2014 was healthy, prosperous and joy-full!
Memorable highlights and meaningful milestones.
Some of the biggest events weren't really mine, but the men who help define my life. Alex moved out and Rob turned 60. Time is flying by, and confirming for me that I am in the youth of old age.
All the more reason to enjoy small pleasures. Taking time to linger over great meals with friends and family, foodies and book buddies. Tasting some things for the first time, like coffee cupping, caviar and sake on the solstice. Continuing to explore wine and cocktails.
And finally! Getting around to updating the front room with comfy furniture and light-hearted touches that help it live up to the name, "living room". Stopping to smell the flowers and enjoy my garden, whatever the season.
Rob and I took an iconic trip to Paris and London in September. Both cities were amazing, and I was happy we were able to spend 8 days in each place to get to see the sights and sounds. So much to take in, it was all a bit of a whirlwind. We took cruises on the Thames and the Seine, and checked out both their Towers and as many galleries and museums as our feet carry us.
I am continuing to enjoy sailing as weather permits. We took Yondering for a two week cruise East over the summer and spent most weekends hanging out on the Island. Also memorable was a five-day get-away to Wilson New York. Even if the boat is in the slip, it is still fun to get down to the club and enjoy the view from the deck or dock at BPYC.
My two different book clubs keep me reading, but more importantly, help keep me connected to some lively and memorable discussions with some fabulous women.
I am also deeply grateful to be continuing with my daily yoga/meditation practice and adding in the sadhanas and workshops.
On the work front... Three different jobs testing my adaptability, thankfully still with the same employer. Something new to learn in
each new posting, but all the same, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. I am grateful to continue being employed & employable but starting to look ahead to a time of retirement. How will I fill my days? Something tells me I won't have a problem figuring out what to do with myself.
Yes, I am grateful for a wonderful year and time well spent.
Here's to 2015.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Sake on the Solstice - 2014
Sake
has been enjoyed by the Japanese for at least 2,000 years. Farmers
often gathered together in the winter to brew small batches of rice wine
for the coming year. How appropriate to have this tasting to honour
the Winter Solstice!
Usually,
Stu conducts tours and sake tastings on site at the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company. Fortunately, he was open to making a home visit, and
brought along five different types of Izumi sake, so we could sample
the different styles
and deepen our appreciation. He was entertaining and at ease as he guided us through the different styles.
Our
small group listened to a quick overview before proceeding to the
tasting. Three basic ingredients are distilled to create sake: water;
rice; and koji. This basic trinity yields very different results,
depending on the characteristics
of each element, how it gets processed and then distilled.
Water.
Izumi uses Ontario spring water from Muskoka. In fact, ‘Izumi’ roughly
translates to ‘spring water’ in Japanese. The company first tried
using Lake Ontario water, but the owner was disappointed with the
results, and so
trucks in water from a pure source. When sake is called ‘junmai,’ it
means it is a pure rice wine, without additional alcohol or grain
spirits.
Rice. Good
quality grain is essential, but even more critical is the percentage
to which each grain is polished and the outer kernel removed. The lower the polishing ratio, the more
premium the sake. If sake is labelled ‘ginjo’ it must be polished at
least 60%.
There
are noticeable changes at this level; ginjo sake is usually lighter
and more aromatic. Daiginjo means a sake that has been polished to at
least 50%. Daiginjo literally means “big ginjo” and that’s a fair
description of their relationship:
they’re like ginjos, only more so.
Some
premium sake boast that as much as 85% of the outer kernel has
been polished away, leaving behind only 15% of the inner core. Too polished? Many in
the industry believe the industry is taking this to an unneeded extreme,
an utter waste of perfectly
good rice.
Koji. This is basically, rice
mould. Izumi gets theirs from Nagano, Japan, from a catalogue of
different structures dating back to at least 1662. Stu brought some for
us so we could see what it looked, smelled, and tasted
like (mushy stuff with a yeasty smell, very chewy and not unpleasant flavour).
The
first sake we tasted was Nama nama, a nama-zaki style, which means it has
not been pasteurized. This type is rarely exported from Japan, and
because it doesn’t have much of a shelf-life, it’s ideal to get from a
local brewer. Gauntner
and other connoisseurs often prefer pasteurized styles because they
believe the process “eliminates the veil-like set of characteristic
aromas and flavours“. Served chilled, this was delicious with
prosciutto and melon.
