In June of last year I posted a recipe for chicken kabobs cooked on the grill. (June 11, 2011)
I fixed them the other night for the first time in a while and I urge you to read it and try it. I think it is the best way to cook chicken kabobs period.
Also, I'll give one more plug for Cooks Illustrated. They have a fabulous web site with great recipes. It is not expensive and well worth it. Go to http://www.cooksillustrated.com/
So fire up the grill and open a bottle of crisp Cotes du Provence rose wine. You can thank me later.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
Great Fish Recipe but......
Here in Columbia we are lucky to have a great Saturday market that is only a few minutes from our house. It is called the All Local Farmers Market and it is open Saturday from 9:00 to 12:00. Besides great fresh produce, they have a wonderful seafood vendor that come from Beaufort, SC. All the fish is local caught (except the scallops and salmon). Recently they have had a wonderful type of snapper called Hognose snapper. It is a mild all white fish that is delicious.
I bought a beautiful fillet on Saturday and was discussing with good friend and neighbor Joe Blanchard how we should fix it for Sunday dinner. A native of Tampa, there is a famous restaurant called Columbia that has a well known snapper dish called Snapper Alicante.
I'm not going to copy the recipe here as you can grab it on the Internet by simply googling snapper alicante. Although the recipe calls for red snapper and I had the milder cousin, it still worked great.
However!!!!
There is one hitch. The Columbia Restaurant cookbook calls for using 1/2 cup of brown sauce. The web site recipe calls for brown beef stock gravy. Now.....I know what brown sauce is but I'm not sure what brown beef stock gravy is. I'm assuming like you, it is some kind of beef gravy you conjure up using beef stock.
I don't care.......don't do it......please use brown sauce!! This is what makes this dish great!
The reason you want the brown sauce is the flavors are so much more complex then simple gravy. The problem is finding it. Brown Sauce is one of the "mother sauces" of french cuisine and is the base for a number of highly refined french sauces such as Marchand de Vin. You can find it online or find it at local gourmet shops. However, it is NOT hard to make and it FREEZES beautifully.
In previous posts, I've mentioned the Plantation Cookbook from the New Orleans Junior League. First published in 1972, it is still one of my go to cookbooks even though half of it is about Louisiana plantations. It is their recipe I use to make my Brown Sauce
You can buy the book at Amazon and other places but I hope you will buy it from Garden District Book shop in New Orleans. This great local institution picked up publishing the book when it went out of print. So if you want it.....please buy it from them: http://www.gardendistrictbookshop.com/
Regardless of whether you use this recipe or not, you are doing yourself and this dish a disservice if you opt for gravy over the brown sauce.
It is inspired. How many different ways could you think to poach fish before you would think of using a beef based sauce?
So here it is.....served with blanched asparagus sauteed in olive oil and tarragon. We also had a salad of heirloom tomatoes and avocado.
The fish, poached in the brown sauce mixed with a white spanish wine (albarino) on a bed of onions and topped with red and green peppers was simply fabulous. Make sure you have some good crusty bread to mop up the sauce!
What did we drink with it??
Even though we cook it in a beef based sauce, the dish is way to delicate for a red wine. Joe brought a 1992 rioja and it was still too big a wine for the meal.
I came to the rescue with a 2006 Grand Cru Cablis from Simonnet Febvre that worked just great.
On a personal note......in my first post in May of last year, I told you all that my mother was a great cook and the person who inspired me to cook. Over the years we continued to share recipes and when I would visit her in New Orleans, I always cooked for her getting a loving dose of "critique" on the side.
My mother passed away almost two months ago in May. She was 86. Her cookbooks are crammed with personal notes and marked through with changes to recipes. I've got a lot of cooking to do to get through them.
I never fixed this recipe for her. She would have loved it.
So here is a "tip of the glass" to my mother, Sue Menge. She was a real character and a hell of a cook!
Sue Menge
1925-2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Chicken Pilau that won't "Bog" you down
A famous South Carolina Low Country dish is Chicken Pilau or Chicken Bog. It tends to be a gooey concoction of mainly chicken and rice usually with sausage and onions sauteed in bacon fat etc. It is the kind of meal that brings a smile to Paula Dean's face.
Now, no one is every going to accuse me of being Mr. Heart Healthy but I fixed a kinder,gentler version of a Rice Pilau that turned out pretty good.
