Wine & Food

Lemongrass Chicken and White Wine

Apr24

April 24, 2013 by Linda Etherton Leave a Comment

by contributing writer Mary Beth Mosley

While I like to consider myself a semi-foodie (would-be gourmet?) and love recipe books and the process of creating a meal for my friends, the truth is, I eat my share of quick and dirty meals. Takeout, supermarket sushi, and that single-person’s savior, the Lean Cuisine–they all make regular appearances in my weekly menus.

Even on last minute, no-cook nights, I still like to have a glass of wine with my meal. But what does one pair with food that comes in a plastic tray?

My favorite Lean Cuisine is the Lemongrass Chicken. Why? All the pieces are recognizable and it is a dish I haven’t ever made myself (thus I can pretend this is how a chef would make it). Lean Cuisine describes it as “roasted chicken tenderloins in a lemongrass-ginger coconut sauce with baby corn, yellow carrots, red peppers, broccoli and brown rice.” The description isn’t too far from reality, which, when it comes to the world of frozen meals, is a definite win.

I decided to go with Pinot Grigio based on the theory that you drink white wine with Asian food (is that a thing or something I made up?). I randomly chose two wines: Entwine (2010) and Sterling Vintner’s Collection (2011). One I picked up from my neighborhood Kroger and one from Target, where I bought the Lean Cuisine on the way home from work. Both were priced under $10 (thanks to a sale and my Kroger card). I didn’t do any research on wines, didn’t even read the back of the bottles to see what winemaker suggested I eat with it.

The Lemongrass Chicken has just the tiniest amount of heat in it, just a trace of red pepper, but is fairly sweet due to the carrots and sauce. My first impression was that the Entwine wasn’t a good fit. It was like green apple, but a bit too sharp. I liked it better when I had the half glass that remained after dinner. Funny, since this wine has a Food Network label on it and I found out later that the wine is the product of a partnership between the network and Wente Vineyards.

The Sterling was a better fit. It was zippy with almost a little bit of sparkle, and the lemongrass chicken brought out a peachy flavor without being overly sweet. It was more peppery when I finished off the bit left after the meal.

The best part about the experience was that having a glass of wine made the food in my little plastic tray taste better. I took a little longer to eat, and really thought about the food. I’m not saying that a glass of wine transformed the dish into 5-star cuisine, but it was something to be savored. Plus, now I’ve got wine ready to enjoy with my next meal, whether made from scratch or defrosted.

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Sausage and Onion Frittata and Wine Pairing

Apr5

April 5, 2013 by Mary Cressler 1 Comment

by Contributing Writer Mary Cressler

Spring is here (finally!), and to me spring just screams breakfast. I know, it’s odd, but hear me out. Spring is about beginnings, and breakfast is the first meal of the day. Spring is about renewal, another winter closed and the inviting, comfortable weather starting to take hold, while a late morning brunch just screams comfort food and long lazy mornings in preparation for an awesome day. So they seem to fit together. Since I’m such a fan, it seems fitting that one of my favorite events to host is Sunday brunch.

The very first time I tried to make a fancy brunch for friends ended up being one mimosa short of a disaster. Correction. It was a blast for my friends, but a disaster for me! I attempted to bake scones, make sausage AND bacon, create a fancy fruit plate, AND make Eggs Benedict, all at the same time. Eggs Benedict is my favorite breakfast meal so my deranged brain thought it would be the perfect thing to make for a crowd. Mind you at the time I had never actually poached an egg before, nor had I attempted hollandaise sauce.

My eggs kept exploding in the boiling water (note you are not supposed to boil water for poached eggs!), and my hollandaise sauce came out rubbery and thick, and my scones burnt because I was too busy tending to the explosive eggs to remember to take them out of the oven. Needless to say we munched on fruit, meat, and blackened scones and bottomless mimosas all morning while a dozen eggs found their way to the garbage disposal.

Then one day I was watching an episode of Barefoot Contessa where Ina Garten shared a similar brunch disaster involving omelets and resolved to make frittatas for future brunch gatherings instead of individual omelets which were too time consuming. ”Brilliant!” I thought, and have been making frittatas ever since.

Frittatas are basically a quiche but without the crust, so they end up resembling something closer to a large omelet to be shared by many. They are incredibly easy to make and can feed several. The ingredients are yours to choose. Start with whatever you put into your favorite omelet. The following combination is one of my favorites. As a bonus I also threw in my husbands favorite “impress my friends” dishes — maple bacon! He’s a typical guy who loves his bacon, what more can I say?

Sausage and Carmelized Onion Frittata

Yield: 4 servings

Sausage and Carmelized Onion Frittata

Ingredients

1 hot Italian pork sausage, casing removed
½ yellow onion, sliced
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup jarred roasted red peppers, roughly diced
2 Tablespoons butter, divided
1/3 cup milk (or heavy cream for a richer texture)
6 large eggs, lightly beaten with the milk
4 ounces goat cheese, sliced thinly
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a 10-inch ovenproof saucepan, cook up the sausage and break it up into crumbles until sausage is cooked through (approx 6-8 minutes).
Transfer the sausage bits to a plate and leave the drippings in the saucepan.
Using the same saucepan add about ½ tablespoon olive oil (or butter) and cook the mushrooms until soft (approx 6 minutes).
Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan set to medium heat, add 1 tablespoon butter and the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are caramelized (approx 10 min).
Add back the sausage and onions to the mushrooms over a medium heat, and the peppers. Add the lightly beaten egg and milk mixture and distribute the slices of goat cheese evenly.
Cook until the edges begin to set (about 2 minutes). Transfer skillet to the oven and bake approximately 15 minutes, until the frittata is set. You can test to see if it is done using the toothpick test. If it comes out clean, it’s done.

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Maple Bacon

Ingredients

8 slices thick cut bacon
1/4 cup maple syrup

Instructions

Place the bacon on a cookie sheet*.
Cook for 12 minutes until the bacon starts to crisp.
Remove from oven and then brush with maple syrup once and put back into the oven for 3 minutes.
Remove and brush the bacon again with the syrup and add back into the oven for another 3 minutes.
Remove and let cool slightly.

