Edamame Burger Paired with Fleur du Cap Chardonnay from South Africa.

I always love rose, whether it’s an inexpensive quaffer or a gem from Provence, France.

But I’m quite particular about Chardonnay. Right now it is stylistic for winemakers to produce Chardonnay that sings with the fingerprint of terrior – that is embodying the qualities and elements of the grape. I love my Chardonnays to be touched by the hand of Mother Nature and by the winemaker!

As a non-taster, I hunt for huge flavors and big impact in Chardonnay. I’ll drink the delicate ones, but due to having so few taste buds, these romantic wines provide me with little flavor satisfaction. I love “in-my-face” Chards. That means I’ll always give a thumb’s up to the effects of malo lactic fermentation, sur lie aging and barrel fermentation and aging and lots of toasting of the barrel. Call me out of style if you will. I don’t really care.

(By the way, being a non-taster is not any worse or better than a taster or super taster.  We all experience the health benefits and quirks.)

I recently sampled a Chardonnay that falls somewhere in between.  Gorgeous.  Remember the name, “Fleur du Cap.”  This Chardonnay embodies the partnership between Mother Nature and the team of viticulturalists and winemakers at Die Bergkelder, the famous ‘cellar in the mountain’ in the heart of the Stellenbosch Winelands of South Africa.   Die Bergkelder is an International award winning winery.

The 2012 Fleur du Cap Chardonnay, (CSPC 358960), $12.80, is big and rich with aromas of apples (from the grape) and butterscotch (from the barrels). The creamy palate offers refreshing acidity in harmony with apples and cream. It’s absolutely lovely.  The quality for price benefit makes this wine even more attractive.

Check out this video that celebrates Fleur du Cap

Sourced from grapes grown in Stellenbosch and Robertson, the Chard spent 8 months aging in barrel with some lees contact. The lees were stirred every 2 weeks to broaden the wine’s palate. Lees contact means the wine was left to rest on its dead yeast cells, particles that float to the bottom during fermentation. Sur lie contact and/or aging gives the wine additional complexity. In this case, the winemaker stirred the lees into the wine every 2 weeks.

In this video cellarmaster Andrea Freeborough talks about the production process of Fleur du Cap’s award winning wines.

Because this particular Chardonnay is both crisp and rich, it can partner to a whole range of summer foods. At such a reasonable price, this Chardonnay is ideal to pair with appetizers before barbecue entertaining. All dips with cream cheese or Greek yogurt, as a base ingredient will serve as a complementary partner. Try spinach or smoked salmon dips. A white bean dip with olive oil, garlic, Parmigianno-Reggiano, lemon and basil will also work with this wine. The lemon and saltiness of the cheese will work nicely with the wine’s crisp acidity.

If barbecuing pair this wine with salmon burgers with lemon and capers or tuna burgers with garlic mayo.  The wine’s acidity will nicely offset the saltiness of the lemon and capers, all the while having enough weight to handle this fatty fish and fatty mayo.

For your vegetarian friends, prepare Edamame Burgers with Parsley-Garlic Mayo to complement the 2012 Fleur du Cap Chardonnay.

In a food process or blender combine 2 cups of thawed, cooked edamame, 1 can of chickpeas (with liquid), 1 cup of sliced mushrooms, ½ cup of unsalted cashews, ½ cup of nutritional yeast, 4 cloves of garlic, ½ teaspoon of cumin and ¼ teaspoon of liquid smoke (You can get the liquid smoke at Firehouse Gourmet), 1 teaspoon of soy sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Transfer the paste to a large bowl and slowly add in 3 ½ cups of chickpea flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerator for at least a half hour until the mixture is stiff. Form the mixture into patties and fry on each side until golden. If you use gluten-free buns, then the whole recipe is gluten-free.

To make the mayo, in a food processor add 1 cup of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 4 cloves garlic and ½ cup of fresh parsley. Puree until smooth.
Serve your vegetarian burger with slices of fresh avocado, red onions and fresh greens on a baguette or bun.

