Daygustation.co.uk

We live in an age of extreme technology, yet some things remain surprisingly static. Think of the humble water closet. First patented by Joseph Bramah in 1778, it remains virtually unchanged to this day. And how about the wine we drink? Despite the progress we have made in quality and consistency, it would still be recognisable to the pioneer winemakers of Armenia, six thousand years ago.
Yet like haute couture, wine fashion is fickle. Trends come and go. Thirty years ago Liebfraumilch was all the rage and in another thirty years we may look back on the current trend for rosé wines with disdain.  Grapes, regions and styles wax and wane in popularity.  So is there anything revolutionary on the wine horizon? Wine has been bottled since the 17th century, but although sterile and tactile, glass is clearly inefficient: energy-heavy to produce, expensive to transport and easily broken. Is there no better solution? Bag-in-box (BIB) technology has existed since the late 1960s, yet accounts for less than 10% of the UK market. BIB packaging  is cheaper and more energy efficient to produce, lighter and therefore cheaper/more eco-friendly to transport, easier to handle with less danger of breakage, and 100% recyclable.  BIB is also consumer friendly: easy to open and convenient to store. Crucially, box wine is not subject to cork taint or spoilage after opening and can stay fresh for up to 4 weeks.  So what is holding BIB back? Until recently the format was used exclusively for cheap, mass produced wines. However thanks to a BIB boom in countries like Norway (where it accounts for half the market) smaller, premium producers like Johannes Leitz (Rheingau, Germany) and Luca Roagna (Piedmont, Italy) are starting to use BIB.  The only brake on future expansion is prejudice, and lack of UK availability.  Better for you, better for the environment:  isn’t it time we started to drink out of the box?

Learn to cook while staying in a beautiful villa near Siena. The course covers all the Italian basics including pasta, pizza, risotto and gnocchi. This is a hands-on course and each day you will be taught how to cook a regional three course menu. The wine course will take in all of Italy’s regions and each wine will be explained with reference to history, grapes, climate and wine-making techniques. All dishes you cook will be carefully matched with a red, white or dessert wine demonstrating why Italian wines are amongst the greatest food wines in the world.

Forget about foie gras. Knowing your burger onions is the sign of a true gourmet. However, finding a good burger is quite like finding a good woman. So complex, so illusive and so many variables that can go wrong. But when you find a goody…oh boy!

This is the story of one man’s search for the best bit of pattie in town.

Exchange: Hawksmoor

Currency: £15.00

Platform: Well-loved Longhorn, including small nuggets of bone marrow

Spread: Home-made sweet brioche bun

Commodities: Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Pickle & Ogleshield Cheese or Colston Bassett Stilton

Derivatives: Triple cooked beef dripping chips

Analysis: Hawksmoor now has three steak restaurants in the City and West End and is famous for its well hung meat supplied by the Ginger Pig. The burger used to be off-menu and available at lunch only, but now a fixture on the bar menu. The bun (now brioche) is vastly improved since my visit to the original Spitalfields and holds together like a dream. The chips which I once rated as some of the best in London (Quo Vadis still holds that honour) weren’t up to the usual high standard – more like roast potatoes. The pattie is moist (the bone marrow doing its job) and flavourful, but not sure if burger meat shoulds be well-hung? A very good burger, but the search for perfection continues…..

Forecast: 7.5/10

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The natural wine movement, which began in France in the 1970s, could be seen as retaliation to all the taste-free, insipid, mass produced brands that litter our shelves. Although it has taken some 40 years to gather momentum, today natural wine is the buzzword on the lips of most sommeliers. Natural wines are now produced all over the world, but Italy and France are particular hotbeds of activity. But what is unnatural wine? Until 50 or so years ago most wine was made traditionally (without the helping hand of science). Some was good, but a lot of it was faulty – over-sulphured, rancid, oxidised, dried out, dirty…..the list goes on! In the 60s new world pioneers in Australia and California started producing technically perfect wines through the appliance of science and today most wine is made in this way.

I admit it. One swallow last week and I decided that summer was here! I feel a bit foolish now as the rain pours down, but I have started so….
We all have a summer wardrobe, but many of us forget to drink with the season. Put away those heavy Barolos and Chiantis and let the sunshine into your mouth. Summer wines should be young, unoaked and light. Also if you are drinking in the sun, wines lower in alcohol are far more quaffable and the responsible choice! My first recommendation is Saracco Moscato d’Asti 2010 from Piedmont (£14 Daygustation). One swallow of this does a summer make: sweet grapey Muscat refreshingly low in alcohol (5%). Sweeter styles should be embraced in the heat of this moment.
Rosé always seems like a good idea in the sun, but remember made from red grapes they are actually heavier than whites with more structure and depth. A Mano Rosato from Puglia (£10 Daygustation) is dry and perfumed with ripe strawberry notes; perfect for a summer wedding or even a decent proposal.
Finally don’t forget about reds. You can’t chill full bodied wines like Chianti because it accentuates the astringency of the tannins. However, wines like Valpolicella and Dolcetto based reds from the Piedmont have very soft tannins and chill down a treat. Try the cherry laden Allegrini Valpolicella 2009 from Veneto (£10 Daygustation) with the Panzanella (below).

