wine help: Riesling with Dinner - Help.com

Riesling with Dinner

Cinnamon. Perhaps not a spice you would immediately think of when pairing with Riesling. However, we had a Cinnamon Roasted Chicken with Pozole and Pears (recipe below) that was a delicious dinner as well as lovely match for the Alsatian and Austrian wine. For the dish, we used hominy instead of pozole, which led to the question “what is hominy?” To my knowledge, hominy is dried white or yellow corn kernels from which the hull and germ have been removed. When grounded, they are referred to as hominy grits - as Geoff confirmed. This was a food discovery for me since I thought it was something like tahini (Doug and James are still laughing). Our cheese selection included Spenwood English and a French Brillat Savarin Triple Cream. The triple cream was a gastronomical delight, both with the wine and on its own. The Hirsch wine went especially well with our meal. The acids and pear flavors went quite nicely with the sweet cinnamon and pear found in the dish.

2000 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Cuvee Theo, Alsace The wine had a dark straw color, made me think of a German Spatlese. A refreshing citrus nose and a crisp lemony taste. Light to medium-bodied and approachable.

2000 Hirsch Zobinger Heiligenstein, Austria Light straw color. A robust sweet nose with floral and mineral taste. Medium-bodied with tangy acids that went well with our meal. (our favorite)

2000 Salomon Riesling Kremser Kogl, Austria This was also light in color and not as viscous as the Weinbach. Mineral in the mouth with hints of pear but felt a little thin and had a short aftertaste.

Cinnamon Roasted Chicken with Pozole and Pears

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts 2 chicken legs (drumstick and thigh connected) 2 tblsp good olive oil 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp brown sugar 1 tsp coarse salt 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/2 large yellow onion, roughly chopped 4 cloves garlic 3 green pears, such as Bartlett or Anjou, not quite ripe 2 slices smoked bacon 3 c chicken stock, preferably homemade 2 c cooked pozole, or 1 29-oz can of hominy 4 tsp dried cherries (optional) 1 tblsp fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, chervil and parsley), finely minced 1 tblsp unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 450F. Rub the chicken pieces with olive oil. Combine the cinnamon, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Rub the chicken pieces with the cinnamon mixture. Arrange the chicken pieces in a roasting pan skin side up. Put the chicken into the oven and immediately lower the heat to 300F and roast for 45 minutes. Baste the chicken with the pan juices and continue to roast it for an additional 30 minutes, or until the juices run free.

Meanwhile, cut the onion and garlic into medium dice. Peel and core the pears and cut them into medium dice. Roughly chop the bacon. Combine the chopped onion, garlic, pears and bacon in a roasting pan just large enough to hold the ingredients in a single layer. Roast in the same oven as the chicken for the same amount of time. The ingredients should be well roasted and lightly caramelized. When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and baste again. Allow it to rest in a warm place.

Transfer the roasted onion and pear mixture to a deep saucepan. Deglaze the roasting pan with the chicken stock and add it to the saucepan. Add the cooked pozole and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the dried cherries, if desired. Lower the heat to a simmer. Just before serving, add the herbs and whisk in the butter. To serve, place a piece of chicken in the center of each of 4 deep dinner plates or shallow bowls. Spoon the pozole mixture over the chicken.

Serves 4

Recipe from Robert Del Grande, Café Annie, Houston, TX King Estate Oregon Wines

This open post was written 3 years, 9 months ago | V/U/S: 340, 1, 1 | Edit Post | Leave a reply | Report Post

wine, hominy, cinnamon, chicken, pozole, wine tasting, alsace, austria, alsatian riesling, austrian riesling (How Tags Affect Reciprocity)

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