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“How do you CULTIVATE an Extraordinary Experience?”


cul·ti·vate (klt-vt) To promote the growth of; To nurture or foster; To seek the acquaintance, or goodwill of; make friends with…

Wines that give…..

Give me a warm and sunny day. Cool grass,a picnic basket filled with bread,cheese and Cultivate Wines and an ordinary summer day suddenly becomes something to remember. Cold,gloomy winter days have finally made way for long sunny days and pleasant summer nights,perfect for taking a moment to share a glass of wine with my sweetie or catching up with friends.

Cultivate Wines gives us a fresh,crisp and fruit-forward un-oaked Chardonnay.

DREAM WALKING CHARDONNAY 2009 For those of you who are tired of heavily oaked and buttery Chardonnays, your dream has come true! Cultivate Wines gives us a virtually un-oaked Chardonnay -Dream Walking- with the freshness and crisp acidity of meyer lemon and hints of pineapple,banana and green apple. Cooler growing conditions in the Mendocino and Santa Rita Hills subregions of California and fermentation without the use of heavy oak allows the freshness and fruitiness of this Chardonnay blend to stand front and center. Raise your wine glass to your nose,close your eyes and and inhale the subtle aromas of lemon peel,floral jasmine and fragrant almonds.

Perfect Pairings: A picnic basket filled with fried chicken served with fresh mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes drizzled with a fruity California olive oil; Nurture friendships and your soul with this pairing!

THE GAMBLER Malbec 2010 Argentina The bunch at Cultivate Wines gives us yet another winner! Malbec-the dominant grape of Argentina-blended with a touch of the fruity grape Bonarda, is a winning combination. THE GAMBLER is a delightful masculine-style wine with a muscular body of sturdy tannins and acidity with aromas of leather and earth. Yet this bold Argentinian wine is not afraid to show its feminine side. You will be delighted with the balance of juicy strawberries,blackberries and a hint of spice and vanilla.

PERFECT PAIRINGS: Fire up the grill for this one! How about charcoal-grilled steaks with a Strawberry Balsamic Glaze and a side of grilled Portobello mushrooms.

Cultivate Wines Lives Up to Their Name. With over 20 wines produced over the past 10 years of 95 points or higher,you know that you will be enjoying and sharing thoughtfully made quality wines. But these wines aren’t just for show. Cultivate Wines contributes a minimum 10% of sales to non-profits supporting education and providing basic human needs.Join them in their mission to GIVE BACK! With every bottle you purchase,YOU TOO are participating in “THE GIVE” by nurturing and fostering the improvement of lives.

Celebrate the Ordinary with something EXTRAORDINARY!

Here is the recipe that pairs perfectly with THE GAMBLER!

Argentinean-Style T-Bone Steaks and Salsa Criolla ~ Finished with Strawberry Balsamic Glaze
5.0 from 3 reviews
Print
Recipe type: main course
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 4
Enjoy this perfect pairing of a hearty grilled Argentinean-style steak with THE GAMBLER. Marinated and grilled portobello mushrooms make a great side dish!
Ingredients
  • SALSA ingredients
  • 1 cup seeded,finely diced ripe tomato or sliced baby heirloom tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup or to taste with a variety of diced jalapeños and multicolored sweet mini-peppers
  • a small handful of fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onions
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon fresh or dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • STEAKS
  • 4-T-bone steaks about 1 pound and 1 inch thick
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • pepper
  • 4 to 6 Portobello mushrooms cleaned
  • extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
  • soy sauce,to taste
  • worcestershire sauce,to taste
  • lemon pepper and garlic seasoning,to taste
  • Strawberry Balsamic Glaze BLAZE BRAND
  • or any other balsamic glaze
Instructions
  1. Combine salsa ingredients in a bowl and hold at room temperature up to an hour.
  2. Rub steaks with olive oil and seasonings and let stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.
  3. Marinate mushrooms-Place mushrooms in a bag and add soy and worcestershire sauce,olive oil,seasonings.
  4. Gently rotate bag to coat the mushrooms. The longer they are marinated the better.
  5. Prepare grill to a medium high heat.
  6. Grill steaks and Portobello mushrooms to desired doneness.
  7. Serve warm with salsa,grilled mushrooms and Strawberry Balsamic Glaze
Notes

BLAZE Brand Strawberry Balsamic Glaze is available at many local grocery and specialty stores. This pairs particularly well with Cultivate’s THE GAMBLER Malbec.

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The Gambler Malbec $18.99
Dream Walking Chardonnay $25.99

WHERE TO FIND CULTIVATE WINES? To Purchase Cultivate Wines in the Nashville area (or your area) or enjoy while dining out at your favorite restaurant :  CLICK HERE!