This is a super healthy meal to pair with your 2012 Fleur du Cap Chardonnay.  The avocado and mayonnaise are well matched with the wine’s creamy texture.

Spring is finally here. And asparagus are now coming into season. The old wine adage states that asparagus do not work with wine. Hogwash! Asparagus, when incorporated in a dish with other ingredients, work extremely well with specific wines.

With weather warming white wines are more desirable as well and they happen to complement dishes with asparagus as an ingredient.

Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and refreshing with citrus tones and big acidity. This acidity nicely offsets saltiness. This wine’s acidity nicely contrasts with grilled asparagus wrapped in prosciutto as an hors d’oeuvre. Wrap around the centre of each cleaned asparagus a piece of shaved prosciutto.   Do several wrapped asparagus and then set them tightly in a barbecue vegetable rack.   Grill the asparagus until the prosciutto is crispy. Serve hot with a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc.   Be sure to buy a couple of bundles of local asparagus as this hors d’oeuvre is highly addictive when served with this wine.  Pair this easy hors d’oeuvre with an Ontario Sauvignon Blanc.

This simple recipe can also be served as a side dish, using bacon instead of prosciutto.  Wrap several asparagus in bacon and grill or roast.  The same wine pairing rule applies.  The saltiness of bacon complements a white wine with crisp acidity like Sauvignon Blanc.

If you choose to serve this same Sauvignon Blanc throughout the main course and highlight fresh, local asparagus in the side dish, try Quinoa with fresh asparagus in a lemon olive oil dressing.

Chardonnay can be quite lovely when partnered with barley risotto with asparagus and hazelnuts. Buy 1 ½ pounds of local asparagus. Cut top third of each asparagus stalk diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices, reserving tips and slices together. Coarsely chopped the remainder. Steam asparagus until tender, then add to a food processor or blender. Add 2 cloves of fresh garlic. Puree. Set aside. Then steam the asparagus tips and slices for about 3 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and rinse under cool water. Set aside. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cook 1 medium onion, finely chopped with black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt in 3 tablespoons of olive oil until softened, about 7 minutes.   Add 1 ¼ cups of barley to the onion and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add ½ cup of white wine and boil, stirring, until liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 4 cups water. Bring mixture back to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 35 minutes.   Stir occasionally.

When barley is cooked, stir in asparagus-garlic purée. Fold in asparagus tips and slices. Add more boiling water to get right risotto consistency. Let mixture cook through until hot. Add freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano as needed. Serve hot sprinkled with more cheese, fresh lemon zest and toasted hazelnuts. (You can toast the hazelnuts in a dry fry pan and let cool.)

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Passover in 2014 start on Monday April 14 and will continue until Tuesday, April 22, 2014.

I was surprised to learn that wine is actually permitted during this sacred holiday. I was surprised because wine is made with yeast and yeast is forbidden on Passover. But I have since learned that this prohibition only applies to yeast produced from grains, such as wheat, barley, oat, spelt or rye. Grape yeast or its sugars, is not considered chametz (leavened food.)

In our province in Canada, our liquor store called “The LCBO” now carries a wide range of quality Kosher wines produced all over the world that can be enjoyed during Passover. And these wines can also be paired with both Ashkenazic and Sehardic Jewish cuisine.

I’m sure a liquor store in your home town will also carry Kosher sparkling wines.

Adar de Elviwines Cava Brut KP, (CSPC 156737), $14.75, is a Spanish, Kosher and crisp, dry sparkling wine. The wine is light both in weight and alcohol and has fine bubbles and refreshing acidity, citrus notes on the nose and palate and a mineral-like after taste. This is a delicious bubble to pair with Matzo Ball Soup. If interested in creating a more harmonious pairing, add lemon and parsley to the soup. The lemon acts as a bridging ingredient between the bubbly and the soup.