Notes

*We use a cooling rack to cook the bacon; it allows extra fat to fall into the pan and in my opinion allows the maple syrup to adhere better to the bacon.

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Wine Pairing

If you ask most wine people, they will warn you that pairing wine with eggs can be challenging. Depending on whom you ask, you may receive different explanations and theories as to why. In my experience, I find if the dish is yolky (like in Eggs Benedict or sunny side up) the yolk coats the palate muting the taste of the wine. Not the end of the world. This is the reason sparkling wine and mimosas make for such a great pairing – the bubbles will cut through the yolk and refresh the palate. In a dish like frittata the yolk is blended with the whites and cooked through so that problem isn’t quite as evident.

When it comes to eggs and wine I try to not over think it. If it is a breakfast dish I let the theme guide my wine selection – i.e. mid-morning brunch. Early in the day I’m not drinking Napa Cabs. I prefer instead to enjoy light refreshing crisp white wines, and subsequently many pair quite well with frittatas.

Traditional: Mimosas and Sparkling Wine

What is brunch without a mimosa? Boring if you ask me. If you go with a traditional orange juice mimosa, my advice is to seek out nice neutral dry sparkling wine. I would never blend good Champagne with orange juice. Instead I have my go-to standards that are nice enough to be drunk on their own, but the quality isn’t quite as high, nor the price nearly as expensive as Champagne, so make for better options for mixing. My go-to’s for mixing are Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut or Segura Viudas Brut Reserva – both are Cava’s from Spain, and both clock in at anywhere from $6-8 (depending on where in the country you are).

If you omit the orange juice and just want a nice refreshing bubbly to pair with your brunch, sparkling Prosecco from Italy is a great choice. You can find them from dry to sweet, typically full of bright fruit and a refreshing palate. La Marca Prosecco is a nice choice at about $14. With bright apple, lemon, and tropical fruit on the nose and a slightly sweet but highly acidic palate, it’s delicious and balanced with the savory frittata and equally sweet and savory crunchy bacon.

Non-Traditional

For something different and exciting, look to Northeast Italy’s Friuli region for their zesty white wines. Just returning from a trip to Friuli, I had one of my favorite meals at a quaint family run lunch spot. The meal happened to also be a frittata, paired with one of the most exciting white wines from the region — Ribolla Gialla. This indigenous grape variety tends to produce wines that are fresh, dry, crisp, and minerally on the palate. Several producers make a sparkling version where the grape really shines!

So there you go, this is why I like spring and breakfast. It’s about kicking away winter and starting fresh, and what better way to do it than a beautiful brunch for a crowd to celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

Mary Cressler is a Certified Sommelier, a Wine Location Specialist, and the proprietor of Vindulge: Wine Education & Consulting. She conducts wine classes and events and offers consulting for individuals, restaurants, and event planners.

She writes about wine, food, and travel on her blog Vindulge. Mary resides in Connecticut with her husband, twin boys, and two Chihuahuas.

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1 Comment Filed Under: Wine and Pork, Ham or Lamb

Filet Mignon and Béarnaise Sauce Wine Pairing

Mar21

March 21, 2013 by Linda Etherton Leave a Comment

by contributing writer Tricia Renshaw

The last, languishing days of winter always leave me blue. The odd remnants of once-white snow have turned bilious brown, mud clings to shoes and dog feet (and legs, and bellies), and spring weather is only a tease—it won’t really settle in for months yet. At times like these, I feel a need for a bit of luxury, and as it pertains to food and wine pairing, that means filet mignon with a dollop of béarnaise sauce and something special to wash it down.

On a more practical note, I have a recipe which requires few ingredients and not much time in the kitchen to produce a meal which is undeniably out of the ordinary, and thus perfect for last-minute get-togethers with friends.

Jump to the Filet Mignon and Béarnais Sauce Recipe

The Ingredients

When we pair the filet mignon and béarnaise sauce with wine, we need to pay attention to disparate elements. The contrast here is the reason this sauce (herbal, creamy, somewhat acidic) works so well with the meat (unctuous, fatty, charred). And it’s the reason that pairing wine is challenging.

Do we want a wine which will mirror those herbal components, one with high acidity to match the vinegar tones? Do we want a rich red to match the big beefy flavors here? Before reading about wine pairing, I would have bet on a red. Now I’m not so sure.

Weight—Experts say look at the weight of the dish to pick a wine category. Light wines with light foods, and heavy wines with heavier foods. Clearly, our dish needs a heavy wine.

Vinegar—If we pair to the sauce, we’ll want a wine with some acidity, otherwise the wine will seem flabby.

Tarragon—We’ll want to find something which won’t clash with this licorice-like herb. Recommended wines include Chardonnay, Roussanne or Marsanne (white wines originally from the Rhône), Pinot gris, Zinfandel and Shiraz/Syrah.

Richness—We’ll want a wine with some mechanism for cutting through the fat: tannins, acidity in the finish, bubbles, or even a little burn from some alcohol.

Char—A wine with some oak should tie in nicely with the charred flavors from the beef.

Proposed Wines

I’m going to look for a Roussanne for something interesting to try—it’s touted as a heavier white wine with some fruity, nutty and herbal aromas.

I’d also like a Chardonnay from Burgundy, which I expect to be on the heavy side for a white wine, with some oak, some earthy notes, a little acid, and not too much buttery aroma.

Alternatively, I’d like to try Champagne with this dish. Not only would the luxury aspects match, but old world sparkling wines often taste of mushroom and onion, which would be delicious with this meal. The bubbles would cut through the richness and cleanse the palate between bites. I recently had a Pol Roger Reserve Champagne which would fit the bill perfectly.

Experts explain that once you have assessed the richness, or weight of the dish, you should look to the accompaniments to pick your wine. The béarnaise suggests a white wine, but the steak certainly cries out for red. At the risk of creating a real mess, I want to try a big red with this dish. Something spicy and heavy—a warm climate red wine. Zinfandel and Syrah came up as good matches for tarragon, so I’ll try to find one of those as well.

