CHARDONNAY

Chardonnay is one of the most well known wine varietals throughout the world. This wine usually consists of a pale yellow to a light golden color. The color will vary in hue the longer it is aged in oak barrels. The flavors can consist of vanilla, butter rum and or tropical fruit.

This wine, like others, is fermented in either oak or steel. Many producers will age in oak, to enhance the richness of the wine, which sometimes results in a slightly sweet finish. This grape prefers to be grown in a cool climate, but can adapt to a warmer climate if need be. A warmer climate along with rich soil will, in turn, produce a much fuller, richer wine.

Chardonnay is said to originate in France even though some contend it is originally from the Middle East, more specifically, Lebanon. In Burgundy, France there are many villages that produce Chardonnay, with the highest quality coming from Mersault and Montrachet. This area has some of the most sought after wines and some considered the best in the world. These wines are simply labeled white Burgundy and not Chardonnay.

The French choose to label their wines by region and district rather than by varietal. Other than in Burgundy, this grape is grown in many other districts of France, including the district of Champagne, where it is one of the three grapes used in producing this sparkling wine.

Other countries that grow and produce Chardonnay include, but are not limited to, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Canada, Italy, South Africa, New Zealand and Germany.

The United States grows and produces Chardonnay in many states, including New York, Virginia, Texas, Oregon, Washington, California, and a host of northeastern states including Connecticut. California, by far, is the biggest grower and producer of many different styles of Chardonnay.

Chardonnay is a great before or after dinner wine or enjoy it with dinner as it pairs nicely with chicken and other light meat dishes.

‘Hit the Trail,’ a Vermont microbrew, would be at home in an English pub

Vermont evokes images of stunning mountains, Fall colors, snow sports and brook trout. But the Green Mountain state has never been synonymous with food and drink, beyond maple syrup, sharp cheddar, and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

That may be changing. As recent visitors can attest, some fine little bistros have popped up in sight of the slopes most everywhere, and they all tend to have one menu item in common: Long Trail Brewing Co. products.
April’s beer of the month at The Little Rooster is Hit the Trail Ale, and a wonderful choice it is. I poured one into a clear glass, admired its burnished amber glow in the light and took a sip. Immediate reaction: this tastes like an English ale. Sure enough, when I found my reading glasses and checked out the fine print, there it was: “Our Northern English style brown ale …”

It has a sweeter finish than most ales, achieved by the addition of dark brown sugar to the three malts that are Hit the Trail’s primary ingredients. It is also lightly carbonated in the English tradition, and there’s only the slightest hint of bitterness that is essential to any beer. I enjoyed it immensely and believe you will too.
Drink it at a slightly higher temperature than usual. My bottles had been sitting in the garage rather than the refrigerator and that’s where I’ll continue to store them. Hit the Trail Ale is smooth and aromatic at garage-floor temperature, but excessive chilling would likely mask some of its special flavor.

Next time you’re in Vermont, take a ride by the Long Trail visitor center at the corner of Route 4 and 100A. Or, save yourself a trip and stop by The Little Rooster in Durham, CT, and take home some Hit the Trail Ale or one of the other great microbrews these Vermont Yankees are producing.

Delight guests with grilled pizza dough

In keeping with my intention to provide readers with great recipes that are cheap, easy and versatile, here’s one that meets all three criteria nicely:

Pizza dough for the barbecue grill.

The bottom line is that pizza dough, grilled carefully with a few simple ingredients on top, can become a delicious part of any deck party.

A year or so ago, we started making pizza at home, using a baking stone and supermarket dough for about $1.19. Then I started making my own dough in a Cuisinart, with great success.

One night, with a softball of dough left over, I decided to experiment. I stretched the dough out to dinner plate size and laid it on a floured cutting board. I brushed the top with olive oil and pressed in some garlic paste and finely chopped onion, and a mix of whatever dried herbs were handy, along with some black pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, I set aside a small bowl of mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped roughly. On a charcoal grill with a fading fire, I placed the pizza dough oiled side down and used a spatula to make sure it didn’t stick.

Once it began to brown – about a minute – I fliped it over and spread the mozzarella mix on top. Then I covered the grill and let the cheese melt.

The trick is to accomplish this without burning the bottom, so check the dough’s progress frequently. In all, the dough won’t spend more than three or four minutes on the grill. Return it to the cutting board, cut into pieces with a pizza wheel or sharp knife, and serve.

This is a fun recipe that has endless variations. A few tips: work with the raw dough at room temperature and allow it to stretch itself, draping it over the top of your hand. Then take it in both hands and gently rotate it, allowing its own weight to do the stretching. Let it rest a few minutes on the cutting board and then pick it up and repeat the process until it’s the size you want. When melting the cheese, I shut off the vent on my Weber, cutting off oxygen to the fire, which then stays plenty hot to do the job but minimizes the chance of burning the bottom.

Did you know?

Pizza and pita have more in common than the fact that both begin with P and end in A. Both are made of simple, nearly identical ingredients that create a dough that can be baked with great results right on your backyard grill.

The primary difference is that pita bread calls for “strong” white flour or bread flour – same thing – which differs from all-purpose flour in that it contains a higher proportion of gluten, the stuff that makes the dough elastic.
Otherwise, both contain yeast dissolved in warm water, olive oil, salt and sugar. For specific pita and pizza dough recipes, I recommend The Joy of Cooking as a good starting point. Be aware, though, that once you start grilling pita or pizza dough in all their variations, you’ll be hooked, and you will also be in serious violation of the Atkins Diet.

-- Scott Brinckerhoff

Scott Brinckerhoff of Haddam is a freelance writer specializing in business communications. He also brews beer, keeps bees and cooks "seriously." Each issue, he'll provide offbeat comments on our monthly beer, long with a recipe.