The most disappointing thing about living in Tuscany? The bread! Although a cut above Sunblest and baked fresh daily it lacks flavour (it is usually unsalted) and goes stale quicker than you can say Panzanella! Luckily this recipe makes stale bread into Tuscan gold. This bread salad can be served as a summery starter or goes well with grilled fish or roast chicken. The most difficult part of the recipe (if you are in the UK) will be getting your hands on a good tomato!

Porcini Risotto (Veneto)

When you count in the salt cod (£15), the bottle of olive oil (£7.50) and the digital thermometer (£25) this ‘peasant’ dish starts to become seriously haughty. Never one to measure anything this is a new approach for me, but apparently essential for this recipe:

Buy a nice chunk of cod from the thickest bit of the fillet. Soak in water for 72 hours (my recipe said 48 and the fish was too salty) changing the regularly. Pat dry. Heat enough oil in a pan so that the fish is submerged – it took me a litre. Heat to 80 degrees Celsius. Add the cold fish which will reduce the temperature, so give it some gas. By turning the gas off and on keep the oil at 70?C for 10 minutes. Lift the fish out and keep warm. Turn up the heat and add some sliced green pepper and fry until soft. Strain and add to the fish. Finely slice enough potato to fill a small frying pan. Add to the oil and fry on a low heat (no colour) until soft. Beat 9 eggs in a large bowl with salt and pepper. Drain the potatoes and add to the eggs. Pour into the frying pan, press well down and pop in a hot oven 170?C and bake until the egg is just set – about 10mins. Serve the warm cod and peppers with the spanish omelette. Verdict: the most amazing tortilla, but the cod though perfectly textured and moist was still too salty. Must try harder!

Forget about foie gras. Knowing your burger onions is the sign of a true gourmet. However, finding a good burger is quite like finding a good woman. So complex, so illusive and so many variables that can go wrong. But when you find a goody…oh boy!

This is the story of one man’s search for the best bit of pattie in town.

Exchange: Byron (Islington)

Currency: £6.25

Platform: Succulent patty

Spread: Home-made soft bap

Commodities: Pickles, tomato and red onion

Derivatives: Skin on chips or fries

Analysis: Byron is the new chain on the block, but with only ten restaurants let’s call it a boutique chain. Service is intelligent and really friendly – but who cares? What about the beef? I greedily ate two. One medium the second rare – burgers are better medium. The juicy beef and bun (slightly buttered) is a cut above anything else on the high street and fantastic value. I added some tangy BBQ sauce and chilli sauce for extra kick. A really great burger! I didn’t rate the chips (too burnt) or fries (too standard frozen) though. Shakes are great, some interesting beers – pity about the dull wines. All in all a very respectable score – for a boutique chain!

Forecast: 8/10

Byron

Steamed dumplings are one of life’s greatest pleasures. But with so many great Dim Sum restaurants in London is it really worth the hastle? This recipe is quick, easy and fun to make and you can be sure to avoid ‘surprise’ meat!

I use wanton wrapers that you can buy fresh in all good Chinese and Vietnamese supermarkets. One packet will give you around 30 dumplin’ – enough for 4 as a starter. Keep the wrapers chilled in the fridge until the last minute or they meld together into an unworkable lump!

Ingredients:

400g best organic pork mince

3 spring onions, finely chopped

1 large piece fresh ginger, grated

1 garlic clove, grated

1 egg

Seasoning: Soy sauce, Chilli sauce, Ketchup, Sesame Oil, Black Pepper

Method

Mix the pork and all the other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add enough seasoning (you can experiment to your taste) so the mix is moist, but never wet.

Lay out your wrapers on a plastic chopping board and spoon a walnut sized splodge of stuffing on to the centre of each. Don’t overfill!

Using a pastry brush paint a little water round the edge of each wrapper. Fold in half to make a triangle, then gather up the remaining edges and give a little twist to form a ‘purse’. (see first image above). Pop them into an oiled bamboo steamer – if you don’t oil they will stick! Don’t crowd them in – leave enough space in between each to allow for swelling. Steam for 15 minutes and serve with a soy or chilli dipping sauce. Yum yum!