The Wine Shop

No Pol Roger, bummer. I’ll try a Burgundy. Cheryl Pitti at Ryan’s suggested Domaine De La Douaix 2009 Bourgogne En Mairey Moustie. There are a lot of words on that label, but it’s a white wine from Burgundy, therefore, it’s Chardonnay. Easy.

Finding Roussanne was not so easy. We found a white blend from the Rhône, La Vielle Ferme, 2011, Vin blanc, which listed Roussanne as part of the blend. I purchased the bottle, and looked up the blend online when I returned home. It’s mostly Grenache blanc (high alcohol, low acidity, herbaceous notes), Bourboulenc (body, citrus, smoke), Ugni blanc (called Trebbiano in Italy, citrus, white floral notes, mineral) with just a touch of Roussanne. Fortunately, the other wines possess the qualities I was hoping for in a Roussanne, so the wine should serve the purpose intended.

For the big red, Cheryl directed me to Austin Hope 2010 Syrah from Paso Robles, California. With 15% alcohol listed on the label, I suspected we found just the right giant red to try with the dish.

Tasting Notes

Before getting to work in the kitchen, I made the following notes.

The Rhône Blend

On the nose: black pepper, fresh peas, pear skin, peach, pecans, a little licorice (promising!), and smoke.

In the mouth: The acid is bright though not harsh. Way more fruit—apple, peach, and pear—than I had hoped for. Tastes of cherry cough syrup—hot and fruity with unusual medicinal overlay. Sometimes the weirdest wines make the best matches. I’m not ruling it out, but I fear the acid and high fruit will be a poor match for our robust steaks.

The Burgundy (Chardonnay)

On the nose: strong charred, tarry notes, with lemon underneath.

In the mouth: Bright acid, lemon, smoke, thyme. Brisk, but also mouthcoating. Artichoke and river rock define finish. Brighter acid than the Rhône blend. Acid should cut the richness of the dish. Herbal tie-in is nice. Smokey aromas should complement beef.

The Syrah

On the nose: licorice, molasses, red currant, violet, plum, meaty undertones, eucalyptus.

In the mouth: Plum, raspberry, creamy, mouthfilling. Some tannins, but not hugely tannic. High alcohol adds weight. Creaminess of mouthfeel hides some of the heat. Doesn’t feel like a 15% alcohol wine!

Pairing Notes

The Rhône blend

Fresh, definitely cuts richness. Tarragon in sauce and licorice in wine marry beautifully. Cherry cough-syrup flavors do not show up when paired with food. The herbal/smokey notes take over. Love this match.

The Burgundy (Chardonnay)

Acid in wine matches acid in sauce. Smoke ties in to beef. Green notes in wine tie in to the herbal flavors in the sauce. Also good, though not as compelling as the Rhône.

The Syrah

Wow!! Makes charred nature of the meat stand out. Sauce is diminished to lovely, creamy background note. Raisin, clove, brown sugar flavors in wine burst forth when tasted with the meat.

Favorite

This was an easy win for the Syrah, though I’m still curious about the Pol Roger. Perhaps I’ll have a rematch in the future.

From what I had read, I expected the red wine to clash with the overall dish due to the contributions from the sauce. What I found was that although the white wines did tie in better with the sauce, they elevated the sauce notes, and diminished the beefiness of the meal. The red wine highlighted the steak, which was meant to be the star player, and let the sauce play a supporting role.

What I learned is, yes, look at the weight of the meat and the meal when choosing a wine to pair, but don’t stop there. Chicken, turkey and pork will likely play less of a role than an accompanying sauce in the overall flavor profile of a dish, so I expect the best match in those cases will pair the wine to the sauce. When you want the meat (bacon, beef) and not the sauce or spice to play the dominating role, make sure the wine highlights the attributes we love about the meat.

In this case, the velvet richness of the Syrah accentuated the meltingly tender texture of the beef, and the caramelized meatiness of the dish brought out layers of berry and spice in the wine. Each bite and each sip was sublime; my need for luxury was supremely met.

Filet Mignon and Béarnaise Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

Filet Mignon and Béarnaise Sauce

Ingredients

4 filets mignons, about 7 to 8 ounces each (about 1 ½ inches thick)
4 russet potatoes
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
2 Tablespoons dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
1-2 Tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1-2 Tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into large chunks
3 egg yolks
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Ice Cubes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 °F.
Prepare vegetables: wash and chop tarragon, peel and chop shallot, scrub potatoes and pierce them all over with a paring knife or fork.
Prepare meat: Dry steaks thoroughly with paper towels, then drizzle steaks with olive oil (about 1 tsp per steak). Rub olive oil onto both sides of steak, and season well with salt and pepper.
Make an ice bath. Empty cubes into bowl or dish pan. Add enough cold water to come partway up the sides of the top of a double boiler. Set aside.
Put butter in a Pyrex pitcher. Melt in microwave on high, about 1 minute. Let cool to room temperature.
Combine the dry wine, vinegar, shallots and tarragon in the small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, whisking constantly, until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Scrape into top of double boiler, and let cool to room temperature.
Place potatoes in a circle on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Turn potatoes over, and microwave for an additional 4 minutes.
Put microwaved potatoes into pre-heated 450 °F oven, making sure to leave room for baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
While potatoes are baking, heat a heavy-bottomed, not non-stick, frying pan (I use cast iron) over high heat until hot but not smoking (2-3 minutes).
Sear steaks—cook without moving until well-browned, and a flavorful golden crust has formed (2-3 minutes per side) Make sure your steaks are browning and not burning during this step. This step will generate a LOT of smoke.
Remove seared steaks to a small baking sheet. Place into oven. Bake for about 6 minutes for steaks which are rare to medium-rare. Pull them out earlier for rare steaks or let cook a little longer for more well-done steaks. To check for your preferred degree of doneness use a meat thermometer. Hold steak with tongs, and insert thermometer into side of steak. You’ll want to stop cooking at 120 for rare, 125 for medium rare, and 135-140 for medium.
While potatoes and steaks are in the oven, fill bottom of a double boiler with water (water should not touch top bowl of double boiler) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low or medium low, so it simmers but doesn’t continue to boil.
Combine the egg yolks with the shallot mixture in the top of the double boiler. Place over hot water. Gradually whisk in the melted butter in a slow, steady stream. This should take about 1 minute. Continue whisking until sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper, and remove top of double boiler to ice bath. Hold bowl so it does not tip over into the ice water, and whisk until the sauce has cooled somewhat. This should help prevent separation. Set aside.
When steaks come out of the oven, tent loosely with foil to keep warm while potatoes finish cooking, and to allow juices to settle.
When potatoes are done, remove from oven, pierce the tops in the shape of an X using a fork, and push in at ends of potato to move flesh up and out, preventing potato from becoming sodden inside.
Plate steak, top with béarnaise, add potato and perhaps a salad or green vegetable, and prepare to accept lavish praise.

