World On A Plate

SHF #12 - Nanaimo Bars - Canada

Happy Birthday! Sugar High Friday is a year old!  So in a small tribute to the event's originator, Jennifer the Domestic Goddess I have selected a Canadian "custard" based recipe. Thanks to Elise of Simply Recipes for hosting this most indulgent event.

Funny how you eat something somewhere else and it's a new taste sensation. This is exactly what happened last week when I had my first ever Nanaimo bar.  Or what I thought was my first. 

Growing up my mother made brownies often.  But on special occasions, dinner guests, a fundraiser or a special visitor she would embark on making a layered mint brownie.  Well, Marsha, Marsha, Marsha, let me tell you, those brownies we're 'outta sight'!

So there I am with my friend C, who grew up in Ottawa, at a local coffee shop in Banff, before starting off on the first leg of our road trip back to San Francisco.  You should try one of those, she suggests, points with eyes wide. It was two hours (and one black bear sighting) later before we could stop for tea to go with the bar.  Well, to cut the story short, WOW. 

Quick bit of background on the history of this bar.  It is strongly claimed by Nanaimo, Vancouver, B.C. and to have surfaced in the late 1950s.  Some say it's a coal miner's treat from 1930s brought over by settlers from Northern England.  Still other stories circulate that it's from the Dutch settlers that came through in the early 1900s.  In 1986, a Nanaimo newspaper held a recipe contest to find the best of the best.

So it short there now appears to be many variations on the theme and as many thoughts on the origins of this recipe. My Boston-based mother's recipe is simply a variation on this theme.  There are, to name a few, mint, espresso, cherry-almond and peanut butter. As it was too late to call the East Coast I just improvished as I didn't have graham cracker crumbs.

While this is not a true baked or cooked custard as there's no egg in the custard component of this recipe.  But there is a need for custard powder.  This appears to be some agreement out there that one should seek out the British brand Bird's.  Being that Sam is enjoyng island life I decided that an equivalent American substitute was Jello pudding mix.  Thanks to the good graces of our host Elise at Simply Recipes for the wiggle room.

This coffee break sweet is not for the sugar intolerant--it'll send you to the moon where you'll float among the stars in the chocolate heavens. Oh but what a ride it is.

>>>>Continue to Nanaimo Bar Recipe>>>>>

IMBB #18 - BLT & Buttermilk Cornmeal Onion Rings

                           

Summer's Flying, Let's Get Frying  hosted by Linda of At Our Table is here. Already this international virtual cook off has served up Cappuccino Semifreddo with Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts in Singapore; Zucchini Rutabaga Cakes with Tomato Marmalade in Maine and Vietnamese Bahn Xeo Crispy Pancakes in Sydney. So many tasty possibilities!

The BLT, bacon, lettuce and tomato, sandwich is the ultimate summer sandwich.  All ingredients, particularly when locally sourced, say summer at every bite.  The clean, fresh taste of tomato offsets the deep smoky saltiness of crisp-chewy bacon, while lettuce adds cool crunch. Over the years, and usually only in summer, I have worked on many variations on this theme. 

Today's lunch included the addition of Bay Bread sliced sourdough, Laura Chenel goat cheese, Brokaw Haas avocado, Eatwell rosemary sea salt, and a touch of McEvoy olive oil, to the Early Girl tomatoes, Fatted Calf bacon and Heirloom greens. Yes, yes I know iceberg is the classic but I'm not a fan and it has zero nutritional value. I know I also skipped the mayo for olive oil--variations allow for creativity.

I've been thinking about this sandwich all week. I also had picked up some Walla Walla sweet onions from the Healdsburg farmers market.  Homemade onion rings would accompany this beauty.

The onion rings were a bit of a made up recipe.  I knew I wanted them to be buttermilk but I wanted a crunch.  In to a bowl filled with room temperature water went the rings of sliced onions. This is something I learned from Marcella Hazen. It removes any bitterness. Based on another chef's tip for an extra crispy exterior from Michael Chiarello (dreamy boy to have in the kitchen) and his show Napa Style I made a flour mixture of organic brown rice flour and organic cornmeal with a bit of Tierra Vegetables paprika. (Note it turns out the show was over simplifying the process--it's an aborino rice flour mix you create.)  In yet another bowl I placed some panko, (Japanese bread crumbs).

