Where does your creativity begin in developing a new dish? What inspires you? Is it the wine, a special spice or a special cut of meat? Sometimes I get ideas from the combining of two meats to create a new taste. Like combining small chunks of chicken breast(bite size) rolled in brown sugar, cayenne pepper and creole seasoning wrapped in a half of a slice of bacon and baked at about 375 until the bacon is crisp. I like this appetizer with pinot noir.

For me, it's usually a thought or a single ingredient, but has never been one thing.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to make someone a very fancy dinner...but I had just borrowed a blowtorch from a friend. Creme brulee, right? No, I had to be more creative than that. So, I decided to brulee some fruit for dinner. Pears came to mind, but I figured that I could add so much more flavor beneath that crispy sugar coating. So, I opted to poach them which opened up many options for wine, aromatics, and flavorings. Of course, after that, I needed a good sauce for plating...and more options. It turned out to be a Malbec Poached Pear Brulee with a Pomegranate Marscapone Cream Sauce. mmmm... That served to be the spring board for the rest of the menu.

That was just starting off with a blow torch for inspiration. I've also been inspired with new dishes by wanting a certain color, texture, or ingredient. Special occasions are another great source of inspiration for me. So, is taking an old recipe and jazzing it up with a new twist.

I get inspired by ingredients. Particularly as I grow a lot of stuff myself. That necessitates using "it", figuring out how to make the best of "it".

Right now green garlic is in. One simple side dish I made that came out well was quinoa, using half water half chicken broth, chopped green garlic, a dash of Bragg's and some toasted sesame oil. Fluffy, savory, toasty.

I try to create a dish for a particular wine I've had. I ask myself what defines the wine in three words or less and then go from there. IMO, it's better to have a wine you know well to make a dish to pair with it.

Take what defines the wine for a NZ Sauv Blanc: crisp, refreshing, tropical. Contrast the light wine with something heavy, like cream. Saltiness works with acidic wines as well. Go from there...

quote:

Originally posted by Berno:
I ask myself what defines the wine in three words or less and then go from there.

I like that thought. I make alot of my own wine at home, and sometimes it can be difficult pairing any batch to a dish. That sounds simple enough and flexible to help with that. I'll try that approach when I bottle the next batch.

X how did your Barolo dinner work out?

Food first, wine second. Or the other way around. All depends on what comes first.

Glad to see you back, grun....

quote:

Originally posted by mpls wine guy:
X how did your Barolo dinner work out?

It still has another week and a half to clarify. I tasted it about 1/2 week ago when I took my last progress sample and it's tasting brilliant already. Thanks for asking.

Food first, wine second...all the more reason to have an extensive selection of wines on hand !

The "different meat" combinations have the potential to be phenomenal! 2 examples from my experience:

Ground Italian Sausage wrapped in Chicken rolls. This is merely italian sausage rolled-up in pounded chicken breasts, with some aromatics included as well...there may be more to the dish, but all I've ever really cared about is the heavenly chicken/italian sausage combination.

Pepperoni and steak. I know, this may sound weird. The first time I had this was at a fabulous Minneapolis restaurant called "Auriga"...anybody in the Twin Cities area NEEDS to check this out...on the west side, if I remember correctly...near Lake and Hennepin...my memory may be horribly failing me...it's been many years... Anyways, don't buy the pre-sliced pepperoni, rather purchase a whole link. Slice the pepperoni about 1/8 inch thick. Place a few slices atop a nice juicy steak. Sauteed mushrooms finish and a butter sauce make this dish the best heart attack you may ever have!

That is the beauty of food and wine. There are only limits if you allow them to exist. Experiment, sometimes you will regret it and other times you will rejoice. To answer you question either comes first. You can either make the meal and pick out a wine to compliment it (this approach if you know what you want to eat), or choose the wine first (and then make the meal to compliment/contrast the wine as long as one does not overpower the other).

Thanks all for the replys.

Tonight, I'm having grilled halibut for dinner, and a CAB!