It's the holiday time and to me that means a lot of dinner parties.  I usually like to bring a dish or a bottle of wine.  I'm a white and dessert wine girl.  Bring on the muscato, pino grigio, and sauvignon blanc! 

I asked the Divas Uncorked for some advice about what new wine I should bring to a party. Aslo how do you choose a 'safe choice' wine for a party? ·

 I recieved the following response:
      "Hi Keesha,you could bring a Prescecco to cleanse the palette before the dinner. This is always a nice wine to start off the meal with. Lots of folks have never had this before. A Chardonnay is always safe (unoaked) or try a Pinot Noir (red), goes with most foods"

There you have it, some choices on what to bring, lucky I have a bottle of Prescecco left from my launch party.  I never knew Prescecco (its an Italian sparkeling wine) could be used to cleanse your palate.  Also in between meals I have seen a lemon sorbet being used.  During wine tasting crackers are used in between sips.
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Dear Gourmet Diva

Can I make a meal for under 20 dollars?

Help me out in NYC,
Mark Frazier

Dear Mark,

Yes you can make a meal for under $20 (thank you for the gracious budget). This is one of my go to recipes when I need some thing economical and tasty. The spinach is mixed into the rice. Using frozen vegetables also cuts down on time, so you can prepare this in less then an hour.

I take a bottle of Kikkoman Teriyaki sauce and add freshly grated ginger, garlic and brown sugar. You can also have broccolli and julienned (matchstick shaped) carrots.

Add a few extra bucks in and you can have some ice cream for dessert – put it in a martini glass if you are having guest for an extra flair.

Salmon Teriyaki (Rosemary Black – Daily News March 13, 2005)

Serves 4

1/3 cup bottle teriyaki Sauce

4 salmon fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)

1 (10 – ounce) box frozen spinach

1 ½ cups instant brown rice (or white rice)

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh dill springs for garnish (I use toasted sesame seeds)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees and line the bottom of a large shallow baking pan (with edges) with foil. Pour all but 3 tablespoons of the glaze into the baking pan. Add the salmon and turn to coat with glaze. Bake 10 minutes or until done.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups of water and the frozen spinach to a boil over high heat . Stir in the rice and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, covered for about 10 minutes until the rice is done.

In a 1 – cup measure, stir remaining teriyaki sauce with ¼ cup water. Stir into hot rice. Serve with salmon with the rice.


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  "All I need is a table, that's it." - Keesha AKA Gourmet Diva

I needed to decorate a table for the Urban Verbal Stew event last week. I didn't want a generic black plastic table cloth that's not Gourmet Diva, what to do what to do. This is a typical problem that most of us are facing. With the holiday season approaching us, we may have to decorate our homes for family and friends.

Decorating a table is like putting together a wardrobe, the trick is that you need is a few quality pieces to make your table "pop". A little creativity will go a long way. In the case for the Verbal Stew event the eye catching pieces was the table cloth and the candle

You can create impressive centerpieces with everyday items in your closet. A friend and I created the following decorations with a champagne glass, tea light, and food coloring. Try and go outside and take some leaves from a tree and place them on your table, the red and orange will look great.

What other ways have you decorated on a dime?
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Dear Gourmet Diva,

Do you cook vegetarian meals or meals that will help you loose weight?

Sincerely,
I love my veggies Boston

Dear veggie lover in Boston,

Congrats on trying to eat healthier.  Before I type any more I must make this disclaimer “I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on TV” ( I always wanted to say that). Please see a doctor before altering your  diet.

 With that said. It takes discipline to be a vegetarian (I love a good steak every now and then) Also the assumption is that you will loose weight if your vegetarian, I have seen some big vegetarians. Watch out for the pasta and rice.

When people think about being a vegetarian, they think all they can eat is tofu and salad. So wrong, there are so many options out there you can try. It depends on how adventurous your taste buds are.  I included two recipes for you to try. One if you need something simple and the second is if your up for a taste bud challenge. 

If your not in the mood to cook, try going to a Japanese or Indian restaurant  its easy to find a vegetarian dish to try. Houston's has a great veggie burger, also Haley House in Roxbury, MA.  Vegetarian Planet: 350 Big Flavor Recipes for Out of This World Food Every Day  by Chef Didi Emmons who is the owner of Haley House.
Or better yet, call me, hourly rates do apply.

