My roommates and a few other close friends got together for
our friend’s farewell dinner before she headed to Thailand to teach elementary
students! It was a fun night with great food, good wine and amazing people.
Safe travels, best of luck and see you soon Tanya!
o
Falafel
o
Indian Butter Chicken
o
Asian Soy Salad
o
White Bread (home made) with Havarti
Wines:
o
2011 Turning Leaf Sweet Riesling
o
Nathanson Creek Chardonnay
Cooking the Dishes:
A) Falafel
o Cut up garlic, onions, parsley
o
Add cumin, salt, pepper, ground coriander,
flour, chickpeas, cayenne pepper and cardamom
o
Toss in a blender and puree
o
Heat up oil to 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit and
fry the falafel balls one at a time
o
Heat up pita bread and added falafel balls,
tomatoes, carrots soaked in vinegar, cabbage and Greek yogurt
B) Indian Buttery
Chicken with Rice
o 
Cut up and marinate the chicken in Greek yogurt, lemon, methi, salt, tandoori chicken seasoning and butter chicken seasoning
o
Heat up oil and fry garlic paste
o
Add 2/3rd can (28 ounces) of crushed
tomatoes and fry till the oil splits and rises
o
Add chicken and cook till it’s just about done
o
Add extra Greek yogurt, heavy whipping cream,
and some honey
C) Asian Soy Salad
o
Fry green onions till they caramelize a bit
o
Add garlic, then ginger and soy sauce
o
Add tofu and cook till done
o
Add tofu to cut lettuce, carrots and Chinese
croutons
D) Baked White Bread
With Havarti Cheese
o
Flour, water, salt, yeast and bake
o
Boar’s Head Havarti Cheese
E) Yogurt-Cream Cheese Dip with Assorted Fruits
o
Mix vanilla yogurt with light cream cheese and
honey
o
Pair with watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries
Wines and such:
o
Varietal:
Gewürztraminer
o
Region: California
o
Country:
United States
o
Year:
2011
o
Price: $4.99
Winery Review:
Floral, spicy aromatics and slightly sweet lychee-nut taste,
are an excellent match for fresh fruit and cheeses and a good complement to
many simple fish and chicken dishes.
Gewürztraminer
Description:
Gewurztraminer is a pink-skinned
grape variety that produces some of the most distinctively aromatic wines in
the world, an intense style that also polarizes people. Ardent fans of
Gewurztraminer adore its highly perfumed scents and slightly spicy flavors,
while its detractors lament its lack of acid and obvious fruit tones. Few, however,
would deny Gewurztraminer’s presence on the olfactory radar.
My Review:
Mmm. Absolutely and positively one of the best things I have
smelled, wine or not. I got huge wafts of melon and citrus at first as I tried
to put my tongue on what I was smelling. GOT IT! It smelled like canned
lychee-nuts, very pungent and delicious. If you have not tried lychee, you are
missing out. Go to your local grocery store and if they don’t have it, check
out an Asian or another ethnic grocery store. The body was light and delicious
with just a bit carbonation. Huge flavors of lychee with melon complementing
it. Overall, a light wine, great aroma, smooth finish and overall crowd
pleaser. Everyone enjoyed it, it is a fruity wine, not too complex. You should
try this fruity wine as a way to explore the Gewürztraminer market.
This wine was recommended as a pairing with cream food so I
paired it with my Indian butter chicken. It was a perfect palate cleanser! It
was refreshing to say the least and made every bite of butter chicken taste
great. One con was that it was a bit too sweet for my tastes. This wine was too
sweet for the yogurt-fruit dessert as well.
o
2011 Turning Leaf Sweet Riesling
o
Varietal:
Riesling
o
Region: California
o
Country:
United States
o
Year:
2011
o
Price: $5.99
Winery Review:
As you uncork this bottle of our Sweet
Riesling, we invite you to enjoy the aromas and flavors of tropical fruits and
nice floral note in this Turning Leaf Sweet Riesling.
Riesling Description:
Riesling is a light-skinned, aromatic grape of German origin which is -
if the majority of top wine critics are to be believed - the world's finest
white wine grape variety.
For many, the claim above may seem at odds with the sea of chaptalized, low-quality wine exported
from Germany in the late 20th century. In truth, very little of that infamous
wine was Riesling at all (Riesling became a scapegoat for higher-yielding
grapes such as Müller-Thurgau and
Silvaner), but the reputation has nonetheless stuck. No less unshakeable a
stereotype is of Riesling as just a 'sweet' grape, used only to make sticky
wines.
