A Year of Wine : Wine and Food Blog

Welcome to A Year of Wine

 

A Year of Wine was created and written by Ted Field to answer the most popular question he gets asked... "What do I pair this with?" This blog contains over 300 different wine and food pairing ideas, including holiday suggestions, and loads of wine and food tidbits presented in an easy to digest podcast format.

Ted was the recipient of the 2011 Atlanta Grape Guru/Top Wine Professional Award at the Winter Wine and Jazz Festival. He teaches all over the Southeast and co-developed The ViniCode™, a system of wine description designed to help the novice drinker choose that perfect bottle of wine. The ViniCode™ will be appearing on the back label of select imported wines starting in 2011.

Click here for more information on the ViniCode™.

February 24 - Mission Grape and Chile Rellenos - Podcast

Ayow022510

February 24 - Chile Rellenos - Recipe

Chile Rellenos

8 to 10 Hatch New Mexico green chiles
8 to 10 ounces Monterey jack, grated
1 cup blue corn flour
1 tablespoon flour
Pinch salt
Pinch garlic powder
Pinch ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, to coat skillet
Lettuce and tomatoes, as a garnish

1. Char the peppers by holding them over an open flame of a gas burner with tongs. Then place the peppers in a plastic bag for at least 30 minutes to steam the skin loose. When the pepper is cool enough to handle, remove the charred skin, using a paring knife if necessary. Slit a side of the chiles and remove the seeds. Stuff the chiles with the cheese.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Roll the stuffed chiles in the flour mixture. Saute the chiles on a flat grill or in a skillet coated with vegetable oil for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until the cheese is melted.

3. Serve 2 to 3 chiles per serving. Smother them in salsa and serve them with lettuce and tomatoes.

February 23 - Wine Diversity - Podcast

Ayow022410

February 23 - Wine Diversity

Wine Diversity

Have you ever heard someone say, "I will only drink French wine?" This traditional, and rather old fashioned view of wine has its origins in the 19th century, and is based on assumptions that are no longer true in today's wine market. In the first place, the range of wines available then was much more limited than it is now. Back then, the lion's share of the wine traded internationally was from the big chateaux of Bordeaux and the specialty Port wines. Luckily for us, now the world of wine is much more diverse than ever. Never before have so many people been willing to take the risk and try something new, kick starting the industry in emerging regions and creating new markets for innovative winemakers. Improved methods of transportation have made it easier to import specialty wines from all over the world. Besides, most Europeans consider wine as food, and you would never hear anyone say "I will only eat French food." How boring is that?

February 22 - Burgundy and Gougeres - Podcast

Ayow022310

February 22 - Gougeres - Recipe

Gougeres

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
Large pinch of coarse salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
3 1/2 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese (1 cup), plus more for sprinkling
Freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 400°.

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter and salt and bring to a boil. Add the flour and stir it in with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms; stir over low heat until it dries out and pulls away from the pan, about 2 minutes.
 
2. Scrape the dough into a bowl; let cool for 1 minute. Beat the eggs into the dough, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly between each one. Add the cheese and a pinch each of pepper and nutmeg.

3. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe tablespoon-size mounds onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. 

4. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 22 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve hot, or let cool and refrigerate or freeze. Reheat in a 350° oven until piping hot.

notes

When making the choux pastry, it is important to be sure that each egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next. Don’t worry if the batter separates and looks curdled at first. Keep beating, and it will come together nicely. 

Gougères freeze well. It might be fun to make extra with your club, so you can all take some home. After baking, allow them to cool completely. When you return home, spread the gougères out on a baking sheet, cover the sheet with plastic wrap and freeze them until they are firm. Then store them in sturdy plastic bags for several months.

February 21 - Mardi Gras Gewurztraminer and Gumbo - Podcast

Ayow021610

February 21 - Mardi Gras Seafood Gumbo - Recipe

Seafood Gumbo

1/4 cup oil
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup celery, diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon chicken base
3 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/3 cup dried parsley
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons House Seasoning, recipe follows
2 tablespoons soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes seasoned with garlic, basil, and oregano or 2 cups fresh diced tomatoes
4 cups sliced Cajun-style fresh link sausage
4 cups cut okra (fresh or frozen)
2 cups oysters and liquor
1/2 pound crabmeat
1 1/2 pounds fresh peeled shrimp
3 cups bay scallops
File powder

1. In a large pot combine oil and flour. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the roux has browned to a light chocolate color. Add onion, pepper, celery and garlic. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

2. Slowly add chicken broth, and chicken base, stirring as you go. Add water, bay leaves, thyme, basil, parsley, lemon pepper, cayenne pepper, House Seasoning, soy sauce and tomatoes. Cut sausage into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to pot along with okra.

3. Cover pot and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add oysters, crabmeat, shrimp and scallops. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

4. Serve over hot buttered rice. Sprinkle with file powder on top of bowl and stir in.

Tip: Add file powder after putting gumbo into individual serving bowls. Adding file into the pot will make the gumbo too thick as File powder acts as a thickening agent.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups