1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and  place oven rack in the center of the oven.

2. Combine 2 cups cream, sugar, and salt in medium saucepan; with paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into pan, submerge pod in cream, and bring mixture to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that sugar dissolves. Take pan off heat and let steep 15 minutes to infuse flavors.

3. Meanwhile, wel in bottom of large baking dish or roasting pan and arrange eight 4- to 5-ounce ramekins (or shallow fluted dishes) on towel. Bring kettle or large saucepan of water to boil over high heat.

4. After cream has steeped, stir in remaining 2 cups cream to cool down mixture. Whisk yolks in large bowl until broken up and combined. Whisk about 1 cup cream mixture into yolks until loosened and combined; repeat with another 1 cup cream. Add remaining cream and whisk until evenly colored and thoroughly combined. Strain through fine-mesh strainer into 2-quart measuring cup or pitcher (or clean medium bowl); discard solids in strainer. Pour or ladle mixture into ramekins, dividing it evenly among them.

5. Carefully place baking dish with ramekins on oven rack; pour boiling water into dish, taking care not to splash water into ramekins, until water reaches two-thirds height of ramekins. Bake until centers of custards are just barely set and are no longer sloshy and digital instant-read thermometer inserted in centers registers 170 to 175 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes (25 to 30 minutes for shallow fluted dishes). Begin checking temperature about 5 minutes before recommended time.

6. Transfer ramekins to wire rack; cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Set ramekins on rimmed baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or up to 4 days.

7. Uncover ramekins; if condensation has collected on custards, place paper towel on surface to soak up moisture. Sprinkle each with about 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar (1 1/2 teaspoons for shallow fluted dishes); tilt and tap ramekin for even coverage. Ignite torch and caramelize sugar. Refrigerate ramekins, uncovered, to re-chill, 30 to 45 minutes (but no longer); serve & enjoy!

At the Big Wine Tasting this week we enjoyed trying an Aligote from Shooting Star, and I mentioned that it was a good grape to have when filling out your Wine Century Club application. At Art of the Table I try to bring in as many eclectic and rewarding wine varieties as I can find so as to expand your wine experiences.  Who wants to drink the same wine over and over anyway?  The third dimention, what gives wine so called complexity, is surprise.   New and interesting grape varieties will smell and taste like nothing you’ve ever had, and thus, yield new impressions and give new experiences.  See where you stack in your breadth of wine experiences and check out the Century Club!

Mike D.

On Wednesday about 15 of us convened in the back “Benton” room at our good friend Louis Benton restaurant for a tasting through six wines made by Jed Steele. Jed as you know is a crazy busy wine consultant who makes wines for all sorts for people but also makes wine for his own label Steele, and it’s second label, Shooting Star. We’ve been having fun with his wines since we opened and thought to highlight what he does in this tasting. Here’s my notes from the event with added commentary.

First off I want to stress that we started right at 6:30 P.M. as scheduled. I actually was looking at my phone’s clock and started speaking as soon as the time changed. Bradford arrived shortly thereafter and then individually welcomed everyone in the room. “Well, hello there. My name is Bradford. It’s so good to see you. Welcome, welcome . . . Bradford . . . Hello there.” We were off with a bang and the excitement of the first two wines was palpable.

The first wine was the 2006 Shooting Star Aligote from Washington State. Aligote is a white grape most commonly associated with Burgundy, as well as being the redheaded stepchild to Chardonnay. This was a much richer version than the French Aligote’s I’ve had in the past. It was pale gold with very little rim variation. The aromas were Asian pear, golden apple, Mandarin orange, lifting floral notes, spice and a whiff of lanolin. The flavors reminded me most of a nice baked apple pie with accents of spice and hazelnut. Excellent acidity and a lovely finish made this a crowd pleaser. Alongside the Aligote we poured the 2005 Shooting Star Chardonnay from Medocino. Apparently we learned that Jed declassified two lots from his single vineyard Chardonnays because they didn’t “fit” what he was working on. This wine was freaking gorgeous as we soon found out. It was pale gold with an ever so slight variation. The aromas leaped with notes of red apple, fig, vanilla spice and toast. (At this point I’m sending a shout-out to Ruth Speyer, who we’ve not forgotten. She would always laugh out loud whenever she would read my descriptions that ended with “and toast.”) On the palate the Chard was certainly a bit rounder and had that total ML (malolactic fermentation) feel to it with lots of buttery, creamy stuff going on around the intense apple notes. I loved the Chardonnay. The crowd preferred the Aligote. It was certainly an interesting contrast.

Next we tried the 2006 Shooting Star Riesling from Lake County. It was pale gold with little variation. The aromas were rich with lots of lime, lemon zest and apricot. It is a very clean and crisp wine, despite a touch of residual sugar. On the palate the peachy aspect of Riesling really came across, with more lime and hints of nectarine and spice. It was a really fun wine and the appetizer came out at this point which was stuffed shells with a crazy spicy sauce, and the Riesling cut through great and really shined.

