Food+Wine Archives

Posted 3/5/2012
Celebrating Razor Clams
It’s March! And that means the opening of Razor Clam season here in Washington State. A meaty, sweet, buttery crustacean this wonderful native of our area is very versatile in cooking. It can be prepared a variety of different ways, and because of this can also be paired with many different types of wines!

I am most familiar with being served this delightful sea creature lightly pan-fried. It’s a wonderful classic way to show off the flavors of this shellfish. For this particular preparation, I would drink a nice dry white wine to cut through the grease of the dish. A Sancerre would be a perfect accompaniment (try Roche de Lune 2009 Sancerre).

Another way to prepare razor clams is with a basic tomato, white wine, & garlic sauce, served with pasta and topped with shavings of Parmesan cheese. Basic, delicious, and brings a hint of Italian home cooking to a traditional Northwest delicacy. Try using a drier white wine in this recipe (or use this to pair with the dish after cooking) like Saviah 2010 Star Meadows Semillion/Sauvignon Blanc blend.

Now a recipe for razor clams on the lighter side: grilled razor clams with citrus vinaigrette. Lemon & garlic especially compliment the flavor of razor clams.  Try this dish paired alongside a Spanish white like the Bodegas Casto Pequeno 2010 Chamelin Rueda.

One last way to cook razor clams is to try preparing a dish using asian-cuisine inspired ingredients. One complimentary flavor is Thai chilies and coconut milk. Try making a kind of stir-fry using these ingredients and a bit of Thai basil or lemongrass. Try pairing this with something like a von Hoevel 2007 Oberemmeler Huette Riesling Spaetlese.

Cheers!
Kyle

 

Posted 2/21/2012
A Scandinavian Treat in Honor of Historic Ballard
 
As a fairly long-time Ballard Avenue resident, we like to think that we still hold a fair amount of Scandinavian pride (much like the other Ballard locals). It is in this spirit that we decided to bring you our latest blog post topic: Gjetost (a goat milk based cheese from Norway).

The outward appearance of Gjetost might seem slightly off putting until you have tasted it. It is a nutty brown color, and comes in block form (it bears an uncanny resemblance to red clay). However, there is a reason that the Scandinavians (in particular, the Norwegians) have held this delicacy close to their hearts for years. The name Gjetost comes from the Norwegian word for goat or ‘Gjet’. It gets its brown color and caramel-like flavor from the process in which it is made. The leftover whey in goats’ milk is heated and reduced until the lactose in the whey caramelizes.
Gjetost tastes slightly sweet, creamy, nutty, and tangy. It is usually served in thin slices (it is easiest to use a cheese slicer, however a small knife, or even a vegetable peeler will work…) and paired with fruit such as apple, pear, or melon. It has an incredibly smooth texture, but has the creaminess of a soft goat’s cheese (like chèvre) and comparable taste characteristics of soft caramel or butterscotch. Surprisingly, Gjetost is very light (imagine a dense version of cream cheese) and easily will melt in your mouth (it’s been described as similar to fudge).

In Norway it is enjoyed with jam on toast (or with spice cake on Christmas) but it is lovely as an afternoon snack or as an addition to an after-meal cheese plate (delicious served alongside a spicy chutney). This cheese can easily be paired with either beer or wine (as long as they pack enough punch to keep up with the flavors in the Gjetost). We chose to pair our serving of Gjetost with Domaine de Bernardins 2009 Muscat de Beaumes de Venise(available here at Portalis for $20.99).

So here is a special “Skål” to the Scandinavian roots of Ballard!

Cheers!
Kyle (…who’s Kyle?)

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Posted 2/10/2012
Sticky Toffee Pudding is Back!

It’s not often that Chef Tracey gives her recipes away, but this one appeared in our Holiday Book of Recipes in 2010 and so I didn’t think I’d be giving away the farm if I posted it one more time:

CHEF TRACEY’S STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING
Pudding: 2 cups diced dates, 2¼ cups water, 1½ tsp baking soda, 2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp salt, 6 Tbs unsalted butter (softened), 1 cup granulated sugar, 3 large eggs
Sauce:  ¾ cup plus 2 Tbs unsalted butter, 1½ cups dark brown sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, ½ tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour an 8 inch square baking pan (2 inches deep), knocking out excess flour. In a 2 quart saucepan, simmer dates in water (uncovered) for 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and stir in baking soda. (Mixture will foam.) Let mixture stand at room temp for 20 minutes. In a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, ginger & salt. In a stand mixer beat together butter & sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Add date mixture with a spatula and stir batter until combined. Pour batter into baking pan. Set pan into a larger baking pan and add enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the smaller pan. (This water bath insulates the cake so that it doesn’t heat up too quickly, causing the center to rise & crack.) Bake in middle of the oven until tester comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove pan from water bath & set on a rack to cool. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a 2 quart saucepan over moderate heat. Add the brown sugar and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream & vanilla. Simmer sauce until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.  Then serve warm pudding with warm sauce over it. I like to garnish with brandy whipped cream or the ice cream of your choice.

If you decide that’s just too darn much work, head on in to Portalis, warm up, & enjoy the Sticky Toffe Pudding paired with Smith Woodhouse 1994 Colheita Tawny Port.

Cheers!
Julie

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Post 1/21/2012
Fresh Pasta for Ballard’s for Ballard’s IMBIBE FEST

We’ll be offering a daily fresh pasta special.  If you missed the HOMEMADE FETTUCINE with oven-roasted tomatoes, zucchini & yellow peppers (Tuesday) and the CLAM FETTUCINE on Friday, don’t miss today’s WILD BOAR RAGU.

Cheer!

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Posted January 9, 2012
Chef Tracey is a Celebrated Chef!

Celebrated Chefs is an exclusive cookbook and dining program that unites the area’s best restaurants in support of non-profit organizations. The cookbook features our Chef Tracy Stoner Crannell with her very own Quail with Sweet Potato Bacon Hash & Shaved Brussels Sprouts recipe (pictures above as well as in the Celebrated Chefs cookbook).

Celebrated Chefs is an exciting program designed to raise money for non-profit organizations all year long. Through this innovative program you can lend valuable support to important causes by dining at participating restaurants. HOW IT WORKS: Once enrolled, Celebrated Chefs restaurants donate 5% of your dining bill to your designated cause. No special cards or identification is required. You simply pay your bill with the AMEX, VISA or MasterCard you enroll as part of your membership and the 5% donation from the restaurant is automatic! There is no cost to participate.

Chef Tracey is in very good company. Check out the other local chefs who have been honored by this organization as well as the details on how to participate and donate money to your favorite cause while dining out!

Cheers!
Julie

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Posted November 24, 2011
Fun with Seasonal Fare

If you ask Chef Tracey what her favorite fall vegetable is, you know she’s going to say pumpkin!  She’s had a killer pumpkin soup with homemade cayenne marshmallow on the menu, and now she’s transitioned her pumpkin energy to dessert:

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE with gingersnap crust & cognac whipped cream.  This wouldn’t be too hard to make at home.  I just have to get Chef Tracey to give up the recipe.  (I’m working on it …stand by!)  In the meantime, stop by and try it paired with Broadbent 5 Year Madeira Reserve or cognac, of course! (try: Hennessy Privelège VSOP)

Happy Thanksgiving!
Julie

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Posted October 16, 2011
The Magic of Chorizo

I am a huge fan of chorizo, using it regularly in my cooking.  There are 2 kinds of chorizo: Spanish chorizo which is an air-cured pork sausage similar to salami. Spanish chorizo always has elements of paprika making it either sweet or spicy.  The other type of chorizo is Mexican chorizo which tends to be much spicier/hotter and it’s a raw pork sausage with the consistency of ground beef that must be cooked prior to eating.  I love using Mexican chorizo at home when I’m making homemade tamales and corn empanadas.  At the wine bar, though, I use Spanish chorizo exclusively and usually sweet as opposed to piquant.  It’s flavorful and adds a nice richness, especially to foods that can be one-dimentional with wine (such as seafood), transforming them into more complex, multi-dimensional dishes where different types of wine can be appropriate and equally delightful.  The process I use when adding chorizo to a dish is to render out the fat from the sausage by cooking it on low heat in a sauté pan with olive oil or butter, which creates a nice, flavorful, pretty orange-red sauce, which I then add to potatoes, eggs, white beans, mussels, shrimp, clams, white fish and as a topping on tarts.

Currently I am serving TROUT with chorizo potato hash.  We have this paired with the Château Barbanau 2010 Côtes du Provence Rosé, but it would be equally lovely with the Zuaso Gaston 2008 Rioja Crianza or the Pelassa 2009 Langhe Nebbiolo, both mediuem-bodied Old World reds.  Trout is normally a white wine fish; thus, the chorizo opens it up to rosé and red … but if you’re in the mood for white, by all means!  White would be delicious, too.  Try: Cave des Grands Cru Blancs 2009 Pouilly-Loché, a white Burgundy that is a classic food wine.

Happy cooking!
Chef Tracey
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Posted September 18, 2011
Wine Pairings for Scallops

This scallop preparation was actually inspired by the seasonality of the fava beans and Chef Tracey’s idea that fava bean purée would look so pretty, green & delicious topped with sweet, rich, scallops.  To that combination, she added microgreens (a peppery, bitter edge) and preserved lemon vinaigrette which is a nice tart accent to the richness of the scallops.

We have this dish paired with the Cave des Grands Cru Blancs 2009 Pouilly-Loché, a beautiful, soft, Burgundian Chardonnay which beautifully handles the varied elements of the dish. Pan-seared scallops are easy and delicious to make at home, but I’m guessing it will be a simpler preparation that what Chef Tracey has on offer her, maybe just the scallops with a nice side salad or on a bed of rice or pasta with a little butter, garlic, wine wine & parsley.  Here are several delicious pairing suggestions for this type of evening fare:

Try Muscadet from France’s Loire Valley: Château du Hallay 2009 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine or Chateau de Bigotière 2009 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine are both excellent for scallops, oysters and light fish.  Another delicious option is Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley.  It traditionally has nice fruit, balanced by a characteristic minerality.  Try: Domaine de La Croix Bouquie 2009 Touraine or take it up a notch and try: Roche de Lune 2009 Sancerre.  Another delicious option, especially if your preparation is in any way spicy, would be Riesling.  Try: Domaine Moltès 2009 Riesling Réserve from Alsace or Moenchhof 2007 Uerziger Wuerzgarten Riesling Kabinett from Germany.

This dish has about 1 more week on the menu, so don’t miss it!

Cheers,
Julie
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Posted September 4, 2011
Duck & Faugères

Last year around this time Chef Tracey put duck on the menu for the very same reason as this year:  the cherries.  The sweet, richness of the fruit
with its little tart edge balances the richness of the game.  This year she chose to add arugula into the duck/cherry mix as the bitter of
the arugula, the sweet of cherry, the tart of the pickled onion and the crunch of the cornbread crouton provide enhancing flavors and textures to the
duck.  Every component of the salad has an important role in balancing the dish. Chef Tracey is beaming about this dish and we’re beaming about the wine pairing.  Domaine Les Fusionels 2008 Faugères is a J. Strecker direct import and it’s perfect for this dish.  Faugères is an AOC in Languedoc-Roussillon on the southwestern side of the French Mediterranean.  This wine is a blend of 60% Grenache & 40% Syrah, with a nose of cherries & strawberries followed by aromas of coffee, cocoa & a violet floral note.  The wine has beautiful body and length and pairs perfectly with this cherry duck preparation.  Hope you can stop by and partake …it’s delicious!

