Thai-style Shrimp and Cheddar Spring Rolls A refreshing and delicious idea for a picnic What is it about eating outdoors that is so appealing? Is it simply the fact that we are trapped inside for most of the year and we need to get out come summertime? Maybe the increased amount of oxygen makes the food and wine taste better. Or maybe natural light soothes a primal part of our psyches, making the meal experience that much better. Whatever the reason, I just love eating outdoors, and I’m always on the lookout for new, easy and tasty picnic recipes. Thai-style […]
Shellfish & Wine
Thai Spice Infused Risotto Recipe with Sauteed Scallops and Shrimp Paired with Tilia Torrontes, Argentina
Thai Spice Infused Risotto with Sauteed Scallops and Shrimp An Asian twist on the classic risotto recipe. Coconut milk, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves infuse the broth and a touch of heat is is provided by Thai red curry paste. Choose a wine that is able to stand up to all these flavours. A perfect match would be Tilia Torrontes 2010, an aromatic, dry white from Argentina. Serves 4 1 400ml can coconut milk (not coconut cream) 4 cups chicken stock 4 kaffir lime leaves (1 tsp lime zest can be substituted) 1 stalk lemon grass roughly chopped 2 […]
Shrimp, Watercress, Bacon and Walnut Salad Recipe Paired with Coopers Creek Chardonnay, New Zealand
Shrimp, Watercress, Bacon & Walnut Salad Recipe by Shari Goodman When autumn falls, you can still head to the farmers’ market to gather up the bounty from the summer’s sun and rain. A mix of crisp greens, fragrant herbs and a tangy vinaigrette can satisfy that craving for raw simplicity. To make a salad of complexity that’s hearty enough to eat as a main, you can add some grilled shrimp, a bit of bacon and goat’s cheese. And if you give the sliced potato and goat’s cheese some extra love in the deep fryer, it’s even better. Though many people […]
Girls’ Night In with Indian-Style Shrimp Pizza with Mozzarella and Canadian Cheese Platter Paired with Lenz Moser Mariandl or Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon
INDIAN-STYLE SHRIMP PIZZA WITH MOZZARELLA Someone famously said that girls just want to have fun. Given our hectic modern-day lives, this ’80’s anthem holds true now more than ever. It is important to put some time aside for your girlfriends and indulge in conversation, laughter and a bit of silliness. I propose that you call your friends and invite them over for no other reason than to have fun. To make your life easy and get the evening going in style, I suggest a simple and flavourful Indian-style pizza, followed up with a nice platter of comforting cheese paired with […]
Recipe: Grilled Seafood Goat Cheese Tart Paired with Delta Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand
Grilled Seafood Goat Cheese Tart Paired with Delta Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Marlborough, New Zealand A simple tart using buttery puff pastry as the base is topped with grilled shrimp and scallops, tangy goat cheese and ripe grape tomatoes. Served with a greens salad the tart would pair well with an aromatic sauvignon blanc. The characteristic of white currant and melon notes found in sauvignon blanc complements the flavours in the tart. It is also one of the best wines for tangy cheeses like goat cheese. An excellent choice to try would be Delta Sauvignon Blanc 2010 from Marlborough, New Zealand. […]
Steven’s Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti
Steven’s Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti “We get rave reviews on our un-oaked Chardonnay-Pinot Grigio blend. It’s so versatile, as a refreshing aperitif, or paired with white fish, poultry or salad greens. We love asking guests what flavours they taste in it. Some say orchard fruits, others comment on its melon or citrus nuances.” – Steven and Chris Spring is here and what better way to celebrate spring than with TREND wines, designed to be fabulous by Steven and Chris! The TREND wine collection will embrace spring this year and be showcased at the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa starting May 6th […]
Food & Viognier
I like to pair wine with foods. I also like simplicity. There are dozens of food types and styles that will go with most wines. I am however not a food critic. It would be very unfair of me to give my thoughts on someones hard work and creativity in the kitchen unless I am entitled to do so! The web (blogs especially), magazines and, I must admit, even the daily broadsheets, have endless examples of self made critics. There is nothing wrong with having a view and expressing it. There is a subtle difference between that and being a […]
Turkey Wines 7
As much as we anticipate pairing wine with our Thanksgiving feast, let us not forget: that bird at center-stage is akin to winged tofu. Dry, winged tofu. Doesn’t exactly tickle your wine fancy? Not to worry. When selecting a wine for the festive meal, it’s not the turkey you’re pairing to anyway. Rather, it’s everything that touches the turkey on your plate: a sea of savory, sweet, creamy and crunchy side dishes that are the true stars of the holiday. For this reason, spry, fruity wines with little age and decent acidity are the best for turkey and its fixings. […]
Clam Chowder & Wine
Whether your idea of clam chowder is Boston’s bowl of creamy goodness, Manhattan’s tomatoey brine or Connecticut’s vibrant clear broth, team this classic dish with a glass of chilled white wine. A white wine will give you the refreshing crispness to stand up to the full-throttled clam flavor, while a sense of fruitiness—a touch of sweetness, even—will flatter the chowder’s innate saltiness. The one variable that may change is the wine’s weight or profile, as noted by Natalie Maclean, the Canadian wine writer who offers food and wine pairing suggestions on her Web site, nataliemaclean.com. “Clam chowders in a clear […]
Food & Wine
Dinner with wine used to be simple. The rule was white wine with white meat and red wine with red meat. But most of us don’t just eat meat and potatoes or drink claret and chablis these days. With modern fusion cuisine and wines from new regions around the world, the choices – and confusion – are great. One new school of thought is that any wine goes with any dish. However, most of us don’t put ketchup on our ice cream for the same reason as we don’t drink a delicate white wine with a hearty meat dish or […]
