Txomín Etxaniz is not your average Txakolí. It’s la hostia, the best of the best. I deem it so because I spent a year seeking out the best txakolís Spain has to offer and still, I ask for Txomín.

Txomín originates from Getaria, Spain, the homeland of txakolí, an effervescent white deserving more than just mention. In the world of sparkling, dazzling whites to preface a meal, txakolí is a varietal that often goes unnoticed.

Some fun facts:

At one point in the 19th century, it was even on the brink of extinction due to phylloxera! (Díos mio!)

Fret not, txakolí is slowly but surely making a comeback now. In 1989 txakolí from Getaria was of its first to receive D.O. certification.

Traditionally, txakolí was fermented in Basque homes in large, oak barrels. Now it is more commonly produced in stainless steel vats.

Yes, Jon is pictured above pouring (tirando) at a great height to deliver as much bubbly as he can. The bubblier, the better.

I always vacillate between whether or not to blog about my favorite things, whether it’s Txomín txakolí or a hole-in-the-wall ethnic eatery.

Perhaps the underwhelming Spanish marketing [or lack thereof] in this case is a blessing in disguise, that some of the best things in life are the best kept secrets, that the appeal of a sommelier’s delight is part exclusivity. 

In this particular case, I share [and spill] because I think, “Why can’t we all be drinking better?” Well, you don’t have to be drinking better and no one is forcing you to do so, but life is best enjoyed in the company of good food, wine and company. Don’t compromise. Bad food and bad wine? Caloric wasteland, if you ask me. If anything, I hope my bantering will at the least, impel others to recognize and learn about what they eat and drink pre-consumption.

So until I have the ability of a Cannelle et Vanille or Frank Bruni or Michelle Obama, all of whom in my mind are more than capable of making or breaking a restaurant or food product / beverage with a few words, I will share for the sake of spreading the knowledge and the privilege of deliciousness.

Cheers!

Or as we say in País Vasco, txin txin!

]]> http://tracyfearless.com/2012/03/27/best-drinks-of-2011-txomin-etxaniz/feed/ 0 tracychang P1030672 http://tracyfearless.com/2012/03/08/best-drinks-of-2011-chateau-reynon-sauvignon-blanc-bordeaux/ http://tracyfearless.com/2012/03/08/best-drinks-of-2011-chateau-reynon-sauvignon-blanc-bordeaux/#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:44:56 +0000 tracychang http://tracyfearless.com/?p=3406 ]]> As a supplement to my recent Best Eats of 2011, I figured I’d include an ode to delicious libations. Equally important as flavor progression, texture, and seasoning in savory and sweet is what you are guzzling all the while.

Easily one of the most memorable whites I had this year was this bottle of Château Reynon Sauvignon Blanc Bordeaux. Unsung is this Bordelaise hero, a subtle and sweet amuse to the meal, bearing notes of citrus and leaving you with a hint of dryness on the finish. It was a great if not the perfect accompaniment to the plethora of oysters I had “accidentally” ordered and the seafood-laden dishes that ensued.

While Bordeaux is renowned for its stunning, mature reds and its prized, white dessert wines, it would be most unfortunate to overlook these versatile, young blancs. If by chance the opportunity presents itself, I encourage you to break from habit, skip the typical Chardonnay or Sancerre and embrace the Bordeaux blanc. Allez!

I’ve bragged about you once and I’ll brag about you again, and again, and again…Des Gâteaux et du Pain. Flaky like a college girlfriend but a great croissant.

fraisier

You are more than a flaky croissant bearing shop that prohibits food photography like many of your fellow Parisian pâtisseries. You are a haven for cake lovers, especially those who enjoy des fraises (strawberries) sandwiched between layers of moist genoise and light pastry cream.

You house some of the tastiest sweet treats in Paris so it doesn’t even matter that you are not a salon du thé. For the sake of tasting your delectable goodies, I’ll rub elbows with the dinosauric grandmères, the neighborhood bourgeoisie with their petite canines and the Asian girl tourists bearing their intrusive SLRs and over-sized Louis Vuitton purses.

I’ll even follow the conventional protocol of a traditional and tiny bustling Paris pâtisserie or boulangerie–I’ll come in one door and out the other, as long as I’m promised a one-way route to delicieux.

