1. CAIR ROSE RESERVE 1996 BRUT – 81.3

Reserved sparkling wine by Athiri and Mandilaria with continuous thin bubbles and high acidity. Delicate aroma of red fruits and ripe peach. Notes of baked walnut. Long aftertaste.

2. CAIR BLANC DEMI SEC – 81.3

Sparkling semi dry wine by Athiri with medium but continuous sparkling. Apricot and vanilla with a honey-like taste. Balance of acidity and bubbles in the mouth. Long and pleasant aftertaste

3. ΑΜΥΝΤΑS BLANC DE NOIR DEMI SEC – 80

Sparkling semi dry wine by Xinomavro with soft and pleasant babbles forming a continuous ‘rope’. Unripe apple and flower honey. High acidity and metallic notes. Sweet and pleasant aftertaste.

4. KTIMA EFHARIS EVA ROSE – 79.7

Salmon colour and medium persistent bubbles. Sweet rose and red fruits of medium intensity with vegetal notes. Sweet and fruity mouth. Pomegranate and red fruits in the aftertaste


5. POEME ΖΙΤΣΑ DEMI SEC – 79

Medium lemon colour and thin interrupted bubbles. Complex nose, with unripe white fruits and baked aromas. In the mouth, there is bread and fruits of white flesh while acidity diminishes. Medium length aftertaste.


We also tasted: 6. EMERY GRAND PRIX BRUT 7. ΑΜΥΝΤΑΙΟΝ ROZE DEMI SEC 8. AMYNTAION ROSE SEC 9. CAIR BRUT 10. POEME ΖΙΤSΑ BRUT


gourmed.gr

Serving Suggestions

You can serve this olive bread recipe instead of normal bread at a Greek meal.
Have as a light lunch with cheese and ham.
Toast it and drizzle extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of freshly ground salt and pepper.
Have it fresh or grilled with slices of fresh, juicy tomatoes and crumbled feta.
Cut thin slices and have with dips.
Include in a meze, with a selection of appetizers, ideal with a drink.
Use good quality, rich oily olives for this olive bread recipe, you will appreciate their flavour in the bread.
Try not to use canned ones, they will not taste as good.
For a variety, use olives marinated in herbs.
Ensure all the olives are pitted before using, you do not want any olive stones in the bread!

Ingredients

1 red onion, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons olive oil, for frying
675g/1 1/2lb / 6 cups white bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
25g/1oz fresh yeast OR 2 teaspoons dried yeast
350ml / 12 fl oz /1v 1/2 cups lukewarm water
5 tbspn olive oil
175g / 6 oz/ 1 1/2 cups pitted black olives, roughly chopped
2 tbspn fresh coriander, marjoram or oregano, finely choppped
extra flour for dusting
Makes 2 small loaves or 1 large loaf

Preparation

1. Fry the onion in the olive oil until soft.
2. Remove from pan and put aside till later.
3. Sift the flour and salt into a large Mixing Bowl, and make a well in the centre.
4. If using dried yeast, add to the flour. OR
5. If using fresh yeast, blend it with half the water in a jug and then add to the flour.
6. Add the rest of the water and the olive oil.
7. Mix it all in until a soft dough, using a round bladed knife.
8. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth.
9. Place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
10. Grease 2 Baking Sheets.
11. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times.
12. Roll the dough out into a large circle and sprinkle the olives, herbs and fried onion evenly over the dough.
13. Bring the sides up over to cover the filling and gently knead the bread until the filling is mixed through the dough.
14. Cut the dough in half and shape each half to an oval bread shape.
15. If you prefer to do rolls, just cut into many small round or elongated shapes, or alternatively 1 large loaf.
16. Place each loaf on a baking sheet.
17. Cover with lighly oiled cling film and leave in a warm place until doubled in size.
18. Place 2 or 3 diagonal cuts - about 1 inch / 2cm deep along the top of the bread to create a nice rustic appearance once cooked.
19. Dust the loaves lightly with the flour.
20. Preheat the oven to 220 oC / 425 oF / gas 7
21. Once the loaves have risen, place in a preheated oven.
22. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until the loaves are golden color and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
23. Transfer to a wire Cooling Rack and leave to cool.

If you wish to use this olive bread recipe to make rolls, you would reduce the cooking time to about 25 minutes. If you are making 1 large loaf, you would probably need an extra 10 minutes baking time.

Enjoy your olive bread recipe!

To read more, please visit http://www.macheesmo.com/2009/10/olive-bread/ and http://www.macheesmo.com

Kok is a popular dessert in Greece, and is fairly easy to make. It’s also easy to find fresh ready-made kok at any zaxaroplasteio (pastry shop). A dessert fit for all occasions which is the reason for its popularity. Well that and of course the chocolate glaze. A thin layer of glaze made with melted chocolate and cream dresses its top. However, it’s the combination of vanilla pastry cream filling and chocolate topping is what gives it that defined balance of flavors. You can actually taste each component of the kok without any of it overpowering the other. An amazing experience for the tongue, wouldn’t you say?

