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comes to pairing with food and as you can see from our Food
Pairing page, there is an enormous selection of food items to
choose from with Riesling. Riesling can definitely pair with
a large variety of ethnic food and sometimes that can be
difficult to do with other wines. Certainly, when it comes to
Asian fare, Riesling dominates the competition, having all
the right components to make the perfect match with the
assortment of flavors and spices.
Riesling can also venture off into territories that very few
other typical grape varieties try to embark upon, such as
desserts. In fact, the right style of Riesling makes a terrific
after dinner drink or dessert companion. Rieslings can be
sweet, but they are not likely to be sweeter than the dessert
entrée and that is vital for making a great combination with
desserts. If you are fond of eating fruit at the end of the
meal, like they serve in many Asian restaurants, Riesling
wines can really sing for you! They are definitely one of the
fruitiest wine styles out there and these fruit flavors make
for an interesting and harmonious blend with other fruits.
Obviously, one reason that Riesling can pair with so many
different types of foods is that it comes in such a wide array
of styles ranging from bone dry to overtly sweet. This can
create some degree of difficulty when choosing which style
of wine to pair with your entrée. Common sense should
prevail here. You should pick a dry Riesling to pair with
seafood and dishes prepared in cream or butter sauces. The
sweeter style would be ideal for those aforementioned
desserts I talked about. Both styles of Riesling can make an
interesting pair with spicy (hot) dishes as well as most Asian
cuisine. The only caution I would have here is that you
wouldn’t want to select a wine that is too sweet. I also
wouldn’t try to serve a Riesling with any beef or dark meat
dish unless it was prepared in either a sweet sauce or a
really spicy manner.
I have found in my wine journeys that people either really
love Riesling or they don’t particularly like them at all. I
find it difficult myself to sit down and drink one by itself.
However, even the most unwavering of Riesling critics
would have to agree that Riesling wines really come into
their own when served with food. Just look at all the
different cheeses ranging from soft to hard, mild or strong,
that Rieslings can pair with for example. When it comes to
finding the perfect wine to accompany your gourmet entrée’
s, Riesling can be a great wine to fall back on.
Here are some recipes that will help your Riesling wine
really sing:
Recipes
• 24 chicken wings, disjointed
• 4 cups vegetable oil, (peanut, corn, or other
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2-5 tablespoon Franks Louisiana Hot Sauce
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• salt and pepper
• celery sticks
Also Required:
• deep fryer or heavy skillet
Cut each wing into pieces at joints and discard the small wingtips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the
vegetable oil in a deep fryer or heavy skillet until quite hot. Add half of wings and cook until brown and crisp
(15-20 min.), remove and drain well. Cook remaining wings the same way. Melt the butter in a small
saucepan and add the hot sauce and vinegar. Pile the wings on a warm platter and pour the sauce over them.
Serve in blue cheese dressing and celery sticks on the side.
Wines that go with this recipe:
Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Émile
Trimbach Riesling
Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune
Buffalo Chicken Wings Variation #2
• 24 chicken wings, disjointed as above
• 1/2 cup Frank s Louisiana Hot Sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• Blue Cheese Dressing
This version is a little lighter than the first. Season the chicken wings with salt and pepper and broil in the
oven until brown and tender, turning once or twice during cooking. Mix the hot sauce, honey, vinegar, lemon
juice and mustard in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring, till sauce thickens. Pile the cooked wings in a
bowl, pour sauce over and stir to coat. Serve with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.
Oysters Rockefeller
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions including green tops
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley
• 1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 2 teaspoons anisette (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 slices bacon
• 18 raw oysters
• rock salt
• 1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine
Also Required:
• small skillet or sauté pan
• blender
• shallow, oven-proof serving dish
Melt the butter in a small skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté celery, onions and parsley until
almost tender. Squeeze the thawed spinach until fairly dry and add to the other vegetables. Cook about
three minutes longer, stirring regularly. In blender, combine the sautéed vegetables, anisette and salt.
Blend until almost pureed, stopping blender several times to process evenly.
