A Huge Wine Tasting Event Featuring Full Thanksgiving Spread…What a Grand Idea!

Ever witnessed an idea so fine, you wished you thought of it yourself? That’s how I felt about the Thanksgiving Wine and Food Gala put on by Doris’ Italian Market. I hope they do it again next year. As soon as the store closed for regular business hours last Friday night, the doors opened wide to about 150 wine lovers; ladies were handing out wine glasses like long stemmed roses, and everyone was encouraged to head straight to the Thanksgiving banquet built around—and because of—the 62 wines available for tasting.

As you can see from this photo, a full, traditional Thanksgiving dinner took center stage, giving guests a chance to try pairing all sorts of wines, to see what worked best.

There was a wine specialist on standby, answering all the typical FAQ, like, “turkey can be so bland. Are there any wines that bring out its flavor instead of just overwhelming it?” To which Mr. Oenophilia answered, “all of the wines here today were carefully selected to pair well with turkey and all of the classic sides for Thanksgiving Day.”

The specialist was also asked what HE would be drinking on Thanksgiving, and he motioned toward this bottle of grapes:  

The Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge Sauvignon, adding that it was “just lovely.” On the wine point system it ranked close to 100, the best a wine can get. At over $30 a bottle it did hover just a little bit above the suggested $25-per-bottle-maximum a lot of Thanksgiving wine tips tell you to set. The reason caps are set fairly low is for quantity reasons. You really should have a bottle of wine for every 2 guests, which, on Thanksgiving adds up quick.

A less expensive wine that popped up as the wine specialist’s “Next Best Thing” (My Sunday Best book fans will know why I inserted a smiley face here : ) ) is the St. Michelle Indian Wells Red Blend. I tried both wines and they were—just as the specialist said, really, really, lovely and nice.     

I knew I was going to pick up a bottle of red, white and at least one dessert wine—but not until I’d tried as many as I could; these wines, besides the 2 mentioned above were the clear standouts:

• 667 Pinot Noir (This was just so fantastic with squares of parmesan cheese that I could go on for pages….) If you’re having a round of appetizers before your big turkey meal, this is really the way to go—but it tastes great with the main event, too.
• Morning Fog Chardonnay: Just read the description in this picture. Get in my cart, you rascal!
  
• Gnarly Head Authentic Red: The labeling looks like a scene out of The Legends of Sleepy Hallow; it’s got a concentrated dark fruit flavor and comes from a city in California (Lodi) where the vineyard vines really are gnarled.
• Dreaming Tree Everyday White: This was the driest white wine to ever cross these taste buds—and I could see a lot of people liked that at this tasting. Guests were standing at end caps in the store, balancing their holiday plates on crates stacked high with Dreaming Tree. The dry and subtly sweet nature of the wine went so well with the roasted turkey breast drowning in Doris’ gravy.
• Frostbitten Ice Riesling: This emerged as the event favorite; the store ran out of this awesomely sweet-but not too much—wine in the first hour and, as of yesterday, is still sold out! It comes in a beautiful bottle with a snowflake on it, and is such a great pairing with all the holiday pies you’ll comes across in the next 3 months that I wholly advocate it as a stocking stuffer. Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz was the next best thing.

So, what did I learn at this event? The short answer is that Pinot Noirs, Rieslings and Chardonnays are some of the safest bets when you’re talking turkey. Give some of them a swirl (in your tasting glass!) and you’ll see what I mean.

A Sunday Stroll that is Yellow and Green & Everything In Between

Yellow and Green aren’t Fall colors, but on the lips of my South Florida friends as the harvest season begins and the largest farmers market in Broward gets underway, opening its doors from 8 to 4 every weekend. I don’t know if you can tell from the picture, but it’s worth a thousand words, pared down into one simple FYI: did you know you can hop a train to the Yellow Green Farmers Market in Hollywood? Of course, you can drive too; it’s on Sheridan Street, but if you’re a big fan of greening up your kitchen and saving gas, give Tri-Rail a try. The Sheridan train-stop sports some great signage that points in the direction of the Farmers Market, and it’s a very short walk from there to all kinds of things you won’t want to miss.

When you walk in, the first thing you’ll notice is the HUGE mural of a farm, created with such realism that you’ll swear you can hear someone ringing a dinner bell somewhere beyond those big bails of painted hay. There are dozens of aisles of giant, low-priced fruits and veggies, and to anyone who isn’t used to the tropics that might seem strange. But, hey, October through January is our growing season! You can pick up a big canvas tote at the general information booth (next to the spicy, gourmet pickles) where a smiling woman can tell you in English, Creole or Spanish that the Yellow Green Farmers Market is celebrating its first anniversary this October. The tote bag seems big, empty and deep, and it’s your objective to fill it! In the meantime, here’s a little preview of what’s in store.