Cheers,
Julie
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Posted August 10, 2011
Pairings for the Great Northwest Delicacy

Salmon from this part of the world is one of our great local treats, and as you know, the different preparations greatly change the flavors, texture and
overall experience of eating salmon.  With that change, goes a change in wine as well:

Grilled salmon is probably the classic home preparation, as you can experience the rich, oily, fishy flavor with a nice crunchy crust.  The classic pairing for grilled salmon is Pinot Noir, a lighter red with fewer tannins which doesn’t overpower the fish and its cherry, earthy flavors pair beautifully.  New World Pinot Noir with its fuller flavors of baked cherry pie and campfire smoke are especially nice.  Try: Siltstone 2007 Pinot Noir Guadalupe Vineyard (OR) $30.99 | INSIDER $28.99 or Jules Taylor 2009 Pinot Noir (NZ) $22.99.

Poached salmon is less common, but it shouldn’t be.  It’s easy and the result is a tender, milder, refreshing dish requiring a white wine pairing.  We recommend French Chardonnay for this as it’s a rounder wine, intended for food pairing, but it’s crisp and refreshing, not at all heavily oaked.  Try: Domaine Laroche 2007 Chablis $25.99 | INSIDER $23.99.

Smoked salmon is another common way to enjoy salmon.  For ease, many people purchase the salmon smoked but there’s not reason you couldn’t make it at home.  Smoked salmon is the richest, oiliest preparation of all.  It’s usually served in small quantities on appetizers or as a little treat. Pair with sparkling wine as the acidity cuts the fat and balances the palette.  If you are celebration, try: Aubry NV Champagne Premier Cru $45.99, or take a down a notch and go with a Cremant from Burgundy: Cave de Bissy NV Cremant de Bourgogne $21.99 | INSIDER $19.99. Or you can go the
opposite direction and pair with a buttery Chardonnay, in this case pairing like flavors.  Try: Frank Family Vineyards 2008 Chardonnay $35.99 or Shannon Ridge 2009 Chardonnay $25.99 | INSIDER $15.99.

Sashimi! There aren’t that many parts of the world where you could go to the market and get yourself sushi-grade salmon for dinner at home.  It’s easy, it’s light, and it’s a great summer preparation.  Pairing is a little tricky because of the soy & wasabi. Bubbly is probably the best pairing, try: Casteller NV Cava $13.99.  You can also do with a Riesling Kabinett (not too dry) or a Gruenerveltliner (light and dry, but not too dry).  Try: Moenchhof 2007 Uerziger Wuerzgarten Riesling Kabinett $27.99 | INSIDER $22.99 or Forstreiter 2009 Gruener Veltliner Kremser Kogl $15.99.

Here’s to the good life in the Northwest!
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Posted June 17, 2011
And another one:  ICE CREAM SANDWICH with a chocolate brownie cookie & malted strawberry ice

When I was a little girl one of my favorite things in the summer time was to walk up to the local Rexall where they made fountain drinks to order with the coca-cola & vanilla or cherry syrup along with the best vanilla malts ever.  Can you tell what my favorite was??  Last year I did a homemade ice cream sandwich, and I had that in the back of my mind when I spotted the beautiful strawberries in the market and before long I had my inspiration.  Strawberries and malted vanilla ice cream – a match made in heaven. And I like chocolate with my strawberries, thus the chocolate cookie.

This dessert is equally as delicious as the Peach Upside-Down Cake, but it’s not as flexible with the wine pairings.  For this one, you need to go with the Two Hands 2009 Brilliant Disguise Moscato  ~ $8.50. It’s light & fruity and goes beautifully with our little Americana dessert.

Cheers,
Tracey
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Posted Saturday, June 25, 2011
Peach Upside-Down Cake with homemade Amaretto Ice Cream ~ another stellar dessert!

Already developing a following (one regular came in for it 3 times this last week!) we don’t have much to say about it except YUM! There’s a fleck of cardamom in the cake that winks at the amaretto in the ice cream and then the ooey-gooey cake.  Really, it’s delicious.  Perfect dish for an array of dessert wines, too.  For something a little lighter, try: Domaine des Bernardins 2009 Muscat de Baumes de Venise / Southern Rhône, France ~ $9 or the Two Hands 2009 Brilliant Disguise Moscato / Barossa Valley, Australia ~ $8.50.  Go exploring with a glass of the Badia di Morrona 2005 Vin Santo / Tuscany, Italy ~ $10.  Several liquors would go beautifully as well, try: Leriche Armagnac / Lannepax, France ~ $7 or the Boulard Grand Solage / Calvados, France ~ $8.

This is a don’t-miss!

Cheers,
Julie
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Posted Sunday, June 12, 2011
Halibut Cheeks, a delicacy

I made the decision to put halibut cheeks on the menu as halibut is in season and this little delicacy is such a sweet & tender treat that I couldn’t pass it up. Halibut cheeks are more expensive than our normal entrée, but it’s worth the splurge.  Halibut cheeks literally are the cheeks of the fish, so the quantity is limited and that’s why they are a premium.  But they are such a delight – more like scallops in texture and flavor than halibut filet. The sweetness of the cheek goes really well with the sweetness of the sweet pea (which is also in season).  The dish is topped with meyer lemon vinaigrette, which balances the dish, giving it a tangy, citrus note.

Wine pairing?  We have it paired with the Cave des Grand Cru Blanc, our new direct import from Burgundy.  It’s a beautiful, round food wine (100% Chardonnay) with notes of pineapple, apricot & spice.  Delicious!

Cheers!
Chef Tracey
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Posted May 22, 2011
Pairings for our House Pâté

What makes Chef Tracey’s pâté so delicious?!  Without giving her culinary technique away, there are three elements which make this pâté addictive: black truffle paste, marsala wine, and – yes – butter, adding earthy, sweet & rich components respectively.  Food pairings for this pâté range from Tracey’s homemade cherry mostarda (a candied fruit concoction but with a tart edge from the vinegar & mustard seed) which is a classic Italian accompaniment to cheese, but works well with the pâté as the sweet & tart components of the mostarda pair well with the earthiness of the truffle in the pâté.  Cornichons or other pickled vegetables also pair well as the acid in the vinegar cuts the richness of the pâté.  Wine pairings can also be as varied.  Smoother medium-bodied wines such as the blends from Southern Rhône are classic pairings as the red fruits and earthiness of the wines marry well with the pâté (try: Domaine Brusset 2009 Les Boudalles Côtes du Ventoux).  For something a little more juxtaposed, try an off dry white (such as: Schoenheitz 2007 Pinot Blanc Val St. Gregoire) or even a dessert wine (such as: Domaine Des Bernardins 2009 Muscat De Beaumes De Venise), the classic salty/sweet combo that American (and this case Europeans!) love.  As well, you could pair a nice, dry Cabernet Sauvignon as the tannins in the Cab cut through the fat in the pâté (try: Owen Roe 2008 Sharecropper’s Cabernet Sauvignon).

You can enjoy our house pâté each week during Happy Hour (and Thursday all night) as a regular item on our $5 menu.  As well, it is a standard component on the charcuterie plate which is always available on the bar menu.

Enjoy & cheers!
Julie
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Posted May 8, 2011
Meyer Lemon Tart with Moscato

I decided to put a lemon tart on the menu when meyer lemons hit the scene a month or so ago. I love meyer lemons because they are a little bit sweeter than regular lemons (almost to the point of being a little tangerine-y) and they are much juicier than regular lemons, producing almost twice as much juice. When I saw them in the store, it dawned on me that I had never made a classic lemon tart at Portalis and so there it was … my next dessert.  For this tart I chose to use a shortbread crust as opposed to a pie dough crust because I wanted to offset the nice creamy texture of the lemon curd, and shortbread is much crunchier than pie crust.  I chose to top it with whip cream (instead of meringue) as a personal preference because I love the richness of the cream with the tartness of the lemon curd and then the crunch off the cookie gives you multiple layers of textures and flavors that balance beautifully!  For the wine?  Jens wasn’t too happy with me on this one as the acid in lemons makes wine pairing tricky, but the answer is Moscato.  Try it with the Il Conte D’Alba NV Moscato D’Asti (Piedmont) ~ $8 or the Two Hands Moscato (Barossa Valley).

Cheers!
Tracey
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Posted April 25, 2011
An early sign of spring: Fava Beans

Spring has been late coming this year, so I’ve been walking thru the market looking for ANY sign of spring produce-wise, and today I finally saw something that gave me hope: fave beans and couldn’t resists the purchase in anticipation of spring.  Fava beans are a little bit of work because you have to pull them out of the pod, then blanche and peel them – a 3-step process – but well worth it because of their buttery texture offset by a slight bitterness and a lovely, nutty finish.  Fava beans are originally from North Africa, but you find them in across Mediterranean cuisines.  There are many preparations: a very simple salad of fava beans with lemon, olive oil & pecorino cheese. They can also be cooked and pureed into a nice creamy texture which is a great accompaniment to fish.  They can also be added to risotto to accompany meats such as lamb.  I am going to serve them with fregola (Sardinian pasta rolled into little balls) instead of risotto with an onion soubise as a side dish to lamb rib chops topped with a lemon mint gremolata, again a Mediterranean flair.  This makes a nice introduction to an early spring menu.  Try this paired with:  Château La Mascaronne 2004 Côtes De Provence ~$8 per glass.

Cheers!
Chef Tracey
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Posted April 5, 2011
What’s different about Roman Gnocchi ?

You could be a pretty well-traveled, sophisticated foodie and still be surprised when your Roman gnocchi showed up at the table and was not reminiscent of a potato dumpling, so here’s  little refresher on gnocchi.  The most common gnocchi is made from mashed potatoes, egg yolk, flour & salt, and is rolled out & cut into bite-sized pieces, boiled and served with melted butter & parmesan. (You know that one.)  But my trusty Menu Mystique (Krohn, 1983) also tells me that gnocchi can also be made from semolina or from white cornmeal. Clearly Chef Tracey knew that, as she is dishing up Gnocchi alla Romana which is “said to originate in Rome. The gnocchi are made from coarsely ground durum wheat, which the Italians call semolina.  White cornmeal or farina can be substituted. To prepare the gnocchi, milk is brought to the boil and, after adding a dollop of butter and a pinch of salt, the semolina is slowly poured into the milk, which is stirred constantly until all has been absorbed. The batter is poured out onto a flat baking sheet, left to cool, and then cut into small rounds and placed in a buttered ovenproof dish. Then, covered with melted butter and grated Parmesan cheese, the rounds are baked until crisp and brown.”  And then, in Chef Tracey’s case, they are topped with a delicious veal ragu and paired with Marchesi Mazzei 2007 Badiola Toscana Rosso.  It’s rustic, fulfilling, delicious!  Stop by and try it out!

Cheers,
Julie
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Posted March 20, 2011
Baklava with Pedro Ximénex

In Chef Tracey’s former life, she ran huge hotel kitchens.  With huge hotel kitchens come pastry chefs and subsequently, she never had a lot of experience making desserts.  At first she was a little shy about this and didn’t stick her head out much, but over the last (almost) three years, she’s gotten over that.  This time it’s BAKLAVA with pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts & citrus honey. Today we think of this dessert as a Middle Eastern specialty (and it is… I can remember when Jens and I were in Syria in 1997 they had bakery after bakery with nothing but beautiful pyramids of baklava) but with its nutty sweetness, it pairs perfectly with the flavors of Pedro Ximénez, the sherry grape from southern Spain.  Try it with Alvear Solera 1927 Pedro Ximénez.  Delicious!

