04/21/05 Food and wines - Citrus

Welcome to Vine to wine, this is your host Linda Moran, and today is food and wine pairing day. Spring has sprung and there is a bounty of seasonal foods in my local market. The oranges and pink grapefruits have been divine so after the break we are going to discuss recipes that use these two fruits and the wines that pair well with them. This year, late winter and early spring, has brought some very good citrus fruit to our local grocery stores. You may think that it is silly to try to pair wine with such flavorful items and, by themselves, I would probably agree. But, when they are introduced into a more savory recipe you would be surprised. For example adding fresh squeezed orange juice and orange zest from the skin of one of those great oranges to basmati rice creates a charming side dish to accompany roasted spring lamb or grilled chicken. Marinating chicken in an orange juice based marinade is also a flavorful way to use the fruit at its peek. Any of these dishes will lend themselves well to slightly chilled Rose, Fruitier styles of Viognier or Pinot Gris. When it comes to grapefruit I love the juice used in place of vinegar in salad dressing with Grapefruit sections garnishing a simple green salad. Also tossing a few grapefruit sections into a pan roasted chicken breast or halibut filet guarantees you a dish that will go well with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Visit our website vine to wine dot net to find our orange rice recipe and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.