"J" is for Johnnycake with Fresh Basil

Johnnycake is fried flatbread originally made from cornmeal, salt and water. Today Johnnycake is made in a multitude of ways with added ingredients like fresh herbs and is an ideal partner to serve with wine.

Johnnycake was a staple in the pioneer American diet. Some people believe the name came from the word “Shawnee”, as in the Shawnee people, the American aboriginals who originally inhabited areas, such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. They were driven west finally settling in Oklahoma.

Now considered a Rhode Island food, Johnnycake is also believed to be a derivative from the term “journey-cake” as the Rhode Island accent omits the sound of “r”.

I personally believe these fried flatbreads come from the Shawnee peoples. This bread is similar to our Canadian bannock.

After preparing the batter, spoonfulls are dropped onto a hot greased griddle or fried in butter in an iron skillet. Johnnycake is buttery, salty and delicious.

It’s the ideal bread to serve with a big, fat white, such as Toasted Head Chardonnay, (CSPC #594341) $16.95. This is a delicious Chardonnay with loads of ripe pear fruit on the nose and palate with creamy, buttery texture. This wine has 14.5 percent alcohol and so offers thick viscoscity, experienced on the palate as fattiness.

This is one of my all time favourite fatty whites. I served this wine on New Year’s Eve, partnered with my 5 cheese mac and cheese. My guests moaned in delight. This white also works with lobster and crap in butter sauce, and alfredo or olive oil over pasta. It also complements duck, salmon, and anything else with celebrated fat!

To give this fried bread a hint of gourmet appeal, add to the recipe finely chopped fresh basil. Fresh basil sings of summer. Basil and Chardonnay are also fabulous partners. If you want to serve Johnnycakes in style for entertaining friends, add some seared fois gras alongside.

Here’s a simple Basil Johnnycake Recipe, serving 4 to 6 people.

1/2 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup hot milk
1 tablespoon shortening
½ cup finely chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt

Butter (as needed for frying)

Mix the dry ingredients, then stir in the remaining ingredients, except for the fresh basil. Fold the basil in last and separately. Melt butter in an iron skillet. Do not let brown. Drop batter (according to size of cake you want to make) into the skillet. Fry to golden brown on both sides. Remove from skillet. Season with salt. Serve hot.

"I" is For Icewine, Icewine Martini In The Summer, That Is...

Icewine Martini Recipe Below

Icewine is certainly recognized as a winter beverage because it is produced from grapes left to freeze on the vine in the winter. The grapes are hand picked when the temperature drops below minus 8 degrees Celsius.

Traditionally, this dessert wine is served after a meal, only an ounce or so, and is often partnered with fruit based desserts.

While inferior icewine tends to be overly sweet and cloying on the palate, quality icewine is not cloying. It actually offers an equal balance of intense sweetness as it enters the palate, followed by crisp acidity that sneaks up from behind in the after taste. The VQA label on the bottleneck tells you the wine is of quality grapes. (To reduce the experience of the sweetness, be sure to serve Icewine extremely cold. Chill it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, but never in the freezer. )

Icewine need not only be served in winter. It’s an excellent wine for upscale, summer dining and entertaining. How about a cold melon and icewine gazpacho? Simply puree a ripe honeydew melon. Stir in 2 ounces of Icewine. Chill until ready to serve and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint. Serve this fruit gaspacho with an Icewine Martini. (Recipe below).

The Canadian Icewine martini has been making its début in trendy restaurants throughout North America, including Opus Restaurant in Yorkville, Red Square in South Beach, Miami, and at the Madison and L’Opera in Long Beach, California. At Opus Restaurant an icewine martini runs about $12.00 per glass.

When making an Icewine cocktail use quality liquors and fresh ingredients, such as juice from fresh lemons and limes. If you’re adding ice to the cocktail, refrain from over shaking. This dilutes the drink. Also aim for an Icewine cocktail balanced in its flavours. The cocktail should not be overly alcoholic and offer a balance of sweetness, sourness and if desired, pleasant bitterness.

