What's Nut to Luv

Do you like nuts as much as I do? I remember when I was growing up, my grandparents always had a bowl of fresh fruit and nuts on the table. It was there for us to have as a snack, or after a meal.

Today, there is a lot of information about the health benefits of nuts. So why not fill up on something that is good for you instead of eating all those crunchy chips or sweet, sugary candy. It can be hard to do, but I'm trying.

I do really love those sweet/salty nuts that we used to get on the airplane, which of late are no longer served, or at least not on the flights I've been taking. So when I saw a recipe for "Honey Crystal Almonds" in a popular women's magazine, I had to try it.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups whole almonds
• 1/4 Cup honey
• 2 TBLS. butter
• 1 Cup of "Sugar in the Raw"

Directions

• Spread almonds in a shallow pan and place in a cold oven. Turn oven to 350 degrees and roast 12 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until well roasted.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the honey and butter to boiling. Immediately reduce heat to low and simmer mixture for two minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the roasted almonds to the mixture. Simmer and stir for another two minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the coated almonds in a single layer to cool slightly.
• To coat the almonds, toss with sugar in a plastic food storage bag until coated.

This was the end of the recipe, but I found the almonds to be a little too sticky. I let them dry out for a while on the parchment paper, turning them as they dried on each side.

You can find this recipe, or one that is similar in many of the women's magazines that are in your supermarket.

Healthy Snacking!


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Wine Review Monday

Baby showers and bridal showers can be fun especially if the honoree is someone close to you. This weekend we attended a bridal shower for a lovely, mature couple. It was an evening garden party on one of the best weather weekends we've had this summer. Lucky for both the couple and their guests!

This was a couples party which made it great fun. One of the party games was a blind wine tasting that was more fun than any of the boring wine tastings I've attended. It turned out that most of the guests were wine lovers. The big BUT was that everyone had a favorite wine that they always drank so they didn't really know what they were drinking when the labels were covered. This just proves to the "wine snobs" out in there in the world of wine that the only thing you need to know is drink what you like and "Taste Wine and Enjoy!"

The food and beverages served at the shower were outstanding and I had to share with you the sparkling wines they served. I'm a fan of sparkling wine and the two that were served were from Freixenet, a very affordable brand of Spanish sparkling wine (Cava) that is made the same way Champagne is made which is méthode champenoise.

SPARKLING WINES

Freixenet's Carta Nevada Semi Dry was a bit sweet that was balanced with it's zippy acidity. It has a toasty aroma and had creamy flavors of peaches and custard. It was quite sweet on the finish which made it more enjoyable with the delicious desserts that were served. For those who truly enjoy a sweet wine this is for you.

I would serve this to those guests who enjoy a sweet style wine, and with the dessert course you will serve. It's a must have if you are having a party.

Freixenet Cordon Rosado is a soft, smooth brut style sparkling wine that is pink in color. This is crisp and fresh with a bit more acidity and flavors of just picked stone fruits that are not quite ripe. My partner said he tasted flavors of ripe cherries and berries.

This sparkler is made with Spanish grapes of 50% Garnacha (Grenache), and 50% Monastrell which gives this wine it's beautiful color and flavor. It is said that the red grapes grown in the Mediterranean areas are lower in acidity so that this wine is softer and smooth on the palate than most other sparkling wines.

I'm not promoting** Freixenet, but these two sparklers are perfect celebratory sparkling wines. They are affordable and food friendly.


Salute!
Winelady Cooks





**All the wines I taste are my personal wines, or wines that have been ordered by us with our meals when we dine out or at a party. I have never been given any wines to review by a winery or third party.

What's In A Name

Tart, Galette, Turnovers, Cobbler, Clafoutis are just a sampling of what our fresh fruit desserts might be called. Then of course there is always the fresh fruit Pie. I've made apple cobbler many times which is always a favorite in my family but I just bought fresh cherries and I wanted to make something different.

I always remember my mother's homemade cherry pie when I was growing up and to this day I enjoy almost anything made with cherries. Remembering mom's pie, I decided to try to make her proud and bake a cherry pie. Or so I thought until I saw a recipe for a cherry Clafoutis. It looked so delicious I had to make it. That is until I saw a picture of a galette that looked equally delicious.