Cut the bacon into 1/4 x 1 inch slices and fry over medium heat until lightly browned. Drain and set aside.
Place 1/4 to 1/2 inch of rock salt in a shallow, oven-proof serving dish. Nestle the half shell oysters evenly in
the bed of salt. (The rock salt holds the shells level and keeps the oysters hot.)
Top each oyster with spinach mixture and a few bits of bacon. Combine bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon
melted butter and sprinkle crumb mixture over oysters. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve
immediately.
You may also set the rock salt and oysters on individual ovenproof plates. Allow 3-6 oysters per portion.
Servings: 3 to 6
Sole Meunière
• 2 pounds filet of sole
• flour
• 4 tablespoons butter
• salt, white pepper
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Also Required:
• skillet
Season fish with salt and white pepper. Flour lightly on both sides. In a skillet (preferably nonstick), melt 2
tablespoons butter until bubbling but not brown. Add the fish and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
Turn the filets and brown the other side until done (thick filets may need to be turned a second time).
Remove fish to a warm platter or individual plates and sprinkle with the lemon juice and minced parsley.
Add the rest of the butter to the skillet and heat until foaming and golden brown. Pour butter over the fish.
Garnish with lemon quarters.
Servings: 4
Chicken in Orange Cream Sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 6-8 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup orange liqueur, such as Triple sec or Grand Marnier
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 oranges, peeled and sectioned
• 2 oranges, cut into thin slices, for garnish
• 12 maraschino cherries, cut in half, for garnish
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley
Also Required:
• sauté pan or skillet
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or heavy skillet over high heat until sizzling, about 2 minutes. Season
the chicken breasts with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and roll in the flour. Brown the
breasts about 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Discard the remaining olive oil but
do not wash the pan.
Melt the butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-3
minutes. Pour in the orange liqueur, stirring well to deglaze the pan, and bubble for 2 minutes. Add the
orange juice, cream, chicken stock and lemon juice, and bring back to a boil. Stir in the remaining salt and
pepper and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the browned chicken and any accumulated
juices and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Just before serving, gently stir in the orange sections. To serve,
place a chicken breast in the middle of each plate and cover with sauce. Garnish with orange slices,
maraschino cherry halves and minced parsley.
Pork Medallions with Green Onions
• 2 whole pork tenderloins
• ½ pound fresh mushrooms
• 4-5 whole green onions
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 2/3 cup chicken stock
• salt, black pepper
• flour for dredging
• 2-3 Tablespoons oil or clarified butter
Trim off any fat from the pork loins and slice them across the grain into medallions about ¼ inch thick.
Pound lightly to even thickness, if necessary. Salt and pepper lightly on both sides.
Wash and slice the mushrooms. Slice the green onions thinly on the diagonal.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil or clarified butter in a nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot,
dredge the pork slices lightly in flour, shaking off excess. In a single layer, brown meat quickly on both
sides, turning once or twice. Remove from pan when cooked and keep warm. Add another tablespoon of oil
and repeat until all meat is cooked.
Increase heat to high and add the mushrooms; cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the white
wine and reduce until almost dry. Add the green onions and stir for 30 seconds. Add chicken stock and
reduce slightly. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Return pork to pan and moisten well with the
vegetables and pan juices. Serve hot with steamed or pilaf rice.
Servings: 4
Seafood with Curry/Coconut Milk
• 1-1/2 cups coconut milk
• 1-1/4 pounds fresh cod or monkfish
• 1-1/4 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed & debearded
• 1-1/4 pounds tiger prawns, shelled & deveined
• cooked Thai (jasmine) rice or fresh pasta noodles (about 2-3oz per person)
• 1 red Thai Chili, deseeded & sliced
• 1 green Thai chili, deseeded & sliced
• 3 stalks lemon grass
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (fresh coriander)
Also Required:
• wok or deep pot
Cut the lemon grass in half lengthways and then into 3 inch pieces; bruise it by smashing with the back of a
heavy knife. Bring the coconut milk to the boil in a wok or deep pot and add chilis. Add the mussels to the
wok and cover. Steam the mussels and remove as soon as they open. Reduce the coconut milk to a simmer
and add the fish & prawns. When fish is opaque and the prawns are bright pink, remove them from the wok
and set aside with the mussels.