I grew up in North York, at one time called Willowdale, just north of Toronto. North York is now also part of Toronto. We lived in a predominantly Jewish community and ate regularly at the original Pickle Barrel on Leslie and at Marky’s at Bathurst and Wilson. Both restaurants offer Jewish and Kosher cuisine. I become a sort of wanna-be Matzo-Ball Soup conniseur. The secret to a delicious matzo-ball soup is the broth. The broth should be rich, salty and with great roundness and depth of flavour. The battle begins with the matzo-balls themselves. Some balls are light as clouds, known as floaters. Others are dense and chewy, called sinkers. Every family has its preference. I’m in the camp of sinkers. And thats only because I want my matzo balls to resemble Newfoundland dough-boys, which is also a childhood comfort food favourite. Those in the floater camp please forgive me.

Here’s an easy Gluten-Free Matzo Ball Soup Recipe to Pair with Kosher Brut Sparkling Wine.

Gluten-Free Matzo Ball Soup
4 eggs
2 teaspoons sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black
2 cups blanched almond flour, sifted
6 cups fresh chicken stock or vegetable stock

In a medium bowl, beat eggs, (1 tsp) of salt and pepper for 2 minutes. Stir in the almond flour. Refrigerate the mixture 2-4 hours. Remove from refrigerator
Heat a large pot of water (with 1 teaspoon salt) and bring to a boil. Roll the batter into 1-inch balls then drop into the pot of boiling water. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Heat 6 cups chicken stock in a separate pot When the matzo balls are finished, remove from simmering water with a slotted spoon and add to chicken stock Ladle stock, plus 2-3 matzo balls into individual bowls and serve.

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Aging Beef At Primal Cuts, Peterborough, Ontario

Petit Verdot is a red grape variety that usually gets little attention.  It lurks in the shadows behind other varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc.

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In this dreadfully cold weather, the last thing anybody should be eating is fresh tomatoes. They taste bland, juiceless, and mealy, not even a vague recollection of summer.  Canned tomatoes are the next best alternative!   Canned tomatoes are an indispensable ingredient in our pantry!

In terms of quality, flavour and texture, what brand  of canned tomatoes are the best for making that perfect spaghetti sauce? The canned tomatoes you choose will make or break the taste and flavour of your sauce! Before you turn up your nose, keep in mind that a good canned tomato product should taste better, much better, than a “fresh” tomato in winter. We decided to taste a variety of canned tomatoes for ourselves, in an official blind tasting.

Cora Whittington of Golden Pathways Retreat and B&B, Linda Devine and I hosted a fund raising event for a friend.  We featured a blind tasting of canned tomatoes and spaghetti dinner with an auction.   For the blind tasting we featured six brands of canned tomatoes, including 1 brand of San Marzano DOP.  We were all delightfully surprised that the majority of the votes for first place went to Alta Cucina tomatoes from California.  These canned tomatoes defeated both San Marzao brands and the other popular brands we buy at supermarkets in Ontario.  Alta Cucina tomatoes are, by majority vote, superior in ripeness, firmness, texture and flavour.   I personally agree.

Blind Canned Tomato Tasting

Popular Brand

Alta Cucina Tomatoes

Alta Cucina

In Peterborough, the tomatoes are only available in Peterborough at the Pasta Shop at 165 Sherbrooke Street.  This is one of my favourite shops.  I adore the owners Paul and Susie Leroux.  They also produce outstanding fresh pasta, a variety of tomato sauces made with Alta Cucina tomatoes and prepared frozen foods, olive oils, tapenades, etc.   I’m also a huge fan of their homemade chicken stock, sold frozen and made from Mrs. Miller’s chickens.  Mrs.  Miller runs a chicken farm in Keene, Ontario.  She treats her free-range birds with dignity and care.  Her facility is impeccable and clean.  So, I know my chicken stock comes from local birds that were treated well during their lifetime.

