Hats off to the All American 'Lob-stah Roll'!

As you disembark the plane at Boston’s Logan International you can feel your mouth salivating for one of Massachusetts’ famed lobster rolls, or in the native tongue of a true Bostonian “Lob-stah” roll.

After years of following my husband’s lead to find the perfect hot dog (which of course, would be the original Gray’s Papaya, it’s all in the bun), we decided that the culinary focus of this vacation would be to find the perfect lobster roll in and around Cape Cod. Or at least we would master how to make the perfect lobster roll

We had our long standing favorite lobster roll from the reliable Squire in quaint (and preppy) Chatham. Side track: Chatham is the quintessential Cape Cod town with its white picket fences, bandstands, some kitschy galleries and lot of gingham and madras patterns on the natives. But I digress, back to the lobster roll quest. The lobster roll at the Squire does not try to be anything more than a simple lunch item, albeit expensive. It is served on a plastic basket lined with wax paper with chips on the side. The soft hot dog bun has uncrusted sides, traditionally you are supposed to butter and toast the side of the bun but I tend to think it ruins the succulent taste of the lobster meat. The Squire seems to agree and they too leave the bun untoasted. As for the lobster meat, they have nice chunks of lobster with about two tablespoons of mayonnaise combined with some chopped celery and salt and pepper. So simple but so good but NOT a “cheap eat” at $17.95. I’d like to see Rachael Ray try to eat her way through the Cape on $40 a day! Obviously we had to have a point of comparison so we tried a couple more rolls on the Cape. Cook’s in Orleans, another Cape town just 5 minutes from beautiful Nauset Beach, is far more traditional. Traditional in this sense means grease and fried bread. Not my style, however the lobster was excellent but I found the combination with the grilled buttered bun to ruin the delicate lobster flavors. A little cheaper than the Squire at $14.95.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed in some of the other rolls that were either grilled with butter or the soft bun quickly became soggy from too much mayo. By the way, this is one of the major reason restaurants grill the bun. With that said, I decided it was my turn to attempt a version of the lobster roll. For a first try, it wasn’t bad and I added a secret ingredient (cayenne). Here’s my recipe for 2 lunch sized lobster rolls.

Ingredients: - 2 lobster tails (the best meat) not cut but torn into bite size pieces - 1 stick of celery finely chopped - 3 tbs canola mayonnaise (it’s better for you) - Pinch of Cayenne - Squeeze of one lemon - Pinch of Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper - 2 Fresh hot dog buns with uncrusted sides

Directions: To make the lobster salad combine the bite size lobster pieces, celery, mayonnaise, cayenne, lemon, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 2 hours. When ready, place lobster mixture in soft bun and serve with cracked pepper. For garnish, place on white plate with salt and vinegar potato chips and celery sticks.

Cork and Sustainability

I was recently at a dinner and the topic of conversation turned to cork, my good friend made a statement about the wine we were drinking, which happened to have a plastic “cork” stopper. She proceeded to tell the table that the wine industry has begun to move away from cork, embracing other methods such as plastic or screw cap enclosures, and that this was in fact a more “green” method. But is it really?

Well, I have to admit I was somewhat surprised myself to discover that cork harvesting is actually a very sustainable practice. Through a little bit of research I found that cork is both renewable and biodegradable. Almost nothing is wasted - each part of the cork tree serves an ecological or economic purpose. Cork trees are one of the few trees that can live without their bark, since the trees have two layers of bark, and the outside layer can be removed without hurting the tree just as long as the inner layer is not penetrated. Furthermore, since the trees are not cut down during the process of harvesting, they maintain the soil and prevent erosion from occurring.

Harvesting cork is an age-old practice that not only keeps the cork oak trees alive, it provides jobs for people and homes for several endangered species such as the Bonelli’s eagle, the Iberian lynx, the azure-winged magpie, and the Barbary deer. To protect these animals from losing their delicate ecosystems, consumers should remember to always try and buy cork, especially since wine-bottle closures account for almost 70 per cent of the cork market!

I guess you can say you are really drinking for a cause

Wine Columns for the Week of June 13, 2007

Like a zombie rising from the grave to feast on human flesh, the wine-ratings debate is revived once again in this week's SF Chronicle. As ever, Robert Parker receives a bit of a scolding, and the issue of competitive ratings between publications and what amounts to grade inflation also raises its unseemly, undead head. Elsewhere in the same section, there's an entertaining vignette of Thomas Keller handing out "snow cones" to Napa Valley Vintners auctionees, and Blake Grey discovers whether the "Catania Mezzo Wine Enhancer" can live up to its promise of all-natural enhancement.

Over in the Miami Herald, Fred Tasker sings the praises of negociants. In the WSJ, Gaiter and Brecher test the bold claims of boxed wine producers that the wines will keep for 6 weeks after opening. They conclude that the wines would indeed still be palatable -- if only they had been palatable in the first place.

• Download Wine Columns for the Week of June 13th, 2007

Wine Columns for Week of June 6, 2007

• Download Wine Columns for the Week of June 6th, 2007

Wine Columns for Week of May 30

• Download Wine Columns for the Week of May 30th, 2007

A Spring Garden

After the sleepy, slow pace of winter, late spring can be almost overwhelming. Gone are the pale yellow squash and hearty greens. In their place is a sensory overload of bright green asparagus, sweetly smelling berries, and delicate tulips. The addition of new vendors and 'sexier' produce to the farmers markets brings an almost tangible increase in energy as more customers join the usual mix. This year however, I got to experience the excitement of spring in a whole new way. After attending over 25 different farmers markets around the world, I finally decided to try my hand at gardening. I lucked out with fertile soil, healthy seeds, and pretty decent weather patterns. A few days after planting, I could already see the little tops of my radishes poking through the ground. That was only the beginning. As late spring hit, my garden went nuts. At first, I was thrilled to serve salads for dinner made with bok choy and little gem lettuces from my very own garden. I loved realizing that I didn't have enough basil for a recipe, and just strolling down to my backyard to pick some. But then it started coming too fast. My cilantro started to bolt, my radishes turned cottony, and my zucchini plant blocked my beet plants from the sun.

Finally, I decided to pull all of my heads of lettuce and distribute them to everyone I knew. Next I got rid of the cilantro, cooked off the kale, and thinned out almost half of my carrots. Things are a bit calmer now as I wait for my beets and onions to grow, but I've recently realized with a new wave of panic that no one will be there to tend my garden while I'm out of the country for the next few weeks. I never knew how much attention a garden demands and how stressful maintaining one can be. It's exactly like having a pet! I almost longing for the cooler days of fall and a garden full of easier, more self-sufficient root vegetables. Almost.