Smoking food with grape vine cuttings

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mr x
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Smoking food with grape vine cuttings

Post by mr x » Thu Jul 21, 2011 11:19 am

And to think, I've been throwing these out. :( :silent:
http://www.thewinenews.com/junjul06/cuisine.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Hot off the Vine
By Carole Kotkin


Almost as hot as the inferno itself: Can a vineyard really burn? It seemed there was a persistent myth that grapevines were impervious to flames. The issue was put to rest, however, when screenwriter Robert Kamen's own Sonoma County vineyard suffered the same fate as its celluloid counterpart even as the movie was still showing in theaters. [See "Robert Kamen recasts his role from Grower to Vintner," June/July 2004.]

The argument could have been more readily decided by consulting with barbecue and grill enthusiasts, many of whom fuel their cooking fires with vine trimmings or even highly sought vine trunks (torn out by growers for reasons such as age, phylloxera or the desire to replant with a more favored variety). Yes, grapevines are real wood with trunks that reach up to seven inches in diameter. They burn down to chunky embers that send up a nutty, slightly sweet smoke. Aficionados like the subtler notes added to the food - less overpowering than those lent by hickory or mesquite - that make for a better match with most wines. Alternatively, one can add grapevine chips, plain or soaked in wine, beer, tea or fruit juices, to a charcoal or gas fire, which can also achieve wine-friendly results.

If Noah was, as scholars say, the world's first vintner, then grilling over grapevines could also date to Biblical times. Certainly the practice hasn't waned in popularity since, especially in "viticulturally active countries like France, [where grapevine cuttings] are in great supply," says TV host and The Barbecue! Bible author Steven Raichlen, who includes a recipe in his tome for snails grilled over grapevine cuttings from L'Hostal in Castellnou in southwest France. "[Cuttings] are sold in practically every gas station in the French countryside." Nor is the technique considered bourgeois. "I recently dined at Cordeillan-Bages, a Michelin two-star restaurant in Paulliac [Bordeaux], where tournedos of beef smoked over grapevines were a specialty of the house," he notes.

This long-lived European tradition has caught on here, as well. Across the country, upscale, sophisticated restaurants have installed wood-burning grills and ovens, making them the backbone of their menus. Kimball Jones, executive chef at The Carneros Inn in Napa, California, and co-author of both Sharing the Vineyard Table and The Casual Vineyard Table, is launching a new restaurant in August. Its tentative name is Farm, an ideal fit for a chef whose driving philosophy is an interconnection with the land. It will feature a wood-fire oven and grill and will offer dozens of grilled and oven-smoked dishes. Special wine country twists include grilling with wine barrel wood chips and grapevine cuttings. "I live in the middle of a vineyard, so I just go into the backyard and prune some branches," Jones says. "It's hard to get big pieces of grapevine unless you are pulling out vines, but green cuttings in December are great. They dry out during the summer and those cuttings need to be soaked. I put them on top of mesquite to get a nice wet smoke." In effect, the vines are harvested twice and yield far more than just their grape clusters.

After the harvest takes place each year in early October, Jones says the vineyard team hosts a memorable party. "Pits are dug and loaded with vine cuttings made from the previous year's crop. When the wood burns down to glowing coals, the grilling begins. The food is simple, abundant and good." Jones grills pork kebabs and Mission figs and grapes on grapevine skewers, "which contribute a wonderful smoky quality to the dish." Another favorite is squab skewered on grapevines. "Soaking the skewers in water before cooking prevents them from burning on the grill." While he admits that the smoky character of grilled foods is a bit difficult to pair with wines, Jones suggests wines aged in oak, like a Groth Cabernet Sauvignon or a fruity Zinfandel such as Ridge's Lytton Springs or PlumpJack Syrah.

Wherever wine is grown, of course, good food is nearby. Take the annual "Good Life Series" of events at Cakebread Cellars in Rutherford. Culinary director Brian Streeter fires up the grill in the outdoor kitchen for the "Ring of Fire Grilling Class," where up to 16 students can master Mediterranean, southern barbecue and Asian grilling and smoking. "A big benefit for us is that grapevines are right here. I use them as kindling in a wood-burning fire to give a quick burst of heat at the end of grilling - for example on a crisp pizza for smoky undertones, or for a nice char on hanger steak with smoked tomato ketchup."

