Wine and Food Festival In Boca Raton

I just returned from southeast Florida. Unfortunately it was not a vacation, but I heard all the buzz about the Boca Raton Wine and Food Festival that will be held along East Camino Real in Boca Raton, Florida.

This will be the First Annual Boca Raton Wine and Food Festival. Don't miss this great event if you are in the area, or if you know anyone who is in the area please forward this information to them.

The event will be held on Sunday October 10, 2010 from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. There will be an opening celebration, food demonstrations by celebrated chefs, gourmet food, live music and world class wines.

It's the perfect time of the year to be in southeast Florida. Go to the event web site at Boca Raton Wine and Food Festival to purchase tickets.

Sounds like great fun!


Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Fried Pickles

Hubby's been traveling for business and has settled in Texas for the next few months. Since his arrival there he has not stopped talking about the fried pickles.

He keeps saying how outrageous they are, but I don't know how pickles can fall into an outrageous category. I decided it was time to find out.

I didn't have a recipe and I certainly had no idea what a fried pickle tasted like so I had to rely on hubby's palate. I must preface this by saying he has a great palate for tasting wine, but when it comes to food he's just not there yet.

I asked him what flavors he tasted in the fried pickles and he said they just taste like pickles. O.K., so how outrageous could they taste? Pickles are pickles and taste like pickles and I can't imagine doing anything to make their flavors change.

They are distinct in their flavor profiles of dillness, sourness, or sweetness and that's it. But I was determined to find out what hubby's fascination was with the fried pickles.

So here are my steps to make Homestyle Fried Pickles.

1. Heat canola oil in a shallow pan. Make sure it's hot enough for frying probably about 375 degrees.


2. I sliced a few dill pickles into spears and a few in rounds. I quickly dropped them in cold water just to rinse off the pickling juice then I dried them well in paper towels.


3. I set up a dish with flour, another with a beaten egg, and a third dish with a breading mixture of half cornmeal and half bread crumbs and seasoned with a dash of salt and pepper. The pickles are already salty so I didn't want to use too much salt.


4. It was simple enough and the good thing about pickles is they don't have to be "cooked" so they fry up very fast, about 45 seconds or just until they have browned on each side. This breading mixture was crunchy and the quick fry kept the pickles crunchy as well.


5. Drain on paper towels and serve. They can be served at room temperature.


6. You can serve them as a side dish. Use them in sandwiches, or make a dipping sauce using ranch dressing. If you use bread and butter pickles you can make a mustard dipping sauce with Dijon mustard and honey.

My first attempt at Fried Pickles was successful. It was easy and the entire process does not take more than 30 minutes.

They were quite good but I wouldn't qualify them as outrageous. However, they are fun to eat and would make a great little appetizer for the upcoming football season gatherings.



Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Did You Know?

Wine is a complex subject and there are barrels of information that could take ages to drink up.

This week I thought I would share a few basic tips but to be honest, when I think about them I realize that for those who are new to wine these facts might be helpful, and for some of us they can be a gentle reminder.

"Did You Know" . . .

• It takes 2.75 lbs. of grapes to fill one 750ml. bottle of wine.


• A standard 750ml. bottle of wine will serve 5 people @ 5 oz. per serving.


• A standard 750ml. bottle of wine will serve approximately 10-12 at 2 oz. per serving for wine tastings. Some may want a little less to taste.


• To avoid cork pieces in your wine do not let the "worm" or corkscrew go completely through the cork.


• To filter out the loose cork pieces, gently and slowly pour the wine into a decanter carefully keeping the loose cork in the bottle and trying not to get it in the decanter. Or you can pour the wine through a paper coffee filter which will not have an adverse affect on the wine (I've never tried this, but if I had to I would use an organic paper filter).


• Let your wine breathe by exposing it to the air. Young red wines with high tannins will benefit from the exposure to oxygen. It will help soften the tannins. Some say this process makes a wine "open up".


• Swirling the wine in your glass will release its aromas. Be sure the glass is only half to one-third full in order for the vapors to accumulate and release. This is the time when you want to smell the aromas. This is called the "nose" in the wine tasting ritual.


• Does your wine have "legs"? The "legs" are the little streams of wine that fall down into the glass after swirling.

Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Cucumbers On The Side

This weekend we were enjoying the beautiful weather which seemed to be a long time in coming our way.

We visited our local area farm stands and enjoyed the beauty of all the fresh vegetables that were the last of the harvest.

We came home with fresh peppers and squash and lots of cucumbers. It seemed there was a bumper crop of cucumbers this year. I have some in the fridge from my daughter's garden and bought more at the farm stand.

I needed to make a few different dishes to use all the cukes. This one recipe I'm sharing is an Asian influenced marinade that can be used to dress the cucumbers for a salad or use the cucumbers to add crunch to sandwiches and burgers.

Honey Soy Dressing/Marinade

Ingredients:

• 1 TBL honey
  
• 1 TBL soy sauce (low sodium)
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• pinch of salt
• black pepper
• 2 or 3 large cucumbers sliced

Preparation:

• Add the ingredients (except cucumbers) in a medium bowl and whisk to blend.
• Next add in the cucumbers and stir to blend the dressing well with the cucumbers.
• Let the cukes marinate at least 20 minutes before serving.
• When ready to serve drain the dressing from the bowl and then serve.

