Monday, May 25, 2009

Carpineto Dogajolo Super Tuscan (not TJ's) ****

After waking up at 6:30 to the sun streaming in and birds singing - I had to remind myself that I was smack dab in the city - NYC to be exact. Last night, after seeing a friend star in an off Broadway play, we went to a celebratory Italian dinner where we shared a bottle of `07 Dogajolo Super Tuscan Red. It was a really good wine, after it had a moment to breath. (which allowed me to wax on about the wonders of the vinturi) I do think that this was my first experience with a "Super Tuscan". I liked it, the glasses went down easily with my Caesar Salad and Eggplant Parmesan with Linguine. Even though we were stuffed, as a "dolce" the four of us shared a light and tasty chocolate mousse cake. I'll have to wait for them to remind me of the name of the restaurant. (it was a good night out)

Adventures in Fermentation
Meanwhile, I tasted the Ginger Beer today. (I stand corrected - I am brewing Ginger Beer, not Ginger Ale) It is really good, and I'll be making this all summer. I modified it though, I added some iced tea to the mix; it cut a bit of the ginger bite and added some caramel color. I'll re-bottle it this afternoon in plastic for the picnic.

Menu:
Home fermented Ginger Beer/Iced Tea
Shrimp & Chicken summer rolls with plum dipping sauce
Cold buttermilk fried chicken
Strawberry shortcake with homemade biscuits, fresh strawberries and aerosol whipped cream (my one concession)

Stages of Fermentation
(note the added color from the Iced Tea)
click on thumbnails to make larger

Day One - Freshly Bottled.......... Day Two - Bubbling Away.......... Day Three - Drink!


I am going to be tinkering with home fermenting all summer - it is cheap, fun, and tastes really good. Maybe one day, I'll graduate to making homemade wines... but until then, you'll get plenty of Trader Joe's reviews.

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