The Icewine martini combines a delicate mix of half an ounce of vodka with an ounce of Vidal or Riesling Icewine and is stirred, not shaken, to create a crystal clear liquid with a hint of willow green. The perfect Icewine martini is garnished with a frozen icewine grape, lightly dipped in sugar and some fresh mint as a garnish. If you want to get fancy, garnish your martini with sugared mint. Place fresh mint leaves on waxed paper. Using a kitchen paint brush, paint both sides of the mint with egg white and sprinkle with fine white sugar. Leave the mint to dry for several hours, even days. The Canadian ritual is to first eat the grape or sugared mint before taking your first sip of the decadent martini. Some restaurants put frozen grapes on a skewer, served in the martini.

A kir Catherine is made from one ounce of Icewine with four to five ounces of brut sparkling wine. Don't waste good Champagne. Along with the Icewine martini, this cocktail serves as a refreshing aperitif that complement fresh fruits and soft cheeses. A kir Catherine can also be served with your cold melon and Icewine gazpacho.

How about Icewine sangria? This flavourful cocktail combines one and a half ounces of Icewine, half an ounce of brandy, two ounces of unsweetened cranberry juice, juice from half a lime, a splash of grenadine, two ounces of soda water, seedless grapes, and a slice of fresh mango for the garnish. I always add fresh mint. I luuuzzzz fresh mint! It adds colour and harmonizes extremely well with fruit flavours. Fill a Collins glass with ice, and then add the sangria.

A Niagara Orchard Cocktail combines an ounce of Icewine, a half ounce of vodka, juice from half a lemon, a splash of sparkling wine and, for the garnish, a few, ripe Niagara cherries. Place all the ingredients, except the cherries, in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Stir the mixture until chilled. Strain the liquid into martini glasses. Top each with a splash of Champagne and garnish with a cherry.

And remember, a simple, yet elegant ounce of chilled Icewine tastes fantastic when served with fresh wedges of cantaloupe after your summer barbecue.

"H" is for High Acid Whites

Recipe for tomato salad below.

It's time to enjoy a chilled glass of white wine on a blistering hot afternoon or balmy evening. I often recommend chilled white wines with high acidity for the summertime. Crisp, dry white wines with good acidity often have flavours reminiscent of lemons, limes, grapefruit, and gooseberries. Still others can have more grassy and mineral tones. Despite the flavours, the predominant taste sensation of crisp, dry white wines is zestiness or sourness from the wine's backbone of acidity. Give me a glass of Vinho Verde from Portugal any day of the week.

When recommending crisp, dry white wines, I often suggest Sauvignon Blanc and dry Riesling. Ontario's wineries produce outstanding dry Rieslings with what is describe as 'steely acidity.' However, there are other white wines produced in wine regions around the world that fall into this wine style category, too.

Pinot Bianco is an Italian grape variety grown in the northeast part of the country, in the provinces of Alto-Adige, Veneto and Friuli. Wines from this grape are medium-bodied with a light fruitiness and crisp acidity. They are sometimes fermented and/or aged in oak. When oak is employed these varieties fall into a different wine style category called big, fat whites. So, make sure that your pinot bianco has not seen any oak if you’re looking for a crisp, dry white.

Some Chardonnay are produced in this crisp, dry white wine style, as well. Chablis is the most northerly region of Burgundy. The area’s wines that receive the Chablis AOC must be made from the chardonnay grape. The AOC stands for the Code de Legislation des Appellation d’Origine Controlee. The AOC has two main objectives. The first is to geographically define wine-producing areas so that the origin of a wine may be clearly and accurately stated. The second objective is to establish production standards for each defined wine area, thus guaranteeing the origin and quality of a wine. The AOC is complemented by other laws, such as Vins Delimites de Qualite Superieure, Vin de Pays and Vin de Table. Generally speaking, an AOC wine is guaranteed to be of high quality, and to be produced in a way that preserves local traditions and emphasizes the uniqueness of the region or terroir. (Terroir is the combination of the geography, climate and soil of a particular wine region.)

