POTS AND PANS CITY BLOG

A dessert wine is a sweet wine that is served with or instead of a dessert.  They are often fortified wines like port, sherry or Madeira, or late harvest wines.  Dessert wines could also include Sauternes, Tokaji, Ice Wines and Commandaria. Dessert wines are typically made from older vine-ripened grapes that are even slightly shriveled, which have concentrated the sweetness in them. Dessert wines can be tricky to make because the older fruit are more delicate and the grapes can bruise quite easily.  The longer the grapes remain on the vines to get sweeter, the greater the risk to the wine-maker.

Ice wines are especially sweet and can be expensive.  They are a late harvest wine that because of their sweetness can be served by themselves as a dessert, or go well with fruit or light desserts.  Serving an ice wine with a bowl of fresh fruit drizzled with a little dark unsweetened chocolate would go well together. Strawberries dipped in dark bitter-sweet chocolate would be a good pairing.

A dessert wine served with a dessert such as chocolate should always be sweeter than the dessert it accompanies. It is therefore necessary to pick the type chocolate you are serving with your dessert wine as carefully as it is to choose the wine.   A dessert wine served with a very sweet chocolate dessert would be cloyingly sweet and over-powering in your mouth.  It may give the feeling of eating too much sweet candy all at once.

In choosing the right type of chocolate to pair with a dessert wine, the percentage of cocoa contained in the chocolate is important. The amount of cocoa in the chocolate used will dictate how sweet the chocolate will be—the percentage of cocoa information is usually found the product label.  Milk chocolate, as a rule, has about 30% cocoa and 70% sugar, which generally makes it very creamy and too sweet that does not compliment the palate when served with a dessert wine. 

Darker chocolates with a cocoa percentage range closer to 70% makes a better match with dessert wines such as Madeira.  There are also chocolates that are infused with cinnamon, lavender, pepper or other flavorings that can be found at specialty chocolate shops that would be a pleasant match with a dessert wine.

For a dessert wine and chocolate experience to serve at your next dinner party, a suggestion would be to serve a fruit and chocolate platter.  Arrange various fruits on one side of a platter, and bitter or specialty bitter or bitter-sweet chocolates obtained from a specialty shop on the other half.  Also try including some of the unique-flavored chocolates on the platter for a different taste experience.

Pinot Noir is a red wine associated with the Burgundy Region in France. The Pinot Noir grape comes from the French words for ‘pine’ and ‘black’ which refers to the way the grape grows in dark, tightly clustered pinecone-shaped bunches. This variety of grape is difficult to grow, and also is difficult to ferment. The Pinot Noir grape, however, can produce great wines which age very well and that develop more floral flavors as they age. These wines often peak at about 5-8 years after vintage.

Because the Pinot Noir wine grape is so difficult to work with, many of the wines produced tend to be in smaller quantities, which make them relatively expensive. There are some cheaper examples available, however, as progress is being made in growing the grape in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, the Okanogan Valley in British Columbia, in New Zealand and in California.

The Pinot wines are among the most popular in the world today. The Pinot Noir wine has a medium to full bodied flavor to it that does not seem heavy. It is strongly perfumed with a sweet edge—a fruity aroma almost like that of black cherry, raspberry or currant. It is also often commonly described as having a spiciness that suggest cinnamon, sassafras or mint, with a ripe tomato, mushroom or barnyard impression. It is high in alcohol, but not really acidic or tannic. It has an appealing soft, velvety texture, almost silky as it caresses the palate.

Because of its spiciness and velvety impression, Pinot Noir goes well with any dish that features mushrooms as a main element in it and with foods that are simple and rich, such as those found in classic French cooking. It should not, however, be paired with anything too spicy which may mask the delicate flavors of the wine and may accentuate the strong taste of alcohol.

Below is a recipe for Beef Stroganoff that would pair well with Pinot Noir wine. It has the elements of rich, brothy gravy made with sour cream, with the added taste of mushrooms that would complement the full-bodied ‘mushroom-like’ quality of the wine.

Beef Stroganoff

• 1-1 ½ lb. ½’ thick sirloin steak
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 lb. portabella mushrooms, sliced ¼” thick, stems removed
• 1 TBSP. butter
• 1 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pkg. dry beef bouillon
• ½ tsp. each: salt, pepper, garlic powder
• 1 cup sour cream

Cut steak into strips.

Heat oil and butter together over med-high heat in large skillet. Add onions and sauté until golden. Add steak strips and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Brown steak strips on each side. Add mushrooms and stir in beef bouillon. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until mushrooms are soft. Stir in sour cream. Heat through until it just simmers.

