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14 June 2010 Lunching – Old School

Lunching – Old School

June 14, 2010 By
Stuffed Tomato

Stuffed Tomato

I’m the first in line for new and innovative cooking and have dined at some pretty eclectic restaurants all over the world, but sometimes, old school-type dishes are what I really crave.

Beef Wellington, turkey Tetrazzini, macaroni salad…stuffed tomato?  Yes, stuffed tomato is a Summer favorite when tomatoes are ripe, juicy and perfect.  Plus, it takes 1 minute to make for a simple lunch or a quick starter:

1) Core the tomato and cut it from top to bottom in sections (make sure not to cut through the bottom) to create a ‘flower’.

2) Add 1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese to the tomato center.

3) Drizzle with olive oil then generously sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

Got heirloom tomatoes on hand?  Use them for an even better tasting starter!

Which ‘old school’ dishes do you crave throughout the year?

Filed Under: American, Other Neat Things, Sides, Starters, Vegetables

5 No-Fuss Casual Summer Dishes

June 12, 2010 By
Berry Cobbler

Berry Cobbler

It’s nearly Summertime and all of us are looking for simple dishes to make while entertaining friends and family.  Here are five dishes to try throughout the Summer that won’t keep you away from the party.

Beef Chili for a Crowd: http://bit.ly/96QARr

Quick and Easy Pan Fried Smashed Potatoes: http://bit.ly/cQRipt

Whole Grilled Chicken for the Non-Cook: http://bit.ly/bNYU1z

Zesty Guacamole: http://bit.ly/b0PYgj

Very Berry Cobbler: http://bit.ly/bP2yIL

Filed Under: American, Beef, Desserts, Entrees, Fruits, Mexican, Potatoes, Sides, Starters, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , , ,
8 June 2010 Albarino Restaurant Promotion in NYC

Albarino Restaurant Promotion in NYC

June 8, 2010 By

New York, NY, May 25 — From June 6 to 19, 2010, an eXceptional group of NYC restaurants will offer don’t-miss deals including by-the-glass specials, bottle discounts, wine pairings and special tasting menus highlighting Albariño wines from Rías Baixas, Spain.  Delicious on its own or paired with seafood, tapas, sushi, or your favorite salad, welcome summer with a glass of fresh, crisp Albariño.

Participating restaurants include Casellula, Boqueria, at Vermilion, Tio Pepe and others. During the promotion, consumers can also check out tastings at local retailers, Albariño and food pairing seminars, cheese tastings and more.

Share your Albariño eXperience and win! Savvy sippers can win an iPad or dinner for two at a participating restaurant by sharing their Albariño experiences. Simply include @riasbaixaswines in your Facebook status or tweet for a chance to win.

For details and a complete restaurant listing go to: www.DiscoverAlbarino.com. To learn more about Rías Baixas Albariño wines in the meantime visit www.albarinofromspain.com.

PLUS:

Albarino and Cheese tasting at Artisanal on June 10th – special “insider promo code” – enter “SEAT” in the Promotional Code Box Upon Check Out, to receive 2 seats for $99.00 instead of $150.

Another event will take place on Monday June 14th at City Winery with Chef Harold Dieterle of Perilla (and former “Top Chef”) creating international tapas and WR Tish doing Albarino pairings.
Details and links are here: www.albarinofromspain.com

Filed Under: Other Neat Things Tagged With: ,

Asian Whole Grilled Chicken

June 3, 2010 By

Like to entertain but not a master in the kitchen (or at the grill)? I have a fantastic grilling idea for you that will take about 5 minutes to prep, cooks virtually unattended on the grill and is sure to impress your guests.

Ingredients:

  • 4 pound whole chicken
  • 12 ounce bottle of ginger salad dressing

Directions:

  1. Wash the chicken under running water (remove bag with organs if inside the chicken). Pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Lay chicken breast-side down on a cutting board.  With heavy-duty scissors, cut along each side of the chicken’s backbone, discarding bone when finished. Grabbing each side of the cut back, flatten chicken by cracking it open.
  3. Marinate flattened chicken in ginger salad dressing for 2 hours, then remove excess dressing with your hands.
  4. Heat gas grill to medium.  Lay chicken, breast-side up, on the grill, close the lid, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes. Flip chicken over using tongs and cook an additional 25 minutes on the breast side.
  5. Remove chicken from the grill once the internal temperature of the thickest part of the leg reaches 170 degrees on a meat thermometer, cooking in 5-minute intervals past the original 50 minutes until done. Tent cooked chicken with foil for 15 minutes on a platter to rest. Cut chicken in portion-size servings. Enjoy!

Notes: Feel free to substitute ginger dressing with Italian, Greek or other non-sugar based dressing for fun variations.

Filed Under: American, Asian, Chicken, Entrees Tagged With: , , , ,
1 June 2010 Cheese Around the World

Cheese Around the World

June 1, 2010 By

Last weekend, I held a dinner party where I had folks from all over the world. Typically, I like to have some semblance of a theme to my parties: all beef, Greek, fondue, hors d’oeuvres, etc. This time, I opted to make everyone feel at home by doing a cheese platter where everyone’s nationality was celebrated.