Olive oil, olive oil and MORE olive oil—but you’re the master of infusing it with whatever flavors you see fit. For $8, I filled a bottle with dill, lemon, garlic, cilantro and basil infused oils—but that was a safe bet. This corner of the farmers market had wasabi and many other flavors (like “Steak”), too. They had buckets and buckets of big juicy olives that you could sample—and a small restaurant, where people were sampling wines and ordering harvest soups, even on a warm day.

I went from that outpost to another manned by a Jamaican Farmer, who let me taste Breadfruit, lychees and assorted Caribbean produce that I’d never heard of before. I did know about dragon fruit, and appreciated that he had halved some of it, so that customers could see how awesome it looks inside. I’ve included a photo of it below.

I left with about 3 pounds of pre-sliced jackfruit and a mental note to try deep frying that slightly bitter (but buttery!) breadfruit; the farmer had offered me a slice, raw, and I didn’t care for it—yet I could see his point that it would be fabulous if I deep fried it. This is a Sunday Inspiration if ever there was one!

But I think my favorite table was the salt table, pictured here.

The vendor encouraged us to sprinkle whatever we wished to try over small cups of roasted corn; I bought an ounce of black truffle salt that tasted….well….to say “heavenly” wouldn’t do it justice. I’d have to say it was over-the-moon-curl-your-freaking- toes-good, and  can’t wait to add it to every winter soup and salad I make for myself while I’m back in my Florida home town.

If you want to meet me there, at the Yellow Green Farmers Market one of these Saturdays or Sundays, look for me at the station where they squeeze fresh Tamarind juice. We can have some refreshment together and hit all the stops with our big yellow green bags!            

The Greek Yogurt Craze: Just a “Fage” or Here to Stay?

America must be obsessed with Greek yogurt. How else can you explain the 2 billion dollar industry that is Chobani and Fage? Even Pinkberry has started selling Greek yogurt, topped to order, with a range that’s going past the sweet stuff and into truly savory territory—think yogurt topped with herbed tomatoes and balsamic. If you can’t picture yourself going to an ice cream shop for lunch, try this at home: open up a container of Greek yogurt and adorn it with the ingredients you were saving for salad. You’re going to love it, I promise.

Southern Living Magazine calls this concept picnic in a glass.

Yep, that’s Greek yogurt in there—and it’s the perfect, light fare for bikini season. If you’re watching your weight, it’s good to know that Greek yogurt has the same flavorful effect as Ranch dressing, sour cream and mayo.

But calorie counting isn’t the name of the game for us foodies. It’s about inspiration!  Many home chefs aren’t aware how trendy restaurants use Greek yogurt. It’s in cocktails! You can add it to fried Brussels sprouts and cauliflower for a creaminess and tang you never realized existed in cruciferous veggies; you can dredge your chicken through it (I do in my oven fried chicken recipe), and last but not least, make your smoothies infinitely better.

The most creative thing I’ve done with Greek yogurt, to date…..

Sauté a healthy-sized dollop over high heat, with the result of creating a Saganaki fried cheese knock-off. I bet you’ve ordered Saganaki in a Greek restaurant before and burned your tongue because it was so good you couldn’t wait for it to cool off. Hint: Cool down by mixing up one of these yogurt cocktails I found on yummly!

So where did this “plain muse”, as Bobby Flay puts it, start—at least for the USA? According the New York Times, it was back in the 80s, when small business owners from Greece were craving the yogurt their grandparents used to make, and just couldn’t find anything like it in the United States. I don’t know about you, but the idea of New Yorkers standing in line to taste a century-year-old recipe that originated on a window sill in the Mediterranean sunlight, made me want to try to make my own from scratch, too. 

Watch this Awesome Video About Making Your Own Yogurt. It’s Not Scary, I promise!

I’m struck by how easy it is. I found this youtube video, and encourage you to not only watch it, but scratch that fancy “yogurt maker” off your wish list. I almost never say that about kitchen gadgets, but you really don’t need one here. So long as you have milk, live cultures (cheap at any health food store), a jar with a lid, cheesecloth and oven in which to place the yogurt overnight, you don’t need anything else. Anyway, watch Tressa Yellig’s explanation of the creamy process in this video. She distinguishes between ordinary and plain yogurt, shows you the whey that gets drained off, and makes truly delicious Greek yogurt parfaits right before your eyes with so few kitchen gadgets, and with such simplicity, that I wonder what her food is like at Salt Fire and Time.   

Guess I’ve given you enough creamy 411 to get inspired—so get out there and buy (or make!) a tub of yogurt and start experimenting! Your Sunday Best inspirations are ready for the Mason Jars and pretty labels!