Cheers!
Julie
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Posted February 27, 2007
A Magical Wine Pairing

Chef Tracey has an amazing way with food.  Working out of her dollhouse kitchen she creates extraordinary dishes that are elegant & seemingly simple yet complex.  Tastes role across your tongue hitting different parts of your palette; flavors and textures come together in the finish to create one whole and incredible bite.  And Chef Tracey is never afraid to experiment.  All of which is exemplified in her latest dish: Ravioli homemade with duck, currents, pine nuts & vanilla-infused sweet potato sauce.  First you taste the homemade pasta which wraps the rich duck confit meat.  The richness of the duck is broken and enhanced with pops of sweet dried current and dense earthy pine nuts.  As you enjoy the savory duck the sweetness of the sweet potato sauce starts to come through and finishes with warm vanilla notes.  It is a unique and superb dish.  But what to wine to pair with it?

Deciding on wine pairings is always a fun part of tasting one of Chef Tracey’s new menu items.  Sometimes finding the right wine for the dish is a snap: classic flavors call for a traditional wine pairing.  And sometimes it can prove to be a bit of a fun challenge.  Flavors in the dish can make the wine taste more acidic or alcoholic or dry; unbalanced.  On the flip, the wine can make the dish lose all its taste, completely washing out its entire flavor.  But when you hit the right combination, food and wine can come together seamlessly each contributing their own flavor profiles & enhancing each other so you don’t know where one ends & the next begins and it is all greatness on your tongue.  This is exactly what happened with the duck ravioli.  The layers of flavor in this dish made finding a wine that complimented all of them, a challenge.

First we thought pinot bianco; our glass pour, Cantina Terlan 2009 Pinot Bianco, was given a try, but the rich meaty flavors along with the sweetness and the vanilla brought out never before seen dirty earthiness in the pinot bianco.  Along with a biting finish of acidity.  It’s a great, light, slightly sweet Italian white, but with the ravioli it was a no go.

So then, what about a red?  A barbera?  Northern Italian barbera have lively acidy, bright red fruits and a medium body.  They are great to drink alone or with food however the barbera and the ravioli did nothing to help each other.  The sweet potato puree brought out the acidity of the wine and over-powered the fruit notes causing the wine to lose all its ripe juicy flavor and deliciousness.

Next a kabinett reisling was suggested, the sweetness of the kabinett would hold up to the sweetness of the sweet potato and vanilla.  This suggestion was taken to the next level with a suggestion of kabinett gewürztraminer.  BINGO.  A match made in heaven!  There is nothing more to say than the round texture, the sweetness, the light hint of acidity of the wine perfectly harmonized with the richness and sweetness of the duck ravioli.  Both flavor profiles coming together, enhancing each other where you didn’t know where you food ended and your drink began.  It’s truly magical to try the duck ravioli with sweet potato sauce and vanilla with the Anselmann 2008 Gewürztraminer Kabinett.
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Posted February 15, 2011
The Inspiration behind the TRES LECHES CAKE

TRES LECHES CAKE with goat milk caramel & tuaca whip cream

When you make something as yummy as last year’s Sticky Toffee Pudding, the pressure’s on to come up with another dish that can stand up in people’s memory to this dessert that they came in (over & over) especially for.  When I asked Tracey how she came up with the idea of a Tres Leches Cake, she said she had been thinking for a month or so about what she could serve that would be warm & ooey, gooey, yummy like the Sticky Toffee Pudding when the idea of the Tres Leches Cake came to her.  The goat’s milk caramel is not traditionally served with this cake, but it is a standard in Mexican markets for sweet tamales and other Mexican dishes.  The Tuaca whip cream is a wink at the brandied whip cream that Chef Tracey served on the Sticky Toffee Pudding, but more importantly the alcohol in the cream balances the sweetness of the dessert and cuts the richness a bit as well.  It’s a masterpiece!  Try it with the Alvear Solera 1927 Pedro Ximénez & a cup of coffee.  Cheers!
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Posted January 29, 2011
Valentines Day at Portalis
Join with your honey to celebrate the day of love with this delicious 3-course menu.  Reservations required if you’d like the prix fixe menu.  Regular bar menu with be available for you lovers who can’t commit:

Valentine’s Menu 3 Course Prix-Fixe
($35 per person / wines additional)

~ First Course ~
CAULIFLOWER SOUP with meyer lemon oil & toasted coriander
…recommended with Château Ducasse 2009 Bordeaux Blanc ($8)

~ Second Course ~
DUCK CONFIT LEG with parsnip hazelnut gratin, mustard greens & red currant glacé
…recommended with Château de La Mascaronne 2004 Côtes de Provence ($8)

~ Third Course ~
VANILLA BEAN CHEESECAKE with dark chocolate crust & raspberry sauce
…recommended with Domaine des Bernardins 2009 Muscat de Beaumes de Venise ($9)

Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Posted Sunday, January 16, 2011
Homemade Pasta Zen

Chef Tracey had made homemade pasta at other restaurants, but never at Portalis until last fall when she put her homemade fettuccine & seasonal mushrooms on the menu. She had been talking about putting pasta on the menu for some time, dreamily talking about how there’s something about the softness of the dough and the kneading & handling of the dough that is very relaxing and takes her to a sort of pasta zen-land.  She said that when you’re rolling pasta, the rest of the world just goes away and you just work on getting the dough to be the exact texture you want it to be.  When I asked her about the pasta per se, she said that her dough is egg yolk rich (imagine that) with a little semolina to add texture to the dough. She smiled when she told me that the richness of the egg yolk in her dough balances beautifully with the earthiness of the mushrooms, making for a luscious combination.  [Note: This dish was in such demand that we moved it to HOUSE FAVORITES thru Nov/Dec and it will be back, so keep your eye out.]

In the new year, Tracey has moved on to her next homemade pasta: Linguini, which she is serving with Manila clams & a white wine, herb, butter sauce.  This is different than most clams over linguini as it’s a brothy dish as opposed to the cream-based dish you usually see. Not surprisingly, it’s delicious!  We’ll just have to see if it gets such a following that it becomes a house favorite, too.

Stay tuned …Chef Tracey is already working on her ravioli!
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Posted Thursday, January 06, 2011
SEASONAL FOOD NOTE: Lower the Cut Round 2

The holidays are busy for us and so we always wait until January to celebrate with the Portalis team and it is subsequently also when I take on my biggest cooking challenge of the year … making dinner for 20+ people, all of whom are into food & wine (yikes!).  I hold it dear to my heart that I’m a good hobby cook.  I love cooking & can whip up a mean multi-course dinner for 4.  But 20+ is a whole different ball game & I’ve had a couple of downright mediocre results through the years.  In 2009 & 2010 I took a break from cooking and made easy-way-out-but-fun meals (such as fondue), but this year I’m going to cook again and I’m determined to wow them.

As I was thinking about what I could cook that would be yummy but doable, I remembered a recipe from the very first Food+Wine post (titled Seasonal Food Note: Lower the Cut) made in early January 2009.  It was a recipe for Pork Stew with Hazelnuts.  It’s affordable, it’s uncomplicated and there are no last minute flourishes required to pull off a delicious, fulfilling, wine friendly meal.  So here goes.  Party is next Monday.  I’ll let you know how I do.

In the meantime, if you decide to try this meal at home (which I highly recommend; I’ve made it several times at home), here’s the recipe as well as some wine pairing suggestions:  Pork Stew with Hazelnuts ~ Sautee chopped leek (or onion), carrot, celery.  Put aside.  Brown a pork shoulder roast (approx. 2 lbs) in olive oil.  Add 2 cups stock and 1 cup red wine, such as an inexpensive blend from Spain or southern France.  Lower the heat and simmer for approx. 3 hours or until the meat is nearly tender.  Add back in sautéed vegetables and a cup a freshly shelled, slightly broken up hazelnuts and cook another 20-30 minutes.  Serve as is, over mashed potatoes or over a cooked grain such as quinoa.

What to pair? The beautiful thing about slow cooked meats is that they are satisfying & pair beautifully with a range of well-priced wines.  The key: don’t overpower the food, so go with more medium-bodied wines such as:
Siegrist 2007 Dornfelder (Pfalz, Germany)
Reg $19.99 | INSIDER $17.99 | Mixed Case $14.39
Lan 2005 Rioja Reserva (Rioja, Spain)
$19.99 | Mixed Case $15.99
Evening Land 2009 Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, OR)
29.99 | Mixed Case $23.9

Happy New Year to everyone.  May 2011 hold good things for you including lots of good food & delicious wine!
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Posted December 6, 2010
From out kitchen to yours …

Enough people asked & so we did it!  Chef Tracey & Jens got together and created Portalis Wine Bar’s Little Book of Holiday Recipes … 2 composed menus for the holidays with wine pairings featuring dishes that Tracey has cooked in the restaurant over the past three years.  Makes a great stocking stuffer or better yet, treat yourself and wow your guests at your holiday celebration!

Cheers & Happy Holidays!
Julie
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Posted November 26, 2010
Cozy Shepherd’s Pie

This hearty dish makes a great dinner on a cold night & we’ve had lots of those!  Lamb is rich & yummy and the lamb in this dish has been slow braised with lots of red wine, making it even richer. I love pie dough as a topping to a meat pie, but not everyone does & the piped chive potatoes on top of this dish make for a beautiful, delicious alternative.  Lamb is very flexible with regard to wine. Here are some suggested pairings from Jens: Saint Cosme 2009 Côtes du Rhône $8.50, Château D’Argadens 2005 Bordeaux Superieur $8.50 & Mark Ryan 2008 The Vincent Blend $9.50 are all excellent glass pour selections.  If you’d like a bottle, try: Chateau Saint-Andre 2006 St.-Georges-St. Emilion (Bordeaux), Warwick 2005 Three Cape Ladies (South Africa) & noted above …Andrew Will 2008 Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cheers!
Chef Tracey
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Posted November 08, 2010
Thanksgiving Soup

Every year I make a pumpkin soup.  Two years ago it was a traditional pumpkin soup with cream & nutmeg.  Last year I did a Thai curry pumpkin soup with a lime crème fraîche & cilantro.  Being that I like bold flavors & with the cooler weather setting in, I started thinking about one of my personal favorite soul foods – mole.  I find the spicy, sweet richness of the sauce soothing & I started thinking that the layers of flavor in pumpkin soup (sweet, spicy & salty) would work beautifully with the base flavors of mole (gaillo peppers, honey, cinnamon, clove, chocolate & peanuts).  Once I had the soup/mole, I thought a spicy homemade marshmallow would be a nice twist on the sweet element traditionally enjoyed at Thanksgiving, such as candied sweet potatoes. For the salty crunch of the garnish, I topped the dish with roasted, salted pumpkin seeds.  I am super happy with this dish!  It’s fun, it’s delicious, and yes, it is soothing!