Cheese by Country

Cheese by Country

I featured the following:

  • Canadian Cheddar – from Quebec, my hometown
  • Dutch Aged Gouda – aged 5 years, crumbly and perfect for my guy
  • Danish Havarti – creamy and nutty
  • Swedish Vasterbotten – parmesan-like but softer and milder
  • English / Isle of Man – Manx Cheddar Cheese
  • USA (NY) – soft, creamy brie
  • USA (Wisconsin) – Dunbarton Blue – THE perfect blue
  • USA (New Jersey) – Sheep’s milk ricotta from fabulous Valley Shepherd Creamery

Using my computer, I made tiny flags to represent each country’s flag that I glued to a toothpick. I could then easy identify which cheese was from which country.

The result – everyone felt at home, comfortable and able to share stories of his/her country, food and traditions.

Please share your neat party ideas!

Filed Under: Cheese, Other Neat Things Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
28 May 2010 5 Things to Contemplate This Memorial Day

5 Things to Contemplate This Memorial Day

May 28, 2010 By

With Memorial Day and weekend coming up, I’ve been contemplating what this holiday means, or should mean to me.

Sure, I’m happy about the long weekend, having dear friends over and hosting a couple dinner parties, but I’m trying to make this holiday ‘count’ for me this year. Here are five things I vow to focus on this Memorial Day:

1)  Our Troops and Their Families

I just saw The Messenger, starring Woody Harrelson, this weekend and it was a novel way of not only looking at the war from our troops’ perspective but from the view of the families of the soldiers fighting. I no longer have anyone in my immediate circle fighting in the war, but want to take some time to really think about what those men and women are seeing and experiencing and how that affects the ones who come home and the families of the ones who don’t.

2)  My Friends

I have five friends coming into town to spend the holiday weekend with us and I also want to take some time to relive some of the good, and not so good, memories of the years we’ve been friends and where that might take us in the future now that we live far apart.

3)  The Food

I want the food I’ll prepare for my friends and family to remind me of where I’ve come from, special meals I’ve shared with people dear to me and family recipes I’ve cherished over the years.

4)  The Wine

Having recently returned from Napa and Sonoma, I’ve decided to buy American wines from the kind folks who I met during my fantastic stay. Some of the ones I’ll be uncorking:

5)  The Future

I’m a planner by nature, so I have a plan for the far future: retirement funds, new cars for my nieces when they turn 16, plan to move to New Hampshire and raise goats and grow alfalfa (okay, that’s a maybe), but I want to spend some time figuring out is where to go with my food and wine blogging and social media consulting. Must-Get-Things-Figured-out!

A very safe and happy holiday weekend to all my friends, fans and even foes. Hope this post will have you reflecting a bit and appreciate all the memories from the past and the memories you’ll be making over the holiday.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Other Neat Things, Wine Reviews Tagged With:

2008 Cinquante Cinq Viognier

May 26, 2010 By

First, I recommend drinking this wine a bit warmer than you typically would. It is very floral on the nose with Anjou pear, ripe apple on the palate. Sweet richness would be ideal with spicy foods and one could compare this wine to a semi-sweet Riesling. Not the best example of Viognier, but can’t beat the price.

About $10.

Filed Under: White Wine, Wine Reviews Tagged With: ,
25 May 2010 2006 Matanzas Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

2006 Matanzas Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

May 25, 2010 By
2006 Matanzas Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

2006 Matanzas Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2006 Matanzas Creek Cabernet Sauvignon shows tons of red berries and smoky notes on the nose.  This medium-bodied, fruit-forward wine shows nice acidity and pleasant tannins that can be softened with a few minutes in the decanter.

Around $32.

Filed Under: Red Wine, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , , ,
25 May 2010 2006 St Supery Virtu Napa Valley White Meritage

2006 St Supery Virtu Napa Valley White Meritage

May 25, 2010 By
2006 St Supery Virtu

2006 St Supery Virtu

Virtu is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc (52%) and Semillon (48%). This wine offered a juicy mouthful of peach with an enjoyable mineral finish.  This rich, medium-bodied wine would be great with grilled scallops and a slightly oily grilled fish.

Pairings: Fish, seafood, especially seared scallops

Style: White Wine

Grape Type(s): 52% Sauvignon Blancm 48% Semillon

Region: Napa Valley, CA, USA

Price: $27

Filed Under: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, United States, White Wine, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
22 May 2010 New Wines of Greece – New York City

New Wines of Greece – New York City

May 22, 2010 By

I had the pleasure of attending the New Wines of Greece in Manhattan this week and found the event fantastic. First – the people – exhibiting wineries, event coordinators and the catering staff were passionate about their destination and products, second – the wines I sampled were pretty outstanding, third – my favorite NYC chef and cookbook author, Michael Psilakis, provided the amazing food.

Here are some of the wines I sampled that were gems:

  • 2009 Antonopoulos Moscofilero, Mantinia: a bold, fruit-forward, almost creamy wine. Long, perfectly dry, smoky finish.
  • 2009 Domaine Katsaros Chardonnay: Low acidity, aged in French oak for 5 months, buttery (in a good way).
  • 2009 Savatiano Papagiannakos: Light, palest greenish in color, fruity with a hint of tannins.
  • 2009 Gaia Estate Assyrtiko: Rich honey and fruit notes without much sweetness. Refined, elegant wine that reminded me of a nicer white Burgundy.

As far as food was concerned, Michael Psilakis didn’t cut any corners. The ‘catering’ food he brought to this event was what he serves at his restaurant. My favorite dish from Psilakis’ Kefi, grilled octopus, was served on huge platters. Michael ensured that platters, bowls and dishes were filled to the brim and stayed fresh, and even served when a crowd amassed at certain stations.

Great event all around.

Filed Under: Greek, Other Neat Things, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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