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Happy New Year 2012! (New Years dinner + Top 10 posts of 2011)

January 3, 2012 by Jennifer Che 7 Comments


Happy New Year!

How did you spend your New Years?

One of our good friends, Peter (who has guest–posted on this blog before), decided to host an Italian wine tasting event. We started at 4PM and began pairing Italian wines with a variety of Italian dishes for the whole night! (I guess it’s best to space out 8 bottles of wine when you have 10 people!). Peter even gave a slide presentation throughout the evening teaching us about the different kinds of wines, regions in which they are made, and grape varieties from which they come. We studied wine tasting notes, aromas, etc. and how they paired with the flavor elements in the food. It was informative, casual, and really fun!

Of course, I’m sure the excellent wine, delicious food, and good company didn’t hurt!



Here’s our menu and pairing!

FIRST COURSE
Antipasti elements (marinated mushrooms, olives) and Lobster Ravioli in a Crab Sauce
2010 St. Michael-Eppan Pinot Grigio (WS 90)
*tasting note: the acidity of the pinot grigio pairs well with food that take well to acid, such as things on which you would want to squeeze a lemon (e.g., fish, oysters, clams, light pasta)

SECOND COURSE
Romano-stuffed Tomatoes (pictured above) and Bolognese pasta (pictured above)
2007 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva (WS92; 2011 #31)
2006 Luce La Vite Lucente Toscana IGT (WS 91) 
*tasting note: the bright acidity of chianti goes well with foods that are slightly acidic, like red pastas.

THIRD COURSE
Grilled Lamb Chop and Steak
2006 Campogiovanni (San Felice) Brunello di Montalcino (WS 96; 2011 #4)
2006 Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso (WS 95)
*tasting note: Brunellos have velvety tannins balanced by some acidity. These are big wines that are matched with  hearty food such as red meat, flavorful hard cheese, and mushrooms

FOURTH COURSE
Beef Shank Osso Bucco
2006 Tenuta Sette Ponti Oreno Toscana IGT (WS 96; 2008 #15)

*Tasting note: Super Tuscans are blends that contain non-Italian wines. This particular wine is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet, and Merlot. Sangiovese produces a medium-bodied wine high in acidity. Cabernets are full-flavored, fruit-forward, and semi-tannic, thus pair well with red meats. Similarly, Merlots also have deep fruit flavors, with tannic overtones as well.

FIFTH COURSE
Beeramisu (tiramisu but made with beer!)
NV Mionetto Sergio Prosecco 

NEW YEARS TOAST
NV Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco


TOP 10 POSTS of 2012
In the past two years, I’ve summarized my “most popular posts of the year” on New Years Day. As my blog has matured over the years, I’ve found that this year, many of the “top 10” posts are actually old posts that have high search rankings, and thus are still popular. In fact, many of the top 10 posts this year are the same as the top ten last year (thought pretty different from top ten in 2009).

In order to share some new posts, I’ve limited this top 10 list to posts that were actually written in 2011. Accordingly . .  .I now present you with the TOP 10 NEW posts written in 2011!

#10: Copper River Salmon

I have always loved salmon, but after trying Copper River Salmon, it’s hard for me to go back to the bland, overcooked, farm-raised salmon that is so prevalent in grocery stores these days. This salmon has TONS of flavor, and tastes fantastic on the grill (or any other way, in fact!). I partnered with the Copper River Salmon organization in Alaska this summer. It was a great way to try many different types of Copper River Salmon (King, Coho, Sockeye). My favorite is King, which, unfortunately, is only available fresh for about a month and  is also quite expensive!)

#9: Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce with Bacon

This is one of my classic go-to recipes when I’m at home during the winter with no fresh produce. It makes great use of canned tomatoes, vodka, and cream (which I often have lying around since I like to make ice cream!). As long as you have some great quality pasta (ideally fresh, but good dried pasta is also fine), you’ve got a winner of a dish.

#8: Chinese New Year Recipes

mustard greens kong xin tsai
Mustard Greens Sauteed Chinese Watercress
Spicy Minced Pork with Sour String Beans Chinese chives and Tofu
Spicy Pork with Sour String Beans Chinese Chives and 5-Spice Tofu

Chinese New Year is a HUGE holiday in Asia. People take vacation for weeks and travel back to their hometowns to visit family. Of course, the holiday is filled with lots of food. This post essentially provided a nice, graphical interface (filled with pictures) of all the Chinese recipes on this site. I eventually moved it over to the Chinese food gallery so that all could access the recipes more easily.

