Grab the Good Life with Rocco DiSpirito
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August 10, 2005 - August 10, 2005
WOR 8/10/05
It's time to Grab The Good Life on another edition of Wino Wednesday on Food Talk! We always have a so much fun on the show and want you to be apart of it, so give us a call at 800-321-0710!
Today we have Peter Haywood of Haywood Wines on the show and Mike Osborne of www.wine.com!
Today the New York Times had an article on Ice-cream in the Food Section. So Rocco has some tips on how to make your own ice-cream!
Rocco: So there is a kind of Ice-cream called "Granite" (pronounced Grahn-ee-tay) that is easy to make. Granite starts out as a liquid, like a Sorbet and then when you freeze it becomes solid (Ice cream freezes at a colder temperature than Granite). To make it you make sugar syrup and freeze. Melt a little sugar in some water and make a thick syrup and add it to a fruit puree: raspberries, strawberries, apricots-whatever your favorite fruit is. You puree the fruit and add the sugar syrup to the mixture. When the mixture becomes thick like a heavy cream then you float an egg in it. This tests how dense the mixture is. If no more than a nickel sized portion of the egg is showing, then you have the right amount of density. You can get a sugar meter at a bakery store, it is called a Brick's meter (you can get it at Chef's Central as well). You would put a drop of the sugar into the meter and it will tell you how much sugar you have. Once you have the right amount of density, put it in a shallow pan and freeze it over night. Take it out the next day and shave the Granite. Use a spoon to shave it. Serve it like you would regular ice-crea, it is really delicious!
Sam in Brooklyn: Love your show-need a Bakery in Brooklyn where I can buy low yeast bread.
Rocco: Well, to make low yeast bread you have to make a quick bread using baking soda. You need something to leaven bread otherwise you have Matza. On Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn they have tons of stores that sell that kind of stuff.
You can also try using Sour Dough starters, they use wild yeast, but it's on the track of what you need.
Sally in New Jersey: I'm grabbing the good life with you this morning and I was listening to Sam's call. I have an idea: There is a place called French Meadow that makes great breads with no yeast. http://www.frenchmeadow.com/. Call them at: 612-870-4740.
Rocco: That sounds great! Is it made with sour dough?
Sally: Yes-Sour Dough is yeast and sugar free. It's ideal for people who are allergic to yeast!
Julie in New Jersey: You are the most Def Chef!
Rocco: Thanks Julie!
Julie: How do I make Pizza dough Rocco?
Rocco: Try this recipe with Honey in it:
1/4 cup warm water 1 tablespoon honey
1 package active dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Stir 1/4 cup warm water and honey in 2-cup glass measure until blended. Sprinkle top of mixture with yeast and let stand 5 minutes, until yeast is bubbly. Pulse together flour and salt in food processor to combine. Add 3/4 water and olive oil to yeast mixture. With motor running, pour yeast mixture through feed tube; process 1 minute, until mixture forms a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. You can even grill this pizza on the dough!
Agnes from New Jersey: I lost my eye sight last year and I can't cook. Plus I have a bad dental problem and I can't chew! How can I eat red meat?
Rocco: Try Pate's and Terrine's-they are a fine chopped meat that you can get in any quality meat store!
we have Peter Haywood of Haywood Wines on the show and Mike Osborne of www.wine.com!
Rocco: Welcome to the show guys.
Mike Osborne: All of this talk about Ice-cream has us bringing out the summer reds, aka the Zinfandels.
Rocco: Peter do you only make Zinfandels at Haywood Estates?
Peter Haywood: Yes-that's what it has always been.
Rocco: Can you de-mystify the difference between blush, white and zinfandel wines?
Peter: Yes-they are all made essentially from the same grape. Itis HOW they are made that makes the difference. The white zin is made from grapes that are harvested early and is pressed off right away, that why it is pink instead of red. It usually has a sweeter taste than red wine.
Rocco: Why does Zinfandel get a bad rap amongst wine aficionados?
Peter: Those are purists!
Rocxco: Those guys are always boring right?
Peter: Haha-It makes for a delightful wine: it is light and sweet and serevd cold-in that regard it is very pleasant.
Rocco: So how would serve this? Fruit? Afternoon cocktails?
Peter: It is a great luncheon wine, nice appetite wine. It is good for afternoon cocktails as well.
Rocco: Why did you focus on Zonfandel only?
Peter: The enviornment here was perfect-in rocky slopes and it made for great Zinfandel growing. I bought raw land and made a vineyard out of it!
Rocco: How do you harvest your grapes?
Peter: We do it by hand because equippment cannot be use don our hillsides and the vinyard is small.
Rocco: Is 280 acre considered small?
Peter: It is a medium sized vineyard-about 40 acres.
Rocco: How many cases do you get out of 40 acres?
Peter: You get to 6 to 7 thousand cases at full production.
Rocco: How did you get your start in wine making?
Peter: I spent a number of years in the building business and grew tired of it. So decided to change gears and make wine! It was a hard transition but I love the business.
Rocco: When did your first vintage come out?
Peter: In 1979-we planted in 1975.
Rocco: Why does it take so long?
Peter: It takes 3 years to be mature enough for a plant to carry a crop and a year or two to bottle it. You want your plants healthy and ready for quality wine.
Rocco: I'm going to taste the wine Peter-what should people expect-aromatics, etc.
Peter: Zinfandel is a very fruit forward wine. There is a lot of spice and color and depth in the flavors. I like Zinfandel because it can be drunk within a year of Harvest.
Rocco: It's less about aging?
Peter: Yes, it has a wonderful complexity to it that can be enjoyed right away rather than aging.
Rocco: What food goes well with this?
Peter: Anything Barbecue: fish, beef, chicken. Anything spicey-like a pepper. Lamb goes well as well as Game like duck or deer.
Mike: It retails for 22.99 and is in your Rocco Perfect Pairing Wine club!
Rocco: Thanks for being ere guys! We'll talk to you next week Mike!
Peter: Thanks Rocco!
Mike: Enjoy Rocco!
That's all for today, Grab The Good Life everyone and see you right here on Food Talk Tomorrow!