http://youtu.be/wY-i1vpQmc4

Outside of this city, contact the Stanislaus to find out where they can be purchase Alta Cucina tomatoes closer to your home.  They can also be  purchased through Amazon.com 

http://www.stanislaus.com

At the Pasta Shop the Alta Cucina can (108 ounces) is $6.00 (plus tax), which works out to be less expensive than all of its rivals.  And they are less than half the price of the San Marzano DOP tomatoes.  Since the can is large, owner Paul suggests you make your tomato-based sauce from the large can and then simply freeze the extra sauce.

For a simple, harmonizing partnership place 1 Alta Cucina tomato and a little sauce on a toasted slice of baguette, press down on the tomato to flatten it.  But be careful as the tomato will so be juicy it will squirt onto your shirt.  This happened to me twice.  Cover the tomato in a layer of goat cheese.  Stick it under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese melts slightly. Pair this appetizer with a glass of Chianti.

If you head to the shop, they will show you the results from our canned tomato blind tasting.

If you’re a white wine sipper, choose Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris or Pinot Blanc to pair with any dish or sauce featuring canned tomatoes.  The idea is to bridge the acidity in tomatoes with the wine’s natural acidity.

Italy is known for its wines and its adoration for tomatoes!  So it is not surprising that this country produces a variety of wines that possess enough acidity to refresh the palate and harmonize with the natural acidity in both fresh and canned tomatoes.

The key to this partnership is let that tomato acidity shine.  Just find the right wine with enough acidity to act as a bridging partner.  In other words, if you’re making tomato sauce from either fresh or canned tomatoes, avoid adding sugar – that is if you intend to partner your dish with red wine.  At the time of year I would also suggest you rely on canned tomatoes rather than fresh.

From Tuscany comes Chianti and Chianti Rufina (including Reserva and Superiore), and Chianti Classico.  These are  generally dry red wines that range from light to full bodied with various levels of tannin.  The flavours resemble tart cherries with floral notes like violets. They all share refreshing acidity that will complement any dish, Italian or otherwise, featuring either fresh or canned tomatoes.  If entertaining friends with a dish highlighting canned tomatoes, try 2010 Castello di Querceto Chianti Classico DOCG, Vintages, (CSPC 650754), $29.95.  This wine has obtained scores ranging from 87 to 89 out of 100 from several top wine critics (James Suckling, Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast).

Bardolino is a municipality in the Province of Verona in the region of Veneto.  It’s also the name of the wine, Bardolino D.O.C  (guarantee of origin) produced in the hills east of Lake Garda.  This is a light red wine with apple and berry flavours, a hint of spice and good acidity.

Lambrusco is also the name of the region (within Emilia Romagna in Northern Italy) and the name of the grape.  Six grape varieties are vinified to produce this wine.  The highest quality wines are Lambrusco di Grasparossa and Lambrusco di Sorbara.   Generally the wines possess strawberries and raspberry flavours with just a hint of bitterness on the finish and again, tomato-worthy acidity.  In Peterborough we have an inexpensive version available, Chiarli Castelveltro Lambrusco, (CSPC 604), $9.95.  It is the only one available at the moment in Peterborough.  It is an easy red to complement inexpensive comfort foods featuring canned tomatoes.

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I had a few friends over for dinner a few nights ago.   After hors d’oeuvres but before the entree, I served my guests a glass of brut sparkling wine to harmonize with my hybrid Caesar salad.

Brut sparkling wine has that bone dryness and sharp acidity that harmonizes extremely well with the saltiness of Parmigiano-Reggiano and the stark bitterness of loads of raw garlic. The pairing was as close to perfection as a pairing can get! If you love anchovies in your Caesar dressing, the saltiness also nicely offsets the acidity in brut sparkling wine, as well.

