Cook the book with a Kitchen Gypsy

The most gorgeous gaggle of women landed on my doorstep the other night and they were carrying dishes that looked so familiar... 

http://www.joanneweir.com/kitchen-gypsy/

They were descending on my doorsteps for a modern-day book club:   San Francisco Bay Area bloggers were about to "Cook the Book".


With blushed faces and scarlet lips, each young lady was as pretty as the last and every platter they held contained something delicious.  This was a party to celebrate my new cookbook, Kitchen Gypsy: Recipes and Stories from a Lifelong Romance with Food, and we couldn't wait to sink our teeth into each recipe.

I welcomed them into my studio kitchen and for the next few hours, we cooked, drank wine and tasted, while I shared stories about the people, places and flavors which have inspired me throughout my culinary career. 

I showed them how to make the crostini with anchovies,mint and almonds that I learned in my culinary adventures in Provence from my winemaker friend, Amy Lillard of La Gramière, and the questions began.  "Tell us about chapter 4, getting a fly in a bottle of wine!", they asked.  

As I proceeded to tell them story after story, I could see the excitement was contagious.

Photo by Thomas Story, "Kitchen Gypsy" (Sunset, 2012)

I made Arroz con Pollo, which harkened back to my days after college while living in Boston, and placed it on the table amongst the many dishes they’d brought.  Dana put the finishing touches on her Little Gem Salad with Pickled Cucumbers, Toy box Tomatoes and Green Goddess Dressing.  As she brought it to the table, there were a lot of "oohs" and "ahhs".  

There was the familiarity of my great grandmother Lettie’s Lightning Cake that Karen made.  She’d picked the strawberries from her garden and even made the strawberry jam.  Brittany asked, ”Why is it called a Lightning Cake?”.

“Read the story!” I said with a laugh.  “It’s as quick as lightning to make is what my mother always said.” 

“Another glass of wine anyone?”.

“I was so nervous making my tabbouleh” Lauren said.  “Cooking for Joanne Weir!?  That’s scary!”.

A few others jumped in. “You were scared too?”  said Rebekah.

“So was I!” I said.  “Imagine me entertaining 12 bloggers who love food, love to cook and are great at writing about it.  I was nervous too.  I hope my Arroz Con Pollo is good!”.

Camera’s snapping a very full table. 

“Come on, let’s eat!” cried Rena.  

"This book was a labor of love and so was this meal." I said.  "Thank you for sharing the evening with Kitchen Gypsy".
Needless to say, it was a delicious night.

Bon Appetit!
-the "Kitchen Gypsy"

Hungry for more?  Get your copy of Kitchen Gypsy 
and cook the book with us:

Delightful Crumb - Stacy Ladenberger   

A Side of Sweet - Kelly Huibregste 

A&B Style - Rebekah Carey

Susannah Chen (Williams-Sonoma digital editor and personal blogger for many sites) 
http://www.popsugar.com/latest/Joanne-Weir

Farminista's Feast - Karen Pavone 

Work It, Berk - Brittany Curran  http://workitberk.blogspot.com/2015/09/dinner-at-chef-joanne-weirs-home.html

Kampala Wines Blog - Lauren Barnard

Pacific Heights Wine and Food - Teresa Rodriguiz

PureWow - Allison McCarthy 

Tablehopper - Dana Eastland 

Kitchen Gypsy

Nineteen months in the making.  

Weeks spent combing through boxes of family photos and recipes from my great grandmother, Lettie, and the places where my cooking career began.  

                                                                                                     

14 days spent with 12 talented people shooting photos in 9 different locations. 

Hours of measuring, testing, tasting, re-testing and re-tasting. 
Writing until midnight and making countless edits.

A few tears shed, but many more smiles and several bursts of honest-to-goodness laughter.
This has been a passion project for me and finally, it’s almost ready...  

All 288 pages with 100 new recipes, 250 gorgeous full-color photographs and most importantly, stories and memories about the people, places and flavors that have inspired me through the years...

My new book is almost done!!!

