Food & Wine Pairings

No need to babysit a bunch of itty-bitty burgers on the grill; these sliders use a muffin pan for easy prep. Serve these easy cheeseburger sliders with World Vineyard Australian Shiraz for a most impressive pairing.

Recipe: 

Marinade

2 tsp kosher salt or to taste

4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped (or garlic puree equivalent)

3 fresh Bay leaves, plus extra for skewers

½ tsp black pepper

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

2 pounds of beef tenderloin cut into 2 inch cubes

Onion wedges – optional

Red Pepper wedges – optional

Wooden skewers – soaked in water

Directions: 

1.    Marinade:  Using a mortar and pestle, combine salt and garlic cloves, mashing to a paste.  If using garlic puree, mix garlic puree with salt.  Then mix in 3 Bay leaves, black pepper, red wine vinegar and olive oil.

2.    Place cubed beef in glass bowl and pour marinade over-top.  Coat thoroughly.  Let stand 2 to 4 hours (refrigerated).

3.    Push meat onto wooden skewers, alternating with Bay leaves, and onion and red pepper wedges if using.  Grill over medium heat for 5 minutes for medium rare or to desired doneness.

Serve Espetadas with Portuguese Duoro Tinto.

(Photo Credit: Saúde&Lar)

If Dad is a fan of BBQ there is no better time than Father’s Day to throw him a backyard BBQ celebration. While no good BBQ is complete without an ice cold beer, this year why not try a nice chilled rosé? Yes that’s right, rosés and BBQ pair together fabulously. A rosé has just what it takes to stand up to the smokiness of a BBQ while providing superb refreshment on a hot sunny day.

Below are some delicious ideas to thank Dad on his special day.

Barbeque Spareribs

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Stuffed Salmon with Fennel and Citrus

Grilled Chicken

 January – Argentine Torrontes

Yield: 1 Serving

Ingredients:

Pastry
● 1 cup unsalted butter
● 2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
● ½ tsp salt
●1/2 cup water, chilled

Caramelized Onions
● 1 small onion, finely chopped
● 1 tbsp unsalted butter
● kosher salt to taste

Red Wine Stewed Figs
● 4 dried Mission figs (use fresh figs when they are in season), cut into quarters
●1/4 cup red wine
● 1 sprig thyme
● 1 small shallot, sliced

Remaining Tart Toppings
● 1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
● 1 sprig thyme, leaves removed from stalk

Method:

Pastry
Freeze butter for 1 hour.
Grate butter on the large side of a stand up box grater. Add butter into flour and toss until evenly distributed.
Dissolve salt into the very cold water. Add water to flour. Toss until dough comes together.
Wrap in saran wrap and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours.
Roll dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into 4 ½ inch diameter circles and prick each round lightly with a fork. Transfer pastry rounds onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and rest in the fridge for 1 hour.

Caramelized Onions
Cook the onions with the butter and salt over low heat until onions are soft and golden brown. Cool and set aside.

Red Wine Stewed Figs
Put the figs, wine, thyme and shallot into a small pot.
Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for another half an hour. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the tart.

Tart Assembly
Preheat oven to 375F.
Spread the caramelized onions evenly over each tart shell.
Remove the figs from the wine and pat dry. Arrange 4 pieces of fig on each tart. Evenly crumble goat cheese and sprinkle thyme leaves over each tart.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and pastry is cooked through.

Pair with: Argentine Torrontés

Recipe:

Large rice paper crepes

Green onions cut into thin slices (1 ½ inch lengths)

Firm tofu cut into thin strips (1 ½ inch lengths)

Carrots cut into thin slices (1 ½ inch lengths)

Bean sprouts

Enoki mushrooms

Egg

Coriander leaves

Required tools – A shallow pan with luke warm water and a flat work surface.

Directions:

Lay out the desired amount of rice paper crepes beside a shallow pan with luke warm water.  Slice the green onions, tofu and carrots, and set aside.  Wash the bean sprouts and enoki mushrooms and set aside.  Scramble an egg and fry like a pancake in a shallow non stick pan.  Remove when firm and let cool.  Once cooled cut into thin 1 ½ inch lengths.  Wash coriander leaves and set aside.  Once everything is prepared it is time to begin the assembly.

Place a sheet of rice paper in the luke warm water for above 15 to 20 seconds to soften the crepe.  Gently remove from water and place on a clean flat work surface.  Fill with desired amount of prepared ingredients on the lower 1/3 of the round rice paper crepe.  Do not over stuff or crepe will break.  Roll tight into a log and fold in sides as you roll.

Cover with plastic wrap to keep moist if you are not using them immediately.

Serve with dipping sauces such as Satay or Sweet Plum Sauce.

Enjoy with a glass of off-dry white wine such as Pacifica White.

(Photo Credit: RecipesForChineseFood.com)

Have friends over for a game night! All that’s required is some pretzels and potato chips and pair them with our Selection Original Gewurztraminer.