Pickled Grapes

Pickled Grapes

I had dinner recently at FIG in Charleston SC and it was a memorable meal. One of our courses was a Pate served with Pickled Red Grapes. They were brilliant! I loved them and came home from Charleston to make them. Here’s what I did.

2 pounds of red seedless grapes taken off the stem, washed and dried
3 cups red wine vinegar
2 cups sugar
3 cinnamon sticks

In a heavy pot boil the vinegar, sugar, and cinnamon sticks. Once the mixture boils and the sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from the heat. Add the grapes to the pan and give it a stir. Let the pan cool to room temperature. With a slotted spoon, fill jars with the grapes and then pour the liquid from the pot over the grapes. Seal the jars and place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. These will keep for several days in the refrigerator. They are delicious served with cheese, crackers, and nuts or alongside any grilled or roasted meats especially rich meats like pork, and duck. My family and friends are raving about them. The next time I make them I’m going to add 3 or 4 whole cloves to add just a bit more warm spice.

Eating My Way Through Charleston SC

I recently attended the Personal Chefs Network 2008 Symposium in Charleston SC. While in Charleston I had the pleasure of eating at some of the best restaurants in town. Charleston is a true foodie town. There are so many great places for food from down-home southern cuisine to upscale French and American regional cuisine and wonderful seafood. Here are the restaurants that I ate at.

A group of 7 of us went to The Boathouse On East Bay (www.boathouserestaurants.com) where we were invited by warm wood and clean minimal nautical décor. I had wonderful appetizers of Fried Green Tomatoes on a bed of Arugula topped with Local Goat Cheese and Sweet Pepper Jam Buttermilk and Benne Seed Crusted Fried Calamari topped with Garlic Chili Sauce. For my entrée I had Fried Grouper with Spicy Remoulade with Tarragon Poached Asparagus and Smoked Gouda Mac&Cheese. No room for dessert. L

FIG (www.eatatfig.com) where the outside does not look like much but the interior was metropolitan chic. Chef/Owner Mike Lata created a tasting menu especially for me and my dining partner Chef Peg Nelson. Our course were as follows. Local Oysters on the Half Shell with Mingnonette, Agrumato, and Steelhead Roe, Chicken Liver Pate with Pickled Grapes, Toasted Brioche, and Watercress, Warm Sweet Onion Tart with White Buck Goat Cheese from Vermont, Heirloom Potato Agnolotti with Jumbo Lump Crab, Zucchini, and Wilted Greens, Grilled Triggerfish with Escarole, White Bean Puree, and Sweet Pepper Confit, Pork Shoulder Confit with Kabocha Squash Puree, Rapini, Roasted Grapes and Toasted Pine Nuts. Our finales were Banana Tart with Maple Ice Cream, and a Key Lime Steamed Pudding. Chef Mike truly gave Peg and I a meal to remember.

The Personal Chefs Network members enjoyed Brunch at High Cotton (www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com/highcotton) featuring a very tasty Bloody Mary, Sweet Iced Tea, Charleston Crab Soup, Crab Cakes Benedict, and Pecan Pie.

On my last night there a group of 10 of us dined at 39 Rue De Jean (www.39ruedejean.com) a classic French Brasserie with oddly enough, a sushi bar. Who’d a thunk it. I had Foie Gras with Brandied Cherries and Toasted Brioche, French Onion Soup, and Fried Goat Cheese Salad with Arugula, Red and Yellow Beets and Lingonberry Balsamic Vinaigrette.

This week was not good for my diet but it was good. There is nothing better than eating in a fine restaurant with a fine group of chefs. My PCN friends make the best dining partners in the world. I could not be in better company.

The Journey

My journey began on Tuesday Oct. 7th, 2008. It was that day that I made the commitment to myself to stop relying on food for emotional support. It was that day that I began to eat only when I was truly hungry and eat only enough food to make me feel satisfied. It was that day that I stopped overeating.

At age 45 and 5 feet tall my weight is 227 and I rely on food to make me feel good about myself and the world around me. Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Heart Disease, and Cancer run in my family. So I’m faced with some tough decisions; get healthier or have to rely on medications and doctors to keep me alive. I HATE doctors!

Now, I’m a chef AND a certified nutrition coach. Being a chef is all I want to be. I love cooking and food, I love living the life of a chef, I love being around other chefs and food lovers, I love reading about food, talking about food, taking pictures of food, attending food and restaurant shows (showen above at the Southwest Foodservice Expo), creating wonderful food. Food Food Food – do we see a pattern here? Well I’m not walking away from my passion and my income. Being a foodie is what I am and that will not change. As a nutrition coach…well, it’s like the shoe maker that goes bare foot himself. You take care of the needs of others but never yourself. As a woman like most women we care for our families, job, friends, and everything before ourselves.

My problem is not what I eat – I eat and cook for my family very healthy for the most part. We eat whole grains, lots of veggies and fruit, lean meats, lots of fish and seafood, and use very little fat and then mostly all good fats. We eat well, just too much. You know what they say “Too much of a good thing is still too much.” The key for me is moderate exercise, reduce my snacking and PORTION CONTROL. Eating less of those good things that I cook. I’ll keep a diary of everything I eat and drink and post weekly on my progress.

I’m not going on a DIET. Do you know why the first 3 letters in DIET are DIE. Because when you’re on one you wish you were dead! J I’ll eat regular, freshly made food (not frozen or packaged chemicals disguised as food) and not be going to meetings (who has time for that). I’ll cut my portion sizes to the proper size (aka spa portions) and cut my calorie intake by 1/3. I’ll be happy and satisfied when I eat and won’t feel deprived of anything.

Vegas Vacation

Well I got home from Vegas and came down with a cold. So now that I'm back on my feet again, I'll tell you that Vegas was a great time and was unprofitable. Well we can't all win, can we?

I met my Aunt Janet and cousins Paula, Claudia, Billy, and Mary. We all converged on the Golden Nugget Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. This was the first time I've stayed downtown and the Golden Nugget was wonderful. Great restaurants, a pool area to die for, wonderful rooms and a nice casino. I'll stay there again on another visit.

We had lunch at Mesa Grill, Bobby Flay's restaurant in Vegas where we had the BEST MARGARITA IN THE WORLD. This was simply the very best I've ever had in my life and that's no lie. The Spicy Tuna & Salmon Tartares served with red and green hot sauces and crispy plantains and blue corn flat bread was lushious and the Goat Cheese Queso Fundido served in a cast iron crock with blue corn tortilla strips was to die for. The bread basket for lunch contained jalapeno scones (I'm so making these), cornbread, and assorted sweet bread. That alone was worth the trip. There was never a doubt that I was going to experience a great meal and I was not dissapointed. When at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas check out Mesa Grill. You won't be sorry.