WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘Food and Wine Pairings’

Cookies.  I have a confession to make:  Ummm… well, you see, I’ve been eating lots of them ever since they came out of the oven…like 10 at a time to be exact.  But who’s counting…right?  One look at these mouthwatering beauties and you’ll see why I’ve lost complete self-control, and understand why there are no measures to curb or ration my daily intake.

We’ve got snickerdoodle cookies, gingerbread cookies, pumpkin with cranberries and walnuts cookies, and cookies called “Cranberry Gems” that have craisins and white chocolate chips in it.  We also have “Peanut Butter Blossoms” – they’re the ones with the Hershey Kiss on top, and the world’s greatest chocolate-chip cookie known to mankind.  Rounding out the bunch is the ever so dangerous, melt in your mouth, can’t stop with one, “Raspberry Jam Thumbprint.”

Last night, as I was making myself a little (okay, it was more than a few…don’t judge!) plate of cookies for a late-night snack, I thought to myself, “I wonder what wine would go best with this cookie, or this cookie, or that cookie.”  I thought, what the heck, let’s do it!  So I grabbed six different wines to see if any would be a match made in confection heaven with these cookies.

Here’s a list of the wines that I pulled out:

• Domaine Du Margalleau Sparkling Vouvray NV (>$20) – This sparkler comes from France’s Loire Valley and is made with 100% Chenin Blanc grapes.  It’s like a dry brut, just with the delicious sweetness of Chenin floating around, with a slight flintiness to round out a very well balanced and exceptional wine.  Highly recommend.
• 2008 Rabbit Ridge Viognier from Paso Robles, CA.  (>$10) – Wow!  What a steal @ less than 10 dollars a bottle.  Not overpowering in the least.  Made with estate grown fruit, this California Viognier is bright, lush and extremely well-balanced for an $8 wine.
• 2010 Annabella Special Edition Chardonnay from Michael Pozzan Winery (>$15) – Total production on 100% Napa Valley Chard is only 8,900 cases.  It’s smokin’ hot with a balance of lemon, pineapple, fig and slight vanilla undertones.  Not at all an in-your-face vanilla/oak Chardonnay so commonly found in California:  maybe because it’s only 35% barrel fermented in 100% French oak.  Whatever it is, this is a delicious California Chardonnay and an outstanding value.
• 2009 Chad ‘Red Hills Lake County’ Cabernet Sauvignon (>$20) – I’ve tasted wines from Chad before that I thought were scorching values, but my first impression of this ’09 Cab had me thinking otherwise.  I found the cherry component in this Cali Cab to be way over the top which made it overly sweet; taking away from any other ingredients that might have been swimming around inside.  But hey, that doesn’t mean that it won’t pair nicely with my plate of cookies!
• 2008 Three Old Vines Zinfandel (>$20) – This is a steal at less than $20 a bottle.  Bursting with bright red berries and spices, with just a touch of earthiness – this red Zin goes down smooth and leaves you panting for more.
• 2006 Small Gully ‘The Formula’ Robert’s Shiraz (>$20) – This is one whopping, badass Aussie Shiraz, made from 40 year vines, that reveals dark black fruit and chocolate notes while not burning the rubber off the tires with its dizzying 15.9% alcohol content.   

I asked my wife if she’d care to assist in determining if any of these wines would pair well with her delicious homemade Christmas cookies.  She said, “The last thing my ass needs right now is another damn cookie, but…I will try the wine.”

“Fair enough,” I said.

As I tasted through this bounty of homemade cookies and wine, there was one wine that hit a grand slam with the cookie plate:  that wine was the Domaine Du Margalleau Sparkling Vouvray NV (>$20).  It danced and sang with all of them except the Peanut Butter Blossoms and the world’s greatest chocolate chip cookie of all time.  I would have thought going into this tasting that the red wines would’ve done particularly well – especially with the cookies having chocolate and/or peanut butter in them, but sadly it wasn’t a match made in heaven.  Only the Shiraz played nicely with the gingerbread cookies and the Cranberry Gems.  Oddly enough, the 2010 Annabella Special Edition Chardonnay was a good match for the chocolate chip cookies and the 2008 Rabbit Ridge Viognier was quite tasty with the Peanut Butter Blossoms.  Go figure.  The ’09 Chad Cab, unfortunately, didn’t pair well with anything…maybe it was because I wasn’t diggin’ on it in the first place.

In the end, I must declare the Domaine Du Margalleau Sparkling Vouvray NV the ultimate winner in the 1^st Annual(?) WineLIfe365 Cookies and Wine Event.  It sure was a lot of fun trying all of them and now I know which wine to put out for Santa on Christmas Eve!

We also have a great spirits section, shop today!

I have no idea what to call the fall feast that went down at my good friend Bruce’s house.  In a nutshell, it was a nosh-up of towering proportions that can only be summed up in one word – EPIC.

