Pairing Raspberry with Chocolate

This has absolutely NOTHING to do with wine but yum... M&M is going to be releasing a limited edition "RaZZberry" flavor. Pairing raspberries with chocolate. Brilliant. I haven't seen them hit the stores yet but they do have a funny commercial on their site here. Don't even get me started on the new Dark Chocolate M&M's.

Now we just need to find the perfect wine to go with them... any suggestions?

Wine and Cheese

Just a quick little tip today about pairing wine and cheese. There are entire books dedicated to how best to pair up this wine to that cheese. I've seen cool wheels and gadgets that make putting these items together easy and have been sorely tempted to buy them for our wine tasting parties.

I don't like to make my life more difficult than it has to be though. Most cheese are salty or acidic that make matching them, well, hard. So instead of making sure you have the right cheese with the right wine, add a 'bridge' food. Fruit and nuts help bridge the gap in the palate so you can serve the wine you want with a cheese you like.

Simple right?

Wino Food Pairing with Chardonnay

A special thanks goes out from us to our friend Leah Di Bernardo of Delyte's Fine Food Company. Check out her web site at http://delytes.com for her fabulous food and catering services. She is also the proud owner of The Castle found at http://www.thecastlebandb.com. Check out both sites for some of the most delicous food in town, Slow Food to be more exact (see her site to find out what that means and it doesn't mean the crock pot). Leah is also a fellow Rotarian and a very intriguing woman with great stories. Please be sure to support her! Cooking your fish on a cedar plank is a method of cooking and smoking salmon that has been used for many years. Make sure to use natural cedar. The salmon is Slow Cooked which produces a rich, smoky flavor. Cedar Planked Salmon Yields- 6 servings PREP TIME is about 20 minutes COOK TIME is 15 minutes- "watch your fish!!" INGREDIENTS * 24x8x1 inch untreated cedar plank * 6 (4 ounce) fillets salmon * Fresh/Organic Dill * 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns Quick Marinade- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1 tspn dijon; 1 tspn REAL maple syrup; 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup ale (beer), 1 chopped garlic clove (whisk or blend in cuisinart. Pour marinade over salmon, marinating for 20 or so minutes. Add fresh dill to the top, covering the entire fish. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap) **use a Pyrex or ceramic pan.. NO METALS DIRECTIONS 1. Submerge untreated cedar plank in water. Soak approximately 12 hours, or overnight. 2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Place prepared plank on the grill, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Cover grill and heat plank 2 to 3 minutes, until dry. Adjust grill temperature for medium heat. 3. Arrange Salmon on the plank, with dill still atop fish. Top with ground black peppercorns, and a smidge of sea salt 4. Cook salmon, covered, 10 to 12 minutes, or until opaque and easily flaked with a fork.

Food Pairing with Riesling

A BIG Thank You goes out to our friend June Evans, Manager of Blazing Noodles at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA for the beautifully paired recipes for beautiful Riesling. Their distinct Asian flair matches perfectly with this crisp cool wine. For their full menu listing, go to http://www.pechanga.com/documents/dining/BlazingNoodlesMenu.pdf

Blazing Noodles Recipes

Dynamite Wings

Ingredients:
1 cup Sirirachai chili sauce
1 cup Vinegar
¼ cup Sugar
8 Breaded chicken wings

Directions:
Blend the chili sauce, vinegar, and sugar until completely combined.
Fry the wings until crispy.
Heat pan or wok until hot add teaspoon of oil to cook the sauce. Toss in the wings to coat. Garnish with chopped green onions to serve.

Steamed Fish with Ginger Soy Sauce

Ingredients:
½ cup Soy sauce
½ cup Chicken stock
1 tsp Sesame oil
2 tbsp Julian fresh ginger
1 tbsp Sugar
½ oz Sliced shitake mushrooms
½ oz Julian onions
2 oz Spring mix
8 oz Sea bass filet

Directions:
Add soy sauce, stock, sugar, half of the ginger, and sesame oil to a sauce pot bring to a low simmer.
Put the filet on a plate, pour the sauce over and top the fish with the mushrooms, onions, and ginger steam for 8 min. for med-well.
Plate up: place spring mix in the middle of the platter put the fish on top and pour the sauce around the rim of the plate, garnish with chopped cilantro to serve.

For a fantastic weekend destination, you really should try coming out to Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA. Their restaurants, like Blazing Noodles, are world class and Temecula has so much to offer fellow winos, from Old Town to wine tasting at our 30ish wineries to the night life at Pechanga, including special concerts, a comedy club and night clubs. Go to http://www.pechanga.com/home.asp for more information on how to book your trip to our beautiful nexk of the woods and be sure to stop off at Blazing Noodles first!

Merlot Food Pairing

Wino Food

A BIG Thank You goes out to our friend Chris Baily, Owner of Baily's Fine Dining and Front Street Bar & Grill in Old Town Temecula, CA for the beautifully paired recipes for beautiful Merlot. They are so easy and so delicious anyone can make them. They are also perfectly paired with Merlot, since it is one of the ingredients in all three recipes.

Make sure to visit their website at www.oldtowndining.com. The absolute coolest thing about these restaurants is it is a two in one! You enter into Front Street Bar and Grill where the bar offers an amazing list of wines and beer, have a meal perfect for the day time on their patio or go upstairs for fine dining at its best. It could be a whole field trip in one!
Put out some beautiful crostini and you are all set to fly with these three easy appetizers!

