Episode 10: Crémant and Puff Pastry

The joys of French bubbly with puff pastry and how NOT to open a bottle of sparkling wine.

Here is the link to the recipe for the yummy savoury palmiers:

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/ham-gruyere-honey-mustard-palmiers.aspx?nterms=50176,50026

Episode 9: Chardonnay

In which we discuss the many styles of Chardonnay, a little Ontario grape-growing history, and the scariness of homemade croquettes.

Episode 8: Going Local

This month we try and keep it local with a 100 mile challenge. A trip to Domaine Perrault (approximately 30 km from home) made it a cinch to find good, local wine but as it turns out this was a little easier than fixing a purely local meal.




Be sure to check out Domaine Perrault's website where you'll find a list of their products and directions to the vineyard.

http://www.domaineperrault.ca/

Links to some of the websites Nita mentions in the podcast.

justfood.ca has info on producers and vendors of local food, including restaurants that source local ingredients.
ottawavalleyfood.org promotes the local food movement around Ottawa.
ottawafarmersmarket.ca is the website for the markets at Landsdowne, Bayshore and Orleans.
mainfarmersmarket.com is the website for the market on Main Street.
ontariofarmfresh.com lists farms in the area that you can visit.

Episode 7: Irsai Olivér

Ever heard of Irsai Olivér? Neither had we; it's a grape... from Hungary. Feeling adventurous this month, we wanted to try something off the beaten track, so Nita grabbed this bottle of white and we gave it a taste. Then we chowed down on some Eastern European inspired foodstuffs. Indigenous grapes from less heard of wine destinations can be fun. Really.

Meat Salad Recipe (from my Mom):

1 lb or so of Fleischwurst (you will probably have to go to a specialty store for this one, I got it at Adam's Sausages here in Ottawa), sliced into strips
some chopped onion, as much or little as you like
1 or 2 pickles, chopped (I bought German gherkins at Adam's and used those)
1 tablespoon dill
2 teaspoons of white vinegar
1 or 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
salt to taste

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together!

Episode 6: A Little Rosé in May

With the weather finally turning into something that resembles spring, we thought a trip to pink wine country was in order. This month we tried a rosé showdown featuring a bottle from France and a bottle from Ontario. Listen along to see which one comes out on top.




A few links for you to check out:
Billy's Best Bottles
Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery

Episode 5: Poderi dal Nespoli

This month Nita and I try something from my cellar: a four year old bottle of Sangiovese, or 'blood of Jove' as they used to call it in the olden days. We talk a little about cellaring wines (if you can stand the waiting) and we plate up a few traditional Italian foodstuffs to pair with the wine.



Some Wine Cellaring Tips
1. Constant conditions are important: a still environment; darkness; humidity of between 60 - 65 percent, and a temperature of approximately 10 - 15 degrees celsius.
2. Try to store a variety of expensive and not-so-expensive wines for different occasions.
3. Buy two bottles of a varietal to put away in case one is corked, or in case you like it so much you wish you had another.
4. Store bottles with corks on their side, so the corks don't dry out and then allow air to infiltrate the bottle.
5. Create a labelling method so you can track what's there and when to drink it.

Here's the recipe for that amazing mushroom/blue cheese topped crostini that Nita made. We unfortunately didn't photograph it at the time, but it was very pretty.

Episode 4: Dinner Party Wine

Have you ever wondered what wine to bring to a dinner party? In the spirit of showing up at someone's house with a bottle when dinner is an unknown, Nita and I try an experiment with wine and food we've bought, prepared, and secreted away from each other. Everything ends up on the table together as we taste our way around to see how well our choices work.




If you're not sure of what to bring to a dinner party here are a few basics: bring something light; bring something acidic; bring something fruity. Sparkling wine is always a welcome thing, and a sweet dessert wine can be a party treat.

Nita made tortellini with fennel, sausage and mushrooms from Epicurious, and Holly made roasted vegetables.