This will feed four:
One small head of broccoli: just florets
Two cups (loosely packed) dried Chanterelle mushrooms
1/2 bell pepper chopped
One small onion chopped
One bay leaf
Two boneless chicken breasts
Two packs of Success Brown Rice
Take the broccoli and cook in boiling water until soft. Remove the broccoli from the water and put under cold water to stop the cooking. Do not throw the water away! While the broccoli is cooking, heat two/three cups of water in a measuring cup to almost boiling and add the Chanterelle mushrooms. Note: I buy my dried mushrooms at www.olivenation.com I have been buying stuff from them for years and I recommend them highly. Let the mushrooms reconstitute in the water (about 15 to 20 minutes). Remove the mushrooms from the water and pour the remaining mushroom stock into the pot of reserved broccoli stock.
Put one tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan and brown the two chicken breast over medium-high heat. Once browned on both sides, remove the pan from the heat, take the chicken and coarsely chop and return to the pan. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. Return the pan to the stove and stir the chopped chicken over medium heat until cooked. Add a 1/4 cup of dry white wine to deglaze the pan and continue to cook until almost dry. Set the chicken aside.
Now....in a 12 inch skillet, heat two or three tablespoons of chicken fat.
What????? Did he say chicken fat?????
I have made it a practice of saving the fat whenever I cook some kind of beef or poultry. Beef, lamb, chicken, turkey whatever. I pour off the fat and freeze it.
If you are like most people, you don't have chicken fat in the fridge so simply use butter but IN THE FUTURE.......start saving your fat!
When the fat has melted, saute the onions, bell pepper and bay leaf over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. This gives the bay leaf time to sweat and add flavor. Don't brown the onions.
While doing this, boil the reserved stock and cook the rice. (If there is not enough stock to cook the rice, add chicken broth).
While the rice is cooking, coarsely chop the mushrooms and add to the saute pan continuing to cook over low heat.
When the rice is cooked (10 minutes) remove from the water and drain.
Coarsely chop the broccoli and add it to the pan then add the chicken and then add the rice. (Don't simply dump both bags of rice....you may not want all that rice so dump the first bag and add as much of the second bag as you wish).
That's it!! Stir it and serve it!
Chicken Pilau purists will say this isn't Chicken Pilau and they will probably be right. It if makes you feel better, cook a bunch of bacon and saute the vegetables in the bacon grease and chop up the bacon and throw it in at the end with the rice and chicken.
Another alternative is to add some smoked sausage but now we are getting back to Paula Dean territory.
Try it my way.....no bacon or sausage. I think you will like it. Plus with brown rice and broccoli, you won't feel the need to go out and do something stupid like jog or work out.
What do I drink with this??
A lighter red wine such as Pinot Noir will stand up to this nicely. Most folks will want a white and if you have read my previous posts you know I abhor the nasty domestic chardonnays and think most pinot grigio is tasteless. So go with a white burgundy, whatever you can afford. But for a different taste, I would try a nice quality champagne.....I think you will be pleased with the match.
Now, no one is every going to accuse me of being Mr. Heart Healthy but I fixed a kinder,gentler version of a Rice Pilau that turned out pretty good.
This will feed four:
One small head of broccoli: just florets
Two cups (loosely packed) dried Chanterelle mushrooms
1/2 bell pepper chopped
One small onion chopped
One bay leaf
Two boneless chicken breasts
Two packs of Success Brown Rice
Take the broccoli and cook in boiling water until soft. Remove the broccoli from the water and put under cold water to stop the cooking. Do not throw the water away! While the broccoli is cooking, heat two/three cups of water in a measuring cup to almost boiling and add the Chanterelle mushrooms. Note: I buy my dried mushrooms at www.olivenation.com I have been buying stuff from them for years and I recommend them highly. Let the mushrooms reconstitute in the water (about 15 to 20 minutes). Remove the mushrooms from the water and pour the remaining mushroom stock into the pot of reserved broccoli stock.
Put one tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan and brown the two chicken breast over medium-high heat. Once browned on both sides, remove the pan from the heat, take the chicken and coarsely chop and return to the pan. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. Return the pan to the stove and stir the chopped chicken over medium heat until cooked. Add a 1/4 cup of dry white wine to deglaze the pan and continue to cook until almost dry. Set the chicken aside.
