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FOOD - DRINK -FUN

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 18, 2024 


CHILI ACCORDING TO PETER!

THE TASTING ROOM


by Susan Henderson, Immediate Past 
President Sierra Madre Kiwanis Club

We're doing something different this week. I 
am taking a point of priviledge to thank our 
favorite food critic for sharing his time and 
talents at the Kiwanis Club of Sierra Madre's 
Boot Skootin' Chili Cook-Off fundraiser last 
week!

Since the inception of this event about 10 years 
ago, Peter has volunteered to be our "Celebrity 
Judge". He has tasted countless pots of chili, 
from the very mild to the flaming hot. And 
each year, he comes up with a winner based upon his 
vast knowledge of ....food! The amateur and sometimes 
professional chefs all compete for the coveted title of 
"Critics Choice" that Peter crowns. This year, the winner 
of this honor was Sierra Madre's own James Carlson, with 
a delicious melt in your mouth, steak chili. AND....this 
was Carlson's 3rd Critic's Choice.

 But Peter wasn't the only one to take home a prize. There 
is another award chosen by the attendees, the "People's 
Choice Award" and somehow, by hook and ladder, oops, I 
mean crook, the Sierra Madre Fire Department brought in 
two 'ringer' firehouse chef's, Captain Gacad and Firefighter 
Chu.

 Picture celebrating his victory are left to right, Former 
Mayor Rachelle Arizmendi, Chef James Carlson, Kiwanis 
President Judy Webb-Martin, Councilwoman Kris Lowe 
and in the back, Dan Bell.

 The was an even greater award given that night to Joe 
Pergola who is the creator of the event some 10 years ago. 
Because of all of his hard work, this annual event that 
raises the majority of the funds that we use to support our 
community and youth, the name has been changed to:

JOE PERGOLA'S BOOT SKOOTIN' CHILI COOKOFF. Mark your calendar for the Saturday before 
Mother's Day, May 10, 2025. Thanks again to everyone and hope to see you next year.

Justin? Daou? Fuhgeddaboudit! Keola 
is my Paso Robles pick!

I’m Gustavo Lira, Tasting Room Manager 
and Wine Buyer at The Bottle Shop in 
Sierra Madre with another wine and spirits 
selection. 

George Wallace is one of my favorite 
comedians of all time. One of his taglines 
is “cuz I be thinking.” So, let me tell you 
what I be thinking. For quite a while now 
I be thinking – are there better wines from 
Paso Robles than the usual same ol’ same 
ol’ suspects? The answer is a resounding 
YES.

Keola Red Wine 2022 from Paso Robles is an outstanding red blend made 
by Aaron Jackson. I’ve known Aaron for several years, and he is one of the 
premier winemakers in Paso Robles. Anyone who can make a variety of wines – 
Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah 
– and make all of them superbly, is a genius in 
my book. His Petite Sirah is stunning and still 
my favorite Petite Sirah to this day.

The Keola Red is a blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah, 
and Mourvèdre. It was aged for 18 months in 
French oak. This wine is drinking gorgeously. 
You get notes of dark red cherry, blueberry, 
cocoa, and bramble. It is not overripe or super 
jammy like some Paso Robles wines I’ve tasted. This is a vibrant, juicy, and 
balanced red wine that beats the heck out of those more famous (and overpriced) 
Paso Robles wines. 

Aaron makes about 17 wines, and I have never come across a single one that 
wasn’t exceptional. It’s very small production and he keeps his pricing very 
reasonable. His tasting room in Tin City is managed by Katie Lewis and is a 
place you should not miss when you are up in Paso Robles. 

Don’t keep drinking the same ol’ same ol’ wines that you see EVERYWHERE. 
Next time you be thinking which Paso Robles wine you should reach for – you 
know it should be Aaron Jackson’s Keola Red Wine!

This wine is available at The Bottle Shop for $29.99. Mention you saw the 
wine in the Mountain Views News and get it for $27.99! We also have in 
stock his Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir, and Viognier.