Cream Cheese Tapenade

Ingredients:
3 Cups Cream Cheese
2 Tablespoons Garlic, Peeled
2 Tablespoons Shallots, Peeled
½ Cup Merlot
1 Cup Kalamata Olives, Pitted

Directions:
1. Place Olives, shallots, garlic in a sauté pan and lightly sauté until tender.
2. Deglaze with Wine
3. Place all in the food processor including room temperature cream cheese and blend until smooth.

Red Onion Confit

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Cups Red Onion, Julienne
1 ½ ounce Merlot
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 ½ ounce Red Wine Vinegar

Directions:
1. Heat the butter in a medium pan on low and scrape the milk solids off the top.
2. Pour the butter back into the pan and add onion. Sauté until softened.
3. Stir in the honey and cook the mixture until the onions are caramelized.
4. Add in the remaining ingredients and reduce for about 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Mushroom Duxelle

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Butter
8 Crimini Mushrooms chopped
½ Shallot peeled and chopped
1 ounce Merlot

Directions:
1. Heat butter in pan, add shallots and sweat until transparent. Add wine to deglaze pan
2. Add mushrooms to pan and cook until lightly browned.
3. Add chives and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Let cool before serving.

Don't forget to visit Baily's or Front Street Bar & Grill time you're in the Temecula and say hello to Chris. He is a fellow Rotarian and is known to serve up some mighty fine wine to our winos!

28699 Old Town Front Street - Temecula - CA - 92590
951-676-9567

Pinot Gris Food Pairing

Wino Food

A BIG Thank You goes out to our friend Kathleen , Owner of The Plantation House Restaurant in the Wine Country of Temecula, CA for the beautifully paired recipe for this crisp wine. Her Polenesian cuisine is a perfect match for the tart highlights found in Pinot Gris.

Make sure to visit their website at www.goplantationhouse.com. They are currently taking Easter Sunday reservations so hop on that quickly by calling 951-694-6088. For Groups, Catering, & Marketing call 951-694-2853. They do a lot of special events so be sure to join their email list at theplantationhouse@ca.rr.com.

The Plantation House Restaurant Pukalani Pear Salad

As the weather continues to get warmer, it is time to bring out those summer salads! The Plantation House Restaurant in Maurice Car'rie Winery has featured this summer salad since they opened a little over a year ago and it has fast become a favorite. Served with a beautiful Pinot Grigio, this Spring salad will make your tastebuds pop when the combination of goat cheese and the raspberry vinaigrette hits your mouth!

Kathleen Leonard, Owner

Recipe
1 Bag of mixed field greens
1 whole ripe Pear
½ cup of whole Macadamia nuts
¼ cup Goat Cheese
¼ cup Raspberry Vinaigrette
*We can't give you our recipe, but Girard's Walnut Raspberry Vinaigrette will be a fabulous substitute!

Wash Field Greens and set aside. Take whole macadamia nuts and place on a clean counter and crush them with a rolling pin. Set oven at 350 degrees and spread nuts out over a baking sheet. Put in the oven for five minutes until toasted. Then set aside to cool. Core fresh ripe pear and set aside. Place the mixed greens in a salad bowl to assemble. Toss the cooled macadamia nuts, goat cheese and Raspberry Vinaigrette salad dressing over the salad mixture. To finish, plate each salad individually and then thinly slice the pear over each salad. Put in the refrigerator before serving or serve immediately.

**You may consider adding sliced chicken breast or grilled shrimp to make a heartier salad.

Don't forget to visit The Plantation House Restaurant next time you're in the Temecula and say hello to Kathleen. She is a fellow Wino Club Member and deserves a toast.

Wino Food Pairings

A BIG Thank You goes out to our friend Scott Kendig, Executive Chef at Bing Crosby's Restaurant and Piano Lounge in Rancho Mirage for the beautifully paired recipe for these exotic wines from Chile.

Make sure you visit their website at www.Bingcrosbysrestaurant.com, and the address is 71-743 A Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270.

It really is the buzz of the Desert Area so be sure to call ahead to reserve your seats.

And by the way - the recipe is so simple that anyone really could do it... thanks again Scott!

Scott's Pork Brochettes and Shaved Fennel Salad

1 or 2 pork Loins
Cumin Coriander
Brown Sugar Mace
Fennel Spinach
Red onion 1 minced garlic clove
Salt Pepper
Vinegar 2 minced shallots (small)
Oil Lime juice
Sugar

Cut the pork loin into strips. You can either use a dry rub or add a little Olive Oil for Marinade

Combine 1/2 cup Cumin, 1/2 cup Coriander, 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, and one pinch of Mace. Either rub on pork strips or Add a 1/2 cup of oil and slather the strips.

Let sit over night.

Put Pork on skewers, BBQ and serve with the beautiful fennel salad.

Chopped Fennel Salad:

(Amounts used are dependant upon how many guests. (use your best judgment)

Shave or chop the fennel. Julienne the Spinach. Shave Red Onion. Mix in a bowl and toss with the simple vinagrette and you've got a goumet salad!

Simple Vinaigrette:

1 part lime juice
3 parts oil
1 clove minced garlic
2 minced shallots (small)
Salt and Sugar to taste
Mix together well and pour over salad.

Don't forget to visit Bing Crosby's Restaurant and Piano Lounge in Rancho Mirage next time you're in the Palm Springs area and say hello to Scott... tell him how much you loved his recipe as seen in at www.thewinoclub.com!

Wine and Food Pairing for Champagne

Think of any food you would normally eat with beer and try serving your bubbly with that. That's right wine and food snobs of the world, the refreshing taste of the bubbles goes well with Thai food, sushi, sausage, gumbo, and generally all spicy savory items.

Don't forget to serve some chocolates as well at your party, but it's good to keep your food pairings unconventional!