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This is the final entry in our delicious meals for delicious wines three part blog series. In this entry we discuss foods that go with three popular white wines including Chardonnay, White Riesling, and Dry Riesling.

Chardonnay
Strong cheese, appetizers, seafood, poultry, pork

Chardonnay is always great with a zesty dish. Since pork compliments it well, try making pork loin cooked in milk (Arista al Latte). With lemon, garlic and milk it is the perfect match for the light, buttery, and sweet taste of chardonnay. Serve a nice salad with dinner, and before dinner consider appetizers of strong cheeses and crackers.

Serve chardonnay cold or chilled at 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit in a tulip-shaped glass. Make sure not to let the wine get below 50 degrees, as it would freeze some of the wines flavor.

Sample Recipe:

Pork Loin Cooked in Milk (Arista al Latte)
Original recipe yield: 4 servings
Recipe Courtesy: Kyle Phillips

Arista is the Tuscan name for pork roast, and is also applied to the cut of meat used to make pork roast, the loin with ribs attached. According to Artusi it derives from an ecumenical council held in Florence in 1430 to attempt to settle the differences between the Greek and Roman Churches, during which the Florentines served their guests roast pork loin seasoned with rosemary, salt, and pepper. The Greeks all began to exclaim, “Arista, arista! (good, good!)” and the name stuck.

Ingredients:

1/12 pounds (675 g) boned pork loin
2 cloves of garlic, slivered and the pieces rolled in salt and pepper
Several thin strips of lemon zest
Butcher’s twine
3/4 pint (375 ml) whole milk, heated to boiling
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper

Directions:

Begin by cutting several slits across the grain into the pork, and slipping slivers of garlic and strips of lemon zest into each. Tie the meat so it will hold its shape and dust it with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a pot and brown the meat on all sides, then pour the hot milk over it, reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer uncovered until the pork is done (1 to 1 1/2 hours). Turn the meat and scrape the bottom of the pot frequently.

By the time the pork is done almost all the liquid should have evaporated; at this point stir the curds often or they will burn.

When the arista is cooked let it sit for a few minutes, remove the string, slice it finely, then spoon the curds over the slices and serve with a tossed salad.

Though delicious hot this recipe is also quite good cold, which means it can be prepared ahead of time.

White Riesling
Mild cheese, chocolate

White Riesling is great for a small parties or game nights with friends. It is complimented well by chocolate and cheese, which means your possibilities are endless. Try making your own chocolate covered strawberries, and serve with a variety of cheese, crackers and other fruits.

Serve White Riesling in a tulip-shaped glass chilled at 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sample Recipe:

Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Original recipe yield: 3 servings
Recipe Courtesy: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

16 ounces milk chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
1 pound fresh strawberries with leaves

Directions:

Insert toothpicks into the tops of the strawberries.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth. Holding them by the toothpicks, dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture.

Turn the strawberries upside down and insert the toothpick into Styrofoam while the chocolate cools.

Dry Riesling
Mild & strong cheese, appetizers, shrimp, crab, lobster, Asian food, poultry, pork

Dry Riesling is a versatile wine that goes with a few different types of food. For an appetizer, try serving crackers and cheese with homemade lobster dip. For dinner how about a fun chicken recipe, like mandarin orange spice chicken.

Serve Dry Riesling at a cool 52 degrees Fahrenheit in a tulip-shaped glass.

First Sample Recipe:

Mandarin Orange Spice Chicken
Original recipe yield: 4 servings
Recipe Courtesy: Recipe4all.com

Ingredients:

4 packets of Mandarin Orange Spice tea
4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 1⁄2 cups water
2teaspoon crushed garlic
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1⁄2 cups flour
4 tablespoons peanut oil

Instructions:

Combine the tea bags, chicken, water, garlic, and soy sauce.

Marinate for at least 3 hours (overnight is best).

Remove the chicken and coat each piece in flour.

Sauté the chicken cubes over medium heat in peanut oil until golden brown and cooked through (about 10 minutes).

Second Sample Recipe:

Lobster Dip
Recipe Courtesy: Diana Rattray

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar Cheese
A few dashes of Tabasco sauce
1/3 cup dry white wine
Cooked meat from 1 small lobster (about 1 cup), cut in small pieces

Directions:

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.

Gradually add cheese; stir until cheese is melted.

Add Tabasco sauce; gradually add wine, stirring until mixture is smooth.

