We are always in favor of drinking red wine. Here are some great suggestions for cooking with red wine to compliment your summer meals.
Grilled Salmon with Red Wine Butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- ½ cup red wine (Andy suggests Tussock Jumper Pinot Noir.)
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ stick salted butter, softened for an hour
- 1 ½ t fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 2 fillets of salmon, 6 oz each
- Olive oil
Combine the shallot, wine and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
Allow the wine reduction to cool then add the butter along with the thyme and a few pinches of cracked pepper. Use a spatula to thoroughly mix the ingredients and then scoop the mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Roll it up, twist the ends to form a log, and store that in the freezer while you cook the fish. (The first two steps can be done ahead of time. The wine butter will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge.)
Preheat a grill or grill pan on medium high. Rub the salmon with olive oil, salt and pepper, lay the fish, skin side down on the grill. Cook it for 4 to 5 minutes, flip and cook for 2 minutes longer.
Serve the hot salmon with a slice of the red wine butter melted on top. Eat with grilled asparagus.
Red Wine Poached Pears
- 4 Bosc Pears, peeled
- 3 cups red wine, any would do but goes best with fruity reds like Tussock Jumper Zinfandel
- ½ cup white sugar
- juice from half a lemon
- vanilla bean, split, seeded
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
Pour lemon juice all over bosc pears then set aside.
In a small sauce pan combine red wine, white sugar, vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. Bring it to a boil then add the pears. Simmer for 12-15 minutes on one side then further 12-15 minutes on the other side.
Remove pears from sauce pan then set it aside to cool.
Simmer the left over syrup until they are reduced in half the amount, pour sauce over pears serve warm or chilled (I want mine chilled).
Wine-Pepper Strawberries
- ¼ cup butter
- 3 T sugar
- ½ cup dry red wine (Andy recommends Tussock Jumper Zinfandel)
- ½ t course ground pepper
- 1 quart strawberries, halved
- Vanilla ice cream
- Pound cake
Melt butter and sugar in a skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until mixture is lightly browned. Stir in wine and pepper. (Mixture will clump.) Cook 6 minutes or until syrupy. Stir in strawberries; cook 1 minute or just thoroughly heated.
Serve warm over ice cream along with pound cake.
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