Back to the crisp, dry white wine style. There are four classifications of Chablis AOC, each producing chardonnay with different character traits. All, however, falls into this crisp, white wine style. The classifications are: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru. This region also produces crisp, white wines from the Sauvignon Blanc and Aligote grapes.

In Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc is also grown and made into a crisp white with good acidity. Bairrada is a wine region in Portugal that produces white wines in this style, as well, with crispness and lemony character.

Other white wines that celebrate this style category are Bacchus and Baden from Germany, and a Swiss grape variety called Chasselas. Frascati, Pinot Grigio and Orvieto are three more crisp, dry whites from Italy. It’s not surprising that many dry, crisp whites come from Italy. Wines produced in this style are considered food friendly as the high acidity cleans the palate. The Italians are renowned for drinking wine with almost every meal. So, it’s not surprising that they would produce crisp, dry whites that clean the palate between bites.

When pairing foods to crisp, dry white wines, consider the acidity first. This acidity complements the same taste sensation in foods and also nicely offsets saltiness. Make sure, however, that the acid in the wine is greater than the one in the food. Vinaigrettes can work or clash with crisp, dry whites, depending on the type of vinegar used. Cider and white vinegar clash. They are simply too acidic to pair with wine. White balsamic and rice vinegar harmonize extremely well with crisp, dry whites. Dark balsamic may or may not work, depending on its level of sweetness. Go for the more sour versions to work with this wine. A fresh tomato salad with sweet onions, fresh basil and fresh grapefruit mint drizzled in white balsamic is a favourite summer salad of mine that I partner to New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The acidity in the wine and salad create harmony on the palate.

Pair the zesty quality in other foods, such as yoghurt, feta, goat cheese, and lemons with crisp, dry whites. Light bodied fish, such as filet of sole, drizzled in fresh lemon juice when partnered to a crisp, dry white will make even your finicky guests moan in delight. This style of wine also complements salty foods, such as caviar, smoked salmon, and oysters on the half shell. And, of course, cheese! Parmesan, due to its saltiness, has a natural affinity to crisp, dry whites. Try Portugal's Vinho Verde with asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and grilled on the barbie and a white bean dip with parmesan and roasted garlic as the starters to a summertime meal.

Crisp, dry whites sometimes have a pleasant bitterness on the finish that works with the bitterness in spinach, raddichio, and toasted walnuts, as well.

Another simple appetizer that pairs with this style of wine is baked feta. Place a chunk of fresh feta in the centre of a large piece of foil wrap. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with slices of black olives and finely chopped fresh oregano. Seal up the foil and place the feta in the oven at 350 F for 15 minutes. When heated the feta melts with a dip-like consistency. Transfer your feta dip to a bowl and serve with flat bread, accompanied by a bottle of Ontario dry Riesling. Heaven!

"G" is for Grilling Sauces

Darling's Ribs, recipe below

Grilling ribs on the barbie is one of my favourite summer pastimes. Babyback pork and beef ribs offer a good layer of flesh and fat, making them ideal for sauces that caramelize nicely when grilled.

The old cheese cliche certainly works for ribs: No fat, no flavour. The endless array of sauce recipes that complement pork and beef ribs also makes them ideal for wine partnerships.

When it comes to barbecue dining, be sure to choose an inexpensive wine. Why invest in a costly vintage when you won't be able to appreciate the subtle aromas? The wine must compete with the strong smell of barbecue smoke, the wind and perhaps the smell of swimming pool chlorine. It's also beneficial to choose whites, roses and light, fruity red wines for barbecue dining. All can be chilled, and so are refreshing in the hot, summer sun.

