....is March 23,24, and 25 2012. See website for details. I plan to attend the Trinchero wine dinner Saturday night...if you're going to it or any other events let me know, we'll meet. I look forward to some foodie/vino fodder for my next post.
www.wineloversweekend.com
A few notable highlights:
FRIDAY
GRAND TASTING & WINE AUCTION
Registration begins at 5:30 pm; 6-8:00pm (repeated from 4 - 6 on Saturday)
Galena Convention Center, 900 Galena Square Drive,
Galena, Illinois
Advanced Tickets $30; At the Door $35 (subject to availability)
The core event of the weekend! Sample from more than 300 varieties of wine and spirits. Admission includes tasting, keepsake wine glass and entry into a drawing for a themed San Francisco getaway. Silent auction includes vintage wine. Sponsored by
Family Beer and Liquor.
Rosenblum Zin "Fantastic" Dinner
5 - 10 pm
Featuring Rosenblum Cellars at Fried Green Tomatoes Restaurant, 213 N. Main Street, Galena, Illinois
Enjoy wine flights from one of California's premier red zinfanfel producer. A fine selection of wines can be paired with any dinner from our menu!
Wine Lovers' Cork to Fork Progressive Dinner
6:00 pm
Goldmoor Inn & Dining, 9001 Sand Hill Road, Galena, Illinois
Cost: $69 per person / includes tax, gratuity & transportation
Experience three unique Galena Properties while sipping wine and enjoying great food: Jamie’s Wine Studio, Goldmoor Inn & Dining and The DeSoto House Hotel. $69.00 per person (includes tax, gratuity and transportation). Advanced reservations required. 815-777-3925
DJ Jevity House-Dance
9 pm
The Grape Escape, 242 N. Main Street, Galena, Illinois
Sponsored by Peter Mondavi
DJ Jevity spins House for our Wine Lovers Dance Party sponsored by Peter Mondavi with $5 Moscato cocktails.
SATURDAY
"Napa Niche" Wine Seminar
9:30 am
Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa, 444 Eagle Ridge Drive, Galena, Illinois
Cost: $20 for non-resort guests
The finer points of Napa wines! Find out what makes Napa wines so special. Hosted by Winemaker Todd Wolf from Rutherford Wine Company of St. Helena, California. Ala carte pricing is $20 per person for non-resort guests. For the total "Uncork & Unwind" Wine Lovers' Weekend package go to EagleRidge.com!
Winery Tour & Lunch
11:30 am
Fried Green Tomatoes Restaurant, 213 N. Main Street, Galena, Illinois
Enjoy a delightful afternoon of local winery tours and lunch. Executive Chef Joe Kuhse will prepare a splendid lunch to send you on your way to visit Galena Cellars, Massbach Ridge and Rocky Waters vineyards. We expect another sell-out year...book soon!
www.friedgreen.com
Complimentary Wine Tasting
NOON-4 pm
Galena River Wine & Cheese, 420 South Main St., Galena, Illinois
www.galenawinecheese.com
Trinchero Estates Winery Presentation & Wine Pairing
6:30 pm
The Goldmoor Inn & Dining, 9001 N. Sand Hill Rd., Galena, Illinois
Cost: $69 per person (tax and gratuity not included)
Experience a fabulous five-course meal paired with exceptional wines. A representative from Trinchero Estates will be here to guide you through the wine tasting. $69.00 per person (Tax and gratuity not included.)
www.goldmoor.com
Vino Las Ronnie Vegas
9 pm
The Grape Escape, 242 N. Main Street, Galena, Illinois
Ronnie Vegas comes from Chicago to bring our vino junkies to a new high of impersonations with this world class Elvis! Do not miss our Memphis Martini Menu tonight only.
reverbnation.com/venue/thegrapeescape
SUNDAY
Blackhawk Wine Tour
11 am - 3 pm
Iowa Wine Tours, Inc., Galena, Illinois
Reservations: 563-582-4076
Cost: $65 per person
Discover the breathtaking beauty and learn the history behind the Blackhawk Wars on this scenic tour. We'll take you to Galena Cellars, Rocky Waters Winery and Massbach Ridge Winery. Includes transportation from your B&B, Hotel or remote location, tasting fees, facility tours, lunch at Procento's Pizzeria, and bottled water on board the Iowa Wine Tours bus. This tour is offered daily from 11:00 a.m. till 3:00 p.m. seven days a week.
www.iowawinetoursinc.com
Also, remember the SAU Winefest is coming up in May on the campus of St Ambrose University...it's sure to be another fun event with hundreds of wines to sample.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
My single 2012 Resolution....
....in the culinary sense I mean, is to cook and immerse myself into cuisine and cooking like I did several years ago. It's been a LONG time coming, to do it the way I used to and frankly really want to. After all, life's too short to eat bad quality food, drink cheap wine and beer, and most importantly do it all with the wrong people.
To kick things off here are some new dishes I'm conjuring; I'd encourage you to follow my lead and find the foods you REALLY want to eat, ideally found from the outer ring of your local supermarket (I spent almost an hour in the produce, herbs and fresh meats section today alone...this from a guy who hasn't "grocery shopped in MONTHS).