Ratatouille (Did you see the movie?)
Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
2 medium zucchinis, cut into squares
1 small red pepper cut into squares
1 small yellow pepper cut into squares
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium eggplant, halved
1 can (14 oz) canned tomatoes, crushed
½ teaspoon dried basil or oregano leaves
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1.Heat the oil in a large, heavy – based pan and cook the onions over medium heat for 4 minutes or until soft. Add the zucchinis, peppers and garlic, stir for 3 minutes.
2.Cut the eggplant in chunks and add to the pan with the tomatoes, basil or oregano and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 15 – 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
3.Enjoy

 

For the adventurous, I tried this dish this weekend and it was great and its also “RAW” (def - no cooking of food)

Sweet and Spicy kale w/Tangerine Salsa (Submitted by Sharon)

Tangerine Salsa
Ingredients
4 Tangerines (or you can substitute w/Tangelinos, Mangoes, or Peaches), peeled, sliced, and seeded
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, chopped finely
1Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
3 Stalks of scallion
1Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1/2 tsp fresh Habanero (or you can substitute w/jalepeno) pepper, minced and use the flesh but remove and discard seeds and ribs. * I suggest you coate fingers w/olive oil before handling peppers.  _Gourmet Diva – dont place fingers near eyes once you do this you will BURN them.
1 dash of Chinese 5 Star Seasoning (also called Chinese Five Spice powder)

Directions
Combine ingredients into each other gently. cover and refrigerate an hour before serving.

Greens
3 bunches of Dinosaur Kale (also called Lacino)
1Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp of Celtic or Himalayan Salt

After washing Kale chop finely and add olive oil and pinch of sea salt to bowl. Massage Kale and leave to sit for an hour or more.

Sweet and Spicy Marinade
3 Tbsp Nama Shoyu or Soy Sauce
3 scallions thinly chopped
3Tbsp Agave
1 lime juiced (optional...helps in the absorption of Vit C in Kale)
1Tbsp Toasted sesame oil
1Tbsp black sesame seeds
1/2tsp Chinese mustard powder (or wasabi powder)
pinch of Cayenne to taste

Mix marinade ingredients together and then pour into Kale bowl. Toss and serve.

Try eating w/ripe Avocado
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Common dilemma, you have a party, friends bring over wine and then leave you with 1/2 empty bottles of wine at your house. 
How long and what can you do with the wine.

The answer- Whites  will last about three days in the fridge.  

Red - Keep out of the light and it will also last for a few days.

Being the Gourmet Diva, I can't let wine go to waste. A few suggestions on what to do with the wine.

1. Call me over for a drink

2. Freeze the wine in ice cubes. Frozen wine can add great flavor to lemon aid or orange juice. You can even take the wine cubes and make freezes with them. Frozen wine can be a refreshing summer treat.

3.  Use it to cook with, you can make stews or sauces.

I found this great article from WikiHow.

Before Opening

  1. Keep it in the dark. Store all wines away from light, especially direct sunlight and fluorescent fixtures. UV rays can cause wine to be 'light struck' picking an unpleasant smell.[1] Darker bottles are better protected and some bottles have UV filters built into the glass, but enough UV rays can still penetrate to ruin the wine. If you can't keep a bottle entirely out of the light, keep it lightly wrapped up in a cloth, or simply put the bottle inside a box out of the way. If it does get exposed to light occasionally, try to make sure it's light from incandescent or sodium vapor lamps.[2]
  2. Store corked wine bottles on their sides. If they are stored upright for a long amount of time, the corks will dry out, and air will eventually get to the wine, spoiling it. If you store it label side up, it'll be easier to spot any sediments that may have formed in the wine over time when you do eventually pick it up.
  3. Keep the temperature constant. For extended aging of wine (over 1 year), refrigeration is a must in most parts of the world; even a below-ground cellar is not cool enough.

