Month: August 2015

So the unofficial end of summer is just a few weeks away. If you live in a climate where winter is a full six months long, you can dread the beginning of cool nights. It is my goal, regardless of your location, to help you host a great Labor Day barbecue and wow the crowd with food and wine pairings.

How can you do this and not make it a day of labor? It takes a little advanced planning and a few good recipes. So I am give you an appetizer, main dish and side that are easy and will have your guests or family thinking you did hard labor to get this done.

The starter will be a great make ahead dish that is unique and delicious. Eggplant is a great summer vegetable and this dish has a great spice range. Buy a eggplant for every 3-4 guests. If you buy the smaller ones, double the quantity. Roast them on the grill until the skin is black and blistered or about 10-12 minutes total. You can also do this on a gas cooktop, but it makes a mess. Once the are cool enough to handle peel off the skin and reserve the pulp. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves, zest of half a lemon, 2 tbs of lemon juice and 4-5 tbs of good olive oil. Mix well, add salt to taste and let sit at room temperature for up to a day. Before you serve it, add a tsp of fresh chopped parsley and a handful of pomegranate seeds (available at most finer grocery stores). Serve it with pita chips and a high acid wine. A few examples are Kim Crawford Savignon Blanc ($15/bottle) or a white Bordeaux, generally under $20/bottle. Serve the wine chilled.

For your main, go redneck! I mean, what’s better and easier than beer can chicken. I love mine with a zesty rub, but use a good barbecue rub that you like. Here’s the recipe. Buy a 3-4 pound roasting chicken at least a day in advance. Make the rub. I use 2 tbs of paprika, 2 tbs of dark brown sugar, 1 tbs of kosher salt, 1 tbs za’atar, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp of fresh cracked black pepper and 1 tsp of ground cayenne pepper. The rub will be enough for 2 chickens, stores for a month in a sealed container and works on pork equally as well.

Rub the chicken thoroughly with the rub using your hands. Put it on a baking sheet and store uncovered in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove 1 hr before you cook and let stand at room temperature. Get a 12 ounce can of beer, drink about half the can and use a can opener to punch a few extra holes in the top of the can. Light a fire on charcoal or gas grill to use indirect cooking. Place the chicken on the can, pulling the legs forward so the chicken will stand up. Place it on the grill but not directly over either flame. You want 350-400 degree cooking tempature and the chicken will roast in 50-70 minutes depending on the heat of ypur grill. Use a meat thermometer and make sure the bird is cooked. CAREFULLY remove from the grill and cover in foil for 10 minutes, the remove from the can, carve and serve. If you use my spice rub, an Oregon Pinot Noir is a great choice. There are great bottles under $40. You can also go with a French Chablis or California Chardonnay if you like.

Now for an easy and impressive side. By a bunch of thin asparagus, 2 bell peppers (any color but green) and some pea pods (not snow) and trim and clean the vegetables. Asparagus you need to cut or snap off the “woody” part. Cut the peppers into 1/2 inch strips and remove all the seeds. Cut the tip and end off the pea pods. Take a sheet of heavy duty foil large enough to hold the veggies in a double stack and place the veggies in the foil. Toss with olive oil and kosher salt and seal to form a packet. Place this over the hot part of the grill while the chick rests. When you can hear the oil cooking, the veggies are done. Generally this is about 10 minutes. Open the packet, CAREFULLY and serve. It is a healthy and delicious wine friendly meal, without too much labor.

Cheers and happy Labor Day everyone!

It is a funny thing about wine; like beauty, “it’s in the eye of the beholder.” As is the goal of this blog and my Facebook page, I am here to help offer food and wine pairings. But I am sure you can ask, “what’s so special about my pallet?” Or “do my tastes match yours?”

A recent experience made me ponder that thought. After spending 15 minutes with my cousin Randy looking at 30+ bottles he had and was not sure where he got them and were there any hidden gems in the group, I helped him pick three bottles for our meal. It was a very eye opening experience for me. It was a large group of dinners and varying pallets of wine were offered for the meal. I stated, “I am saving the best of the three for last.” It wasn’t to make some point about tastebud fatigue or challenge the dinners, it was my opinion.

After we had consumed all three wines, a group of us had a discussion about which one they liked best. The consensus was there was no consensus (other than my cider brined pork chops and apples rocked! Recipe to follow.)

It made me think what the wine trade had become a quagmire of what did Spectator or Parker rate this wine? Or who the hell is Jonathan Newman? I always say when people ask me do you like a certain varietal or wine region, “drink what you like!” It is never more clear that my function as a sommelier is to offer options and insights, but I am not your wine conscience or tastebuds. For that matter, Robert Parker is none of those things either!

