Food and Wine - Pairing Advice from Wine Love
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Wine interacts dramatically with food, enhancing and complimenting each other in ways many people never experience. We have attempted to give you some adventures in wine and food, and invite you to tell us about your own experiences and recommendations. Thanksgiving Dinner: It is nearly impossible to serve the wrong wine with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. There are so many different flavors and textures that almost any wine will pair well with something. For the white meat, try a buttery Chardonnay or Pinot Blanc. Dark meat matches Pinot Noir especially well, although a dry to off-dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer works with the oily nature of the turkey. If you barbecue your turkey (as I do), try a light, fruity Zinfandel or Gamay Beaujolais. Can't decide? Open a Rose or drier White Zinfandel. Blush wines match well with both white and dark meat. Better yet, try several wines and experiment. I would avoid excessively sweet wines such as German Piesporter, Liebfraumilch, or any Late Harvest styled wines. Save those for the dessert AFTER dessert! Beef: Beef is prepared in hundreds of styles, flavors and dishes, yet remains true to its intrinsic identity: hearty. Served throughout most of the world as a staple meat, and an expensive delicacy in some countries, it is usually best served by a full-bodied red wine. The possible exception to this occurs when beef is used in spicy or heavily creamed dished. In these cases, a sweeter, fruitier, or more acidic wine could be ideal. We have outlined some general cooking styles and suggested some wines as accompaniment. Don't forget to experiment! Roasted, Broiled or Barbequed Beef:
Blackened or Spiced Beef:
Delicate Beef Dishes:
Sauced Beef: Cheese and Wine: Compact, flexible, and easy to carry and use, cheese is the perfect Wine Taster's tool. Wine is meant to accompany food, but how can you bring a wide assortment of foods to a wine tasting? The variety and quality of cheeses available today allow you to simulate a gourmet meal on the road. In addition, wine and cheese naturally compliment each other. Why shouldn't they? They are created by nearly the same process. Grape juice and milk are both fermented through a careful process to create specific flavors and styles. The general guidelines below are meant as a starting point for your experimentation. Enjoy yourself, and if you find something exciting, use the form below to let us know! Cheddars and similar sharp "English" cheeses:
Swiss, Gruyere, and other nutty-style hard cheeses:
Blue cheeses (Stilton, Danish Blue, Roquefort):
*Note-reds too high in tannins (puckery mouth-feel) may give blue cheeses a slightly metallic aftertaste. Stay with fruitier styles. Camembert, Brie, Herbed cream cheeses:
Parmigiano Reggiano, Romano, and similar hard cheeses:
Sautéed Scallops with Mushroom and Sherry Sautéed Scallops with Mushroom and Sherry Suggested Wines: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon Recipe: Serves 4 Here's an elegant but quick entrée perfect for busy holiday entertaining. The secrets to impeccable sautéing lie in using a pan large enough not to crowd the food and in cooking quickly over high heat. 1 pound large sea scallops Remove any muscles still on the sides of the scallops; quarter each scallop. Rinse; dry well. Reserve. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan until very hot but not smoking. Sauté the mushrooms until lightly browned and just tender, about 3 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove from pan; reserve. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Sauté scallops over high heat until lightly browned and opaque, about 3 minutes. De-glaze pan with Sherry; return mushrooms to pan. Over high heat, stir in tarragon, lemon juice, and mustard; season with salt and pepper. Divide among 4 serving plates. Serve with rice. Rack of Lamb with Winter Fruit Compote Suggested Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon Recipe: Serves 6-8 Rack of lamb provides an elegant entrée with little fuss. The accompanying Winter Fruit Compote, spiced with cinnamon and brandy, balances the deep flavor and richness of the well-seasoned meat. 2 (eight-ounce) packages mixed dried fruit, cut into bite-sized pieces To make compote, just cover fruit with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer gently until fruit is tender, about 20 minutes. (Add more water, if necessary.) Stir in sugar; add cinnamon. Simmer mixture 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat; stir in brandy and discard cinnamon stick. Best chilled overnight to marry flavors. To prepare lamb, mix garlic, rosemary, and olive oil; rub half of mixture over each rack of lamb. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove lamb from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking. When lamb reaches cool room temperature, lightly score fat in a diamond pattern; season well with salt and pepper. Arrange meat in a shallow roasting pan, fat side up. Roast at 500 degrees F until the internal temperature reads between 125 and 130 for medium rare, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; cover with a tea towel. Let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, warm compote. Carve racks into chops. Accompany with Winter Fruit Compote. Roasted Turkey with Pistachio Pinot Noir Sauce Suggested wines: Pinot Noir, Gamay, Gewürztraminer Recipe: Serves 4 1 small turkey, tom, whole STEP ONE: Roasting the turkey-- STEP TWO: Making the Red Wine Sauce-- STEP THREE: Sautéed Chicken with Gewürztraminer Suggested wines: Gewürztraminer, Riesling, White Zinfandel Recipe: Serves 4 2 2-pound chickens, boned STEP ONE: The Chicken-- STEP TWO: The Sauce-- STEP THREE: STEP FOUR: STEP FIVE: DO YOU HAVE A RECIPE TO SHARE? Email it to: info@winelove.org We will happily consider it for our future editions. Please, only one recipe at a time (we have a small staff!).
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