Girl With A Glass

An easy, pretty and satisfying vegetable dish.

Autumn Squash

• 2 tbls butter (olive oil okay too)
• 4 mini-sweet peppers (red, yellow and orange, cut into small chunks)
• 1/4 cup sweet white onion (chopped)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
• 2 medium yellow squash (cut into medium chunks)
• shake of garlic powder
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• dash of hot sauce

Place a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add first three ingredients and sauté until vegetables are slightly blackened.  Mix in cumin. Add corn and squash, sauté.  Add a shake of garlic powder.  Pour in chicken broth and dash of hot sauce.  Cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve hot.

I served this with some left over sausage pasta and paired it with Justin’s Justification, a Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend.

Tags: Cabernet Franc, Justin, Merlot, pairing, recipe, squash

Be True to Thyself

Something wonderful is going to happen to me today.

Be fearless.

Trust your instincts.

Laugh, live, love.

Be gracious.

No shame, no blame, moving’ on.

What are your favorites?

Hi Alana, I know you are a wine pairing expert so can you help me find a wine to serve with my Pumpkin Soup at Thanksgiving? Cheryl

Boy, you have a complicated pumpkin soup recipe! I can’t wait to try it. What really stands out for me is the smokiness, earthiness, cream and hint of nutmeg (spice). You have the cayenne pepper and lots of garlic too which is intriguing. The cheese in your dish was stumping me, but at 2am it came to me loud and clear. A Tempranillo would be awesome.  My absolute favorite is from Justin Vineyards (Paso Robles), you have to call them and ask for it because it is reserved for wine club members but in my opinion, it would be worth it. ($36, 2006) Thanksgiving is a great excuse to serve special wine. You can also talk to Maika Llorens who owns Sabor of Spain restaurant and wine shop in San Rafael for a recommendation. She tends towards tannic reds but tell her you’re looking for a softer style and she’d love to recommend something I’m sure.

Another option is the right Pinot. I would try an earthy, oaked, Pinot Noir that is not too light. Lindemans Bin 99 would be worth trying. It has a lot of the right characteristics.

As you undoubtedly know, If you have a lot of spice and heat, you don’t want too much alcohol. But your wine can’t be too soft–it’ll get lost. Pumpkin in general does well with whites but I’d stay away from the usual suspects like Chardonnay. Syrah and Zin are known for spice but it would need to be low alcohol and subtle on the fruit. How fun for you, if I were shopping for a Pinot, I would be looking for that nutmeg taste and match the body of the soup with the wine.

Surprise your mate tonight with a quick, elegant, rich and delicious French dinner for two.

It takes 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F and start the rice on the stove. Prepare the fish.  Once the fish is in the oven, open the wine to breathe and set the table. 5 minutes before the fish is done, prepare the shrimp.  Fini!

Poisson au Four (Baked Fish)

• 2 fish fillets (white fish like catfish, sole)
• salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 tbls sweet white onion
• 1/4 cup croutons or bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or 2 teaspoons dried herbs

Butter a baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter and sprinkle with half of the chopped onions.

Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper, then roll up each fillet. Arrange them seam-side down in the baking dish.

Sprinkle with remaining onions, croutons and herbs, then pour wine and cream on top. Melt the other two tablespoons of butter and drizzle on top.

Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

**Rolling the fish gives this dish elegance.

Crevettes au Pastis (Shrimp with licorice flavor)

• 3/4 lbs cooked shrimp with tails on
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tbls sweet white onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons pastis or other licorice liquor (I used Sambuca)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper

Heat the butter in a pan on medium heat and add the onions. Sauté until the onions are soft. Add shrimp and the licorice liquor and stir and then quickly remove the shrimp after it is heated through. Add the cream to the pan and cook on high heat for about 1 minute. Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce on the shrimp and serve immediately over hot rice.

Recipes slightly changed from Kim’s Easy French Food Blog.

Pair with Pinot Noir.  I served a Rodney Strong 2006 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and it was a great pairing!

It starts in the vineyards where place or rather terroir determines the flavor of the grape and ultimately the wine. Place matters. Rodney Strong Vineyards

A northern California winery, Rodney Strong’s winemakers are hooked on quality. Lucky for us, the wine is easy-to-find and competitively priced from $14 to well-north of $50 for Vineyard Designated wines.