Now....in a 12 inch skillet, heat two or three tablespoons of chicken fat.
What????? Did he say chicken fat?????
I have made it a practice of saving the fat whenever I cook some kind of beef or poultry. Beef, lamb, chicken, turkey whatever. I pour off the fat and freeze it.
If you are like most people, you don't have chicken fat in the fridge so simply use butter but IN THE FUTURE.......start saving your fat!
When the fat has melted, saute the onions, bell pepper and bay leaf over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. This gives the bay leaf time to sweat and add flavor. Don't brown the onions.
While doing this, boil the reserved stock and cook the rice. (If there is not enough stock to cook the rice, add chicken broth).
While the rice is cooking, coarsely chop the mushrooms and add to the saute pan continuing to cook over low heat.
When the rice is cooked (10 minutes) remove from the water and drain.
Coarsely chop the broccoli and add it to the pan then add the chicken and then add the rice. (Don't simply dump both bags of rice....you may not want all that rice so dump the first bag and add as much of the second bag as you wish).
That's it!! Stir it and serve it!
Chicken Pilau purists will say this isn't Chicken Pilau and they will probably be right. It if makes you feel better, cook a bunch of bacon and saute the vegetables in the bacon grease and chop up the bacon and throw it in at the end with the rice and chicken.
Another alternative is to add some smoked sausage but now we are getting back to Paula Dean territory.
Try it my way.....no bacon or sausage. I think you will like it. Plus with brown rice and broccoli, you won't feel the need to go out and do something stupid like jog or work out.
What do I drink with this??
A lighter red wine such as Pinot Noir will stand up to this nicely. Most folks will want a white and if you have read my previous posts you know I abhor the nasty domestic chardonnays and think most pinot grigio is tasteless. So go with a white burgundy, whatever you can afford. But for a different taste, I would try a nice quality champagne.....I think you will be pleased with the match.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Grilled Shrimp
To Peel or not to peel......that is the question
Grilling shrimp is a great summertime alternative to more conventional ways of fixing our favorite crustacean.
The problem is that it is easy to end up with something tough and chewy. Here is an idea that may seem like too much work but it will yield you a more tender shrimp dinner.
First, use only large or jumbo shrimp, split the shell down the back and remove the vein. Then put the shrimp on not one but two skewers close together which will make it easier to turn on the grill. Depending on what else you are having, figure on 5 to 6 shrimp per person.
While the grill is getting hot, melt 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter in a pan and add the juice from one large lemon and a teaspoon of caraway seeds and a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce. Let this simmer for a few minutes. Reserve half of the butter sauce for later.
Put the shrimp on the grill over medium heat and bast with the butter sauce. As the sauce drips down the smoke will help give the shrimp a great flavor. Cook until just turning pink and turn the shrimp over. Baste again and cook until the shells are slightly brown and the shrimp is pink.
To serve you have a choice: In the shells or peeled; warm off the grill or cold. Personally, I'd serve them in the shell right off the grill and let your guests peel them and pass the reserved butter sauce for dipping. Match it up with sliced tomatoes and homemade mayonnaise and hot french bread and you have a great summertime meal!
By the way......this works great with scallops too.
What am I drinking with this??
This dish cries out for a crisp cool Cotes du Provence rose'. I suggest the Domaine Houchart produced by Jerome Quiot on his wife's estate near Aix. Make sure you get the cuvee Sainte Victoire.
Grilling shrimp is a great summertime alternative to more conventional ways of fixing our favorite crustacean.
The problem is that it is easy to end up with something tough and chewy. Here is an idea that may seem like too much work but it will yield you a more tender shrimp dinner.
First, use only large or jumbo shrimp, split the shell down the back and remove the vein. Then put the shrimp on not one but two skewers close together which will make it easier to turn on the grill. Depending on what else you are having, figure on 5 to 6 shrimp per person.
While the grill is getting hot, melt 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter in a pan and add the juice from one large lemon and a teaspoon of caraway seeds and a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce. Let this simmer for a few minutes. Reserve half of the butter sauce for later.
Put the shrimp on the grill over medium heat and bast with the butter sauce. As the sauce drips down the smoke will help give the shrimp a great flavor. Cook until just turning pink and turn the shrimp over. Baste again and cook until the shells are slightly brown and the shrimp is pink.
