RECIPE: Lemon-Ginger Marmalade

One of the best parts of spring and summer is getting to preserve your favorite flavors for later use. Jellies, jams, pickles, etc. are all fun to make and let you save the fruits and vegetables that are in season so that you can enjoy them even in the winter.

I've tried to make marmalade once before and it didn't quite work. I used a recipe that didn't involve pectin, relying on the pectin in the fruit to thicken it and I ended up with a lemon syrup rather than a marmalade. Luckily it could still be used for something (ice cream!) but it wasn't what I was really trying to make.

This time I chose a recipe that was virtually foolproof and as a bonus it had an added ginger flavor that was really appealing to me. The only difficulty I had was in reducing the recipe, since I had a different size of pectin packet than the recipe anticipated so figuring out the amount to use was kind of tricky. I probably could have used a bit less than I did, but the marmalade still turned out great, if a bit stiff.

It's sweet, not tart and the ginger adds some kick. I find it really good on any sort of toasted bread item with butter, as the hot toast and the butter melt it down a little and it turns into a hot mass of flavors that is really delicious.

Serving suggestions: On buttered toast or english muffin; as a topping for yogurt, ice cream, or frozen yogurt.

Recipe: Lemon-Ginger Marmalade

EVENT: LA Wine Competition Preview and Tasting

The other day, I was invited to a preview tasting and showcase for the winners of the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition. The competition for wine takes place over three days, during which time a panel of 75 judges from all over the world tasted 3400 different wines. They were judged in three different categories this year based on price: $14.99 and under; $15-$29.99; and $30 and up.

In each price category there were "best in class" winners for each type of wine and from each group of "best in class" wines was chosen a "best in show" winner in each price category in red and white wines.

For the first time, electronic voting was implemented so that each judge placed their vote completely unaware of what others were voting. In previous years it was a hand-raising system, which could have influenced the votes, by others being allowed to see what the most prestigious judges were voting for. Not so anymore!


When I arrived, I had the opportunity to first take part in a fun little game. We were all sat at a table and each given tastes of the five "best in show" red wines. Two of them were in the low price category, one in the mid-price category, and two in the high category. (There were two ties).

I didn't do so well with the guessing. I was able to get the low price categories due to guesswork based on the grapes involved (I've only seen a very few Malbecs over $15; likewise, I figured a blend would be less expensive), but wasn't able to tell with the mid- and high categories.

When the answers were revealed, we noticed something very interesting. One of the best in show wines was a box wine. Not just a box wine, the "Target Wine Cube." Yup. It's a box of wine you can purchase at Target. And enough of the 75 judges voted it for it to be best in show. As for how I liked it, well, it was definitely a drinkable wine. It was very light for a cabernet blend and had a delicate spicy smell, although some people said it had almost no smell to them.

My personal favorite was the mid-range wine, a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. To me it had the nicest flavor - I'm terrible at describing wine the way some people do, but my notes say "cinnamon."


After the tasting I wandered around to each table, where the best in show whites and the other best in class winners were located. Most of the winners that I had heard of were the sort of popular favorites you can often find in the supermarket - Kendall-Jackson, Ravenswood, etc. Another box wine won the Cabernet Sauvignon award - Black Box, which markets itself as providing vintage dated wines in a box.

The only wine I really recognized and eagerly darted for was the Meritage winner, as it's a beloved wine from my homeland - Justin Vineyards Isosceles. Frankly, this one was the winner as far as I'm concerned and I think the best wine I tasted that day, but I am highly, highly biased. Also, it's like six times more expensive than the wine box, but could hold its own much better against a nice steak, I think.

Some other interesting things I tried were an "apricot wine" which won in the fruit wine category. It definitely tasted like apricot and was definitely something you'd have for dessert. I also had a riesling from New York and an Albarino from Virginia that were both decent and firsts for me with drinking wines from these states.



After the tastings, Michael Jordan, one of the judges, and a longtime resterauteur, gave us a little talk, and that was that. My take on these wines was that the large amount of judges and large amount of wines resulted in winners that were sort of "populist" wines. In other words, someone with a very refined palate and tastes is probably not going to make much of these, but for the average buyer who's looking for a good bargain on a wine they can have with an everyday dinner or pizza and burgers and whatnot, then the wines here represent some good values with tastes that have a wide appeal.

One of the things I would recommend taking a look at the list of winners for some ideas of different grapes to try if you stick to certain kinds usually, such as merlot, pinot noir, cabernet or chardonnay. There's a whole world of other stuff out there and you could do worse than to give some of these a try as a starting point to expand your palate.