Tian of Provençal Vegetables
recipe by Laura Calder

3 tbsps olive oil, more if needed
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 large eggplant, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 red peppers, cored, seeded and cut into thick julienne strips
4 to 6 tomatoes, cut into thick slices

Sauté onions in olive oil. Chop up equal amounts of eggplant, courgettes/zucchini, and peppers. Spread the onions over the bottom of a roasting pan or gratin dish. Layer in the vegetables, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Lay sliced tomato on top. Drizzle over some olive oil. Bake in a very hot oven, uncovered (about 400˚ F) until the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables have sunk into a deep-coloured confit, approximately 2 hours.

We like to serve it with a slab of goat cheese on top.

As mentioned in the podcast, when in doubt you can always check out What to Drink with What You Eat, by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, an awesome reference guide with loads of wine and food pairing recommendations.

Episode 3: Wine and Spicy Food

Spicy food can be difficult to pair with wine. After trying some sparkling wines with some piquante food we were inspired to learn more.



A few general rules for pairing with spicy food:
1. The more complex the dish, the simpler the wine.
2. Acidity is good.
3. Tannin is bad.
4. A little bit of sweet goes a long way.

Grape varieties to try with spicy food:
Riesling
Sauvignon Blanc
Pinot Gris
Gamay
Pinot Noir
Syrah/Shiraz

Tannins & Chilis: tannins are phenolic compounds consisting of 3 - 5 carbon rings which work to bond protein molecules. Tannins bond to the proteins in our saliva, causing the proteins in our mouths to clump together and stick to particles and surfaces (ie. teeth, gums, tongue) creating what we call an astringent feeling. Chilis, because of the tendency for capsaicin to create a burning sensation, increase this feeling in the mouth. Chilis also induce salivation which might have something to do with increasing the tannin's effect in the mouth. Introducing protein to a dish will induce the tannins to bind to the food proteins before they can affect the salivary proteins and reduce this effect. So: tannic wine and meat, yes; tannic wine and chilis, not so much.

Episode 2: Sparkling Wine

Just in time for the holidays: a tale of two sparkling wines. Appetizers, food pairing revelations, and some extras like this budget sparkling wine from Peller Estates, are the topics up for discussion this episode. Oh, and Nita creates some cocktails.

Adding a little ginger syrup to sparkling wine creates a spicy cocktail with a hint of sweetness. The original recipe was in Gourmet magazine in December 2007. It calls for a rim of sugar and crystallized ginger, but I generally skip that part.

Sparkling Ginger Cocktail

3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sliced fresh ginger (2 ounces)
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 lemon wedges
2 (750ml) bottles chilled Prosecco (or whatever you have that's bubbly)

Simmer water, fresh ginger, and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan, uncovered, 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep 15 minutes. Strain syrup through a sieve into a bowl discarding solids. Chill until cold.

Finely grind crystallized ginger (if you feel like it) with remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a blender or food processor, then spread on a small plate.

Run lemon wedges around rims of glasses, then dip rims into ginger sugar. Put 1 tbsp syrup into each glass and top off with sparkling wine.

Alfonso

An Alfonso is a classic champagne cocktail and you can find recipes for it in various books and on many websites. Here is the version we made:

2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 oz Dubonnet Rouge Aperitif Wine
1 sugar cube
Sparkling wine

In a wine glass, add the bitters to the sugar, then add the Dubonnet and a tsp of ice. Fill the glass with sparkling wine, stir gently and garnish with a twist of lemon peel.

One little note on the term "estate bottled"...this term is regulated by VQA (Vintner's Quality Alliance of Ontario) and can only be used when all the grapes were grown and harvested in the winery's own vineyards.

What we'll be drinking next: two uncomplicated wines to pair with spicy food.

Episode 1: Tristan & Julien

A juicy, red number from the Languedoc region of France goes well in the afternoon with some slow-roasted ribs and beef tenderloin canapés. Learn a little about the wines from the sunniest spot in France and find out if you too are a Grenache lover.



What we'll be drinking next: a little of the bubbly for your holiday enjoyment.