Wine and Presidents

Here's a little bit of "Who Knew" fun for Presidents' Week.

Our First President, George Washington -- he was a man with simple tastes though he enjoyed serving fine foods and wines to his guests for special events.

George Washington was known for his quote "I can not tell a lie, I chopped down a cherry tree." Baking cherry pies eventually became synonymous with celebrating George Washington's birthday

Our Founding Father and Third President, Thomas Jefferson -- traveled through France and Italy developing a love of food and wine. Jefferson seemed to be ahead of his time when it came to his preference of wine and his belief that wine was good for your health. He was known as a connoisseur of wine to Presidents Washington, Adams, Madison and Monroe.

It is noted that Thomas Jefferson was America's first viticulturist. He encouraged the development of viticulture experimentation in Virgina. He wanted to make his own wine at his Monticello home and farm but his unsuccessful attempts at growing grapes were a result of poor climate, dying vines, and improper planting techniques.

Here is a list of Thomas Jefferson's terms to characterize the qualities of wines which is an excerpt from an 1819 letter to Stephen Cathalan:

"1. sweet wines, such as Frontignan & Lunel of France, Pacharetti doux of Spain, Calcavallo of Portugal, le vin du Cap&c.

2. acid wines, such as the Vins de Graves, du Rhin, de Hocheim&c.

3. dry wines, having not the least either of sweetness or of acidity in them, as Madere sec, Pacharetti sec, vin d'Oporto, &c. and the Ledanon which I call a dry wine also.

4,. silky wines, which are in truth a compound in their taste of the dry wine dashed with a little sweetness, barely sensible to the palate: the silky Madeira which we sometimes get here, is made so by putting a small portion of Malmsey into the dry Madeira.

There is another quality of wine which we call rough or astringent, and you also, I believe, call it astringent, which is often found in both the dry & silky wines. There is something of this quality for example in the Ledanon, and a great deal of it in the vin d'Oporto, which is not only dry, but astringent approaching almost to bitterness."

The wines Jefferson mentions are:
Frontignan - Frontignan is in the Languedoc region in France known for a sweet wine, Muscat de Frontignan, made solely from the Muscat grape variety.
Lunel - is a town also in the Languedoc region known for vin doux naturel wines which are lightly fortified wines made from the Muscat grapes.
Pacharetti doux of Spain & Calcavallo of Portugal - also sweet wines.
vin d'Oporto is a fortified wine from the Douro region in Portugal.
vin de Graves - a Bordeaux wine from the Graves region in France.
du Rhin - white wines from the Alsace region in France.
de Hocheim - Jefferson may have been talking about Riesling which is an acidic white wine. My research found Hochheim is the only wine growing community in the famous Rheingau region producing the famous white wine Riesling which is said to be the "King of White Wines".

Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Linky Followers

Social networking is taking us by storm. I've always had a difficult time adjusting to all the different networking sites but I'm finding that now it's a must to join in so I'm going out of my comfort zone for this post.

By this time many of you are aware that Google Friends Connect will no longer be available on certain blog platforms - Wordpress for example - and will eventually be replaced by Google+.

There is a new widget that Linky created for, and with, the many mom bloggers out there who are always working to make the mom blogging world a better place.

I know that everyone has their own preferences and we're fortunate to have many options. But for those who are adding Linky Followers I'm here shamelessly asking you to follow me on my Linky Followers widget. Please be sure to leave me a comment so that I can follow you back. Our GFC followers cannot be transferred - one can only guess the reason.

In the last few days I have been following other blogger friends when I see the Linky Follwers widgets (so far I came across only 3 Linky widgets). If you don't have the widget you can register at Linky Followers or when you click on the Follow Linky widget on another's blog.

If you haven't heard or read about this as yet this post has everything you need to know about the Linky Followers widget, and why.


Thanks for reading,
Winelady Cooks

Parsley, Black Olive, Walnut Pesto

I wanted to make spaghetti carbonara but when I realized it was too high in calories it was a no.

Lots of calories no, something healthy yes. I had to think about this for a minute, well more like an hour or two, before I came up with something that would not be a weeks worth of calories in one meal.

Pesto is always a good idea as a pasta dressing and would certainly be healthier than carbonara. But I didn't have fresh basil, however, I always have fresh parsley.   I also had walnuts, they're healthy, and added olives for flavor. In the food processor it goes with a little olive oil and a simple, flavorful pasta sauce is ready. 

I made this recipe using Dreamfields spaghetti. I don't usually mention brand names since we all like to use our favorite brands and promoting a specific product is not what I do. But I did want to mention this pasta because I have used it a few times and we all (my family) enjoyed it. If you haven't heard about it check it out, it may be something you will want to try. Just sayin'.

