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Dave Lowry
3rd May 2004, 22:49
Mr. Hartman,

Elke Somer? Elke Somer? Gee, Grandpa, did you have a picture of her in your wallet when you were in the Argonne Woods?

Gewurztraminer is unsurpassed with a foie gras—though not sure if that is kosher. In Alsace, it is the invariable accompaniment to Alsatian Munster cheeses. Another local pairing there matches this wine with onion soups.


Cordially,

Earl Hartman
3rd May 2004, 23:27
Who you callin' Grandpa, you whippersnapper?

Elke Sommer starred in A Shot In the Dark, the 2nd (I think) Inspector Clouseau film made in 1964, when I was 12. She was, um....uhhh....well...

Ahem. Moving on.

Foie gras is, AFAIK, perfectly kosher, if the goose is slaughtered correctly, etc., although due to the absolute dearth of kosher meat haut cuisine restaurants in this part of the country, I have yet to indulge. I was at a good restaurant in NY, but the foie gras was not on the lunch menu, unfortunately. Some people take issue with the cruelty to which the goose is subjected in order to produce foie gras and insist that it should therefore be declared trayf, but AFAIK, no fatwa (or the Jewish equivalent thereof) has been issued.

As I said, I am not partial to florid, extravagant white wines in general, but should the opportunity present itself, I will try the pairing you have suggested.

BTW, do you have any idea how to get one's hands on a kosher Tokaj? I realize that this surely falls into the category of wines that I have just finished turning up my nose at, but the legend to the true Hungarian Tokaj is such that I feel duty-bound to try it.

Chuck.Gordon
4th May 2004, 08:57
I find the gewurz' quite sweet and often a bit syrupy. Almost a dessert wine, though not as sweet as the spatlese and eiswein lines.

Dunno about fois gras a'tall, and probably, gods willing, never will. Not a fan of liver in any form, I fear. However, if do find a sweeter wine like the gewurz' works really well with spicy Chinese or Thai food ...

A semi-local secret is the franken wines, very crisp, well done, rich and robust without being overly sweet.

At the grocery around the corner, I can pick up a bockbeutel (the same kind of bottle some of the better Portugese and Greek wines come in, a short, fat, flattish bottle rather than a tall skinny one) of Mueller-Thurgau style made with grapes from Franken (the northern part of Bavaria, more or less) for about $2.50 (1.99 Euro).

We can go to the local Aldi and get excellent wine from all over Europe for, basically, pennies. A .75 litre bottle of Hungarian white costs about $3, a litre of Mueller-Thurgau from Baden costs about the same.

If we want to splurge and get 'good' wine, we visit a little wine shop down in Regensburg where we can find excellent Rhein-Hessen wines for pocket change. The most expensive bottle I've bought was an eiswein (you guys in the US, price some locally and tell me what they'd cost you) for about $25.

I do love some aspects of living in Europe ...

Chuck

Greg Chapman
4th May 2004, 10:55
Fois Gras is very over rated, the only reason its a specialty is because its forced goose liver, i used to make it, very expensive, just tasted like normsl pate with a more richer taste, i would'nt buy it just for the fact that i know its over done!

As for wine, i still prefer a rich red like chateau neuf de pape or a good claret!

Dave Lowry
4th May 2004, 22:26
Mr. Hartman,
You should not, by any means, deprive yourself of the experience of Tokaj. One of the most sophisticated wines of all Europe and, particularly for a Son of David, one redolent with history and heritage.
If by “true Hungarian Tokaj” you mean the Essenz, the top-of-the-line Tokaj, you’re out of luck. One more tragedy for which we can thank the vile Communist cancer that afflicted post-war Europe, especially that part of Hungary that was home to such an incredible Jewish culture like the Tokaj region. Heartbreaking. The proletariat had no use for the elabourate process of producing Essenz, which is created by “pressing” the grapes using only their own weight—the real tete de cuvee. Today all Essenz goes into a blend that is still rather steeply priced. Closest you can come to that nowadays is the trockenbeerenauslesen of Germany.
Among the Tokaj available, avoid the cheap plonk of Szamarodni, bottled primarily for a Polish market that is to wine connoisseurship what the Samoans are to ice hockey. Go with the Aszu and for Heaven’s sake, do not chill it.
As for sources of the kosher product, I think there are several on the Internet. Kosherwine.com is one I’ve heard about, that carry Tokaj.