THE FOLKS AT CULTIVATE WINES JUST GAVE ME SOME GREAT NEWS!

They created a unique code  for a 10% discount on Cultivate wine purchases made through their website:shop.cultivatewines.com

Enter the code: WINEWITHLISA10

BE SURE TO FOLLOW WINE WITH LISA for more delicious Cultivate Wine pairings!

CHEERS!

My Weekly Wine Gem: A Delightful White Blend from Chile ~ JUNTA ~ Viognier & Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2011

Urban Dictionary: gem
www.urbandictionary.com A gem is something that is absolutely great!

The Cooling Humboldt Current flows up from the Antarctica along the warm Chilean Coast. Warmth,rich soils and a plentiful water supply in one of the southern grape growing regions of the Central Valley known as Curico’ creates a perfect growing environment for blending grapes such as Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. The result is luscious and fruity grapes with refreshing acidity.

THIRSTY?
Looking for a refreshing white wine to usher in the warm summer nights? Well, I have found one for you!
Chilean Wines have been increasingly popular and quality wines are now widely available to us. The rich soils and warm Mediterranean climate of Chile produces ample supplies of full bodied, terroir-driven and balanced fresh fruit-style wines.

Drinks like a pricey wine but feel free to be casual!

JUNTA RESERVE VIOGNIER and Sauvignon Blanc 2011  www.juntawinery.com 

Last night I kicked off my sandals,settled into a lawn chair in the backyard and sipped on this luscious blend of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. What a perfect Springtime wine!

Two of my favorite white grape varietals ~The floral Viognier and the highly acidic Sauvignon Blanc are harmoniously blended to create a wine with the a lot of PERSONALITY!

JUNTA Reserve White Wine drinks like an expensive and elegant wine but is casually priced under $15 ($12.99). Viognier 60% Sauvignon Blanc 40%

Nose: geraniums,violets,lemon and grapefruit zest

Palate: lemon,grapefruit,passion fruit,guava and pineapple

This medium-bodied,dry and floral white wine will make you happy!

PAIRINGS: Your favorite cool crisp green salad topped with grilled chicken or shrimp will pair perfectly with JUNTA. Lime and Herb Marinated Fish cooked on the grill OR any of your favorite summertime Pasta Dishes BEGS for this Pairing!
 

 

WHERE TO PURCHASE:

JUNTA is brought to the Nashville Area by Delirium Wine and Spirits.

Junta is available at Iroquois Wine and Spirits in Nashville as well as many wine shops in the area. Just ask!

 

CHEERS!  

HAPPY SPRINGTIME!

 

27

03 2012

SAY CHEESE! Homemade Fromage Blanc Cheese PAIRED with a Sancerre from Loire Valley in France


“Wine and cheese are ageless companions”

Last month,my wine and foodie group got together for a French-Themed Dinner. Let me just say I am the luckiest foodie in the world!  These monthly dinners are a delightful collection of professional and personal chefs, a pastry chef,local boutique wine lovers and distributors and all around kick-ass passionate foodies and cooks.

THESE ARE MY PEOPLE!

We were to each bring our favorite French-themed culinary creation. I was intrigued by the FROMAGE BLANC; fresh,homemade (white) cheese made by Karin. Fromage Blanc has a fresh and creamy texture and the mild taste creates an endless palette for ingredients and pairing possibilities.

I knew my next challenge was TO MAKE CHEESE!

These pictures are of the cheese I made at home. The cheese was liberally drizzled with rich,fruity olive oil and sprinkled with hand-harvested sea salt (flour de del) from France. The french bread rounds and salty green and black olives along with tart and tangy cornichons (french pickles) also paired well with this creamy,fresh cheese.

The Wine:
My wine choice was easy!
Sancerre from Loire,France. Sancerre is French Sauvignon Blanc.
2009 DOMAINE CHRISTIAN SALMON SANCERRE White Wine Loire,France
If you have never ventured beyond the front door of the wine shop and have never bravely chosen a bottle of French Wine, now is your chance! This IS the perfect pairing for the creamy and Fresh FROMAGE BLANC.

The Palate:
fresh,dry and crisp,essences of lime,peach,white floral notes ~ distinctive chalky minerality from the limestone soils

The Loire Valley in France is famous for producing some of the world’s best Sauvignon Blancs. Well-balanced and refreshing acidity,dry,citrusy (lime and grapefruit kind of acidity) and fruity with a hint of grassiness makes a perfect pairing with this creamy,fresh cheese. Other pairings might include shellfish dishes cooking in garlic and butter or roasted chicken.
My choice for this particular Sauvignon Blanc was easy. The Sauvignon Blanc grape is the queen of acidity.
It produces some of the most refreshing acidic white wine no matter where it is produced. New Zealand and California might be most familiar to you. These wines are great crowd pleasing wines and pair with a variety of foods.
Yet, Old World Wines i.e. wines from France, so eloquently show us their ”sense of place.” You can taste the terroir; the land,soil,climate. The wines from this famous area of France with it distinctive and unique minerality most certainly complement the creamy fromage blanc.

