American Wines: it’s not all about California!
It would be wrong to associate American wines solely with California. Every single state produces wine – even Alaska and Hawaii! Besides California the major players in American wine are Oregon, Washington State, New York State and Virginia. Oregon is one of my favourites. It produces some outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, like Burgundy. That’s why some producers from Burgundy started making wine there, among them the most famous: Joseph Drouhin. Washington ranks second after California in terms of wine production. If you’re a Rhone Valley wine lover, you will love the Syrah produced here. It’s a great pairing with roast lamb or barbecued red meat. There’s more to New York than just Manhattan. It also produces excellent Riesling. If you’re looking for great wine to go with a Chinese takeaway, New York is your state! Last but not least, Virginia. Virginia has a long history of wine. Thomas Jefferson, American president and wine lover, attempted to plant a vineyard on his Virginian property. Virginia produces some excellent Cabernet Franc, like the Loire Valley. They go great with pork dishes and grilled chicken. Remember, there’s more to American wine than California. -Anne Malhere Photo attribution: Ethan Prater, Wikimedia, Creative...Zinfandel, the ultimate American grape?
This week our new sommelier, Anne Malhere, will be sharing interesting facts, tips, tricks and opinions on American wine. – Paul Heathcote Zinfandel – the American grape Almost everybody has heard of Zinfandel, especially white Zinfandel, but what is it? Don’t presume it’s just a type of sweet blush wine. It is a red grape variety that has been popularised by Californian winemakers. It creates a very powerful, robust red wine with notes of red berries when grown in cooler climates and dark berries, pepper and liquorice in warmer climates. You might not be aware of it, but as with most things in the USA, Zinfandel’s roots are European. DNA research has shown that it is genetically similar to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kaštelanski and Tribidrag as well as the Italian grape Primitivo – the traditional grape variety of Puglia. Zinfandel wines are generally excellent and some of them can be quite expensive. For me, the best producer of Zinfandel wines are Ridge, Turley and Grgich, but for great value you should look to Seghesio Family Vineyards where you can get a bottle of Zinfandel for £10-15. One of the best things about Zinfandel wines is that they’re food friendly. You can drink them with meat, poultry, pasta, pizza or on their own with friends for a drink after work. Try the red – it’ll make you forget about the white! Our next wine event takes place on July 3rd: just in time for Independence day we have an American winelist from Colin Burbidge and American-influenced menu devised by Paul Heathcote and Carl Noller. You can view the details by...5 Strawberry Recipes – Simple Strawberry Tart using only 5 ingredients
I’m sharing a different strawberry-based recipe each day this week. Today it’s a simple strawbery tart you can make using just 5 ingredients. What you need 200g of puff pastry 175ml tin of condensed milk 250ml of whipping cream 1 vanilla pod, split and de-seeded 2 punnets of strawberries What you do Line a 20cm loose flan ring with thinly rolled out puff pastry. Dock the bottom by making plenty of holes with the points of a fork. This will allow the air to escape whilst baking. Next, line the inside of the pastry with aluminium foil or a few layers of cling-film. Sprinkle in some dried beans, lentils or rice to hold the foil or cling film in place. This is a great tip as it keeps the pastry thin. Place in an oven at 180 degrees centigrade for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove the foil and beans. It may be necessary to place back in the oven for a further few minutes as the centre can sometimes be the last to bake. Open the can of milk and place in a bowl. In a separate bowl, add the vanilla seeds and cream and whisk until a soft peak forms. Fold the cream and the milk together to create a simple and easy confectioner’s cream. Once the pastry is cold, spoon in the cream and decorate with strawberries. Look out for more recipes next week. – Paul Heathcote Photo attribution: Manchester-Monkey, Flickr, Creative...5 Strawberry Recipes – Strawberries with Mint & Mango cream
I’m sharing a different strawberry-based recipe each day this week. Strawberries with Mint & Mango cream. What you need (makes 4) Punnet strawberries 1 measure Amaretto liqueur 3 ripe mangos 250ml full fat crème fraiche 4 mint leaves shredded 50g icing sugar Juice of lime What you do Cut the strawberries into half and place in a bowl, pour over the Amaretto liqueur and shredded mint and toss, divide between four glasses. Peel the mangos and cut away the flesh, discard the stone. Place the flesh in a food processor and puree well scraping down a couple of times. Place the crème fraiche, icing sugar in a bowl and whisk until soft ribbon like texture, stir in the lime juice. Gradually fold in the mango puree and spoon over the strawberries, serve well chilled. Tomorrow, a recipe for a quick and easy Strawberry tart using only 5 ingredients. -Paul Heathcote Photo attribution: Henning 48, WikiMedia, Creative...5 Strawberry Recipes – Minted Strawberries with Ricotta Drop Scones
I’m sharing a different strawberry-based recipe each day this week. Today it’s Minted Strawberries with Ricotta Drop Scones. What you need (makes 4) 500g strawberries, hulled and halved 40g caster sugar plus extra for serving 1 dessertspoon honey 6 leaves of mint shredded 250g ricotta A generous grating of nutmeg 3 eggs, separated 50g plain flour sifted Pinch of salt 15g extra caster sugar Few drops of olive oil 30g unsalted butter What you do Place the strawberries in a small saucepan with 40 caster sugar. Set over a low heat and stir occasionally until the sugar has melted and the strawberries begin to release their juice. Then add the honey followed by the shredded mint and set aside to reheat just before you are ready to serve the pancakes. Meanwhile in a bowl beat the ricotta with the nutmeg, egg yolks and whisk in the flour and a small pinch of salt. Place the egg whites in a clean dry bowl and whisk with 15g of caster sugar until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold them into the ricotta mixture with a large spoon to make a fluffy batter. Place a non stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add a few drops of olive oil until hot and drop three large spoonfuls of the batter onto the pan. Cook for two minutes or until set and golden then flip over and cook for a further two minutes until lightly coloured. Continue adding butter and cooking scones until the batter is finished. It should make 12 drop scones. Divide the drop scones between four plates and dust with the remaining...10% Student Discount
Students can now enjoy The Olive Press Preston's authentic range of Italian pizzas, pasta and grills for 10% off their usual price. Just book in advance and bring a valid NUS card when you visit us. Terms & conditions apply. See link below for details.