Tastes Good With Food

I look forward to learning something new everyday and I can always count on wine to add something to my list.

Food and wine go together like hand in glove, love and marriage, well you know what I mean.

Though this cliche does not always ring true if we're eating the wrong foods. Well, not always eating the wrong foods, just the wrong foods for the wine.

There are lots of rules when it comes to pairing wine and food although we know that rules are made to be broken. But there are a few things to know that can help us.

To enjoy our food and wine together is to figure out what makes them compatible. Not an easy task but we can start with the basics.

However, there is something to be said about some of the wine and food pairing rules. The first important thing to keep in mind is that everyone has a different palate and their likes and dislikes are different.   Your favorite pairing may not be your BFF's favorite.


Here are some tips and suggestions.

• A social gathering is one element that can almost guarantee the pleasure of enjoying your food and wine -- "almost" is the key word here, but it's worth trying.
• The style of  wine has the elements of alcohol, acid, tannins, body style of light to medium, sugars or sweetness all of which affect our palates.
• Choose foods and wines of similar weight. For example choose a light wine to go with a light fish or chicken dish. For heavy beef dishes choose a heavy style wine such as Cabernet.
• Choose a wine from the same region as the food.  French wine with French food, Italian wine with Italian food but keep in mine the "region" is the key --  northern Italian foods are very different from southern Italian foods.  This applies to every country/region around the globe. 

Now for the more interesting palate "crashers".   These are some of the food flavors that need special attention when choosing a wine.

• Hot and spicy foods -- these will overwhelm a wine's flavors.  Choose a wine that is an inexpensive, easy drinking wine.  A chilled sparkling wine, Riesling,  or Gewurztraminer with a hint of sweetness will help cut through the heat and flavors.   Depending on the heat and strong flavors of the dish, sometimes it's best to choose a cold, non-alcoholic beverage.
• Acidic foods such as the fermented varieties of sauerkraut, pickles or other foods preserved with vinegar cannot be hidden and can make a wine pairing difficult.  Sometimes it is best just to avoid these foods with wines.
• Sweet foods usually have more sugar content than the sugar content in wine.  Very sweet foods can make even the most well balanced wines seem sour.  Avoid the very sweet tropical dried fruits since their sugar content is the highest.  The usual rule for sweets is to have a wine that is as sweet or sweeter than the dessert.
• Salty foods can be difficult to pair with wine.  Although you might say then why do Champagne and caviar go together?   Usually salty foods are combined with other food elements.  The caviar is sometimes served with a dollop of sour cream.  This element adds a bit of fat for a fuller flavor profile.  The bubbles and the acidity of a Champagne or sparkling wine can cut through it.

These are just a few suggestions to help you choose a wine you will enjoy drinking with the foods you enjoy eating.   So if you like what you are drinking then it's right for you even if your dinner partners don't share your enthusiasm.


Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Wordless Wednesday

Another Manic Monday

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A Beautiful Mess

Petite Sirah

A red wine from sunny California with quite a history.

The petite sirah/durif varietal is a thick-skinned black grape with berries that are small to medium in size, hence "petite" in the name of the varietal.

In short, petite sirah is an off-spring of the syrah grape, however the vines and grapes of each of these plants is very different and as parent and child they should not be confused one with the other. But there's more . . .


As far back as the 1880's petite sirah vines were growing in California. There were renegade winemakers in the 1880's who were interested in the French Rhone grape varieties and began making rich syrah wines from these vines laying the foundation for what was to come from the syrah grapes. That's another history lesson.

It was difficult to make a distinction between syrah and the petite sirah vines, however winemakers noted that one of the vines produced smaller grapes and hence was called 'petite' sirah.

As more grape varieties were planted in California vineyards the petite sirah vines became obscure, that is until 1997 when the University of California at Davis identified the Petite Sirah grape to have the same DNA fingerprint as the Durif grape. Huh? Durif -- O.K. there's more to this story, but I will make it short.

Francois Durif was a botanist in the South of France who wanted to produce a grape that would be resistant to mildew. He attempted to propagate peloursin and syrah grapes to try to achieve this. The result was the Durif grape varietal which he named after himself.

The wines produced from petite sirah grapes in California can be labeled as either Petite Sirah or Durif or it can have both the varietals listed. To legitimatize the name calling, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) recognizes the Durif grape and Petite Sirah grape to be interchangeable.