My rockin’ homemade FROMAGE BLANC deserved a wine to showcase its uniqueness, incredibly fresh local ingredients and-of course-its “sense of place.”

Below is the recipe and photos of my cheese-making process for Fromage blanc.

Homemade Fromage Blanc
5.0 from 1 reviews
Print
Recipe type: Appetizer
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 6
Making fresh homemade cheese is easy! This is a creamy,fresh,mild-flavored cheese. Double this recipe if you want more than one ramekin of cheese. And, you will!
Ingredients
  • Fresh, local whole milk (1 quart)
  • Active-culture buttermilk (1 cup)
  • Lemon juice or white vinegar (2 tsp, or more if needed)
  • Salt (3/4 tsp, or to taste)
  • Measuring cups
  • Heavy-bottomed sauce pan
  • Thermometer
  • Colander
  • Stock pot
  • Cheesecloth
  • String
  • Wooden spoon
  • Stirring spoons
Instructions
  1. Add milk to sauce pan on low heat.
  2. Stir regularly and bring the temperature up to 175 degrees.
  3. Use a heat proof thermometer to correctly determine temperature.
  4. The milk will be just slightly simmering and bubbles beginning to form.
  5. Remove from heat.
  6. Pour Buttermilk and lemon juice and stir slowly.
  7. Curds will begin to form and separate from the whey.
  8. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  9. Line a colander with 4 layers of cheesecloth.
  10. Gently scoop the curds into the cheesecloth. Discard the whey.
  11. Gather up the ends of the cheesecloth;tie this to a wooden spoon handle.
  12. Let the cheese drain for about 30 minutes.
  13. The longer you drain it the dryer the cheese will be.
  14. Once drained,cut open the cheese cloth a place cheese in a bowl.
  15. Incorporate the salt into the cheese with a wooden spoon.
  16. Place the cheese in a 4 ounce ramekin or crock.
  17. Enjoy the cheese now or let it set overnight.
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Nashville is abundant with local products such as  local milk and local meats and produce. Be sure to use as many local ingredients as you can in your recipes. WE LOVE HATCHER DAIRY MILK and all of their products!

The ingredients include the creamy WHOLE MILK from Hatcher Dairy Family Farms and the WHOLE BUTTERMILK.
Using the whole milk and whole buttermilk adds to the creamy richness of the finished product.

Getting close to 175 degrees

The cheese curds have formed

Drain the excess moisture from the curds

Isn’t this pretty and rustic? Image yourself in a quaint little cottage near the vineyards in France.
I am now obsessed with making cheese.

Incorporate the salt for flavor

CHEESE!


VOILA!

That’s French for THERE YOU HAVE IT! Your very own home-made cheese!

***inspired by the Wonder How To Videos and my FOODIE FRIENDS!

PAELLA PARTY! An Evening in Spain ~ Hosted by WINE WITH LISA ~ Paella -Tapas and Spanish Wines~

Wine with Lisa Hosts A Saturday Evening Spanish Culinary and Wine Adventure for a Party of 6!

pa·el·la (pä-l, pä-lyä, -yä) A saffron-flavored Spanish dish made with varying combinations of rice, vegetables, meat, chicken and seafood;also referring to the large flat frying pan in which a paella is cooked.

For as long as I can remember,I have always had a fascination and passion for cooking Paella. Maybe it was the Cajun-Creole culinary influences growing up in Louisiana and eating all of the different versions of authentic Jambalaya-for Jambalaya IS Louisiana’s version of Paella,after all! (at least it is to me). Or,maybe it’s the thought of leisurely enjoying Paella and little bites of Tapas with a fantastic glass of Rioja while sitting in a little Tapas Bar in Madrid. I have never been to Spain although it’s on my bucket list! I bought my first Paella Pan about 15 years ago and have been perfecting my Paella recipe ever since. The first recipe that inspired me was from a “Cooking with Wine” cookbook. The first challenge-especially 15 years ago in Nashville-was finding the correct ingredients;the second challenge was figuring out how to cook it even though I had never actually had an authentic paella! 15 years or so later and the improved availability of authentic ingredients and happily eating my share of many versions of this Spanish culinary marvel on many foodie adventures has made for many delightful events entertaining friends at my home from Texas to Tennessee. A large pan of delicious and authentic Paella,Tapas and Wine and lovely friends…. It’s about as good as it gets!