This makes a great side salad or you can add the cucumbers to sandwiches.

This recipe is shared on Hearth 'N Soul Blog Hop which was formerly known as Two for Tuesday. Visit A Moderate Life for more recipes.


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Harvest Food and Wine Festivals

Harvest is an exciting time. It marks the end of the growing season.

The weather changes from hot and steamy to cool, fresh air with light breezes and we are ready to put on our favorite sweater.

It's when we enjoy seeing the changing colors of the leaves which is one of the most beautiful pictures that nature paints for us.

And it's a time when many areas have festivals to celebrate the final harvesting of the crops and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Here is a list of a few festivals being held in September in Colorado, Virginia, Texas, and Niagara, New York and Canada. Join in the fun if you are in the area.

Grapevine GrapeFest (Texas) September 16-19
This is the largest wine festival in the southwest with local music artists performing.

Colorado Winefest September 16-19
Enjoy a terrific food and wine fest with Top Chefs' Kelly Liken of Vail, Colorado. The festival will be in the Rocky Mountain town of Palisade. There will be demonstrations, seminars and special VIP events. Make plans early for this fun weekend.

Niagara Wine Festival (Canada/New York) September 17-26
This weeklong festival is the perfect time for a short vacation. Enjoy wine tours and seminars, local Niagara cuisine and one of Canada's largest street parade.

Chesapeake Bay Wine Festival (Virginia) September 25-26
Visit Stratford for the weekend and enjoy live music, local foods like Southern barbecue and fresh crab cakes all served up with Virginia's terrific wines.


Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Celebrate New Things to Come

This week is the Jewish New Year and I've listed a selection of Kosher wines to celebrate the holiday.

It's always fun to join with family and friends for celebrations. You may be invited to dinner and wondering what to bring your hosts. You can't go wrong with a bouquet of fresh flowers or a bottle of wine -- or both if you wish.

This selection of Kosher wines is available in most larger wine shops in major cities across the country. If these are not available the wine shop may have other Kosher wines that would be appropriate.

Sparkling wine should be for any celebration. It's for special occasions and for every occasion to make it special.

Hagafen Cellars in California produces a sparkling wine that is very food-friendly for Rosh Hashanah. It's approximately $35 but it is definitely worth it for this celebration. After all it is New Year.

2007 Hagafen Brut Cuvée Sparkling Wine is made in the traditional méthode champenoise. It is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This is a medium-bodied sparkler with light gold color. The citrus flavors, papaya and raspberries linger with the lively bubbles making this a perfect wine for celebrations and dinner.

In Italy Bartenura produces Kosher wines. They have a new 'Ovadia' line of Kosher wines that compliment the traditional brisket dinner, or really any meat that has been braised and slow cooked.

Bartenura Ovadia Estates Barbera D'Alba is a medium-bodied wine that has soft tannins and nice acidity. It has delicious flavors of raspberries, pink grapefruit and cassis. It is not very complex but it is pleasant to drink and will be perfect with your meal.

For those who prefer organic foods and also organic wines the Golan Heights Winery released two new organic single vineyard wines.

2006 Yarden Merlot Odem Organic Vineyard has been aged in French barriques. This Merlot has a very dark purple color with gentle tannins and has smoky oak flavors with sweet black cherries on the first mouthful with hints of herbs and coffee on the finish. Really delicious with your brisket dinner.

2008 Yarden Chardonnay Odem Organic Vineyard is full-bodied with aromas of butterscotch. There are luscious flavors of summer fruits and pears with aromas of citrus and cream. This Chardonnay is well balanced with its buttery texture and just-right acidity.


La'Chaim
Winelady Cooks

Strong, Sturdy and Eco-Friendly!

I was fortunate to receive a sample of disposable plates from Marx Foods.

The Palm Leaf plates are eco-friendly and attractive -- a lot nicer than plain old paper plates -- on your summer table.

My sample set included 5 dip bowls and 5 small round plates which were both perfect for serving. The plates are very sturdy and strong -- we put them to the test when we were passing them around the table all day (I thought I was with the Bunker's of "All In the Family").

If you didn't know their life story (the plates not the Bunker's) you would never think they were disposable. Because the Palm Leaf plates are made from palm leaves (they also have a nice texture representative of the palm leaves) they can be susceptible to the moisture from liquids and oils which will eventually weaken the plates.

When I was setting out the food on the plates, I placed a very dry lettuce leaf in the center of the plate. Then I put the food on the lettuce to protect the plate. It worked very well and it made the food look extra delicious. Who says barbecue can't be dressed up.

If you want to reuse the plates just use a little caution. Keep in mind that the plates are made from leaves so they will absorb any oils or moisture.

I reused a few of the plates that we used for our cookies and cake. There was no oil or sauces that penetrated the plates, so I used a slightly soapy sponge, gently rinsed the plates and quickly dried them for use the next day.

I loved the Palm Leaf plates. I was proud to use them knowing I was being environmentally conscious and reducing my family's carbon footprint. The bonus was the plates looked great on our patio table and they held up way better than the paper plates we normally use.

Repurposing, reusing, and recycling the lost leaves of the Areca/Adaka palm trees to make these plates is a good thing -- they are naturally biodegradable and can be used for compost. Something to keep in mind when you are prepping your vegetable garden.



Thank you Marx Foods!

Winelady Cooks