These were cooked in my Waring Pro 200 deep fryer.  This fryer is a workhorse.  It has a built-in temperature gauge, timer and draining basket. In all seriousness I shouldn't have a deep fryer in my kitchen as the temptation for homemade donuts, plantain chips and now onion rings is too easy.   

And, sweet mother I may have over done it.   Yesterday's lunch necessitated a 2 hour post-lunch hike to work off the indulgence. But if I do say so myself, this was the most satisfying lunch I've made in a long time.

Paper Chef #9 - Sweet Heat

This is my first effort at Paper Chef.  If you aren't familiar, essentially it's similar to Iron Chef in that the ingredients are nominated and then participants have the weekend to pull an original recipe together. 

This round requests that, dried chili peppers, edible flowers, peaches and a local ingredient appear in the recipe.  The only non-local ingredient in this recipe was a pinch of salt and organic sugar (Paraguay). My choice of local ingredient is Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese.  Everything is better with this cheese. The locally-grown variety of peach is Indian Blood Red.

I've been experimenting now with chili peppers for about two years. My fascination deepened on a culinary vacation to Oaxaca. This simple syrup was a idea that came to me late one night after reading Southwestern cookbooks. Thanks go out out to Owen at Tomatilla and the Paper Chef event who have provided the inspiration for bringing the mix of ingredients for this dessert.  It has a mellow, sweet heat that is sure to please.

Sweet Summer Heat

Serves 2

Pepper Pulp

1 dried Ancho chile  (make sure it's pliable & about 4-5" in length)
2 cups water

Simple Syrup

1 cup water

1/2 cup organic sugar

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Other

1 firm-ripe large peach

1/8 cup Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese

Organic Dried Lavender

Method

Simmer chile in 2 cups water in a medium saucepan, uncovered. Turning the chile over once or twice, until softened, about 15 minutes. Transfer chile to a cutting board. The pepper "broth" can be saved for another use or discarded.

When cool enough to handle, de-stem and de-seed chile. Now here's the patience part. You want to separate the pulp from the skin. Take a sharp paring knife and carefully scrape the inside pulp from the skin.  Put this in a prep bowl and cover to keep moist.

Ancho-Raspberry Simple Syrup

Transfer chile pulp to a clean pot. Add sugar, 1/2 cup raspberries, a pinch of salt, and remaining cup water. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove syrup from heat and cover pan with lid, then let steep, covered, 20 minutes.

Pour syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing gently on solids. Careful you don't want the solids; toss the solids.

Assembly

Halve peach lengthwise, pit, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Divide, along with remaining cup raspberries, among 2 shallow bowls or plates with recess.  Spoon syrup over fruit. Sprinkle with crumbles of blue cheese and lavender.

Stage 13 - SHF in Provence

Stage 13: Miramas to Montpellier; 173.5km/108mi

There's mountains ahead and mountains behind but today it was flat. Starting out in Provence the race winds into the Languedoc Roussillon region with strong Catalan and Roman influences. The Pyrénées are ahead.  My only sorry today comes in seeing my young Spainard drop. Sigh. Valverde.  So many cyclists; so little time.  Girls if you aren't watching by now you may want to check your pulse. 

The timing of this month's SHF, hosted by Nic at Baking Sheet conincides with my Tour de French Food. My challenge was two-fold as not only did I need to use honey but the entry needed to also be centered on Provence due to the TdF. One of my favorite wine country eating spots is the girl and the fig.  This place is not only relaxing but the food is exceptional.  Sondra Bernstein has got to be one of the hardest working chef and cookbook authors out there.  Her food is very reminiscent of the Provence region as it mirrors the flavors of the Mediterranean or as they say, "country food with a French passion." 

Yesterday the riders ended up in Digne-Les Baines a center for lavender cultivation. I have a certain degree of confidence that the riders no doubt rolled by fields of lavender. So my entry works on manyy levels including a delightful dessert.