The only trick is that it’s not the easiest dish I’ve ever given Jens to find a pairing for, but as usual, he came thru.  Try it with Helfrich 2005 Gewurztraminer Steinklotz Grand Cru ~ $9 (with spicy flavors of lychee, rose petal & apricot yet still dry) or go with a sweeter beer: Regenboog ‘t Smisje Dubbel ~ $4 (brewed with honey & dates)
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Post October 24, 2010
Name That Dish

September 18th was Chef Tracey’s third anniversary with us here at Portalis – and we’re celebrating!  She has dished up some spectacular bistro fare at a pace unparalleled in the Seattle restaurant world. (If you need reminding, check out our “Do you serve food?” BLOG> from earlier this fall.)  Some of our customers are sad when a favorite item goes, but generally they can find a new one pretty quickly.  Some dishes, though, just won’t die & regulars have continued to request them for years (e.g. duck confit, cabbage rolls with venison sausage, sticky toffee pudding & so on).  So, in celebration of these great years of food, we’ve decided to ask you what you’d like to see back on the menu & Chef Tracey has committed herself to curbing her creative impulses for the next few months and at least getting one favorite on a week thru the end of the year.  The lucky employees (who regularly get to eat her food) get to kick this little game off, with Chef Tracey getting the ‘first dish’ honors … and she picks: PORK BELLY confit with parsnip purée & apple brandy onion jus.  Jens is going for the LAMB TAGINE with dates, honey & preserved lemon on minted couscous with currant & almonds. I have my heart set on the BEEF SHORT RIBS red wine braised with oregon blue cheese polenta.  Gina has requested the TROUT ALMONDINE with roasted baby potatoes & green beans.  Ross is going for the STEAK AU POIVRE with brandy mushroom sauce & spinach gratin (did you ever have that insanely delicious thing??).  Donovan didn’t blink when he asked for the ROASTED SQUAB with maple hazelnut sweet potato gratin & shaved brussels sprouts with bacon lardons.  Pavel went with the MANILA CLAMS with chorizo (a regular HOUSE FAVORITE) saying “It’s sad to see that leave the menu even for a few weeks.”   Karli voted for a soon to become HOUSE FAVORITE: the FETTUCINE homemade with seasonal mushrooms. Sky? He said “Can you put everything she’s ever made? No joke! But if I had to pick a couple, I would have to say her spare ribs. I came in on my night off just to be able to take my time and enjoy them, and chicken liver black truffle paté, best damn paté I have ever ate.” (affectionately known as chicken butter to the staff!)

And then there’s one of our favorite all time Chef Tracey complements.  Old timers, do you remember Jim Willis, a server who had moved to Seattle from Arkansas & was working for us in 2007 when Tracey started?  Well, the CROQUE MONSIEUR with ham, cave-aged gruyère & béchamel on brioche (which was something akin to eating the most delicious slab of butter you could imagine putting in your mouth) came on the menu shortly after she started, and the quote (in his barely-detectable drawl) was: “That Tracey is not health nut, but that’s the best sandwich I’ve ever had!”  That said, let us know what you’d like us to bring back & we’ll do our best to get it on the menu in the next couple months …

Write me at julie@portaliswines.com with your requests.

Cheers!
Julie
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Posted Sunday, October 10, 2010
(NOT SO) Pure French Bistro

Chef Tracey was in the mood to put Frog Legs on the menu, a classic dish found regularly in bistros throughout France.  Frog Legs look and taste similar to chicken legs, but with a slightly fishy essence.  Escargot is also classically French, but Chef Tracey decided to add a little twist, serving an escargot étoufée over creamy yellow grits.  It’s a crazy combination & the richness of the escargot makes the dish flat out decadent.  Pairings?  Try the Louis Latour 2007 Montagny 1er Cru ($9.50) or go with a beer … the Belgian Regenboog Vuuve ($8) would be delicious!

Cheers & enjoy …
Julie
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Posted Sunday, September 26, 2010
Mushroom Season is Here!

The Northwest features a nice lineup of native mushrooms in the fall & right now they look beautiful!  Morels – the most sought after & the most expensive (as they are extremely weather sensitive & can therefore be scarce) – are available both spring & fall and are rich, meaty, earthy in flavor. Chanterelles are lighter yellow in color & look like little golden chalices. They are more delicate in flavor with a light fruity fragrance. Pompom mushrooms, a native of Canada, are white, fluffy & spongy and look just like little pompoms.  When cooked, the flavors are reminiscent of sautéed veal.  Cultivated mushrooms (such as Crimini & Bunashimeji) are also available, are usually more reasonably priced & can add nice flavors & textures to your dish.

I’ve been itching to do homemade pasta and the beautiful seasonal mushrooms got me inspired to make some fettuccine.  The dish is simple (after you do the homemade pasta, that is).   The pasta is an egg-rich pasta dough with some semolina added in for texture, resulting in a pasta that balances beautifully with the richness of the mushrooms.  The mushrooms (the mix depends on daily availability) are sautéed in butter with shallots & garlic, finished with marsala & then topped with grana & chives.

Jens has the dish paired with a fuller-flavored white blend from Tuscany: Conti Calcinaia 2007 Villa Calcinaia Comitale, but last Saturday, Mushroom Fettuccine was the entrée on the 3-course Prix Fixe Dinner and we paired it with the Rivetto 2007 Langhe Nebbiolo, a beautiful, medium-bodied earthy red wine from Northern Italy.  Either wine, it’s a great pairing.  Hope you make it in to test out for yourselves!

Cheers,
Chef Tracey

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Posted Sunday, September 12, 2010
The Bounty of the Season
 
Last call for the seasonal fruits that are so perfect this time of year … but are soon to be gone. Come enjoy Chef Tracey’s SALAD of field greens, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries & goat cheese cheesecake with hazelnut pink peppercorn crust paired with pink bubbly of course: Antech 2008 Crémant de Limoux Rosé Émotion ($8.50).  Enjoy this pairing as the first course of our DINNER AT PORTALIS Saturday Bar Special where we offer 3-courses for $25 from 5-9pm every Saturday.  (Menu changes weekly!)

Cheers!
Julie

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Posted Tuesday, September 07, 2010
The Magic Behind Steak & Cab

Why does a T-bone or a big, marbled, grilled to perfection rib eye go so well with Cab?  Well, it’s not Cab per se, it’s the fact that the tannins – that mouth-pulling, slightly bitter, dryness in the finish of the wine – cut through the fat in the meat, creating balance on the palate.  As it happens, Cabernet Sauvignon is a grape with a lot of tannins.  In case you’re a little vague when people use the word tannins (which in the wine world is interchangeable with the term dry), tannins are a naturally occurring chemical compound found in certain plants and are easily detectible in foods such as tea, grape seeds & grape skins, walnuts, etc & are a natural preservative, allowing wine to age without going bad. That’s why Cab is a wine (for example from Bordeaux & California) that often has a drink date many years out.  But does it have to be Cab to be the perfect match for steak?  Nope.  Other tannic wines work beautifully to offset the fattiness of the beef as well, for example Argentine Malbec with its leathery, tarry, smoky flavors tends to have a nice tannic finish as does the smoky, bacony flavors of Pinotage (South Africa) and a great number of Spanish wines, such as Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero.

Chef Tracey has a nice pepper steak on the menu right now (pictured above), so come try it out with any of the following more tannic glass pours available in the wine bar:
Owen Roe 2008 Sharecropper’s Cabernet Sauvignon (WA) $8
Sangre De Los Andes 2008 Malbec (AR)  $8
Neil Ellis 2008 Pinotage (SA) $9.50

Or better yet, open a bottle of any of the following on Wednesday (all night) or Sunday (6-8pm with dinner) & get the bottle at the retail price (no $15 dollar corkage):
Luigi Bosca 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva (AR) $22.99 (~$4.80/glass)
Beckmen Vineyards 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (CA) $26.99 (~$5.60/glass)
or be a rebel and try the Wine Spectator 95 pointer:
Neyers 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (CA) $56.99 (~$11.99/glass)

Cheers!
Julie
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Posted Sunday,  August 22, 2010
A Little Lesson about Alaskan Black Cod

Alaskan Black Cod is, funnily enough, not in the cod family.  In the Pacific Northwest it is generally just called Black Cod. In other parts of the US it’s known as Sablefish.  To make things even more confusing, in other parts of the country there’s a fish called Black Cod which is a member of the cod family, fished from the sub-Antarctic Seas. This fish is still fatty as it comes from cold waters, but it has not the quality nor the richness of our local Alaskan Black Cod.

Alaskan Black Cod is my favorite Pacific Northwest fish because of its beautiful, buttery, rich texture (I do like my butter!) and I chose to do this fish with Chinese long beans with a honey soy glaze.  We had been serving the beans on the Thursday’s $5 menu to rave reviews and I thought they would be the perfect accompaniment to the rich yet mild flavors of the fish.  The fish itself is a very flexible fish to pair with wine; it would even pair well with a classic, buttery California Chardonnay, a wine not easy to pair with food.  However, the Asian flair of the sweet/salty beans requires a wine with a little off-dry quality to it.  On the menu, we’ve paired this wine with the Weingut Hiedler 2008 Loess Grüner Veltliner.  If you’d like a bottle, go for the P. Ginglinger 2009 Pinot Gris (Alsace) or a German Riesling, try Karthaeuserhof 2007 Eitelsbacher Karthaeuserhofberg Kabinett on sale for $38 from $57. (Shop price: Reg $41.99 | Sale $22.99 | Case $18.39)

Cheers!
Tracey
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Posted Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Delicious Summer Fare: Duck with Raspberries

I was looking through The Art of French Cooking and thinking about how raspberry duck is a French classic that Julia Child brought into the American household with the printing of her now famous cookbook.  As I was reading, it occurred to me that local Washington raspberries are in peak season & look beautiful right now and I was immediately inspired to bring back the dish, but with a new twist.  We’re serving duck breast with raspberry sauce, farro, mushroom, pistachio & wilted arugula. The light fluffy grain & the earthiness of the mushrooms offset the richness of the duck and the tartness of the raspberries. It’s delicious!

Of course It’s even better with the right wine.  We’ve paired it with Apolloni Vineyards 2007 Laurine Pinot Noir (OR), but it would also be great with the Qupé 2007 Syrah (CA).  A classic Rhône pairing would be wonderful, too. Try a nice table wine such as Ogier 2005 Côtes du Rhône Caves Des Papes or for a richer, more complex wine, try the Chateau De Saint Cosme 2007 Gigondas.  (Bar specials on Wednesday & Sunday include no corkage options!)  Hope you can stop by and try this seasonal dish.  I’m very happy with it!

Cheers,
Chef Tracey
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Posted Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Mango Ginger Upside-Down Cake with Homemade Coconut Ice Cream

There’s really not much to say about this dessert except maybe to have an esoteric argument about which one is better … the cake or the ice cream.  The cake is ooey-gooey, fruity with that little sting of candied ginger.  The ice cream is made from fresh coconut that Chef Tracey seeped for several days to get the flavor.

And then there’s the wine pairing.  For heaven’s sake, don’t forget the wine!  The Two Hands 2009 Brilliant Disguise Moscato (Barossa Valley) is for me the hands-down favorite.  Light effervescence with mild flavors of apricot, pear & pineapple.  Really, it’s enough to make you moan (which I did, audibly, and then I ordered it for some long-time customers seated down the bar, so that they, too, could moan, which they did, audibly).  You also wouldn’t go wrong pairing it with the Domaine des Bernardins 2007 Muscat de Baumes de Venise, a lovely little aperitif or dessert wine from France’s Southern Rhône Valley.  It’s not at light as the moscato, but the apple/pear flavors would be delicious with the dessert.  And, I’m sure Gina (who’s Gina?) would give a nice argument for the Villa Artimino 2005 Vin Santo Di Carmignano.  She would tell you (and happily show you) that in Tuscany, Vin Santo is served as a digestif after espresso, but its nutty, caramel flavors would be a perfect match with the cake as well.

Chef Tracey has so many other warm weather dessert ideas, that this delicious cake will only be on the menu for another week or so, so hustle on in and get some before it’s too late.  It would be a shame to miss this one!

Cheers!
Julie
.    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    . Dinner at Portalis

New to the menu this week is the Chuck Eye Steak.  Chef Tracey chose the Chuck Eye for its marbled fattiness that it shares with its neighboring cut, the Rib Eye.   To compliment the richness of the steak and celebrate the fresh flavors of summer she topped the steak with the traditional Italian condiment, peperonata and serves it with a sweet corn soufflé.  We suggest enjoying your steak with a glass of Poggio Salvi 2005 Rosso Di Montalcino.  The tannins of this Italian Sangiovese compliment and stand up to the fattiness of the steak while the light fruit flavors won’t over power the delicate pepper flavors of the peperonata.

Posted Thursday July 22, 2010

If you would like to split a bottle (Wednesdays and Sundays … no corkage!) we suggest a bottle of Pieve’no 2003 Sagrantino di Montefalco  $36.99.  Aromas of cinnamon, smoke and spice along with velvety tannins of the Sagrantino grape enhance the Mediterranean flavors of this dish.

Posted Thursday July 8, 2010
PORTALIS STAFF SUMMER BEER PICKS

Finally summer is here and in the warm summer evenings wine is great but beer is better!  I went around and asked our staff their favorite beer or beer style they like to drink in the heat of the season and here’s what I found…

Gina: Unibroue La fin du Monde
“A great balanced beer; creamy, citrus & not too fruity. plus its 9% alcohol…get your beer on!”

Karli: Stone Pale Ale
“One of my favorite styles is Pale Ale, its smooth, not too bitter, but still has enough of a bite to refresh you.”

Tracey: Regenboog Vuuve Whitbier
“A rich beer with great spice – ginger & citrus”

Sky: Radeberger Pilsner
“Light, crisp and refreshing. Nothing better on a hot day served ice cold.”

Jens: Ayinger Jahrhundert
“Refreshing and light Bavarian summer lager.”

Ross: Delirium Tremems
“Belgium gold ale, rich with a subtle spice and sweetness.  Great beer for summer, on its own or with food.”

Beer pairs great with most items on the menu and in particular we suggest:
BBQ BEEF BRISKET with jicama coleslaw & a cheddar chive biscuit, or our
SALT ROASTED SHRIMP with rice, corn, scallion, crema, cotija cheese & avocado lime sauce
MANILA CLAMS with chorizo, sherry & butter
And always, of course, our CHARCUTERIE PLATE featuring our house pâté.

Cheers!
Gina
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Posted Friday, June 18
Wines for July 4th Celebrations!
Our dear Chef Tracey is marrying her Sammy (former Chef at Quinn’s, current chef at Oddfellows Café) on this coming Fourth of July and we’ll be whooping it up with them at Sam’s parents’ farm outside of Bellingham, celebrating the occasion with traditional grilled Fourth of July fare, lots of beer, lots of wine (vino verde, rosé & the C.G. Di Arie Zin, if you must know), fireworks and then much to our daughters’ delight, everyone will camp out at the farm so that celebrating can continue – safely – late into the night and with much gusto as we wish Tracey and her Sam all the best in their (official) life together.

If you are also planning on a festive Fourth of July celebration and you need delicious yet affordable wines to go with your summer fare, here are Jens Top 10 BBQ Wines, all on sale thru Sunday, June 27:

Zin is the perfect red wine choice to balance the spicy sweetness of BBQ sauce:
C.G Di Arie 2007 Zinfandel (CA)
Reg $15.99 | Sale $13.99 | Case $11.19
Ridge 2008 Three Valley Zinfandel (CA)
Reg $26.99 | Sale $23.99 | Case $19.19

This is the quintessential food wine.  It goes great with everything!  Try it:
Celler Tomas Cusine 2006 Vilosell (SP)
Reg $18.99 | Sale $16.99 | Case $13.59

Rosé is refreshing and it’s a cooler when eating spicy foods.  Goes great!
Triennes 2009 Rosé Provence (FR)
Reg $17.99 | Sale $15.99 | Case $12.79
Domaine Saint Roch Les Vignes 2009 Rosé (FR)
Reg $14.99 | Sale $12.99 | Case $10.39

Here are some fuller-bodied whites that will be able to handle the richness of grilled meats:
William Church 2009 Viognier (WA)
Reg $22.99 | Sale $19.99 | Case $15.99
Mulderbosch 2009 Chenin Blanc (SA)
Reg $15.99 | Sale $13.99 | Case $11.19
Shannon Ridge 2007 Chardonnay (CA)
Reg $25.99 | Sale $15.99 | Case $12.79

Here are some local reds that are big & fruity, but not tannic; therefore, they won’t increase the heat:
Owen Roe 2008 Abbot’s Table Wine (WA/OR)
Reg $23.99 | Sale $21.99 | Case $17.59
Syncline 2008 Subduction Red (WA)
Reg $19.99 | Sale $17.99 | Case $14.39

Happy Fourth of July!  Have a fun & safe one!
Julie & Jens
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Posted Friday, June 4
Wine Pairings for Salmom
Salmon is one of our local treasures and with the season upon us, we thought some wine pairing suggestions were in order.  What you should keep in mind when pairing wine with salmon is that salmon is a rich, oily, relatively strong flavored fish that needs a wine that can handle & enhance it:

BUBBLY: the acidity of a sparkling wine cuts through the fat of salmon making it a delightful pair.  Try:
Jean-Louis Denois NV Brut Blanc De Blancs (Launguedoc) $19.99 | Case $15.99
Dry, French bubbly made from Chardonnay.
Graham Beck 2007 Brut Rosé (South Africa) $22.99 | Case $18.39
Noted as having a sea salty, seaweediness by the Tasting Panel – Dec 2009: Sparkling Wines

CHARDONNAY: the richness of this white works because of its likeness to the fish (rich pairs with rich, buttery with buttery, etc.)  Try:
Saintsbury 2007 Chardonnay (CA) $20.99 | Case $ 16.79).
Big, buttery, but still well-balanced CA Chard.
Domaine De La Meuliere 2008 Chablis (France) $25.99 | Case $20.79
While not as buttery as CA Chardonnay, this wine is fuller-bodied, richer, with lots of fruit and that wonderful chalkiness from the soils of Chablis.

PINOT NOIR: Salmon is one of the few fish that is substantial enough in body and flavor to pair with red wine.  Pinot Noir is the classic pairing as it’s a more subtle red that won’t overpower the fish.  Try:
Walnut City Wineworks 2007 Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, OR) $22.99 | Case $18.39
Aromas & flavors of dark cherry, mixed dark fruit, dried leaves & spice. Nice elegant finish.
Glatzer 2007 Blaufraenkisch (Austria) $19.50 | Case $15.60
Blaufraenkish is the German term for Pinot Noir and this Austrian Pinot has doesn’t have such an influence of cherry fruit, more blackberries with herbal & spicy notes.  Check it out.  We highly recommend it with grilled salmon!

Enjoy & cheers!
Julie
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Posted Sunday, May 23
FATTOUSH TO CELEBRATE SPRING!
With warm weather here (at least some of the time), I thought fattoush would be a lovely way to celebrate spring! Fattoush is a traditional Lebanese salad consisting of fried or toasted pita bread, generally mixed with seasonal vegetables (usually tomato, cucumber, onion & mint), which is then tossed with a vinaigrette made of lemon, olive oil and sumac (a Middle Eastern spice with gives the salad its sour taste; sumac can generally be found in Indian or Middle Eastern markets.)  Traditionally, this salad is a way to used up day-old or stale pita bread which soaks up the vinaigrette and makes a very nice, refreshing salad … delicious on its own or with grilled meats.  I chose to serve it with a yogurt marinated lamb kabob and Jens paired the dish with the Pencarrow 2008 Pinot Noir from New Zealand.  Sounds like an usual combination, but the cherry fruit flavors and campfire smokiness pair beautifully with the meat and don’t overwhelm the salad.

Enjoy & cheers!
Chef Tracey
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Posted Sunday, May 9
New Sunday Bar Special ~ How to take advantage
So, here’s the special:  All bottles served at the retail price when you have dinner (dinner = 2+ menu items) … 6-8pm.  And to make the most of it, you pick a bottle on a nice, fat sale, such as the Tenuta Di Biserno 2006 Insoglio del Cinghiale (regularly $48.99 + corkage, on sale for $24.99), a delicious SuperTuscan that would pair beautifully with the steak pictured above as well as the lamb kabobs.  Order these two items with the Insoglio between 6 & 8pm and bingo … your bill just went from $97 to $58.  If you don’t finish the bottle, take it home and enjoy the rest later.

Want to go white?  Pair the Longboard Vineyards 2006 Sauvignon Blanc (Reg 22.99 + corkage on sale for $14.99 … a much fuller-bodied white than you’d expect for a Sauv Blanc) with the scallops & the clams.  Order between 6-8pm and your bill just went from $68 to $44.99.

Enjoy & cheers!
Ross (your Sunday server)
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Posted Sunday, Apr 25
Mother’s Day Brunch at Portalis ~ Sunday, May 9th
Calling all hip mothers to Portalis for a Mother’s Day extravaganza … a 3-course Mother’s Day Brunch ($25) from noon – 4pm, with suggested wine pairings, of course.  Reservations required for the 3-course menu; regular bar menu will be available in addition to the brunch menu:
ROASTED ASPARAGUS with truffle vinaigrette, poached egg & shaved parmesan
suggested pairing:  Alvise Lancieri NV Prosecco ($8.50)

RED & YELLOW PEPPER TORT layered with mushroom duxelle, spinach & goat cheese, oven-roasted grape tomatoes with pesto
suggested pairing:  Triennes 2009 Rosé ($8.50)

LEMON CHIFFON CAKE with blueberries & vanilla bean whip cream
suggested pairing:  Domaine des Bernardins 2007 Muscat de Baumes de Venise ($9) or coffee … or both!

What a festive, beautiful brunch to treat your mother to!  Have a stroll through the Ballard Farmers Market before or after your meal and don’t miss our Sunday tasting:  Kestrel Vintners (Prosser, WA) with a lineup of up Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, Merlot & Syrah.

Happy Mother’s Day & cheers!
Julie
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Posted Monday, April 12th
Chicken & Mushroom Roulade
One of our regulars at our Saturday Prix Fixe Dinner asked me if we had ever run chicken and with the question I realized that in the two & a half years that I’ve been at Portalis, I had never put chicken on the menu.  I had run other birds:  quail, game hen, squab and more … but not chicken.  So I decided to do chicken, but I didn’t want a plain chicken dish, so I decided to do a classic Ballentine, a dish dating from the Middle Ages, where a chicken (or other animal) is boned out, stuffed and then rolled and tied, served sliced.  Normally a Ballentine is roasted, but I am slow poaching this dish to keep it moist and tender.   On the stuffing, I wanted to go with something lighter for spring so I am using mushrooms with shallots & marsala.  I chose to put it on risotto with sweet chipollini onions and English peas with a porcini jus.  Sometimes I give recipe detail, but this is one is better enjoyed at the restaurant.  Wine pairing?  We’re serving it with Walla Walla Vintners 2008 Sangiovese.  But most of our rounder whites would be beautiful with it if white is your preference.

Cheers!
Chef Tracey
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Posted Sunday, March 21
Lamb + Wine
Lamb loin chops have always been my favorite lamb dish because every time we went to my grandmother’s (just north of Baltimore) she would serve lamb chops.  Her art was to cut off the fat and then pan fry the chops in their own rendered fat, the rendering of which would make the whole house smell sweet & floral. Nostalgia aside, I like this cut because it’s less gamey than the leg or the shank. And this is a quick preparation as the meat is tender.

