Herbes de Provence Recipes and Wine Pairing Suggestions

Herbes de Provence

Herbes de Provence Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 bag of Fingerling potatoes
• 2 tablespoons of good olive oil
• Herbes de Provence (sprinkle to taste) http://www.vgourmet.com/
• Sea Salt (sprinkle to taste)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Cut fingerling potatoes in half lengthwise. Put them in a baking pan, toss with olive oil, then sprinkle lightly with salt and Herbes de Provence. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes, turn and bake another 15 minutes or until your desired level of tenderness.

This dish would pair well with a grilled steak, topped with a rosemary compound butter. A great wine recommendation for this steak and potatoes dinner would be 2008 Rodney Strong Estate Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  http://www.rodneystrong.com/

Herbes de Provence Pan Seared Salmon with Caper Sauce

• 4 salmon fillets
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• Herbes de Provence (lightly sprinkled on each fillet)
• 2 ½ tablespoons of olive oil (reserve I ½ tablespoons for skillet)
• ½ of a lemon

Caper Sauce

1 cup of Mayonnaise

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon of small capers (drained of brine)

4 dashes of Tabasco sauce (or more to taste)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Rub fillets with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and Herbes de Provence. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat. Place fillets in pan, skin side up, and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until edges turn golden. Then, turn over and cook for about a minute. Remove fillets from skillet and place in a baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Squeeze lemon juice on baked salmon fillets.

Caper Sauce

Preparation

Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, capers and Tabasco sauce, and serve in a pretty serving bowl.

I like serving this with herbed rice and a grape tomato and mixed greens salad. Wine Recommendation: 2008 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir  http://www.davisbynum.com/

Lorrie’s Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 Roasting Chicken (size correlates with roasting time)
• Sea Salt (to taste)
• Black Pepper (to taste)
• Herbes de Provence (to taste)
• 1 onion quartered ( I usually just use 2 quarters and save the other 2 quarters for another time)
• 1 stalk of celery quartered ,and 3 stalks of celery to form a rack
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• Olive oil (to rub over chicken)
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine (optional)
• Cooking string

Note: This is a recipe that is rustic and you should season it to your liking.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Remove chicken parts from the inside of the chicken. Rinse chicken in cold water inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken all over, with a good olive oil. Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with salt, pepper and Herbes de Provence, and then do the same on the outside. Then put onion, celery, bay leaf and rosemary on the inside  the chicken’s cavity. Take the chickens wings and tuck them back, and tie the legs together with cooking string. Place the 3 stalks of celery in the bottom of the roaster to create a rack, and add the white wine; this helps keep the chicken moist. Place chicken breast side up, bake in a covered roaster until the last 15 minutes of roasting time, then bake uncovered to brown. If you wish you may baste the chicken with melted unsalted butter to ensure the level of browning of your chicken. Chicken baking time is 15 minutes per pound. Chicken is done when pierced if the juices run clear. Average baking time is 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours depending on the size of you chicken and desired level of doneness.

I like to serve this roasted chicken with wild rice or parsley buttered potatoes and a green salad. An ideal wine pairing would be a nice French Rose` like Mas De La Dame Rose`du Mas or a rose` from Chile like Montes Cherub Rose` of Syrah.

http://www.palmbay.com/news_roses_for_spring.asp

http://tgicimporters.com/wine/montes/montes-cherub-rose-of-syrah-2009/

I'd love for you to try these recipes and wine pairings and let me know how they came out. I'm waiting for some feedback!

Wine Review: Bogle 2010 Sauvignon Blanc

This wine is a light straw color. The nose is filled with aromas of freshly cut grass and essence of lemon. The palate has wonderful flavors of citrus fruit along with a medley of tropical fruit flavors, with pineapple playing a leading role. This wine is crisp and clean with a nice level of acidity. This wine just screams spring and summer in a glass. Ideal pairings would be grilled shrimp, fish, young goat cheese and salads topped with Manchego cheese. Note: This wine was a sample provided by Bogle Winery. SRP $9.00 http://www.boglewinery.com/



Wine Videos and Wine Review: 2008 Red Cote Rose`

Check out a few of these wine videos. I love sparkling wine, Pinot Gris and Rose`; so I hope that you will enjoy these links and these wines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxyoV3ilQ7U&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_iuKGi0Jas

http://www.pullingthecork.com/2009/09/2008-red-c%C3%B4te-ros%C3%A9-artisan-family-of-wines.html