It’s all about the dressing.   I do a hybrid Caesar version using Renee’s Mighty Caesar dressing as my base.  Then I add to this dressing 3 large cloves of minced garlic, the yolks of 2 eggs and ¼ cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.  The dressing is so garlicky and good!  The salad consists of romaine lettuce, fresh mushrooms and sweet onion slices. The pre made dressing has enough of the other ingredients, like lemon, so that I don’t need to add more. I serve a few hunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano on the side of the dish.  This salad is always a hit amongst my guests.

As an aside, my first husband’s family (the Darlings) lived beside Renee Unger in North York.  I practically lived at the Darling household too.  I remember when Renee started the company in 1984.  She would bring dressings over to the Darling household for all of us to sample and assess.  We loved her dressings  then and I still do today.  I just like to add my own personal touch to pair the salad with sparkling wine and to please my non-tasting palate.  (A non taster is someone with fewer taste buds who requires over-the-top flavours and spice to achieve palate satisfaction.  A super-taster is someone with so many taste buds that almost no seasoning is required to enhance the enjoyment of food. A medium taster swings in between.)

If you cannot purchase Renee’s Mighty Caesar dressing, make your own homemade version.  Here is a recipe:

1 ounce anchovy (approximately 2)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated

10 ounces romaine lettuce

1 cup seasoned croutons

Directions:

In a food processor, combine anchovies and garlic and blend to a fine paste.  Add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, egg yolks.  Slowly add olive oil, then lemon juice, vinegar and ½ the cheese.

Place the Romaine lettuce on the dressing mixture and toss, making sure to wet all sides of the lettuce leaves. Add croutons and the remaining parmesan cheese then toss lightly.

Back to Caesar salad and wine…

If you do not live in Ontario, Canada, then my suggestion is that you find a brut (bone-dry) sparkling wine with singing acidity to pair with your garlicky Caesar Salad.

Our Ontario wine regions produce incredible sparkling wines due to the terroir.   During the growing season, cool nights attribute to the grape’s increasing acidity.  These are ideal conditions for the production of delicious, crisp and refreshing sparkling wines, along with Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Noir, to name but a few.

From Lake Erie North Shore comes Colio Wines CEV Lily, (CSPC 618512), $17.95.  This is a crisp rose sparkling wine with fabulous acidity that will nicely offset a big-garlic Caesar dressing.   The wine has berry aromas and flavours with some yeasty character in support.

I paired the CEV Lily sparkling wine (white) with my Caesar salad to serve to my guests.

From Niagara comes Jackson-Triggs Methode Cuvee Close Sparkling VQA, (CSPC 217679), $14.95, a medium-bodied sparkling wine with citrus and yeasty notes on the nose and palate.  It is also bone dry and idea for Caesar salad.

Henry of Pelham produces a more extravagant sparkling wine called Cuvee Catharine Brut Rose VQA, (CSPC 217505), $29.95.  A more complex sparkling, Cuvee Catharine has cherry and floral notes on the nose and palate with lots of fine bubbles and refreshing acidity. Another great partner for Caesar salad.

From Prince Edward County comes Hinterland Whitecap 2012, (CSPC 332809), $22.00. You will have to obtain this wine from the winery.  Apples and peach with a hint of honey comes through in the character, supported by yeasty tones, crisp acidity and a long finish.  This is also a wine with enough character to stand up to the big flavours of hybrid Caesar salad.

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Pinot Noir is considered, in general, a light, fruity red wine, an ideal companion for salmon or other fatty fish and, perhaps, chicken. But Pinot Noir, depending on where it is grown and vinified, can have enough structure, character and weight to stand up to beef.  It depends on the Pinot Noir grape, the region and the winemaking.

Many New Zealand Pinot Noir can work with beef.

