Custom Search

California Dry White Wine

White wine becomes dry when sugars from the juice convert to alcohol. This happens during the fermentation process. If there is a small amount of residual sugars, the wine is medium-dry. A dry wine can also be fruity because fruitiness does not automatically mean sweet. Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc are examples of dry wines with plenty of fruit aromas and flavors. Sauvignon Blanc goes well with fruit and cheese platters.

Chardonnay is the most popular dry white wine to come out of California but also comes in sweeter varieties. Pinot Gris is a close runner up in terms of popularity. The grape lineage is related to the Pinot Noir grape. Pinot Gris has more body than, for example, Sauvignon Blanc. Its aroma is of minerals and pear and it is good with fish dishes and creamy recipes. Pinot Blanc is medium dry and less complex than a Chardonnay.

Learn More About Wine>> California Wine Country Mini Articles are spread through out the site get a list of articles at this link.

How to Cook Artichokes in Artichoke Recipes

Photo Description:

A Picture of Baked Baby Artichokes with Lemon and Parsley - is a wonderful and elegant dish that is the perfect accompaniment for any of our chicken dishes. It has a wonderful citrus twist to this classic vegetable side dish recipe.

How to Cook Artichokes in Artichoke Recipes

Some artichoke recipes call for whole artichokes, which are often served with a dipping sauce. This recipe however uses baby artichokes instead and the topping uses a mixture of lemon, parsley and oil to keep the dish beautifully delicate and moist. This artichoke recipe makes a great salad or appetizer. It can be served straight from the oven or at room temperature.

Baked Baby Artichokes with Lemon and Parsley

Ingredients -

14 baby artichokes
1 cup dry white wine
¼ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

For the topping:

1 cup homemade breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Extra oil for drizzling
Salt and pepper
Parsley leaves for garnish
Parmesan cheese, finely grated (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Clean the baby artichokes by peeling the stems and the outer, tough leaves. Chop off the top third. If you are not ready to use them immediately, keep them in a bowl of water with some lemon juice added so they don’t discolor.

In a large casserole dish, place the artichokes, garlic, olive oil and wine. Add some water if the artichokes are not already covered with liquid. Cover the casserole and bake for 20 or 30 minutes until tender.

Remove the artichokes from the oven and turn it up to 400ºF. Pour off any excess liquid. Mix the topping ingredients together and sprinkle it over the artichokes. Drizzle on some more olive oil and bake them with this topping until golden brown. Sprinkle some more parsley over to garnish and also some Parmesan cheese if you like.

Serves 4

Wine Suggestion:

Which Wine to Serve with This Recipe

Because many artichoke recipes have a very light, delicate taste, a good wine to serve with this dish would be fresh and dry. A sauvignon, unoaked Chablis or young Chenin Blanc would be perfect. These wines are best served at 55ºF.

What are Artichokes?

Many people wonder about the strange shaped green things in the fresh produce aisle. Artichokes are a delicious vegetable, high in vitamin C and potassium. Only a small amount of the artichoke is used in cooking recipes. Artichokes are usually boiled or steamed and baby artichokes are very popular because they cook much quicker than the larger varieties. Artichoke hearts are the main ingredients in artichoke dip, which is great served with French bread. The globe artichoke is the most common type used in artichoke recipes, followed by the Jerusalem artichoke and Chinese artichoke.

Wine with Artichokes

Artichokes are light and delicate in flavor so a Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, or unoaked Chardonnay suit a lot of artichoke recipes. If you are using a tempura batter when cooking artichokes, you can try a Pinot Grigio. The problem with artichokes is that they make most wines taste sweeter than they are because of the high acid levels in the vegetable. Green beans and asparagus can cause the same problem unless you are careful with the wine selection. If you stick with dry, crisp white California wines, you should be fine.