gastrotommy Archives - WebTalkRadio.net

072312

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071212

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062512

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These are our ideas for summer! It’s heating up all over the US. We are encouraging our audience to have a slow summer. We begin with the idea from Slow Food, which came out of Italy and has spread around the US. The movement grew out of the fast food movement and the implications have been disastrous. We have seen the horrible affects this has had on the small farmers, the environment and our long-term health. We now live in a world where one in two minority children will develop diabetes because of the swelling obesity issue. Gastro is encouraging us all to slow down, shop better and to really be in the moment with our friends and family when we sit down to break bread.

Here are the top 5 gastro ideas for a wonderfully slow summer:

Our guest on the show is the esteemed Luciano Creminelli who is an artisan producer of Old World Style salumi! We became aware of the these gorgeous meats from our dear friend Herb Eckhouse from La Quercia.

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Mary leads us off with a great website www.fieldtoplate.com to help us find what is in season in your area of the country. Mary lists 3 more great sites to help discover further information.

Gastrotommy- www.gastrotommy.com

Field to Plate- www.fieldtoplate.com

Grate Chef- www.gratechef.com

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Today we dive into cooking with herbs. We distinguish the difference between herbs and spices first. Then, we jump in on the subject of fresh vs dried. Is there a place for dried herbs? Sure! It is a matter of convenience. However, the great chefs of the world are using fresh herbs. They tend to use these herbs in smaller quantities as well. While Herbs d’ Provence is sold in many places, there are several different recipes. This medley of herbs is a great seasoning for roasted, grilled and sautéed dishes.

We are thrilled to speak with our friends from Le Creuset this week. The company was founded in 1925 just outside of Paris, France. They are the celebrated producers of the best enamel cast iron French Ovens. These devices are perfect to cook with on the stove or in the oven for long slow cooking techniques, and then can go right to the table. They are as stylish as they are technical. In the last few years, Le Crueset has expanded the line to include porcelain kitchen containers, a wide assortment of cooking, bar, wine and coffee tools as well as range of serving pieces. Be sure, all these products are offered in their bold colors.

Our wines today are the Qupe Marsanne and the Domaine de la Petite Cassagne from the Robert Kacher portfolio. Qupe primarily focuses on Rhone varietals. This wine has a great medium weight to it, shows some great floral notes and can be paired beautifully with rabbit, chicken, fish etc. The Dme de la Petit Cassagne is from the Costieres di Nimes. The wine is a tremendous value, shows some great dark berry fruit and hints of terroir and herbs. It has a bit of a peppery quality that is rather subtle. We know you will love this, especially because it is less than $10!

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This week we begin with an educational piece teaching our listening audience on how to visually analyze wine. This information comes directly from Tommy’s Sommelier training. Mary jumps in and gives us a rundown of some great spring produce. Mary & Tommy discuss a couple of great cookbooks like The Farm: Rustic Recipes for a Year of Incredible Food by Ian Knauer and Seven Fires by Francis Mallmann. Our wine tasting this week focuses on a Vouvray from Dme. Pichot. This wine is from the Loire Valley and is made from Chenin Blanc. This grape is among the most versatile grapes that can make bone dry to sweet wines, flat and sparkling. They have a wonderful aromatic quality that sing of lavender and honey. The red wine is from Sicily. It is the Tascsa d’ Almerita, Lumuri made from Nero d’Avola. This is a delicious wine from an area gaining momentum on the world stage. We hope you enjoy the show.

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The discussion today moves to the growing role that Sommeliers play in restaurants today. We discuss what actually goes into becoming a Sommelier, the study, the examinations, etc. While it is wonderful to see Sommeliers being recognized for their work, their rise in the awareness of the American diner has increased steadily over a 15 year period. However, the bulk of the dining public is still wary of this service. We can only hope that this service can be better received over a period of time.

Our featured appliance of the week is the Vitamix. These are the best blenders available on the market. Tommy cites how he uses them daily now with fruit smoothies in the morning, veggie shakes in the afternoon and soups in the evening. The Vitamix is remarkably durable which helps to explain the lofty price.

Finally, Mary and I had a cookoff of our Chicken Pot Pies. While we were hoping for a vicious battle, we found that our recipes had surprisingly similar ingredients. I am very comfortable recommending either dish as they were both great. For the recipes, please check out our website Gastrotommy. There we will recommend wines to match as well.

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Tommy and Mary talk about some of their favorite Chocolate producers including New New Chocolate from Brooklyn, Ococ from LA and Vosges Chocolate from Chicago. In Bon Appetit, the March issues disusses the Tastemakers of 2012. Mary then talks about the great cheesemakers at Uplands Cheese in southwestern Wisconsin who makes great unpasteurized cheese. Tommy then talks about the esteemed Judy Chad from Capriole in the southern part of Indiana. Judy is simply regarded as one of the finest Goat Cheese producers in the world. The conversation then turns to great salami/salumi producers in the US. As always, we start with our friends at La Quercia, but focus on the great product from Fra Mani in California and Creminelli in Utah.

The second segment of the show turns to our Wine & Food Pairing. Tommy addresses the importance of wine importers to the American industry. One of the foremost of these importers is Robert Kacher or Bobby to those who know and love him. The first wine that Tommy and Mary taste is from Chateau du Tariquet Classic which is about $8 retail and comprised of Ugni Blanc (45%), Colombard (35%), Sauvignon Blanc (10%) and Gros Manseng (10%). The wine is light, crisp, refreshing and only shows 11% alcohol. The wine is a great aperitif, wonderful with shellfish or to be matched with goat cheese. The red wine is Mas de Guiot, a blend of Syrah (60%) and Grenache (40%). The wine is $8.99 and is a steal. It has a gentle tannic quality, drinks easily, and is a medium weight red. It shows subtle herbal qualities, and dark cherries and ripe berries. We love this wine with Red Tail Venison, lamb, steaks, burgers, an assortment of pastas, etc.

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This week we will talk about some of the people, publications that our audience should be following. We acknowledge the quality the articles in the Wine Spectator, but question the merits of their scoring system. Tommy can support Decanter in a more inclusive capacity. Although the magazine has a condescending quality towards American wines, their perspective on the rest of the global wine scene is considerable. Mary, our lovely co-host, has interviewed so many cookbook authors and gives us a short list of her favorite books. She starts with Steve Raichlen and his Planet BBQ or his website BBQBilbe.com. She is also a big fan or the Barefoot Contessa. Tommy is a big fan of Mario Batali’s books which he has Our favorite wine blog is Tom Wark’s Fermentation.

This week we introduce a new feature to the show where we analyze a specific wine and discuss the types of food that can be paired with it. Although there are a plethora of American food shows and clearly there is a profound love of wine, there is not a structured place to discuss food and wine pairings. Gastro will be that place. There is a specific jargon to this activity that we will help the audience become more familiar with these terms.

The show closes with our partner Danny Halfman has created the World’s Best Beer Rating System. Danny has moved away from the traditional scale to one that is completely unique, completely original. It will soon become the most used beer rating system.

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