Piatti Signature Dipping Oil

This is the best flavored oil for dipping bread in. The recipe is courtesy of Piatti Locali. One my favorite restaurants, because of the emphasis on Italian inspired dishes, with fresh local ingredients.

In a 3 oz ramekin:

¼ Teaspoon Chopped Parsley
¼ Teaspoon Fresh Garlic
Pinch of Salt & Pepper (5:1 Salt to Pepper)
Pinch of Chili Flakes
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar to cover bottom
2 oz. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (4:1 to Balsamic)

Cover and let sit for an hour. When you are ready to serve turn a small plate upside down and hold the ramekin to the serving side of the plate. Turn the plate upright and take the ramekin away.

Todd’s Bruschetta

2 cup diced seeded plum tomatoes
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
7 tablespoons olive oil
4 1/2-inch-thick slices country-style bread (each about 5x2 1/2 inches)

Blend first 3 ingredients and 5 tablespoons oil in small bowl, and season with salt and pepper. It is best to make this a couple of hours ahead, and refrigerate until about a half our before serving.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Arrange bread slices on baking sheet.
Brush with 2 tablespoons oil.
Bake until crisp (about 10 minutes)

Remove from oven and spoon on tomato topping;
Top with some Parmesan (if you like).

Serve while the bread is warm.

Kongsgaard, 2004 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

A number of wine critics are saying, “The 2004 Pinot Noirs are as good as Rochioli has ever produced”. I have not been drinking Rochioli wines for all that long, but I can say this is a great wine. It has a lush and opulent style. The taste is plum, cherry, and pomegranate. The flavors are intense, but not heavy in your mouth. Buy it and drink it this year, it is awesome right now. It has the added bonus of being better than a lot of very pricey California Pinots, but at half the price. So far this is the best wine I have tasted in 2006.

Rochioli, 2004 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

A number of wine critics are saying, “The 2004 Pinot Noirs are as good as Rochioli has ever produced”. I have not been drinking Rochioli wines for all that long, but I can say this is a great wine. It has a lush and opulent style. The taste is plum, cherry, and pomegranate. The flavors are intense, but not heavy in your mouth. Buy it and drink it this year, it is awesome right now. It has the added bonus of being better than a lot of very pricey California Pinots, but at half the price. So far this is the best wine I have tasted in 2006.

This is my idea of fun (at least this month)

Todd’s Pineapple Salsa

I was inspired by a recent vacation to try to come up with a “Tropical Salsa”. We have had some great weather for the past couple of days, so Lisa and I decided to invite over some test subjects, fire up the barbecue, buy some Ono fillets and a pineapple and see what came out.

1/2 large pineapple, peeled, and cut into 1/2-cubes
3/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of lime juice

Place all of the ingredients in a glass bowl.
Season the salsa with salt and pepper.
Toss well to combine.
Cover and refrigerate for two to four hours.
Set the covered bowl on the counter 30 minutes prior to serving (keep it covered until serving).

Miura Vineyards, 2000 Pinot Noir (Pisoni Vineyard Grapes)

Miura Vineyards wants to appear to be one of Napa Valley’s hottest boutique brands. The winery is a partnership between Emmanuel Kemiji, a Master Sommelier, and Byron Kosuge, the award-winning winemaker at Saintsbury. The thing that is interesting (to me anyway) is that they are located on Post Street in San Francisco and none of the grapes come from Napa valley. They buy grapes from top vineyards, and produce some intense wines. The wines (mostly Pinot and Chardonnay) are on restaurant lists from San Francisco to Singapore, though very little seems to make it into the retail market. Enough about the winery, this wine is big, full bodied and lush, it is very fruit forward, with powerful flavors. The nose is very rich and loaded with berry scents. If you want to try a California boutique wine, this would be a good one, you can get it for a fraction the price of some of the other boutique Pinots.