Coming up at The Tasting Room – 5/18 Slurp & Sip! Oysters & Wine Tasting 
(SOLD OUT); 5/23 & 5/24 “Los Olivos in Sierra Madre” Reservations 
are recommended, walk-ins welcome based upon availability. Scan the 
QRCode to sign up for our newsletter with more details. 

Until next time – Salud!


THE ORIGINAL 
BOSTON CREAM PIE


INGREDIENTS

Sponge Cake

7 eggs, separated

8 oz. sugar

1 cup flour

1 oz. melted butter

Pastry Cream

1 tbsp. butter

2 cups milk

2 cups light cream

1/2 cup sugar

3 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch

6 eggs

1 tsp. dark rum

Icing

5 oz. fondant for white icing

6 oz. fondant for chocolate icing

3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Substitution for Fondant Icing:

Chocolate Icing

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted

2 oz. warm water

White Icing

1 cup sugar (confectioner’s sugar recommended)

1 tsp. corn syrup

1 tsp. water

INSTRUCTIONS

Sponge Cake Preparation:

Separate egg yolks and whites into two separate bowls.

Add ½ of the sugar to each bowl and beat both until peaked.

Once stiff, fold the whites into the yolk mixture.

Gradually add flour, mixing with a wooden spatula.

Incorporate the melted butter.

Pour this batter into a 10-inch greased cake pan.

Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until spongy and golden.

Remove from the oven and let it cool completely.

Pastry Cream Preparation:

In a saucepan, bring butter, milk, and light cream to a boil.

In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, and eggs, whipping until ribbons form.

Once the cream mixture reaches boiling, whisk in the egg mixture.

Cook until boiling and continue for an additional minute.

Transfer to a bowl, covering the surface with plastic wrap.

Chill preferably overnight. When ready to use, whisk to smooth and add dark rum.

Assembling the Cake:

Level the top of the sponge cake using a slicing knife, then slice it into two layers.

Spread the flavored pastry cream on one layer.

Place the second layer on top.

Use a small amount of pastry cream to coat the sides of the cake for almond adhesion.

Preparing Chocolate and White Fondant Icing:

 Chocolate Fondant: Warm 6 oz. of white fondant over boiling water to about 105°F. Mix in the melted 
chocolate. Thin it with water to achieve a spreadable consistency.

 White Fondant: Warm 5 oz. of white fondant over boiling water to about 105°F. If necessary, thin with 
water. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1/8-inch tip.

Alternate Chocolate Icing: Melt the chocolate and combine it with warm water. Warm the mixture to 
105°F, adjusting consistency with water for easy piping.

Decorating the Cake:

Apply a thin layer of chocolate fondant or icing on top of the cake.

Immediately create spiral patterns using the white fondant or icing, starting from the center.

Using a paring knife, score the white lines, pulling from the center outward to the edge.

Spread the cake’s sides with reserved pastry cream and press toasted almonds onto the sides.


ALL THINGS By Jeff Brown 

BOY'S LIFE BY ROBERT MCCAMMON 

Robert McCammon delivers “a tour de force of 
storytelling” (BookPage) in this award-winning 
masterpiece, a novel of Southern boyhood, growing 
up in the 1960s, that reaches far beyond that 
evocative landscape to touch readers universally.

Boy’s Life is a richly imagined, spellbinding portrait 
of the magical worldview of the young—and 
of innocence lost.

Zephyr, Alabama, is an idyllic hometown for 
eleven-year-old Cory Mackenson—a place where 
monsters swim the river deep and friends are forever. 
Then, one cold spring morning, Cory and 
his father witness a car plunge into a lake—and a 
desperate rescue attempt brings his father face-to-
face with a terrible, haunting vision of death. As 
Cory struggles to understand his father’s pain, his eyes are slowly opened to 
the forces of good and evil that surround him. From an ancient mystic who can 
hear the dead and bewitch the living, to a violent clan of moonshiners, Cory 
must confront the secrets that hide in the shadows of his hometown—for his 
father’s sanity and his own life hang in the balance.

Robert McCammon is the New York Times bestselling author of Boy’s Life and 
Gone South, among many critically acclaimed works of fiction. He is a recipient 
of the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award, the Grand Master Award 
from the World Horror Convention, and is a World Fantasy Award winner. He 
lives in Alabama


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com