Next we tried the 2005 Steele Carneros Pinot Noir. It was lovely. A pale, intense garnet with little variation, the wine began somewhat muddled aromatically for me. With vigorous swirling I began to get some earthy notes of strawberry reduction, red cherry, caramel and spicy stuff. It’s definitely a tick young at this point but was drinking great after ten minutes. It’s got lots of pedigree for a wine under $25, I can highly recommend it.

Next up we did a vintage comparison between the 1999 Steele Lake County Merlot and the 2003 Steele Lake County Merlot. The ’99 was medium garnet with more than a slight haze and medium variation. Its aromas were meaty at first, kind of like turkey thighs (know what I mean? Hey, I’m trying to be accurate) with oodles of black cherry and anise. On the palate it was lovely with darker fruit than the aromas, more like black cherry with big notes of brown sugar, star anise and yes Ruth, toast. I thought this wine was at a plateau and showing beautifully. The 2003 Merlot was clear and medium ruby with little variation. The aromas were jumping out of the glass with lots of burnt sugar and campfire smoke with cassis and black cherry lurking beneath. On the palate it was classic Merlot with black cherry, cassis, tobacco and spice with a touch of mocha. This wine was drinking great and had the tannin to survive a few years aging. I thought the 1999 was more interesting but both were lovely. The ’99 was a testament that Steele wines age.

Last up we had the Steele 2004 “Red Hills” Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendocino. It’s medium ruby with little variation. The aromas are rich and intense with notes of black cherry compote, cassis and brown sugar. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and relatively dry, despite how ripe it seems. Flavors of red cherry, cassis, Very Berry and toasted spice linger nicely on the finish. A day before, Ryan and I had been to Detroit and tried both the 2004 Dominus and the 2004 Beringer Private Reserve, which hover around a hundred and a quarter retail. I seriously think the ’04 Steele Cab would have hung in there quite nicely in a comparative tasting, and goes for eighty bucks less. Nice wine.

Another amazing tasting, I had tossed Steele in the “just another California winery” bin – and their wines really showed up. They’re awesome values for what they deliver, especially the Shooting Star Chard and the Steele Cab.

Last night while we packed up we took a break for some grilled cheese sandwiches and thought, let’s pop that Penalba Lopez 1990 Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva to see if it’s still alive. Whoa. Yes almighty indeed very much alive. 1990 was an excellent vintage for Ribera del Duero and this wine, while aged beautifully, was not fading at all. It was a pretty cherry/ruby color with medium variation and was fairly brilliant in brightness. The aromas were effusive with notes of dried black cherry, cassis, tobacco, coffee and spice. I spent five minutes smelling the wine before I even managed to taste it. On the palate it’s big and very complex, with plenty of cherry fruit mingling with black licorice, chocolate and firm, yet integrated tannins. Lots of licorice. In a good way.

One of the things I’ve begun to look to in terms of a wine’s quality is its finish. The finish on this was gorgeous and super long. Most wines have a normal finish length, but the truly special ones have discernible finishes that you actually remember as much as the aromas and flavors. This is one of those wines you can’t believe you’re drinking, because it’s so seemingly perfect. So on a Thursday night at midnight with grilled cheese while you pack your girlfriend’s car before she drives to California for law school is a good time to open a seventeen year old Tempranillo. Trust me.

It’s difficult to find wine that’s been aged but I’m always on the watch for overlooked gems. For similar but not quite as amazing experiences, check out our Penalba Lopez 1999 Ribera del Duero Crianza, it’s a lovely wine drinking great right now and it’s a steal for $10.75. It will be here for a good week or two before we run out. For some Ribera del Duero selections that are worthy of aging I recommend 2004, a crazy good vintage, probably the best of the decade at this point.

I have secretly stocked many wines from this vintage here at Art of the Table. We have limited amounts of

2004 Montecastro Ribera del Duero at $44.75 (94 pts Wine Advocate)

Avan “Nacimiento” 2004 Ribera del Duero at $35.50 (91 pts Wine Advocate)

2004 Pesquera Tinto at $36.00

Vizcarra “JC” Crianza 2004 Ribera del Duero at $24.50 (92 pts Wine Advocate)

2003 Pesquera Reserva Ribera del Duero at $58.00, which should be awesome as well.

Mike D.

Amy Ruis (and husband Steve) wants to thank everyone who contributed to making this dream come true. Do you have killer tips or keen insights? Share it with us!

Mike Dombrowski (a.k.a. The Wine Guy) gives YOU kudos for sharing your ideas and awesome wine-food pairings. Afterall, wine is food the soul.

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Art of the Table
606 Wealthy SE
Grand Rapids, MI
49503 USA