Mr. Chapman's comments on foie gras are consonant with a culture that has given us spotted dick and Americans should know that when he refers to a “claret” it is in the British sense of that word, which refers to a red Bordeaux.

Cordially,

Earl Hartman
4th May 2004, 23:19
As I said, the legend of Tokaj is such that I would consider it a dereliction of duty if I did not try it. I looked on kosherwine.com, but the problem is that I am afraid that I will beggar myself if I am not careful. However, I see that the wine they offer is, at least, a real Tokaj and not "Tokay", whatever that is.

I have heard that the British, in addition to preferring their beer at room temperature (not anywhere near as bad as it sounds, by the way, provided the beer is good; although American "beer" cannot stand up to such treatment and is brewed to be drunk ice-cold) prefer their claret (shudder!) iced!. Is this true?

Regrading spotted dick, I thought that was what happened to the fool if he put his toad in the wrong hole.

Greg Chapman
5th May 2004, 08:22
Spotted dick? i will have you know i trained with one of the best Michelin star restaurants in the country, never had spotted dick either!

Scott Irey
7th May 2004, 03:27
Gewurztraminer.... foie gras....Alsatian Munster cheeses???

Wannabes....sheesh!!

A true Gore-met knows that gewurztraminer, foie gras, Alsatian munster cheeses are nothing more than low end substitutes for Thunderbird, olive loaf and velveta processed cheese food.

Next time your in my neck of the woods I teach you fellers how to really eat...might even mix up a batch of my secret Mac-n-cheeze for ya.

Krusse
23rd July 2004, 08:22
Originally posted by Chuck.Gordon
I find the gewurz' quite sweet and often a bit syrupy. Almost a dessert wine, though not as sweet as the spatlese and eiswein lines.

Dunno about fois gras a'tall, and probably, gods willing, never will. Not a fan of liver in any form, I fear. However, if do find a sweeter wine like the gewurz' works really well with spicy Chinese or Thai food ...

A semi-local secret is the franken wines, very crisp, well done, rich and robust without being overly sweet.

At the grocery around the corner, I can pick up a bockbeutel (the same kind of bottle some of the better Portugese and Greek wines come in, a short, fat, flattish bottle rather than a tall skinny one) of Mueller-Thurgau style made with grapes from Franken (the northern part of Bavaria, more or less) for about $2.50 (1.99 Euro).

We can go to the local Aldi and get excellent wine from all over Europe for, basically, pennies. A .75 litre bottle of Hungarian white costs about $3, a litre of Mueller-Thurgau from Baden costs about the same.

If we want to splurge and get 'good' wine, we visit a little wine shop down in Regensburg where we can find excellent Rhein-Hessen wines for pocket change. The most expensive bottle I've bought was an eiswein (you guys in the US, price some locally and tell me what they'd cost you) for about $25.

I do love some aspects of living in Europe ...

Chuck

Aldi wine used to be a lot better when it wasn't so polurar (around 1995/6).
They only had a Bordeaux and a Rioja. The Bordeaux was acceptable and the Rioja was gorgeous. Since they expanded their selection, quality has suffered a bit - still depends on what you get, but it isn't so "fool proof" any more. Might end up with a bottle of bodyless and sour wine that's to bad for cooking.

If you like Rheinhessen wine, you should book a weekend "Weinprobe" at a "Winzerei" here. Either in Rheinhessen (between Koblenz and Mainz .. near Eltville, Ingelheim or Bad Kreuznach) or in the "Vorderpfalz" (between Ludwigshafen, Speyer and Landau).
Not as 'touristy' as the lower Rhine-Villages (Boppard etc.), the wine is very good and if you find one you like, buy a box or three :D

Living in Europe has it's advantages ...