"F" is for Fusion Cuisine

For some time now professional chefs and home cooks have been delving into the world of fusion cooking. Fusion cuisine is primarily defined as "a style of cooking or the innovation of contemporary chefs who fuse or meld together and experiment with the elements -- a variety of ingredients, techniques, and presentations from diverse cultures and traditions to create tasty sensations. One of the primary disciplines of fusion cuisine is the chef’s reliance on fresh ingredients. The freshest, local fish and quality, organic meats and local produce (vegetables and fruits) are essential ingredients to have the dish be ‘authentically fusion.’ Everything from Asian staples, like Jasmine Rice and Udon Noodles to rare spices, such as Szechwan peppercorns and Galangal are celebrated and welcomed ingredients.

Fusion has become popular for many reasons, primarily because baby boomers, more than 78 million strong, are considered the most culinary-literate and food-active generation in history. Due to the technology age, baby boomers are educated about cultural affairs and are more likely to be in communication with people from around the world. So, they are more ‘open’ to accept and celebrate our world’s wonderful variety of cultures and traditions.

Some folks claim that if a dish is a regional specialty, a wine from the region is more likely to be the most compatible choice. This is certainly a safe bet. Others feel one should drink, in general, Italian wines with Italian foods, French wines with French food, and Canadian wines with Canadian food. But what exactly IS Canadian food? Do we have a culinary style? From my perspective New Canadian cuisine can best be describes as FUSION! Our Canadian chefs come from around the world. They celebrate cultural diversity, use traditional preparations and cooking methods and implement fresh, local produce and proteins.

What are the best wines to marry to Canadian fusion fare? ‘Anything you like!’ When searching for a vintage for fusion foods, look at marrying similar textures and flavours than in worrying about regional matches. Cooking methods and the source of ingredients (local or imported) are less important. What’s more important is choosing a wine that complements the primary building blocks in the dish.

For pairing success, look at choosing the following matches:

· If the dish is sweet in nature; choose a wine that offers sweetness. Make sure the wine is SWEETER than the dish.
· If the dish is hot and spicy; choose a wine with sweetness to soften the heat between bites. Acidic and tannic wines will clash. Tannin increases the perception of heat on your palate.

· If the dish has good acidity (tomato-based sauce), then choose a wine with more acidity.
· If the dish is fatty (cream-based sauces); choose a wine that is fatty too, that is one high in alcohol (14% to 15%). Alcohol creates thickness or viscosity on the palate that feels creamy and oily, thus matching the same mouth feel in fatty foods.
· If the dish is bitter; choose a wine with good tannin and astringency. Tannin and astringency are experienced on the palate as bitterness and dryness.
· Heavily textured dishes (meats) deserve wines with plenty of texture – big, bold reds.

"E" is for Excellent Reds, South African Pinotage to be exact!

Pinotage is South African’s most exciting grape and signature wine. What is interesting is that this particular grape is vinified in many styles. Pinotage can be velvety like merlot or rough and tumble like cabernet sauvignon. As a wine lover your task is to do much research, buying and sipping that is, to find the ones you enjoy the most. Be sure to make wine notes, as well. This will allow you to pair different pinotage with a variety of dishes. One may complement baked salmon seasoned with nothing more than salt and pepper. Yet, another pinotage could to stand up to cedar planked salmon or lamb.

A quality pinotage, despite its style, will offer a balance of fruitiness, acidity and sufficient tannin. Pinotage flavours include black berry liqueur, violet, pepper, cherry, plum, smoke, earth, roobis tea, fruit cake, and bananas, to name a few. Remember, however, that your interpretation of flavours is subjective. Five people can smell and taste the same wine and describe it differently.

It’s a fabulous red generally sold at a reasonable price, ranging from $10 to $25. If you purchase a more expensive vintage, add a little flair to your dinner party. Pair your pinotage with ‘bobtie’, a classic South African beef or lamb meatloaf with a custard topping. You can find dozens of bobtie recipes on line. Sosaties is a South African version of a kabob, specifically lamb on a skewer marinated in a Malay curry sauce. Experiment with pinotage before pairing with this curried dish. A pinotage with velvety texture and soft tannin would work best. The heat and spice of curry can clash with any red offering too much bitterness and astringency.

Pinotage also partners with grilled chicken or steak, hamburgers, roast beef and lamb. A variety of pasta sauces will also harmonize with this wine, such as pesto, roasted tomato, olive oil and garlic, brie and mushroom or creamy blue cheese and rosemary. It’s a tasty wine to drink in all seasons.

Professor of Viticulture, Abraham Izak Peroldt, of Stellenbosch University in Stellenbosch, South Africa, bred pinotage in 1925. He crossed the two vitis vinifera varieties of pinot noir and cinsault. Peroldt used pinot noir for its finesse, taste and flavours and cinsault for its hardiness and disease resistance.

The variety went unnoticed until 1991. Winemaker Beyers Truter of Kanonkop Estate took his pinotage to England’s International Wine and Spirit Competition. Here the judges were so impressed that Truter was awarded the Robert Mondavi Trophy of International Winemaker of the Year. Truter was the first South African to win this prestigious award. Truter has now left, but Kanonkop still reaps a fabulous reputation for producing quality pinotage. Today, pinotage accounts for 50% of the winery’s plantings.

This award put pinotage into the minds and hearts of wine lovers around the world. By 1995 its price escalated by approximately five hundred percent. The LCBO does not carry any Kanonkop Estate pinotage at this time. However, they do have a variety that are reasonably priced and worth researching.

"D" is for Decanting Wines

People often ask me about the art of decanting wine. First wine whites do not need to be decanted. Whites are generally meant to be consumed within the first two years of purchase. However, some people prefer to decant big, white wines. The added aeration opens up the wine’s aromas.