Chilled and refreshing wines also contrast nicely with hot ribs off the barbie. Many people assume that a big red wine is the best match for heavy meats. But white wines, roses and light, fruity reds partner well with pork and beef ribs. The key is to consider the building blocks in the food and in the wine and how they work together.

Here are a few examples. If you are coating pork ribs in a sweet, fruit-based sauce such as a spicy peach sauce, choose a white wine with a hint of sweetness. Why? Because the primary building block in most fruit-based sauces is sweetness. While this sweetness would clash with the bitterness (tannin) in a big, full-bodied red wine, it is ideal to pair with the building block of sweetness in an off-dry white wine such as Gewürztraminer.

Let's look at a spicy horseradish sauce made of sour cream, prepared horseradish, mayonnaise, wine vinegar, and dried mustard for pork ribs. Sour cream and mayonnaise possess the building block of fattiness. Horseradish sauce is spicy. So this rib sauce recipe requires a big,luscious, full-bodied white wine to stand up to the fattiness of sour cream and mayonnaise, yet with a hint of sweetness to offset the spiciness of horseradish. An off-dry Gewürztraminer or off-dry Riesling would do the trick.

Korean sweet and sour soy sauce made of pineapple, light soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and pine nuts is a great sauce on pork ribs to pair with an off-dry rose. This wine will have enough acidity (sourness) to pair with the saltiness of soy sauce and to offset the sourness of vinegar. Yet, the wine's hint of sweetness balances the sweetness of pineapples. Both the sauce and wine have sweet and sour building blocks that balance each other.

What about traditional barbecue sauce? Ketchup is often the base ingredient of many barbecue sauce recipes. It is high in sugar and so works nicely with a rose possessing a hint of sweetness.

I discovered a fantastic rib sauce recipe at a London, Ontario Rib Festival about 15 years ago. Here is my version...

Darling's Rib Sauce:

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

1 whole bulb of peeled and minced garlic

Half an onion, finely diced

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pinch of cayenne.

On low heat, simmer the sauce for a half hour before applying to ribs to finish them on the grill. (Photo above)

Beef ribs can carry heavier sauces and go nicely with chilled, luscious,light, fruity red wines with good complexity, such as Pinot Noir. Pinot noir is big enough to stand up to the pronounced flavours of dark soy sauce. Yet this wine has a refreshing backbone of acidity to offset the saltiness of soy sauce. And even though it's a red wine, it is meant to be slightly chilled. Put your Pinot Noir in the refrigerator for a half hour before serving.

Here's a fabulous rib recipe from my latest cookbook entitled Orgasmic Appetizers and Matching Wines. These ribs can be served as an appetizer or as an entree.

Lip-Smacking, Finger-Lickin’, Good and Messy Ribs
Serves 4 to 6

5 ½ lb baby back pork ribs*
1 bottle ale

Dry Rub:
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried mustard
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp olive oil

Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp Japanese sauce
2 tbsp molasses
1 bulb garlic, roasted

*Have your butcher remove the membrane on the ribs.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Wash the ribs under cold water. Pat them dry. Pour the ale into the bottom of a roasting pan. Cut the ribs to fit onto the broiler rack of the roasting pan. Combine all the rub ingredients, except for the oil, in a bowl. Coat the ribs with the oil, then sprinkle them with the rub. Set aside.

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small skillet and simmer the sauce on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Cover the ribs with foil, set on the pan and roast for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to 275 F and roast them for another 30 minutes. Remove the foil. Coat the ribs with the sauce and grill them on the barbecue for another 30 minutes, until the sauce is caramelized. Remove the ribs from the oven. Serve hot.

Suggested Wine:
The predominant building block is sweetness, due to the brown sugar and molasses. An off dry rose has enough sweetness to match. Choose an off dry rose with lots of dark berry fruit flavours to match the depth of earthy flavour in molasses.