While the kids were running rampant, dancing and roasting marshmallows around the bonfire, and elbowing one another to get the most candy from the broken piñata, there were several adults having some fun of their own! 

Supervised, of course!

Every kid for themselves!! 

Earlier this year, I received several samples from brothers, James and Mark Blanchard of Blanchard Family Wines.  Located in Healdsburg, California, Brothers Blanchard operate a small family winery that produces and sells hand-crafted, limited production wines – only 1500 cases to be exact.  I took a real interest in their personal journey into the wine business, and thought it would be fun to share their wines with friends.

Our first selection on this beautiful, chilly fall evening was the 2009 Blanchard Family Sauvignon Blanc (Dry Creek Valley) (MSRP: $20 US).

Our group of tasters described it as being “citrusy, tart, possessing a grassy New Zealand-esque quality to it with very good acidity.” A few detected an “oniony” quality.  However, the group was unanimous and rated the 2009 Blanchard Family Sauvignon Blanc (Dry Creek Valley) 3 Stars out 4.

Onto the delights that had us all practically licking our bowls and plates all night long!

First up… Arugula, Apple, Pear with chopped Pecan and crumbled Blue Cheese Salad topped with an Apple Cider Vinaigrette.

I paired this simple, yet terrific salad with what turned out to be one of the favorite wines of the night – the 2010 Blanchard Family “Peoria Pink” Pinot Gris (Russian River Valley) (MSRP: $30.00).

2010 was the inaugural vintage of the Blanchard Family’s Russian River Valley Pinot Gris.  Its special name “Peoria Pink”  is inspired by the wine’s color, which is a light pink.  Another thing worth mentioning is 20% of all sales from 2010 Blanchard Family “Peoria Pink” Pinot Gris go to breast cancer awareness.  How great is that!?

Here’s what people were saying about the 2010 Blanchard Family “Peoria Pink” Pinot Gris (Russian River Valley):  “Nice body, citrusy, sexy color! Great match with this salad!  Medium acidity and good structure.”  Tasters were split – some gave it 3 Stars, while others (including me) gave it 4 Stars out of 4!  Overall, it was a crowd-pleaser.

After finishing the 2010 Blanchard Family “Peoria Pink” Pinot Gris, we headed into hedonistic ecstasy when bowls of homemade pumpkin soup made their way out to the dining room table.

This soup, I tell you, was absolutely INCREDIBLE!!

I asked my friend Bruce to share some of his insights, secrets and tips for making this bountiful bowl of orange goodness, and this is what he had to say:

“In preparing the pumpkin soup, I found out very quickly that pureeing pumpkin is not as easy as it sounds.  Seems like it should be simple, right?  Place pumpkin in the blender/food processor; turn it on and instant pumpkin puree –right?  WRONG!  As it turns out, pumpkin is too dense to puree on its own, at least in my blender.  So my brilliant solution was to blend the pumpkin with chicken stock (the soup’s other base ingredient).  The trick, as I learned after much trial and error…and cleaning up pumpkin splatter on the walls, cabinets and ceiling is to have the right pumpkin to chicken stock ratio.  Oh yeah, two other notes: 1) Don’t lift the blender lid to peak in as pumpkin is being pureed unless you like wearing pumpkin and 2) Don’t wear a white shirt while trying to puree pumpkin.”

Thanks Bruce for sharing!

Now where were we?  Oh yeah, here’s the killer recipe for that pumpkin soup:

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 5 cups cubed, peeled, chopped fresh pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley and fresh chives
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon fresh chives
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups milk or heavy cream

Directions

1. Cut pumpkin into small pieces.
2. Heat the chicken stock and the other ingredients *(minus the 2 cups of milk and/or cream)   on the list in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.
3. Puree the fresh pumpkin in small batches (1 cup at a time) using a food processor or blender and stir in with the other ingredients in the large pot.
4. Return to pan and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 30 minutes, uncovered. Finally, stir in milk/heavy cream. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with fresh chives and parsley.

I’d suggest pairing this soup with a Chardonnay; but if you’re an ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) person, give it a go with a Viognier or Dry Riesling.

Our next course was Alaskan Copper River Wild Salmon from 2 Sisters Alaska Seafood.  Nothing like the real deal!

Check out the thickness of this salmon!

My pal Bruce used this recipe Salmon en Papillote from Julia & Jacques.

While he was on the fish station, I was in charge of cooking the side dish that he selected, which was a Herbed Quinoa Pilaf with Vegetables courtesy of Morethangourmet.com.

*Note: You may want to deviate a bit from the recipe and add more vegetable stock, butter and other interesting spices that you can find in your buddy’s spice rack to really make this recipe pop!!  Just a suggestion. 

We downed it all – “deadliest catch” and “ancient Peruvian grain” – with a couple of Oregon and French Pinot Noirs.

