Food - Wine & Cheese (Part I)

Michael Palin as Mr. Wensleydale and
John Cleese as the Customer in the
Cheese Shop Sketch from Monty Python

I listen to NPR.  I'm a member and full fledged supporter.

Having said that, I've never really understood the stereotype of the NPR listener as a "wine & cheese snob".

I've always been more of a beer and sausage or whiskey and steak kinda guy.

But, I do like good food, as does the Lady of the Manor, so tonight, we decided to have a little "wine & cheese" tasting.

After a little research courtesy of the Wine Bible and the internet, we came across a couple of good combinations.

Wensleydale is (according to Wikipedia) a medium textured cheese and is (according to "The Cheese Book") similar to cheddar.

The wensleydale we found at our local chain grocer had cranberries in it.

It pairs up nicely with a good Merlot or with a with Rias Braxas (the Martin Codax Rias goes great with just about anything, though).

In my opinion, the merlot really brought out the flavor of the cranberries and was better.

Next, we had a brie with mushrooms called "Champignon", a double cream cheese from Germany.

It pairs up with Beaujolais Nouveau, which helps bring the creaminess of the brie and the earthiness of the mushroom to the forefront, without overpowering them.

Food - Shrimp Boil and Raw Oysters

In celebration of Mardi Gras, the Lady of the Manor and I wanted to go to the Sazerac, one of the Prairie Capital's fine restaurants, but we were dismayed to find it closed.

This made us sad.

Word on the street is that they are temporarily closed in preparation for a move to a better location.  I hope that is right, 'cause, let me tell you, the food there is wonderful.

Instead, we decided to make our own feast and went to Robert's Seafood.

While there, we got a pound of shrimp and two large oysters, along with seasoning and riesling wine.

First up, the oysters.

We had them raw and I quickly learned that they are an "acquired" taste.

Next, the shrimp.

Begin boiling enough water to cover the shrimp.

Pour in a generous helping of seasoning.  We used Soileau's (Facebook page link here), a local seasoning company's mix, which is very tasty.

Once the water begins boiling, dump the shrimp in and let boil for about five minutes.  The guy at Robert's suggested that we watch for them to curl up a little and then take them off the heat.

Allow them to sit for about 20 minutes in the water/seasoning mix and eat.

Little hint, peel and de-vein before cooking.  It'll make things much easier.