#7: Jean Philippe Patisserie

Last year in Las Vegas I saw the most amazing cakes at Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio. This bakery also boasts the largest chocolate fountain in the world! Come check out this post to see other fantastic cakes and also pictures of that crazy fountain.


#6: Sushi Kanesaka

I’m always ruined for sushi when I come back to the States after some extended time in Japan. The sushi in Japan is incredible and still so much better than anything I’ve had in the US (and I’ve had some pretty good sushi here!).  Sushi Kanesaka was one of the more interesting omakases that we had in Japan, complete with exotic offerings like fish sperm sac! Of course, there were also many, many delicious courses, my favorite of all being the slightly grilled tuna cheek.


#5: My Favorite Date Restaurants
Picasso in Las Vegas
I’ve had dates in many, many restaurants (Bryan and I eat out a lot). Here are some of my favorite places that do a good job of combining excellent food, great service, and a really nice ambiance.

#4: Sous Vide Chicken with Pesto
Chicken pesto
I got a sous vide machine last fall and have been experimenting with it ever since. I’ve used it most for steak, actually, though most meats taste pretty amazing when cooked sous vide. Chicken is one of those meats that turns out plump, juicy, and ever so soft (never dry!) when cooked sous vide.

#3: Oven Roasted Golden Beets
Roasted golden beets

I love beets, and I’m surprised it took me so long to realize that beets aren’t just deep purple! These diced golden beets caramelize beautifully and taste even better than roasted whole beets (which essentially just steam in the oven). Definitely give them a try if you’ve never had them before!

#2: Homemade Oreos (TKO’s)


Oreos are one of my favorite cookies and Bouchon is one of my favorite bakeries. So, it’s no surprise that the Thomas Keller Oreo (aka “TKO”) is one of my all time favorite bakery items at Bouchon. I was thrilled to find a recipe for these, and I can attest that these are fantastic. I still like the Bouchon ones better (I guess I’m still not that skilled of a baker). However, these are great when I’m getting that itch for a TKO and don’t feel like traveling to NYC to get one!

#1: Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies


I love my Tiny Urban Kitchen stamp! I made these cookies for an annual Boston-based blogger cookie swap last year. It’s a simple shortbread recipe but the addition of Meyer lemons adds a gorgeous floral note that I love. These are great as gifts because they pack and store easily!

That’s it! It’s been a crazy year filled with lots of travel (Las Vegas, Napa Valley, Tokyo, London, Greece, and NYC), moving to a new house, arrival of my sister’s new baby, celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary, and serving and fundraising for the Boston Rescue Mission.

Here’s to an awesome 2012!

Happy New Year!

©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Tidbits

« A Personal Story: Meet Anthony from the Boston Rescue Mission
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Comments

  1. Shannon says

    January 3, 2012 at 5:59 pm

    those cookies were delicious 😉  another great year, here’s to a tasty 2012!!

    Reply
  2. Daisy says

    January 4, 2012 at 2:02 pm

    You’ve had an amazing 2011, Happy New Year!!

    Reply
  3. jaspernaomi says

    January 4, 2012 at 6:20 pm

    vodka cream sauce, anything is awesome with corkscrew pasta! love it! love your photos! love your blog Jen!

    Reply
  4. jentinyurbankitchen says

    January 4, 2012 at 10:44 pm

    Bummed I missed this year’s cookie exchange! Hope it was a blast. 🙂

    Reply
  5. jentinyurbankitchen says

    January 4, 2012 at 10:45 pm

    Thanks so much! Happy new year!

    Reply
  6. jentinyurbankitchen says

    January 4, 2012 at 10:45 pm

    Happy new year to you too!

    Reply
  7. mengli123 says

    January 6, 2012 at 5:47 am

    adiPUREとadiZERO最初に考えたのを持って来るために、過去に確かにadidasのサッカーシューズの2つです、そして2011年から2つの用語はもはや排他的なサッカーのシリサッカー アディダスーズはありません。 adiPUREとadiZEROのバスケットボールシューズの出現をされているとして、アディダスのtimber landテニスの製品ラインもadiPURE PROとadiZEROフェザーは、2つの新しいテニスシューズをオープンしました。カテゴリーは違いますが、ugg アグ ブーツ 家族の特性が接続されていますが、adiPURE PROは、外観の古典的なシンプルさニューバランス 靴と性能の全体的なバランスをもたらす、とadiZEROフェザー好調ファミリは、スピード感を持って最も鮮やかに反映さadiZEROなります。靴のファンの可用性の認識の考え方の概念ネイティブ フィッツシモンズ を作成し、唯一の私たちが待って見ることがミュウミュウ 財布できるようにフルラインの製品ラインを持つこのサッカーシューズなど

    Reply

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Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
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