deVine Table

It’s the end of the quarter at Northwest Wine Academy. That means it’s time for me to prepare a food and wine pairing to present to the class as part of my grade. The topic is dessert wines.

I’m one of those people who craves the contrast between sweet and salty. So, when I saw a recipe for potato chip cookies, I whipped up a batch hoping to strike that balance. My partner on the project, Steve Roberts of the Wine Trails books and apps, tasted them and declared we had a winner.

After several taste tests and tweaks of the recipe, this is the final version that we will present in class.

This recipe is adapted from “Crazy About Cookies” by Krystina Castella. (more…)

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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A Pairing for Apricots

Life as a student at Northwest Wine Academy is full of challenges. The biggest challenge of them all? What food and wine pairing to present on the final night of class. This quarter the class I took was Varietals III which covers a variety of libations beyond wine such as beer, cider, sake, and spirits.

The idea for the pairing I presented came to me the night we tasted ciders in class. While tasting an apricot cider, this recipe that I have prepared for dinner parties came to mind. It’s a nice way to end a meal when you don’t feel like having an overly sweet treat.

I’ve adapted this from The Lavender Cookbook by Sharon Shipley. Serves 20. (more…)

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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Andouille Pasta for Malbec

Here’s an update on a classic Italian dish made to pair with Malbec.

This makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 teaspoons oil
• 2 links turkey Andouille Sausage (I get mine from the butcher counter at Whole Foods)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine (preferrably the wine you will be drinking with dinner)
• 1 750 g box of pureed tomatoes
• 2 dashes cinnamon
• 1 squirt agave syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces cooked spaghetti

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Giardiniera Salad

This recipe came about while I was preparing material for an Italian wines class. Inspiration came from the latest issue of Food Network Magazine. I’ve simplified the recipe  because I needed to easily feed a crowd. In fact, quantities can be doubled or quadrupled to do just that! So next time you’re hosting a casual spaghetti night or pizza night dinner, consider including this in the mix. It’s not expensive, and it takes just minutes to put together. (more…)

The Finished Pesto

Pesto is wonderful for it’s versatility. It can be used on pizza, sandwiches, and pasta, for example.

Tweaking traditional pesto recipes also means that different wines will work with your meal. So why not play with your food? If you don’t have any fresh basil on hand you can substitute parsley, spinach, or even kale. Or, if you don’t want as many green notes in your pesto, the Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe from the blog Closet Cooking is a good alternative.

My friend Vivian helped me with the ratios on this version of pesto, and for that I’d like to give her a shout out here!

This recipe makes enough for a batch of pizza or pasta. (more…)

Basil Pesto and Ingredients

Some people might not consider this a true pesto due to the omission of Parmigiano and pine nuts. Since I like to use this sauce on dishes such as pizza or pasta where cheese is added anyway, I find that I don’t miss the Parmigiano in this recipe. The end result is a more balanced dish.

There are two reasons that I no longer use pine nuts in pesto. The first is that I have experienced a reaction to pine nuts resulting in  everything I ate and drank tasting chalky like Tums. There’s a great post about this phenomenon on Pinch My Salt.

The second reason I don’t use pine nuts in my pesto is that walnuts are great for cutting through tannin in wine.

This recipe makes just enough for a batch of pizza or pasta. (more…)

Squash Fritters with Chimichurri Paired with Malbec

Trying to come up with of a way to reinvent some leftover spaghetti squash, I recalled a recipe for fritters in Greg Atkinson’s book, “At the Kitchen Table.” His version is based on parsnips, but I can’t get the hubby to eat those. Besides, we were in need of a side dish to pair with a Malbec.

So, after a few tweaks, this is what I came up with. When I asked the hubby what he thought of the Spaghetti Squash Fritters he replied, “There’s spaghetti squash in there? I couldn’t tell; they’re delicious.”

Makes 8 fritters

• 3/4 cup cooked spaghetti squash
• 1 tablespoon Cilantro Chimichurri, plus extra for serving
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons butter

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The food and wine pairing classes I’ve taken at Northwest Wine Academy have had an ongoing influence on me. In Varietals II where red wine is explored at great length, we were tasked with serving a dish to pair with Malbec. I’m now obsessed with pairing food with Malbec. All the time. Seriously. (more…)