Like haute couture, your chic black and white boxes make heads turn on the street, and you’re not even on the Champs-Elysées. And you prove time and time again that you don’t have to be.

goat’s butter, toast, charcoal from the grill

Asador Etxebarri | Atxondo, Spain

Asador Etxebarri is as good as Bourdain [and everyone else] claims. You must take the pilgrimage to Atxondo at least once in your life [if not annually] and experience Victor’s masterful hand on the grill. If you don’t already know, the grill is custom-built, Victor is self-taught and self-trained, and the varieties of wood he uses makes this asador unlike any other in the area. Such was the perfect trifecta of the master, the technique, and the unparalleled Basque product.

My top three favorites? The creamy, melt-in-your-mouth-and-in-your-soul young goat’s-milk butter with natural charcoal dust (pictured above).

The palamós prawns. Were they tastier because they were happily spooning? I sure was. Double the slurp! These were the juiciest decapods I have ever consumed, and usually I avoid ordering them because 99.9% of the time they are overcooked, lacking salt and however else ill-prepared.

Fork and knife? Unnecessary. Tasty and tender was at my fingertips.

Oh, and take a page from my book: save the best–the brains–for last.

White tablecloth manners? Also unnecessary.

I channeled my inner [Chinese] zombie and shamelessly sucked on their brains and exoskeletons. All flavor.

palamós prawns

The key to a great decapod is temperature control and generous seasoning with coarse salt. Oh, and a hint of that Etxebarri smoked wood taste.

To finish? A double surprise. A good dessert in Spain? And it’s flan de queso fresco?! In the words of Ralph Wiggum, that’s unpossible!

Sorry Ralph, but I’d choo-choo-choose this over and over again. Slightly sweet with a thin layer of caramel and an incredibly never-before-experienced weightlessness, this was the perfect finale to the crescendo. It boasted the savory taste of cheesecake with the texture of a light, not-too-eggy flan.

Great savory food owes a lot to perfect seasoning, but epic meals for me are eternalized by great desserts. And great desserts are characterized by the precise amount of sugar and a balance of both sweet and savory.

flan de queso fresco

These are certainly dishes I’ll remember for now and for always. Asador Etxebarri. What a feast.

Due to canine circumstances (if you’re wondering, my Phoebe had spinal cord surgery), I can’t be there to personally welcome you with two muxus, a bottle of Txomín txakolí and a garrote fist pump, but do enjoy your new home and family.

If you find yourself hungry and wandering the streets of San Sebastian, I’m here for you.

Best of luck in the coming weeks. Remember: Be curious. Be humble. Be fearless.

And don’t forget to eat your heart out.

pichon

See you soon. Gero arte!

Cheers!

So, what makes an impressive, sweet presentation?

Macro video footage of chocolate making…the tempering, molding, piping and designing of this Queen of Hearts. Yup. It’s edible. It’s chocolate.

More specifically, it is a white chocolate shell with a thin sablée biscuit beneath a raspberry compote. See now?

Technical, aesthetic whimsy. I love it.

I love it just as much as I loved his presentation. First off, thank you Mr. Blumenthal for showing that HD video is possible (eureka!) and should be played on the big screen during Gastronómika. I wonder if anyone else took notice of the significantly clearer HD resolution juxtaposed to the majority of the blurry predecessors.

And thank you for making us all children again. In case you missed it, Heston finished the lecture with a Willy Wonka-esque video (yup, that song we all love…). He led us through a journey of pure imagination, an animation of a sweet and bubbly wonderland.

In addition to the queen of hearts treat, Heston also gave us all a token of the candy shop, a small scented spray. I followed along…sprayed the scent…closed my eyes…and imagined myself in the candy shop.

And? If you know me well, you know I’ve got a sensitive button for a nose so I’m not keen on perfumes, colognes or scented accents.

So to be honest, it wasn’t the coolest thing ever and it wasn’t the best thing ever at SS Gastronómika, but I do applaud Heston for bringing the fourth dimension [of smell] to his presentation. It was thoughtful and though I feel indifferent, I’m sure many enjoyed it.

Thank you for being unlike your peers, for being interactive and creative with your presentation. Your videos were excellently produced and I would have gladly stayed an hour more to hear you speak.

Thankfully I work in the world of food so ‘more work’ for me after our presentation at SS Gastronómika meant tuning into others. “The others” (any Lost fans out there catch my allusion?) were Riojan wine producers like Gabriella‘s friend Benjamin, jamón bellota purveyors like Casalba, and top chefs like Magnus Nilsson.