First, I know that cooking with lavender makes some wrinkle their nose.  'It's like eating perfume.' Mon dieu! C'est deliciuex! If used correctly it should lend a mysterious, almost citrusy flavor note. Please, only use lavender labeled as culinary lavender, which means it has been grown without chemical sprays and has no additives--think organic here!

The French seasoning blend herbes de Provence traditionally includes lavender, along with basil, fennel, marjoram, rosemary, sage, summer savory and thyme. The blend is great on poultry, fish or vegetables. Greek rubs for lamb often use combinations of lavender and oregano. Crème brulee translates as "burnt cream" in France.  It's a custard, just like creme caramel or flan. Much like ice cream it has a custard base, but unlike ice cream, creme brulee falls into the "baked custard" category.  Although records suggest a 400 hundred year history throughout England, Spain and France, Americans are newcomers. We have Julia Child to thank for the introduction. Half the fun of eating this custard is in shattering the carmelized surface. Learning to prepare this dessert that presents itself as complex elegance is worthwhile as it is very simple to prepare at home.

Lavender and Wildflower Honey Creme Brulee

excerpted from the girl & the fig cookbook by Sondra Bernstein

2 1/4 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup milk

3 or 4 lavender springs or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried lavender plus lavender blossoms for garnish

8 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar plus about 4 tablespoons sugar for sprinkling

2 tablespoons wildflower honey

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the cream and milk in a saucepan and add the lavender. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Let the lavender stems steep for about 15 minutes or until the milk has a lavender flavor. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks, the 1/2 cup sugar, and the honey until smooth. Whisk into the lavender-cream mixture. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and skim off any foam. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Pour the mixture into 6 ramekins. Set the ramekins in a baking pan and add enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the baking pan with foil and place in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes or until set. (test for doneness by jiggling the ramekins.)

Remove the baking pan from the oven and allow the ramekins to cool in the water bath for 5 minutes. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Before serving, sprinkle the tops with a thick layer of sugar and caramelize with a small torch or under a broiler set on high. Garnish each creme brulee with lavender blossoms.

COOK'S TIP:  Place the water bath in the oven first then place the ramekins in to the water bath.  This will help prevent water from sloshing into the ramekins potentially causing sogginess.

Junior's Bar-B-Q BBR

Over the last month a singular focus has crept in.  BBQ.  Perhaps it's because I didn't grow up in the South or in Texas. I have a lot of ground to cover to understand the nuances.  Once a week I indulge in BBQ.  I'll post on some of these outings in due time. 

Over the weekend I spent some time at S&Ks new home in Sonoma county. This place is fabulously splendid.  It's also the most relaxed I've been in months--good medicine.  The weekend place has a kitchen most of us could work in quite comfortable--plenty of space to work in and at a perfect height, a gas Viking cooktop, a Miele oven.  In fact it's so comfortable S has started cooking again. And what a poolside lunch he prepared--BBQ ribs.  But having only just moved in over the last few weeks there is no grill.  But don't let this tsk tsk these ribs.

The following  rib recipe comes from the cookbook Welcome to Junior's.  This collection  is a nostalgic tour of one of downtown Brooklyn's favorite restaurants.  Junior's is known far and wide for many things including it's Brooklyn Black-out Cake (a favorite of Barbra Streisand's favorite growing up) , and the World's Most Fabulous Cheesecake. 

Rockin' ribs and all from an oven.  While they didn't have a smokey flavor they were finger licking stickin' good.  One variation on the recipe that S did was to brine the ribs.  The ribs were served up with beans, sweet potato biscuits (recipe to come soon) and K. made a creamy coleslaw from Junior's.  I love that they have a new kitchen.

 

BAR-B-Q Baby Back Ribs

6 servings

2 racks baby back ribs (about 6 pounds)

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 bay leaf

3 cups BBQ sauce (note the sauce for this recipe was a high-quality purchased jar)

Place the ribs in a large stockpot with the slat, garlic, and bay leaf.  Add enough water to cover the ribs. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Transfer the ribs to a large baking pan placing them in a single layer if possible. Discard the bay leaf. Pour the BBQ sauce over the ribs and let them stand for 15 minutes to soak up some of the sauce.

