Holiday Wine Pairing Advice

Holiday wine pairings, a la SAS

Back in October, I spoke with Niagara Life magazine about wine pairing suggestions for their Holiday Issue. 

"When it comes to Christmas dinner, I think a lot of us want to go down to the cellar and pick up the biggest, fullest red wine we have down there, and really that's not the right strategy."

You want to bring out the best in both the food and the wine when pairing them together. While I encourage fearlessness when it comes to wine pairing (just trust your instincts and have fun!), here's a good basic rule of thumb for matching proteins and wines:

"If you can chase the meat, pair it with a white. If, on the other hand, the meat can chase you, go for the red." 

So, for chase-able mains like poultry or fish, Chardonnay and Riesling immediately come to mind. For beef, bison or elk, Cabernet blends and Cabernet Franc are a great choice. And for meats like pork and game birds which, frankly, can go either way (geese are mean!), the choice is yours! 

For vegetarian and vegan guests, the playing field is even wider! Think of the seasoning and "weight" of your entrees when picking wines. Dishes that include woody-stemmed herbs like thyme and sage will welcome big, structured reds. Dishes with more delicate flavouring or fresh cheeses ask for lighter wines. And as for root vegetable dishes, well, much like pork and game birds, you can go a number of directions ;)

Here's a few suggestions to get you started:

Roast Turkey, Poached Salmon, Herb & Endive Salad
Elisha's Chardonnay
Robert's Block Riesling
Luminescence Sparkling Riesling Demi-Sec
Fancy Farm Girl Frissonesque Sauvignon Blanc

Prime Rib, Venison Roast, Vegan Mushroom Wellington
Gritstone Cabernet
Chestnut Tree Cabernet Franc

Baked or Smoked Ham, Roast Squash 
Riesling Loved by Lu
Mabel's VCR Viognier Chardonnay Riesling
Rubinescence Brut Rosé
Fancy Farm Girl Flamboyant Red

Roast Goose, Seared Duck, Root Vegetable Slab Pie
Louie Pinot Gris
Bank Barn Baco Noir
Windsock Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé

Red wine for dessert? Heck, yeah! Poached Pears for the win :)

Sue-Ann whips up a quick, easy, and delightfully elegant dessert: red wine poached pears!

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Bacon and onions and creme fraiche, OH MY!

Bacon and onions are a perfect match. Just ask anyone who walks in your house after you've sautéed both ingredients in preparation for Flammekuechen! Basically the best onion & bacon pizza you can imagine, Flammekueche is an Alsation specialty...that's also served in the Pfalz, the Rhine, the Moselle regions -- if it's a wine area, there's a version of onion pie served at harvest.  

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This week on SASTV: Ratatouille! (aka how to deal with all the zucchini & eggplant people keep giving you)

When one of our team members handed Sue-Ann a sack filled with eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes from his garden, she knew that Ratatouille was in her future. 

 

 

This classic Provencal vegetable stew is the perfect distillation of late summer flavours and can be served so many ways. Eat it hot with torn chunks of baguette, swirl it into hot pasta, or serve it cold as a chunky dip. Any way you have it, it's a delicious solution to the abundance of fresh veg typical of August. 

Ratatouille (from Once Upon a Chef)

INGREDIENTS

This week on SASTV: Venison & Cabernet Franc

Today's recipe is Venison Smash Burgers! Recipe at the bottom of the page.

Sue-Ann's inspiration is this recipe from Hank Shaw and his fabulous website https://honest-food.net/. 

Venison Burgers

Keep in mind that what's important here is the technique and the grind, not so much my additional ingredients. Of course, I love my venison burgers like this, so I am biased. But so long as you follow general guidelines on toppings: mix something rich (cheese) with something sharp (tomato) and something slightly bitter or cleansing (lettuce or sorrel leaves) and a touch of sweet (ketchup) and you will be in good shape.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds venison
• 1/2 pound bacon ends or regular bacon, chopped roughly
• Salt (smoked salt if you have it)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter, lard or vegetable oil
• 1 large or 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• Burger buns
• Something green like bibb lettuce, arugula, sorrel or spinach
• Slices of fresh tomato, or canned, fire-roasted peppers (winter), summer
• Slices of cheese of your choice
• Condiment of your choice (ketchup mustard, remoulade, mayo, etc)

Instructions

1. Make sure the meat and bacon are cold. Cut the venison into chunks that will fit into your grinder. Do the same for the bacon. Mix the two together roughly so you can add a bit of each into the grinder as you go. Grind 1/2 to 2/3 of the mixture coarsely and the rest with the fine die. NOTE: If you are grilling your venison burgers, flip this so you grind 2/3 of the mix fine and only 1/3 coarse -- the reason is because grilled burgers tend to cook better and stay juicier when the grind is fine.
2. Make between 4 and 6 patties, depending on how large you want your burgers. Form the patties with only as much force as absolutely needed -- you want the patties to hold together only loosely. Make them about 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Use your thumb to press an indentation into the center of each patty: This prevents the burgers from turning spherical when you cook them. Set the burgers aside.
3. Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the sliced onion and cook until it's done to your liking. Some people like juicy onion with a little char on the edges, some people prefer to go the full caramelized onion route. When finished, put the onions in a bowl so you can have them ready.
4. I prefer grilled burgers, so I'll go through that method. Heat your grill on high and be sure to scrape down the grates with a wire brush. Only salt your burgers right before you cook them, and if you are salt-sensitive you might not need to with these because of the bacon. Place the patties on the grill and cook them without disturbing them (with the grill cover open) for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how well done you like your burgers. Flip and cook for the same amount on the other side. I prefer 3 minutes per side with a really hot grill.
5. When you flip the burgers, grind some black pepper over them, then spoon a little caramelized onion on each one if you'd like. With about 90 seconds to go on the second side, lay the cheese on top of the onions and cover the grill until the burger's ready. If you like toasted buns, toast them on the grill in this last 90 seconds. When everything's done, move the burgers and buns to a sheet tray or plate so the meat can rest for 5 minutes, while you build the burgers.
6. You can do this any way you want, but I start with a green thing, then some ketchup or mayo or whatever, then the burger patty that has the onions and cheese already on it, topped with a slice of tomato (or roasted red peppeand finally some more of whatever condiment I happen to be using. My method is just how I do things; you can do anything you'd like.

 

The Toughest Day.

One of life's toughest days. 

The dreaded day .... Brix is cuddling with Dad now ... and I assume Dad is already continuing to train Brix how to sit up on his hind legs which used to be their morning ritual.

Brix quickly succumbed to a large tumour on his scapula...

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This week on SASTV: Keen-what?

Vegetarians rejoice! Here's a fab meatless slider idea, perfect with Frissonesque Sauv Blanc!

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