Serve over hot rice or buttered noodles, with fresh bread for dipping in the sauce, and complement with Pinot Noir.

Malbec is one of the classic red Bordeaux variety grapes that is fast becoming popular in the United States today, although it is still often overshadowed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or sometimes even by Cabernet Franc.

The red Malbec grape was first grown in France in the 18th century, but it was given up by the French and English wine makers because it was thought to make a sharp wine. It was also difficult to grow in France, being prone to rot and mildew in the cool, damp coastal regions of Bordeaux. Immigrants transported the grape to Argentina in the first part of the 19th century, and it has done well in the high-altitude region of Mendoza.

For decades, Argentinean wine makers have fought to develop new technologies in fermentation to improve the quality of wine made from this grape. Because of this, in recent years the wine has been winning in blind taste competitions in Europe and has become a major player in the domestic wine industry. It is now believed to be a better wine than many of those produced in Chile.

The Malbec wine is much smoother than Cabernet Sauvignon with a slightly fruitier taste, and thought to have an aroma often reminiscent of violets or sweet ‘jammy’ fruit. It can be appreciated for its spicy white pepper characteristics. Another up side to this wine is that it can be consumed when fairly young.

This wine has a well-balanced fruit and acid profile, and the spicy peppery taste of this well-rounded wine can stand up well when consumed with the deeper spiced flavors of a chilli dish.

Below is a recipe for a Chipotle Chilli dish that would be ideal to serve with this wine.

Chipotle Chilli

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 large onion
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. white pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 small can chipotle chillies, or 2 fresh chilli peppers diced finely (seeds removed)
• 2 TBSP. dry chilli powder
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 large can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup spaghetti sauce
• 1 pkg. dry beef bouillon powder
• 1 small can button mushrooms, drained

In a large stockpot, brown ground beef. Drain off any fat. Chop celery into small pieces. Add garlic, celery and onion to beef and cook until vegetables are softened. Add all remaining ingredients and spices. Bring mixture to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for approximately one hour adding water as needed. Let simmer until sauce is thickened. Adjust chilli seasoning to your liking (add more for a more spicy flavour). Serve.

Enhance your next dinner party by serving lovely, rich seafood chowder filled with all the tantalizing flavors of the sea in a light creamy broth. The Seafood Chowder recipe presented below is not difficult to make and your guests will truly be impressed with your cooking skills. This lovely chowder recipe can be served as a first course of a meal, or even on its own with crusty bread and a salad.

The culinary experience for you and your guests can be further enhanced when the tasty chowder is paired with an appropriate wine, such as a Chardonnay Blanc. This gentle white wine will compliment the delicate flavors of the fish in the dish. A robust red wine or a very tannic red wine will overpower the fish and may even cause a metallic or steely taste when consumed together. The Chardonnay Blanc offers a crisp and fruity flavor that goes well with the light buttery, creamy flavor that is built into chowder, while the acid content of the wine will bring out the flavor of the seafood.

Chardonnay is a white wine grape grown all over the world, as it is easy to grow and adapts well to different climate conditions. The white wines are produced in many different styles ranging from Chablis, to the rich buttery Meursaults and the fruit-flavored New World wines. The Chardonnay has a fruity aroma suggestive of crisp apples, pears and lemon, while its full-bodied nature can still support complementary characteristics such as oak, butter or vanilla.

Of the years, Chardonnay has been subject to criticism suggesting that is has been a wine that is cheap and over-exposed—one that only inexperienced wine-drinkers would order. This reputation was due to the fact that in the past in California it was fashionable to use excessive oak and malolactic fermentation when making the Chardonnay, which resulted in an often cloying, fat, oak-y tasting wine that paired poorly with food. But the un-oaked Chardonnay which has not undergone malolactic fermentation will have the hints of green apple, lemon or lime that make it a good pairing for many foods.

Serving a good Chardonnay Blank with the delicious Seafood Chowder presented below will be sure to make your next dinner party a hit.

Creamy Seafood Chowder

3 onions

1 tsp. minced garlic

3 TBSP. butter

2 TBSP. flour

In a large stockpot, melt butter. Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are transparent. Stir in flour and brown.

Add to pot:

6 cups chicken stock

3 small potatoes, peeled and cut in small cubes

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Pepper

1 TBSP. Basil

1 tsp. Thyme

Bring to a boil. Turn heat down and let simmer until vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. In small batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return mixture to pot.

Add:

½ pkg. Mixed seafood

2-3 pieces of fish (cod, sole, etc.) cut in chunks

1 cup baby shrimp

Bring soup to a boil and turn down and simmer for 12 minutes. Add 1 cup half and half cream.