To serve you have a choice: In the shells or peeled; warm off the grill or cold. Personally, I'd serve them in the shell right off the grill and let your guests peel them and pass the reserved butter sauce for dipping. Match it up with sliced tomatoes and homemade mayonnaise and hot french bread and you have a great summertime meal!
By the way......this works great with scallops too.
What am I drinking with this??
This dish cries out for a crisp cool Cotes du Provence rose'. I suggest the Domaine Houchart produced by Jerome Quiot on his wife's estate near Aix. Make sure you get the cuvee Sainte Victoire.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Good Wine, Good Food, Good Friends on Saturday night
Shrimp in Champagne Reduction with Green Rice and
Molten Chocolate Souffle
We were having close friends Joe and Melissa Blanchard for dinner on Saturday. Karen had been to Charleston and went to Magwood's Seafood in Mt Pleasant and brought home fresh shrimp so the main course was set.
Note:
If you want to buy only fresh caught shrimp then Magwood Seafood is the best around. Located on Shem Creek in Mt Pleasant, SC, the address is 100 Haddrell St. and the phone number is 843.884.3352.
Joe likes rice (it is one of the few things he can cook since all he has to do is boil water and stick a bag of rice in it). So rice was going to be the starch, but since I wasn't making a creole sauce I wanted to make sure I had a rice recipe that was rich and would not be dried out.
A dessert I haven't fixed in a while is a rich chocolate souffle that used to be a staple on the menu at Commander's Palace in New Orleans. It is not complicated to make but be warned......it is heart-stoppingly rich.
As I mentioned in my earlier post about shrimp, when I peel the shrimp I save the peels and use them to make shrimp stock. The stock can be used for a variety of purposes but in this case, I use the stock to cook the rice:
Green Rice
Take four cups of shrimp stock and bring to a boil. Add two cups of basmati rice and two bay leaves then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for around twenty minutes.
While the rice is cooking, melt a stick of butter (yes a whole stick...this is nothin.....wait until you get to the dessert!) in the sauce pan. With the butter add:
1/2 cup of green onion
1 can of artichoke hearts (canned in water not oil) drained and chopped coarsely
1/2 cup of diced green bell pepper
1 cup of diced celery
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
1 bag of baby leaf spinach, roughly chopped,stems removed and washed.
Simmer slowly until the spinach is cooked down. By this time the rice should be cooked.
In a casserole dish, combine the rice and sauteed vegetables, cover with tin foil and set aside.
Now let's prepare the dessert
Molten Chocolate Souffle
Soften 1 1/2 sticks of butter. Take two tablespoons and liberally grease six ramekins that hold six ounces.
Take the remaining butter and 1 pound of good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped; into to the top of a double boiler over simmering water to melt stirring periodically.
In a food processor, crack 8 eggs. Mix together the eggs and 1 1/2 cup of sugar until smooth. Add the blended butter and chocolate mixer to the food processor and blend with the egg/sugar mixer for three minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour and blend for another three minutes. Pour the mixture into the six ramekins, place on a cookie sheet, cover with wax paper and set aside.
OK, let's get ready to cook the shrimp and eat.
Shrimp in Champagne Reduction
In a large saute pan, put 3 tablespoons of olive olive oil. Add 4 or 5 thin slices of fresh ginger. Heat the olive oil over a low fire and and gently "sweat" the ginger for 5 minutes or so to infuse the ginger into the olive oil. Add the shrimp and continue to saute over low heat until the shrimp are barely pink. Be careful not to have too hot a fire or cook the shrimp too long or they will be tough.
Remove the shrimp and ginger from the oil, and add to the pan:
1/2 cup of chopped green onion
1/2 cup of chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon of mince shallots
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
Saute until the vegetables are cooked, about 3 minutes. Add three cups of champagne. Increase the heat until the champagne is simmering briskly. Reduce the champagne to about 2 cups. Turn of the burner and add the shrimp to the pan. Then add two tablespoons of cold butter and stir in to incorporate into the liquid to make a sauce.
Remove the rice from the oven and put a serving of rice in the middle of the dinner plate and top with a serving of the shrimp and serve.
While eating the shrimp, place the baking sheet with the souffles in the oven at 350 degrees. Let them cook while eating the main course. Check after 30 minutes. When the souffles are puffed and a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly, remove from the oven.
Carefully invert a ramekin over a desert plate and remove the souffle from the ramekin onto the plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. The outside will be nicely baked and the inside should be a gooey, "molten" chocolate.
What am I pouring with this?
We started with a vintage 2003 rose' champagne from Pommery. That was my offerring.
Now Joe has an excellent cellar which includes a diverse selection of white wines. He selected three very different French whites: one from Alsace, one from the Northern Rhone Valley and one from Bordeaux.
The clear winner was the Laville Haut-Brion from Bordeaux. The Alsatian wine and the Condrieu from the Rhone were too sweet for the dish although excellent representatives of their Appelations.
Since most of us don't have access to these kinds of wine, I would suggest, as always, anything that doesn't over-power the food. That immediately rules out California Chardonnay which, as those of you who know me, know I consider the worst wine bottled. Look for a sauvignon blanc from France or South America. From South America, look for the wines from the Mendoza region of Argentina. There is a Spanish white made from the Albarino grape which would also go nicely with the shrimp. The Spanish wines are reasonably priced and quite good.
The wines from Spain and Argentina aren't easy to fine but are worth looking for. If you are local, check with Bryan at the Gourmet Shop.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Cookies for the 4th
I don't bake.....well....not much. It's not really a guy thing but the main reason is I'm not very good at it. (Now ask me to make a porcini sauce with a Marsalla reduction for veal like I did last night and your on).
I made french bread once that alternated from perfect to something with the consistency of rebar. I make cheese straws from time to time that are never as good as everybody else's.
But Karen has a few traditional items she bakes at holidays and these 4th of July cookies are one she and her buddy Bitsey have been doing for years
It takes a little time but it is worth it.:
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I made french bread once that alternated from perfect to something with the consistency of rebar. I make cheese straws from time to time that are never as good as everybody else's.
But Karen has a few traditional items she bakes at holidays and these 4th of July cookies are one she and her buddy Bitsey have been doing for years
It takes a little time but it is worth it.:
Watermelon Cookies
2/3 cups butter softened(5 1/2 Tbsp)
2/3 cups shortening, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Red paste food coloring
2/3 cup semi sweet mini morsels
3 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbsp water
Green paste food coloring
Beat butter and shortening in a large bowl until it is blended well. Gradually add sugar - mix well. Stir in eggs, milk and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to the other mixture. Add red paste and mix well. Put in a smaller bow, cover, chill well (at least three hour or overnight). On floured wax paper, roll out a portion of the dough to 1/4 thickness. Cut with round cookie cutter, then cut in half. Put on ungreased cookie sheet, put chocolate chips in the middle as "seeds". Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Do not brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Combine green paste, water and powdered sugar. Dip rounded edge of cookie in this mixture and let dry on wax paper. Store with wax paper between layers. This will freeze well. (Makes approximately 110 cookies).
Friday, July 1, 2011
Cooking with Wine
I haven't met too many dishes that I prepare that I don't think are better after I add wine.
The question is, when the recipe says: "And add wine"......what kind of wine do you add? Is it OK to just grab whatever is open in the fridge?
If all else fails, follow the one golden rule: "If you wouldn't drink it.....don't cook with it".
Now assuming you don't keep wine around that you wouldn't drink, let's talk about which wines are better for cooking.
Domestic Chardonnay
Probably the one white wine most Americans drink and probably the worst wine to cook with. The intense oaky flavor of these wines rarely will add to the flavor of food. So even if you like drinking the stuff, I would not recommend cooking with it.
Pinot Grigio
Next to chardonnay, pinot grigio is the most popular white wine consumed in America. The wine is so light in taste that it doesn't hurt to cook with it but, in my opinion, it doesn't add anything either.
Savignon Blanc
This popular white is produced world-wide and has a pleasing citrusy taste. Non-oakie it does not change the taste of food like the domestic chards but does have a distinct taste unlike the pinot grigio. So of the "big three" I give the nod to savignon blanc with one major proviso: I wouldn't cook with the popular savignon blanc wines from New Zealand. They have a much stronger "grassy" taste then their cousins from France or from the U.S.
What about red wines?
Reds don't seem to have the same differing effect on food as do whites. But because of the strength of the taste, be careful as to how much you use.
What about other wines?
I suggest you try something different from whites or reds such as sherry, port and even champagne. I have found champagne is a zippy alternative to white wines.....must be the bubbles. Try it and I think you will like it.
