What is something thanks givingish I can make with wine? (a side or appetizer)

I'm a bit leery about the too young to drink but okay to cook with concept. What sort of wine is it, what are the flavor characteristics now?

mjb.

 

I subscribe to the theory that one should only cook with what one drinks. In other words, if it's not good to drink, I wouldn't cook with it.

 

Okay, I'll suggest wine braised short rib sliders as an app. Braise some beef short ribs using the wine in the braising liquid, Serve with a bit of swiss , gruyere type cheese on small dinner rolls of some sort, just big enough for a one or two bite sandwich.

Normally beef isn't a part of an American Thanksgiving meal, folks might welcome it as a change of pace.

mjb.

 

How about a mushroom gravy or a nice side of sauteed mushrooms, just a splash of wine to add flavor. Or use half a bottle as a release for the drippings on the turkey pan, reduce, add stock, milk/cream or water, reduce, add your slurry and have a turkey gravy that way. Also you can saute the mire poix for the stuffings in wine.

If it was a red I would have suggested a mulled wine with cinnamon, cardomon and cloves, perhaps a few raisins and almond slivers for soaked chewy bits..... Splash of port....few thin slices of orange...

 

Hm, a Zinfandel IS a red, unless it is a "White Zinfandel"! And I would suspect the former rather than the latter.

 

lol, so it is...have no idea why I got it stuck in my head that it was a white.....maybe cause a white would work better in my suggestions...any way you can use the red for a turkey gravy, just be sue to cook it down a  good bit.

 

Make some "coq au vin"! It is however a main dish but easy and very tasty and a lot of wine necessary. You can use chicken instead of rooster (the "coq" in the vin), but don't let it cook too long or it will totally fall apart. The pieces need to stay intact.

 

In her 100 Perfect Pairings, Jill Hough has an interesting appy that might work for you: 

White Cheddar with Wine-soaked Cherries and Herbs

1/3 cup Merlot or other dry red wine

2 tbls extra virgin olive oil

1 tbls balsamic vinegar

1 tsp herbes de Provence

1/4 tsp coarse kosher salt

2/3 cup dried Bing or other sweet (not tart) dried cherries, coarsely chopped

8 oz medium-sharp white Cheddar cheese

Whole wheat crackers, for serving

In a medium glass or stain-resistent plastic container, combine the wine, olive oil, vinegar, herbes de Provence, and salt, whisking to dissolve the salt. Add the cherries, cover, and refregerate for at least 2 days, stirring occasionally. (You can refrigerate the cherry mixture for up to a week, stirring occasionally)

Place the cheese on a platter and let it and the cherry mixture come to room temperature. Spoon the cherry mixture over and around the cheese. Serve with the crackers on the side.

from 100 Perfect Pairings, written by Jill Silverman Hough, John Wiley & Sons, 2010.

BTW, she also suggests that you can sub cranberries for the cherries. If you do, also sub red wine vinegar for the balsamic.

 

If I'm not mistaken, Abe has 6 gallons! That's a LOT of anything!

 

You can make an excellent cranberry sauce. Cook 1 lb. cranberries with 3/4 cup sugar, a cup of your Zinfandel,a cinnamon stick, a few whole cloves and allspice, some orange zest and a couple tablespoons ofCointreau

 

balsamic wine redux...bottle in an olive oil type bottle with pourer, tie with a little ribbon or raffia and give as christmas presents...

joey

 

Cointreau is a French triple sec. In other words, orange liqueur.

 

Cointreau is an orange liqueur that is a little like Grand Marnier, and IMHO better with food.

 

and IMHO better with food.

Mostly cuz it ain't near as sweet.

But for desserts, and savory dishes with a sweet component, such as barbeque sauce, Grand Marnier shines.

 

How about going for a grand finale? Pears in red wine. In your case: Poires au Zin.

Peel some not too soft but ripe pears. Leave the little stalk where it is. I won't bother you with trying to get rid of the pips via their backdoor, just leave them.

Put about a bottle of your wine in a large pan, add around 10% volume of sugar per bottle, or more if you like sweeter. Add some flavors; could be (and/or) cinnamon, kardemompods, lemonzeste and/or orangezeste, black pepper. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add pears and poach covered for 20/25 minutes or until quite soft (test with a small knife). You may want to turn the pears a few times when poaching. Remove the pears. Reduce the liquid on higher fire. Mix a tbsp of red wine with a tbsp of powdered arrowroot or cornstarch. Add to the boiling liquid, a bit at a time and keep stirring until it thickens to your satisfaction. You can serve the pears with this sauce reheated  or cold. A little icecream goes very well with it.

BTW; arrowroot will keep the nice color. Cornstarch will make it a little milky. Go for arrowroot (Asian stores).

Also, nothing can keep you from going for an entire wine dinner.

- aperitif; sangria: red wine, dash of cognac, Cointreau... add 25-50% amount of wine Sprite or Pepsi light (I don't believe I'm writing this). Maybe a little sugar, depends: taste! Add slices of orange and other fruit if you like and icecubes.

- risotto made with red wine instead of white. At the very end, mix some cooked red beetroots very finely with a little stock and add a few tbsp to the rice. Butter, parmezan...

- coq au vin. Change the name to"coq au Zin maison"

- poires au Zin.

A little intermezzo after the risotto with a red wine sorbet perhaps?