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Chefs United
In support of Louisiana cuisine at a time when its seafood industry has been jeopardized by the Horizon oil spill, world-renowned chefs Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud and Jerome Bocuse will team with New Orleans Chef Scott Boswell for a September 14 fundraiser at his French Quarter restaurant Stella! |
Summer is here and now more than ever you may find yourself craving healthy light organic food and products.Items you will find to pep your palette include organic fruits, veggies, chocolate truffles, cookies & natural honey. Bring the splendor of nature indoors with flowers like Tangerine Ranunculus and Long stemmed Blue Iris. Don't forget about spa time, smooth on skin nurturing massage oils and lip balms. Keep it real at LocalHarvest.Org
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Summer Wine Pairings
Summer is here and filled with plenty of opportunities for food & fun. Family get togethers, romantic seaside picnics and evening concerts in the park are all a time to enjoy the pleasures of good food & good wine. So how do you know what wine to pair with a summer palette.
Summer and all year around, the character of the food is the primary consideration when choosing a wine or wines to pair with it. A subtle, delicately flavored dish tastes best with a similarly subtle, delicately flavored wine and - not surprisingly - a robust, flavorful dish is best with a robust, flavorful wine. The best matches typically are made when the food and wine complement one another stylistically, for example, steamed lobster and a rich, oaky Chardonnay, but contrast – like steamed lobster and a crisp brut champagne – also can work. Last but not least, versatility should be a consideration when several dishes are to be paired with a single wine.
Summer picnics clearly bring that versatility consideration into play, as a picnic can include everything from sandwiches, potato salad and crudites to quiche, pasta salad and chips and dip. Dry, crisp medium-bodied white wines like Kenwood Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc and Valley of the Moon Winery Unoaked Chardonnay pair beautifully with picnic fare. So do light-bodied reds like Pinot Noir: Kenwood Sonoma County Pinot Noir would be a fine choice. Dry roses such as Valley of the Moon Rosato di Sangiovese are delicious picnic wines as well. Often overlooked as an accompaniment to food, champagnes like Korbel California Brut and Blanc de Noirs are great at picnics, and have an added advantage – a corkscrew isn't needed to open the bottle!
Whether prepared with a dry rub or sauce, summer barbecue has one common denominator – plenty of spice! Here's where medium-bodied reds with similar spice notes make a great match. Prime choices are Zinfandel and Syrah. For those who prefer white wines, a dry, flavorful one with plenty of acidity - again, like Sauvignon Blanc - works well, especially with barbecued chicken or barbecued turkey breast.
Of course, the grill isn't just for barbecue. Grilled steaks, burgers and sausages are sure to be on the summer menu. For the steaks and burgers, medium to full-bodied reds, especially ones with cedar complexity to echo the smoky character these meats develop over wood or charcoal, are fine matches. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon both fit the bill. Grilled sausages work best with fresh, forward, easy-drinking reds like Kenwood Merlot and Valley of the Moon Sangiovese.
Salmon, shrimp and lobster tails likewise are summer grill favorites. Grilled salmon makes a classic match with Pinot Noirs of depth such as Valley of the Moon Carneros Pinot Noir and also pairs well with forward light to medium-bodied whites with little or no oak influence, such as Pinot Blanc. Shrimp and lobster tails from the barbecue have an almost buttery character and rich, balanced Chardonnays highlight that character.
Whichever summer wines you choose, they will taste best served chilled. How much they should be chilled depends on the specific wine. Champagne should be well-chilled, so put it in the refrigerator approximately 1 1/2 hours before putting it in the picnic basket. Rose also tastes best well-chilled; an hour in the refrigerator should do the trick. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc should be chilled but not overchilled – 50 minutes in the refrigerator is ideal. Even reds benefit from a little chilling; give Pinot Noir and Zinfandel 20 minutes in the refrigerator, and Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot 10 minutes, just enough to let their fruit and balance shine.
Celebrate summer with the help of korbel.com
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