You can also find a few other flavors of kok. Lots of pastry shops make a strawberry custard version topped with chocolate glaze which is seasonal, as well as a chocolate-filled kok rolled into coconut. The traditional flavored kok is that which no one seems to get enough of. So whatever flavor you decide to indulge in or bring as a gift to a friend it is sure to be a hit!

Enjoy!

Serves: 35 to 40 of these little treats can be made from one batch.

INGREDIENTS:

For the cookies:

2/3 cup of sugar
6 eggs, separated
1 cup of flour
6 1/4 tablespoons of cornstarch

For the filling:

1 cup + 100 ml of whole milk
2/3 cup of heavy cream
6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup of cornstarch

For the syrup:

2/3 cup of water
3/4 cup of sugar

For the chocolate glaze:

4 tablespoons cocoa powder
5 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 ounces margarine
1 egg yolk, beaten

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Cream 3/4 of the sugar and the egg yolks. Beat the remaining sugar and egg whites to stiff peak stage. Add half the egg white mixture to the egg yolk mixture, stir lightly and slowly add the the flour and cornstarch. When mixed, add the remaining egg white mixture.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a pastry bag, squeeze out small cookies the size and shape of vanilla wafers: circles about 4 cm in diameter and ½ cm high. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool on a rack.

Place milk and cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Combine sugar, cornflour, egg and egg yolk, and add 1/3 of the warmed milk and cream mixture before it boils. Stir well, then pour back into the saucepan and continue to stir. As soon as the cream melds and begins to bubble, remove from heat. Empty the cream into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to cool.

When the cream cools, stir gently with a wire whisk to soften, then place a small amount of cream (1-2 teaspoons) of cream on the flat side a cookie and place the flat side of another on top to create each pastry.

Boil the sugar and water together for 2 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then dip one side of the filled kok cookie in the syrup. Set aside, syrup side up, on wax paper.

Prepare the chocolate icing by melting the margarine and stir in all the ingredients but the egg yolk. When the mixture is smooth and well combined, stir in the egg yolk. Pour chocolate icing over the cakes. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving..

Dip the kok into the chocolate glaze on the same side as the syrup.

Refrigerate in a covered pan or dish for 1/2 hour before serving.

By Pam Kanavos

honestcooking.com

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: 5 – 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium sized chicken (about 1.200 grams) or just thighs and breast
• 500 grams Chilopites pasta
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 ripe tomatoes peeled and blended with 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups water plus 2 more cups of boiled water

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Blend the tomatoes in a food processor with tomato pasta.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place it in a baking dish. If you are cooking a whole chicken place the breast facing down.
3. Add the olive oil, half the water and the tomatoes.
4. Preheat oven at 180 degrees C and roast the chicken, turning once. When roasted, remove chicken to a platter and add the remaining hot water. Bring to a boil and then add pasta. Stir a couple of times until the pasta is cooked (about 20 minutes) and if needed add more hot water.
5. Serve, grating some Greek dried Myzithra, graviera, kefalotyri, halloumi or any other hard cheese on top.

kopiaste.org

While the request from Athens could help the two sides overcome the impasse reached at Monday’s Eurogroup, the fact that Greece will purportedly ask to extend its loan agreement rather than its program could lead to complications.

The Greek side is apparently willing to agree to a moratorium on any steps that could affect the country’s fiscal targets and is ready to discuss other measures but is not willing to adopt the terms of the existing bailout. The proposal is due to be sent to Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem this morning and the Dutch finance minister will decide if it merits calling an extraordinary meeting of eurozone finance chiefs for Friday.

A European Union official told Kathimerini’s Brussels correspondent Eleni Varvitsioti that the problem with Greece asking for an extension of its loan agreement and not the terms that come with it may create problems in parliaments such as Germany’s, which have to approve the prolongation of the agreement.

To read more, please visit ekathimerini.com

He said the European Commission had put such a suggestion to him before Monday's meeting of euro zone finance ministers but that it had been superseded by a different draft proposal - from Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem - that he could not sign because it obliged Athens to extend its current bailout package.

Dijsselbloem's proposal was "highly problematic," he said. "We were offering to refrain effectively from implementing our own program for a period of six months and all we were getting back was a nebulous promise of some flexibility that was never specified," Varoufakis told reporters.

To read more, please visit thetoc.gr/eng

“Developments over the last few days have given me a significant degree of hope that, despite the differences, there is an appetite on both sides for finding common ground between the previous program and a new agreement between Europe and Greece that will put and end to the self-perpetuating crisis and will create a relationship of trust between us and our partners,” said Varoufakis ahead of his second meeting with his eurozone counterparts.

Wednesday’s Eurogroup ended without agreement as Greece objected to the wording of a common statement that suggested the current program would be extended. Athens wanted it to be clear that the bailout was being amended.

However, technical teams from Greece and its three lenders, the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund began talks on Friday with the aim of preparing the ground for Monday’s negotiations. Kathimerini understands that another, extra, Eurogroup meeting may be held on Friday if there is no agreement on Monday.

In his interview with Kathimerini, Varoufakis refused to speculate how close the two sides are to an agreement.

“Our resolute stance on totally logical matters will, in the final analysis, lead to a mutually beneficial convergence, even at the 11th hour,” he said.

To read more, please visit ekathimerini.com