KITCHEN GYPSY: Recipes and Stories from a Lifelong Romance with Food 

(Oxmoor House; September, 2015) 

Writing this book has been one of the absolute best experiences of my life and I can’t wait to share it with you.  Get ready.  You’ll definitely want to get into the kitchen and cook up a storm with this book!   A world of thanks to my friends at Sunset Magazine, Time Home Entertainment and Oxmoor House for making this happen.

Click here and pre-order your copy today!

Homeward Bound

A lively crowd of people sat in front of me at Homeward Bound of Marin for a fundraising event...

Cooking with love.

They sipped on Joanne Weir Chardonnay and Cabernet as I demonstrated some of Copita’s favorite dishes and a few of my own favorites, starting with a springtime guacamole made with English peas.  The peas give the guacamole some texture but also add a sweetness that brings the guacamole to another level.  For the main course, I cut hearts out of parchment and filled them with fresh wild Pacific salmon, sugar snap peas, asparagus and carrots with a fresh tomatillo, cilantro and mint salsa and a tangy green rice.  We finished up with a Mexican tiramisu that I call "tequila-mi-su" because in place of the rum, I use tequila.  A layer of bananas is spread in the center to play off the dark chocolate and ethereal creamy filling. 

Then the auction started and you'll never guess what I put up for sale, so I'll show you:

TEQUILA-MI-SU

2 cups very strong espresso

4 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup anejo tequila

4 eggs, separated

1 lb. (450 g) marscapone cheese

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

2 bananas, ripe but still firm

36 to 40 excellent quality lady fingers

3/4 cup (4 oz or 115 g) unsweetened chocolate

3/4 cup (4 oz or 115 g) bittersweet Mexican chocolate

In a bowl, combine the espresso, 4 tablespoons of the sugar and 1/2 cup of the tequila.

Ribbon 4 egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until very light.  Add the marscapone and mix until smooth.  Add the remaining 1/4 cup tequila and vanilla.  Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks and flavor with the confectioners sugar.  Beat the 4 egg whites until stiff and add the cream and egg whites to the mascarpone mixture.

Slice the bananas into thin slices and cover with water and the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

To assemble: Dip half the ladyfingers one at a time in the coffee mixture and line the bottom of a 13" X 9" baking dish.  Spread half the cream mixture over the ladyfingers.  Remove the bananas from the lemon water and dry on paper towels.  Spread a layer of bananas evenly over the cream mixture.  Repeat with the remaining ladyfingers and cream mixture.  Cover with a thick layer of the combined grated chocolate.  Set in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Serves 9

That's right.  I auctioned off the Tequila-mi-su!  We made a lot of money that night for an incredibly worthy cause.  

i love to wine

I spent Easter weekend in Napa with one of the highlights being a visit with Michael Trujillo. Many of you wine buffs know Michael. He’s regarded by wine cognoscenti as a cult winemaker even before the term “cult winemaker” became cultish! And to boot, he’s such a great guy.

This Colorado native, and the proud father of Sophia, developed vineyards in Carneros in the mid-80’s, a magical time when wine legends like Andre Tchelistcheff and Tony Soter were mentors to many winemakers including Michael.

Back then, he was gathering advice anywhere he could from the wine world’s greatest consultants, taking classes in the oenology department at UC Davis, and crazy enough “without any money” to launch his wine business, Karl Lawrence. His first Karl Lawrence release was a ’91 Rutherford Cabernet and “it took off to the moon,” Michael says proudly. Today he’s President and Director of Winemaking at Sequoia Grove and still produces some magnificent wines for Karl Lawrence.

But, guess who else he makes wines for?

JOANNE WEIR WINES! He made our 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon that’s getting fabulous reviews.

Last weekend, I was with Michael and my wine partner, Tim McDonald, tasting and talking about what we want to do next together. We tasted a beautiful vertical sampling of vintages and loved the thread of silky quality that ran through 5 vintages of this marvelous Cabernet vineyard. Wow, this guy is a genius. You can taste that wine brilliance in every sip of his wine especially my ‘08 Cabernet.

I am so excited to introduce him to you and have Michael as part of the Joanne Weir Wine team.

how my love affair began

When I was 23 years old, I was given a bottle of wine as a housewarming gift after moving into an apartment in Boston. As my roommate and I finished the last of the bottle, there was a dead fly clinging to the inside of my glass. Yuck!

