With the cold weather, it is perfect for warming the house up with the delicious smells wafting from the oven. Hosting a dinner party can be hectic & unnerving.
While you have picked out the dishes for each course of the menu, our Savvy Sommeliers have selected 6 bottles of outstanding wines from Niagara’s Fielding Estates Winery that will WOW your guests.
The best part – this Savvy Dinner Party Pack is only available from us. Order now to save over $25 & shipping by courier is included.
Sparkling Wine – an elegant crisp bubbly to serve on arrival
White Wines – enjoy with soup, salad… and save some for dessert!
Melt away any thoughts of winter with these refreshing white wines
Fielding Estate Bottled Riesling VQA 2011
Fielding Viognier VQA 2011
Red Wines – Why not have a mini wine tasting over your main course?
From the outstanding 2010 vintage, these red wines will WOW your guests:
Fielding Cabernet Sauvignon VQA 2010
Fielding Merlot VQA 2010
Fielding Cabernet Franc VQA 2010
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ORDER this special Savvy Dinner Party Pack > >
Now with the wines enroute, all you have to do is invite your guests….and set the table!
Grab your favorite recipe book or make your menu with these tried & tested recipes that the Fielding family, winemaker & Savvy Sommeliers recommend to serve with the selected wines. Enjoy the meal and most of all the time with your friends & family around the dinner table.
Let’s get the party started!
Seafood Chowder
Here’s an idea – welcome your guests with a mug of this chowder rather than passing around platters of hors d’oeuvres before dinner. This sets a relaxed tone to the dinner party…and will be delicious with a glass of Fielding sparkling wine.
Ingredients
8 slices bacon, chopped fine
2 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, chopped fine (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup flour
3 cups clam juice or seafood stock (or vegetable stock)
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound shucked clams
1/2 pound cod, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound scallops
1/2 pound shucked oysters
4 cups half-and-half
Fresh parsley, for garnish
Method
In a large stockpot over medium heat, cook the bacon until browned. Add the butter and onions, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir until well combined. Add 2 to 3 cups broth.
Then add the potatoes, thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are almost fork tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the clams, cod, shrimp, scallops, and oysters and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the half-and-half and heat through (do not bring to a boil or the chowder will curdle).
When finished add parsley and serve.
It’s time to gather everyone at the table…
When your guests see the dinner table set with glasses of Fielding’s white wines & plates of refreshing melon & scallops, the sight will get taste buds going!
Grilled Sea Scallop with Honeydew & Soy Glaze
Ingredients
½ small honeydew
½ English cucumber
½ long red chili
1 sprig mint, picked about four or five leaves)
1 sprig basil, picked (about four or five leaves)
1 lime
Olive oil
1 bunch arugula leaves to garnish
Salt & Pepper
Soy Glaze
¼ cup light soy sauce
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon sherry vinega
r½ teaspoon sesame oil
Method
Finely dice the honeydew, cucumber and chili and mix in a bowl. Finely chop the basil and mint. Set in a separate bowl in the fridge.
In a bowl whisk together the soy sauce, honey, vinegar and sesame oil.
Lightly oil the scallops with vegetable oil, season them with salt and pepper and cook over a hot grill until just cooked through, about four to six minutes.While the scallops are cooking, combine the herbs with the melon mixture and season with a pinch of salt and a couple drops of lime juice and olive oil.
In a bowl dress the arugula with a few drops of lime juice and olive oil.
To serve, spread the arugula out on four dishes then remove the scallops from the grill and place on the arugula. Dress each scallop with a generous spoonful of the honeydew mix and spoon some soy glaze around the plate.
For the Main Attraction….
Here’s another novel idea: Have a mini wine tasting! Just before you arrive with plates of the main course, give each guest 3 wine glasses with a sampling of the Fielding red wines in each. Which wine is best with the dish will become a lively conversation!
A wine trivia or interesting tidbit to get the conversation started: Did you know that Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Cabernet Franc are the 3 grape varieties used in crafting French Bordeaux & or what the rest of the wine world calls ‘Meritage’ (pronounced Mary-tidge)?
Here are 2 recipes to consider serving for your main course.
Recipe #1: Bacon wrapped Veal Tenderloin with Leeks & Mushrooms
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 veal tenderloin portions
1 package good quality smoked bacon, the thinner the better
2 medium leeks, trimmed and washed
1 pint button mushrooms, trimmed and washed
1 pint oyster mushrooms, trimmed and washed
1 small package dried porcini mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
300 ml of cream (35%)
1 lemon
Salt & pepper
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees
Spread out four pieces of cling film (about 1 ½ feet by 3 feet each) on a large clean surface. On the cling film lay a piece of bacon lengthwise away from you about three inches from the left hand edge of the cling film.
Working from left to right repeat with another piece of bacon, slightly overlapping on the right side of the first piece. Repeat until you have laid out 5 strips on each piece of cling film.
Lightly season the veal with salt and pepper and place lengthwise across the bacon at the end closest to your body. Roll the bacon around the veal until it can be tucked under, then trim any excess bacon.
Place the bacon wrapped veal seam side down on the cling film at the end closest to you and wrap the cling film around the veal. Twist the ends to tighten and place in the fridge for at least one hour to firm up.
Cut the leeks in half and finely slice into half-moon shapes. Slice the button mushrooms and tear the oyster mushrooms into strips, removing the stems.
Soak the dried porcini in warm water. Once they are re-hydrated, chop them and strain the water through a fine sieve and reserve.
Place a large pan on the stove on high heat. Add a knob of butter and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. When the butter sizzles, add the mushrooms, toss to coat and put the pan back on the heat to get some colour. Season with salt and pepper. If the pan looks dry, add a bit more oil and butter.