The Basics: Chicken
basic chicken breast
rub: turmeric, yellow curry, coriander, cumin (both ideally freshly ground), garlic and cinnamon
very simple; sear in a saute pan with sesame or peanut oil which have lower flash (smoke) points than olive oil, add some lemon grass and finish in the oven but not too high a temp. And wrap with pancetta or prosciutto for some added crispyness. A simple sauce would be a nice compliment.
Fish: Salmon, skin on and preferably Atlantic or farm grown (I don't wish to engage in a debate about wild vs farm raised, simply referring to what's typically available.)
An Asian-inspired marinade which incorporates ginger, red pepper flake, lemon grass, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, cilantro, green onion and garlic. Maybe a little white wine.
Simply grill or cook stove top in a grill pan, flipping once if at all. Again sesame oil is ideal for flavor and low smoke point.
Another prep could be poaching in olive oil using only the dry ingredients above as a quasi rub.
Now for the GOOD stuff: wild game!
Venison loin
I'm toying with this one: marinate in pomegranate juice, veal stock and red wine followed by a herbs de provence rub, wrapped in pancetta and seared off quickly then finished in a low temp, 350 or so, degree oven, with a pomegranate molasses - red wine reduction sauce.
I have some elk coming soon and will try the same with that, a meat I've never worked with.
Both venison and elk are lean, low fat and can over cook easily due to low fat content. The key is to sear on high heat and be careful to NOT overcook!! Only if you have a whole loin not cut into filets should you use the oven; stove top in a pan transferred to low heat will work fine with filets but for only a few minutes. These meats are rich in flavor and are well suited for these sauces/marinades...they are not so "gamey" as you might think.
These are just a few of the seasonal cuisine ideas I've come up with, luckily I have access to very fresh product. Cooking game like elk, venison, pheasant, quail, etc. almost requires knowing a hunter who knows how to process and preserve meat, of which I know several.
If you'd like details on any of these "recipes" or have any ideas or recommendations of your own please leave your comments...I'm as interested in learning as imparting ideas.
Here's to a year filled with amazing, fresh, quality cuisine and amazing libations.
Cheers!!
*clink*
P.S. a nice wine from Burgundy in France or a domestic pinot noir from Oregon or Sonoma or Russian River Valley in CA would pair well with anything I've written about. A hearty Napa cabernet or Australian shiraz would work well with the venison and elk.
To kick things off here are some new dishes I'm conjuring; I'd encourage you to follow my lead and find the foods you REALLY want to eat, ideally found from the outer ring of your local supermarket (I spent almost an hour in the produce, herbs and fresh meats section today alone...this from a guy who hasn't "grocery shopped in MONTHS).
The Basics: Chicken
basic chicken breast
rub: turmeric, yellow curry, coriander, cumin (both ideally freshly ground), garlic and cinnamon
very simple; sear in a saute pan with sesame or peanut oil which have lower flash (smoke) points than olive oil, add some lemon grass and finish in the oven but not too high a temp. And wrap with pancetta or prosciutto for some added crispyness. A simple sauce would be a nice compliment.
Fish: Salmon, skin on and preferably Atlantic or farm grown (I don't wish to engage in a debate about wild vs farm raised, simply referring to what's typically available.)
An Asian-inspired marinade which incorporates ginger, red pepper flake, lemon grass, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, cilantro, green onion and garlic. Maybe a little white wine.
Simply grill or cook stove top in a grill pan, flipping once if at all. Again sesame oil is ideal for flavor and low smoke point.
Another prep could be poaching in olive oil using only the dry ingredients above as a quasi rub.
Now for the GOOD stuff: wild game!
Venison loin
I'm toying with this one: marinate in pomegranate juice, veal stock and red wine followed by a herbs de provence rub, wrapped in pancetta and seared off quickly then finished in a low temp, 350 or so, degree oven, with a pomegranate molasses - red wine reduction sauce.
I have some elk coming soon and will try the same with that, a meat I've never worked with.
Both venison and elk are lean, low fat and can over cook easily due to low fat content. The key is to sear on high heat and be careful to NOT overcook!! Only if you have a whole loin not cut into filets should you use the oven; stove top in a pan transferred to low heat will work fine with filets but for only a few minutes. These meats are rich in flavor and are well suited for these sauces/marinades...they are not so "gamey" as you might think.
These are just a few of the seasonal cuisine ideas I've come up with, luckily I have access to very fresh product. Cooking game like elk, venison, pheasant, quail, etc. almost requires knowing a hunter who knows how to process and preserve meat, of which I know several.
If you'd like details on any of these "recipes" or have any ideas or recommendations of your own please leave your comments...I'm as interested in learning as imparting ideas.
Here's to a year filled with amazing, fresh, quality cuisine and amazing libations.
Cheers!!
*clink*
P.S. a nice wine from Burgundy in France or a domestic pinot noir from Oregon or Sonoma or Russian River Valley in CA would pair well with anything I've written about. A hearty Napa cabernet or Australian shiraz would work well with the venison and elk.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Thanksgiving recipe guide with wine pairings
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