Bake the ribs without covering them, until the ribs are hot, browned, and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

If you wish, baste the ribs with extra sauce, then glaze and brown the under the broiler or over a hot charcoal grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, just like they do at Junior's. (Ed note: Do this!) Heat any extra sauce in a small sauce pan and serve as a dipping sauce.

Orange Chiffon Cake- IMBB #16

This month's Is My Blog Burning, hosted by Viv at Seattle Bon Vivant, is all about the egg. I tried to use 12 but came short at 8 eggs for this cake! Read a past post on farm fresh eggs, which explores egg production.

In 1948 Betty Crocker introduced the chiffon cake to America where it was hailed as "the cake discovery of the century!" Up to this point in cake history there were either light sponge cakes or the heavier butter or shortening cake. Chiffon cakes were a wonder to all home bakers as they mysteriously combined the richness of the butter cake with the light spring of an angel food or sponge cakes resulting in a more moist cake.

A California insurance salesman, Harry Baker invented the recipe in 1927. He baked his cakes in the Los Angeles area and for Hollywood restaurants such as the Brown Derby. Although many asked for it he never divulged the secret recipe. Mr. Baker (how appropriate is the name!) decided that Betty Crocker should share the recipe with the women of America. The recipe first appeared in the May 1948 Better Homes and Garden Magazine.

The secret? Chiffon cake owes its unique texture to the use of vegetable oil instead of butter which has an effect on the oil on the foam structure of the beaten egg whites used in this cake.

Foam cakes have a high proportion of eggs to flour, contain very little, if any, fat and have a spongy, light and airy texture. The result is an elegant, light as a cloud cake. There are three categories of foam cakes those that contain fat--genoises and chiffons--the fat comes from melted butter or oil plus egg yolks. Second are cakes with no fat such as angel food cakes (Rockefeller Chocolate Angel Cake), meringues (Lemon Meringue Pie-Texas Style) and dacquoises. And lastly those where the fat is present by egg yolks only such as sponge cakes (my Limoncello Torta) and some biscuits and roulades.

As with angel food cakes, this cake should be cooled upside down to maintain its full height. You can use a tube pan with raised tabs on the side or a tube pan with a raised center column that is higher than the sides. This recipe makes a large cake, enough for 16 to 20 slices. It also freezes well, and although I haven't tried this I imagine it would also be a good base for Baked Alaska or as a filled cake that need to be served cold. This cake keeps it's texture in the fridge--due to the lack of butter or shortening.

A final note, during the last Sugar High Friday I had experienced an egg white collapse. In this recipe whipped stiff peaks of egg whites are a key to success I noted that cream of tartar was called for. This powder is a tartaric acid and is a fine white crystalline acid salt is a natural by-product of the wine-making industry. It is used in the whipping of egg whites to stabilize and allow them to reach maximum volume. And boy did they! Oh the joy of baking science.  I now feel confident enough to move on to a very dramatic lemon meringue pie.

Note: If you are beating eggs whites and don't have cream of tartar, you can substitute white vinegar (in the same ratio as cream of tartar, generally 1/8 teaspoon per egg white. OChef.com

IMBB 8 -Torta di Limoncello

After the stress of switching over to a non-blog URL I thought I'd reward all who were patient with the process with a recipe that is by far one of my most popular, statistically speaking, around the world.  Originally published back in September this cake is best made a day ahead.  Enjoy.

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Here we are again, this time it's IMBB #8 but only #2 for me. This go round is hosted by Donna via her blog, There's A Chef in My Kitchen The challenge, "Lift Your Spirits High" is cooking or in my case, baking with a wine or spirit.

I choose to prepare a Limoncello Cake. I dug out a recipe that I had filed away in the "Cakes To Be Made" category that came from a 2003 issue of Italian Cooking and Living magazine. This bimonthly publication is all about Italy and Italian cooking. It's a part of Italian Culinary Institute and is also affiliated with the Italian Culinary Center in New York City.

Limoncello reminds me of the Amalfi coast Italy where I first tasted it. According to resources, the spirit accounts for 35% of total liqueur consumption in Italy. It's defined as a liqueur made by infusing grain spirits with the juice and peel of lemons from Italy's sunny southern Amalfi coast. I choose to use Caravella Limoncello.