You can substitute any style dried pasta for this dish, or you can use fresh pasta if that is your preference.   Another flexible recipe here!, serves 4-5.

Spaghetti With Parsley, Black Olive & Walnut Pesto
(adapted from a recipe on Chow.com)
Ingredients

• 1 large bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, washed and stems removed
• 1/2 cup walnuts toasted
• 6-8 pitted black olives cut in quarters (use kalamata or sicilian olives for more flavor)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional), and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 lb. spaghetti cook according to package directions
• grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste (approx. 1/4 cup)

Directions:

1. Boil the water for the pasta and cook according to package directions.
2. While pasta water is heating up, place the parsley, walnuts, olives, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are coarsley chopped.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and turn on the machine and slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
4. Check the pasta for doneness and be sure to reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water. (Before you drain the pasta use a ladle to remove the water and set aside in a cup. Drain the pasta and then immediately place it back into the warm pot.
5. Stir in the pesto and blend well into the pasta. Add in the reserved pasta water if the pesto is too dry.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste and place into serving bowl.   Toss with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional).

 If you have all these ingredients in your pantry, you can put this dish together in the time it takes to cook the pasta.   Perfect when you get home late and everyone is looking famished.  Serve with a salad and garlic bread. 


I've shared this recipe with:





Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Chocolate Mousse

I couldn't resist another chocolate dessert for Valentine's Day. Chocolate mousse is rich and decadent which makes it perfect for your favorite Valentine -- or just an excuse to indulge for the day even if you don't have a special Valentine.

It's easy to make, though it's just a little high in calories if you use whipped cream. No worries, it's just one day!, exercise tomorrow.

Some traditional chocolate mousse recipes use eggs and/or egg whites to give the mousse its light and airy texture. I chose a recipe that doesn't use the eggs. I prefer not to serve a dish with raw eggs.

I replaced the eggs with whipped cream for this easy recipe. As in many of my recipes you can substitute some of the ingredients with your preferences.

You can use your favorite chocolate (milk, semisweet, bittersweet, or blend two); instead of espresso use vanilla extract, orange extract, or use water or milk. If you want to cut back on the calories, fold in non-dairy whipped topping instead of the whipped cream - though I didn't try this so I don't know how it would affect the mousse consistency, but I have substituted the non-dairy topping in other recipes and it was fine.


Chocolate Mousse
Yield: 4 servings (approx.)

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tbls. butter
• 1 Tbls. brown sugar
• 1 Tbls. espresso or strong coffee (or use 1 Tbls. milk)
• 1 Cup whipping cream
• Fresh berries or shaved chocolate for garnish

Directions:

1. Whip the cream in a chilled bowl and set aside.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler stirring constantly until it is smooth. Add the coffee or milk and stir until blended. Remove from heat and cool for about 3-5 minutes.
3. When the chocolate has cooled slowly fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream to the chocolate. Continue adding the cream saving 1/4 cup aside for garnish.
4. Distribute the mousse into serving dishes and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream, fresh berries,  shaved chocolate, the possibilities are endless.

Happy Day!

I've shared this with:

Recipe Lion

Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Chocolate Cake Challenge

I joined the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE this month and the theme is Chocolate Cake. Perfect timing since Valentine's Day is next week and chocolate is my dessert of choice.

I was excited about joining this challenge since I wanted to make a different cake than the usual special occasion chocolate cake my family loves.

I didn't know what I was looking for in a chocolate cake but I was sure that when I saw the recipe I would know it was the one for me.

After hours of blog searching I came across a flourless chocolate cake at My Sweet and Savory blog. As soon as I saw it I knew everyone would luuuuvvv it.

I've often had this luscious chocolate dessert in many a restaurant but I never made one. It has a fudge-like texture -- well it doesn't have flour so we should take that into consideration -- and it can be very sweet.

The recipe from My Sweet and Savory's blog is from Nigella Lawson.  It looked perfect, except I really was looking for a recipe that yielded a smaller size since I'm not feeding a crowd and I know everyone would only be tasting it with a bite or two (except me of course). 

So I did a little testing and came up with a perfect balance of rich chocolate and less sweetness. Our family enjoys the taste of deep, dark chocolate which is naturally less sweet than semi-sweet so I mixed the bittersweet and semi-sweet which gave me the perfect chocolate flavor for our tastes.

This recipe is very easy to make and only takes about 15-20 minutes prep time.  You can use whatever type of chocolate you prefer for this recipe.  I am serving mine with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.    You can add a scoop of your favorite ice cream or any other fresh fruit you choose.  

Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients

• 4 1 oz. squares of bittersweet chocolate
• 2 1 oz. squares of semisweet chocolate
• 1 stick butter
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder sifted
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 7 inch tart pan or spring form pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the paper.
2. In heavy sauce melt the butter and the chocolate over medium/low heat, stirring often to prevent from sticking and burning. Stir until butter and chocolate are melted and smooth.