Decanting is the process of transferring wine from its bottle into a decanter. A decanter can be a glass pitcher or a carafe. Its purpose is to three fold. Decanting is necessary when a young wine needs aeration, an old vintage has deposited some sediment in the bottom of the bottle, and cork parts have slipped into the bottle.

The best decanters for young wines look similar to a science beaker. This decanter is narrow at the top with a wide, almost flat base. The wider base allows for more surface of the wine to be exposed to air and therefore aerates more readily. Adding air to a young wine helps to open up the aromas and helps to softens some of the bitter bite from the youthful tannins.

(Schott Zweizel Decanters available in fine china shops)

Putting an opened bottle of wine on the table is not a form of breathing or decanting. The only wine that is exposed to air and can therefore breath is the small surface inside the bottleneck. The point is to allow as much wine as possible to be exposed to air.

When decanting young wines, remove the foil from the bottleneck and pull the cork. Tip the bottle into the decanter at a ninety-degree angle. The angle allows the wine to tumble aggressively into the decanter. This tumbling action pulls in air, thus helping to aerate the wine. Let the wine sit in a cool place for a couple of hours before serving.

Narrow decanters are ideal for extremely old reds. Old reds don’t necessarily need to have their tannins softened. Decanting is primarily used to remove the wine from its sediment. The sediment in the bottle accumulates over time. This takes place when the wine is sleeping in the wine cellar. Sediment is dead yeast, colour pigments and tannin that slowly precipitate to the bottle of the bottle. Sediment can be displeasing to the eyes and taste buds.

To decant older wines, remove the foil from the bottleneck. Gently remove the cork from the wine. In old vintages, the cork may be brittle or dry, causing it to split or break off into pieces. Cork the wine. Clean the neck and inside lip of the bottle with a damp clothe. The idea is to not allow any dirt to fall into the bottle.

Light a candle and sit it into a candleholder. Hold the wine bottle in one hand and the decanter in the other. Position the bottle well above and just in front of the flame; do not let the candle heat the wine. Tilt the decanter slightly. While pouring, you’ll notice sediment climbing toward the bottleneck. Continue to steadily pour the wine into the decanter until the sediment reaches the neck of the bottle. Discard the bottle, and serve from the decanter.

Decanting old wines can be done in advance or at the table as you dine. It’s a beautiful ritual that adds to the experience of celebrating with loved ones and friends.

Countless decanters are available today in all shapes and sizes. You’ll find them in quality china shops and inexpensive supermarkets like Wal-Mart and HomeSense.

"C" is for Cooking with Fortified Wines

If you're looking to give your family favourite recipes the MOAN factor by adding depth and roundness of flavour, consider adding fortified wine during the cooking preparation.

Unlike table wines, fortified versions are higher in the fifth taste sensation called umami or savoury. The four primary sensations are bitterness, sweetness, sourness and saltiness, experienced on the palate. Umami is the 5th. It is highly regarded in Asian countries and found in many of their fermented, aged, dried and slow roasted foods, such as soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, and dried shrimp. In North America we cherish and crave umami in the form of brand name products like Ketchup! We love our slow cooked tomatoes on eggs, french fries and steak! Fresh tomatoes possess simplistic umami. When you slow roast them the umami increases. They become high in synergistic umami.

By adding a splash of fortified wine to a dish you increase its umami content, thus adding depth and roundness of flavour.

A fortified wine is one that has had the addition of an alcoholic spirit, such as grape brandy, or has been infused with herbs, roots, peels or spices. Spirit was originally added to wine to protect it from spoilage during long sea voyages.

Because alcohol is a preservative, a fortified wine, once opened, will store longer than table wine in the refrigerator, up to a few months. So you can use it often in your cooking. Be bold. The alcohol burns away, thus leaving the spirit's flavour presence. Well known types for cooking include sherry, Port, vermouth, Marsala.

This style of wine can be used in the preparation of salads, soups, hors d’oeuvres, entrees and desserts. As a marinade, its high alcohol and acidity tenderizes flesh. Poaching, de-galzing and flavouring are its best uses. Be sure to burn off the alcohol before adding it to cream sauces to prevent curdling.

Desserts incorporating fortified wine don’t freeze well. The other liquids in the dessert freeze more quickly than its alcohol, altering its composition and texture.

Sherry is the most versatile, adding nutty qualities to dishes. It is produced in three styles – dry, medium cream and full cream. Dry sherry is used to flavour soups, as well as served as an accompanying dinner companion. This fortified wine is also added to Asian style dishes and can replace rice vinegar in recipes. If a recipe calls for dry sherry, don’t substitute a sweet one, as this will alter the flavour of the dish.

Port is also a popular cooking ingredient and adds fruity character to a dish. Produced only in Portugal, this fortified wine comes in a few styles, as well. Tawny Port is amber in colour. So, refrain from using this one in a white sauce, as it will turn gray. Ruby Port has a brighter and fruitier flavour. All Ports are a delicious addition to meat dishes and desserts.

Vermouth is infused with herbs and spices, thus adding these same flavours to a dish. It can be red and sweet and is added to red sauce reductions. White versions are produced extra dry to sweet. Dry vermouth can replace white wine is recipes, thus adding more umami to the dish. Sweet vermouth can add delciious flavour to fruit-based desserts.

Marsala is the name of the fortified wine, as well as the name of the Italian city in which it is produced. It is used in the preparation of many Italian dishes and possesses an intense amber colour and complex aromas. The aromas come through in the resulting dish, adding dimension. Chicken Marsala is famous and incorporates onions, shallots, mushrooms and herbs.