Want to eat YUMMIER in 2011?  Wouldn’t that be a great resolution?

If the tiny nation of Bhutan takes happiness seriously enough to index it, I figured I would do the same for my nourishment.  It’s my Personal Yum Index, or PYI.  Mine’s generally high, and my resolution is to inch it up even more and I’m asking if you want to join me.  No matter what is going down, I feel up about what I eat and where I shop.

I’ve found that feeling really happy about how I eat is the sum of really small ordinary things, not grand culinary coups.  When I eat delicious foods, no matter how simple, I’m sated.  It boosts endorphins and immuno responses, and gives you better posture (ok, I have no proof of any of that, just a hunch).

Please check back here frequently.  Over the course of 2011, I’ll cover 52 Simple Ways to Love What You’re Eating.

Might as well start now.  #1 Make salad dressing.  For me, it’s this simple.  If I make a delicious dressing, then I eat leafy greens and vegetables all week.  (And beets, and mushrooms, and nuts, and sprouts, and cooked egg, etc).  If not, I don’t.  There is not a bottled dressing that makes me (or the family) excited about salad.  But my homemade dressings do.  The trick is identifying a dressing that you love.  Here’s a fave of mine, based on one from the Bon Ton Cafe in New Orleans.

While you’re at it, consider making your own croutons.  The fun, irreverent, and hard-working celebrity chefs that I worked for, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, got me started on this path with the delicious croutons they made for their Border Grill Caesar Salad.  The croutons will punch up a so-so soup.  You can crush them to sprinkle over a casserole, or over any pasta.   Your salad, with your homemade dressing and homemade croutons, is now the star of the meal, and not a lame side.   Cut up leftover baguettes (before they turn into bricks and you have to throw them away) into small cubes (you can freeze in a ziplock bag until ready to use).  Saute with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and let them get toasty in a skillet.

They’ll keep for quite a while in an airtight container (but they won’t last that long).  The other night, I cooked some Yukon Gold potatoes in the microwave, then cut them and poured some of this dressing on them, while the potatoes were still warm.  I dressed fresh greens with more of the dressing, and topped the greens with a mound of the potatoes, some steamed green beans, a few slices of steak (chopped roast beef, or cold peeled shrimp, or cooked bacon would be fabulous)…and of course the croutons.  Scott proclaimed it best ever salad.  We drank a beautiful 2000 Domaine Drouhin Laurène with it.

So…New Year’s Day…we’ll be eating some gumbo, and enjoying a big salad with Bon Ton Dressing and homemade croutons.  And some black eyed peas for those like me who have to get their good luck for 2011!  Here we are again.  Happy Roux Year!

Pot of beans on the stove. Darn those black eyed peas. Cute little pandas of the bean world!

Bon Ton Salad Dressing

Based on a recipe from the original owners of the Bon Ton Café in New Orleans.  I love this dressing.  It was one that was sorely missed by many New Orleanians when their recipe files were washed away by Hurricane Katrina.  It is excellent on any greens and makes me think of the dressing used on marinated crab claws.  Fabulous with shrimp, and just as terrific as a dressing or marinade for leftover steak.  Delicious in a potato salad.

1 egg

1 tsp Creole mustard

1 – 2 tsp salt (really depends on type of salt used)

1-2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp Tabasco sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp chopped garlic

3 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling on salad

1 tsp horseradish

1/2 cup cider vinegar (I start with a little less that 1/2 cup and add to taste – some chefs are bigger acid queens than others.  Original calls for 1 cup!)

1 1/2 cup olive oil

huge handful of chopped parsley

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, expect olive oil and parsley.  Whip until thoroughly mixed.  Pour olive oil in slowly, while whipping vigorously (I use an immersion blender).  Dress greens, add chopped parsley and additional grated cheese to taste.

Dressing makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Our tasting room is open 1-5 pm Saturday Dec. 18th for the last time in 2010.  Come get merry with us.  We’ll have a stellar flight that will include our Oregon Pinots as well as selections of our Burgundy imports, and some small-grower Champagne, if you’re really nice (or naughty?!) — all ideal for sipping or gifting this season.

These are small-production wines, each with a story and a sense of place.  Our experience is that people like getting bottles like these for the holidays.  As in, really like it.  And we’ve got wine bags & gift cards too.

