PINOT GRIS

We had an experience this week that pointed up just how difficult is the art (or impossible the pretense, depending on your point of view) of wine and food pairing.



Our plan was to conduct an experiment in “matching” and “contrasting” wine and food.

Parents Who Focus Less on Picky Eating Habits Could Encourage Fruit and Veggie Intake in Kids
Source: The Nemours Foundation
 
For parents of picky eaters, mealtimes often turn into battles, and parents may despair that they'll ever be able to convince their children to eat a wider variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. To get your child to eat more types of food, forget nagging or bribes -

 The Food Guide Pyramid for young children was designed by the US Dept. of Agriculture to promote healthy nutrition in children from the age of 2 - 6 years. It is meant to be a general guide to daily food choices. The main emphasis of the food pyramid is on the five major food groups, all of which are required for good health. It also emphasizes that foods that include a lot of fats, oils and sweets should be used very sparingly.
After the age of two or three years,

COZY UP WITH PINOT NOIR
Ann Pemberton  January 4, 2008

It’s for white wine drinkers, too.

As snow falls (and falls and falls!) and temperatures drop, some of my white wine drinking friends have asked about red wines they might like. Red wine sounds more warming at this time of year, more suited to the hibernation spirit. My wine of choice for these folks is Pinot Noir. Because Pinot Noir has more acid and less tannin than most red wines, it is more likely to appeal to a palate that generally prefers white wine.  It also usually has lighter body or “mouthfeel” than red wines.

What does it taste like?

Dining Out with Young Children

Going out to eat can with the entire family can be a wonderful family event.It can also be a challenge for you and other restaurant patrons. A little planning can keep the experience one you'll want to repeat. Here are some tips from parents that have mastered the art of dining out with young children.

New Years resoltuions can be a little severe, especially when it comes to food. 

Noted food historian and cooking expert Lou Greenstein tells us how a new attitude yielded a new puppy!

Oh!  The New Year has arrived and I am sure many of you are out there resolving all kinds of things.  Do’s and don’ts promises and vows.  Oh, how I feel for you all.  I gave up resolutions years ago because of the guilt. All I do now is list the things that I should do then I put the list into a drawer and forget about it until I “accidently” stumble across it the next year.  At that point it is to late to worry and, wah, lah, no guilt!

So it’s holiday season, and that means I’m planning  lots of celebrations: a large gathering of friends and colleagues at home, restaurant dinners with out-of-town visitors and with a group of fellow foodies, someone’s birthday party, gifts for some special friends and business associates, an elegant family dinner and several festive lunches.

So how do I match the wine with the event?

 Epicurean expert Lou Greenstein has experienced the gamut of the culinary world.  Greenstein is a television chef and appeared as a regular on  Boston’s  “Good Day Show” for fourteen years, and from 1991 through 1995 he appeared as the chef historian on Nashville Networks “Cookin USA “. 

He has authored  The Mystic Seaport bakery “RECIPE SAMPLER” and “ALA CARTE” A Tour Of Dining History which is a pictorial study of his aggregation of historic menu’s. He also conducts a national lecture program on  subjects related to the Food Service Industry and Culinary History.  Lou has recently designed a series of lectures for garden clubs demonstrating  techniques, using carved vegetables and fruits as center pieces.  He also performs for librarys and historical societies with a program entitled “Fun with food and history”.

We'd like to welcome you to Lou's column, In The Company Of Cooks  a sharing of food and foodie related information  which we hope will keep you interested and actively involved.  Lou intends to share his thoughts about many food related subjects both common and obscure.  It would be great if you would join in to share your feelings about any of these subjects. Lou has chosen one of his seasonal favorites to start out this forum and remember they are not just for holiday seasons.                   

Food allergies are being diagnosed today with greater frequency than ever before, particularly in children. Approximately 90% of all food allergies are caused by one or more of the following: milk, eggs, wheat, soy, tree nuts, fish, shellfish or peanuts. Dining out with a child who has one or more food allergies can be a challenge. With careful attention and preparation on your part, your child can have a healthy and pleasurable treat!

This month teen gourmet Zoe D. adds China Gourmet in Greenfield, MA to her list of favorite restaurants and tells us why.

Come back soon to see which restaurants our young picky eaters will choose as their favorite restaurants in Massachusetts.