    • Wine storage temperature should never go over 75 degrees F (24°C), except for brief spans of time. At 75°F, wine begins to oxidize. An ideal temperature for storing a varied wine collection is 54°F (12.2°C).[3] Letting the temperature drop below 54°F won't hurt the wine; it'll only slow down the aging process, as long as the temperature doesn't fluctuate dramatically.[4]
    • Temperature in a wine storage area should be as steady as possible; changes should be gradual. A 68 to 73 degree storage area is far preferable to one that is 45 to 65 degrees F, though the first approaches the dangerous 75 figure. Rises in temperature force wine through the cork; drops cause air to be sucked back in. The greater the changes in temperature a wine suffers, the greater the premature aging of the wine from overbreathing. The temperature should never fluctuate more than 3°F (1.6°C) a day and 5°F (2.7°C) a year, especially with red wines, which will suffer more temperature-related problems than white wines.[5]
  4. Don't move the wine. If possible, store the wines in such a way that you don't need to move them in order to reach a bottle to drink. Try not to move a bottle at all once it is stored. Even vibrations from heavy traffic, motors, or generators may negatively affect the wine.
  5. Keep the humidity at around 70%. High humidity keeps the cork from drying and minimizes evaporation. Don't allow the humidity to go too high over 70%, however, because it can encourage the growth of mold and cause labels to loosen.[6][7] You can purchase a hygrometer to track the moisture conditions and use humidifying or dehumidifying techniques as needed.
  6. Isolate the wine. Remember that wine "breathes", so don't store it with anything that has a strong smell because it will permeate through the cork and taint the wine. Good ventilation may help prevent musty odors from entering the wine.[8]
  7. Store for an appropriate amount of time. Not all wines improve over time. Generally, new world, inexpensive wines will not improve. Red wines can be stored and aged for anywhere between 2-10 years to mature this, however, depends on the type of red wine and the balance of its sugar, acid and tannins. Most white wines should be consumed after 2-3 years of storage, however select White Burgundies (Chardonnays) can be aged for over 20 years.[9]
  8. Adjust the temperature before serving. Different wines taste best at slightly different temperatures, which may vary from the temperature in which they were stored. Right before drinking the wine, allow the temperature to rise or fall to the appropriate serving temperature:[10]

    • Blush, rose and dry white wines: 46-57F (8-14C)
    • Sparkling wines and champagne: 43-47F (6-8C)
    • Light red wine: 55F (13C)
    • Deep red wines: 59-66F (15-19C)
After Opening

  1. Store opened white wine in the refrigerator. This will only keep the wine for three to five days if you have already opened it; make sure the cork is in the bottle as tightly as possible. If you want to keep it in the refrigerator for a longer period of time after opening, purchase a wine stopper and pump, and hope for the best. The important thing is to minimize the wine's exposure to air. If you have a smaller bottle, you may wish to transfer the leftover wine to it, because there will be less air for it to contend with. A wine cellar or closet would be better for it, though, simply because of the long amount of time many people spend with the refrigerator door wide open, letting in large amounts of light, and, if you leave the door open long enough, heat. If you happen to have a refrigerator that you do not use often, such as a pool house refrigerator, keep it there. You may even consider turning a small fridge into a wine refrigerator.
  2. Leave red wine out. For the sake of the wine, and for yourself, only do this with red wine, never white. Place the cork in the bottle, put the bottle in a dark place, and don't worry about it. This will help for a couple of days.
  3. Keep dessert wines like Sauternes, most everyday Ports and most Sherries for longer. They will resist degradation for more than 3-5 days, though exactly how long depends on the individual wine.[11]
Storage Options

  • Wine cellar. This is an obvious one- if you have a wine cellar, worry no more! Just place the bottle of wine on the rack, close the door, and you are set. Make sure to have some type of system for finding certain bottles of wine in your wine cellar, though, otherwise it can be very easy to spend a good amount of time searching for that one particular bottle.
  • Makeshift closet wine cellar. While digging a large hole in the basement would seem the most effective thing to do, that would be a major undertaking, and will cost you quite a bit. Only do that if you are an absolute fanatic about wine, and have dozens of bottles in need of long term storage. A closet wine cellar is ideal for the every day wine lover, and will probably only cost you around two, three hundred dollars. The major problem with this, however, is that if you ever want to convert this back to a regular closet, you very well may have to replace all of the sheetrock in the closet.

    • Find an empty, out of the way closet on the ground floor of your house.
    • Glue strips of 1" foam board to the walls and ceiling of the closet, using construction cement as a glue.
    • Replace the door with an insulated, preferably steel, door. If you would like, also glue the foam to this, just to make sure it is all even.
    • Attach weather stripping to the edges of the door to make sure that no air gets in or out- heat could ruin the wine.
    • Make sure that the temperature is relatively cool. There are numerous devices you can use to decrease the temperature in the closet- just find one that suits your particular closet.
  • Wine cooler/refrigerator. This will keep the temperature constant, as long as you only store wine in there so that you're not always opening and closing the door. Good humidity levels are maintained, as well. Some have different temperature zones for different wines.

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