By the way, we love Champagne and we think everyone should drink more of it.  Always.  Not just once a year.  And we especially hate the idea of your scrambling around and fighting traffic on New Year’s Eve to procure your celebratory bottle.  Make this one thing easy on yourself by picking up your Champagne today.  And discover our very unique guarantee…if you don’t like it, Scott promises to come over and drink it for you!

Merry and Happy!!  From all of us at Scott Paul Wines.

Attention New York, New Jersey & Connecticut – we’re taking our show on the road for a big event in New York City on February 15th. Tickets are on sale now – don’t miss this one! 50 Oregon winemakers and an amazing line-up of outstanding wines!

Taste the newly released 2008 vintage receiving rave reviews by critics. Wine Spectator Magazine described 2008 in Oregon as “about as good as it gets”, and gave the vintage an unprecedented 100 points! We’ll be pouring our 2008 La Paulée Pinot Noir, which is scheduled for release in the first quarter.

Wines will be paired with delicious Pinot-friendly appetizers featuring locally grown ingredients from Oregon producers such as Oregon Dungeness Crab.

Oregon Wine Flight to New York City – Consumer Grand Tasting
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
6:30-9:30pm
City Winery, 155 Varick Street NY, New York 10013 (Varick @ Vandam) – Hudson Square, just west of Soho
Tickets on sale now – $65 per person – includes food & wine

We look forward to seeing you in NYC!!!

As I pulled down our Christmas decorations from the closet last weekend, I could have sworn I’d just put them away about two weeks ago. This year totally went by in a blur. But it was a hell of a nice blur!

It was another year full of great food and wine (imagine that), and lots of memorable moments and events that just make me happy to be doing what I’m doing. Since leaving the fascinating and totally insane world of the corporate rock & roll business ten years ago, I’ve probably worked longer and harder than I ever have, but am certainly enjoying it all lot more. (Well, except for the living on the Poison tour bus with Bret Michaels in 1991, but that’s another story for another time. Or maybe not…)

One reason I’m enjoying life a lot more is that 2010 was the year I became a runner. 12 months ago I couldn’t run around the block. Literally. I started training around Christmas-time last year, and by this November I had completed two half-marathons. I have now impetuously signed up for the Portland Marathon next October, and have 10 months to train for the 26.2-mile grind. Please keep reminding me that the course is “mostly flat”…

Chef Gabe Rucker at Le Pigeon

I don’t eat and drink with the reckless abandon that I used to, or at least not as often. Logging 30+ miles per week on Leif Erikson trail in Forest Park allows me to continue to indulge my endless passion for French bistro fare and all things chocolate, (and anything from the kitchens of Gabe Rucker at Portland’s Le Pigeon and Little Bird.)

I had the pleasure of doing a bunch of great winemaker dinners this year, including great Portland spots Laurelhurst Market (a major personal fave), Bluehour, The Heathman, Wildwood and Gracie’s – and Ray’s Boathouse up in Seattle too.

I took three trips to Burgundy this year, and had some memorable meals over there. My favorite this year was at Auprès du Clocher in Pommard, the best new addition to the Burgundy dining scene in a long time and a spot I hope to return to again and again. Another French fave was at the humble but often divine Caves Madeleine in Beaune, where perhaps the best Duck Confit on the planet can be had if you hit it on the right day.

Closer to home we had some rockin’ great meals at Le Pigeon, it’s sister bistro the newly-opened Little Bird, Paley’s, Laurelhurst Market, Metrovino, and orgasmically-great truffle-salted Fries at Little Big Burger in Portland. In wine country we were consistently wowed by Farm to Fork, Jory at the Allison, Nick’s, & Thistle. In Seattle it keeps getting better and better, with Lark, Matt’s in the Market, Sitka & Spruce, Crush and Boat Street Café all standing out this year.

Frogs Legs (or Cuisses de Grenouille if you you think that sounds better...)

We had a lot of great events at the winery this year, but none more outstanding than our pre-IPNC dinner in the cellars, with superstar chef Vitaly Paley of Paley’s Place at the stove. We were honored to have Burghound’s Allen Meadows with us, along with Food & Wine Magazine’s Ray Isle, and guest winemakers Paul and Louis Meunier of Domaine J-J Confuron for a simply fabulous night.