Heat through and serve hot.

Duck is considered a white meat, being in the poultry family, but it is really a darker meat with a rich, gamier flavor. Because of this highly flavored meat, duck requires a wine with a little more body to it to complement it, rather than a light, white wine that typically goes with poultry.

The Pinot Noir complements duck very nicely because it is a lighter variety of red wine. It is rich enough to accentuate the deeper flavoring of the duck meat, but it does not overpower it as a robust red might. As well, the woodsy flavor of a typical Pinot Noir goes well with the gamey taste of the duck.

Pinot Noir comes from a red wine grape variety that is chiefly associated with the Burgundy Region in France. It is a difficult grape to cultivate and transform into wine. It needs rather specific growing conditions, and it is sensitive to light exposure, cropping levels, the type of soil and pruning techniques. The grape has a thin skin that makes it susceptible for rot and fungal diseases. In the winery, it can be sensitive to the fermentation methods used and various strains of yeast. All of this has gained the Pinot Noir grape a reputation as being a difficult one to handle.

The wines created from the Pinot Noir grape tend to be of a light to medium body, with an aroma like that of black cherry, raspberry or currant. The traditional Pinot Noir Burgundy has a little deeper, huskier flavor which has undertones of ‘farmyard’ aromas, or a mushroom or woodsy scent. It is because of that huskiness that this wine goes so well with duck. And, the typical fruitiness hint complements the duck as well.

The following is a recipe for roast duck with a sauce that you may wish to try. Be sure to serve a Pinot Noir to further complement the flavors of the duck dish.

Roast Duck

½ orange, cut into chunks
½ lemon, cut into chunks
1 duck
Salt & pepper
Garlic powder
Basil

Prick duck all over with a kitchen fork. Fill duck cavity with orange and lemon chunks. Season outside of duck with spices.

Place duck on rack in large roasting pan. Cover and bake at 350? for 2 hours, basting twice with pan drippings.

Prepare Glaze:
2 TBSP. orange marmalade
1 TBSP. hot pan drippings
Mix together in small cup.

After duck has been cooking for 2 hours, spread ½ of the glaze over duck. Return to oven for 15 more minutes. Spread remaining glaze over duck and return to oven, uncovered to brown. (About 10 minutes.) Remove duck from oven and let sit (covered) for 10 minutes for juices to reabsorb.

Sauce for Roast Duck

1 small onion, finely diced
½ stalk celery, finely diced
Grated rind of ½ orange
Grated rind of ½ lemon
1 TBSP. butter
½ cup water
2 pkg. chicken OXO
2 TBSP. marmalade
1 TBSP. brown sugar

Sauté onion and celery in butter in small pot. Add all other ingredients above. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes.

Add:
1 TBSP. cornstarch mixed with ½ cup water.
1/3 cup sliced mushrooms

Simmer together for 10 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked.

Just before serving, add 2 TBSP. Grand Marnier.

Serve sauce hot over roast duck.

Chefs will always recommend that when you use wine in your recipes, it should be a wine that you would want to drink and not just some low-priced cooking wine.  The wine included in the dish that you are making should match the wine that you will be serving the dish with, and is often the very same wine served at the table.

Riesling is a popular wine the world over for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is a hearty grape that does well even in the colder climates.  The best producer of Riesling wines is Germany, but British Columbia and Ontario in Canada are fast moving up in the ranks. Riesling wines are also produced in Australia, New Zealand, Alsace, California, Washington State, Oregon and the Finger Lakes of New York.

Riesling is also known for its long cellar life. And, it is a very versatile wine to have with food due to its balance of sugar and acid content, with a relatively low acid level. Riesling wines can range from dry to extremely sweet, with all bases covered in between.

Riesling wines are almost never fermented or aged in new oak, but they are sometimes stored in large old oak barrels, which tend to stabilize the wines from Germany and Alsace.  Therefore, Rieslings tend to be lighter in weight and suitable for a wider range of food types.  The taste of a Riesling wine is typically characterized by a fruity, floral aroma.  This full flavored wine has rich full-bodied citrus-y flavor with a fresh dry to sweet finish. The sharp acidity and sweetness in Rieslings serve as a good balance with foods that contain a high salt content, making it an ideal match with seafood.

The following is a recipe for mussels served in a broth.  The dish uses a Riesling wine ingredient that would also be great with the same Riesling wine being used when serving.  This rich full-bodied white wine can stand up to the spicy mustard and garlic ingredients used in making this dish.