Likewise, executive chef David Frakes, at the helm of Beringer's kitchen since 1999, takes advantage of his Napa Valley surroundings. After crush, he turns his attention to outdoor grilling with cabernet sauvignon grapevines. "I throw the vines on top of aromatic woods like alder, mesquite or maple, and then put the grill cover down to let the smoke swirl around and permeate the food," he says. "Twenty or 30 minutes is usually [long] enough to cook most small meats and impart enough smoke flavor."

Frakes is careful not to overdo it, however, keeping in mind the wine that will eventually be paired with the fare. "Smoke is a reactive element and it has to be balanced by acid and salt in the food, otherwise the smoke will cause the wines to change. When the tastes in the food are balanced, with no one taste dominating another, the wine will remain relatively unchanged, just as the winemaker intended." For example, Frakes explains, "Grilled beef with mushrooms and cherry sauce works well with just about any red - from Pinot Noir to Merlot to Cabernet. It really depends on how much seasoning is added to the sauce. If the recipe is followed as is, then it's pretty much ready to go with a Pinot, but if a bigger wine is desired, then just a little more salt and/or acid may be needed. Lemon juice usually does the trick, but a splash of unseasoned rice wine vinegar works also because it is a neutral flavored acid."

Christine Hanna, president of Healdsburg's Hanna Winery in Sonoma County, grilled lamb kebabs over grapevines, much to the delight of the 1,500 attendees at the annual "Taste of the Valley" event presented by the Alexander Valley Winegrowers the first weekend in June. "I tie the vines in foot-long bundles and soak them overnight in water. Used as kindling, they produce high heat to char and sear the lamb, leaving it rare in the middle. It's brushed with a Meyer lemon marinade and served with a Hanna Cabernet Sauvignon," she says.

In Oregon, Jason Smith, chef de cuisine of Ponzi Vineyards' Dundee Bistro, says, "The tops of the vines are thinned in summer to enhance grape quality, and a limited amount of those green vines are used for grilling. The green summer vines are great for grilling king salmon seasoned with just salt and pepper." In late fall, after the grapevines have become dormant, they're pruned. The cuttings are dried for a month or longer and bundled up to be sold or given to local grillers. "In December and January, after the harvest, there is an unlimited supply," Smith enthuses. He soaks dried canes in water and uses them for slow-smoking a salt-and-pepper-seasoned pork shoulder from nearby Carlton Farms for at least eight hours, continually adding canes to the fire. "The best part is that the neutral smoke of the vines doesn't overpower wines," he adds.

On the east coast, Hubert des Marais, executive chef of the Four Seasons Resort in Palm Beach, first learned about grilling with vines while on a trip to Uruguay and Chile. "When I visited the vineyards, there were daily country asados set up right in the vineyards. The barbecues consisted of whole baby goats, suckling pigs, sides of beef ribs and briskets grilled over vine trunks and cuttings. Once back in Florida, I was inspired to begin my own version of grapevine grilling," he says.

Des Marais begins by tying a bundle of cuttings together that have been soaked in water before adding them to the grill to smolder and smoke. He wraps goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil in blanched grape leaves, then grills them until the leaves get crispy and the cheese is warm. "Wrapping foods in grape leaves keeps them from sticking to the grill," he notes. He also wraps and grills lamb chops, shrimp and thin beef tenderloins. "I want them to cook quickly at high heat so they don't get too charred or over-smoked. You can't tell they're cooked on grapevines, but you know the smokiness smells good."

Cooking outdoors over hot embers always signals the start of summer; it inspires simplicity and frees us from the constraints of the modern kitchen with all of its gadgets and devices. By taking a cue from wine country, fueling the fire with grapevines won't overwhelm the natural flavors of the food or, just as important, the wine that is paired with it.
At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. :wtf:

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