Chef Paley's hay-roasted Ribeye at our IPNC dinner

I had the rare and amazing experience of working harvest in Burgundy this year, as the lateness of our Oregon harvest allowed me to jump over there for a couple of weeks and work alongside a number of our star producers, including the legendary Michel Lafarge. It was the experience of a lifetime, to say the least. And I returned home from that to jump into crush here – still high from Burgundy and with no time to even acknowledge the jet-lag.

In Volnay with Michel Lafarge

What a bizarre year in the vineyards here. Cold, wet spring. Late bloom. Small crop-set. Cold summer. Beautiful Indian summer. Unprecedented bird attacks on the grapes. When all was said and done, we ended up with our smallest crop ever, yielding tiny amounts of what are promising to be gorgeous wines. We are thrilled with the quality. There’s just not enough of it to go around…

Outside of food & wine I actually do have other interests. At least a couple, anyway. My passion for European soccer is well-known to regular readers here. The greatest single display of sporting excellence I’ve ever seen was Barcelona’s 5-0 shellacking of Real Madrid a couple of weeks ago – definitely one of the highlights of the year for me. That and the chance to see my first Champions League match in person in September, when Frédéric Gueguen in Chablis invited me to see the Auxerre v Real Madrid game in Auxerre – what a blast!

Movies and Music are my other main passions. My favorite film of the year so far has been Social Network – I thought Jesse Eisenberg was great, and the whole Zuckerberg-Facebook story I find fascinating and inspiring. On the French cinema side I loved Un Prophet and Le Concert – see both of these gems when you can. I’m hugely looking forward to two films that are due out before the end of the year – Sophia Coppola’s Somewhere and James L. Brooks’ How Do You Know – both are among my all-time fave directors, and these projects both should be excellent.

Musically it hasn’t been the most inspiring year. Many critics are already saying that Bruce Springsteen’s “The Promise” – the 21 songs he recorded for, but chose not to use, on 1978’s “Darkness on the Edge of Town”, may in fact be the best album of 2011. I would tend to agree -  absolutely genius stuff, from a writer at his lyrical and artistic peak.  I’ve also really enjoyed the latest from Charlotte Gainsbourg, Amy MacDonald, Court Yard Hounds, Duffy, Pearl Jam, Sarah McLachlan, Lilly Allen, She & Him, and I admit that some Lady Gaga tracks make for great running tunes on those cold rainy mornings on the trail…

Some goodies lined up for the Paulée in Beaune in November...

As for my favorite wines of the year, I’ve narrowed it down to 10 bottles that crossed my path at various dinners and events over the course of the year. In no particular order:

2002 Champagne Special Club – Marc Chauvet
1949 Corton-Charlemagne – Thevenot
1966 Montrachet – Drouhin
1985 Demoiselles – Jadot
1934 Batard Montrachet – Latour
1964 Clos de la Roche – Rousseau
1976 Richebourg – Meo-Camuzet
1929 Clos Vougeot – Jadot
1965 Romanée-Conti – DRC
1945 Musigny – de Vogüé

It’s been an amazing year for all of us at Scott Paul, and through it all we’ve felt a lot of love and support from all of you. Thanks for being great friends, fans and customers – you truly make it a joy. We wish you a very Merry Christmas, the happiest of holiday seasons, and promise you another year full of great wine, events, meals and classes in 2011. Cheers!

Ahhhh….I remember the days when an app was not a download, but the very tasty reason for the season. A coffee table or side board laden with one-bite wonders…swoon!  I’m a talker (no!) and always the last in line to get my plate, therefore, grazing on hors d’oeuvres is my favorite way to eat, so I’ve accumulated a few favorites over the years.  I hope to help you out with your assignment to provide nibbles for your upcoming holiday event, or heck, even the Superbowl.

These recipes are tested and approved by the food-savvy (and hungry!) Scott Paul Wines team.  This past Friday, with spouses and offspring, we celebrated another great year together with a graze-fest and unbelievably great wine and Champagne.  (We’re getting smarter in our old age…we planned the event to follow our day-long Masters of Burgundy open house.  Conveniently, some rare Grand Cru burgs and small grower Champagnes were open).