This is my large 18.5 inch Paella Pan and Bomba Rice-the ONLY rice for making great Paella.. The Paella is large enough to produce a Paella big enough to feed 10 people easily. Buying this pan at a FARADAY’S KITCHEN STORE in Austin,Texas was the best purchase I have ever made. You can also purchase any and all authentic Spanish ingredients at www.latienda.com.

THE PARTY!!!!!
I love to entertain! Hosting themed parties is fun and sharing my cooking skills and wine knowledge is what I enjoy doing! This past Saturday night,I hosted a Paella Party featuring Paella Mixta,Tapas and dessert all paired with fantastic Spanish wines for different regions of Spain.

Randy Duke and Tony Disher opened up their grand home for an evening of dining on Paella and Spanish Wines. M.J. and Amanda Garrett along with Justin and Andrea Allender were just the perfect guests for enjoying the Spanish-themed evening.

HANDSOME !
The Tapas (appetizer) Table included two Spanish Cheeses Mahon and Manchego,Blood Orange and Lemon Marinated Olives with toasted cumin and Sherry Vinegar. Spanish Marcona Almonds and Quicos,which are Spanish Corn nuts, were also served.

Red Wine-Braised Chorizo Sausage served warm was another delicious tapas and the crusty pan grilled bread was used to soak up all of the delicious juices!

The evening began with a toast along with a bubbly glass filled with Domaine de Tharsys CAVA, the sparkling wine from the Cataluna Region of Spain.

Along with the Tapas,everyone sampled 2 other White Spanish Wines: Vina 24 2009 Albarino from Costers del Segre Region and an especially fabulous White Rioja( Rioja Blanca) 2009 Ostatu from the Rioja Region.

The Table is exquisitely set for dinner!

While the guests where enjoying the Tapas,wine and conversation,I was prepping the Paella. BOMBA Rice is the ONLY rice for Paella which is grown in Valencia,Spain.

There are many recipes and styles of Paella,depending on what area of Spain it comes from. PAELLA MIXTA is the Paella of the evening. This is a mixture of seafood including mussels,clams,shrimp,calamari as well as marinated chicken pieces and smoked pork richly seasoned with a saffron and a homemade sofrito.

  This cool,refreshing Green Salad with Asparagus,Sweet Red Oranges and Red Onion with Fresh Tarragon & Basil Buttermilk Dressing was a nice contrast to the spicy meal. Everyone loved it!

Spain produces many high quality affordable wines. Here are the red wines that I selected to pair with the rest of the meal. Protocolo 2009 is delicious and intense 100% Tempranillo from Central Spain and the spicy, fruit-driven 2009 Garnatxa (Garnacha) Joan d’Anguera from the Catalonia Region were the perfect choices for this evening. Iroquois Wine and Spirits in Nashville,TN is a great source of Spain Wines. Ernie Paquette,owner and wine expert has a fabulous selection of Spanish Wines as well many other unique wines for you!

A Discussion and Sampling of the Spanish Wines

Presenting and serving the Paella Mixta

Flan is a popular dessert very similar to creme brûlée. It is a baked custard with a caramel at the bottom of the pan. I used authentic FLAN pans. When you invert the cooled custard onto a plate,the rich caramel flows over custard and makes a beautiful presentation as well as a delicious ending to a rich meal. The pans are available at www.latienda.com

The dessert pairing wine is the classic Spanish Sherry Pedro Ximenez Alvear 1927 from the region of Montilla-Moriles.
This sherry is made with the SOLERA method. To put this simply, a little of each barrel of the young sherry is blended with the older sherry for quality and consistency. In each bottle,there is a little of the 1927 vintage. The complex flavors include caramel,prunes,raisins,molasses,hints of chocolate and coffee as well as spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg,orange and lemon. PX is an intensely sweet dessert wine with complex flavors pairing well with many desserts. Serve chilled.

Wanting to experience A Spanish Evening in your home? Find someone who loves to make Paella and is passionate about wine PLUS a gathering of your close friends to share the event!
 
Wishing they had been invited!
 

CHEERS and Buenas noches!

14

03 2012

MY FIRST PUBLISHED ARTICLE! Enjoy this Delicious and Healthy Roasted Vegetable Pasta Primavera and TOAST to your HEALTH with a Glass of Cannonau Di Sardegna from Italy

Sharing distinctive wines with friends is my passion. My goal is to learn about as many wines as I can and share that knowledge with you. I am now a new contributor to FORWARD FOCUS Magazine Publication.Stay tuned for more tasty and healthy wine and food pairings!


Photos by Layla Mays Photography 

Food and Wine Pairing

14

03 2012