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Tricia Renshaw is Assistant Winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards in the Finger Lakes region of New York. She is completing formal studies in wine science and viticulture via the University of California’s Distance Learning program while raising two amazing daughters.

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Leave a Comment Filed Under: Wine and Beef

Smoked Salmon Spread and Wine Pairing

Mar12

March 12, 2013 by Mary Cressler 1 Comment

by Contributing Writer, Mary Cressler

Several years ago I visited Thomas Keller’s renowned Bouchon Restaurant in Napa for the first time with a good friend. “We have to order the Salmon Rillettes,” she insisted– one of the most famous dishes on the menu, and for good reason.

Keller’s preparation is simple, yet elegant. He takes fresh salmon that has been steamed in Pernod, then mixes it with smoked salmon, blends in shallot, crème fraîche, olive oil, egg yolks, and lemon juice. He places it into a small jar and tops it with a clarified butter (traditionally to preserve it, now it is more for presentation). The smooth textures and overall freshness of the spread is refreshing, light, and delicious.

“What a simple, yet elegant dish to have on hand for dinner parties or casual gatherings,” I thought. So upon my return I decided to recreate Keller’s dish, but on my own terms, meaning we would smoke our own salmon on our Traeger (a hot smoker). Not to be confused with lox or cold smoking, which creates a silky sashimi like texture, the hot and slow barbecue method will create a texture more like a flaky baked fish with a smoked flavor, which appeals to me more in a dish like this.

This has now become a staple dish at our house for summer BBQ’s and dinner parties throughout the year. It is the perfect starter, and goes well with a variety of wines! Plus it is super easy to make.

I returned from my latest trip to Napa just last week and wanted to see if the Rillettes were as I remembered them years ago. I was given a table for one and placed my order. I asked my server what his favorite wine pairing was and pleasantly surprised when he recommended the Trimbach Riesling over everything else on their extensive wine list. “The freshness of the wine is great with the freshness of the salmon,” he explained simply. And he was right. It was a nice match, and quite refreshing, especially considering it was a sunny and warm afternoon, and I was seated on the patio.

With the dish fresh in my memory, I made my version again the very day I returned home from my trip. My preparation, being fundamentally different in two ways, allows for stylistically different options for wine pairing.

Smoking your own salmon on a BBQ or smoker adds an entirely different flavor profile to the dish. While the smoke flavor is not strong, it does add a background element of wood smoke and in our case hickory. And since I eliminated the egg yolk and clarified butter, I add a bit of cream cheese in addition to crème fraîche to create a creamy texture.

Smoked Salmon Spread and Wine Pairing

Ingredients

6 ounces boneless Atlantic salmon fillet
Salt & pepper to season the salmon
½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon crème fraîche (plain 2% Greek yogurt will substitute well too as it is a similar consistency)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped dill
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Season salmon with salt and pepper. Brush the top of the salmon (non skin side) with Dijon mustard.
Preheat smoker to 250 degrees and put prepared salmon on the smoker for 90 minutes to two hours.
Let the salmon cool to room temperature, then break apart into small chunks with your fingers. This is why you look for boneless salmon.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese, crème fraîche, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper.
Combine with about ¾ of the salmon. Transfer to serving dish. Add the remainder of the salmon to the top of the salmon/cream mixture.
Serve with slices of toasted baguette or crackers.

Notes

For this recipe I take a salmon fillet and smoke it on our Traeger. The difference in flavor between store bought cold smoked salmon and this method is huge. If you don’t have a smoker you can still use store bought, but look for “smoked” salmon versus “cured” salmon (or “lox”).

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Wine Pairing

At Bouchon my server recommended Trimbach Riesling, and I wouldn’t argue with that. The high acidity in the Riesling cut through the fat of the salmon and the freshness and slight sweetness of the wine was perfect for the freshness of rillettes.

I tasted my version with two different Rieslings: Trimbach, the same one I had at Bouchon, and also a 2011 Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York. I also tried it with a dry sparkling wine, and a lightly oaked Chardonnay.

Two key characteristics of the smoked dip are the hickory smoke notes from the salmon and the slightly creamy texture from the crème fraîche and cream cheese. Riesling still worked well for the same reason as above — the strong acidity and freshness cuts through the cream and fat, and creates a refreshing aftertaste on the palate.

Similarly with the sparkling wine, it provides the same results. Look for a rosé sparkler from France. I recommend a Cremant de Bourgogne; the fruit won’t be distractingly strong, thereby complimenting the dish instead of dominating, but the creaminess and acidity will be a nice match.

Likewise look for a Riesling that is dry. Alsace, Finger Lakes New York, and those from the Pacific Northwest will work well. If you can’t tell if the wine is dry, look at the back label, many Riesling producers are now adding a dry-sweet scale to the back of the label to indicate level of sweetness.

What this dish has that Keller’s doesn’t is the smoky flavor. The smoky toasty notes pair remarkably well with a mildly oaked Chardonnay. Make sure it’s not over the top, otherwise you’ll have a woody mess on your hands. Oregon makes some great examples, or opt for a white burgundy from France.