Mussels Steamed in Wine

Ingredients:

Mussels

Riesling wine – ½ bottle or so (depending on amount of mussels)

1 tsp. finely chopped garlic

1 TBSP grainy mustard

Loaf of French stick bread

Butter

Clove of garlic

1 pkg. baby spinach

Examine mussels and discard any that are opened or have broken or cracked shells. Clean mussels well and remove beards.  Add approximately ½ bottle or so of Riesling wine to a large stock pot.  Add garlic and mustard and stir to combine.  Turn heat to med-high and add mussels to pot.  Cover. Bring to a low boil and simmer, and steam for about 4-5 minutes until mussels shells open.  Remove from heat and remove mussels from pot using tongs.  Discard any mussels that have not opened.  With a sharp knife remove mussels from shells and set aside.

Cut bread into slices about ½” thick.  Butter slices and toast in oven (on broil) until golden. While still hot, rub garlic clove over toasted bread slices.

Bring mussel broth to a simmer again and add baby spinach.  When spinach is wilted (it only takes a minute or so) add mussels back into broth to heat through.

Serve mussels and broth in a bowl with toasted garlic bread slices and a Riesling wine to complement the flavors in the dish.

At your next dinner party wouldn’t you like to “Wow” everyone by serving a zesty paella as a main course? Then bring out a beautiful Pinot Noir wine that would match perfectly with this highly spiced Spanish dish. It is already in the books—your dinner party is a hit!

Paella consists of a mixture of rice, spices, vegetables, meat such as chicken or sausage, and the ‘piece de resistance’, seafood. Serving seafood at any dinner party makes it special. Having an unusual dish as tasty as Paella just adds to the excitement. And, paella is one of those dishes that can be fun to serve because it is usually served in a big family-style platter that displays all the seafood treasures it contains. You shouldn’t be surprised if your guests dig in and eat some of the seafood offerings with their hands to get every bit of the goodness. This all serves to make the evening more casual and fun!

Matching a wine with your main course of Paella isn’t at all tricky. Of course, the traditional rule can apply that you could serve white wine with a fish or seafood dish, but with Paella there are the other ingredients and the spicy flavor to consider. One of the milder white wines could get lost with this dish. It may therefore be more advisable in this case to serve a hearty white, a robust red or even a lovely rosé. That is why a Pinot Noir would go well here.

Pinot Noir is a lighter red wine that goes well with poultry, ham, lamb or pork. It has a flavor that is reminiscent of sweet red berries, cherries or tomatoes, with a hint of earthy or wood-like tones that would complement the saffron in the Paella. Because it is a lighter red wine, it will not overpower the lobster or crab in the dish, but it is still strong enough to complement the other meats.

If you wish to try pairing Paella with the Pinot Noir, here is a great recipe for Paella that you may wish to try out at your next dinner party. It is easy to make and sure to be a hit, especially when you pair it with a great wine like Pinot Noir.

Paella

Combine all above ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.

 In a large roasting pan, heat 3 TBSP. olive oil. Add:

4-5 crab legs, cut into 2” pieces

4-5 chunks lobster meat

4 fish fillets (cod or sole) cut into chunks

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

3 spicy Italian sausages, but into 1” chunks

1 pkg. Med-large shrimp

3 lbs. Cleaned and bearded fresh mussels

 Sauté in hot oil for 3-4 minutes, then add 3 ½ cups uncooked white rice to seafood mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Then add:

 1 cup white wine

1 cup crushed tomatoes,

1 ½ cups water

1 can beer

Processed mixture from above

12-14 whole green olives.

Gently stir together. Cover and bake in oven at 395? for approximately one hour (until rice is fluffy and fully cooked.)

Barbeque season has come at last, and with it comes the tantalizing taste of grilled steak. Many outdoor barbeque connoisseurs would revert to drinking a boring cold beer with their steak, but pairing a lovely wine with the steak is more of a treat. And, Zinfandel is a red wine that will stand up to the smoky flavors of the steak and is robust enough to complement it.
The Zinfandel red grape variety’s origins has been disputed, but DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape, Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Italy. Today the Zinfandel grape has been planted in over 10% of California wine vineyards.
Zinfandel is typically a red wine, but in the United States a semi-sweet rosé or blush wine is called White Zinfandel. The White Zinfandel wine has recorded six times the sales of the red variety.
The taste of the red Zinfandel depends upon the ripeness of the grapes when it is made, and from where it is made. Red berry fruity flavors, like raspberry, result from wines from cooler areas such as the Napa Valley. Blackberry, anise or peppery notes are more common in wines from warmer areas like Sonoma County and in wines from the Primitivo clone strain of grape.
Zinfandel wines are typically best enjoyed in its youth, within three to five years of vintage. With age, the luscious fruitiness of this wine drops markedly and can display a pronounced ‘hot’ taste of higher alcohol levels. In the younger wines, the voluptuous flavor tends to mask the taste of the higher alcohol levels of this wine.
The lovely smokiness of grilled steak pairs well with this red wine. The heavy robustness and high sugar content of the wine complements the charred steak flavors.
To achieve the maximum wine and steak pairing complement, lightly season your steak with your favorite seasonings and grill to your choice of doneness. Then, top with the Zucchini Steak Sauce below:
Zucchini Steak Sauce