When shopping for wine, here’s four styles to look for:

• Vineyard designated wines, made only from grapes from a specific vineyard. (Example:
  2005 Reserve Pinot Noir Jane’s Vineyard Russian River Valley.)
• AVA wines, from a specific appellation like Sonoma County (2005 Sonoma County Merlot)
• Blends from a general geographic area, (2005 California Syrah)
• Bulk wines in a box.

You generally pay more for the top two in the list.

I recently paired Rodney Strong’s 2006 Estate Russian River Valley Pinot Noir with a French fish and shrimp dinner.  This wine is easy to find, $22 and an impressive affordable wine to share with friends.

I recently tried a 2007 Treleaven Gewurztraminer from Finger Lakes New York  at the Wine Bloggers Conference.  It was 10:00 a.m., I’m not advocating trying this, but my notes say, nice breakfast wine.

Did you know that New York state is the 2nd largest wine producer in America?

In the fall when the leaves are turning and nature starts to prepare for its winter sleep, I sprinkle my days with quiet times.  Balancing busyness with peacefulness is part of my pleasurable life.  Here are some of my wonderful fall rituals.

• I read an engrossing novel in my big comfy chair by the fireplace.
• I spend an extra half-hour in bed in the morning, with my Himalayan and Havanese curled up on the end of the comforter.
• I walk in the open space every day and hold my hubby’s hand.
• I collect wild dried flowers and bring them home.
• I light a pumpkin-scented candle in my kitchen every night.

What are your favorite rituals?

I love cooking and eating rustic, French fare.  A French dinner means small portions, an interesting presentation and rich taste that encourages me to linger over every bite. (This is a particularly popular dinner with Hubby.)

Ground Beef in Wine Sauce

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 cup wine
• 2 tbls butter
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup beef broth (optional)
• 1 tbl flour
• salt and pepper

Form ground beef into 2 thick oblong patties. Gently dredge patties in wine. Heat skillet to medium high and sear one side of the patties.  Lower heat to medium, cover and cook for 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to individual casserole dishes* and keep warm.

Turn up the heat and add wine, butter, onions, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce and broth to pan juices.  (If you have too much oil, remove some of it before proceeding.  I use lean beef and by searing the patties wonderful beefy pieces remain.)

After the sauce has reduced a bit (a few minutes on med-high heat), sprinkle in the flour and whisk.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour sauce over patties.

Serve with a simple salad.  I like grated carrots and green onions over romaine but any salad will do.  Make your own French dressing or a an easy Dijon/Oil/Vinegar blend.

(Sometimes I use dried Porcini mushrooms that I reconstitute in hot water and use the mushroom broth instead of beef broth. Even if you use pricey porcinis everything else is so inexpensive, it still is not a costly meal.)

*Cost Plus World Market is my favorite place to buy inexpensive ramekins and small ovenware.

I like to serve this with Merlot, it doesn’t have to be fancy.  I like Cameron Hughes Lot 69 Dry Creek Valley Merlot.  You may not be able to get this particular wine because they are small lots, but you can try another Cameron Hughes. (Purchase at Costco.)

What makes Rick’s the ideal wine shop & bar?

It has it all…a wine shop with quality selections and advice from Rick; a welcoming energy that invites you to linger; half-glasses and spot-on pricing; cozy enough where you can easily meet people or talk quietly with a friend; wine served in the perfect Riedel Sommeliers glass (untouched by chlorinated water, filtered-only please), carefully chosen top-shelf meats and cheeses sliced in front of you and served with Bremer crackers (because they are sugarless and sugar in crackers “can ruin wine”); stunning photo art and nice people.

If I am going out with a wine or foodie type, I go to Rick’s.  His meticulousness results in an experience that is a perfect pairing in every way.  Go check it out.

Photo is from Gail Pierce Photography

The simple things in life are the most memorable for me.  Hubby, Tulip and I took a day trip to Half Moon Bay one Sunday with no plans at all.  After walking the cute little downtown, we bought a little witch at the Half Moon Bay Feed & Fuel.  An old-fashioned barn-like store, it has live rabbits and other small creatures, pet supplies, tack, and Western clothes. The friendly man behind the counter gave Tulip free treats in a bag.

On the way out of town, we stopped by Caffino for some Pumpkin Lattes and then did a photo shoot at a wonderfully creative Pumpkin Patch. I was inspired to make a scarecrow.