Some of the best dishes I make were inspired by meals I have had during my travels. I am so glad my friend introduced me to Bouchon and their Salmon Rillettes, because I have enjoyed celebrating this amazing dish, in my own way, with colleagues, friends, and family and will continue to do so for years to come.

Mary Cressler is a Certified Sommelier, a Wine Location Specialist, and the proprietor of Vindulge: Wine Education & Consulting. She conducts wine classes and events and offers consulting for individuals, restaurants, and event planners.

She writes about wine, food, and travel on her blog Vindulge. Mary resides in Connecticut with her husband, twin boys, and two Chihuahuas.

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1 Comment Filed Under: Wine and Seafood

Chicken and Dumplings Wine Pairing

Feb21

February 21, 2013 by VineSleuth Leave a Comment

The following is by contributing writer Tricia Renshaw.

Pairing Food and Wine

Pairing food and wine is a very specialized skill, and those who are best at it have a keen understanding of how myriad elements play, or fight, each other. My skills lie in making wine and tasting wines in progress for other winemakers. I love what I do, but when it comes to pairing foods, it gets a little hairy.

The best food and wine matches need to take into account wines from around the world, and my wine knowledge is very local—Finger Lakes wines, and more specifically, Fox Run Vineyards, where I make wine with Peter Bell and Sarah Gummoe.

I’m not sure Amy (VineSleuth blogger) quite believed how different the worlds of wine making and wine pairing are until she visited the Finger Lakes a few weeks ago. After spending the day with winemakers who effortlessly dissected and critiqued hundreds of wines, gleefully selected intriguing wines to try before dinner, and passed glasses back and forth, skillfully calling out characteristics, and noting balances both brilliant and flawed, Amy watched in amazement as an entire group of wine experts fell silent when it came time to choose the wines for dinner. We passed that wine menu like a hot potato, desperately hoping someone would rise to the occasion and pick something before the menu came into our hands again.

The Plan

After laughing a little about how shy we are when it comes to choosing wine with food, we concocted a plan. I would select a dish, look at the elements in that dish, which according to the pairing experts ought to make a food pair with or clash with a wine, and pick three wines that should match well. Then I would make the food, try the wines, and see how it all works out. We’ll all learn a lot, and have a great time along the way.

The Meal

Here in upstate New York, we are hip-deep in snow, so this first meal has to be homey and warm. Chicken and dumplings fits the bill perfectly. I’m using a recipe from Cooks Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen—a great source for never-fail, always delicious recipes.

The Ingredients

Chicken – It goes well with just about everything.

These are the elements which should sway the pairing:

Onions – Pair with wines that have earthy aromas and aren’t too tannic. Onion can make tannins taste more pronounced and even metallic, as I found out while cooking (i.e., tasting bits of ingredients while sipping wine).

Bay leaf, Thyme, and Parsley - herbs which can be paired with wines that have herbal notes

Milk – The dish will have a rich and creamy consistency. We want to either match that creaminess, or cut through it. In other words, we want a rich and round wine or an acidic wine. Some food/wine pairing experts caution against using acidic wines with creamy dishes—they say it’s like adding lemon to milk, which will curdle. Clearly, we’ll have to do some experimentation to find what works and why.

Sherry - The characteristic flavors of sherry are made by a special yeast, “surface yeast”, which can form a skin on top of wine in tanks and barrels. This same yeast spoils other wines. Would Sherry make other wines taste spoiled? I’m really worried about that component. We’ll need bold wines which won’t be overpowered by the sherry aroma—I think a wine which is very wispy will take on the Sherry flavor easier than a robust wine will.

Proposed Wines

Chardonnay

I’d like something familiar, and I think lightly oaked Chardonnay will suit our needs perfectly. It will have some nutty notes from the oak to match the nutty aromas of the Sherry, some weight because it is Chardonnay, and some herbal notes. It will not be too fruity, which I think is desirable, because I am afraid that fruity wines would clash with the savory notes in the dish.

Chenin Blanc

I’d like something which is a little more out there. A Chenin blanc, maybe? These wines should have some fruit, some honey notes, be a little more acidic (to cut through the richness of the dish instead of mirroring the richness), and they come originally from France.

One pairing rule I found was to match foods and wines from the same regions. Chicken and dumplings doesn’t come from France, but a lot of French cooking uses onion, carrot, celery, herbs and cream, so we should be reasonably safe choosing a French wine.

A Red Wine

I’d like something red, because, let’s face it, there are lots of people who only drink red, and we should be able to match every dish with some red if we have the reds of the entire world to try out, so everyone can be happy. I’m thinking maybe a Cabernet sauvignon—very herbal, or maybe a Zinfandel—spicy and rich.

The Wine Shop

I took my recipe and my proposed wines to my favorite home town wine shop, Ryan’s Wines and Spirits in Canandaigua, NY, and chatted with a few of the staff members there.

Chardonnay - Grant Hummel suggested Hindsight, a Chardonnay from Napa, which is lightly oaked, and has the weight we’re looking for.

Chenin Blanc - Grant directed me to Robertson Winery, which is located in South Africa. Chenin blanc originates in France, like Chardonnay, and has been planted around the world. So, we’re sticking with our wine and food from the same place rule, although we’re stretching it a bit.

The Red Wine - Matt Vimislik suggested that “whenever you buy French wines outside of Burgundy or Bordeaux, you’ll save a little money,” and he suggested trying a Côtes du Rhône for a bargain-priced, spicy, bold but not-too-tannic red. We picked Famille Perrin, Côtes du Rhône Villages.

Tasting Notes

After I’d cooked the meal, but before trying the food I made these tasting notes from the wines:

Chardonnay

On the nose: apple, lemon, custard, vanilla, caramel, almond, slight olive notes.

In the mouth: Creamy, vanilla sweetness, roasted apple and butterscotch. Heavy texture, deep flavors, but some acidity adds a fresh edge. Some astringency and slight metallic flavors define finish. Rather hot—alcohol shows here.

Chenin Blanc

On the nose: Lemon, smoke, edamame.