Disgusted, I wrapped the fly in a piece of aluminum foil and sent it off to a winery in France I'd never heard of. Little did I know that I sent that red wine-drenched fly to one of the top wineries in the world.

A month later,an invitation arrived in my mailbox to be a guest for lunch at Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux, France.

A Boston high school art teacher at the time, I decided to spend that summer vacation in France and cash in on the invitation for lunch.

Dressed in my favorite blue Diane Von Furstenberg wraparound dress and matching espadrilles, I spent an afternoon at the Chateau eating an extraordinary lunch of duck livers on butter-drenched toast, duck breast and a strawberry tart and drinking wines I will never forget.

We started with a Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1966, then '47 and '24 and ended with Chateau d'Yquem from 1896. I remember thinking that I was drinking nectar of the Gods.

This would be a day that would change my life forever.

For years after, I've thought back on this day... how I fell in puppy love with my host, the Chateau Mouton exporting agent Xavier de Eizaguirre in his white linen suit. He was so much older, oh-so French and oh-so worldly. He was all of 30!

I remember every moment of that day. I was so high on the experience (probably quite tipsy too) that I remember speaking like I was fluent in French. I was so not! But the thing I remember most is singing all the way to Biarritz that late afternoon.

Thus my love affair with wine began!

Check out my new Joanne Weir Wines sold exclusively online and shipped all over the US!

come with me to mendoza, argentina

Getting up at 3:30 AM in pitch black is uncivilized but we had to do it. We had to catch a 6:00 AM flight from Buenos Aires to Mendoza and that was even cutting it close. With just two days in Mendoza, a place I’ve been dreaming about for years, we had a lot to squeeze into 36 hours.

Still bleary eyed, our driver headed towards our first winery. An hour later, we got out of the car in the middle of some kind of vineyard dreamland. Surrounded by vines with the majestic snow-capped Andes as the backdrop, this was our first chance to see why people talk the way they talk about Mendoza. Immediately, I could see it was more a state of mind than anything else. Was it my lack of sleep or was I in a trance?

Renee, Lauri, Barbara and I walked towards the showroom/tasting room of Cheval des Andes, a much proclaimed winery owned by Cheval Blanc of Saint Emilion in Bordeaux.

No ordinary winery, this blonde wood-framed glass room with 360 degree vineyard views make Opus views pale in comparison. We walked the four steps to get inside and already we all looked more beautiful. All the glass doors were open to the breezes, vines, polo fields and I had the sense that I didn’t know if I was outside or inside.

And who is that half stallion/half man wearing faded jeans, soft blue plaid shirt and summer scarf draped deliberately haphazard around his neck? Yes that one, the one strolling across the polo fields? There was no tango music but I swear I could hear it.

With tired, burning eyes, I couldn’t take my eyes off this scene, probably one of the sexiest images I've seen in my life. Why would I think any differently? After all, this is Mendoza, Argentina.

I had an incredible urge to run to the bathroom and touch-up my lipstick which I am sure by now was well faded. Oh, why didn't I wear that Giada-like top I had packed in my suitcase? And then he climbed those four stairs. I could hear his cowboy boots with each step.

And for the next couple hours, Nicolas Audebert, chief winemaker for Cheval des Andes, entertained us. He poured us his deep cherry colored ’06 Cheval des Andes Malbec Cabernet blend, which hinted of floral notes mixed with cedar, tobacco, red fruit jam and chocolate. It was well balanced with long and elegant sweet-silky tannins on the finish. Am I falling in love? With the wine, I mean!

“Grab your glass, let’s sit outside!” Nicolas said. I’ll do whatever he says, I thought. And I had no intention of putting my glass down either until every ruby drop was gone. Sitting on white couches outside, surrounded by vines, I was caught in an Argentine moment.

i love you guys

I was feeling melancholy the last day of our culinary journey together in South Australia. This group of 13 that I'd assembled were so simpatico that I felt moved, almost transformed, by our time together. Over the years, I’ve taught many weeklong classes, but there was something special, almost magical, about this group. You never have control over the dynamics of a group, it just doesn’t work like that. And as much as I wanted to take credit, this week fell into place like a soft leather glove on the perfect-sized hand.

