
• 3 1/2 oz ground beef
• 2 2/3 cups cooked Japanese sushi rice

For the garlic and ginger soy sauce:

• 6-9 fat cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 oz fresh ginger
• 1 2/3 cups soy sauce

1. To make the garlic and ginger soy sauce: Slice the garlic and the ginger, add them to the soy sauce, put in a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid, and refrigerate.

2. Loosen the crabmeat flakes, making sure there are no large chunks.

3. Finely chop the onion and scallions.

4. Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

5. Put a wok over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Pour in the egg mixture and fry quickly, stirring gently as it is cooking. When lightly cooked, put into a bowl and set aside.

6. Put a little more oil in the wok, add the beef, and cook, adding the onion (though not the scallion), once the beef has browned.

7. Add the rice and toss the ingredients together in the wok, adding a little more oil if necessary, until all the oil is used. Pour 3 tablespoons of the garlic and ginger soy sauce around the rim of the pan and toss all the ingredients together, ensuring that the sauce is evenly mixed in and that the rice doesn't stick.

8. Continue to toss for around 7-8 minutes, then add the crabmeat and cooked eggs, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss the ingredients again for a further couple of minutes to heat the crabmeat through. Turn the heat off and add the scallion. Mix in thoroughly and serve piping hot.

About Everyday Harumi

In Everyday Harumi, Harumi Kurihara, Japan's most popular cookbook writer, selects her favorite foods and presents more than 60 new home-style recipes for you to make for family and friends.  Harumi wants everyone to be able to make her recipes and she demonstrates how easy it is to cook Japanese food for every day occasions without needing to shop at specialist food stores. 

Available at Amazon.com 

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Halloween is a fun holiday that can be even more fun with some creative cooking. The Halloween tag on Project Foodie has a collection of nearly 80 Halloween recipes ranging from appetizers to desserts.  To help you find some of the scariest, I've highlighted some of our favorites at the end of this post.  And to help you even more with your Halloween preparations, Heather and I searched the web for some fun, freaky and frightening ways to dish-up Halloween for both the kids and adults.

-The Food Network has a freaky party menu, creepy recipes, pumpkin carving, over-the-top costumes and more ghoulish delights.

-Better Homes and Gardens has 22 quick Halloween party food recipes. 

-Picky Palate's Breadstick Mummy Dogs may not be a foodie taste test favorite but these fun Halloween recipes will definitely get you well on your way to having a freaky Halloween. 

-Healthy Eating for Healthy Living has some ghoulish looking treats that will keep you on the healthy side. 

-Disney's Family Fun has a neat assembly of 20 spooky Halloween snacks.

-Kiwi Magazine has 'do it yourself' Halloween costumes, down under recipes and a collection of spooky books and movies to keep you scared silly this Halloween.

And who says you need kids to enjoy Halloween? 

-Hostess Blog serves up some great Halloween cocktails.

-Woman's Day takes it a step further with tips on having a great adults-only Halloween party with elegance.

Last, but not least, here are a few of our favorite Halloween picks from the Project Foodie recipe box. They're all tagged with the Halloween tag, so if you don't find what suits your need, check out the other tagged recipes.

Mini Ghost Cupcakes (All You, October, 2006) My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 View: finding recipe... More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (0) hide comment | show notes hide notes | show tags hide tags | share hide share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments:

Owl Cookies (Sunset, October, 2005) My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 View: finding recipe... More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (0) hide comment | show notes hide notes | show tags hide tags | share hide share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments:

Scary Spiders (All You, October, 2009) My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 View: finding recipe... More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (0) hide comment | show notes hide notes | show tags hide tags | share hide share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments:

Chocolate Marshmallow-Ghost Cake and Mini Cupcakes (Martha Stewart Living, October, 2006) My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 View: finding recipe... More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (0) hide comment | show notes hide notes | show tags hide tags | share hide share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments:

Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies (All You, October, 2006) My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 View: finding recipe... More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (0) hide comment | show notes hide notes | show tags hide tags | share hide share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments:

Mini Ghost Cupcakes (All You, October, 2006) My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 View: finding recipe... More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (0) hide comment | show notes hide notes | show tags hide tags | share hide share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments:

Skull Madeleines (Martha Stewart Living, October, 2008) My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 View: finding recipe... More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (0) hide comment | show notes hide notes | show tags hide tags | share hide share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments:

Chocolate Spiderweb Cookies (Cooking Light, October, 2003) My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 View: finding recipe... More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (0) hide comment | show notes hide notes | show tags hide tags | share hide share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments:

Do you know of more freakish foodie fun?  Leave a comment or email me ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ) to share your favorites...

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Chef Jesse Ziff Cool

Never heard of Chefs' Holidays?  It is a series of Chef led cooking classes and demonstrations held over 2-3 day periods in Yosemite National Park each winter.   While you might think winter in the Sierra Nevadas is not something to celebrate, the reality is that Yosemite Valley is a bit isolated at a lower elevation so the amount of snow and overall temperatures are not as extreme as you would think, and the whole park is as beautiful in the winter as it is in the summer.  Not to mention that in addition to the classes, each session has a "Meet the Chefs" reception, a behind-the-scenes kitchen tour of the Ahwahnee Kitchen, and a five-course Chefs' Holidays Gala Dinner with wine pairings prepared by the headliner chef. This year's event includes 8 sessions between January 10 to February 4, 2010; details can be found here.

Chef Annie Somerville

Up first is Chef Christopher Lee who will be presenting at the Chefs' Holidays for Session 3 on Sunday January 17, 2010 through Tuesday January 19th. 

Chef Christopher Lee went to culinary school at CCA in San Francisco following which he's had an impressive career at a number of big name restaurants.  After culinary school, he started as a line cook at the 5th Floor in San Franscisco before moving to New York City were he was also a line cook at Daniel and Jean George. He was then a Sous Chef at Oceana and Chef at the Striped Bass in Philadelphia.  Most recently he was the Chef at Gilt and is now the Chef at Aureole both in New York City.  As busy as he is, he recently took the time to answer some questions Heather Jones passed his way:

Q: When did you decide you wanted a career in food?

A: I decided to go into the food industry at the age of 17 after doing a summer job with a catering company under a Chef that had a C.I.A. background.

Q: What trends in the food world right now have you most excited?

A: I see two trends, one in Spanish Cuisine and the other in Casual Dining making a run. And I see Fine Dining taking a hit and suffering a little.

Q: Could you tell us a few restaurant secrets/tips that home cooks could benefit from?

A: First would be blanching vegetables with proper ice bathing to help keep all the great nutrients in the vegetables themselves.  Another would be knowing how to use a blender:  Do not over fill the blender to the top. That way, the blender can actually do it job and it will save the motor because it will put less stress on the machine.

Q: When you’re not at your restaurants/businesses where can we find you?

A: Usually I'm at home hanging out with my 10 month old son and wife. Or taking long drives along the shore, or strolling in parks.

Q: You’ve been called the champion of New American cuisine, how would you define New American cuisine?

A: American Cuisine is an evolving style of cooking built on classical French cuisine. It has a focus on American regional ingredients that thrive on seasons.  It is a cuisine that allows us to use global flavors.

Q: I live in the Delaware Valley area and I know you spent some time at Striped Bass in Philadelphia.  In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between the restaurant scene in Philadelphia versus New York?

A: New York has too much competition, everyone wants to out do the other.  In Philly, everyone wanted just to be your friend and enjoy the restaurant community. New Yorkers always think about wants next….    

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