Weekend Cooking with Wine

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. I love the weekend and I love to cook for family and friends. Today I want to share how I will cooking up the season’s bounty and of course the wines that go with it!

This weekend I will be having a Bon Voyage dinner for a family member before he sets off on a trip to Europe. I was inspired by my trip to Seattle’s Canlis Restaurant and I plan to use many of the great fruits and veggies from my Farmer’s Market. I plan to begin with fresh melon and prosciutto, the melons are fresh so there is really no other time that is better for this simple  starter. This cries out for a spicy ginger wine cocktail or Verdicchio from Italy. Haven’t decided yet! Next I am making my version of roasted bell pepper soup which I will garnish with crumbled deep fried sage and crème fraiche.  I like salsa, so I plan to make a green tomatillo salsa with hot peppers. I will add some fresh cucumber to the recipe, to act as a nice counterpoint to the hot peppers. This will be served over grilled beef medallions as the main course, and accompanied by grilled yellow zucchini. I will serve a Spanish Rioja with this course. To finish off the evening I am experimenting by mixing up a box of chocolate cake and baking it in individual mini bunt cakes. As the cakes cool over them I will slowly pour a chocolate cherry wine from Icicle Ridge Winery. I am hoping it absorbs into the cake. When it comes time to serve it, I will add a dollop of sweetened whipping cream. This will be accompanied by a nice Ruby Port. So that’s what going on for me. Have a great weekend and thanks for joining us on today’s Vine to Wine.