How To Taste Wine

Heston Blumenthal/In Search of Perfection/Fish stock
Serves 4

Preparation time 30 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes
Ingredients

* For the stock
* 100g/3½oz grapeseed or groundnut oil
* 200g/7oz onion, thinly sliced
* 150g/5oz button mushrooms, cleaned, thinly sliced
* 100g/3½oz leek, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
* 100g/3½oz fennel, thinly sliced
* 250g/9oz carrots, thinly sliced
* 1 x 175g/6oz piece haddock tail flesh
* 1kg/2¼lb cleaned bones and head from haddock, or other white fish
* 50g/1¾oz vermouth liqueur
* 100g/3½oz dry white wine
* 4 garlic cloves
* 6 allspice berries
* 1 star anise
* 1 tbsp coriander seeds
* 2 tsp konbu (edible kelp - available from specialist Japanese stores)
* ¼ bunch fresh parsley
* For the stock fortification
* 16 whole langoustine, preferably live; or best-quality whole frozen langoustine
* 25g/1oz grapeseed or groundnut oil
* 100g/3½oz leek, thinly sliced
* 100g/3½oz carrot, thinly sliced
* 100g/3½oz onion, thinly sliced
* 25g/1oz garlic, thinly sliced
* 50g/2oz vermouth liqueur
* 100g/3½oz dry white wine
* reserved stock

Method

1. For the stock, pour the oil into a small (8 litre) pressure cooker and place over a medium heat.
2. Add the onion, mushrooms, leek, fennel and carrots and cook for 10-15 minutes, until soft, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, place the haddock flesh in a food processor and blend to a rough paste.
3. When the vegetables are softened and translucent, but not brown, add the fish, the head and the bones.
4. Immediately add the vermouth and the white wine and bring to the boil, stirring in the garlic, allspice, star anise and coriander seeds.
5. Add enough water to make about 4kg/8lb 13oz of liquid. (The pan should be about two-thirds full.) Cover with the lid and bring up to full pressure for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and allow to depressurise before removing the lid.
7. Add the konbu and parsley and allow to infuse for 30 minutes.
8. Strain the stock into a large bowl and set aside.
9. For the sock fortification, twist the heads off the langoustine and return the tails to the fridge.
10. Cut the antennae and eyes from the heads with scissors. Discard the lungs and gills, but reserve the rest of the heads and the claws. Reserve the liver and entrails separately for finishing the stock.
11. To prepare the tails, grasp the centre flap (teslon) between your thumb and index finger, then gently twist and pull to remove the intestines. (This works only with live langoustine; if using frozen ones, simply remove the intestines with a paring knife.) Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut along the shell lengthwise, taking care not to cut into the flesh, and separate the flesh from the shell.
12. Wrap all the tail meat in cling film and keep refrigerated until required.
13. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Combine all the shells with the heads and place in a single layer in a roasting pan. Place in the oven to dry roast, tossing them every five minutes until the moisture has evaporated and the shells have a light roasted aroma. Remove and set aside.
14. Meanwhile, pour the oil into a small pressure cooker over a medium heat. Add all the vegetables and cook for ten minutes.
15. When the vegetables are softened and translucent (but not brown) add the vermouth and white wine and bring to the boil.
16. Tip in all the roasted shells and pour in the reserved stock. Cover and bring to full pressure for 30 minutes.
17. Remove from the heat and allow to depressurise before removing the lid. Add the reserved livers and entrails and infuse for 30 minutes. Strain the fortified stock and allow to cool. The stock is now ready to use.

Duration : 0:2:48

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Warning! some adult images!

Duration : 0:3:52

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How do you say ‘Cheers’ in French? This is just one of my several questions as I drink my way (!) through the Loire, enjoying some of France’s finest vintages…
Another urgent question - how to possibly describe the taste of these very special wines?? I’ll have to depend on my friends at the chateau, during our little degustation (wine tasting). And of course, my imagination comes in handy too, with these original ways to describe wine:

White flowers
Pear
Force
Power
‘Long in the mouth’ (?)
Citrusy
Delicious
a little Flinty
…and very Refreshing!

‘Tchin’!

Enjoy and take a look at the complete blog with even better videos at http://us.franceguide.com/special/lost-in-francelation/home.html?NodeID=931

Get Lost in Francelation!

French Tourism video series

Duration : 0:3:3

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Technorati Tags: blog, castle, Chateau, France, francelation, loire, Lost, tasting, tourism, travel, valley, Video, vlog, WINE

Song - White Tooth Man by Iron and Wine.

Movie - No Country for Old Men

Duration : 0:3:58

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Tony Tribe

Duration : 0:3:10

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Canada’s Napa Valley, British Columbia and the Okanagan have some of North Americas most spectacular scenery and top wine producers recognized the world over.