3-4 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 TBSP. butter
¼ tsp. Each, salt & pepper
1 tomato, diced
1 TBSP. soy sauce
1 TBSP. Chicken and Rib barbeque sauce
1 can sliced or whole mushrooms

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add onions and cook until transparent. Add garlic, zucchini, tomato and salt & pepper. Stir in soy sauce and barbeque sauce. Simmer together until zucchini are soft. Add mushrooms and cook through.

Delicious served over grilled steak.

Enjoying wine with your meal can be a very pleasurable experience, especially if you pay some attention as to which wine complements the food that you will be eating with it. The basic idea of pairing wine with food is to try to find a wine and food combination that tastes better together than they do on their own. In other words, find taste combinations that match well in your mouth when consumed together.
Although many may make suggestions, everyone’s taste palate is different and wine and food pairings are often dictated by personal choice. You should not worry too much about what others tell you about the wine and food matches, but should leave it up to your own palate to decide for yourself.
There are, however, a few simple guidelines to follow when serving wine with a meal. When you plan a meal, you generally start with the more delicate tastes, like a salad, and work your way through the meal towards the heavier tastes, like the meat course, and end with a sweet dessert. In the same manner, you want to drink light to darker, heavier wines to go with the course you are eating.
Typically a light white wine is usually a match for salads or the lighter beginning dishes of a meal. You would then move on to the heavier wines, like serving a red wine with a beef dish or one with a heavier meat sauce. The dessert part of the meal would typically match with a sweeter, heavier wine choice such as a port served with a piece of chocolate cake.
You also need to consider a balance when serving wine with your food. You do not want the flavors of your food to overshadow the taste of the wine, so you need to consider both the flavor and texture of your food when choosing a wine to go with it. For example, a lobster dish may have a rich buttery sweet flavor that may be delicate enough to be complemented by a white wine, but because of the rich texture, the white wine served should also be rich and full-bodied, such as an oak-aged Chardonnay.
When choosing a wine for a dish that has mixed ingredients and you are not sure what will match with it, try to determine what the most dominant flavor in the dish is and match your wine to that flavor. It could be the sauce or seasonings that determine the match. For instance, in a chicken dish with a spicy sauce, although chicken typically is served with a white wine, in this case a medium-bodied red may go better with the dominant sauce flavor.
You can also create matches for food and wine by mirroring the characteristics of the food. An example of this would be to pair a full-bodied jammy red Zinfandel with a rich meat in a thick gravy. As a tip, include some of the wine you will be serving with the dish as on of the cooking ingredients.
Another way to go is by contrasting the food and wine that you are serving together. This can often be a delicious choice. For example, you may wish to serve a sweet Port with a cheese tray. The sweet richness of the Port contrasts perfectly with the strong salty cheese to make a great taste combination.
Another hint in pairing food and wine is to think of regional items that go together. For instance, an Italian Chianti is a great match for a spaghetti dish with a rich tomato and meat sauce.
At the same time, think about the key components in the wine you choose to serve with a dish. The amount of acidity in the food can cause a wine with little acidity to taste bland. For instance, tomatoes in a dish need a wine with enough acid content to balance it out. Or, if you are serving a dish that has a sweetness to it, like a dessert, the sweet element needs to be balanced out in the wine you serve. As a rule, when serving desserts, the wine consumed with it should be at least as sweet as the dessert.
You also need to consider the tannin found in the wine (a component that comes from the skins, seeds and stems of the grapes) and the alcohol content in the wine. The tannin, mostly found in red wines, generally leave an astringent feeling in your mouth. You should match the tannin content of the wine with the protein of the meat you are serving. For example, the protein from a juicy steak would coat your mouth and make the tannins in the wine seem softer and smoother.
The amount of alcohol in the wine will intensify the spiciness found in the dish you are serving. So, unless you want a lot of heat to be the main component of your food, try to avoid serving high-alcohol content wines with spicy dishes. As an alternate, a dry wine with just a bit of sweetness would work well.
As mentioned, the above are just general rules about how to pair food and wines. Only you can decide for yourself what works best with your flavor palate. Remember that anything goes as long as it tastes great to you.