Lamb shank is less expensive and requires long, slow cooking with acids (such as wine) to help break down the meat and make it fork tender.  I like braised lamb osso bucco (a classic Italian dish which is red wine braised shank served with a saffron risotto) better than veal because of the richness of the meat and the flavor that the meat imparts into the stock.

Leg of lamb (which is a traditional Easter dish in my home) is the gamiest cut of lamb and my favorite way of preparing it is whole grain mustard, white wine and rosemary marinade (marinate overnight) and then oven-roasted the next day (approx 3 hours on 350 degrees), served with roasted potatoes & asparagus and covered with the pan juices.

Now, the next step is what to drink when you’re serving lamb, and on that note, I’d encourage you to join Portalis owner, Jens Strecker, on Saturday, April 10th for one of our Seasonal Food+Wine Pairing classes, this one featuring LAMB + WINE.  With lamb you have many interesting wine choices and he’ll give a lesson on which styles go with lamb and why and then you get to taste several of my lamb preparations with the wine lineup.

Hope to see you there!  (RSVP required!)

Cheers,
Chef Tracey
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Classic Steakhouse Creamed Spinach
Sometimes you give out your recipes … and sometimes you don’t.  Chef Tracey’s creamed spinach is one where a lot of people have asked, but we’re going to hold our cards a little closer to our chest.  What we will tell you, though (and then you can play around) is that it contains:  spinach, bechamel, some more cream, (secret ingredient …) Boursin, and then buttered bread crumbs.  Decadent?  You bet, but it’s the best creamed spinach you’ve ever had!  Oh, and don’t forget the pepper steak:  NY strip coated in pepper corns & pan-fried up with brandied mushrooms on top.

Posted Tuesday, March 16

Wine Pairing Suggestions:
With a rich dinner like this, you need some acidity & tannins to cut the fat of the dish.  Try:
Durigutti 2007 Malbec (Argentina) $8
Poeira 2006 Pó de Poeira Douro Tinto (Portugal) $9
Château Cardinal-Villemaurine 2004 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru (France) $9
Langmeil 2006 Valley Floor Shiraz (Australia) $9.50

Enjoy & cheers!
Julie
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Posted Saturday, February 27
Calling all Brussels Sprouts Lovers!
I happen to be the Head-Brussels-Sprouts-Lover-In-Charge, so it has come as a little bit of a shock that not everyone thinks these little green vegetables are a delight.  And believe me, people aren’t shy about letting you know.  One of our favorite staff stories is a woman dining in the wine bar who incredulously asked one of our servers …”Why are THOSE on your menu?? You know nobody eats those, right?  Well, for those of you who do, they are in season and Chef Tracey is going to wow you with her latest TART with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon Lardons & Cave Ages Gruyère.   You have several routes you can go with wine pairings … If you’re in the mood for white, the crispness of the Claude Lafond 2007 Reuilly $9 (Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley) would be great with the bacon in the tart.  Or if you’re leaning more towards red, you pretty much have your choice, although the more medium-bodied, food wines from Spain would be our top picks:  Hacienda Don Ramón 2006 Rioja $8 or Celler Tomas Cusine 2006 Vilosell $8.50.

Here’s to Brussels sprouts!

Enjoy & cheers!
Julie
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Posted Sunday, February 14
New on the menu … Squab
Squab is a culinary term for a young pigeon. The meat is dark and the skin is fatty, which makes it richer than many birds, and as the bird is young, it’s tender as well.  Squab has a varied culinary history, having been noted in Ancient Egypt, Rome and Medieval Europe.  Chef Tracey chose squab for the Valentine’s prix fixe menu because it was sort of a sweet, pretty meal for a deuce and it’s relatively light (who wants to leave a Valentine’s date overly full) but … and here’s the key … the dark meat provides a richness that allows the meal to pair well with red wine (which is what lovers want) and so squab it was.  Chef Tracey roasted the squab and then served it with with maple hazelnut sweet potato gratin & shaved Brussels sprouts with bacon lardons.  Jens then paired the dish with Chateau de Valcombe 2007 Costières de Nimes from Southern Rhône, France.  It was delicious and if you missed it on February 14th, you’re in luck as we’re putting it on the menu starting Tuesday.

Enjoy & cheers!
Julie
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Chocolate & Wine Pairings
If you missed my Chocolate & Wine Pairings class where we used the beautiful masterpieces from Cadeaux Chocolates‘ (pictured left) chocolatier, Janet Shimada, here’s a quick overview …

Posted Sunday, February 7

As with food, when pairing wines with chocolate, match lighter-flavored chocolates with lighter-bodied wines, and more “intense” flavored chocolates with more full-bodied wines. When pairing wine with chocolate, you can look for wines with have the same flavor profile as the chocolate (nutty, cherry, other fruit, mint, etc.), or look for contrasts. Most experts would recommend “sticking” with fortified wines (ports), because the sweetness of the wines match well with chocolates. But there is more behind it. Let’s take a journey beyond fortified wines.

Milk Chocolate
Milk chocolate has a higher percentage of sugar, and a smaller percentage of chocolate liquor (unsweetened chocolate). In addition with its higher milk content, milk chocolate is a milder, sweeter product with fewer aromas and flavors.  Wine pairing suggestions: a Tawny Port (try: Quinta De La Rosa 10y Tawny Port) is the ultimate match. Its nutty, caramel flavors highlight the milk chocolates’ own flavors and intensify the overall chocolate flavors.

Semisweet Chocolate
Dark chocolate with 50% to 69% cacao has strong, complex flavors, with notes that are nutty, spicy, floral, earthy, fruity, and/or caramel. The aftertaste is balanced, not too sweet. Wine pairing suggestions: fortified fruity wines like Banyuls and Ruby Ports (try: Niepoort NV Ruby, Quinta De La Rosa Finest Reserve) have cacoa and chocolate aromas and flavors as well as cherry, raspberry or other berry fruit, and are classic companions with chocolate. Vintage Ports should be matched with caution: The high sugar and alcohol content can overwhelm the chocolate. Banyuls and nonvintage Ports have softer, rounder tannins than vintage Ports and pair better with chocolate.  Another classic choice is Cabernet Sauvignon (try: Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon or Sparkman Kingpin Cabernet Sauvignon) or Bordeaux (try: Château Pibran Pauillac or Château Pichecan Margaux). It brings out the fruity-peppery-grapey notes in the chocolate. Zinfandel brings out chocolate’s spicy notes. Tawny Ports, which have nutty, tobacco and leather notes, also make good pairings.

Bittersweet Chocolate
The most intense, richly-flavored dark chocolate is 70% to 100% cacao. Bittersweet chocolate can have bitter, roasted, fruity, earthy, woodsy, ashy and/or nutty notes. The same wines will match bittersweet and semisweet chocolate.

Chocolates with Caramel or Toffee
Wine pairing suggestions:  Hungarian Tokaji, with notes of apricots, butter and caramel, pairs well with buttery salt caramels. Young Madeira (try: Broadbent Madeira 5y old) has classic caramel and toffee flavors and good acidity to pair with that kind of chocolate. Buttery caramels and toffees pair well with buttery wines. Mersault from a ripe year, with rich, lush fruit and low acid or a rich buttery Chardonnay from California (try: Shannon Ridge Chardonnay) complements the brown sugar and caramel flavors as well as the cocoa flavors of the chocolate. The nutty bouquet of a dry Oloroso Sherry complements the nuts in toffee. It’s also great with salt caramels. Sauternes, a rich sweet dessert wine from Bordeaux, has honey, apricot and peach notes, also pairs well with caramel and toffee chocolates. The chewiness of the candy stands up to the viscosity of the wine. Tawny Port enhances the nutty notes of toffee, and to a lesser extent, caramel.

Chocolates with Cinnamon and Ginger
A spicy, dry Zinfandel (try: Four Vines Maverick Old Vines Zinfandel) or a sweet Late Harvest Zinfandel (they can almost be port-like) are good options to complement the spicy notes of chocolates with cinnamon and ginger.

Chocolates with Coconut
Brachetto D’Aqui (try: Giacomo Bologna), a light sparkling dessert wine from Piedmont, with typical aromas and flavors of strawberries and roses, is a great match with nuts and coconut. Sauternes or a Late Harvest Semillon or Moscato from Australia (try: Two Hands) are other options.

Chocolates with Coffee Flavors
Chocolates with espresso, mocha, coffee bean and other coffee flavors. Oloroso sherry or cream sherry (coffee, nutty flavors) or Australian Shiraz (try: Langmeil Valley Floor Shiraz), with dark fruit, mocha, coffee, espresso flavors.

And last … Chocolates with Nuts
Including hazelnuts, almonds, and other nuts and pralines. Wine pairing suggestions: nutty Tawny Ports are the perfect match for chocolates with nuts. Sherry that is not too sweet is a good companion to almond-based chocolates, ideally a Pedro Ximinez with its almond aromas and flavors, or a well-rounded Fino. Cream Sherries match well with hazelnuts. Lighter nuts like pistachio can be served with Sauternes. Other options would be Brachetto D’Aqui and Cabernet Sauvignons.

Cheers & Happy Valentine’s Day!
Jens
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Sunday, January 24, 2010
A New Twist on Gnocchi
Come try a new twist on gnocchi which is traditionally an Italian potato dumpling made from riced potatoes, eggs & flour.  I opted to use sweet potatoes instead, thinking the sweetness of the potato would be a delicious accompaniment to the rich, salty flavors in the duck confit.  I researched various styles of gnocchi and then adapted my recipe to the wetter, denser meat of the sweet potato which took several days of testing (and eating) to end up with this final result … and I’m very pleased with it.  The sweet potato gnocchi are sautéed in brown butter (which has a wonderful nuttiness) and sage and are finished with parmesan, and are then served with sautéed Swiss chard & duck confit.  I hit Ross up for pairings and he said it would be delicious with:
Saint Cosme 2008 Côtes-du-Rhône (the classic duck pairing)
Buil & Giné 2006 17.XI Montsant (sweet, spicy, gamey … a great food wine)
Qupé 2007 Syrah (lot of minerals & earth for a Californian Syrah)

Whatever you drink with this, though, don’t miss the dish – it’s delicious!

Cheers,
Chef Tracey
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Sunday, January 10, 2010
New on the menu …
Check out Chef Tracey’s new additions & their pairings:

TART spinach, ricotta & spicy Italian sausage paired with Poggio Salvi 2005 Rosso di Montalcino ~ food $13.50 | $9.50 wine

MANILA CLAMS with Spanish chorizo, garlic,butter & sherry paired with Huyghe Delirium Tremens Belgian Blonde ~ food $13 | $7 beer

PORK LOIN with braised savoy cabbage, onion & apple, roasted fingerling potato & port wine reduction paired with Weingut Hiedler 2008 Loess Grüner Veltliner ~ food $12 | $8.50 wine

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING warm with brandy whip cream paired with … Germain-Robin Fine Brandy (of course) ~ food $6 | $8 brandy

Enjoy & cheers!
Julie

Chef Tracey’s Fall Food+Wine Pairings

Duck for the Holidays
December 20, 2009

Our duck confit is stellar and has gotten rave reviews from customers.  For those of you interested in the real deal, the duck legs have been salt cured for 24 hours and then cooked in duck fat for about 6 hours at low temp.  This dish is a great combination of sweet & salty, fatty from the duck and earthy from the vegetables which are a wonderful selection of seasonal winter vegetables: sunchoke, sweet potato & Brussels sprouts.  The duck with its sauce (which consists of the gelée from the bottom of the pan reduced with red currant preserves) tastes like candied meat.  Paired with the Saint Cosme 2008 Côtes-du-Rhône ~ it’s a match made in heaven!