On offer were Swedish Meatballs, Gmama Betsy’s Cheese Puffs and Smoked Trout Spread (w/ Lemon and Shallot).  Those happen to be three of my recipes that have been published in cookbooks.  Several team members asked for the recipes so here they are as promised.  I also had on offer some foie gras mousse paté made by Chop in Portland, and a fabulous Italian sheep/goat/cow milk cheese called Robiola from the marvelous cheese case at Pastaworks.  For dessert bites, it was our family favorite butter cookie with almond glaze, and chocolate brownies (I used Scharffenberger this time.  Use any brand of great chocolate!).

And then there was…..the Dear Lord Dip.  I modified this from Alton Brown’s Hot Spinach & Artichoke recipe (and gave it a very apt name).  I’m not a chip and dip person, and I’m an app snob, but I will happily go slumming with this dip!   I can promise it will be the ultimate crowd-pleaser.  It couldn’t be easier to make and you can pronounce the ingredients!  Try that with the version from the frozen aisle.  Plus, there is a reason that the one at the grocery store isn’t called Dear Lord Dip.

Wishing you lots of merry gatherings with excellent nibbles and wine.  Cheers!

Here's a photo of my Swedish Meatball recipe from The Vintner's Kitchen. Photo by Rick Schafer.

Dear Lord Dip

2 cup thawed, chopped frozen spinach

3 cups thawed, chopped frozen artichoke hearts

10 ounces cream cheese

generous 1/3 cup sour cream (could partially sub some whole yogurt)

generous 1/3 cup mayonnaise

2/3 cup grated Parmesan

3/4 tsp – 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

Boil spinach and artichokes in 1 1/2 cup of water until tender and drain. Discard liquid. Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients and serve hot, with flaxseed tortilla chips (my preference), crudites or crackers. Can easily be made ahead and heated in microwave.  Spread leftovers on a slice of bakery bread and toast under broiler to eat alongside a bowl of soup.  This makes a generous amount.  Can easily half it.  Modified from Alton Brown’s recipe.

Swedish Meatballs

Inspired by Scott’s Swedish heritage. These are great with mashed potatoes (and a side dish of apple sauce?), and are equally good served as appetizers.

Makes 60 small meatballs

1 ½ pound ground beef (ask butcher to grind together the ground beef and ground pork)

½ pound ground pork

1 cup soft bread crumbs

½ cup half and half

4 tablespoons minced onion

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

1 tablespoon ketchup

½ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon cardamom

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons butter

Soak bread in milk. Add onion, mustard, ketchup, allspice, cardamom, salt and pepper and mix into meat, using hands, until well incorporated.  Shape by hand into small balls, not much bigger than 1 tablespoon each. (You want them this size so that they will cook through easily). Melt butter in skillet. In three batches, add meatballs and turn occasionally until brown on all sides, and just cooked through.  Remove meatballs from pan and place on paper towel-lined plate. Any meatballs not being served right away can be frozen on a sheet pan, and then packed into a freezer bag. Thawed meatballs can be warmed in a skillet with butter or gravy, or in the microwave.

Join us at Liner & Elsen wine shop in NW Portland on Tuesday December 14th from 6:15-7:30pm for a Burgundy Bonanza! We’ll be pouring a great line-up, including new releases from superstars Frédéric Mugnier, Michel Lafarge, Bonneau du Martray, J-J Confuron and a bunch more. Tasting fee is $25. Call L&E at 503-241-9463 for more info – no reservations necessary. Be there!

Smoked Trout Spread

Newman’s Fish in Portland carries a wonderful smoked trout from Idaho.  As you can see, this is scarcely a recipe.  I don’t measure at all.  The key is to use just a minimum of cream cheese, as I don’t care for spreads that taste entirely of cream cheese.  And, flaking and mashing this with a fork will yield a much more appetizing consistency than that of a food processor.  Plus, it’s just so easy this way.  Last time I made this, I played around with the addition of cream and used what I had on hand — a dollop of unsweetened fresh whipped cream.

8 oz smoked salmon

2  oz of cream cheese (or marscapone)

2 T finely chopped shallot

2-3 T half & half, or whipping cream

Zest of one lemon to taste

Lemon juice to taste

Remove skin from trout and place on a large plate or pie plate.  Use a fork to flake the smoked fish.  Add cream cheese and use fork to incorporate.  Add remaining ingredients, adjusting for desired consistency and taste.  Serve on buttered, seasoned crostini or crackers.