Though most of these recipes are relatively easy to prepare, I wanted to make something that didn't take a lot of prep time. For me, making pie dough is something that I have not mastered so I wanted to use something pre-made. I remembered watching a Paula Deen show where she used refrigerator biscuits too make her lemon tart shells so I decided to try her technique.

I had a package of crescent rolls in the fridge which I used as a substitute for the biscuits. I also had a ready made pie crust that I thought would be perfect for the galette.

Since I was experimenting, my ingredients are very basic, however, you can make your fruit filling with your preferred ingredients. This is not an exact science so you can be creative or use a tried and true fruit filling recipe of your choice.

Cherry Delightful Turnovers and Cherry Galette

Ingredients**
2 cups of pitted cherries sliced
2 TBLS. sugar
Pinch of Nutmeg (optional)
1 tsp. Kirsch (optional)
1 tsp. lemon zest
Butter
Several cherries sliced in half for topping the Galette
1 TBL. Milk
Raw Sugar for garnish

**These ingredients will be enough to make the turnovers and one galette. You can increase the amount of ingredients based on your comfort level and taste. The cherries I bought were already sweet so I didn't need too much sugar. Be sure you taste your mixture as you go to be sure it meets your expectations.


Directions:
1. Unroll the crescent rolls and separate them at the perforation

2. Gently flatten each triangle with a rolling pin just to stretch it a bit (not too much)

3. Use 1 1/2 tsps. of cherry filling and place it in the center of each triangle, add a dab of butter, then fold over and pinch the edges.

4. Brush the tops of the turnovers with milk and sprinkle with the raw sugar. Add the halved cherries on top for a finished look.

5. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 11 - 15 minutes, based on your oven.

I wanted to make a cherry tart, but I decided to try a galette. It looks so easy to make, so I'm going to give it my one-two, easy to do, and re-make a galette.

Directions for Galette:

1. Open one package of pre-made pie crust and lay flat on parchment paper. Fill the center of the crust with the sliced cherry filling leaving a 2 inch border around the pie crust, then add a few dabs of butter over the filling.

2. Fold the edges of the crust over the filling, pleating the crust as you go around the filling.

3. Brush the top of folded pie crust with milk, and sprinkle the raw sugar over the crust.

5. Bake in a 350 degree over for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned.

Cool and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a little chocolate shavings.


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Wine Review Monday

Whites are cool and refreshing for summer. And now that we had another great weather weekend we can now say that summer has officially arrived.

I thought it would never happen with all the rain we had. It was not pleasant for my flower beds. The innocent flowers were soaked and did not live to see the beautiful sun. I will try again, plant new flowers, and hope they will live up to the unpredictable weather.

Now with the temperatures warming up in the northeast there are some great white wines that are fresh and young and can live up to a reputation of refreshing and crisp. There are many white wines that fit in this category but I'd like to explore some Old World wines from Alsace. I like old world regions, especially Alsace with its quaint villages and beautiful window boxes.

Alsace is traditionally known for producing riesling, gewürztraminer, pinot gris, muscat, and pinot blanc. These whites are bold, dry, full-bodied, and very aromatic. With all these fine qualities, these whites are the perfect pairings for the vast array of foods on our summer tables.

Riesling -- considered the queen of Alsatian wine, is one of the most intense whites. It comes in a wide range from very dry to sweet. These are easy drinking wines with smoked fish, grilled chicken or pork.

Choose a dry wine with your fish or meat entrees and a sweeter riesling with sweet fruit desserts.

Gewürztraminer -- has distinct aromas and flavors with a hint of spice which makes it the perfect match for spicy Asian style meals. Don't be shy about asking for "Gewürz" and give it a try with Thai and other spicy dishes. Gewürztraminer also comes in dry to sweet styles.

Muscat -- is very dry and fruity that has aromas of peaches, orange peel and tangerine. These fruit flavors make this white wine perfect as an aperitif as well.

Pinot Gris -- is native to Alsace and has flavors of almond, herb, and a bit of smokiness. In Italy this white is called Pinot Grigio known for its crisp acidity.

Pinot Blanc -- is a light white wine that has a creamy quality which makes it a great pairing with many of the foods served on your summer table.

Here is more information on white wines.



Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Wine Review Monday

FINALLY!!!! Beautiful Sunshine and comfortable temperatures here in the northeast. This weather is just perfect.

Grilling is our mode of cooking this time of year and it becomes difficult to come up with something different to grill -- only because everyone's favorite is burgers and steaks.

I usually prepare whatever the majority requests. There's nothing worse than preparing a meal that you think is great and everyone else is just not enjoying it. With that in mind I make their favorites and then I try to include green salads and fresh vegetables.

My daughter has a vegetable garden and the boys enjoy taking care of the plants and harvesting as well. This makes it easier for me to include all the fresh vegetables they pick.

Last week I made a fresh green bean and tomato salad but this week I grilled fresh zucchini, red peppers and sliced red onions in a simple marinade of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. If it were not for these veggies on my burger, I think I would have skipped the grilled supper and just had an ice-cream Sunday later on.


Weekend Wines

El Circulo 2006 Rioja($10) Some of our group enjoyed this Tempranillo with their burgers and salads. This was a very fruity no-oak blend of Tempranillo and Grenache. My husband thought it was sweet, but it was really the rich red fruit flavors of black cherry and boysenberry that came through.
Rosé

2007 Simi Winery Rosé "Roseto" ($15) I've been trying different Rosés with our grilled meals and this weekend I chose this Rosé from California. It is a blend of 97% Shiraz and 3% Viognier and was light and fresh with strawberry and tart cranberry flavors. I liked this much better with my burger.

I hope you do have a chance to try some of the wines, especially the Rosés during the summer. Many of them are very food friendly with the summer foods most of us prepare.

Please share your favorite wines with everyone. I would love to hear from you with your wine picks.


Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Cold Salad Magic

Fresh green beans from the garden with sweet tomatoes makes for a great cold salad. My family usually doesn't like anything green with their barbecue.

I don't know what they're thinking. "Go Meat!" I think. Lucky for them I plug the greens to keep them honest -- and they are from the garden so they have to eat them, right?

With these fresh green beans and tomatoes things couldn't get any easier. Here's the scoop.

Simple Green Been Salad
Ingredients:

fresh green beans Small firm tomatoes salt and pepper chopped garlic or onions (optional) oil and vinegar

Directions:

#1. Rinse the green beans in cold water and snap off the tips as needed.
#2. Steam in saucepot until tender about 2-3 minutes (depending on the amount in the pot.
OR
Microwave beans by placing in a large plastic bag with a tablespoon of water for 2-3 minutes.
#3. They are done when you can snap the bean in half easily. It will be tender.
#4. Slice the tomatoes in half and place on top of the beans.
#5. Mix the oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, and any other condiments you choose and stir together well. Pour over the beans and tomatoes and chill.

Serve along with the grilled corn on the cob and everyone's favorite burgers, hot dogs, and ribs.


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Chasers for Backyard Barbecues

Our backyard barbecue grills fire up some tasty foods on this BIG grilling weekend. The chasers of choice are many and I'm sure you are prepared with the usual beer, soda and mixed drinks on hand. Here is some tasty information on those flavors you'll be grilling that will help you decide which wines to add to your coolers.

Grilled
When you cook directly on the grill with coals you get very distinct flavors of charred food. With no sauce on these foods you just grilled there are no other competing flavors to deal with.
Suggested: Oaked Chardonnay with grilled fish
Sauvignon Blanc with grilled vegetables
Medium body reds like a Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir or red blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah for the grilled steaks, burgers, pork chops.

BBQ Sauce
Next you might have some ribs with a BBQ sauce, or marinated fish or seafood. Many BBQ sauces are sweet so if you have lots of ribs, chicken or london broil with a sweet sauce or marinade on it you might want to choose a wine that has a slight sweetness from the fruit. A rich tannic Cabernet will taste overly dry and will not be as enjoyable as it should be.
Suggested: A fruity Zinfandel from California

Rubs
Dry rubs are put on the meats before it is grilled and gives yet another level of flavors from the herbs and peppers in the rub blend that should be considered. Wines with peppery or herbal notes and flavors usually go well with these foods.
Suggested: A spicy Shiraz or Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain OR Barbera from Italy

Have a safe and fun weekend and choose a designated driver.


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks