I asked three wine experts, who do not also sell wine, what wines they like for the holidays. Here's their answers:
From "Wine Wars" author and Stir (food and wine consulting company) President Joyce Locke:
“Tis the season to try new wines and let go of favorites is my wine manta for the holidays. We have many meals--fancy, homey, and cuisine specific that may include serious to not-so-serious wine drinkers. With such a wide range of wine opportunity, it's a great time to discover new wines. I don't have go-to-favorites.
“My strategy is to visit my trusted wine merchant with menus in hand. We discuss the menus, wine demographics of the guests (adventurous, traditional, new wine drinkers...) For some menus I want wines from the same country as the cuisine, for special menus I don't mind stretching the wine budget, and some menus will be great with a good $10 table wine.”
From Che George Formaro (South Union, Centro, Django and Gateway Market Café):
“Small Gully Mr. Black's Concoction GSM $22.99, Luca Pinot Noir $32.99, Clos Otto Boxhead Cabernet Sauvignon $12.99, Willow Crest Pinot Gris $11.99
From restaurateur chef Linda Benignant (Chuck’s), who also hosts the largest free turkey dinner in Iowa - Park District Thanksgiving dinner.
“Anything Brut with bubbles.”
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
In Praise of Ancient Grain
Quinoa 365
By Patricia Green & Carolyn Hemming
Whitecap, 195 pages, $29.95
Quinoa 365 authors Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming are sisters trying to eat well and prepare healthy food for their families. They are not nutritionists, just grateful daughters who dedicated this book to a mother who made them eat alternative, healthy things until they began to enjoy how such foods horrified their friends.
This is not your typical healthy life style food book. Instead of preaching to a choir of cultists, they stick to their kitchens and create 170 recipes that employ the ancient grain in most diverse ways. Personally, I have long enjoyed using quinoa as a substitute for lentils in soup and for rice. Thanks to the sisters’ book, I now use it liberally in making desserts and breakfast items like chocolate cake, pecan pumpkin pie and cranapple crisp, pumpkin pancakes and crepes. I wouldn’t think of mixing up a fruit cup without it.
The quinoa-crusted fried chicken recipe ranks with chicharon-crust for crispy frying. As expected, the soup recipes are quite good, in part because the sisters do not abstain from employing chicken stock.
Sample recipes are available on line at http://quinoa365.com/recipes.html
By Patricia Green & Carolyn Hemming
Whitecap, 195 pages, $29.95
Quinoa 365 authors Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming are sisters trying to eat well and prepare healthy food for their families. They are not nutritionists, just grateful daughters who dedicated this book to a mother who made them eat alternative, healthy things until they began to enjoy how such foods horrified their friends.
This is not your typical healthy life style food book. Instead of preaching to a choir of cultists, they stick to their kitchens and create 170 recipes that employ the ancient grain in most diverse ways. Personally, I have long enjoyed using quinoa as a substitute for lentils in soup and for rice. Thanks to the sisters’ book, I now use it liberally in making desserts and breakfast items like chocolate cake, pecan pumpkin pie and cranapple crisp, pumpkin pancakes and crepes. I wouldn’t think of mixing up a fruit cup without it.
The quinoa-crusted fried chicken recipe ranks with chicharon-crust for crispy frying. As expected, the soup recipes are quite good, in part because the sisters do not abstain from employing chicken stock.
Sample recipes are available on line at http://quinoa365.com/recipes.html
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