So what is the point? Three truths here; first drink what you love, or at least like. Second, a sommelier or wine critic is not the reason you should purchase or like a wine, the reason is your pallet and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Lastly, if you looking for opinions or advice, understand the persons point of view. By that I mean, is the sommelier trying to upsell you some wine, or do you like bold and big tannins in your wine? Robert Parker does.

Social media is great in that it allows for a free exchange of ideas and thoughts, but just because you read it, does not mean it is the right answer. So my suggestion here, ask for advice, read wine reviews, and in the end, drink what you like!

Now for that recipe and wine pairing I promised. You can use chicken or pork chops here.

Heat 2 cups of good cider vinegar to warm, but do not boil. Add the vinegar once heated in a large bowl or container to 1 cup of dark brown sugar, 3/4 cup of kosher salt (do not use table salt) 1 tbl spoon of dried mustard (do not use prepared mustard) and 1 table spoon of peppercorns. Let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups of ice then add your protein (chicken or pork) and 3 large apples cut into 16 pieces with the core removed. If you’re using smaller apples make 8-10 cuts. Cover and refrigerate for 60-120 minutes but no longer or it will be very salty. (60 is ideal). Remove the protein and apples and grill them both. The apples should take about 3 minutes per side, and do not let them get black, but grill marks are desired.

If you choose chicken, go with a French rosè or American Chardonnay. If you choose pork, the field would be French rosè, red Bordeaux or any good Pinot noir. I can give you some specific wine names here (that I like) if you leave me a comment. So as we hit the home stretch of summer, fire up those grills and enjoy some wine. Not because I (or spectator) says so, but because you love it!

The world of wine is a complex and changing on an almost daily basis. There are very few places on earth that do not produce some time of wine. Although varietals and quality vary greatly, it is still wine. So let me ask you, “so what are you drinking?” What should you drink? These are complex questions and my goal here is to give you a few non-classic pairings and choices that will help you feel comfortable with most wine lists and wine shops.

The old cliché was red with meat and white with fish; we have all heard that, but how about a few ways to think and drink outside the box? Try an Oregon or French Pinot Noir (burgundy) with salmon or roasted chicken. It helps if the chicken is roasted with lots of savory herbs or the salmon is served with a fruity sauce or relish, but even a simple preperation will work.

White wine with meat poses a harder pairing issue, but not insurmountable to say the least. A spicy Thai beef dish and a decent German or Austrian semi dry or slightly sweet reisling will excite your taste buds in a new and thrilling way. Another option I like is a great dry sparkling wine with a charcuterie platter. If you go with Italian meats, pick a proseco, if it’s a tapas plate of meat and vegetables, cava rules the day.

What do you do if you are not eating with your wine? First, that just seems wrong to me. I love the old Italian saying that nobody is ever intoxicated, they just did not eat enough. Ok, my foodie judgement aside, what wine goes with, well, wine? I suggest you be open minded and if you are somewhere where there are several wines by the glass, try something out of your comfort zone! The emerging wine area in Chile for example offer great easy drinking whites. Ever had a glass of white wine from southern Italy? There are grapes grown there, that are not common to any other region of the world.

If it’s a lovely summer day, try some rosè. I am partial to French rosès, but a rosè of Malbec from Argentina had me begging for a second glass.

What do you do if red is the color of choice and no food is being served? Here’s a few safe options and a few to avoid. There are wines from California, France and Italy that can be very enjoyable and approachable without food. Try to pick something that is either a blend or a little older wine. So if you can find a reasonable meritage from California or a affordable Bordeaux or Beaujolais from France, or a super Tuscan or chianti Classico from Italy, it’s a safe, but admittedly not fool proof choice.

Wine should be fun, so try a local wine or two and it may please your pallet. A few gems to try are Cabernets from Washington state or dessert wines from New York. Mid range wines price wise and well crafted generally speaking.

So my last thought here, is what if you are hosting a gathering with some appetizers and wines. Here a “perfect pairing” or two. Try a water cracker with a small cube of cream cheese and a piece of smoked salmon. Top it with a little fresh dill and a caper and serve it with a sparkling wine. Second option, buy some thinner asparagus, marinate them in extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and crushed garlic over night. Wrap part of the asparagus in prosciutto or your favorite thin sliced cured meat and roast in a 400 degree oven until the meat is slight crispy. You can use sparkling wine for that as well, or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc will work like a charm.

Have fun, try something new and let me know if you like it (or not)!