17956 Mon Nov 19 23:55:52 -0800 2001 11 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 54989 If you're planning to make Helmand's baked pumpkin recipe for turkey day or beyond, be sure to study Ruth's tips for peeling and prepping. (linked below) I recently hosted my wine and food club for a tasting of Cote Rotie wines, followed by an Afghan dinner and more wines of the region. For everyone else in the group, this was their first taste of the flavors of Afghan. They delighted in the cuisine and were stunned at how complementary the exotic spices were with the wines of Cote Rotie and Condrieu. Universally the favorite dish was the kaddo, and I'm sorry that I was so stingy with the serving size! After two days in the kitchen breathing in the aromatic melange, each of the elements of the spice palate - ginger, cumin, tumeric, saffron, cinnamon, clove, coriander, orange peel, rose petal - that infused the wines was a cinch to pick out when it came time to sit down to the blind tasting flight. Here's the wine list and menu. 1994 Horizontal Tasting of Cote Rotie: Jasmin, $27 Michel Ogier, $32 Gilles Barge “Cote Brune”, $35 Rene Rostaing, $35 Henri et Philippe Gallet “Non Filtré”, $40 Rene Rostaing/A. Dervieux-Thaize “La Viaillere”, $40 Rene Rostaing “La Landonne”, $53 Qupé “Bien Nacido Reserve” Santa Barbara Syrah, $20 Aperitif: Laurent Perrier Cuvée Brut Rosé Champagne, $40 Dinner Wines: 1999 Alain Paret et Gérard Depardieu “Lys de Volan” Condrieu, $40 1996 Rene Rostaing/A. Dervieux-Thaize “La Viaillere” Cote Rotie, $40 1996 Rene Rostaing “La Landonne” Cote Rotie, $48 1994 Jean-Paul et Jean-Luc Jamet Cote Rotie, $39 1995 E. Guigal Cote Rotie, $28 1990 Jean-Paul et Jean-Luc Jamet Cote Rotie, $70 1990 E. Guigal Cote Rotie, $27 Dessert Wine: 1997 Christophe Pichon Condrieu Moelleux, $30 Afghan Dinner Menu Appetizers: Naun Chatni Gashneez Rayta Achar (flat breads and condiments) Ashak (leek-filled dumplings) Kuku e Tarkari (vegetable omelet) Bourani Baunjan (eggplant with yogurt sauce) Entrées: Kaddo Bourani (baked pumpkin) Salan (spicy chili sauce) Chalau (crusted Basmati rice) Palau-I-Shahee (“King’s Rice”) Dessert: Shir Berinj (rice pudding with pistachio and rosewater) Mint Tea Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/17908#54921 Mon Nov 19 23:55:52 -0800 2001 0 Melanie Wong 1 54999 what a night! sounds delicious, not to mention decadent! did you use fresh organic roses for the rose petal flavors or rosewater? i have the most delightful recipe for rose petal jam, which i make from my organic roses, but have yet to find an outside source for them. i'd like to make a batch of jam for christmas gifts and would be very interested in your source if they were fresh. Tue Nov 20 12:38:43 -0800 2001 54989 0 Rochelle 2 55033 Decadent indeed - we started at 7pm with bubbly and were still sipping Springbank, Grand Marnier and mint tea at 3am. I set a new speed record for entertainment pacing by serving dessert at 11pm, usually it's well after midnight and folks take it home with them. (g) Your rose petal jam sounds lovely. No, i used rosewater. I've noticed some beautiful rosehips on my neighbor's bushes - any uses for those? Wed Nov 21 14:56:21 -0800 2001 54999 0 Melanie Wong 1 55004 Melanie, those dishes and wines sound fabulous! I'm starving, now. Lucky tasting group! Tue Nov 20 17:09:35 -0800 2001 54989 0 Ann Leneave 2 55032 The group rotates these dinners, and I am paid back handsomely by each of their hosting efforts. Each member of the group takes a recipe chosen by the host. One of the criteria for being in this group, besides wine knowledge, is cooking skill, adventurous eating, and the ability to follow a recipe. The chutney, omelet, eggplant and dessert were prepared by my guests. Even so, the host does the majority of the cooking. This meal was about 3-person-days to pull off, for kitchen time alone, not including shopping. Wed Nov 21 14:52:46 -0800 2001 55004 0 Melanie Wong 1 55012 Yum! If I peel all the pumpkins, will you invite me next time (g)? After making the kaddo, there was a large quantity of delicious pumpkin-infused sugar syrup. Any suggestions on what this could be used for? Finally, upon consideration I realized why pumpkins are easier to peel with a knife while butternut squash are easier to peel with a vegetable peeler: the pumpkin skin is relatively thicker and more flexible and the pumpkin flesh is relatively softer, so it is significantly easier to slide the knife between the flesh and the skin -- the skin comes off in large strips rather than constantly breaking off the way thin, brittle butternut squash peel does. Tue Nov 20 19:10:06 -0800 2001 54989 0 Ruth Lafler 2 55018 What to do with all that "pumpkin syrup"? Why, put a spoonful in a glass of Seltzer Sisters water, of course!! Wed Nov 21 00:14:34 -0800 2001 55012 0 Fatemeh 3 55031 That sounds good too. I was thinking about you and the influence of Persian cuisine as I made my first attempt at chelo for this dinner. The wonderfully fragrant basmati rice from pakistan I bought at Berkeley Bowl made a huge contribution to the quality. Also, it was hard to trust the recipe directions to not open the lid and to listen for the popping sounds to know when the rice was ready. The crust turned out to be fantastic. Wed Nov 21 14:48:39 -0800 2001 55018 0 Melanie Wong 4 55045 Congrats on your tah-deeg (aka "crunchy rice"). You're doing better than I am! I usually use milk (or yogurt) and a bit of butter on the bottom, sometimes a layer of lavash. But I don't seem to be able to get it QUITE like mom's. Did you have anything in the rice (cardamom pods, etc.)? Wed Nov 21 16:11:53 -0800 2001 55031 0 Fatemeh 2 55030 My sous chefs are always male, better for dancing in the kitchen. (g) I've linked our earlier discussion about kaddo below that will lead to the recipe. I'm thinking the pumpkin syrup would be wonderful drizzled over a warm fruit gratin with some heavy cream. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/17529#52415 Wed Nov 21 14:46:11 -0800 2001 55012 0 Melanie Wong 3 55039 Or drizzled over vanilla or ginger ice cream. Wed Nov 21 15:09:00 -0800 2001 55030 0 Caitlin McGrath 4 55043 Since I don't drink fizzy stuff, that sounds like the ticket! Those flavors both sound good, as does dolce de leche. Wed Nov 21 15:37:38 -0800 2001 55039 0 Ruth Lafler