[6] Sophisticated snacking: chocolate-cherry popcorn with a glass of Ruby Port (Abacus Photo).
SITTING IN FRONT OF THE FIRE WITH POPCORN & A GLASS OF WINE
Here are wines that complement this fall popcorn recipe…and a cozy evening in front of the fire or T.V.
Banyuls Or Ruby Port
Fortified fruity wines like Banyuls and Ruby Port have cocoa or chocolate in the nose, as well as cherry, raspberry or other berry fruit on the palate. They are classic companions to chocolate.
Banyuls is made from the Grenache grape, Port is a blend of several grapes.
Tawny Port Or Zinfandel
Tawny Ports, which have nutty and tobacco/leather notes, also make good pairings.
We don’t recommend Vintage Port: Its high sugar and alcohol content can overwhelm anything that doesn’t have a sharp counterpoint (which is why blue cheese and walnuts are such good pairings).
Spicy Zinfandel brings out the spices in the recipe, and also pair well with chocolate.
Beaujolais Or Orange Muscat
Beaujolais and Orange Muscat bring out fruity notes of the cranberries. Orange Muscat, a dessert wine, also complements dark chocolate.
Beaujolais is a more unusual choice, but if you like the wine, try it.
Cabernet Sauvignon (including Bordeaux)
Whether from Bordeaux or elsewhere, Cabernet Sauvignon brings out the fruity-peppery-grapey notes in the chocolate and pairs well with the spices.
THE YEAR’S 4 CRANBERRY HOLIDAYS
October: National Cranberry Month
November 21: National Cranberry Day
November 22: National Cranberry Relish Day
November 23: National Eat A Cranberry Day
________________
*“Protein salad” is not a recognized culinary term. We thought we invented the term to describe any protein-focused salad—chicken, crab, egg, ham, lobster, tuna, shrimp, whitefish, etc.—that’s been chopped and mixed with mayonnaise or a similar creamy sauce. We wanted a name to differentiate protein-based salads with green salads, grain salads, and other types. We searched online and found a two other references to “protein salad” on a menu or two, but no major reference source. So we chalk this one up to “simultaneous invention.”
In the culinary world, these “protein salads” are known as “bound salads”: ingredients bound with a thick sauce such as mayonnaise. A bound salad holds its shape when placed on a plate with a scoop. But coleslaw, pasta salad, potato salad, Waldorf salad, and others are also bound salads. Thus, we’re sticking with “protein salad, and hope you will use it, too.”
CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.
|