Port and sherry are fortified wines that have very rich flavors. They can both add a lot to food but can also overwhelm food. If you use sherry, use a medium bodied sherry like an Oloroso. Stay away from the sweet stuff.
Here are some suggestions for cooking with wine.
Try this with chicken:
Melt a tablespoon or so of butter in a sauce pan and add a package of chicken tenders. Cook over medium/high heat until browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan. Add a half of a thinly sliced onion and saute until starting to brown. The bottom of the pan should be dark brown from the chicken and the onions. Once the onions are browned, had a cup of white wine to the pan stirring and scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until the wine is reduced by half. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in one tablespoon of cold butter. This will thicken the sauce and give it a velvety texture. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.
There are a number of variations to this basic sauce. Sometimes I will use champagne. Sometimes I'll add flour, make a roux, and add chicken broth and cook it down to make a rich gravy. Sometimes I'll use sherry. The Oloroso I mentioned earlier can give the sauce a pleasant nutty taste.
Oh yeah.....here is another idea. Brown some butter in a sauce pan (be careful not to burn it). In a separate pan poach a fillet of fish like flounder or tilapia in champagne (see my post about bubbles for non-champagne ideas). Spoon the butter over the fish and serve with lemon wedges and capers. It will eat.
What would I pour with that?
Any bold tasting white will overpower the fish. A white Bordeaux will go nicely or try one of the white Burgundies from Macon. They are inexpensive and no oak.
The question is, when the recipe says: "And add wine"......what kind of wine do you add? Is it OK to just grab whatever is open in the fridge?
If all else fails, follow the one golden rule: "If you wouldn't drink it.....don't cook with it".
Now assuming you don't keep wine around that you wouldn't drink, let's talk about which wines are better for cooking.
Domestic Chardonnay
Probably the one white wine most Americans drink and probably the worst wine to cook with. The intense oaky flavor of these wines rarely will add to the flavor of food. So even if you like drinking the stuff, I would not recommend cooking with it.
Pinot Grigio
Next to chardonnay, pinot grigio is the most popular white wine consumed in America. The wine is so light in taste that it doesn't hurt to cook with it but, in my opinion, it doesn't add anything either.
Savignon Blanc
This popular white is produced world-wide and has a pleasing citrusy taste. Non-oakie it does not change the taste of food like the domestic chards but does have a distinct taste unlike the pinot grigio. So of the "big three" I give the nod to savignon blanc with one major proviso: I wouldn't cook with the popular savignon blanc wines from New Zealand. They have a much stronger "grassy" taste then their cousins from France or from the U.S.
What about red wines?
Reds don't seem to have the same differing effect on food as do whites. But because of the strength of the taste, be careful as to how much you use.
What about other wines?
I suggest you try something different from whites or reds such as sherry, port and even champagne. I have found champagne is a zippy alternative to white wines.....must be the bubbles. Try it and I think you will like it.
Port and sherry are fortified wines that have very rich flavors. They can both add a lot to food but can also overwhelm food. If you use sherry, use a medium bodied sherry like an Oloroso. Stay away from the sweet stuff.
Here are some suggestions for cooking with wine.
Try this with chicken:
Melt a tablespoon or so of butter in a sauce pan and add a package of chicken tenders. Cook over medium/high heat until browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan. Add a half of a thinly sliced onion and saute until starting to brown. The bottom of the pan should be dark brown from the chicken and the onions. Once the onions are browned, had a cup of white wine to the pan stirring and scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until the wine is reduced by half. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in one tablespoon of cold butter. This will thicken the sauce and give it a velvety texture. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.
There are a number of variations to this basic sauce. Sometimes I will use champagne. Sometimes I'll add flour, make a roux, and add chicken broth and cook it down to make a rich gravy. Sometimes I'll use sherry. The Oloroso I mentioned earlier can give the sauce a pleasant nutty taste.
Oh yeah.....here is another idea. Brown some butter in a sauce pan (be careful not to burn it). In a separate pan poach a fillet of fish like flounder or tilapia in champagne (see my post about bubbles for non-champagne ideas). Spoon the butter over the fish and serve with lemon wedges and capers. It will eat.
What would I pour with that?
Any bold tasting white will overpower the fish. A white Bordeaux will go nicely or try one of the white Burgundies from Macon. They are inexpensive and no oak.
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