After a couple minutes you can toss the mushrooms. Again, if they are dry add a bit more oil and/or butter. Once they are nicely golden, turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic and the leeks. Sweat these for four to five minutes then add ¼ cup of reserved porcini water. Allow this to reduce to half its volume and then add the cream. Allow to simmer.
While this is reducing heat another large pan over medium high heat. Carefully remove the cling film from the veal. Once the pan is hot, sear the veal in oil on all sides until nicely coloured. Place the pan in the oven and cook, turning frequently until medium rare (about 6-8 minutes). Allow the veal to rest.
Once the cream has reduced to coat the back of a spoon, check the seasoning and add a few drops of lemon juice. Place a large spoonful onto the middle of four plates. Carefully carve each piece of veal in two and place onto the mushrooms mixture.
Recipe #2: Beef Tenderloin with Port, Mushroom & Stilton Sauce
Serves 6-8
One of the Savvy Sommeliers Patti Petty loves to cook. When she took a sip of the Fielding Cabernet Sauvignon & also a sip of the Merlot, she said “I have the perfect recipe to pair with both of these wines.” Enjoy!
Ingredients
¼ cup butter
½ tsp. coarsely ground pepper
1 tsp. minced fresh garlic
2-3 lb. beef tenderloin, trimmed and tied
Reduction Sauce
1 tbsp butter
4 oz. crumbled Stilton cheese
1 cup beef broth
¼ cup Maderia wine
1 cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup chopped pecans, toasted
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup green onions
Method
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a skillet melt ¼ cup butter until sizzling; stir in pepper and garlic. Place tenderloin in skillet. Cook over medium high heat until browned on all sides (7 – 9 minutes).
Remove from pan; reserve pan juices and browned particles in skillet. Line a 9×13” baking pan with foil; place tenderloin in pan.
Bake 35 – 50 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 160 F (medium). Remove from oven and let rest, tented for 5 – 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tbsp. butter in same skillet with reserved pan juices and browned particles until sizzling; stir in blue cheese. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until cheese is melted (4 – 5 minutes). Stir in beef broth and wine; add mushrooms. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are tender. Stir in remaining sauce ingredients.
Serve over carved tenderloin.
A sweet way to finish off…
Whether your guests have a sweet tooth or not, the team at Fielding certainly do! Here are some of their favorite desserts – make one…or treat your guests to both! They are classics.
Recipe #1: Ken’s Favourite Apple Pie
From the kitchen of Ken & Marg Fielding (winery owners)
Ingredients
Use your favorite pastry recipe for a 9 inch double crust pie
Filling
5 to 6 firm apples (Ken prefers to use Spy apples)
juice of 1/2 lemon
sugar – white or brown if you like
1 Tbsp. butter
ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. of Rum – yes you read that right! (alternately 2 Tsp. vanilla extract)
Method
Wash, peel and core apples, but do not discard peel and cores.
Slice apples thinly on the side of a kitchen grater or in a food processor. Place slices in a bowl and sprinkle very lightly with lemon juice, tossing apples over with a fork. Starting with 1/2 cup or so, sprinkle sugar over apples, again tossing gently to coat. From time to time taste a slice. When it seems sweet enough for you, stop adding sugar.
Roll pastry into two rounds and fit one into the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Fill the shell with apple slices, mounding them well into the centre. Roll out top, cutting a 1/2 inch round hole in the middle of the top, rather than making slits all around.
Dot apples with butter and grate about 1/2 tsp of nutmeg over them. Sprinkle rum or vanilla over all, wet edge of bottom crust and lay top pastry over apples. Seal and crimp.
Bake in a 425 degree F. oven 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degree F and bake 35 minutes.
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Ken & Marg’s BIG Trick
Ken & Marg (far left & right in this photo) pass along their big secret to making this pie a delicious conversation piece…
While pie is baking place peel and cores in a small saucepan and cover with water. Add 2 tbsp. sugar, place over low heat and simmer uncovered while pie is in oven. After 5 minutes of cooling strain the liquid. This syrup has all the flavour from just under the apple peel.
When pie is baked, place on a rack in a location where there is good air circulation.
Pour 2-4 Tbsp of the syrup through the hole in the top of the pie as it cools and tip the pie gently from side to side to distribute the syrup evenly. You may want to add more syrup. As the peel is full of pectin, you don’t need to worry that this will make the filling runny. It will tend to gel and give the filling a firmer texture.
Recipe #2: Mom’s Rice Pudding
From the kitchen of Ray Cornell (Fielding’s winemaker)
“This is my Moms’ recipe. It’s really good, but not for the calorie conscious!” – Ray
Ingredients
3/4 cup short grain (arborio) rice
5-6 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar (brown or white) – Ray prefers using brown sugar
1-2 teaspoons vanilla – “I like vanilla so I always use 2 teaspoons” – Ray
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
Method
Cook rice, milk, and salt in top of double boiler (approx. 1 hour).
Beat eggs and sugar. Stir some of the pudding into eggs and stir all back into the pudding with the vanilla, nutmeg and butter (Tip from Ray – at this point you can also incorporate the raisins, but I omit them).
Stir well, the heat of the pudding will cook the eggs. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours
Garnish with a dash of ground cinnamon or shaved almonds.
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Bon Appétit & Cheers!
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Re-ordering your favorite Fielding wines is easy…
After you have enjoyed the wines we’ve selected for this Savvy Dinner Party Pack, you and your guests can re-order any of your favorites by contacting our Savvy Team directly on 613-SAVVYCO (728-8926) or cheers@savvycompany.ca We will gladly arrange a special shipment for you.
Here’s to another great dinner party!