3. Add the sugar and stir well for about 1 minute until the sugar dissolves.
4. Remove pan from heat and whisk in one egg at a time - whisking each egg until it is well incorporated into the chocolate mixture. The mixture will be glossy and smooth.
5. Next add the sifted cocoa powder and continue to whisk until the cocoa is well blended and the chocolate mixture is smooth.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in preheated oven approximately 22-25 minutes. Do not overbake or the cake will be dry.
7. Cool the cake on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and carefully place on serving platter.

Add this to the list of  easy, flexible, and definitely makes a great impression with little effort recipes.   Make this any day, for special occasions, when the boss comes to dinner, or place on a buffet, and don't forget Mother's Day.   The possibilities are endless!







Mangia!
Winelady Cooks 


I'm continuing to share the love at The Sweet Spot. Please join us.

Sweets for the Sweet

Valentine's Day is next Tuesday and I'm all about chocolate this year. Dinner is not my concern, it's just dessert that I'm concentrating on.

I'll have to be sure to find a wine that my troops will like since I'm focusing on chocolate dessert and candy. There are traditional wine pairings for chocolate, but we're lucky that some traditions have changed giving us more choices.

Here's a little information that can help you choose a wine for your chocolate desserts.

Wine should be as sweet, or sweeter than the dessert, or our chocolate.

• White chocolate (though it's not really chocolate) can have buttery flavors and yet still is sweet. Moscato d'Asti is dessert wine that is a good choice for white chocolate.
• Sherry is an excellent pairing as it enhances the creaminess in the white chocolate.

• Milk chocolate is sweeter and has less chocolate liquor than dark chocolate. The sweeter chocolate needs a sweeter wine or the wine may leave an unpleasant tartness on the palate.
• If you would prefer a white wine rather than a sweet dessert wine choose a Gewürztraminer or a Riesling. Both of these white wines come in a lightly sweet style that will pair nicely with the dairy and caramel flavors in milk chocolate. These wines are a nice alternative to a sweet dessert wine.
• If the milk chocolate has nuts try a Vin Santo Chianti Classico which has nutty, caramel flavors.

• Dark & bittersweet chocolates have less sugar content than white chocolate and milk chocolate. The bold flavors of these chocolates can stand up to a stronger style red wine.
• Try fruit forward style reds such as a fruity Zinfandel from California or a Shiraz from Clare Valley in Australia. You can find additional information here.

Salute!

Winelady Cooks

Super Bowl Mac and Cheese

Super Bowl Sunday will be here in a few days. Hello, it's time to get the menu planned . . .! What was I thinking.

I'm not much of a football fan so I don't give this too much thought but we still have to eat so I'm a cooking fool.

I like to make comfort food on days like this. It's our chance to splurge on the foods we love since we don't have them very often. Macaroni and cheese is always a favorite.

Here's a TIP for this week -- make the macaroni and cheese in advance and use a muffin pan to make individual servings. Perfect if you are setting up a buffet table.

Last year I shared a lower fat and cholesterol version recipe that my sister 'the cook' gave me that I tried and liked so I used the same recipe which you can find here.

If you want to go all out and make the rich and creamy version that we all love by all means this is the main event, so here it is.

Basic Macaroni & Cheese
(yields approx. 12 individual servings)
Ingredients

• 8 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked (that's about 1/2 box)
• 2 cups low fat milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp. spicy mustard (optional)
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 10 oz. pkg. extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs (or regular bread crumbs if you don't have panko)
• 1 TBLS. butter to crumble on top of bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees. 
2. Cook the elbow macaroni as directed on the package, less one minute so that it's al dente. The macaroni will continue to cook while baking.
3. In medium size saucepan add the butter to the pan and then whisk in the flour until smooth for about 1 minute to cook the flour a little. Next gradually add the milk while stirring constantly until the milk and flour are well blended. Add in the mustard, nutmeg and salt and pepper and continue cooking for about 5-10 minutes on very low heat until thickened, stirring occasionally.
4. When the milk has thickened whisk in 1/2 of the shredded cheese and stir well.
5. Scoop up the mac and cheese with an ice cream scoop adding to paper muffin cups and place in a regular size muffin pan. 
6. Top the pasta with the remainder of the shredded cheese, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and add the butter across the top.
7. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and the top is lightly browned.

The prep time for this recipe is about 20 minutes. Shred the cheese while the macaroni is cooking, then use the same pot to prepare the milk and cheese (less pans to wash).

You can make this recipe up to one day in advance and just place the mac muffins in a pre-heated oven just before you are ready to serve.   That gives you time to relax and enjoy the the festivities.


I've shared this recipe with:





Mangia!
Winelady Cooks