The CookingBites Recipe Challenge: Wine

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Welcome to the CookingBites Recipe Challenge. The current challenge ingredient is wine (any type, including wine vinegar, grape molasses, sherry and sherry vinegar but not grapes or grape juice) and The Late Night Gourmet is judge. To enter, all you need to do is post a recipe using wine (as a new thread), tag it cookingbites recipe challenge and post a link to it in this thread. The winner becomes the judge for the next challenge.

Deadline: 12.00 midday Thursday 4th March, UK time (GMT). Challenge rules and a list of previous winners and ingredients can be found here.

 

[TastyReuben]

I've spent a good part of the evening going through my cookbooks. Shall I say I have a few ideas...fermenting?

 

[Burt Blank]

I've spent a good part of the evening going through my cookbooks. Shall I say I have a few ideas...fermenting?

Tasters mate I'm Riesling happy you are feeling bubbly! I’ve trained my dog to bring me red wine. It’s a Bordeaux collie.

 

[Morning Glory]

I use wine all the time. I also use it in cooking a lot: sherry, port, red wine, white wine, vermouth... lots of possibilities here.

 

[flyinglentris]

I don't usually use wine in cooking, only occasionally. But, this challenge forces me to tip my hand toward learning something about which wines go well with what and how best to merge wine into a recipe.

Like TastyReuben, I have been digging to get some research done on how people have been using wine in cooking. I've found that there are about 8 levels of wine used in cooking seafood alone, going from dry whites to robust reds. And each of those 8 levels is best suited to different seafood. It makes sense, for sure.

And then, there are the other meats, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, lamb and so forth. Finally, wine used in baking and desserts must be looked into.

So, I added about 5 wines to my shopping list and currently have two Cabernet wines.

Wine, Albarino
Wine, Chenin Blanc or Cabernet Blanc
Wine, Gewürztraminer or Riesling
Wine, Grenache or Pinot Noir
Wine, Syrah

I can't go stark bonkers buying wine, but we'll call these five and the two Cabernet wines a cooking investment.

 

[flyinglentris]

I would be curious to know what members think about blending wines.

Why? It's because wine is relatively expensive, especially when buying several varieties to cover several type of dishes and uses. I'm not talking cheap table wines or Ripple here.

So, I am intentionally inquisitive about how to get some variation by blending. For example, Rose' wines are sometimes blends of a red and a white. One must understand that a blend is not just a choice of which white and which red to blend, but the proportions as well.

 

[Morning Glory]

So, I am intentionally inquisitive about how to get some variation by blending. For example, Rose' wines are sometimes blends of a red and a white. One must understand that a blend is not just a choice of which white and which red to blend, but the proportions as well.

I wouldn't mix two different wines together. I really wouldn't!

 

[caseydog]

I would be curious to know what members think about blending wines.

Why? It's because wine is relatively expensive, especially when buying several varieties to cover several type of dishes and uses. I'm not talking cheap table wines or Ripple here.

So, I am intentionally inquisitive about how to get some variation by blending. For example, Rose' wines are sometimes blends of a red and a white. One must understand that a blend is not just a choice of which white and which red to blend, but the proportions as well.

Some wines are blends of multiple grapes, but the blending is done before the fermenting. Like MG, I would not try to blend already finished wines.

As for cooking, I find that you don't have to spend a lot to get a good wine for cooking, that is also pleasant to drink. I use Gallo wines most of the time for cooking. I've never been much of a wine drinker, so a wine "aficionado" might not approve of Gallo, but it tastes alright to me, and it works consistently well in my cooking.

CD

 

[TastyReuben]

Unless I need a full bottle for braising, I use those fairly cheap mini bottles a lot. I usually have a handful of little cab, merlot, pinto (both grigio and noir), and Sauvignon blanc bottles sitting around. Great for pan sauces and the like.

 

[caseydog]

Unless I need a full bottle for braising, I use those fairly cheap mini bottles a lot. I usually have a handful of little cab, merlot, pinto (both grigio and noir), and Sauvignon blanc bottles sitting around. Great for pan sauces and the like.

Yes, those mini, single serving bottles are great for when you don't need a lot of wine for what you are making, such as a sauce.

CD

 

[TastyReuben]

I've got seven things picked out...which means I'll likely get to two of them.

 

[MrsDangermouse]

I would be curious to know what members think about blending wines.

No no no no no no.
And no again.
Please don't.
That's all I'm going to say.


Surprisingly I don't use wine very much in cooking - I do drink plenty of it though
I'm going to have to get thinking.......for the moment though I'll just leave you a photo of one of our wine racks:

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I don't usually use wine in cooking, only occasionally. But, this challenge forces me to tip my hand toward learning something about which wines go well with what and how best to merge wine into a recipe.

I also don't use wine much in cooking. It finally occurred to me that I could pick an ingredient that would help me as a home cook: let everyone else do the work for me! And, if people don't like it, I don't want to hear anyone wine-ing about it. <-- there, TastyReuben and Burt Blank: I think we've exhausted all the wine-related puns.

 

[TastyReuben]

there, @TastyReuben and @Burt Blank: I think we've exhausted all the wine-related puns.

Agreed. Let's put a cork in it and move on.

 

[LissaC]

So now we're running to see who can drink more bottles of wine until March 4? I'm in!