BUY FRESH BUY LOCAL

The Birthday Girl and her boyfriend Scott

Food & Wine… the PERFECT pair!!

Last Saturday, we (meaning my mother-in-law, my niece, my husband, my sister-in-law’s boyfriend and I) put on a Food & Wine Pairing Dinner for my sister-in-law Marian’s birthday (we won’t say which one… she’d kill me!). It was a lot of fun and it gave us a chance to dress up and eat lots of delicious food and try some good wines.

Meghan, Mom, Pop & Marian

The idea was that we serve the food in courses, on small plates and try a different wine with each course. Since none of us are sommeliers (wine experts) we asked our local experts at the Wine & Spirits for recommendations based on what we were serving. We split up the responsibility of cooking so no one person had to do all the work. It worked out well, we worked as a team and nobody got stuck in the kitchen all night cooking and cleaning up.

Marian, Scott, Uncle Den & Kathy

There were a total of 11 guests and we had 2 bottles of wine for each course with about a half a bottle left over. We DID NOT pour full glasses of wine or we all would of been face down in our plates by the 3rd or 4th course. We went with about a 1/3 of a glass of wine for each course and also served water with plenty of refills. One thing I suggest when you put on your Food & Wine Pairing Dinner is to have an empty water pitcher in the middle of the table so if someone doesn’t  like a particular wine or can’t finish it all they can dump it out. We had two wine glasses per person, one for white wines and one for red wines.

John (my husband), Sally & Uncle Den.

Typically a Pairing Dinner will be 5 or 6 courses, including dessert. The key is to pace yourself, if you serve portions that are too large you’ll end up uncomfortably full and popping a few buttons and/or drinking too much and falling asleep before dessert and snoring loudly for all to hear.

Here is the menu we came up with but you can make whatever you like, as long as YOU like it:

Seafood "Martinis"

1st course: Seafood Martinis paired with Chateau Ste Michelle Pinot Gris

Fettucine Alfredo

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2nd course: Homemade Fettucine with Alfredo Sauce paired with Kendall Jackson Chardonnay

Spring Mix with Proscuitto & Shaved Parmesan

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3rd course: Salad of Spring Mix, crispy proscuitto, shaved Parmesan Reggiano and homemade fresh raspberry viniagrette paired with Bella Sera Pinot Grigio

Grilled Salmon 2 Ways with Cantaloupe & Rosemary Garnish

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4th course: Salmon on the grill 2 ways (1 with BBQ sauce & 1 with Teryaki) paired with a Merlot (I can’t remember the  name, but I’ll find out…)

New York Strip Steak with Cabernet Reduction, Potatoes & Haricot Verts.

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5th course: New York Strip Steak with a Cabernet Reduction and sliced potatoes and Haricot Verts (skinny french green beans) paired with Dynamite Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

Made with love by Meghan.

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6th course: Chocolate Birthday Cake with homemade Vanilla Frosting paired with coffee or any leftover wine

Make a wish Marian!

I believe the evening was a hit. Just look at the smile on the birthday girl’s face!

If you’re looking for something fun and different to do, give this a try. I guarantee that everyone invited will have a great time. John and I may be free….

Look for the Seafood Martini Recipe on the Recipe Page.