My Review:
Mmmm I got huge wafts of crisp apples and possibly crisp
pears on the nose. The body was a bit bubbly and had delicious apple flavors
and not much else. I enjoyed this wine, it finishes smooth, semi-dry, is a bit
acidic and very delicious. A good wine for a hot summer’s day and a good paring
with a light fruit dish.
This wine tasted pretty good with the yogurt-fruit dessert.
The apple flavor complemented the slight honey flavor in the yogurt and was
very refreshing when coupled with the fruit. Overall, a success!
o
Varietal:
Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre
o
Region: Corbières
o
Country:
France
o
Year:
2010
o
Price: $4.95
Winery Review:
“Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre . Superb dark garnet color
with a few reflections of dark orange. Intense nose of ripe fruits, spices, and
roasted coffee. The palate is rounded and full, with silky matured tannins and
hints of vanilla. This wine is rich and powerful with layers of tannins.”
Syrah Description:
Syrah
grape is the red wine grape
that rules the Northern Rhone
Valley. Syrah Grapes are the only red grape allowable by AOC rules in the
appellations. Syrah grapes are an offspring of two ancient varietals. It
was created when Dureza, a dark skinned berry was crossed with Mondeuse Blance,
a white skinned grape. The pairing is interesting as neither grape ever
gained mass popularity before they were crossed. Both berries were planted not
from the Northern Rhone Valley, which is the home of Syrah in the old world.
Dureza and Mondeuse Blance remain obscure and seldom seen today. The
discovery of the Syrah grape’s origins came from extensive research conducted
at UC Davis. The research was headed by Carole Meredith, who owns Lagier Meredith
wines in Napa,
which produces wine from Rhone varieties like Syrah Grapes.
My Review:
Huge junkyard and barnyard smells on the nose, wow! The body
was earthy, musty, vegetable-y and had some spice hints. Overall, it had soft
tannins and a pronounced nose with a dry finish. Definitely a wine that suits
old world lovers better.
This went pretty well with the bread and cheese and the
salad. The wine was full bodied and complemented the light bread and creamy
cheese. I thought the cheese also brought out some citrusy flavors in the wine.
When paired with the salad, I thought it complemented the tofu flavor and was
great with these Chinese croutons.
o
Nathanson Creek Cardonnay
o
Varietal:
Chardonnay
o
Region: California
o
Country:
USA
o
Year:
NV
o
Price: $7.95
Winery Review:
“Smooth and ripe with appley fruit
flavors complemented with toasty oak notes. It is wonderful as an aperitif and
best served with fish, chicken and cream based pasta dishes.”
Chardonnay Description:
Chardonnay
(pronounced: [ʃaʁ.dɔ.nɛ]) is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It originated in the
Burgundy wine
region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is
produced, from England to New Zealand.
For new and developing wine regions, growing Chardonnay is seen as a "rite of passage"
and an easy entry into the international wine market.[1]
The Chardonnay grape itself is very neutral, with many of
the flavors commonly associated with the grape being derived from such
influences as terroir
and oak.[2]
It is vinified in many different styles, from the lean, crisply mineral wines
of Chablis, France to New World wines with oak, and tropical fruit
flavors.
Chardonnay is an important component of many sparkling
wines around the world, including Champagne. A peak in popularity in the late
1980s gave way to a backlash among those wine drinkers who saw the grape as a
leading negative component of the globalization of wine. Nonetheless, it
remains one of the most widely-planted grape varieties, with over 160,000
hectares (400,000 acres)[3]
worldwide, second only to Airén among white wine grapes and planted in more wine regions
than any other grape – including Cabernet Sauvignon.[1]
My Review:
Decent chardonnay. Alright nose, not too fruity, I got some
hints of Granny Smith apples and oak. Pretty decent oak on the body, some
buttery flavors and apple hints. I thought it was a little acidic, tart, had
noticeable oak, and finished smooth and semi-dry.
It went well with the butter chicken and complimented the
chicken. I wish it was better tasting as I can see how chardonnay goes amazing
with buttery or chicken dishes. I chose it since it was recommended with creamy
dishes. This wine was also chosen to pear with falafel as reviews online said chardonnay would go well with chickpeas. I thought the pairing was alright although I felt the oaky notes in the chardonnay did not go well on the palate after enjoying the cumin flavor of the falafel.
Overall, we had an amazing time! It was good for a few of us
to get together and enjoy our friend’s last few days in the US. Additionally,
the food was amazing. The falafel worked out incredibly well and the Havarti
cheese was delicious. Goodbye Tanya; it’s been a while since we met during high
school and I wish you the best of luck in Thailand!
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