deVine Table

Washington winery, Walter Dacon, crafts some lush and decadent wines. One of our favorite wines that they’ve produced has been their Roussanne. Sadly, they haven’t bottled any in recent vintages. So when our good friend Vivian discovered a bottle of the 2006 and one of the 2007 vintages in the winery’s library, we planned a special pairing dinner. (more…)

Prawns Poached in Cream Over Couscous

If you think being a student at the Northwest Wine Academy sounds like fun, you’re right! One of my current assignments is a group research project focused on a meal paired with wine. The “task” is to dine together with other students, then describe the meal, the wine pairings, and overall impressions of the meal. As luck would have it, my friends were planning a multi-course meal to celebrate my birthday in our traditional way. That meal has become fodder for this project. The topic happens to dovetail nicely into the theme for this blog, so I am sharing it here as this meal exemplifies what I consider the be the ultimate in food and wine pairing. (more…)

Curried Quinoa Salad

This salad is terrific for summer meals on the patio with a refreshing wine such as Gewürztraminer. I’ve adapted the recipe from the Bon Appétit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook to incorporate more ingredients from my farmer’s market and local producers. Serves 4

For the quinoa:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa rinsed (you must rinse the quinoa otherwise it tastes bitter)

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chutney
• 2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

For the salad:

• 2 ripe peaches, chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1 salad onion, chopped

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Tarragon Chicken Ready for the Oven

This is one of my favorite go-to recipes for entertaining because the dish can be assembled ahead of time and popped into the oven when guests arrive. I’ve adapted this from “The Healthy Gourmet Cookbook,” a treasured gift I received years ago that has been used so frequently that it looks like it will fall apart if anyone so much as looks at it.

Serves 4 as an entree, or up to 8 if served as part of a multicourse meal.

Oil, for greasing casserole
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup pitted Greek olives
4 potatoes (I favor fingerlings, but use any potato other than russetts), cut into 1½” cubes
1 head fennel, cut lengthwise into eighths

Tarragon Chicken Ready for the Table

Preheat the oven to 375°. Oil a casserole dish. Then, place the chicken in a single layer in the casserole dish and top with the sliced garlic, olive oil, tarragon or other herbs, and vinegar. Place the olives, potatoes, and fennel around the chicken. Cover the dish with foil, and put it in the oven for approximately 50 minutes or until potatoes are tender and chicken juices run clear when a knife is inserted. I like to serve this dish family style.

Wine Pairing

I love to break the traditional guidelines, and pair red wine with chicken! The tarragon, balsamic vinegar, and olives help this dish pair with a Syrah. I recently served this to a group of friends while we were tasting some of the lovely Syrahs produced by Walter Dacon Wines, and the chicken was not overpowered by the wine at all. Give it a tray.

Alternatively, substitute a teaspoon of Herbs de Provence for the tarragon, call it, “Chicken Provencal” and pair it with a Bordeaux blend.