There is something very special about the combination of mushrooms and Pinot Noir wine.  I love both individually but when you pair them together it is something magical!  I am always experimenting with new ways to pair these two.  And I am always looking for simple yet elegant!  My French Mushroom Tart recipe works perfectly!  It is simple enough for everyday meals yet elegant enough to serve for a dinner party with friends.

For the pairing, I chose an Oregon Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley region.  I find Oregon Pinot Noir to be a bit earthier and less fruit-forward than those from California which complements the mushrooms.  To learn more about Pinot Noir wines and the differences between Oregon and California Pinot Noir, check out my Pinot Noir pairing page.

I don’t eat much red meat but when I do it usually is in the warmer weather when I am ready to grill.  There is nothing better than a local steak perfectly grilled!  I also like simple and fresh. My Grilled Flank Steak & Avocado Salad recipe is great because it pairs a juicy, rich piece of red meat with a light and crisp salad.  The avocado is the star ingredient in this recipe and the creaminess matches the richness of the steak perfectly.

For the pairing, you might be surprised that I didn’t choose red wine.  I tried that but something wasn’t working.  I quickly remembered one of my own suggestions about pairings – pair the wine with the sauce, not the protein.  This also applies to an accompanying salad.  Once I started thinking about what to pair with the salad – the avocado specifically – great things started to happen.  Albariño, a white wine from Spain, is the perfect balance of acidity, citrus and stone fruit flavors to complement the avocado and lime in the salad and cut-through the richness of the flank steak.  To learn more about Albariño wine from Spain, check out my Albariño pairing page.

This recipe is special to me because it represents a few firsts; the very first recipe I created from scratch, and the first time I used vegetables grown by yours truly. Years ago, I decided to plant a small garden as a hobby. It was limited to tomatoes, squash, zucchini, and a few basil plants. It was successful, to a degree. And I found myself with an abundance of those vegetables at the same time. So, what do do with them all? I decided on a Summer Pasta Salad with homegrown veggies. It has been a favorite of my kids ever since.  My Summer Pasta Salad is the most requested meal I make and the best part is, it is so simple! Using the freshest ingredients and having a great extra virgin olive oil is key in making the dish shine.

Even though I have been making this recipe for years, I hadn’t thought about the pairing much…until recently.  Pecorino, a white wine from Italy, was recently introduced to me, and I love it!  The wine is medium-bodied with light tannins and medium acidity which holds up nicely to the tomatoes in the pasta.  This wine reminds me of Etna Bianco and will pair with similar foods like seafood and fresh ricotta cheese.  I hope you enjoy this pairing!

I’ve never been interested in baking.  But these past few months being at home has given me a newfound interest.   I decided to start my baking career with scones because I like that they are not too sweet and they pair well with my morning coffee. I did a ton of research and tested lots of different recipes to come up with my Orange, Honey & Herb Scones recipe.  What I love about this dish is the unexpected flavor the Herbs De Provence brings to the scone.  And it balances the sweetness of the orange blossom honey beautifully.

For the pairing, I chose a Cava, which is a sparkling wine from Spain.  Much of the Cava wine in Spain is produced in the Catalonia region along the Mediterranean coast. Cava is made in a similar way to champagne but uses a unique blend of Spanish grapes.  It has a unique flavor profile that can include citrus notes and an aroma of Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary and thyme. What’s really great about Cava is that you can get a really great bottle at an affordable price!  If you like Prosecco, I highly recommend you try Cava!

Summer is all about using the freshest of ingredients in a simple way to create amazing recipes.  One of my favorite things to do in the Summer is to visit the farmers market to get the freshest, local ingredients I can find.  And this time of year, local heirloom tomatoes are the best.  I use them to create a fresh sauce for my healthy grilled chicken parmesan with heirloom tomato sauce.

For the pairing, I chose a Barbera wine from Italy.  It is an everyday, affordable wine that is one of the most food-friendly wines available.  It is full-bodied with a deep color and nice fruit flavor.  It typically pairs well with pasta and other comfort foods that include cream or tomato-based sauces.  I love it with the grilled chicken parmesan and heirloom tomato sauce recipe because it really enhances the flavors of the tomatoes.  I hope you like it as well!  To learn more about Barbera wines, check out my Barbera pairing page.

