deVine Table

Skiing Date Props

Remember the Mystery Date game? The premise was for the player to collect enough cards in order to be ready for the date that will appear when she opens the door. The cards identify different components of an outfit. Naturally, each outfit corresponds to one of four dating scenarios including the formal dance date, bowling date, skiing date, and the beach date.

Keeping those scenarios in mind, what would happen if you replace collecting the right outfit with procuring corresponding wine and food? For example, say you’re going to the beach. What wine would you want to drink? Then consider what food you’d want to take on a beach date. Doesn’t that make food and wine pairing sound a lot easier than navigating a lot of rules about tannin and acidity in wine?

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Chilled cherry gazpacho

At a recent dinner to raise awareness for Bristol Bay, Blueacre Seafood served up a lovely and refreshing cherry gazpacho. Even with the focus on cherries, the dish was on the rich and savory side.  I’m not exactly sure how Chef Kevin Davis accomplished that, but it certainly inspired me to give it a try.

This makes about 4 appetizer portions.

• 1/2 c toasted almonds
• 2 cups cucumber, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons raspberry vinegar
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

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Savory Sweet Potato Empanadas

When you’re looking for an easy yet elegant appetizer, this is one to consider. After all, we all love buttery flaky puff pastry don’t we? If you’re planning on serving these at a party, you can assemble them in advance as they freeze well. Or if you don’t need such a long term plan, you can refrigerate them over night.

The original recipe came from Chef Bryce Lamb, and I’ve made a few tweaks to help it pair with wine.

Makes 18

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Sips and Bites at Canlis Seminar

The food and wine pairing seminars at Taste Washington offer more than just a lecture on what to pair with chicken or steak. They offer guidance from a well-qualified and engaging panel, questions from an inquisitive audience, and the opportunity to actually taste several pairings. The Canlis Food and Wine Pairing seminar offered last Saturday was no exception.

With custom food creations by executive chef Jason Franey, and wines hand selected by wine director Nelson Daquip, the Canlis team offered up captivating pairings. Jordan Mackay from San Francisco Magazine joined Chef and Somm on the panel (I like a guy who says that he and his wife treat wine pairing like a team sport at home). Sara Schneider of Sunset Magazine moderated.

The seminar was peppered with useful comments and suggestions regarding food and wine pairing: (more…)

There are many advantages to eating in. For one thing, we can substitute anything we like! For another, we can open any bottle in the house without paying a 50% or greater markup. It’s also a heck of a lot cheaper overall than I imagined.

When the hubby and I eat out, he always makes comments about how inexpensive the raw cost of ingredients must be for foods like pizza or pasta. He is an accountant after all! So, I did a little experiment and broke down the cost of homemade pizza for the two of us and compared it to what we paid the last time we went out for pizza in Seattle. (more…)

I had the good fortune to recently attend a dinner featuring Foster Farms chickens. As if it wasn’t enough that I got to spend an evening in good company while enjoying a fantastic meal, our hostess Anne Nisbet  generously sent each guest home with fresh chicken stock. This is how I put that stock to use.

This dish was inspired by a recipe from The Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook. Authentic paella uses rice and takes longer to cook. This is one of those dishes I put together with ingredients in my pantry, hence the orzo. The end result is less time consuming and is still tasty.

Makes 4 servings

• 2 ½  cups  chicken stock
• ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 small chopped onion
• 1 chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup orzo (I like to use whole wheat)
• 2 links fully cooked smoked sausage, sliced (I like to use chicken chorizo if I can find it; kielbasa is fine too)
• 1/2 lb smoked chicken, diced
• 1 pint roasted cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 c peas

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Our Taste of Thai Table

Last month marked the launch of a project called Feast and Tweet. The goal of this event is to make it easy to gather around the table with friends to experiment with pairing food and wine together. We all meet up online at the same time to discuss the dishes and wines on our tables. The conversation covers how we like the dishes and the wines separately. Then, we get into how the wine and food pair with one another. Or, in some cases, how they don’t pair. It’s all part of the great experiment!

The Best of the Pairings

Shona of Woodinville Wine Update was very happy with the way the Northwest Totem Cellars Salish (a Riesling/Viognier blend) matched with Pad Thai. (more…)

Thai Food Served On the Patio

We recently did a great food and wine pairing experiment with Thai food. While I had the best intentions of preparing some homemade dishes with recipes from our friend Naomi of NuCulinary, my plan derailed. Not to worry, my local Thai carryout restaurant saved the day.

On the Menu

• Phad Thai
• Swimming Rama Chicken
• Cashew Chicken
• Red Curry Shrimp
• Green Curry Eggplant and Green Curry Mussels (these were homemade by Bean)

All of these dishes were prepared with medium spiciness.

The Wine List

The varieties of wine we tasted with the food included Chenin Blanc (one from France and another from Washington state), Gewürztraminer, Viognier, and Torrontes. There were also a couple of white blends and a rosé. Here are the wines that our group of 5 tasters felt paired best with the food.

• Chateau Ste. Michelle 2008 Gewürztraminer
• Coyote Canyon 2008 Viognier
• Domaine Pichot 2007 Vouvray
• Northwest Totem Cellars 2008 Salish (a Riesling/Viognier blend)
• Del Rio Vineyards 2008 Rose Jolee (produced with 80% Early Muscat, 10% Merlot, 10% Malbec)

Raising a Glass During a Class Presentation

Tonight was the last night of summer quarter at the Northwest Wine Academy. As with all of our food and wine pairing classes, students are required to present a food and wine pairing assignment to the class. The challenge this time was to prepare a menu featuring one wine paired with multiple dishes.

Anything Goes

Unlike previous classes where we each prepared and conducted our presentations solo, this one required working in teams. I was lucky to have Bean and Teri as my partners. Bean and I have a lot of “practice” working together on food and wine pairings. After Teri joined us for a virtual tasting, we could tell she shared some of our sensibilities, and brought some new food for thought to the table (pun totally intended!).

Teri Prepping Apricot Graham Snacker

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On an overnight stay in Richland in order to attend the Wine Bloggers’ Conference excursion to Yakima Valley, we dined at the Taverna Tagaris. Conveniently located right off I-182, we easily found the place. The weather was very accommodating and allowed us to enjoy our first outdoor meal of the summer, next to a water fountain that kept us cool on this warm evening. I selected several options from the appetizer section of the menu for my meal. The meze plate, a sampler of 3 spreads, included hummus, spicy artichoke, and skordalia. I also ordered a Greek salad. It’s a nice salad, though not really a traditional version. The highlight of my meal was a dish called Gambas el Ajillo (spicy garlic shrimp). Paprika lends a beautiful intense orange shade to the shrimp, and the flavors are powerful. This is a dish I would definitely order again!

The Wine Pairing

The wines served at the Taverna come from the adjacent Tagaris Winery. Craving something cool and refreshing, but not willing to commit to the 16 ounce glass of beer on the menu, I opted for a glass of the House Rosé Table Wine for $6. This wine was made for summer! Offering notes of bright raspberry and strawberry followed by a crisp finish, it was just what I was hoping for. It paired with every dish on the table with the exception of the spicy artichoke spread. Then again, I have yet to try any wine that pairs well with spicy artichoke spread.