2008 Red Cote Rose`

This wine has a beautiful deep pink color, with a nose of berries with a hint of rose petals. The palate has strawberries and cherries and a hint of watermelon, with a nice backbone that could stand up to foods off the grill. It has a nice amount of acidity and it makes you want to drink glass after glass. This wine would pair well with hot wings, fried, roasted or grilled chicken, turkey burgers, salmon, or pork. I'd try it with a young goat cheese, like Truffle Tremor, Purple Haze or Humboldt Fog all by Cypress Grove Chevre on a thin slice of french bread for a cheese pairing.  It is a wine to buy by the case at $9.99 a bottle to take you straight through summer! https://www.vinoshipper.com/wine/winery/301

Wine Review: Hess Collection Mount Veeder - Napa Valley 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Hess Collection Mount Veeder - Napa Valley 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine has a deep garnet color. The nose has aromas of dark fruit, spice and vanilla.  The palate mimicked the nose with flavors of dark berried fruit, especially blackberries and baking spice. In addition,  there were hints of coffee and smoke to add a bit of complexity and interest to the wines profile. The tannins were present, but finely integrated to create balance in the wine. The weight of the wine really made me think of spring and summer fare,  because it did not weigh the palate down as some Cabernet's tend to do. I paired this with a pan grilled rib eye steak and it was a great pairing. I would also pair this wine with pork chops right off the grill, as well as medium flavored cheeses. Note: This wine was a sample provided by The Hess Collection. http://www.hesscollection.com/ SRP $48.00

Cooking and Feeling Good

Cooking serves so many purposes, mainly nourishing the body. But I find that cooking can nourish your soul. When I need to feed my soul, I create a recipe. The thoughts about how all the ingredients will come together and create something new and good,  gives me a great sense of accomplishment.

When I talk to my friends who don't like to cook, I tell them try cooking something in their kitchen and see how accomplished you will feel when your dish comes out so good. I had a friend who was never into cooking. She tried a few of my recipes and her family loved them; she then realized the power of the pots! She also realized how learning how to cook can add another layer to your internal resume.

Cooking is truly a way to let your creative juices flow and for you to share your experiences and culinary creations with your family and friends. This blog is a way for me to share my recipes and wine pairing suggestions with you.

Shopping for the ingredients always makes me happy. I love our local Fresh Market, there is everything you would ever need to create gourmet meals or a simple but elegant breakfast. I was so blessed to get a little cash for my birthday so I went to the Fresh Market and bought some staples for my pantry as well as some of their wonderful rib eye steaks that were on sale! I eyed some beautiful Heirloom tomatoes, but did not buy any. I really loved the purple colored one and a striated colored one. I think I may have to splurge and pick up those two beautiful tomatoes.

I picked up some extra virgin olive oil, French Dijon and whole grain mustard and some anchovies. I intend on making lots of salad dressings. In addition, I got a gift card so I ordered some French champagne vinegar; I know that should add lots of flavor to my salad dressings.

The great thing about cooking is having a glass of wine and relaxing while cooking. Yes relaxing, cooking can relax you; you become involved in a creative process that is all your own. I like to have a little snack like Humboldt Fog goat cheese on a thin slice of French bread and a glass of sparkling wine or a piece of aged cheddar cheese and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon while cooking. Try my formula for a relaxing cooking time; all the elements are listed below.

Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese

Sparkling Wine and my Park Lane Flute saved from Hurricane Katrina

http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B0002HJF34/ref=pd_krex_dp_a

A Little Music

Try my formula and let me know how things turned out!

Wine Review: Kitchen Sink California White Table Wine

This wine has a light straw color. The nose has aromas of ripe melon, citrus, a hint of floral notes and a touch of spice. The palate mirrored the nose with those ripe melon flavors along with flavors of grapefruit, tangerine and a hint of lemon zest and spice on the finish. I really love this nice white wine; it has a bit of minerality that is often found in Sauvignon Blanc. This wine would pair well with grilled shrimp, fish, and orange glazed chicken. It would also pair well with crab cakes and light cheeses. Note: This wine was a sample provided by Alder Fels Winery. http://www.adlerfels.com/  SRP $9.99

Wine Review: 2007 Rockaway Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley

This wine has a deep dark garnet color.  The nose has aromas of ripe dark fruit with hints of spice. The palate has juicy dark red fruit flavors, perhaps blackberries, and red plums along with hints of cedar and coconut. The mouth feel is lush, with very smooth tannins and the wine has a long finish. I paired this wine with a rib eye steak grilled with a few sprigs of rosemary, steak fries and a wonderful Romaine lettuce, and tomato salad topped with a few special toppings. This wine would also pair well with other beef dishes as well as blue cheese, Cahill Porter cheese and aged cheddar cheeses.  Note:  This wine was a sample provided by Rodney Strong Vineyards. http://www.rodneystrong.com/  SRP $75.00

.