And were we done yet?  Heck no!  After going to Alaskan heaven and back, we had to have some beef, right?  In the words of Sarah Palin, “You Betcha!”

So we did.

Yup, we were gluttons for punishment!  This delicious Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Basil-Curry Mayonnaise is courtesy of Food Network’s resident hottie, Giada De Laurentiis.

We had such good fortune with the first two wines from Blanchard Family Wines that we decided we’d give it a go with both the 2008 Blanchard Family “Amber Monique” Syrah (Russian River Valley)(Sample, MSRP:$25) and 2009 Blanchard Family “Red Scarf Blend” (Sonoma County) (Sample, MSRP:$26.50).

The 2008 Blanchard Family “Amber Monique” Syrah (Named for Sylvia and James Blanchard’s daughter) packed a good punch of cherry-vanilla, black pepper, dark chocolate and light smokiness.  The group was divided on the 2008 Blanchard Family “Amber Monique” Syrah; some awarded it 2 Stars, while others gave it 3 Stars out 4.

Our last wine of the night from the Blanchard brothers was the 2009 Blanchard Family “Red Scarf Blend” (Sonoma County).  This wine was created to honor the men and women of the MH-53 Pavelow helicopter.  10% from all sales of this wine is donated to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, whose mission is to provide full scholarship grants and educational and family counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who die in operational or training missions and immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families.

The 2009 Blanchard Family “Red Scarf Blend” consisting of Cabernet, Syrah, Sangiovese and Zinfandel was a very successful mission with the entire group.  We found lots of explosive black fruit and a long finish that complemented every last bite of Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Basil-Curry Mayonnaise.  The group again was split, yet again; some awarded it 3 Stars, while others gave it 4 Stars out 4.  Another great wine for a great cause.  Note:  This is a very limited wine – get it while you can.  

And what would a dinner like this be without dessert?  For those that could hang, it was lights-out with Fresh Figs with Mascarpone and Warm Spiced Honey.

Night, Night…

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Ambulance Driver: We had to dig him out from under the most peculiar things I ever saw.
Dr. Hill: What things?
Ambulance Driver: Well, I don’t know what they are, I never saw them before. They looked like great big seed pods.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956

It’s official – I have a serious problem:  it’s called edamame obsession. 

My first experiences with these beautiful green pods were by way of visits to local Japanese Fusion restaurants.  Now, I make regular trips to Trader Joe’s to keep an endless supply in my freezer!  Since my indoctrination into the pod people cult, I’ve been popping these cheap, salty little buggers in my mouth every chance I get.  However, there are two problems with this:

1. ADDICTION (duh!)
2. They produce hallucinogenic images in my mind of what is supposed to come next…an amazing assortment of sushi!! 

Well, I’m screwed there – take note:  Poor Man’s Chef, not Sushi Chef.  Miso soup?  Umm, nope.  Bento box filled with beef and chicken teriyaki?  No dice there, either.  On most days I usually have some beef or chicken lying around just waiting to be lacquered with coats of teriyaki, but not tonight – our little minka had zilch.

So what did we have?

Much like every other weeknight, I rummaged through the fridge and freezer, searched through cabinets and spice racks to find something good enough to satisfy the craving.   I was in dire need of finding something that would fulfill the fantastical images that were floating around in my head of what should come next after sipping on a well-deserved gin and tonic and devouring a 20-inch high pile of steaming hot edamame covered in garlic salt and black pepper.  

In my search, I discovered:

• 1pkg. of frozen grilling chorizo sausage
• 1 yellow onion
• ¼ bag of mixed frozen peppers
• 2 handfuls of fresh snow peas
• 1 handful of sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 ready cooked Jimmy Dean turkey sausage links
• 3 slices of deli-sliced sweet honey ham
• Dry cilantro, fresh black and white pepper, and salt from the spice rack

Wine?  Hell yeah!!  I always have some of that sitting around.

Ok, so not exactly sushi delight, but you‘ll definitely find this three-step dinner to be pretty tasty:

1. Grill chorizo sausage.
2. Char all the other ingredients on the list in a hot pan coated with olive oil.
3. Lay a couple of pieces of grilled chorizo sausage down on a plate and top with the charred ingredients from step 2.

Hoping that it would hit the mark, like the 2007 Calcu Red Blend, I paired my Spanish-inspired dish with the 2008 Calcu Carmenere Reserva (Sample, MSRP: $15 US).   Made from 100% Carmenere grapes grown in Chile’s central Colchagua Valley, this tight red needed a shot of coldness to loosen up its smoky grip.  So I decided to take it with me on the deck while I was grilling the sausage, and fed it a cool autumn breeze for about 20 minutes.

After giving it a little jolt, the 2008 Calcu Carmenere Reserva expressed penetrating flavors of blackberry, raspberry, and black currants, along with gripping tannins.

3 Stars out of 4 for the 2008 Calcu Carmenere Reserva.

Cheers!  I’m off for my next edamame score!