I’ve been making my own homemade tomato sauces for years.  In fact, I’ve even taught my children how to make my basic sauce because it is so easy yet so much better than any store-bought brand.  Over the years I learned that the French also have a version of a tomato sauce that is a bit richer and less acidic than the Italian version.  It is considered one of the French “mother sauces”.  The classic French sauce typically includes onion, carrot, pork or bacon, chicken stock, sugar, and fresh herbs.  And the unique part of the French sauce is that it starts with a roux mixture of butter and flour.  This will not only thicken the sauce but make it rich & creamy.

I discovered through research there are many different versions of this classic French sauce.  So, I started experimenting with my own version and that is how the Rosé Pasta & Burrata recipe came to be.  My goal was to lighten it up a bit but still keep it rich and creamy.  So, I replaced the roux with a parmesan cheese rind and finished the sauce with 1 tablespoon of butter to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.  My version also includes Rosé wine along with the chicken stock.  Why?  Well, why not?

You are probably not surprised that my pairing for this Rosé Pasta & Burrata dish is a Provence Rosé.  I like to serve this pasta at room temperature and the wine only slightly chilled.  It is an unexpected pairing, but they surprisingly go really well together.  I hope you enjoy it!  To learn more about Provence Rosé, check out my Rosé pairing page.

The best salads for me have the freshest, seasonal ingredients.  But also, the least amount of ingredients.  I like to make 1 ingredient the STAR of the show and then complement it with texture and crunch. In this strawberry and spinach salad, seasonal strawberries, wild if you can find them, are the BEST.  The fresh ricotta gets firm and creamy when you strain the liquid and it adds a nice creamy texture to the salad that blends nicely with the strawberries.  The maple walnuts add a nice crunch and the balsamic dressing brings it all together.

For the pairing, I chose a Rosé wine from the Tavel region of France.  The fruit flavor in the wine tastes like strawberry and orange which pairs very nicely with the fruit in the salad.  Tavel wines are also more robust and spicy which I love with the arugula.  Check out my Rosé pairing page to learn more about Tavel Rosé.

Salmon is one of my go-to weekday meals because it is simple to prepare.  But I have found that when you pair it with an elegant sauce and sophisticated wine, it elevates the entire meal.  What I love about this pairing is that it is simple enough to prepare for a fast weekday meal but elegant enough for a weekend dinner party.

I chose a good bottle of California Pinot Noir for two reasons.  First, Pinot Noir, salmon, and mushrooms are a match made in heaven!  And California Pinot Noir’s are a bit fruitier and will complement the tart cherries in the sauce.  To learn more, check out my American Pinot Noir pairing page.

Tuscany holds a special place in my heart because it was the first international trip for our family and my daughter’s 4^th birthday.  We spent an amazing 10 days with family & friends immersing ourselves in the Tuscan culture.  What I learned from that trip is that quality and simplicity in cooking really make a difference!

This trip was the first time I had ever tasted a “Super Tuscan” wine.  A Super Tuscan is a term used to describe red wines from Tuscany that may include the use of grapes not from the Tuscan region.  These grapes include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. This wine is so special to me that I wanted to find an equally special dish to pair with it.  A good quality veal chop, simply prepared with a fresh salsa verde is the perfect fit.  I am lucky to have a small, local farm, Birchrun Hills Farm to source quality meats and cheeses. Check them out at https://www.birchrunhillsfarm.com/ 

To learn more about Super Tuscan wines, check out my Super Tuscan pairing page.

Over time, I have really learned to appreciate vegetables. In fact, there was a time in my life I considered being a vegetarian.  But, I enjoy a good steak as well so that quickly fell by the wayside!  My grilled vegetables and Pistou sauce recipe, however, can make anyone consider being a vegetarian.  It is extremely simple to prepare but the combination of the smokiness from the grill and the freshness of the Pistou sauce adds an element of sophistication that is so satisfying.  Serve this dish as a vegetarian main course with a loaf of good crusty bread.  Or, add it to your holiday buffet table.

The wine pairing I chose is a Provence Rosé.  Since Pistou is a sauce that comes from the Provence region of France, it’s a perfect pairing. While I have yet to visit Provence (it’s next on my bucket list), this pairing immediately takes me there! To learn more, check out my Rosé pairing page.