If you are interested in trying the winners for yourselves, they will be on display at the LA County Fair in September, or at a special event at the Pomona Fairplex tomorrow night called Wine and Cars Under the Stars. They will have the wines available there and also the award-winning olive oils from their related competition will be available to try with grilled cheese sandwiches.

INFO: HR 2795 - Roadmap to End Global Hunger and Promote Food Security Act of 2009

In my attempt to do more than just show you pretty pictures of food and talk superficially about something to do with that food, I'd like to try to diversify my topics. Having a passion for something isn't just about enjoying it as a hobby, it's also about trying to support and maintain conditions that are ideal for pursuing your hobby.

For example, ideally hunters should be concerned with conservation and environmental preservation, since without thriving wilderness and healthy animal populations, they would not be able to hunt. Wine lovers should be concerned about global warming, since changes to the climate mess with a region's ability to produce wine. Sports fans should be concerned about integrity within the professional sporting world, as corruption tends to inhibit the spirit of competition that makes sports so enjoyable.

And food lovers? Food lovers should be concerned with food politics as well. Not only should we be concerned with sustainable, responsible food production and food safety, we should also be concerned with world hunger, because wouldn't we all enjoy our luxurious meals a little better knowing that people elsewhere are fed?

So in an attempt to keep myself and anyone who reads this informed, let me give a brief explanation of some current pending food legislation: HR 2795, or the "Roadmap to End Global Hunger and Promote Food Security Act of 2009." For convenience I will call it the Roadmap Act.

What the Act is based on: The Roadmap Act is based on several findings by the proponents of the bill, including:

1. The percentage of the world's population that is hungry has decreased from 37% to 17% in the last 40 years, and the U.S. has played a critical role in that.

2. While the percentage of hungry individuals has dropped, the actual number of hungry people has grown, with most hungry individuals in developing countries live in rural areas.

3. Many of the world's hungry individuals are children, and uneducated, and many of these children are dying of hunger. The children who survive are less productive, earn less, and are more likely to have malnourished children of their own.

4. The U.S. has decreased its support for agricultural development in recent years, as has the international community.

5. Food prices have been steadily increasing with a sharp rise between 2007 and 2008 due to decreasing supplies of staple grains and cereals; increased prices due to drought, flood, and global climate change; increased food and fuel consumption by middle-income countries; and greater cultivation for biofuels. Rice in particular rose sharply in price due to trade restrictions, panic buying, a weak dollar, and high oil prices. (Source: Dept. of Agriculture)

The Policy (What the Bill is intended to promote): The government's stated policy behind this bill is to reduce global hunger, advance nutrition, and increase food security. It aims to set up programs and policies to provide emergency response in times of disaster; increase the preparedness of populations so that less intervention is needed in the event of a disaster; aid people and governments in the goal of sustainably feeding themselves; help mothers and children meet their nutritional needs; support small-scale farmers; and encourage sustainable and environmentally sound agricultural practices.

What the Bill Does: The bill does two things. It (1) established a White House Office on Global Hunger and Food Security; and (2) establishes a Permanent Joint Select Committee on Hunger. So what will these two entities do?

White House Office on Global Hunger and Food Security: The functions of this office are to:
(1) Provide the President with advice on hunger and food security issues;
(2) Make sure that reducing hunger and increasing food security remain priorities of the federal government, including working with the various departments to make sure it is a priority within these departments;
(3) Develop a comprehensive strategy for the government to address hunger and food security issues;
(4) Assess the government's current programs for dealing with hunger and food security issues;
(5) Prepare and annual report on expenditures in this area, as well as a suggested budget, and then make sure the programs receive adequate funding;
(6) Establish indicators that can be used to measure the success of programs in this area and provide quarterly reports on the progress of each program;
(7) Coordinate efforts with other governments and international groups;
(8) Consult with experts on the development, implementation, and assessment of the programs established to address these issues;
(9) Promote public awareness of these issues; and
(10) Submit an annual report to congress and the President on the overall progress made toward the goal of cutting world hunger in half by 2015.

COST: $10,000,000 each year for the next four fiscal years is authorized to be appropriated for this office.

Permanent Joint Select Committee on Hunger: This committee is to be made up of eight House members and eight senate members. Its duties are:

(1) Hold hearings, investigate, issue reports and analyses, and make recommendations to Congress on issues related to hunger, nutrition, food security, agricultural development, emergency response, and other global hunger and food security issues.
(2) Examine issues relevant to the creation of a government plan to address global hunger and food security issues.

Funding will come from the House and Senate accounts.

TOTAL COST: The bill asks for funds of $50,360,000,000 for 2010-2014.

If you want to learn more, or want to ask your Congressperson to co-sponsor this bill, you can go to Friends of the World Food Program. They have additional information and materials on this bill, as well as tools to help you approach your representative.