For an easier version of duck confit at home, I use a whole duck which I salt cure over night (rub the skin and inside the cavity with salt and herbs, your choice).  The next day, rinse the duck and pat it dry, then put in a roasting pan (I recommend using a rack) and roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn the oven to 250 degrees and roast for 3-4 hours, until the leg joint moves easily. The first 15 minutes in the oven sears the fat and makes it crispy and then the long roasting time results in meat that falls off the bone, similar to duck confit. 

Happy Holidays!
Chef Tracey

Insider scoop on Manchego 
Sunday, November 29, 2009

Now that December is here and it will be cold for some time, I thought that a winter tart was in order, and I’ve gone with confit fingerling potatoes, Spanish chorizo & manchego. Confit potatoes simply means that they are slow poached in olive oil, making them nice and rich, and perfect for the tart as the olive oil renders out during its baking, complementing the richness of the chorizo. And then there’s the Manchego.  This is the real deal … a special, award-winning Manchego, new to the Seattle market via Corsican Cellars, a small local cheesemonger.  Manchego has become ubiquitous in our local high-end markets, but all Manchego is not created equal.  They all vary in flavors & textures, based on the aging process and this particular cheese is exceptional.  It’s a raw sheep’s milk cheese from the La Prudenciana farm in La Mancha, aged for 12 months, and has a nutty, pungent flavor which can hold its own against the other ingredients on the tart.
This tart needs a nice tannic food wine to handle the richness of the potatoes/meat/cheese.  The biggest Spanish wine on the menu is the Buil & Giné 2006 17.XI Montsant ($9/glass) which would pair beautifully or you could go Southern Rhône with the Saint Cosme 2008 Côtes-du-Rhône ($8/glass) which is a classic food wine that would taste delicious as well.  Want to go Northwest?  Try the Seven Hills 2005 Tempranillo ($9.50/glass) which is a very nice food wine as well. It has a little higher acidity to cut the fat of the dish.

Enjoy!
Chef Tracey

Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Thanksgiving for Two
I grew up in house that planned for leftovers, but as an adult, I’ve realized I don’t much like them.  If you find yourself in similar shoes and you’re facing an upcoming Thanksgiving where you want turkey but you just can’t take turkey sandwiches for the foreseeable future, then Chef Tracey has a suggestion for you:  Turkey Paillarde with cranberry, apple bread pudding & Brussels sprouts.  Paillarde simply means “a piece of meat that has been pounded flat before cooking. It takes its name from the Restaurant Paillarde, situated at 38 Boulevard des Italiens, in Paris, where it is said to have originated.” (Menu Mystique, Norman Odya Krohn, 1983)  In this case, get a turkey breast, remove the skin, cut horizontally through the breast ending up with 7-8 pieces.  Pound them, pan fry them in butter, and then sprinkle a little parsley on top to finish.

For the bread pudding:  Cube stale bread, preferably baguette. Dice & caramelize 1 onion. Peel & dice 1 Granny Smith apple, Combine with ½ C sun-dried cranberries & 2 sage leaves, chopped.  For the custard:  Heat 1C heavy cream & 1C chicken stock to simmer.  Whisk 8 eggs (with salt & pepper) in separate bowl.  Slowly pour stock/cream mixture into eggs.  Pour that mixture over bread mixture and toss.  Let that sit for 15 minutes, stirring periodically for bread to absorb hot custard mixture. Pour into buttered baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Take foil off and bake another 15 minutes. 

Aside from the preparing the Brussels sprouts, that’s it … which should leave plenty of time for wine drinking, visiting, watching football or whatever suits you on this holiday.  We have paired this dish with Oregon Pinot Noir as it doesn’t overpower the turkey and the smoky, cherry fruit flavors go great with the bread pudding.  If you need wine suggestions, please feel free to contact Jens:  jens@portaliswines.com

Happy Thanksgiving!
Julie, Co-Owner
Portalis Wine Shop + Wine Bar

Posted: Tuesday, November 03, 2009
PORK TENDERLOIN with parsnip purée, braised chard, golden raisin & pine nuts ($14) paired with Bishop Creek Cellars 2006 Pinot Noir Barrel Selection $9 glass / $21 per bottle

Pork is not only delicious, but it’s a very versatile meat with varying cuts and preparations that allow for very different dining experiences.  With that goes a wine versatility as well.  Pork pairs well with fuller-bodied whites, such as a Washington Viogner blend (Thurston Wolfe 2008 PGV $18), Oregon Pinot Gris (try: Spindrift Cellars 2008 Pinot Gris $18.50) or a Bordeaux Blanc (try: Chateau La Freynelle 2007 Bordeaux Blanc $13) as well as lighter-bodied reds such as Pinot Noir (as is the case with the above entrée currently on the menu) or even more medium-bodied reds with richer, fattier, braised pork preparations.  Go with a Southern Rhône blend (try: Saint Cosme 2008 Côte du Rhône $17) or even a smoother New World Syrah (try: Qupé 2007 Syrah $18 from the Central Coast, CA).  With pork dishes, you can go exploring with respect to wine.

Have fun!
Julie, Owner
Portalis Wines

Posted: Sunday, October 18, 2009
WILD MUSHROOMS & WINE
It’s peak season for mushroom foraging which inspired me to do the mushroom brie tart.  In the market right now, chantarelles (coming from southern Washington & Oregon) are looking beautiful.  I love the rich golden color and the nice, woodsy, earthy flavor which pairs well with the richness of the brie. The other mushrooms on the tart are crimini which have a nice deep rich flavor and beech mushrooms which add a slightly sweet, nutty flavor & delicate texture to the tart. 

Some ideas for cooking with fall mushrooms: creamy parmesean polenta with marsala-braised mushrooms (which will go on the menu in the next few weeks), a creamy mushroom soup (which you can purée and serve as a mushroom bisque topped with truffle oil & chive) or how about some mushroom risotto? Here’s my insider tip:  sautée your mushrooms with olive oil on a really high heat so that they have a nice sear & caramelized color and add them to the risotto for the last five minutes of cooking.  Finish with parmegiano reggioano & thyme.

Wine Pairing for wild mushrooms:
When you smell a bottle of Pinot Noir from Burgundy, the nose often has a mushroomy smell, making this a classic pairing (try:  Henri Delagrange 2006 Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune $28).  You can also get earthy, musty, mushroomy flavors from Itailan Barolo (try:  Fontanafredda 2004 Barolo Serralunga D’Alba $69/SALE $ ), Barbaresco (try: Pelissero 2004 Nubiola Barbaresco $44) or for a more affordable wine, go with a Nebbiolo from Lombardy:  Conti Sertoli Salis 2006 Baccalit $19.

Cheers!
Chef Tracey

Posted:  Sunday, October 10, 2009
WIENERSCHNITZEL with warm German potato salad $18
… served with a glass of Weingut Graf von Schoenborn 2008 Sylvaner Kabinett $9 

Chef Tracey has been using the phrase comfort food a lot lately and nothing says comfort more (to Jens & many people) than Wienerschnitzel.  (By the way, Wien is German for Vienna, and Wienerschnitzel is a style of schnitzel originally from this part of Austria.)  Chef Tracey aced this one: a tender veal cutlet with a side of warm, creamy, fingerling potato salad.  And together with the wine pairing, Weingut Graf von Schoenborn 2008 Sylvaner Kabinett … it’s beautiful!  The wine varietal is Sylvaner, a grape grown in the Franken region of Germany, with lovely flavors of apples & pears. It is slightly off-dry with a solid acidity, allowing it to stand up to this rich meal. And for a little added touch, the bottle has the traditional bulbous bottom common in Germany for this type of wine (see top of photo).  Hope you can stop in to enjoy this while it’s on the menu.   

Cheers!
Julie, Co-Owner
Portalis Wines

Posted:  Sunday, September 27, 2009
Manilla clams with caramelized onion & bacon $13
Now that the weather is getting a littler chillier, a nice steamy bowl of clams has a lot of appeal.  With this dish, I like the saltiness of the bacon with the sweetness of the onion and the brininess of the clams.  I’m serving the clams with baguette to sop of the delicious, rich, buttery broth.  This dish pairs well with a broad spectrum of white wines.  The Ness 2008 Albariño (a classic Spanish fish wine from the northeastern region of Rias Baixas) has enough acidity to cut the fat of the bacon & butter.  A classic French bistro pairing would be the Château Lafont Menaut 2006 Pessac-Léognan which is a Bordeaux blanc that’s full flavored enough to handle the richness of the dish.  Or you could go all out rich and drink a glass of the Saintsbury 2007 Chardonnay, an oaky, buttery California Chardonnay, a wine that’s normally difficult to pair with food, but the buttery, bacony richness of these clams can hold up to it.

Cheers!
Chef Tracey

Spanish cuisine with wine pairing

Game hen with sherry, blood orange, olives & rose fingerling potato $15
I’ve been in the mood to cook a traditional Spanish dish and blood oranges looked really good at the market, so this dish was a nice fit.  This meal should evoke thoughts of coastal Spain where olive groves and orange trees are in abundance.  It’s a happy balance of citrus, salty and sweet and these three food elements are further enhanced by the Vilosell pairing. Celler Tomas Cusine 2006 Vilosell, from the Coster del Segre region of Spain northwest of Barcelona, is a very versatile, food enhancing wine.  It’s got nice acidity, so it balances the citrus in the dish, but it’s not so heavy that it overpowers the hen.  It’s a lovely, rustic food/wine pairing.

Cheers!
Chef Tracey

Posted Sunday, September 20, 2009 at www.portaliswines.com

Seasonal Foods: the Heirloom Tomato

Posted at www.portaliswines.com:  Sunday, August 16, 2009
The market is in full swing and heirloom tomatoes are starting to look good.  Just in case you don’t know the story behind an Heirloom tomato, “an heirloom plant, heirloom variety, or (especially in the UK) heirloom vegetable is a cultivar that was commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but which is not used in modern large-scale agriculture. Many heirloom vegetables have kept their traits through open pollination, while fruit varieties such as apples have been propagated over the centuries through grafts and cuttings. The trend of growing heirloom plants in gardens has been growing in popularity in the United States and Europe over the last decade.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heirloom_plant  Heirlooms are traditionally sweeter & juicier than other tomatoes, and because so many different colors, textures and shapes make up the heirloom family, they are a beautiful addition to any summer salad.

Currently, I am using heirloom tomatoes on the menu for our soup selection: Heirloom tomato gazpacho with avocado.  Here’s the recipe:  Cut the following into a large dice … 4 medium heirloom tomatoes, 1 English cucumber (peeled & seeded), 1 Walla Walla onion, 1 bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, 1 jalapeno, half a bunch of cilantro, pinch of fresh oregano, 2 cloves of garlic (diced), ¼ cup red wine vinegar, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil.  Mix all ingredients in a big bowl and then purée in a food processor until smooth. Season with salt and cracked black pepper. Garnish with avocado (large dice).  The acid in the tomatoes can wine pairing a little tricky, so I hit Ross (Who’s Ross?) up for some tips:  sparkling wine such as Prosecco (try: Toffoli NV Prosecco glass $8.75/bottle $20) or a fruity rosé (don’t get too dry; try: Fuente Del Conde 2008 Rosado $19/bottle), or an off-dry Riesling (try: Efeste 2008 Evergreen Riesling glass $8/bottle $18.50) would all work well.

