Jenn: Wines of Illinois summed up in 3 words…”Weiner Dog White”
So after being exposed to Amish wines in Ohio I have now made it my mission to try as many unique and boutique wineries as possible despite location or prestige. So upon my arrival into Champaign Illinois I was leafing through the local guide of activities to do in the area, and came across Alto Vineyards which was located right down the road.
Turning out to be an outlet tasting room and gourmet food shop, they offer free tastings of their many varietals to thirsty tourists like myselfJ So, expecting many of their wines to be akin to my experience in Ohio where any fruit was turned into a syrupy and overly sweet beverage (reminiscent to muscats in style), I was pleasantly surprised when I found my first tasting to be a dry and crisp chardonnel. This grape is hybrid cross between Chardonnay and Cheval Blanc. Although I personally would not have purchased this bottle, it was a good start to my Illinois wine experience.
Overall, I found the wines to be decent…but even more interesting to me was that their white wines were more palatable to me than their reds. Demonstrating their many awards that they have won at local fairs and tastings, their reds seems to be the most popular of the 20 labels they sell…however, perhaps it is my palate that is used to the big fruit forward wines of California, but I preferred their whites which have similar traits to dry chardonnays or gewurztraminers. In fact, the purchase I decided to make to document my experience was of the ultimate wine classic…the Weiner Dog White!
So while conversing with the tasting room manager at Alto Vineyards, I asked him if it was “normal” for wineries in the Midwest to offer so many varietals. In my experience most California wineries tend to focus on just a few styles in the hopes to offer the most quality possible. However, with so many wine novices in that part of the country and constantly dealing with changing weather patterns, many wineries turn to using fruits other than grapes such as cherries or strawberries to stimulate the palates and introduce the masses to the wines industry and culture.
So if this is the wine culture that speaks to the Midwest…so be it! I am on board…I am open to anything that educates people to vinoJ
Rynn: King’s Cake Recipe
I have no idea why it’s called a King’s Cake. Well, I know why it has King in the name but the cake part is totally a misnomer. Like Rhode Island. Rhode Island isn’t an island any more that a King’s Cake is a cake. Still, this weekend is both the weekend preceding Mardi Gras…and Super Bowl. For real Catholics (like my boyfriend), this is a double-whopper of a weekend to celebrate before Lent. For us recovering Catholics (that would be me), Lent means nothing but Mardi Gras and Superbowl still retain their status. Hence, I made my first King’s Cake (pictures will be uploaded once my boyfriend sends them too me). But as if that wasn’t enough, I also made tamales. I know, I know: I’m getting my holiday food traditions mixed up. But what the hell, life is for living and a part of living is eating well. Hence here are the smash up & altered recipes I mixed together to make my version of a King’s Cake. Thanks to Danno at Nola Cuisine (http://www.nolacuisine.com/2007/01/06/king-cake-recipe/) and Monica Glass at the Gilded Fork (http://www.gildedfork.com/recipes/mardi-gras-king-cake.html) for providing the inspirational recipes. I will say that I used Danno’s brioche recipe verbatim and altered Monica’s a bit.
I will say, I was a bit worried that my experimental filling would be a culinary Frankenstein’s monster, but when my friend’s 92-year-old grandmother (who’s a notoriously picky eater) proclaimed it, “excellent”, I exhaled the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Even better when people asked for the recipes!
King Cake Recipe
For the Brioche:
1 Envelope Active Dry Yeast
2 Tbsp Warm Water (115 degree F)
1 tsp Iodized Salt
2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Milk
2 tsp Orange Zest, minced
2 Cups All Purpose Flour, sifted
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 Eggs, beaten
1 1/4 sticks cold Unslated Butter, cut into very small dice
1 Egg beaten and 2 Tbsp water, for the eggwash
1 plastic baby trinket
Dissolve the yeast in the workbowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, let stand until frothy.
Dissolve the salt, sugar, orange zest and milk in a small bowl. When dissolved combine the milk mixture with the yeast mixture. Mix the cinnamon with the flour.
With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, then gradually add the flour, until all is incorporated. Knead on low speed for 10 minutes, or until a smooth elastic dough is formed. A little more flour may be necessary. With the motor running, incorporate the butter into the dough, a little at a time but rather quickly so that it doesn’t heat up and melt.
Turn the dough into an oiled bowl, loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour in a warm spot.
When the dough has doubled in bulk punch it down, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Roll the dough out to a 6 x 18 inch rectangle. Spread the filling (recipe below) out in the middle of the rectangle along the whole length, leaving about 1 1/2 inch on each side. Place the baby trinket somewhere with the filling. Fold the length of the dough over the filling and roll up tightly, leaving the seam side down. Turn the roll into a circle, seam side down and put one end inside of the other to hide the seam, and seal the circle. Place the cake on a baking sheet and let rise, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
Place the king cake into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
When the cake cools, brush with some of the glaze (recipe below). This will help the sugars adhere. Decorate the cake with the colored sugars and drizzle some of the thicker glaze onto the cake.
For the bourbon pecan filling:
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons Sailor Jerry’s rum (traditionally bourbon, I’d have used Maker’s Mark if I’d had it)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
Prepare the rum pecan filling:
Place the cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla and cinnamon in a work bowl. Using a spoon, fork, paddle attachment, or whatever you use to mix your ingredients, blend the ingredients until they are thoroughly combined and smooth. Add the pecans and mix. Set aside until ready for use.
For the icing:
2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 tablespoons warm milk
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon Sailor Jerry’s rum
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon melted butter
Purple, green and gold tinted sugar
Heat the milk until it’s warm. Place the butter in the milk and stir until it dissolves. Add the rum, OJ, vanilla, and cinnamon and combine. Sift the powdered sugar and add it slowly to the liquid (or be lazy like me and just dump it in the bowl). Stir until the frosting is a nice glaze with no weird powdered sugar lumps. I like mine to be a little thinker so I added a bit more sugar, but if you prefer a runnier glaze, go with your preference.
