Food and Wine | When deciding what kind of wine to cook with, many will agree that your best bet is to cook with a wine that you would drink. Remember, it is only the alcohol that diminishes during the cooking process, not the poor quality or undesirable flavor. Wines designated as �cooking wines� tend to be cheap, salty and often incorporate additional spices or herbs . Cook only with wines you would drink! What good wines can do to these fine dishes is to accent, enhance or intensify the inherent flavors of the dish Wine has three main uses in the kitchen - as a marinade ingredient, as a cooking liquid, and as a flavoring in a finished dish. The function of wine in cooking is to intensify, enhance and accent the flavor and aroma of food - not to mask the flavor of what you are cooking but rather to fortify it. As with any seasoning used in cooking, care should be taken in the amount of wine used - too little is inconsequential and too much will be overpowering. Neither extreme is desirable.

A small quantity of wine will enhance the flavor of the dish The wine should simmer with the food, or sauce, to enhance the flavor of the dish. If added late in the preparation, it could impart a harsh quality.  It should simmer with the food or in the sauce while it is being cooked; as the wine cooks, it reduces and becomes an extract which flavors. Wine added too late in the preparation will give a harsh quality to the dish. A wine needs time to impart its flavor in your dish. Wait 10 minutes or more to taste before adding more wine. You are of course allowed to enjoy a glass of wine while cooking. The flavor of wine in cooking is derived from the nature of the wine and not the alcohol. Most of the alcohol evaporates and very little is left in the finished dish. Boiling down wine concentrates the flavor, including acidity and sweetness. Be careful not to use too much wine, as the flavor could overpower your dish. The first step is to try a small amount of wine so the flavors will blend and not become too overpowering.

As your are cooking try sampling your dish and add as needed. Sulfites in Wine - All wines contain at least some small amount of sulfites When cooking Sulfites dissipates into the air. All that remains is some salts, but they are so minute in quantity that they have no affect on flavor. Young, full bodied red wine Red meat, red meat dishes Young, full bodied, robust red wine Earthy red, full bodied red wine Soups with root vegetables and/or beef stock Dry white wine or dry fortified wine Fish/shellfish/seafood, poultry, pork, veal Sweet white wine or sweet fortified wine Dry, fortified wine (i.e.: sherry) Consommé, poultry, vegetable soups Sauvignon Blanc, known for its herbaceous quality as a wine, in a dish highlighting herbs. Zinfandels have a berry or cherry character, which would be a nice background to a fruit sauce for duck. A buttery Chardonnay is the perfect base for a beurre blanc. The more you learn about the characteristics of your favorite wines, the more creative you can be with how you cook with them.

Cabernet Sauvignon or Chianti for meats and meat based sauces. Tip: Adding cold wine tends to make meat tough, while warm wine helps tenderize it.best wine store detroit area In cooking dishes with wines as part of the recipe, it is always important to remember that they are used not to replace the flavor of the dish. wine for mac latestThey should instead work together with the combination of flavors in order to make every dish have that extra tang and zing that will tickle the palate and make a fine dish even more appealing. top rated wine inventory softwareSo handle your wines with care while cooking and use then like you would with a seasoning to your dish. Peach Sabayon with Balsamic Peaches If you don't have peach brandy on hand, use additional white wine instead.

Gently toss peaches with vinegar and 1 tablespoon sugar, then let macerate 30 minutes. When peaches have macerated 15 minutes, combine yolks, wine, brandy, and remaining 3... 1/3 cup dry white wine 3 tablespoons peach brandy 3 medium peaches (1 lb total) 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 4 large egg yolks Lavender Honey Cheesecake ( Tugwell Meadery) 1/2 lb shortbread cookies or graham wafers 5 tbsp melted butter 3 tbsp lavender petals, fresh or dried, tied in cheesecloth 6 oz wildflower honey 8 oz light cream cheese 1 1/2 cups heavy cream Place cookies or wafers in plastic bag and crush them until they are quite fine. Place crumbs in a bowl and combine them with the melted butter. Press this mixture into a 9 inch spring form pan and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. To make the lavender infusion pour 2 1/2 tbsp boiling water and 2 teaspoons of honey into a small metal bowl and steep lavender in this for 15 minutes.

Remove the lavender and let cool. In a large bowl beat together the light cream cheese and honey until it is smooth then gradually add the lavender infusion until the mixture is smooth. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks and then fold into the cheese mixture. Pour the filling over the crumb base and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours to set. Sprinkle the top with lavender flower to decorate before serving. Run a warm knife around the inside edge of the spring form pan. Sous Vide Beef Bourguignon Stephanie is a food writer, photographer, recipe tester & developer based in SF. She received her culinary arts training at the San Francisco Cooking School and is the creator of food blog, Lick My Spoon (a place for all things delicious). Her work has appeared in T ... 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil6 ounces bacon (4 slices), thinly sliced into lardons1 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces2 tablespoons cornstarch1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper2 carrots1 onion, peeled2 cloves garlic, minced1 (750-mL) bottle good dry red wine such as Burgundy, Cote du Rhone, or Pinot Noir1 cup water1 tablespoon beef bouillon 1 tablespoon tomato paste1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

, plus more for serving1 bay leaf4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided10 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced2 tablespoons all-purpose flour Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 140ºF (60ºC). Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a large zipper lock or vacuum seal bag. Keep the skillet hot. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper, tossing beef so that it is evenly coated. Working in batches without crowding the pan, sear the beef in the hot oil until browned on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer each batch to the bag with the bacon. Peel the carrots and roll-cut them into 1-inch pieces. (To roll-cut, first cut off the top of the carrot at a 45 degree angle. Rotate the carrot a quarter turn, leaving the knife at the same 45 degree angle, and cut again.

Continue rolling and cutting the rest of the carrot. The finished pieces should be wedge-like and all about the same size and shape. Slice the onion into half-moon slivers. Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the vegetables to the bag with the beef. Discard any excess fat left in the pan. Add the bottle of wine to the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, scraping up all of the browned and crusty good bits on the bottom of the skillet using a flat-edged wooden spoon or spatula. Add the water and beef bouillon. Let the liquid simmer and reduce by about a quarter, about 15 minutes. Transfer the wine mixture, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf to the bag with the beef. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the moist setting.

Place in the water bath and set the timer for 16 hours, or up to 24 hours. Cover the water bath with plastic wrap to minimize water evaporation. About 5 minutes before the timer goes off, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Cut a small opening in the bag and pour the pour the liquid into the skillet. If there is visible fat on the surface of the liquid, skim it off with a spoon. In a small bowl, mash together the flour with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to form a paste. Whisk the flour-butter paste into the sauce in the skillet. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat. Continue to simmer, whisking frequently, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and the meat and vegetables left in the bag and toss to coat. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with fresh thyme.