Duration : 0:6:4

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Him and I are being forced by my parents to break up….and he wants to write my parents a letter and I want to write his parents a letter. I wrote this, but if you think there’s something I should change or make better…please let me know:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. X,

My heart pounds, blood rushes to my cheeks as I blush, words vanish from my mind, tears of joy fall down my face, feelings of invincibility rush through my body, the whole world stops, I feel respected, cherished and loved….that’s how I know I’m in love!

I felt as though I needed to write you two a letter; something, which reflects my appreciation towards you both, and expresses my love for your son. I know you’re both in love, I can see it when I look at you. You’re eyes express love as well as respect for each other. That’s how I know you’ll understand where I’m coming from. That’s also how I know where Nathan learnt it. It’s a valuable lesson you’ve taught him.

You kindly opened the doors to your home, and welcomed me with sincere gratitude. I appreciate how amazingly comfortable you made me feel. The day I met you Stan, I found out where Nathan gets his character from! His charisma and upbeat personality. The day I met you Donna, I found out where Nathan gets his charm and warm hearted character from. You both have interlocked your amazing personalities and values and passed it onto your children. I must tell you that I’ve never met such a sweet and wonderful man as Nathan. He’s polite, honest, considerate, sweet, charming, manly, a hard worker, smart, creative, fun, funny and much more!

Stan; Nathan always tells me how you taught him how to cook, pour wine, etc. That shows that you have taught him talents and he looks up to you for that. I’m sure he’ll pass on those talents to his future children as well. Donna; Nathan told me from day one how much you love him. He knows it, and I know it. You’re warm hearted, and so caring. You open your home to people and care for people. You two are simple, non-materialistic people that just want to be happy in this life.

I love you both, you were turning into the parents I secretly wish I had. You have a beautiful home with beautiful children. Your home was the home I always wanted to live in. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family, but you guys have such a spark and connection with each other! The few short months of observing your family, I saw, love, dedication, respect, kindness, values, honesty and much, much more.

I admire your families’ honesty with each other. It seems as though you can talk to each other about anything. Be proud that your son feels as though he can come to you for anything. He comes and talks to you two when he has problems. I can’t do that with my parents, which is why I had kept Nathan a secret from them. I wish I could talk to them, but they do not understand the way you do. I wish I could tell my mom how Nathan makes me the happiest I’ve ever been. A joy in which I didn’t know even existed! I wish I could show my family what an amazing man Nathan is, but they won’t even give us a chance. I believe that showing Nathan that it’s important to talk out feelings, it has taught him a very important lesson in relationships.

Nathan knows how to maintain a healthy relationship. I always knew he learned that from you two. He doesn’t play mind games, he faithful, he does and says sweet things, he’s honest, he brings his values into the relationship, he is caring, supportive, helpful, fair, respectful, loving, and so much more. He has everything I’ve ever wanted in a man. He’s perfect in a million and one ways! I just needed you guys to know what an amazing job you did raising him. I must thank you for that. I was honestly losing faith in mankind. But your son single-handedly restored my faith. This world seems like a better place now.

Your son has helped me realize my personal strengths, he has helped me realize that I can love, realize that there are some genuinely good people in this world, he has helped me deal with pain, he has taught me to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, he has taught me to love myself, he has taught me to be true to myself and to others, and he gave the most amazing and memorable three months of my life.

Because of this and much more, I love your son with every piece of my heart, and I always will. He was my first love, and for that he will always have a piece heart. I wish I never had to leave his side, and as painful as it is, I can no longer stress him out and make him wait for me. Even though he probably would, because he’s such a dedicated man. I have to let him go, as much as I love him. I hope he heels and finds a girl even better than me! He deserves it so much! He deserves to be the happiest person in the world. I want the best for him. It kills me that I can’t be the woman he grows old with, it eats me up inside, it tears my heart up! But, I care about Nathan so much that I have to let it happen.

I’ll never be

I haven’t even read the bloody thing but I can ASSURE you, writing something THAT long will not get you into their good books; in fact, you’re starting to sound kinda creepy. Almost bordlerline stalker? :/ If you MUST write a letter, make it short and consise.

Ub40 live in Ahoy rotterdam.
29-11-07 Red Red Wine

Duration : 0:5:5

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The first episode of our new mini-series, yay!

Duration : 0:8:37

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Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic
hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter. The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundations of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting

of humanity into two distinct subgroups:

1. Liberals and
2. Conservatives.

Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor the aluminum can had been invented yet, so while our early ancestors were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That’s how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is now known as the Conservative movement. Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQs and doing the sewing, fetching and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement.

Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became known as girlie men. Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided.

Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.

Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu and French food are standard liberal fare. Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men.

Most social workers, personal injury lawyers, journalists, dreamers in
Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the
designated hitter rule because it wasn’t fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer, mostly Bud. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, athletes, Marines and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America . They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get something for nothing.

Here ends today’s lesson in world history.

Seems to sum it up quite nicely.