Add lobster, then continue to cook and stir until heated through.

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In the second part of our delicious meals for delicious wines series we decided to take a deeper look at the best foods to compliment sparkling wine. As many of you probably already know, only wine that comes from the Champagne region of France can technically be called Champagne. However, any of the recipes in this entry will compliment almost any sparkling wines including Champagne.

Blanc de Blanc
Mild & strong cheese, appetizers, seafood, Asian food, poultry, dessert/ fruit

Sparkling wine is one of the few types of wine that Asian food will compliment well. With a Blanc de Blanc we suggest an Asian themed meal including small sushi rolls for an appetizer, and a chicken dish such as chicken skewers with dukkah crust for the main course. Not only are they fairly simple to make, but they’re cute too! When it comes to dessert, you can stick with your Asian theme and make your own fortune cookies!

Serve Blanc de Blanc in a champagne flute, chilled between 43 and 48 degrees Fahrenheit.

First Sample Recipe:
Chicken Skewers with Dukkah Crust

Dukkah makes everything better. This spice mix, often including sesame seeds, sumac, and hazelnuts, is most commonly combined with oil and used as a dipping sauce. This recipe coats the chicken in mustard and dukkah, then is accompanied by a sweet-sour sauce of honey and balsamic vinegar.

If you have the time, you can make your own dukkah. Otherwise you can look for it at gourmet grocery stores, or online at stores like Spice Bazaar.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
24 chicken tenders, also called chicken tenderloins
1 cup Dukkah
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1 ounce)
24 metal or bamboo skewers (if using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes before cooking)

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange the rack in the middle.

Combine balsamic vinegar and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Combine mustard and olive oil in a shallow bowl and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss chicken in mustard mixture until well coated.

Combine dukkah and Parmigiano-Reggiano in a wide, shallow dish and mix thoroughly. Roll each tender in the dukkah mix until well coated.

Thread a chicken tender on each skewer. Place chicken skewers on wire cooling racks. Nest each wire rack in a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake until the meat is firm and the dukkah crust is golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve the skewers with the vinegar-honey sauce.

Second Sample Recipe:
Happy Luck Fortune Cookies

Quick Tips:
1. Make only two or three cookies at a time, because the cookies become stiff very quickly and when cooled are too brittle to bend into their familiar shape.
2. To form into the crescent shape, have a thin-edged bowl or pan on hand, along with a muffin pan.
3. To handle the hot cookies, wear white, cotton gloves.

Ingredients:

8 oz . flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 ounces sugar
1/2 teaspoons salt
2 egg whites
4 ounces vegetable oil
1 teaspoon water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Prepare fortunes by writing messages on about 20 strips of paper.

Preheat the oven to 300F.

In a large bowl, Sift together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Stir in the oil, egg whites, water, and vanilla.

On a well-greased baking sheet, roll a very thin 4-inch circle of dough and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Remove one cookie at a time from the oven with a wide spatula; working quickly follow these four steps to fold the cookies:

1. Flip cookie onto cotton gloved hand.

2. Hold fortune in center of pliable cookie while folding cookie in half.

3. Grasp ends of cookie and draw gently down over edge of muffin pan to crease at center of cookie.

4. Fit cookie in muffin pan (points down) to hold shape as it cools. If cookie hardens too quickly, put it back in the oven for about 1 minute. Store in airtight container.

Extra Dry Sparkling Wine
Mild & strong cheese, appetizers, Asian food, poultry, dessert/ fruit

With extra dry sparkling wine keep it simple with an easy, yet delicious layout. Start with appetizers of crackers, cheese, and sweet fruit. Then, for dinner we suggest baked pesto Parmesan chicken with a salad. For desert go back to the sweets with fruit and chocolate, and another round of wine.

Serve the sparkling wine in a champagne flute, chilled between 43 and 48 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sample Recipe:
Baked Pesto Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients:

1 chicken, about 4 pounds, quartered, or other chicken parts
4 tablespoons prepared pesto
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Line a 13×9-inch pan with foil and lightly grease the foil.

Wash chicken and pat dry. Trim excess fat and remove skin, if desired. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and place in the prepared pan.

Combine the pesto, garlic, and lemon juice and rub the mixture evenly over the chicken pieces. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Drizzle the chicken breasts lightly with olive oil. Bake at 375° for 55 to 65 minutes, or until chicken is cooked. Juices will run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and continue baking just until melted, about 2 to 3 minutes.

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