In the mouth: creamy, slightly oily texture, waxy, honey, melon, slightly spritzy, fresh. Not as acidic or lean as I’d expected from what I’d read.

Côtes du Rhône

On the nose: so spicy—currant, cranberry, raspberry, plum, clove, eucalyptus, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.

In the mouth: Plentiful, soft tannins. Very plush. Bright acid in finish makes this wine fresh and delicious.

Pairing Notes

Chardonnay

With food, it’s okay. Oaky flavors do tie in nicely to flavors in dish, and the Chard mouthfeel echoes the richness of the dish. However, the oaky, caramel flavors overpower the subtle flavors in the stew, so all I can taste is the oak. An adequate match, but not as nice as the Chenin blanc.

Chenin Blanc

With food, creamy, floral, beeswaxy notes are heightened. Really tasty. A little carbonation and acid does cut richness of stew. Edamame notes in the wine with food taste more like bay-leaf—nice tie-in.

Côtes du Rhône

This wine is so spicy and fruity, so flavorful, that the blandness of the chicken stew is starkly highlighted. The Côtes du Rhône doesn’t contribute its spiciness to the dish—the two elements remain disparate. However, the tannins and weight are a nice match to the dish. No unpleasant flavors arise from the pairing—the wine doesn’t seem too sharp, or go metallic, which can happen with a bad match. This is a red wine which can safely be paired with this dish.

Favorite

Overall, my favorite match to the Chicken and Dumplings was the Chenin blanc, but there were no dogs here. It turns out that at only ¼ cup, I didn’t need to worry about the Sherry in the dish. I could have gone with lighter, leaner wines, and I think that they would not have overpowered the food flavors.

Chicken, thyme, parsley and bay leaf aren’t heavy hitters, so I should have expected the dish to be familiar and a little bland—typical American comfort food. And next time, I won’t worry about finding a blockbuster wine to stand up to the sauce.

See, we’re learning already.

Tricia Renshaw is Assistant Winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards in the Finger Lakes region of New York. She is completing formal studies in wine science and viticulture via the University of California’s Distance Learning program while raising two amazing daughters.

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Free Dinner and Wine eBook

Feb13

February 13, 2013 by VineSleuth 2 Comments

Are you ready for a fantastic Valentine’s dinner?

What about a date night at home anytime?

As a special Valentine’s treat, I’m offering a free download of my eBook, Dinner and Wine for $20 or Less, on Amazon today and tomorrow (February 13 & 14).

The recipes are created by $5 Dinner mom, Erin Chase, so you know they’re going to be good.

Click over to Amazon, download it, and you’ll be preparing delicious date night dinners at home any night for just $20, wine included.

If you don’t have a Kindle, you can still view this eBook on your smart phone or computer. Simply download one of Amazon’s free reading apps.

Get Your Free eBook: Dinner and Wine for $20 or Less

Spread the word and help your friends eat delicious, fresh and cheap meals paired with inexpensive wines, too! It’s only free today (Wednesday) and Valentine’s Day, so act fast.

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Help me explore foods from Chile and share them with you

Feb11

February 11, 2013 by VineSleuth 7 Comments

In front of Torres Del Paine in Chile

My Experience in Chile

Right after my husband asked me to be his wife, he whisked me off to a 10-day trip around Santiago and Southern Chile. It was a trip I will never forget. We ate, drank, hiked and explored our way through those parts of the country, enjoying fresh seafood, delicious produce and our very first winery tour.

I do have to laugh at a few nights of our trip when we were staying in a small hotel in Puerto Natales and had no idea how to order dinner each night. We know very little Spanish and the hotel did not have a menu.

We ordered Arroz con Pollo (Chicken with rice) as that was all we could think of with our very basic Spanish on our first night. Fortunately, on our second night there we met another couple at the hotel who took us to an amazing seafood restaurant in town. And they ordered for us. I don’t think I have ever eaten so much crab as I did that night… and at a crazy reasonable price.

Later in the trip, near Valparaiso, a restauranteur invited us into his restaurant to enjoy a “Happy Hour of Food.” Gary and I still giggle when we think of that night and the delicious food and wine that we enjoyed there.

We were just wandering from place to place, exploring as we could, uncovering treasures, except for our night of Arroz con Pollo (which still was pretty good).

Since then, I’ve learned so much more about wine and food and the delicious gems of Chile that we missed on that trip, as well as the changes that have come about since our visit.

The one vineyard and winery we visited, Cousiño Macul, I have been told has relocated. That was the very first winery I ever visited and thinking back on that sunny afternoon of wine, stories and warm hospitality from the gentleman giving us a tour still makes me smile. I think about it nearly every time I open a bottle of wine from Chile. Well, that or the massive, gorgeous glaciers I saw on our hiking excursions, or the Machas a la Parmesan and Pisco Sours we enjoyed in Santiago that still make my mouth water! Oh, and I’ll never forget the crashing waves of the ocean below our hotel room at Hotel Oceanic in Viña del Mar…. or the fresh fish hanging in the market places. Chile is magical.

Since that first trip I have also learned to blog and share my stories. I would love the opportunity to visit the country again and share my new discoveries with you here on VineSleuth Uncorked.

I’ve shared a bit about wines of Chile already. You can read about Matetic Sauvignon Blanc and Santa Rita Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, a spicy night of Carmenere and Curry and I even have a simple, yet elegant Date Night Dinner pairing for you featuring a Los Vascos, a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon with a beef roast and cherry balsamic sauce.

Foods From Chile Next Top Blogger Contest

Will you help me to get to Chile to explore the country once again, this time with the experts? I’ll be sure to share my findings with you.

Foods from Chile is hosting the Next Top Blogger Contest, where the winner gets to go on a culinary tour of some of Chile’s top vineyards, olive groves, and fruit plantations, as well as visit the famous Mercado Central in Santiago and the Nam Santiago Food Festival this April.

You can help get me into the finals by voting for me on Facebook each day February 12-17 (see instructions below). If I make it to the finals, I’ll submit a video and hopefully be selected for the trip. And if I do, I promise to share every scrumptious moment with you right here.