There are many spirited desserts out there that I could have chosen: the Caribbean Tortuga Rum Cake, bananas foster, Crepes Suzette, amaretto cheesecake, bread pudding with hard sauce (brandy), there's also a Jack Daniels Tipsy Carrot Cake, or The Cheesecake Factory's Kahlua Almond Cheesecake.

However I wanted something special. And this cake is just that--a light 3-layered sponge cake wrapped with a fresh whipped cream frosting. Delicate as a cloud and not overly sweet. However, alcohol-based cakes aren't to everyone's liking. Last night I learned that when my friend S. stated, "This cake is 'boozy'.

This cake is not for the impatient or novice. It involves a lot of time and bowls. There's the separating of eggs, whipping of whites for the cake; the whipping of cream for the filling and frosting. And there's the assembly and the frosting of the cake. My kitchen is still a wreck. But as you can see it is pretty has a pleasing taste. The simpler idea would be to brush limoncello over the outside of a lemon or plain pound cake before slicing. But of course I didn't go that way and discovered an unexpected cake for a special occasion.

Food Fit for a Queen

Over the weekend I went to the annual Fancy Food Gourmet Sale, sassily called 'Food Fit for a Queen' sponsored by Under One Roof. The non-profit organization, based in San Francisco is focused on raising money for over 37 AIDS service organizations such as PAWS, Visual Aid and Project Inform.  Every year donated gourmet food products are donated to the organization by participants of the Fancy Food Show--over 30 pallets of food.

The event was held in an empty and small storefront in the Castro. The volunteers keep on stocking everyday.  There is excitement in the air.  One man was shopping for his wife via his cell phone--"do you need 2 liters of raspberry syrup?"  Another woman was back for day two/round two.  "Did you get to the jams yet? No? Could I help out by stocking them?" There's cookies, oils, spices, chocolate, syrups, jams, sauces, crackers, soups and beverages. I definitely got carried away by the selection and made the mistake of not enforcing a budget on myself.  Of course knowing that all proceeds went back to the service organizations lessened the anxiety.

I've had a chance to taste test a few of the products.  I picked up two new dessert sauces from Charlie Trotter's line, Bartlett pear and caramel, the other a bittersweet chocolate-Kona coffee ($2.50 each).  I served the pear sauce over a Cuban coconut almond pound cake for Sunday dinner's dessert.  Dee-lightful.   

However the best food treasure that I found was a hand-made yellow porcelain bottle of Spanish olive oil produced by the Nuñez de Prado family ($8.00). Since the late 1700s this nectar has been Spain's finest olive oil.  According to their distributor, it is hand-crafted in a unique process, whereby the oil is extracted from the crush before the first cold pressing to preserve the "flor del aceite" (flower of the oil). This effort results in extraordinarily low oleic acidity. The unfiltered oil carries notes of green apple, almonds, and burnt orange.  So besides the great price and beautiful bottle why was I excited?  It retails for $45.

Mark your calendars for next year's sale. 

continue on for the CUBAN COCONUT POUND CAKE recipe

Crabby Cakes

Dungeness crabs are unique to the west coast of North America, and reportedly take their name from a small fishing community on the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington state.

The coast of Northern California and on up into Washington State has been home to commercially fished Dungeness crabs since the 1800s, with the present fishing season from December through April.  This year the season opened early and coincided with the release of the new Beaujolais.  After checking to see if I could eat without guilt over at the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch  (seriously eating here in the Bay Area can get challenging) I decided it was time for crab cakes. 

One thing to understand here is that I'm a New England gal.  I can do many things with lobsters that non-New Englanders wouldn't even consider.  I've been known to crack other people's lobster with the skill of a chiropractor (payment excepted in lobster meat!).  So fresh crabmeat is somewhat of a new culinary endeavor.

After an early morning (read as 'pre-tourist crawl') down at San Francisco's Pier 49 I returned home with a 'culinary compromise'--a just-steamed crab.  I set about cracking the crab.  This was a lot of work.  I prefer tangoing with a lobster.  I was in a nasty mood after the effort.  But I was determined to make the following recipe -- Calypso Crab Cakes.  The recipe is from America's Most Amazing Brunch Host, Camilla Saulsbury.  Given that she lives in Indiana I'm pretty sure she wasn't cracking no fresh steamed crab before guests arrived. 

