The CookingBites Recipe Challenge: Wine

Ok, here's my first one for Wine Wars 2021:

Recipe - Fromage Fort (Strong Cheese)

This is something I make quite a bit, to use up old cheese. It's different every time, which is kind of fun.

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I keep the small bottles for cooking. I occasionally need a full bottle - Drunk Pork Roast, Boeuf Bourguignon, Wine and Ginger Braised Venison. Since I drink white wine and always have it on hand I keep mini bottles of red wine for cooking. I sometimes use a splash of white wine in scrambled eggs.
Making wine the star is a challenge.
 
As I roll up the creative engine to conceive of some unique recipes using wine, I find myself concerned with using some of the new spices I have recently acquired, but have yet to use - fenugreek, cardamon, nutmeg, cumin and annato, to mention those that I now have. And I am looking acquire cloves too. And I don't want to jump in with some new curry or chutney, but something else, unique.

Combining wine as an ingredient with other ingredients is a main concern. It must be harmonious and complimentary where it is used.

I perceive that wine will often be within the realm of the saucier and as such, cannot help but involve spices of various kinds. Then too, desserts and baking my use wine, but completely absent of spice use. But even here, I find coulis to be a sort of sauce that has applications across the line that divides sauces for meat and other dishes from desserts and baking uses. Wine is a liquid and certainly, that part of its nature seems to determine its involvement in cooking liquids such as sauces, purees, coulisses, as well as soups, stews and such.

Knowing that much, I am also motivated to identify uses of wine in non-liquid creations. For example, one can boil pasta in wine and water, instead of just water, to create pastas that are both altered in flavor and color. So it occurs, that where ever water may be used, so can wine. This opens up the realms of breads, crusts, cakes, meat loafs, tarts, custards, puddings and many other things.

Needless to say, having gone further than this in my brain-storming, I already have a number of ideas running and am lucky to have much of what I need, on the shelf and in the fridge and freezer. I will still, however, have to shop for some things.

Good luck on your wine recipe creations and I hope by sharing my thoughts, you may be inspired to find something delicious to create.
 
flyinglentris said:
As I roll up the creative engine to conceive of some unique recipes using wine, I find myself concerned with using some of the new spices I have recently acquired, but have yet to use - fenugreek, cardamon, nutmeg, cumin and annato, to mention those that I now have. And I am looking acquire cloves too. And I don't want to jump in with some new curry or chutney, but something else, unique.

Combining wine as an ingredient with other ingredients is a main concern. It must be harmonious and complimentary where it is used.

I perceive that wine will often be within the realm of the saucier and as such, cannot help but involve spices of various kinds. Then too, desserts and baking my use wine, but completely absent of spice use. But even here, I find coulis to be a sort of sauce that has applications across the line that divides sauces for meat and other dishes from desserts and baking uses. Wine is a liquid and certainly, that part of its nature seems to determine its involvement in cooking liquids such as sauces, purees, coulisses, as well as soups, stews and such.

Knowing that much, I am also motivated to identify uses of wine in non-liquid creations. For example, one can boil pasta in wine and water, instead of just water, to create pastas that are both altered in flavor and color. So it occurs, that where ever water may be used, so can wine. This opens up the realms of breads, crusts, cakes, meat loafs, tarts, custards, puddings and many other things.

Needless to say, having gone further than this in my brain-storming, I already have a number of ideas running and am lucky to have much of what I need, on the shelf and in the fridge and freezer. I will still, however, have to shop for some things.

Good luck on your wine recipe creations and I hope by sharing my thoughts, you may be inspired to find something delicious to create.
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You bring up some good points. I think the biggest challenge will be how to make wine the star of the show.
 
Morning Glory said:
There are some obvious classic dishes - Coq au vin for example.
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That made my short list, but was eliminated in favor of another chicken dish I may make.

My criteria this time around, in order to spotlight the wine, was to simply say, "there must be at least 1/2 cup of wine in the recipe" - none of this tablespoon/teaspoon business! :laugh:

The little cheese spread I made - since it's not cooked, you can really taste the wine in it.
 
TastyReuben said:
Unless I need a full bottle for braising, I use those fairly cheap mini bottles a lot. I usually have a handful of little cab, merlot, pinto (both grigio and noir), and Sauvignon blanc bottles sitting around. Great for pan sauces and the like.
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An open bottle of wine (full size) doesn't last long in my house. I use white wine pretty frequently for cooking, but whatever I don't use in the dish ends up in my glass and the bottle is finished along with dinner. I will cook with red wine when making Bolognese sauce or as part of a marinade for beef, but again, there will be nothing left in the bottle by the end of the night!

Oh, and if it's not drinkable, I never will cook with it. I think many of us are like that. I once had bought a bad bottle of wine unbeknownst to me until after opening, of course. A friend blasphemously suggested using it for cooking wine. Nope. It went down the drain.
 
I make a seafood primavera pasta using white wine pretty regularly, but I don't follow a recipe and I have never measured anything. I add a little of this and that and season it with a pinch of the other until it tastes the way I want it. I'd like to do something a little more creative if I enter the challenge, though.
 
JAS_OH1 said:
Oh, and if it's not drinkable, I never will cook with it. I think many of us are like that. I once had bought a bad bottle of wine unbeknownst to me until after opening, of course. A friend blasphemously suggested using it for cooking wine. Nope. It went down the drain.
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I recall reading some time ago that, when cooking with sherry, use one that you enjoy drinking. "Cooking sherry" adds salt, which doesn't help the dish (you want to regulate the salt level yourself). Plus, "cooking sherries" often don't taste particularly good by themselves.
 
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