This Holiday Dinner took a good bit of time and effort. But the gratification of winning the “Kentucky Derby” of dinner parties is without equal.
Lambrusco!
Yes, you read the title correctly. No, this is not the cloying, headache-inducing Riunite of your college days. This is THE festive complement to your most impressive Antipasti Platter!
Turkey Day Trials
My recommendation for a Thanksgiving wine? Don’t serve one, serve a variety!
Grilled Pork Chops with Pinot Noir and Espresso-Infused Demi-Glace
This is a great recipe to move you out of your comfort zone of fruit-forward, over-extracted California red wines and serve an old world red from Portugal. It’s all about the sauce.
Vermentino and Brussels Sprout Salad
Really??? Brussels Sprouts??? Yes, really! This is a great “raw” preparation paired with exotic Vermentino – a noble grape of Sardinia now cultivated in California and Italy.
The Original Hangover Pasta
Hangover Pasta: Egg, Cheese, Bacon and Pasta! Hats off to the menu writer that crafted a name that would be irresistable to the American diner. How do I know it would be irresistable? This post gets more hits than any other on my blog!
Beaucastel and Bacchus in Buffalo
Have you ever seen a restaurant wine list that offers wines at (or modestly above) retail prices? Rare, right? How about Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux 2002 for less than half the current auction price? I found such a place in Buffalo NY.
Chianti and Clove-Infused Pork & Black Bean Stew
With summer now about over, are you ready to put aside the screw top wines and move on to heavier reds? But not quite ready for big Syrahs and Amarone? This recipe and wine pairing is just the ticket to get you on your way.
Tempranillo and Grilled NY Strip Steak
Love the flavor of a grilled NY Strip Steak, but maybe a little weary of California Cabernet Sauvignon? Go to Spain! Pair that steak with the fruit of 100+ year vines found in Toro in the heartland of España.
Barbaresco and Godfather “Gravy”
Remember the scene in The Godfather when Clemenza was teaching Michael how to make “gravy”? That scene from the 1972 movie both liberated and inspired me to cook: if it was cool for a mafia capo to cook Marinara sauce, it was cool enough for me.