Photo: Waterfront Crab Crawl, by J. Brophy (c'est moi)

Pear-a-dise #2

Cultivated since before the time of the Greeks, there are now over 5,000 varieties of pears. Three common types of pears are grown throughout the U.S.--the “Common” or European pear (pyrus communis), the Oriental pear (pyrus serotina), and the Asian pear (pyrus pyrifolia). Throughout the U.S. we find Asian varieties called 20th Century, Shinseiki, Korean Giant, Shinko, Chojuro, Niitaka and European varieties such as Bartlett, Bosc, D'Anjou, Seckel, Magness, Maxine, Moonglow, Comice. US production comes from states in the Northwest, plus New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and California. Imports come from South America, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. The European category tends to have a buttery smooth and sweet flavor; Asian varieties tend to be crisp and depending on the particular variety can range in flavor from mild to tart to all types in between.

Originally grown in Russia's Caucasus Mountains, pears spread over time to locales as diverse as China, Chile, South Africa, France, Australia, and the United States. By the Dark Ages, the fruit had become a delicacy mainly reserved for aristocrats and clergy. According to the The Great Book of Pears the Rousselet de Reims was Louis XIV's favored variety and the court at Versailles delighted in pears.

According to Whole Health MD, Bartlett pears (called Williams outside of the U.S.) comprise 65% of all U.S. commercial production. The Bartlett pear came into existence in Berkshire, England in the 17th century, and pear seedlings came to America with the early colonists. Pears were later brought west in the California Gold Rush.

Bartletts are a summer occurrence with Anjou readily available during the winter. According to a Aug/Sept 2002 issue of Mother Earth News, “Almost all pears sold in grocery stores today are heirlooms, with their origins in 15th- through. 19th-century England, France and Germany. Bartlett, Comice, Bosc, Seckel and Anjou are still popular because they have terrific flavor and melting flesh. A buttery feel on the tongue and yielding tissue combine to create this sensation.

Determining ripeness can be a tricky thing. Bosc, Anjou and Comice pears don't change color when ripe. Bartletts turn from green to yellow to announce its readiness. The Pear Bureau Northwest suggests that you apply gentle thumb pressure near the base of the stem. If it gives slightly, it's ready to eat. If you're not ready to eat that pear, put it in the refrigerator. If it isn't ripe, leave at room temperature checking on it frequently. The fruit will also exude a fragrance when ripe. Pears are available year-round but best from September through February.

Brown-skinned Bosc pears are terrific for roasting due to their low moisture content. The end result is a pear that reduces and caramelizes in its juices. Asian pears also cook well, retaining their crunchy fresh texture when you cook them. There are many ways to serve a pear from drinks, dinner and dessert.

One of my favorite salads is a combination of spinach, sliced pear, blue cheese and toasted walnuts. The subtle sweetness of the pear contrasts perfect with the sharp tang of the blue cheese. However, the pear with young pecorino, black walnuts and honey I had in the hills south of Sienna--a dish so straightforward and too simple s to stand as strong as it does in my mind.

New York’s Craft serves up a ‘Craft Cocktail’—freshly diced pear macerated in Belle de Brillet, a blend of Brillet Cognac and the essence of Williams pears (Poires Williams) grown in the Alsace region of France. Twenty-two pears go into the making of each bottle.

One of my favorite jellies is Napa Valley’s A Perfect Pear’s Cinnamon Pear Jelly. A family recipe the jelly is made with Bartlett pears and has a note of cinnamon. Other products from this specialty food producer include a pear balsamic vinegar and a pear chipolte grill sauce. Pears and cheese are good companions.

Caprial Pence recommends pairing Comice, a creamy-textured, very sweet pear, with Stilton cheese and ruby port; the mellow and juicy Anjou with a soft mild goat cheese and Sauvignon Blanc; and Bosc, a hard, almost crispy pear, with aged white cheddar and Cabernet Sauvignon.