New Zealand.  I love this country.  While visiting New Zealand I was amazed that in any restaurant I could order a glass of quality Pinot Noir and pay $4 Canadian.  This was 10 years ago.  But the wines have only increased in quality while still offering value for reasonable prices.  It’s a gorgeous country, a Shangri-La.   I remember standing by the roadside near Christchurch on the South Island.  On my left I gazed at the aquamarine waters of the Pacific Ocean.  I then looked to my right and gasped in awe at the snow peaked Southern Alps.  It was like standing on a Caribbean shoreline and at the base of the Swiss Alps all at the same time.

The Marlborough region of New Zealand is no doubt the country’s most famous and well-developed wine region and it is on the South Island.  Stoneleigh is also one of the most renowned wineries of this region.   The company produces fruit forward, delicious, reasonably priced and consistently good wines year after year.

Their Pinot Noir 2012 is one of the best value-for-dollar gems offered through the LCBO, CSPC 54353, $19.95. Black cherry and strawberry come through on the nose and palate, followed by some peppery tones, medium weight and refreshing acidity. Delicate tannin and a hint of minerality come through on the finish.  I love this wine.  This particular vintage received a silver medal at the 2013 Intervin International Wine Awards and a silver medal in the 2013 New Zealand International Wine Show.

Diverse soils comprise the Marlborough region.  In fact, the region has 87 different soil profiles to be exact, with various properties and characteristics that affect the character of the wine.  In the Stoneleigh vineyard of Rapaura, the soil is stony and once the bed of an ancient river.   Dry, warm days and cools nights produce grapes and therefore wines with fruit forward concentration and a good backbone of natural acidity.

This particular Pinot Noir will complement a range of beef dishes.  Try herb-crusted beef rib roast to complement the 2012 Stoneleigh Pinot Noir.

For the herb crusted rib roast recipe you’ll need an inexpensive but whole bottle of Pinot Noir.  Try the Pelee Island Pinot Noir (CSPC 45617, $10.95.  Do not use a $20 Pinot Noir for cooking.   Place a beef 4-rib roast on a rack in a roasting pan. In a food processor or mortar and pestle add ¼ cup of mixed peppercorns and grind.  In a small bowl mix the crushed peppercorns with 3 tablespoons of kosher salt, 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme and 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the mixture.  Coach the outside of the roast with the peppercorn mixture.  Let the roast stand for about 1 hour.  Meanwhile preheat the oven to 450 F.   Make sure the oven rack is on the lower third.  Roast the beef for about 20 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 350 F and continue roasting for about 1.5 to 2 hours.  Use a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat.  Let the thermometer register 110 F.  Then pull the beef from the oven.  Set it on a platter.  Let it sit for about 40 minutes.  The roast will continue to cook.  At 130 F, the roast will be medium rare.

Discard fat from the pan juices. Set the pan over 2 burners. Add 1 cup of inexpensive red wine, bring to a boil and deglaze the pan, scraping up the hard bits. Pour the pan juices into a cup.

Cook ½ cup of chopped shallots in 1 tablespoon salted butter.  Cook until translucent.  Add the wine mixture from the cup, along with the remaining wine in bottle, and boil over high heat until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes.

Add 2 cups of beef or chicken broth and continue to boil over high heat until mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups.  Whisk in 3 tablespoons of butter until it is melted and incorporated. Season sauce with salt and pepper if needed. To carve the roast, slide a carving knife along the inside of ribs to separate the meat from the bones, then cut the ribs into individual bones. Slice the meat and serve with vegetables and Pinot Noir jus.

Stoneleigh’s Pinot Noir has enough weight to stand up to the beef.  Its crisp acidity will nicely offset the saltiness in this beef rub.

Polenta, a native dish of Friuli, Italy, is a wonderful ingredient to utilize for hors d’oeuvres and appetizers.  It’s simply cornmeal that’s made into porridge or mash.  .   But when boiled, polenta may be left to set, then baked, grilled or fried.  Polenta is a fabulous base ingredient that can be partnered with a variety of ingredients and paired with wine.