Let’s focus on the latter nordic lad, mister Magnus.

A long-haired, bird-with-feathers-still-intact-wielding gentleman with gentlemanly prose certainly deserves my undivided attention. What’s more, he built a fire on stage. If the flames didn’t keep the audience awake, the subsequent aromas of that roasting big bird sure did.

Magnus Nilsson. Smart man. If you’re going to travel the distance to give a presentation to the top journalists, photographers, chefs and other food industry people in the world, you must keep it simple yet memorable.

Black and white.

Our amuse: black and orange.

An edible shell with salmon roe.

Fire and bird.

Homemade and home-brought plate-and-napkin-all-in-one. Hurrah–practicalities of Swedish design!

And taste of course is important too. It was all berry delicious.

The crowd rushed the stage afterwards for a taste of the juicy, gamey bird. Even WD-50′s Wylie Dufresne waited eagerly and awkwardly in line to chat with his fellow, long-maned Magnus.

I tried the bird and the berries. Very Lion King of the man with the mane. Very “Circle of Life.”

You see, the birds eat the berries. Then we roast the bird and serve it with accompanying berries. This we eat. No meat glue, no sous-vide.

Bird carefully roasted over controlled fire (perhaps one set ablaze with berry branches).

Simple. Local. Quality.

Thank you, Magnus Nilsson.

and for good reason.

SS Gastronomika is the time of year for great minds to come together and share their passion for food, whether they are wine producers from La Rioja, food journalists from Croatia, or renowned chefs from Peru. I have so much to share about the amazing three days I spent chasing Martín and Gabriella, listening to the world’s most influential chefs speak and tasting wines and jamón from Spain’s top purveyors. I can’t possibly fit all the details and stories in one post. So here is the first of many stories.

I’m often asked what it’s like to work alongside a three-star Michelin chef, especially the famed Martín Berasategui. “Isn’t he demanding? I hear he is difficult to please.” Yes and no. Yes, he demands the best of his employees and what Martín wants in the moment, he gets because you deliver. If he wants to eat callos now, you and five others better be scrambling to make him callos now. Extreme? Sometimes…but I’ve learned to roll with the punches and enjoy the scrambling or better yet, the scrambling of others.

Hehe, I say, because I have learned something that has taken most others years to figure out: Certain times call for necessary scrambling, but more often than not, we should all learn to relax. Keyword here. Heston Blummenthal, Grant Achatz and Gastón Acurio might chuckle at this comment, but because only because they too fall under the umbrella of ‘demanding’ chefs. I’m sure they also have trusted individuals with whom they work closely on a daily basis.

My thoughts? Martín hired me for my brain, [not just for my cat-like reflexes] so I have taken it upon myself  to learn to appease him in moments of stress or tension. As he always says, “No hay que preocuparse, hay que ocuparse” (Don’t worry yourself. Learn to deal). I ‘deal’ by creating solutions. All the time spent on those “critical thinking” math problems or SAT questions are coming in handy now. This type of thinking allows me to deliver results.

Back to Gastronomika. Example: We (Martín and I) were backstage preparing for him to go before an audience of hundreds and perhaps thousands once televised. With the world waiting and watching your every move, what you need most is to relax. Everything we had done this year to prepare for Gastronomika was evident in the videos and the next thirty minute presentation Martín was about to deliver. So I assured him, “Do what you always do: have faith in our work and our equipo (team). Share our work in the way that you do best, as if you were speaking with them one-on-one in the comforts of your home. This is San Sebastián Gastronomika. We’re at home here.”

And just as they say in País Vasco, beem-buhm-boom, en un splish-splash, the thirty minutes concluded with applause, hugs and more importantly, txakolí to rejoice backstage. No one knows but  even tears were shed afterwards. He may be demanding, and as I refer to him, an adamant jabalí (wild boar), but my Martín is human and little do you know, very capable capable of expressing emotion.

Gastronomika is THE event for chefs to showcase the culmination of this year’s hard work. So finding myself backstage high-fiving Basque chef Juan Mari Arzak and Gabriela after their presentation and later embracing my own mentor, Martín, felt the right way to celebrate my adventures of 2011 in San Sebastián, my home away from home.

There’s no better time of  year to get to know the right [international] people (chefs, photographers, and journalists alike) and to listen to some of the most influential people today in food and wine. What a beautiful opportunity to gain perspective into what other masterminds are doing around the world.

Stay [very] tuned.