Course Three of my fabulous wine-pairing dinner was a simple, yet elegant, salad. I like serving salad towards the middle of a multi-course meal because it’s a nice shift and a sort of palate cleanser. This salad was a lovely light dish to follow the hearty and robust Soppressata Bean Soup. [Read more...]
Course Two of my fabulous wine pairing dinner was a two-bean soup with bacon, soppressata, and various spices paired with The Crusher Petite Sirah. The original recipe for this soup called for Polish Sausage, but I love all things Italian so I chose to switch it up a bit. Soppressata is a common meat to use on cheese and charcuterie platters. It can be found hot and mild. For this soup I used mild so as not to detract from all the other powerful flavors. I loved this soup because it so vibrant and colorful and not very “soupy”. There is just enough broth for it to be called soup, but it is more similar in consistency to a chunky chili. In any case, it was delicious and I ate ridiculous amounts of it while preparing this dinner throughout the day. Even Elyse, my non-red-meat-eating friend loved it. I mean LOVED it! Jenn, the pickiest person in the world wrote “yum” on her notecard and even said aloud that it was a lovely dish. This soup is really fabulous all on it’s own. It doesn’t need any pairing at all! [Read more...]
I recently told you about my exciting gift of wine! I had in my possession six bottles of wine and six recipes with which to pair them. The best way I could think to tackle this challenge of pairing wines with recipes created especially for them was to host a dinner party with my friends. Armed with notepads and whetted appetites we began our culinary adventure with Smoking Loon Red Loonatic 2009 Sweet Red Wine. This wine was to be paired with an appetizer of bacon, dates, and bleu cheese. It actually came with a recipe that included three variations. Since this was going to be a six-course meal comprised of small plates I also had on the table a cheese platter that included elements from each course to nibble between servings (and pourings!)
I started teaching myself about wine several years ago. I have many books and kits and favorite websites. I feel like I am pretty okay when it comes to choosing a nice wine to enjoy with my carefully crafted meal. I also feel like I still have a long way to go and so much more to learn. Wine is a complex and beautiful thing. Before the grapevines even break through the soil the impending wine is being crafted by the land from which it grows.
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