I’ve been editing my cookbooks to make the Kindle savvy and came across this recipe this morning.  It’s so easy and delicious and a harmonizing partner for any austere red wine.

You’ll need to make the polenta rounds from cornmeal. The pre-prepared polenta tubes available at supermarkets won’t work here; the rounds made from those tubes are too large to serve as bite- sized morsels. The ready-made polenta also can’t be punched with a cookie cutter.  Besides, slow-cooked polenta is much tastier, in my opinion.

Polenta Rounds with Stilton Pate

Serves 4-6 (makes 16 rounds)

 pate:

8 oz            250 g          cream cheese

4 oz            125 g          crumbled Stilton

2                                   cloves minced garlic

1 tsp          5 mL         finely chopped fresh rosemary

 polenta:

1 cup        250 mL          milk

1/2 cup       125 mL          fine cornmeal sea salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste corn oil    (for frying)

rosemary sprigs (for garnish)

To make the pate, combine the cream cheese and Stilton in a bowl. Mix them together until they’re well blended. Mix in the garlic and fresh rosemary. Cover the mixture and refrigerate it until it’s needed.

To make the polenta, bring the milk almost to the boil. Add the cornmeal in a very slow stream, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low. Continue stirring in the same direction while the cornmeal thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes. The polenta is done when it peels easily off the sides of the pot. Season it with salt and pepper. Remove it from the heat. Pour the polenta onto a sheet of aluminum foil. With wet hands, smooth it into a thin, even sheet. Let the polenta cool. Cut out 16 rounds, using a 2-inch (5 cm) cookie cutter or the rim of a wine glass. (Fancy cookie cutters work nicely, too.)

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the polenta for about 2 minutes on each side, until lightly golden.

Meanwhile, spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set the fried rounds on the baking sheet.

Top each round with 1 tsp (5 mL) Stilton pate. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the rounds until the cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Watch closely so the pate just melts, but doesn’t slide off the polenta. Garnish the rounds with the rosemary sprigs. Serve them warm.

Suggested Wines: Barolo, Barbaresco, Amarone, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc

Building Blocks 

The predominant building block is fattiness and saltiness from the Stilton.  An austere red has enough tannin to nicely offset the fat and salt in Stilton.

Flavors

Choose an austere red with berry flavors to complement the piquant flavor of Stilton.

For other cheese recipes to pair with wine, check out Shari Darling’s

The Wine and Cheese Lovers’ Cookbook, now on Kindle and available through Amazon.com.  Click the book cover.

Riesling (pronounced ‘rees-ling’) was born in the Rhine River region of Germany and its history stems back to medieval times to 1546.  German botanist, physician and author, Hieronymus Bock, mentioned this grape in his book called Herbal.  Today, Germany continues to produce delicious Riesling.  But so does Ontario and its nice to know we have world-class gems grown in our own back yard available for purchase.

The wine’s aromas and flavours can resemble fruits ranging from lemon and lime to peaches and apricots,  tangerine and pineapples.  Sometimes Riesling can be more petrol in character, as well.

What I love most about this grape is its versatility, producing white wines that can be bone dry, to off dry to late harvest to Icewine.  Riesling has enough character to stand alone with screaming and refreshing acidity as its predominant taste sensation.  Or it  can swirl with an tanginess and sweetness in several levels.

I often see articles praising Riesling as a wine that works with spicy and Asian dishes.  This is only partly true.   It depends on the wine’s level of  sweetness.  The sugar code is key, determining whether Riesling will work with a particular spicy or ethnic dish.

If the dish has sweetness, one’s Riesling must be more sweet.  If the dish is spicy, this white requires even more sweetness.  But don’t be alarmed.  When vinified correctly Riesling doesn’t taste sweet.  That’s because of its backbone of acidity.  When made be masters, the wine’s sweetness will show up on the forefront of your palate, but only to suddenly disappear as it dances with the sweetness.  A tango of taste sensations.

