Ice Wine Pairings

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food is Art: Ice Wine Pairings! Is this a real thing? Absolutely. It may have been an accident the first time when frost hit the vineyard before harvest, but when the winemakers pressed the frozen grapes, they realized they struck liquid gold. Grapes naturally frozen on the vine yielded huge flavor in the concentrated nectar. Now you know, so try it next time you want something unique and different. Ice wine also makes an extraordinary gift for wine lovers. 

ICE WINE PAIRINGS 

Ingredients: 

Canadian Ice Wine, 375 ml red 

Seedless red grapes 

6-ounces bleu cheese wedge

Dark chocolate espresso beans

Instructions:

Chill the bottle of ice wine in the refrigerator for one hour before serving. Use a standard wine glass to allow the ice wine to breathe. Take small sips so the wine can coat your palate. Pair with fresh red grapes that are slightly less sweet than the wine. Add a wedge of aged bleu cheese for a classic sweet-salty contrast. Dark chocolate espresso beans make a luxurious pairing, especially with their slightly bitter notes that melt smoothly on the tongue. Sociable! 

Herbed Sea Salt

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food is Art: Herbed Sea Salt! When fellow blogger Erika Kind shared her use of enhancing foods with herbed sea salt, I couldn’t resist making some myself. Since I already have an organic herb garden for spotlighting on Snapshotsincursive, I knew this would be a “must try”. What a world of possibilities that opened up. No synthetic anti-caking agents, no chemical preservatives, and no artificial flavors made this herb combination a true winner. I can’t wait to try it sprinkled over roasted veggies, mixed into compound butter, or stirred into chunky soups. Thanks very much, Erika. 

HERBED SEA SALT 

Ingredients: 

1/3 cup assorted fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano, and parsley)

2/3 cup coarse sea salt 

Instructions: 

Wash and dry the fresh herbs so no water remains. Pull the leaves off the woody stems. Place the herbs and half the salt in a mini chopper. Pulse until the herbs are very fine and the salt turns green. Stir in the remaining coarse salt. Grind again. Spread the damp herbed salt onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dry in the oven on very low heat, about 170°, for 30 minutes. Break up any clumps with your fingers. Pour the dry herbed salt into a clean glass jar with a tight lid. Store until ready to use. 

Garlic Balsamic Dip

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food is Art: Garlic Balsamic Dip! Everyone is familiar with the Mediterranean favorite of bread-dipping olive oils dribbled with authentic Italian balsamic vinegar. So what happened to make it creamy? Did someone back in the kitchen of a family-owned restaurant decide in a pinch they needed something a little thicker to serve over iceberg lettuce? Probably so, but no one’s talking. In any event, here is a condiment that can be served as such. Or if you need a sauce for drizzling over pizza, serving with hot wings, and dipping celery sticks into before biting off the end……this just might be your secret sauce. Mum is the word. 

GARLIC BALSAMIC DIP 

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup mayonnaise 

1/4 cup Greek yogurt 

2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

4-5 cloves garlic, minced 

1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 black pepper 

Instructions: 

In a blender, combine mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, chopped rosemary, olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy. Serve with green olives and toasted baguette slices. Enjoy. 

French Onion Chip Dip

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food is Art: French Onion Chip Dip! Here’s a blast from the past that never goes out of style. It’s a simple homemade version of French onion dip that has become a staple for practically every Super Bowl party across the nation. And then some. Since it’s made with rich thick sour cream, the concentrated onion flavor, along with bits of dehydrated onion, partners well with any salty snack like rippled potato chips or miniature pretzels. It may be called old-fashioned, but we call it irresistible. 

FRENCH ONION CHIP DIP 

Ingredients: 

16-ounce container sour cream

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix*

Instructions:

Scoop the sour cream into a mixing bowl. Add the Lipton Onion Soup dry soup mix; stir until smooth and creamy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours, or overnight. When ready to serve, give it another stir. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with rippled potato chips. 

