At least twice a month I'm asked, approached, emailed or texted this question, "What is your favorite dish to make? You have to have a favorite right?" Not once have I hesitated to reply, "Everything. Everything is my favorite."
It's true. Even dishes I haven't tried yet, made yet or heck, even heard of, those are all my favorite. For me it's all about the process. What kind of mood am I in that day? Before I leave for work I take a couple of minutes and make a mental note of what is in the fridge/freezer/garage beer fridge (which really only exists for party platters, let's be honest about that). But of course the thing I've been craving all day could very easily go along the wayside if I read an article that immediately piques my interest in something else.
Nine times out of ten I have everything I need already in the house however, there may be a certain wine pairing to investigate or that one very special ingredient that will make or break the meal. The wonderful folks at Wine Enthusiast Magazine posted an article featuring Veuve Cliquot and appropriate parings with the bubbling deliciousness.
http://www.winemag.com/Wine-Enthusiast-Magazine/December-15-2010/Sparkling-Hors-D-039Oeuvres/
I'm thinking about taking a course on wine pairing so I can speak with some authority on the matter at cooking class each Thursday night. We always manage to just touch on the topic of what wine goes with what dish but it always comes back to what wine is best to cook with? Well that's easy... if it's a great wine that you really like, cook with it! Gone is the day of "oh, I think this cork is too dry and the wine has turned... I'll just use it for cooking"... STOP, please stop yourself from making this critical culinary error!
If wine has "turned"you have two choices...pour it down the drain, or, you can do what I do; start a red wine or white wine vinegar bottle. Left over wine (which is a very rare event in my house), goes into the respective vinegar bottle that I've set aside for just such an occasion...again, few and far between at 9600.
Here are a couple of recipes from the Book (coming out hopefully in the summer) that make good use of wine in general:
CHOCOLATE PORT DESSERT SAUCE
What You Need:
3/4 cup
whipping cream
1/4 cup
whole milk
1/4 cup
(1/2 stick) unsalted butter
8 ounces
bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup
tawny Port
Here's How:
Bring whipping cream, whole milk,
and unsalted butter to simmer in small heavy saucepan. Remove saucepan from
heat and add chopped chocolate. Whisk mixture until smooth. Stir in tawny Port.
(Sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Warm over medium-low heat.)
RED WINE REDUCTION:
(I love making this! I keep left overs frozen in an ice cue tray and portion out when needed)
What You Need:
1 large onion, chopped
2 small celery ribs, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 (750-ml) bottles dry red wine (4 1/2 cups)
1 (750-ml) bottle Ruby Port wine (3 cups)
Here's How:
Sauté onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in oil in a 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add wines and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to 1 quart, about 1 hour.
Pour through a sieve into a saucepan and simmer until reduced to 2 cups. Reheat reduction and season with salt and pepper before using.
So when you're asked what's your favorite type of cooking, just answer "Everything"... and leave it to the imagination :o)
Enjoy! It's deeeeeeeeeeelish!
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