All this is just a little bit of need to know so as not to confuse the popular wine Syrah or Shiraz with the Petite Sirah. They are not the same wines -- hence the history.

The Petite Sirah grapes produce a dark red wine that is quite acidic and high in tannins. The wine has dark plum and blackberry and blueberry fruit flavors and has a little spiciness to it. If the wine is aged in new oak barrels it can develop aromas of melted chocolate. In Australia the petite sirah is often made into sparkling red wines.

The high tannins makes Petite Sirah age-worthy. You can keep it in your wine cellar upwards of 10-20 years. Whether you are opening a young Petite Sirah or one that has some age it is best to decant it before serving.

Concannon Vineyards in California was one of the first producers of Petite Sirah in 1961. This year commemorates 50 years since the first bottling of Petite Sirah. No doubt there will be some celebrations this year among the Petite Sirah producers.

Look for Petite Sirah in your local wine shops and celebrate the 50th anniversary. A California Petite Sirah will pair well with teriyaki beef, herb-rubbed lamb, pork, grilled steaks and my very favorite, dark chocolate.

If you are still over-whelmed by the winter storms and don't want to venture out, wine.com has a selection of Concannon Petite Sirah starting at under $10.00 a bottle.


Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Wordless Wednesday

The Cold Has Chased Everyone From the Pool

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A Beautiful Mess

Wines With Heart

What is a celebration without a glass of wine or bubbly to toast the occasion.

I was shopping for a sparkling wine this week and the wine shop had a display of wines with catchy names for Valentine's Day.

Here goes:



Chasing Venus Sauvignon Blanc (2010) ($16) -- From New Zealand it is named for the Roman love goddess. This has a screw cap which makes it 'easy off, easy on' perfect for a picnic (if you live in a warm climate).

2008 Hugel "Cuvee Les Amours" Pinot Blanc ($17) -- This is a refreshing Alsatian white wine "that's easy to love".

2009 J Vineyards Chardonnay ($28) -- The sign was a call for California Dreams with this Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley. It's full of peaches and cream, nuts and spice. Perfect for the California Chard lover.

There were a few wines with over-the-top price tags for French Burgundy and California Cabernet. It was odd that the display did not include any sparkling wines or Champagnes.

Oh, they were prominently displayed but didn't have any special "marketing" tags as these fun named wines.

Valentine's Day is just another day for retailers to reach their quarterly goals.

Don't let it get to you. Enjoy the day how ever you wish. It's not how you celebrate as long as it's with those you like.



Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Chocolate Truffles

Valentine's Day will be here in 3 days. The one gift most given for Valentine's Day is chocolate and that always makes me happy. Give me chocolate and "I'm Yours".

This huge commercial holiday gives retailers a big boost from chocolate sales, but for me, it's a holiday that our family has turned into a special family day.

After we had children Valentine's Day became all about family. The kids were enamored with this commercial holiday so we decided to give in to it and start a family tradition.

With hectic schedules we sometimes forget what is important. This is an excuse to make time on this day to forget about schedules and just have fun.

Our activities vary from year to year and it mostly depends on the weather each time. Sometimes we watch movies, play charades or scrabble, or go bowling or fly kites in the park to get in some exercise together.

We can't enjoy the day without chocolate so it's always fun for me to make chocolate truffles, chocolate dipped pretzels and bake cookies.

Here is an easy truffle recipe if you want to give it a try. It's a lot cheaper to make them than to buy them for your sweetie.

Easy Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients

• 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 TBLS. cocoa powder
  

Directions

1. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the cream in a sauce pan. Do not let it boil. Just heat until is starts to bubble around the edges.
3. Pour the hot cream slowly over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted.
4. Refrigerate the chocolate for about 1-2 hours or until it is thickened.
5. Place the cocoa powder in a strainer over a plate and sift the cocoa onto the plate just to remove the lumps.

6. Using a teaspoon, scoop out a spoonful of the chocolate and place in the center of your plam and roll to form a ball.
7. Place the truffle into the cocoa powder and toss it around until it is covered with the cocoa then place it on a paper candy cup.
8. Refrigerate in an airtight container. They will keep for about 3 days.

Enjoy the chocolate goodies.


This is linked on the following blog hops:

Life As A Mom
Good Cheap Eats
Home Is Where My Story Begins
Moms Crazy Cooking
Miz Helen's Country Cottage
MomTrends.com



Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Wordless Wednesday

AHHH!!!!!!

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Hot Events

Valentine's Day is coming up fast and furious, n0t that we didn't know it was coming . . .

We can add Valentine's Day to the list of biggest commercial holidays of the year - if there is such a list.

The commercialization of this holiday, for me, diminishes the "love potion."

For those who enjoy celebrating the day there are lots of events going on in every town of every city across the country. Check out your local events listings for something that just might ignite that spark in your favorite Valentine.


I have listed a few events in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State for anyone who might be able to visit if not snowed in.

This time of year brings out the wine and chocolate pairings. Many wineries will be having special tastings in their tasting rooms. Some wineries will be offering special dinners and wine pairings. There are many events from which to choose - I listed just a few.

Finger Lake Region February 12 & 13, 2011

Valentine Wine Dinner at Knapp Winery
6:30 PM - 10:30 PM -- The specially prepared dinner will be paired with wines from the winery. Please be sure to call ahead for reservations.
2770 County Road 128 (Ernsberger Road)
Romulus NY 14541
Phone: 1-800-869-9271
http://www.knappwine.com

Seasonal Chef Demo and Wine Pairing—Lunch and Learn
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM -- Take the family to a "lunch and learn". Seasonal ingredients from the area will be the stars of a lunch prepared by a chef the the culinary center. The lunch will be paired with local New York state wines. A wine tasting instructions will be offered by one of the wine instructions from the center.
Call ahead for reservations.
New York Wine & Culinary Center
800 S. Main St.
Canandaigua, NY 14424
585-394-7070

Cobblestone Farm Winery's Sweet Sensation Weekend -- February 12 & 13, 2011 from 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
If you love your sweet treats this is the place to get the perfect pairing for cheesecake, brownies, and apple pie.
Cobblestone Farm Winery & Vineyard
5102 State Route 89, Cayuga Wine Trail
Romulus, new york 14541
315-549-8797

Long Island Wine Region's Annual "Winterfest: Jazz on the Vine"

This weekend is the start of Winterfest: Jazz on the Vine. This is always a great event at many of the wineries in Long Island Wine Country.

The event begins this Valentine's Day Weekend with wine tastings and chocolate pairings at select wineries and live music in their tasting rooms.

This is a fun event for the month and well worth a trip if you are in commuting range. Start your journey at Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard and enjoy the FREE Chocolate Wine Tasting and music from the Nick Demopoulos Trio beginning at 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 13th beginning 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. FREE Chocolate Wine Tasting and music from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. by the Dan Aran Trio

Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard
2114 Sound Avenue
Baiting Hollow, NY 11933
Phone: 631-369-0100
baitinghollowfarmvinyard.com

The Annual Winterfest: Jazz on the Vine runs for six weeks from February 12 through March 20.

Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Snowed In Meatloaf

The weather outside is cold, icy, rainy, foggy, slippery and it's definitely not the kind of weather to be out food shopping.

I just want to sit back and watch a movie (nothing's on tv), read a good book (I need an e-reader) or I can just read yesterday's newspaper.

But hungry-man has to eat. What a great excuse to rummage through the freezer for dinner. Looks like chopped meat is the dinner winner for this cold winter's day.

Ahhhh! comfort food at it's best tonight, although it doesn't come close to beating out my favorite mac and cheese which I can't make because I don't have enough cheese.

I wanted to make this a special snowed-in occasion and make hubby's favorite style meat loaf. He likes the way his mother made the loaf stuffed with mozzarella cheese and topped with tomato sauce and peas. I didn't have mozzarella so the tomato sauce and peas will just have to do for today.

Mother-in-Law's Basic Meatloaf is her Italian meatball recipe which she then shaped into a loaf. My own personal recipe is one that was given to me way back when I was a new bride and didn't know much about meatloaf. It's a simple and basic recipe that is very tasty and makes delicious leftover sandwiches for lunch the next day.