Everyone was really rested that last morning as we met over breakfast. What a night off and a good night’s sleep with lofty down pillows and mold-to-your-body heavenly beds can do! But wake up! Spinifix Winery brought their tasting to us!

As we tasted I could see nostalgia creeping in. Photos were snapping as everyone tried to capture the last moments in digital frames. Kind of like the last day of high school or a family reunion when reality sets in that soon we’d be going our own ways.

We left The Louise and headed towards my dear friend, Maggie Beer's Farm Shop in Nuriootpa, for a picnic lunch. I’ve known Maggie for years when she used to come to the classes I taught at Yalumba. I’ve always described her as the Alice Waters of Australia (without the hat and the Edible Schoolyard.) But those were the old days! Now Maggie is a true Australian icon without a minute to spare. She's constantly on the road these days so she was only there in spirit. I’m happy for her success but sad I missed her bubbly personality and spirited laugh this trip.

But hold on, we're not done yet. I've got another friend just down the road that I promised I'd visit. We need to make one more stop on our culinary journey, - Rockford Vineyards, owned by my old friend, Rocky O’ Callaghan.
We hit it just right, they were in the middle of harvest. There was lots of activity in the rustic courtyard - trucks unloading freshly picked Shiraz grapes, pumping over and crushing the grapes in his famous basket press. We went into the tasting room for a VIP tasting of at least 10 wines.
Rockford is legendary for their sparkling black Shiraz, one of my personal favorite, and a basket-pressed Shiraz that’s big and gutsy like ink! These were amongst the group.

By now, some of the group was suffering palate fatigue. Could I blame them? And just as we all thought we were finished tasting, we got invited to sample the freshly pressed juice, bright purple-colored and dense, directly from the basket press. Delicious, but now we all needed a nap so we'd be rested for tonight's farewell dinner.

Dressed to kill and ready to die of consumption, we met at Appellation, the signature restaurant associated with our hotel, The Louis, for our last night together around the table. Course after course was cooked by my chef friend, Mark McNamara, who made us an unforgettable dinner for us. I'm still dreaming of the caramelized kombocha squash with Moroccan spices. (Oh that's right, Mark, you promised me that recipe!)

As I handed out the diplomas, I thanked everyone for trusting me enough to travel half way around the world to spend a week in a place I love beyond my wildest dreams. As we said our goodbyes, there were stars in everyone's eyes and joy in their hearts. I’d helped to form those stars and to make that joy a reality. I had a small tear as I gave everyone a hug and a kiss that came directly from my heart.

Until next time, g'day mate!

come with me to australia

The next morning, the “coach” let us off at the Willunga Farmers Market right in front of Fino, the restaurant where we'd eaten the night before. And who do you think the first person was that we saw? Sharon, our new best friend , who owned the restaurant. She poked her head out of the Fino window to greet us as she steamed milk and made cappuccino and café latte for the locals. By now, we were locals!

I tried to rally the troops to walk together around the market but off they went on their own. This always seems to happen at every market no matter where we are, - Strada in Chianti or Isles sur la Sorgue. Within minutes, they were back by my side. They’d “done” the market and were ready for another wine tasting (can you believe it?) and lunch.

Coriole is not to be missed. This charming, quaint, little hillside vineyard was bustling. My Ozzie friend, Warren, met us at the door and took us to a big, long table he'd set looking out at the vineyards. “Sit down,” he said! We spent the afternoon tasting their Woodside cheeses, pungent, peppery olive oil and lightly oaked wines, and sharing big platters of food including smoked kangaroo. Was this the closest we were going to get to kangaroo they all wondered as they pushed it around on their plates?


Then back to The Retreat, which meant a rest for some of us and a walk for others. Keith, Louise, Rebecca, Craig and I walked up on the very top of the hill in the vineyards. And suddenly out from behind a vine hopped a huge kangaroo. There were lots of screeches and camera's snapping. There you have it… Our first real kangaroo sighting, at last! And then a little later, we saw a mother kangaroo and a baby joey in the vineyards just a few yards away. Yup, we’re in Australia!

