Cirque du Soleil

If you have not seen Cirque du Soleil you should. It is a cross between a Broadway musical and the most spectacular circus you have ever imagined. A few years ago I talked Lisa and Alexa into going, and they are hooked for life. You can see Cirque on DVD and they have done a number of television specials, but to get the full effect you need to see it live. Cirque currently has nine touring shows, as well as permanent shows in places as diverse as Las Vegas and Disney World. The newest traveling show is called Corteo, and will be visiting San Jose, Chicago, New York, Boston and Washington DC in the coming months.

Pot Roast, Italian-Style

This recipe is one that evolved over time into our standard main course at Christmas dinner. It is very easy and always turns out great.

Olive Oil
3-4 Pound Rib Roast
Salt
Black Pepper
4-5 large shallots (sliced thickly)
2 large carrots cut into quarter inch thick slices
2 celery ribs cut into quarter inch thick slices (include the leaves)
6 cloves of crushed garlic
1 cup of dry red wine (it needs to be drinkable, two buck Chuck is okay, but not 50 cent Fred)
1 pound of peeled, seeded and chopped Roma tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large Dutch oven heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat.

Salt and pepper the beef on all sides.

Brown the beef on all sides (including the ends) in the Dutch oven. It should take about eight minutes. When done remove the beef and set aside.

Add 2-3 more tablespoons of olive oil to the Dutch oven then add the carrots, celery, garlic and shallots. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring about every half minute.

Add the wine and tomatoes to the pot and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat, add the beef and push it down into the liquid.

Cover and put it in the oven for about two hours or until the meat is fork tender.

When it comes out of the oven, remove the meat, tent it with foil, and let it rest on a cutting board for about 15 minutes.

For the next part be careful, this year is the first time I have not burned myself. Ladle about one and a half cups of the solids from the pot into your blender. Blend until smooth adding liquid from the pot as required. When you start this, it looks all wrong, that’s okay. When you are done, you will get a rich, orange looking tomato sauce that is to die for.

Serve with your favorite pasta or potatoes for some of the best comfort food around.

Caymus, 1997 Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon

Special Selection is a totally hand crafted wine. Each grape is hand selected, crushed in small batches, and only the best of those batches are used. 1997 was a banner year for Napa Valley Cabernets and this wine is one of the best for that year. This wine is not delicate or subtle, it has been described as “muscular”, and to paraphrase an old colleague, “It’s a real mans wine”. It is powerful, smooth, rich and complicated. The flavor is big, currants, black cherry and various berries. The finish is long and luxurious. If you see this one on the wine list, take a deep breath and go for it, it will hurt your wallet a bit, but you won’t find a California cabernet that is any better.

Caymus, 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon

Caymus bottles two Cabernets the standard label (this one) and the “Special Selection”. The standard label is usually about half the cost and is leaner on the flavor. Generally speaking it is a medium to full bodied wine (meaning fairly high alcohol content), has a fairly complex set of flavors, blackberry, blueberry, coffee, with a slight vanilla finish. Very dry, and very tannic on release, but time has soften it into a very good wine. I really like this wine (I bought two cases on its initial release), but would not recommend you order it from the library section on the wine list.