Some of us cherish the bone-dry versions that complement foods offering similar tanginess or saltiness as primary bridging ingredients in the dish.

Dry Riesling works with yogurt and sour cream based dips and salty cheeses and charcuterie and cured meats.  Pair Riesling with Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP, Grana Padano Aged, Pecorino Romano, Asiago, prosciutto, capocollo, Pancetta and Parma Ham, to name but a few.  If you want to highlight Riesling with an entrée, choose one that uses lemon or lime as an accent flavour.  Sole drizzled in lemon complements bone dry Riesling.  Perfect partners.

I was so excited to learn that Ziraldo Riesling, VQA, CSPC 357640, $19.95 is now available in Peterborough, 879 Lansdowne  Street West.

This is an exciting wine with aromas bursting with lime and apricot flavours.  The palate is delicate yet sophisticated and rich with forward flavours of lime and tangerine.  Hints of minerality lurk behind.  And ever so gently, just a smidgen of honey creeps in to soften the acidity at mid palate.  It’s a bone dry wine, but with just enough sweetness for balance before it lingers a while on the finish.

Ziraldo Riesling offers excellent value and sophistication for $19.99.  It’s also organic.  Former owner of Inniskillin Wines, planted the vineyard on his property adjacent to Inniskillin in 2007 with an aim to produce organic Icewine. Ziraldo is the king of Icewine.  He and former partner Karl Kaiser put Canadian Icewine on the wine world map by receiving the Grand Prix d’honneur in 1991 for their 1989 Vidal Icewine.  This vineyard consists of Riesling planted on 5 different rootstocks.  Its Ziraldo’s experiment to determine which stock is the most suitable to the microclimate of the vineyard and ultimately to the Niagara region to produce world-class organic Icewine.

But due to an extremely hot summer, the grapes matured and ripened early, so Ziraldo was forced to pick them in mid-November.  The result is this juicy table wine.

There are only 100 cases of this wine.  In Peterborough, we are certainly not overstocked.  So I highly suggest you pick up a few bottles to hold you over until the summer.  Please save 1 bottle for summer dining. A glass of Ziraldo Riesling to refresh the palate and cool the body in the summer heat would be nothing short of a vacation-at-home.

I decided to create a chicken recipe to complement Ziraldo Riesling’s predominant lime flavour and zesty acidity.   Pair this wine with Rustic Chicken with Coconut, Lime and Cilatro Jus.  I use in the recipe coconut infused rum.  Adding a spirit to the dish increases its level of roundness and depth of flavour called umami.  The fresh lime flavour in the jus bridges perfectly with the wine’s lime acidity as well.

Here is the recipe:

Coconut, Lime and Cilantro au Jus Chicken

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 to 4 cloves of garlic minced, depending on preference

¼ cup of coconut infused dark rum

1 cup chicken broth

Juice from 2 limes

4 chicken breasts

4 small carrots, chopped

1 leek (white part only), sliced

½ bulb of fennel, sliced

½ sweet onion, sliced

½ yellow or orange pepper

½ cup fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a skillet over medium heat, heat oil.  Saute garlic until aromatic.  Sear chicken breasts.  Set chicken breasts in oven proof baking dish.  Deglaze pan with rum, scraping up browned bits.  Add 1 cup chicken broth.  Let simmer for 2 minutes.  Pour vegetables mixture over chicken.  Add cilantro.  Add broth.  Pour juice from 1 lime over vegetables.  Set in middle of oven.  Roast for 45 minutes or until chicken is desired doneness and white inside.  Transfer chicken and vegetables to plate.  Wrap with foil and keep warm in oven.  Place juice in sauté pan.  Bring juice to a boil.  Reduce to medium and let simmer until reduced by half.  Transfer chicken to serving tray with vegetables, drizzled in jus. Squeeze with fresh lime juice just before serving.

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Discover the secrets that 90% of people don’t know about pairing wine with food.