I guess you could say I took the night off as Rebecca Stubbs taught a hands-on cooking class at The Retreat. 'Calm' is probably not a word often associated with chefs at work in a hot, busy kitchen, but this is how I would describe Rebecca. It was a very fun night and the food was really good! I think the best part was watching all the men in class who joined together as a team to master panna cotta and Florentine cookies.

The next day was a rainy Sunday. We packed the “coach” and said our goodbyes to Chapel Hill Gourmet Retreat in McLaren Vale and headed 2 hours north to the Barossa Valley. One rule I always seem to forget when I’m taking groups around is to make sure I know where the next bathroom stop is. Everyone was antsy so when we finally reached our destination, everyone made a mad dash in search of a bathroom. John Angus, our host for the afternoon, pointed in the direction of an outhouse. Startled is the word I’d use! Men ran for the nearest tree as the women stood in line and did what looked like the cha-cha as they waited in line for their turn. They were relieved (lol) when they finally got inside the outhouse to see that there was actually a flush toilet.

I hadn’t told them a thing about Hutton Vale except that John and Jan Angus were our hosts for the day and that we’d have lunch and a wine tasting with them.

I can’t remember who, maybe Craig, walked up to me and said, “What are we doing here? I don't get this place.”

I could see his point. We were standing in the midst of a paddock surrounded by a thousand sheep looking at an old mid-19th century barn about to fall.

“Are you sure we’re in the right spot?” he asked.

“Go inside! Trust me!” I said.

It was just as rustic on the inside as it was on the outside but with flair and refinement. The aroma of the bread baked in clay and the flatbread was intoxicating as they were being taken from the wood-fired oven. An old wooden chopping block dominated the center of the kitchen and a whole side of Tasmanian smoked salmon and house made pâté played centerpiece. We washed everything down with John’s fresh, crisp Riesling. And that was just the beginning. A little later, we sat down to a typical Ozzie Sunday lunch of their own Hutton Vale roast baby lamb and some fabulous lush and jammy Shiraz. We finished with a tasting of some of John and Jan's older vintages from their cellar and lots of stories and laughs.

With a good buzz and full bellies, we headed out late that afternoon towards The Louise, a Small Luxury Hotel of the World, and our home for the remainder of the trip. Everyone conferred; Hutton Vale was the unanimous favorite!

In the lap of luxury at The Louise, I gave everyone, including myself, the “night off” to get some rest and be ready for our last full day together.

See you in the morning!

another lovely day in australia

That night, Tori Moreton and David Arbon, owners of The Producers, invited us to their interactive winery. "Wear old clothes!" they said. Thanks God we did. We had fun "punching down," a fancy way of saying breaking up the cap of crushed grapes and pushing them back down into the wine so that the cap stays moist during fermentation. Craig and Keith tried their hand crushing Shiraz grapes using the basket press while Jean, Lynn and I tested the sugar levels on the new harvest. Later we sat down for a delicious dinner.

"Will we see a kangaroo this week?" somebody asked as though that alone would justify the cost of the trip. "We could," I said, "they come out at dawn and dusk looking for water!" For the rest of the meal as the sun was setting, everyone's eyes were glued to the windows. We finished with a delicious fresh fig and frangipane tart but no kangaroo to be seen, or so we thought.

As we were driving home late at night, the bus driver suddenly swerved and jerked on the brakes. Everyone was thrown forward a few inches. We missed a kangaroo by inches. The only thing we saw was his tail as he hopped back into the woods. For the rest of the ride, everyone's eyes were peeled.

A good night's sleep and a delicious breakfast at The Retreat is all we needed to be ready for day #2! Off again for a wine and olive oil tasting at Primo Estate. Nothing like getting right back into the swing of a little vino. The first taste was a dark, opulent Sparkling Red, a great way to start the day. Joseph Grilli, along with a family friend, Daniel Zuzolo, tag team making the wine. Daniel hardly looks old enough to drink wine , let alone make it. Parker says his wines are innovative, singular and flavorful. I say they are clean and complex.
I didn't see anybody use the spit bucket at the tasting. I guess Corey swallowed. See below! We know who will be sleeping on the bus ride to our next destination,- lunch.

Whenever I'm in South Australia and get within 50 kilometers of Star of Greece, I never miss the opportunity to eat at this bohemian seaside "shack" overlooking the turquoise waters of the Gulf of St. Vincent.

We saw fish and chips go to another table and they looked and smelled so good, we all ordered them. A little walk on the beach after perhaps? Maybe another nap on the bus?

Get ready because tonight we're eating at Fino Restaurant, named Restaurant of the Year in the 2009 Adelaide Food Awards.

Have you ever met a front-of-house person in a restaurant and felt like you've known that person your whole life? That's Sharon Romeo and she begins the friendship as you walk in the door. I love this girl. She makes everyone feel special and that's a gift.

Chef David Swain doesn't do too badly himself. He pays homage to the seasons with freshly picked, flavorsome and true to the original state vegetables and fruits. He makes you think you've eaten this vegetable or fruit for the very first time. Take Chez Panisse, Zuni and Delfina, roll them into one bundle and you have Fino. Platter after family-style platter of aromatic food come from the kitchen. I can still taste the Woodside goat curd with fava beans, peas and preserved lemon drizzled with Diana Novello First Pressed Olive Oil. Set in the little village of Willunga, way out in the bush, we all toasted, looking into each others eyes and promised we'd be back one day.

"Bye Sharon!" "Bye David!" we said.

"No," they said, "we'll see you tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow???" we all said.


WOODSIDE GOAT CURD, BROAD BEANS, PEAS, LEMON AND SHALLOTS
If goat curd is unavailable, substitute soft fresh goat cheese.

10 ounces drained Woodside goat's curd
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 preserved lemon, cut into very thin strips
1 cup fresh blanched broad beans (fava beans)
1 cup fresh shelled English peas

Heat oven to 350 F. Place the cheese, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper in an ovenproof earthenware dish. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. In a frying pan, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the shallots and cook until soft, 7 minutes. Remove the shallots from the pan and add the lemon slices.

Bring a saucepan of salted water to a bowl. Add the broad beans (favas) and peas and simmer 30 seconds. Add to the shallots and preserved lemon and stir together.

To serve, dollop cheese, distributing evenly between four plates. Spoon the beans, peas and lemon mixture over cheese and serve immediately.

Serves 4

It's Official: I'm Married!!

I have never in my life had a more wonderful evening. And so many of our guests said the same! Enchanting, magical, and romantic were just a few of the adjectives we all used.

It started with a cocktail reception where Joe and I mingled with everyone for an Orange Aperol Sun as the sun was just settling in the western sky over Mt. Tamalpais. I was so nervous until a dear friend Carla reminded me that I needed to breathe. She was right, I'd forgotten.

The ceremony began with me circling Joe 3 times and continued from there with a very special tribute and blessing from my Mom who couldn't be with us. It was delivered by my 9 year old great niece. She did brillant job. The ceremony was performed by our close friend, the Reverend Tim McDonald. AKA my best wine pal. Joe had a continuous tear. I was either crying or smiling. Joe's daughters, now my stepdaughters, were very much a part of the ceremony with a prayer, a love poem by Pablo Neruda (my favorite poet) and blessing of the wine. Our vows and then mazel tov! Husband and wife as Joe smashed the glass!

Seal's "Love's Divine" played and I was walking on clouds holding my glass of rosé champagne!

Dinner was so my style. Tasha from Olive Green Catering who does all the cooking for Alice and Chez Panisse catered the dinner. Jared from Picco was on hand to slice salumi for all the tables.

I have never heard so many toasts. So heartfelt, so emotional, so joyous. And I was still either crying or smiling or a combination of both.

And my idea for the cake.... Good friend and Delfina pastry chef, Koa Duncan, made a lovely almond wedding cake layered with roasted peaches and dreamy buttercream, one for each table. We all cut the cake together.

Hours of dancing to the sounds of DJ Lamont. We danced to the stars, the moon and the smiles Joe and I were still wearing long after.

When I went to bed that night in our suite at the Four Seasons, my cheeks ached from smiling so much!

Words cannot express the happiness and love I am feeling. Off to Greece for our honeymoon!