So what do you think? Will you help me explore the wines and food from Chile once again, this time guided by the experts? And if I do win, please tell me, what can I research for you?

To vote, follow this link to the contest page on Facebook. Click on my post, which is titled Help me explore Foods fr… by Amy Gross on the seventh row, each day until February 17, to vote and help me win.

PS: If you want to know more about the delicious food from Chile, including its fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seafood, as well as the country’s commitment to healthy farming practices and environmental stewardship, check out the Foods from Chile website. It is a great resource to find when fruits and vegetables are in season and also explore some delicious recipes. Plus, the Foods from Chile Facebook page is a great resource for healthy eating and living, too. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Thanks to your support, I’ve made it to the finals! Thank you so much for your votes! I’ve got my fingers crossed and hope the judges pick me to share more stories of Chile with you.

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Wine and Chocolate Pairing

Feb8

February 8, 2013 by VineSleuth 1 Comment

Although many a wine writer would disagree with me, I absolutely love wine and chocolate together, and I love playing with all of the combinations to see what flavors I like the best. (If I didn’t, then how else would I have come up with this chocolate and wine pairing with Butterfinger last summer?)

I do realize that not everyone has the patience I do to keep trying different combinations of wines or chocolates. Sometimes you just want to go with what you know will be good, especially when you are trying to impress someone on a Valentine’s Day date…even if that someone you want to impress is already your spouse. (Ya gotta keep the sparks going, right?)

Wine and Chocolate Pairing Guidelines

When you want a go-to guide for wine and chocolate pairing, here’s what you really need to know:

In general, your wine should be at least a touch sweeter than your chocolate. (This is also the case for other desserts, as well, and explains why wedding cake never complements the dry sparkling wine it is most often served with at weddings. Bleccchh! What a shame for both the bubbles and the cake! But I digress.)

When matching chocolate and wine, the darker, more bitter chocolate with a higher percentage of cacao typically goes with the more tannic, and bolder wines.

Following that rule, here are a few successful pairings:

Milk chocolate with sweet Riesling or dessert wines
Dark chocolate with Merlot or Petit Syrah
Dark semisweet chocolate with Merlot or Pinot Noir
Dark bittersweet chocolate with Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel

Now that you know the rules, though, I’d like to encourage you to give them a try and play around with them a bit. Wine is meant to be explored and, just like you and I may not agree on our favorite wines, we might also not agree on our favorite wine and chocolate pairings.

Trying It Out

Just last night I had some friends over to try out a few wine and chocolate pairings to find out what they thought as compared to my impressions. We opened up a few bottles of wine and a few different chocolates to see what we might like.

First, here are the wines we opened:

Rodney Strong Russian River Valley Estate Pinot Noir, 2011- $23 at Kroger
Little Black Dress California Merlot, 2010- $10 at Kroger
Dreaming Tree Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010 (Yes, this is Dave Matthews’ wine)- $13 at Kroger
Decoy Sonoma County Zinfandel, 2010, $27 on Wine.com

And these are the chocolates we tried:

Dove Dark Chocolate Promises
Dove Milk Chocolate Promises
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Butterfinger
70% Cacao Dark Chocolate
Godiva 50% Cacao Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt
Chocolate Truffles (Mine were store bought, but here’s a great recipe for homemade chocolate truffles.)

With the Rodney Strong Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, I loved both the truffles and the Dove Dark Chocolate Promises. Each chocolate brought out a different flavor in the wine, though, so the effects were different. For example, I thought that the truffles really made the cherry notes of the Pinot Noir shine.

My husband and neighbor disagreed with me on the best pairings for the Little Black Dress Merlot. I liked it with the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, but the other two did not. We all agreed it was a good match with the Dove Dark Chocolate Promises, though.

My husband and I both liked the Dreaming Tree Cabernet with the Butterfinger candy bar. Typical wine and chocolate pairing guidelines would tell us to match it with a darker chocolate, like the 70% Cacao, but there was something about that Butterfinger which made that pairing even more delicious! We also liked it with the dark chocolate and sea salt.

The Decoy Zinfandel was a perfect match for the Godiva 50% Cacao Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt, but not the darker chocolate as one might expect. Perhaps I’m just not one for that bitter of a chocolate!

I think the best way to find out what you like is to give a few combinations a try. And I can almost guarantee doing this on a date night or even with a group of friends can be a lot of fun. Open up a few different bottles of red wine, pull out some different chocolates and see what YOU like best.

I’d love to hear about your favorite wine and chocolate combinations in the comments so I can give them a try myself. What do you like?

Valentine’s Chocolates Photo Credit

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1 Comment Filed Under: Wine and Chocolate Tagged With: Merlot

Chocolate Truffle Recipe & Wine Pairing

Feb7

February 7, 2013 by Mary Cressler 4 Comments

by Contributing Writer, Mary Cressler

I have a thing for chocolate, truffles especially (who doesn’t?). When planning my wedding, I had the grand idea to hand-make chocolate truffles for my guests to snack on for dessert. We had a traditional cake but wanted something a little more personal to offer our guests as well. And what’s more personal than a handmade gift?

Two days before the wedding, my bridesmaids and I found ourselves crowded into the kitchen of my tiny San Francisco apartment chopping chocolate and rolling approximately 200 truffles while sipping on wine (not a bad way to spend an afternoon).

I don’t remember eating a single truffle on my actual wedding day. I’m told they went quickly. But every time I’ve had a chocolate truffle since, then I am reminded of that wonderful day over 7 years ago.

It has been awhile since I made these, so I decided to surprise my husband for Valentine’s Day this year by using the same recipe I did for our wedding. It’s no secret that we don’t get out much since having kids, so with most of our dining done at home I like to surprise him when I can with something romantic and homemade. And I find chocolate truffles to be incredibly romantic – besides the obvious fact that they remind me of my wedding.

Store bought chocolate truffles can be very expensive (browsing the section at Whole Foods the other day I saw they charge $1.49 per truffle!). These cost a fraction of the price (averaging less than 30 cents per truffle), are ridiculously easy to make, and look and taste just as elegant as anything you can buy at the store.

