A Year of Wine : Wine and Food Blog

August 04 - Unusual Grapes #2 Norton and Pimentos - Podcast

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August 04 - Pimento Cheese - Recipe

Pimento Cheese

1 pound sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese
2 medium kosher dill pickles
2 or 3 cloves of garlic to taste
1 4-ounce jar of pimentos drained
3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1. Cut all ingredients except the pimentos into large chunks. (The pimentos are already chopped.) Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse just long enough to roughly chop. You don't want to puree the ingredients, just make them pliable for the next step.

2. Put in large bowl and mix with about 3 good tablespoons of mayonnaise.

3. Refrigerate, but set out for 20 to 30 minutes before use.

August 03 - Unusual Grapes #1 Seyval Blanc and Beurre Blanc - Podcast

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August 03 - Beurre Blanc - Recipe

Beurre Blanc

1 to 2 shallots, chopped fine
8 ounces white wine
2 ounces lemon juice
1 tablespoon heavy cream
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
Salt and white pepper, to taste

1. Combine the shallots, white wine, and lemon juice in a non-reactive saucepan over high heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons.

2. Add the cream to the reduction. Once the liquid bubbles, reduce the heat to low. Add the butter, one cube at a time, whisking first on the heat and then off the heat. Continue whisking butter into the reduction until the mixture is fully emulsified and has reached a rich sauce consistency. Season with salt and white pepper. Store beurre blanc in a thermos until ready to serve.

August 02 - When to Harvest Grapes - Podcast

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August 02 - When to Harvest Grapes

When to Harvest Grapes

The most stressful time in the winemaker's year is just before and during harvest. If they pick too early the wine may taste green and unripe. Wait too late and the wine can taste cooked. Nowadays the decision of when to pick is often made for the winemaker by devices that measure the sweetness and the acidity of the grape. Close attention is also paid to the daily weather reports. A fall storm can swell the grapes and dilute the flavor. Even when conditions are perfect, it's best to pick when temperatures are at their lowest, which generally means at night. Finding workers who will pick in the dark can be expensive and winemakers often turn to machines that are 20 times faster that humans. The trade off is, these machines, while fast, can't tell the good grapes from the bad, and unlike humans, machines won't leave unripe grapes on the vine to be picked later.

August 01 - Zweigelt and Homemade Sausages - Podcast

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August 01 - Homemade Sausages - Recipe

Homemade Sausages

For complete directions on how to make sausages at home, follow this link to abigslice.com.