IT’S FOODIE FRIDAY!

In honor of Ernie Loosen’s recent weekend at Blackberry Farm with Chef Alan Wong, we’re featuring a recipe from Chef Wong’s cookbook “The Blue Tomato.”

We recommend pairing it with our Dr. Loosen Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Kabinett, which would work great with the lime and jalapeño, as well as the briny taste of the oysters themselves.

Another (drier) option would be our Dr. Loosen Red Slate Riesling. It depends on how much heat your jalapeño gives to the dish. Higher alcohol will make spicy heat even hotter, whereas the lower alcohol and slight sweetness of the Kabinett will cool and refresh. Your choice!

From The Blue Tomato Cookbook
(Read more about this wonderful cookbook.)

OYSTER SHAVED ICE WITH RED ONION-JALAPEÑO GRANITÉ

Makes 5 tasting portions

The Granité
1 cup (227 grams) fish stock (use store-bought or homemade; Chef Alan’s recipe can be found in The Blue Tomato)
½ cup (57 grams) sliced red onion
¼ cup (52 grams) freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons (17 grams) minced red jalapeño pepper
1 teaspoon (3 grams) Kosher salt

The Oysters
5 medium oysters, shucked
Garnish
Micro cilantro or cilantro

Making the Granité
In a blender, combine the fish stock, red onion, lime juice, jalapeño and kosher salt. Purée until smooth. Pour the mixture into a shallow container and freeze. When it is frozen, use a spoon to scrape the surface and form the granité, a granular ice.

To Plate
Spoon the granité into a rectangular mold (5¾” x 1½” x 1”). Unmold the granité onto a rectangular serving plate and place the shucked oysters on top. Garnish with baby cilantro.

Guest chef Alan Wong with Ernie and Blackberry Farm’s executive chef Joseph Lenn.

It’s Summer of Riesling! Let’s change up the tune! Or, actually, the lyrics…

Check out these great new Riesling lyrics to “The Wasp” (Texas Radio and the Big Beat) from The Doors’ L.A. Woman album.

Written by our talented and just generally awesome East Coast Sales Manager, Ian Dick. Who wants to see our team record this? Rock on, Acidhounds!

I want to tell you about the Mosel Riesling and the steep slate
Comes out of the Devonian seabeds
Blue and Red, with gobs of acidity
With a balance, pinpoint and hard to master

Some call it Himmelreich in its Lagen
Others, spicy, sundialed and Layed.
I love the berries I have picked in this straw basket
We have constructed presshouses in honor of your juicing
This is the land where Ausonius wrote.

The pickers in the vineyard, basketed and knived
They are saying: “Forget the Kab,
Let us pick the Edelfäule
Out here in the vineyard, there is no clean fruit
Out here we is botrytis-cinerea.”

Listen to this and I’ll tell you ‘bout the Riesling
Tell you ‘bout the Riesling and the loss of God
I’ll tell you about the freezing night
The meager drops of frozen wine
I’ll tell you about the the wine with piercing terroir!

I’ll tell you this
No pH of 5.1 will forgive us now for 80 grams of RS.

I’ll tell you about the Mosel Riesling and the Steep Slate
Mineral driven, slow and mad, like some new language.

Now listen to this and I’ll tell you ‘bout the Riesling
Tell you ‘bout the Mosel Riesling vine
I’ll tell you ‘bout the freezing night
The meager drops of frozen wine
Tell you ‘bout the wine with piercing terroir!