Pairing great wine with the right food...
At A Taste of Wine, we encourage pairing great wine with the right food, and, we also enjoy sharing our receipes with our special friends... our valued customers. Please enjoy our wine with some of our favorite recipes.
Stout and Onion Soup with Emmental Cheese ToastYield:16 servings
Cheese(s): Emmental Swiss
12 oz. unsalted butter
3 1/2 lb. onions, cut into julienne
2 tbsp. coarse salt
6 oz. garlic, chopped
8 oz. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. dry mustard
2 gal. chicken stock
1 qt. stout beer
12 oz. Emmental Cheese
8 egg yolks
2 tbsp. prepared horseradish
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
16 1/2-inch slices French baguette bread
1. Melt butter in large rondeau (wide shallow pot with handles). Add onions and salt; reduce heat to low. Cook onions 20 - 30 minutes until golden brown and soft, stirring often.
2. Add garlic, flour and dry mustard to make roux; stir until well mixed with onions. Add chicken stock and beer. Bring to boil, skimming top as necessary. Simmer for 1 hour or until slightly thickened. Adjust seasoning as needed.
3. Combine cheese, egg yolks, horseradish and parsley; mix unto smooth paste. Spread evenly on baguette slices.
4. For service, bake cheese toasts in preheated 400° F oven until golden brown. Ladle hot soup into cups; top with cheese toast.
Suggested Wine :Pinot Noir Chardonnay
Barley Beef Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
• 1 soup bone (meaty) or 6 bouillon cubes
• 3 quarts water
• 1/2 lb stewing beef, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup barley
• 2 cups canned tomatoes, chopped (with juice)
• 1 cup carrot, sliced
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup peas (I prefer frozen)
• 1/2 cup green beans
• 2 potatoes, pared and diced
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Directions
1 Place the first 10 ingredients in a soup kettle. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 3 hours.
2 Skim soup until clear while simmering.
3 Remove soup bone; add all remaining vegetables and simmer for about 30 minutes longer.
4 Let soup stand for about 15 minutes before serving.
Chicken and Cavatelli
So comforting and yummy, this dish reminds us of Grandma's chicken and dumplings. In fact, you can substitute frozen dumplings for the cavatelli.
SERVINGS: 4
Ingredients
1. 5 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
2. 1 bay leaf
3. 1 onion, cut into thin slices
4. 2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
5. 3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6. 1 teaspoon dried sage
7. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
8. 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
9. 4 bone-in chicken breasts (about 2 1/4 pounds in all)
10. 3/4 pound frozen cavatelli, egg noodles, or dumplings
11. 2 tablespoons butter, softened
12. 2 tablespoons flour
Directions
1. In a large pot, bring the broth, bay leaf, onion, celery, and carrots to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the sage, salt, pepper, and chicken breasts and simmer, partially covered, until just done, about 25 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts a few times during cooking.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the cavatelli until just done, about 10 minutes. Drain.
3. In a small bowl, stir the butter and flour together to form a paste. Remove the bay leaf from the pot, push the chicken to the side and then whisk the butter mixture into the liquid. Simmer until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the cooked cavatelli and simmer until just heated through.
Notes Frozen Pasta Several brands of frozen cavatelli, flat egg noodles, and gnocchi are available in supermarkets. Unlike dried pasta, these products have an appealing doughy chew that we find just right with this type of saucy stew. Cook the frozen pasta separately according to package directions, drain, and then stir into the pot with the chicken.
Three good choices would be a merlot or a chardonnay from California or a Meursault (also made from chardonnay) from France.
Beef Sukiyaki Noodles
• TOTAL TIME: 30 MIN
• SERVINGS: 4
Ingredients
1. 1/2 pound dried fettuccine
2. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce
3. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sake
4. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
5. 2 tablespoons sugar
6. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7. 3/4 pound beef sirloin, thinly sliced across the grain and cut into 2-inch lengths
8. Salt
9. 1 medium sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
10. 8 large shiitake mushrooms, caps only, quartered
11. 3 scallions, cut into matchsticks
12. 1 bunch of watercress, thick stems discarded
13. 1/2 pound (about 1/2 block) firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
Directions
1. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the fettuccine until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain and rinse under hot water. Transfer the noodles to 4 bowls and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce with the sake, water and sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Season the beef with salt, add to the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until half-cooked, 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, 5 minutes. Add the shiitake caps and cook until softened, 5 minutes longer. Add the scallions and watercress and cook, stirring gently, until the watercress is just wilted, 1 minute. Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the skillet, along with the tofu. Add half of the soy-sake sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer just until the meat is cooked through, 1 minute. Spoon the sukiyaki over the noodles and drizzle with the remaining soy-sake sauce. Serve.
Pair this with a Shiraz
JELLY BEAN CONFETTI CAKE
□ 2 c. all-purpose flour
□ 3/4 c. miniature jelly beans, cut in half (not licorice)
□ 1 c. sugar
□ 1 c. butter, softened
□ 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
□ 1 tsp. vanilla
□ 3 eggs
□ 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
□ 1/4 tsp. salt
□ Confectioners' sugar
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease and flour 12 cup fluted tube pan or angel cake pan. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup. Level off.
In small bowl toss jelly beans with 2 tablespoons of the flour. Set aside.
In large bowl, beat sugar, butter, cream cheese and vanilla until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Blend well. Spoon 1 cup of batter evenly over bottom of prepared pan. Stir jelly beans into remaining batter.
Spoon into baking pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool upright in pan 10 minutes. Invert on serving plate. Cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.
Smoked Ham with Apple-Riesling Sauce
• ACTIVE: 25 MIN
• TOTAL TIME: 5 HRS
• SERVINGS: 20 to 25 Servings
•
Ingredients
1. One 18-pound bone-in smoked ham, skin removed and fat scored in a crosshatch pattern
2. 2 cups water
3. 1 bottle Riesling, preferably off-dry
4. 6 red apples such as Paula Red or Empire—halved, cored and skin peeled in stripes
5. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6. 6 scallions, coarsely chopped
7. 1 teaspoon hot paprika
8. 2 tablespoons Calvados
9. Salt
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Set the ham fat side up in a large roasting pan. Add the water to the pan and bake for 2 hours.
2. Pour the wine over the ham. Roast for 30 minutes. Increase the oven to 350°. Baste the ham and arrange the apples around it. Roast for 35 minutes; baste once more. Remove the apples, then peel and chop.
3. Bake the ham for 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting frequently, until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°. Transfer to a carving board; let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Strain the pan juices into a bowl and skim off the fat. In a deep skillet, melt the butter. Add the scallions and paprika; cook over moderately high heat until the scallions are softened. Add the Calvados. Using a long match, carefully ignite the Calvados; let the alcohol burn off. Add the apples and pan juices and cook until the apples are just heated through. Season the sauce with salt. Carve the ham and serve with the sauce.
Wine
Bright, appley Riesling: