Winemaker's Archives -- George Troquato

Cooking with Wine

While the subject of food and wine pairing is an open forum, cooking with wine receives much less deliberation. Most chefs would agree, however, that cooking with wine contributes flavors to food that otherwise might not be experienced. Even Homer made reference to the common practice of using wine in cooking, a custom that was continued by the Romans and spread all over Europe. *

Here are a few tips from the pros:

• Think of wine as an ingredient or a seasoning.
• Experiment with small test portions or trial runs to avoid ruining entire batches or meals.
• It is not necessary to cook with expensive wine, but only use wine that you would drink.
• Wines labeled as "cooking wines" are typically salty and may include other additives.
• Wine needs time to impart its flavor. Wait at least 10 minutes to taste before adding more.
• Use non-reactive cookware such as enamel or stainless steel rather than aluminum or cast iron.
• To avoid spoilage, store wine you intend to cook with away from kitchen heat sources.
• Do not use wine that has been opened for more than one week.

Cooking with Wine at Cinnabar

Wine should complement the occasion rather than dominate it. Wine is at its best when it blends seamlessly with food. Furthermore, I like to incorporate it into the meal without simply being an accompaniment.

I thought it would be interesting to build an entire meal around one versatile wine such as our Mercury Rising. This vibrant blend is made in a Bordeaux style from cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petite verdot. We begin with a marinade, segue to a reduction sauce, and finish with poached fruit.

Besides adding complexity, marinating tenderizes meat fibers via a reaction with the wine's alcohol and acids. Reductions give many entres an intensity that other sauces seem to miss. Lastly, poaching pears in Mercury Rising is a natural; the wine's concentrated berry flavors and spices bring out the best in one of the World's favorite fruits.

- Winemaker George Troquato

Meat Marinade

Ingredients

2 cups Mercury Rising
1 Tbs. rock sea salt (finely ground)
1 tsp. black pepper (fresh-ground)
1 Tbs. coriander (cracked)
1/4 tsp. dried chiles (ground serano, cayanne or red Thai)
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

Procedure

Combine all dry ingredients and rub into meat (poultry, London broil or tri-tip benefit the most from marinating). Pour wine and olive oil into flat-bottomed pan that is slightly larger than cut of meat. Place meat into pan making sure it is at lease halfway submerged. Add more wine if necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for six hours, turning once. For the best results, grill over wood or briquettes.

Serves four

Reduction Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups Mercury Rising
1 cup beef stock
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1/2 teas. rhyme
1/2 teas. rosemary
1/4 medium onion (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
1Tbs. olive oil

Procedure

Remove your respective cut of meat from pan after roasting. Move pan to stovetop and add half the wine. Deglaze by scrapping the baked-on drippings over low heat. In a separate pan, saut garlic in olive oil until transparent; then combine with wine/drippings mixture. Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently until sauce is reduced by 50%. (For thicker sauce, add a blend of one tablespoon flour and 2-3 tablespoons water in small increments until desired thickness is attained. Simmer an additional minute or two.) Spoon over sliced meat before serving.

Serves four

Poached Pears

Ingredients

6 Bosch pears (peeled, cored and halved)
2 cups Mercury Rising
zest from one lemon
1 cup sugar
2 sticks cinnamon
1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract)
4 whole cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (fresh ground)

Procedure

Slice vanilla bean lengthwise; scrape the pod; and combine with all ingredients (except the pears) in a large saucepan. Bring to boil and reduce heat immediately. Add pears and simmer until tender (paring knife easily penetrates the fruit). Place two pear halves on a dessert plate and drizzle with sauce. Serve with vanilla ice cream and garnish with mint sprig.

Serves six

* Dolores Borunda's easycook.com