*I receive no recompense for mentioning this product. 

Elote Grilled Riblets

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food is Art: Elote Grilled Riblets! Here’s a novel idea for grilling corn. It offers great outdoor flavor while providing a nice source of vitamins and fiber while feeding healthy gut bacteria. Did you also know grilled corn lowers the risk of eye disease? The complex carbs keep you full longer to keep snacking at bay. Personally, I happen to crave that smoky, charred taste along with the natural sugars that seem to caramelize the kernels as they grill. However, be forewarned. When cutting the corn cob lengthwise, you must do so very s-l-o-w-l-y. I felt enough resistance to imagine the knife hitting my fingers. Then again, I have a very active imagination. Next time I recommend microwaving the cobs three minutes before cutting them.*

ELOTE GRILLED RIBLETS 

Ingredients: 

2 cobs of corn, silk and outer husks removed 

2 tablespoons mayonnaise 

1 tablespoon taco seasoning 

1 lime, zested and juiced 

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions: 

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Spray a grill pan with nonstick oil; set aside. Carefully cut each ear of corn lengthwise into quarters (see above)*. You should end up with 8 corn “ribs”. Set aside. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, taco seasoning, half the lime zest, and half the lime juice. Add sea salt and black pepper. Mix well. Taste for seasoning. Add more lime juice and zest, as needed. With a barbecue brush, slathered mayo mixture onto the outside of each corn rib. Place the corn, cut side down on the grill. Cook 3-4 minutes per side until the kernels begin to char. Transfer to a platter. Serve with reserve mayonnaise sauce. 

Dragon Sauce

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food is Art: Dragon Sauce! Here is a condiment whose name says it all. The only difference some might have is by naming it Fire-Breathing Dragon Sauce instead. Is it going to take the skin off your stomach lining? I doubt it. In fact, don’t be surprised if you find yourself bookmarking the recipe to use with your next stir-fry meal. Noodles, rice, sautéed veggies, kebabs, and lentils find this sauce irresistible as well. One lazy weekend afternoon we actually found ourselves dipping corn tortilla chips in it as a snack while streaming a sci-fi series. Hey, no judgment. We’re all friends here. 

DRAGON SAUCE 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1/4 cup sriracha sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon natural honey

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil 

Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

1 tablespoon green onions, chopped

Instructions: 

In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, sriracha, soy sauce, natural honey, garlic powder, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir until smooth. Taste the sauce and adjust the heat by adding red pepper flakes, if desired. Stir in chopped green onions. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Use as a dipping sauce. Serve with rice bowls, grilled meats, or roasted vegetables. 

Clam Strip Flatbread

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food is Art: Clam Strip Flatbread! Have you ever used a mobile app to order and deliver food? Word of caution: Don’t wait until you are starving! I had a craving for deep-fried clam strips the other day and……..you guessed it. My eyes were bigger than my stomach. I ate and ate and ate; waited five minutes; then ate and ate and ate some more. Finally, I took a deep breath, announced I couldn’t possibly eat another bite, wrapped up the leftovers, and stored them on the lower shelf of the refrigerator. You know, until later. Two days thereafter it was “must-go” night. (That’s when it’s time to clear out the leftovers.) Guess what I made for dinner. You know. 

CLAM STRIP FLATBREAD 

Ingredients: 

1 prepared flatbread, rectangular 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 tablespoon cornmeal

1 cup cocktail sauce, prepared

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 cups breaded clam strips, precooked 

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, finely shredded

2 green onions, chopped

Instructions: 

Preheat the oven to 400°. Brush the bottom of the flatbread with olive oil. Sprinkle cornmeal over all. Flip the flatbread so the plain side is up; transfer to a baking sheet. Spread a layer of cocktail sauce over the top crust of the flatbread. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. Arrange the fried clam strips evenly over the cheese. Top with a thin layer of finely shredded cheddar cheese. Finish with chopped green onion over all. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.