The
second sake was Nama cho, once-pasteurized. Most types of sake are
pasteurized twice – after pressing on its way to the maturation
tank, and once again post bottling. This one is pasteurized after bottling. We tried it both
warm and chilled, and
it seemed as though it became two entirely different beverages. I was
surprised by the way the aromas were neutralized when it was served
warm. Definitely delicious both warm and chilled, paired with sushi and
sashimi. In North
America from the 1940s—1980s, lesser quality sake was served warm to disguise its taste, and many people formed poor impressions as a
result.
Third tasting was Teion Sekura, with a
white-wine-like acidity. Stu called this the distillery’s “gateway saki”
that most generally appeals to North American palates. More koji,
pasteurized twice, and very similar to a Gewurtztrameiner. I served
this alongside a mild bleu cheese, aged cheddar, and a washed rind ewe.
The umami flavours paired really together surprisingly well.
Fourth up was Genshu, served
with slow-roasted pork belly and apple compote. By this time, many of
us were starting to get a bit of a sake-buzz, and the Genshu certainly
helped us along. This sake is undiluted, no water added,
17% alcohol content, stronger flavour and drier taste. The Izumi had
the strong aroma of pear and apple. If I had to pick a favourite of the
evening, this would definitely be on the shortlist.
Last but not least, a chilled Nigori
Junmai. There was a bit of sediment on the bottom, and when the bottle
was shaken, the liquid became a cloudy-white. This is a sweet sake, and
so I paired it with dessert offerings (a raspberry tart,
chocolate & goji berries, crystalized ginger, spiced nuts),
although it would also have been great served with something spicy.
The evening definitely expanded my
appreciation of sake. I can see incorporating it into my drinks and menu
pairing on a regular basis. Although I thought one style would emerge
as a strong favourite, each was pleasing and distinct from
the other. I like it! And it was great to share this special evening
with friends.
The
truth? It is all a matter of whether or not you like it. It is all
about preference; it is all hedonistic. Sure, there are greater and
lesser
levels of quality, but different sake suit different palates, and fit
different situations. So first and foremost, ask yourself if you like
it. This is deceivingly important, and just as deceivingly simple.
-
John Gauntner
Additionallinks...
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Monday, December 8, 2014
Winter Solstice Tasting - 2014
I was dithering about what to do for the Winter Solstice Tasting this year, and then thought... Sake!
So I hunted down a sake expert to come to the house and found some kindred spirits to join me on the taste adventure.
We'll be trying five different types:
- Namanam (unpasteurized)
- Namacho (once pasteurized)
- Nigori (cloudy)
- Teion (white-wine-like acidity)
- Genshu (undiluted)
Then Caroline sent me info on the "surprising affinity between Canadian cheese and sake." How irresistible is that? Apparently, since sake has a lower acidity than wine and no tannins, the resulting rounder flavours make it a complementary (rather than contrasting) pairing. Also, both cheese and sake are bursting with umami flavours, and the more umami in the sake, the more complementary it will be to cheese.
Although there are categories of sake, there are huge variations within each. For example, much Nigori sake is sweet and creamy in texture, but there is a variety "so chunky you will be tempted to eat it with a fork. Taste Buds and Molecules suggests pairing a chilled Nigori to calm the fire of capsaicin hot peppers.
SakeWorld is a fantastic introduction to the complexities of rice wine. That's where I found this handy flavour profile chart:
John Gauntner, founder of SakeWorld, is a world-renowned expert on the subject, and suggests pairing based primarily on acidity, umami and texture. In a post at Steamy Kitchen he writes, "Fortunately, it is hard to have a real mismatch with sake: even if the pairing is not perfect, you have leeway. So feel free to experiment."
We'll need to find out a bit more about the sake we will be sipping before settling on the food pairings, but I'm already twirling around with some ideas.
Kampai!
Sake – Food Pairing Chart – Starting with Sake
Steamy Kitchen
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Long Nights Full Moon - December
The temperature and weather are very unpredictable right now. Below freezing in the early morning, warmish in the afternoon, flurries, freezing rain.
One thing that isn't unpredictable are the length of days. It's dark when I leave for work. Dark when I come home. I miss the sun!
The moon is always a welcome sight, but in the winter it seems more vigilant in its fight against darkness.
The moon was full 7:30 a.m. December 6.
Illustration
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)