Because of the Heirloom tomatoes, it’s also my favorite time of year to have BLTs.  I wait all summer for Heirlooms to come out for my BLTs.  Since it’s my favorite sandwich, we’re going to start featuring an Heirloom tomato BLT on toasted country bread this week. Pairing on this gets a little easier as you have some nice salt & fat from the bacon to offset the acidic tomato.  Ross suggested that you go with a little fuller-bodied white, such as a Bordeaux Blanc (try: Château Lafont Menaut 2006 Pessac-Léognan glass $9/bottle ) or a lower-oak Chardonnay such as (try: Kumeu River 2005 Chardonnay from New Zealand which is currently on sale REG $40/SALE $19.99.   

One last tip which is not on the menu: Heirloom tomatoes make a beautiful Caprese salad.  All of the sizes & colors mixed with fresh mozzarella & basil, finished with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper.  A delicious summer salad.

Enjoy & cheers!
Chef Tracey
originally posted on the Portalis website on Sunday, August 16, 2009

Wine Pairings for Seafood

In honor of the Ballard Seafood Fest which took place at the end of July, here are some seafood & wine pairing tips:

Crustaceons (ex: Dungeness Crab)
These little guys tend to be higher in fat and served with lots of butter, so go with a richer white such as Burgundy, especially Chablis (try: Pascal Bouchard 2006 Grande Reserve Chablis $22) or a richer New World white (try: Airfield 2007 Thunderbolt Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon $16.50) or for a little bit crisper white (and to be adventurous) go for an Austrian Gruener Veltliner, a food-friendly white with tropical fruit flavors and the zing of white pepper (try: Leth 2008 Gruener Veltliner Steinagrund $20).

Lean fish (ex: Sole)
This type of fish tends to be delicate and its flavors can be overwhelmed, so go easy on it with a light, crisp white such as Albariño, the classic Spanish fish wine from the NW region of Rias Baixas (try: Nessa 2008 Albariño $16) or a nice Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley, another classic white fish pairing (try: Philippe Raimbault 2007 Sancerre Apud Sariacum $34).

Medium-fat fish (ex: Halibut)
Halibut is firmer and a little richer in flavor and would pair beautifully with the buttery, toasty flavors of a well-done California Chardonnay (try: Heitz Cellar 2007 Chardonnay $23) or a dryer style Chenin Blanc (try: Benedicte De Rycke 2004 Jasnieres $28).

High-fat fish (ex: Salmon & Tuna)
Both of these are fatty, full-flavored, relatively firm fish that call for a wine that can hold its own against these stronger flavors.  We recommend a full-bodied white, a rosé or a lighter red.  A medium-bodied Spanish Tempranillo would be delicious (try: Hacienda Don Ramon 2006 Rioja $17) or a Pinot Noir from Oregon (try: Walnut City Wineworks 2007 Pinot Noir $22).

Enjoy the Seafood Fest and stop by for glass of wine and something good to eat (try: Porcini-encrusted scallops or Shrimp with chorizo, garlic & butter).  Both are on our menu right now.

Cheers!
Julie, Co-Owner
Portalis Wines

4th of July: BBQ Ribs with Wine/Beer Pairings

Chef Tracey just made these for Father’s Day and they were crazy good, so I hit her up for her insider tips to pass on and she flat out gave me her recipes.  So if you’re responsible for the food on the Fourth, here goes …

Chef Tracey’s BBQ Baby Back Ribs
It’s all about getting them to be moist and fall off the bone.  In the south (where Chef Tracey has cooked), the classic way to prepare ribs is to boil them and then finish them in a smoker.  She thinks it’s easier and more flavorful, though, to use a dry rub and then wrap them tightly in foil and put them in a 250 degree oven for 4-5 hours.  The beautiful thing about this is it can be done a day or two ahead of time. When you’re ready to serve, you finish the ribs by slathering them in your favorite BBQ sauce and putting them on a hot grill for 8 minutes or so until they’re bubbly and ready to eat.  Ingredients for the dry rub:  1/2 cup salt, 1/2 sugar, 3T each: chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, 1T smoked paprika, 1t ground mustard.

Chef Tracey’s Red Bliss Potato Salad
Serve up the ribs with this on the side …
Boil 1 lb Red Bliss potatoes (tip … 1T of salt & 1t sugar in the water will keep the potato peels bright red).  Let cool to room temperature then cut to desired size.  Add 4 hard boiled eggs (cut to desired size), 1/2 C diced celery, 2 chopped shallots, 2T snipped chives, 2T chopped dill.  For the dressing, mix 1/2 C mayo, 1T Dijon mustard, 1T whole grain mustard, 1t celery salt, 1t apple cider vinegar.  Add to potato mixture and serve.

Wine & Beer Pairings:
There are three ways to go with BBQ ribs …
1 – Beer (tried and true … can’t go wrong)  We suggest a pilsner as its tartness offsets the sweetness of the ribs beautifully.  Germans are the masters.  Try Radeberger Pilsner ($4/case $3.20) from Dresden, in the southeast corner of Germany near the Polish/Czech borders.  The Czech’s would argue theirs is better and they might be right.  Try Lev Lion Lager ($4/case $3.20).
2 – Rosé  A wonderfully refreshing summer drink and it’s amazingly flexible with regard to food pairing.  The cold, fruity, pleasant acidity of this festive drink goes well with everything from salads, to chicken to grilled meats, and it can even handle the spicy sweetness of BBQ sauce.  Try Domaine Saint Roch Les Vignes 2008 Rosé $16 (Provence) or if you’d like something local, try Saviah Cellars 2008 Rosé $14, Walla Walla rosé from Sangiovese.
3 - Zinfanel If you’re hankering for a bigger red, Zinfanel — with it’s big dark fruit (blackberry, boysenberry, black cherry) flavors with hints of licorice, cinnamon & black pepper — hand hold it’s own against the sauce.  Try Easton 2007 Zinfandel $17/case $13.60 (Wine Enthusiast 90 points).  It’s a great wine for the price especially if you’re serving a crowd.

Happy 4th of July!
Julie, Owner
Portalis Wines

Wines to pair with grilled meats

From Portalis Wine Shop + Wine Bar:  Food + Wine

The weather has been beautiful and we know you’re grilling because I had plenty of time over Memorial Day Weekend to compile this list of wine pairings for all kinds of grilled meats.  Hope this gives you some fun, reasonably priced suggestions for the next time you’re cooking out:

Chicken – The light meat of the chicken goes best with lighter, crisp wines as well as reds with low tannins and nice, bright acidity:
Neil Ellis 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa) $20/case $16
Ruggeri Corsini 2006 Barbera d’Alba (Piedmont, Italy) $20/case $16

Ribs – Here you’re looking for rich, full-bodied reds and dry to slightly off dry whites.  Think Zin, Italian whites or dry Riesling:
Nota Bene 2005 Syrah (Washington State) $32/case $25.60
Fattoria Laila 2007 Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi Classico Superiore (Marche, Italy) $13/case $10.40
Four Vines 2006 Maverick Zinfandel (Amador County, CA) $28/case $22.40

Steaks – Seek big wines with lots of flavor and medium tannins; Cabs, Syrah and Malbec are all a perfect complement:
Beckmen Vineyards 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (Ynez Valley, CA) $27/case $21.60
Luigi Bosca 2005 Malbec Single Vineyard (Mendoza, Argentina) $22/case $17.60

Pork – You’re looking for straight-forward wines to not over power the light meat of the pork. Go with Spanish reds and reds from Montepulciano and Chianti:
Centorame 2006 Montepulciano D’Abruzzo (Abruzzo, Italy) $21/case $16.80
Legado Munoz 2007 Garnacha (Tierra de Castilla, Spain) $11.50/case $9.20

Salmon – Richer flavored fish needs a richer flavored wine, but with low tannins. Pinot Noir is perfect:.
Byron 2007 Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley, CA) $25.50/case $20.40
Isabel 2008 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, NZ) $16.50/case $13.20

Enjoy & cheers!
Ross, Server (Fri, Sat, Sun)

Food+Wine: On the Menu … Frog Legs

It’s traditional French bistro fare with Chef Tracey’s most recent addition to the menu.  Her art for preparing the frog legs is similar to brining.  She marinates them in buttermilk, Worcestershire sauce & tobasco.  Frogs legs can be tough, but this marinating process makes the meat tender.  After about a day and a half in the marinade, the meat is so tender that it flakes when fried.  In France, you’d most likely have your frog legs sautéed, but Chef Tracey is serving these frog legs fried with a side of whole-grain mustard-tarragon potato salad for a nice seasonal twist with some American flair. 

This dish pairs beautifully with a broad range of wines, including white, rosé and more medium-bodied reds.  Here are some suggestions to choose from based on your mood:

Boedecker Cellars 2007 Old Vine Pinot Gris $8.00
Domaine Lecomte 2006 Quincy $9.00
Boedecker Cellars 2008 Rosé $8.00
Bishop Creek Cellars 2006 Pinot Noir Barrel Selection $9.00
Domaine des Espiers 2007 Gigondas $9.50

Food + Wine: Experiment with wine pairings

We’ve started a new Thursday bar special, where (in addition to our regular menu) we are offering a small bites menu with 4 or 5 items priced at $5 each.  Aside from the fact that these small plates are delicious, each provides a little wine pairing fun.  Here are several of the small plates from the first month of the special with suggested pairings. If you need some help pairing upcoming dishes, we’re happy to oblige …

Pear crostini with blue cheese mousse & candied walnuts $5
    … bubbly can handle the salty & the sweet: Montesel Extra Dry Prosecco $9
Gougère with proscuitto & pea salad $5
    … a richer white fits perfectly: Jean-Luc Colombo 2006 La Redonne $8.25
Warm potato salad with chorizo & poached egg $5
    … be a rebel: Celler Tomas Cusine 2006 Vilosell $8.25
House chicken liver mousse pâté $5
    … a match made in heaven: Domaine des Espiers 2007 Gigondas $9.50
Mushroom brie galette $5
    … another match made in heaven: Château La Neuve 2005 Saint-Emilion $9
Spicy meatballs with tomato conserva & garlic toast $5 
    … fruit forward is the way to go: Planeta 2007 La Segreta Rosso $7.75

Enjoy & cheers!

Food+Wine: Lamb Tagine

Lamb tagine is a lovely, aromatic dish originally from Morocco, but regularly seen incorporated into Spanish cuisine. With the cold, blustery weather we’ve been having, Chef Tracey felt like this yummy, warming, somewhat rich meal would still have appeal … and it has.  The sweetness (though not too sweet) comes from the dates and honey. The richness comes from the lamb, a rich meat made richer by the cut (neck). And then there’s the sultry spiciness from the cinnamon, ginger, saffron & tumeric.  It really is a delicious combination and it pairs beautifully with the Celler Tomas Cusine 2006 Vilosell, a blend of Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Garnacha/Syrah from the Costers del Segre region of northeast Spain. Other red wines that would work well with spicier lamb dishes would be wines from the Southern Rhône, as well as a hearty Pinot Noir, like what you find from Oregon’s Willamette Valley:  Bishop Creek Cellars 2006 Pinot Noir Barrel Selection $21 or for a splurge, try Domaine Serene 2005 Pinot Noir Evenstad Reserve $64.  If you prefer a white for the above style dish, try a Riesling such a Weingut Seebrich 2006 Niersteiner Oelberg Riseling Spaetlese $19.  Come check it out.  It will be on the menu through the first week or so of April.
 
Contributor:  Julie Howe