Return sauce to the boil and reduce quantity by half. Return all seafood to the wok and heat through Serve
with fragrant Thai rice or Tagliatelle pasta - garnished with coriander Seafood should be barely cooked to
keep it tender.
Chinese Barbecued Pork
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons sherry
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (cloves, anise, cinnamon, ginger)
• 3 quarter-size slices fresh ginger, crushed
• 3 pounds lean boneless pork (shoulder or butt), trimmed
Also Required:
• baking sheet
Stir together all ingredients except pork. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Cool
marinade. Cut pork into 1-inch-thick slices and place them in a bowl. Cover with the marinade, turning to
coat all sides. Cover and refrigerate overnight; turn meat 3-4 times to marinate evenly. The next day,
preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain the pork, conserving marinade, and bake on a parchment-lined cookie
sheet for 1-1 1/4 hours (A rack set on top of the baking sheet gives best results). Brush meat with marinade
several times, and turn occasionally to cook evenly. To serve hot as an appetizer, cut in very thin slices.
May also be used warm or cold in soups and other dishes.
Cannelloni
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 8 ounce package cannelloni wrappers (sold frozen in grocery stores)
• Béchamel Sauce
Also Required:
• saucepan
• 9x12 inch baking dish
Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the onion and garlic until soft over medium heat. Increase the heat
slightly and add the ground beef. Cook and stir to break up for about 5 minutes, or until browned. Add
tomato paste, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Stir
in ricotta cheese and ½ cup Parmesan.
Prepare the Béchamel Sauce. Meanwhile, cook the cannelloni according to the directions on the package.
(Do not overcook). Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.
Grease a 9 x 12 inch baking dish. Stuff half the cannelloni with about 2 tablespoons of the meat filling each
and lay in a single layer in the baking dish. Cover with half of the Béchamel sauce. Stuff the remaining
cannelloni and lay them in a second layer on top of the first. Cover with remaining Béchamel. Sprinkle top
with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake the cannelloni at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes. Finish under the broiler
for a minute just to brown the top.
Servings: 6
Purchased cannelloni wrappers simplify this dish of meat and ricotta filling topped with béchamel sauce.
Bourbon-Spiced Sweet Potatoes
• 6 medium-sized sweet potatoes
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
Also Required:
• casserole dish
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Rinse the sweet potatoes, pierce with fork and bake in the oven until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Peel away the skin and scoop the pulp into a stainless-steel mixing bowl. Mash the potatoes; then add the
butter, eggs, cream and sugar and continue mixing until well blended. Gradually add the cinnamon, nutmeg,
salt, and bourbon and continue mixing until well blended.
Lower the oven to 350°F. Spoon the mashed potatoes into a well-buttered casserole dish and bake in the
oven for 15 minutes or until warmed through. The potatoes can be made to this point and refrigerated.
When you are ready to serve, preheat the broiler. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the casserole and
broil until golden brown.
Servings: 6
Crème Caramel
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 2 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 cups very warm milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• several cups boiling water
Also Required:
• small heavy skillet
• small casserole or soufflé dish
Heat the 1/2 cup of sugar in a small heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring as it melts to a syrup and
browns to a medium caramel color. Very slowly and carefully add the boiling water. Stir and boil a couple of
minutes until syrup is smooth, and pour into a small casserole or soufflé dish. Tilt dish to cover all the inside
with the hot caramel, and let cool at room temperature. As it cools, beat the eggs and egg yolks with the 1/4
cup sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Slowly stir in the warm milk, mix well and pour into casserole dish. Set
the dish in a larger pan of boiling water and bake at 275 degrees F. for 1 hour or until a knife inserted a
couple of inches from the edge comes out clean. Chill several hours and turn out onto a platter, pouring the
caramel sauce over the top.
Servings: 4