So why not surprise your loved one this Valentine’s Day with this delectable treat? I’ve even paired them with wine for you.

The most important ingredient in these, and one not to skimp on, is the quality of chocolate. With so few ingredients it is vital to use a good quality chocolate because that is what the end result will taste like. They need not be the most expensive, just good quality (and one you love to eat alone). For these I used Ghirardelli simply because it reminds me of San Francisco (where my husband and I got married), and the quality is good. I’ve used Trader Joes Pound Plus bars in the past and they work just as well.

Chocolate Truffles

Yield: 30 Small Truffles

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients

8 ounces semisweet chocolate (you can use bittersweet chocolate too, but my husband prefers the flavor of semisweet, so go with what style you like better)
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (or other orange flavored liquor)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Toppings

Cocoa powder
Confectioner’s sugar

Additional Toppings to Consider

Caramel and sea salt (what could be better than that?)
Finely chopped or ground toasted nuts
Melted chocolate

Instructions

Finely chop the chocolate with a sharp knife then place in a large stainless steel or glass bowl. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, just until it starts to boil.
As soon as the liquid starts to boil immediately pour it into the bowl over the chocolate.
Add the Grand Marnier and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer for at least an hour (or in the refrigerator for several hours), until the mixture is firm.
With a melon baller (or a small spoon), scoop out small spoonfuls of chocolate and roll them into small bite-size balls. Work quickly here because once you start rolling the chocolate with your hands they will start to melt in your hands.
Roll the balls into the cocoa powder or confectioner’s sugar (or other toppings of your choice). Place on baking sheet or tray, cover, and transfer to refrigerator.

Notes

These can stay refrigerated for several weeks. But let’s be honest, they won’t last very long ;)

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Wine Pairing

Pairing wine and chocolate can be tricky. In general, you want to find sweetness levels that compliment each other. It’s also recommended that you find a wine that is just a touch sweeter than the chocolate. This can be hard to gauge.

Since I used dark semisweet chocolate, I wanted a wine that had complimenting flavors: a rich texture and body, chocolate notes, dark berry fruit, and a touch sweet. I tried the truffles with several different styles of wine to find a good match.

The standout pairing with these truffles is with a Ruby Port. Ruby Ports typically possess more ripe berry fruit and are moderately sweet compared to other styles of Port. You can go with a traditional Ruby Port from Portugal, or try a port style wine made elsewhere in the world.

The Yarden 2T port-style wine by Golan Heights Winery, made from two traditional Portuguese varieties (Touriga Nacional and Tinta Cao) was a fantastic pairing, elevating the flavors of both the wine and the truffles. If you can’t find the wine, or find the price tag a bit high (at $50), then seek out a Ruby Port from Portugal. You can find some excellent examples for around $20 or less.

We also tried the truffles with a 20 year Tawney Port, just to see the results, but I would shy away from that. The flavors of the Tawney are exquisite and delicate on their own, and are overpowered by the richness of the chocolate. Therefore stick with a Ruby Port with truffles. Leave the Tawney for nuts or cheese.

If you are not craving a port style wine, then Zinfandel can be a nice match for these truffles because they tend to be lush with rich dark berry fruit and a hint of sweetness, which all work to compliment the chocolate.

Two wines that paired well were the Federalist “Dueling Pistols” Red Blend (blend of 50% Zinfandel 50% Syrah) from Dry Creek Valley, California, for around $35. It also went equally well with the Ravenswood Zinfandel Old Vine Vintners Blend, also from California, for only $10 (in fact I think the truffles actually make this particular wine taste better than it is on its own!).

Regardless of which wine you chose for your chocolate, Port style or Zinfandel, or other, you are sure to impress your valentine with these truffles. As for me, it’s a win-win situation–chocolate, wine, and a reminder of the most romantic day of our lives.

Mary Cressler is a Certified Sommelier, a Wine Location Specialist, and the proprietor of Vindulge: Wine Education & Consulting. She conducts wine classes and events and offers consulting for individuals, restaurants, and event planners.

She writes about wine, food, and travel on her blog Vindulge. Mary resides in Connecticut with her husband, twin boys, and two Chihuahuas.

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4 Comments Filed Under: Wine and Chocolate

Dinner and Wine for $20 or Less eBook

Jan24

January 24, 2013 by VineSleuth 3 Comments

Looking for great cheap dinner ideas (that are easy to make and don’t taste cheap) paired with inexpensive wines?

Wondering how to pair chocolate and wine for a perfect Valentine’s Day dessert?

If so, you’ll want to download my FREE Kindle edition of Dinner and Wine for $20 or Less!

It matches 19 easy-to-make delicious dinners for four that can be made for $5 each, with more than 125 fantastic, affordable and easy-to-find wines for just $15 or less per bottle.

This latest edition includes a section on pairing chocolate and wine for a special dessert at home anytime and it is absolutely FREE on the Kindle today (Thursday) through tomorrow (Friday) night.

Each recipe in Dinner and Wine for $20 or Less was developed by cookbook author and mom blogger $5 Dinner Mom, Erin Chase, and paired with wines by a team of winelovers.

Recipes include:

Chive-Crusted Beef Roast with Creamy Horseradish-Chive Sauce
Crockpot Country Ribs with Mashed Potatoes
Beef Stroganoff
Grilled Sage Chicken Packets
Italian Stuffed Shells
Tilapia Scampi
and wine and chocolate pairing tips

Plus, the book features a photo index of the wines featured in the book for even easier shopping.

Are you looking to add wine to your dinners at home but don’t know where to start? Dinner & Wine for $20 or Less is the answer!
If you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download Dinner and Wine for $20 or Less to your smart phone or computer. All you need to do is download one of Amazon’s free reading apps.

Spread the word and help your friends eat delicious, fresh and cheap meals paired with inexpensive wines, too! It’s only free today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday), so act fast.

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3 Comments Filed Under: Dinner & Wine eBook Tagged With: Date Night Dinners, Week Night Dinners