Basic Meatloaf

• 2 lbs. combination of chopped beef/veal/pork
• 2 eggs
• bread crumbs (I use my judgment) about 3/4 to 1 cup
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 finely chopped shallot
• 1 TBL. ketchup
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard (or use whatever style you like)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl with the meat and blend well with your hands.
2. Shape into a loaf place it in a roasting pan or a loaf pan that has been coated lightly with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 350 until done. Use a meat thermometer to test for proper temperature. It's difficult to gauge how long to cook a meatloaf so the meat thermometer works best.
4. About 30 minutes before done pour on your favorite marinara sauce and 2 cups peas on top of the loaf. Continue cooking until done. Stir occasionally so the sauce doesn't burn.

Serve with your favorite mashed potatoes. I have a small rosemary plant that sits on the kitchen counter and I added some to the mashed potatoes. They turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.

I'm always looking for a sweet treat. What can be better on this "special" occasion day than a big bowl of ice cream for dessert.

Lesson learned if you know you will be snowed in. Run, don't walk, to your nearest supermarket and pick up the ingredients needed for your favorite comfort foods so you will be prepared. Don't forget the ice cream for dessert. It's a must! when you know you will be snowed in.

I think I'll take my bowl of ice cream to the couch and hope there's a movie on tv I can watch while I enjoy my treat.


I've shared this recipe on the following hops:

Delicious Dishes
Hearth and Soul
Tasty Tuesdays


Stay warm and safe,

Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Wordless Wednesday

Ice and Snow Not A Problem Here!

I shared this on the following Wordless Wednesday linkys:
It's A Blog Party Say Cheese



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Winelady Cooks

Super Bowl Desserts Week III

Sunday is the BIG GAME! Just saying . . .

This is my last attempt at a dessert worthy of Super Bowl Sunday.

I'm not a gourmand, nor a gourmet cook, but I've been feeding the "I don't like that" family long enough that I've learned how to make everyone happy (well at least most of the time).

So I'm bringing to the table this week something that is easy to prepare, fun to eat, will satisfy the sweet tooth, and you could say it is kinda' healthy.

Fruit baby, you need fresh fruit to balance that meal. Well, that's a mom talking. For me personally, after eating big bold foods like the spicy wings and hot chili I still like dessert, but it has to be something that isn't heavy.

So here is "The Dipping Bowl" with fresh fruit, pretzels and chips -- you can't have game day without pretzels and chips. This is so easy and the 'big score' for this dessert is that you can prepare it in advance.

You can buy everything you need in the supermarket and that includes the sauces. I used the ice cream sundae chocolate, caramel and marshmallow sauces.

The Dipping Bowl
(Amount of fruit needed will depend on the number of servings. This recipe yields approximately 6-8 servings)

Ingredients

• 4 Apples, sliced
• 2-3 Bananas, sliced 1/2 inch diagonally
• Pineapple (fresh or canned)
• Pretzels - 1 small bag
  
• Potato chips with ridges - 1 small bag
  
• Chocolate sauce
• Caramel sauce
• Marshmallow sauce
• Lemon juice
  

Directions

1. Slice the apples in eighths and place in a bowl. Squeeze lemon juice over them and stir to be sure the apple slices are covered in lemon. Don't worry that it will be too lemony. When you are ready to plate them you will first lay them out on paper towel and gently wipe dry.
2. Slice the bananas in diagonal slices and place them in a bowl and squeeze with lemon. Treat them the same as the apples.
3. Slice the pineapple rings into threes so they are manageable to pick up with a toothpick.
4. Place the fruit on a platter with separators if you have one. If not, just neatly place the fruit on the platter large enough to hold the three fruits.
5. Put out the pretzel sticks and the potato chips in separate bowls.
6. Next pour the sauces into dipping bowls. Put out a package of toothpicks and you are ready to serve.

When I was planning my menu I wanted to serve fondue. When I couldn't find my fondue pot I decided to do a cold take on fondue. I also thought that if you were hosting a large crowd fondue may not be user friendly for the long day.

This is a dessert for everyone in your party circle -- vegetarians, fruit lovers, chip-a-holics and anyone with a sweet tooth. As always my recipe is flexible so you can use the fresh fruits that you know everyone will enjoy.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!


I've shared post on the following linky party blog hops:

It's A Blog Party's Delicious Dishes
Hearth and Soul
33 Shades of Green
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Healthy Home Economist
Ekat's Kitchen Friday Potluck







Mangia!
Winelady Cooks