Wine Corner – Tenuta Rocca Italy

By: Food & Beverage Manager, Tariq Alhammouri

Tenuta Rocca is a winery located in the Piedmont region of Italy, known for producing high-quality wines from the Nebbiolo grape. The winery’s vineyards are located in the Langhe hills, where the soil and climate are ideal for growing Nebbiolo. The winery produces several different wines, including Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera d’Alba, all of which are highly sought after by wine enthusiasts.

Tenuta Rocca’s wines are known for their complexity, depth, and aging potential, making them a popular choice among wine collectors and connoisseurs. The winery is considered one of the best producers in the region, with a reputation for producing wines of exceptional quality.

Barolo is considered to be one of the finest Italian wines and is highly regarded by wine experts and enthusiasts. The wine is known for its complex aroma and flavor profile, as well as its high tannins and aging potential. Due to the long aging process, Barolo wines often develop unique and nuanced flavors that are highly sought after. It is generally considered a wine for the connoisseur, and its taste can vary greatly from one producer to another. Barolo wine is often paired with rich, hearty dishes such as meat-based pastas, gamey, and braised meats.

Wine Corner – Taste of Bordeaux, France

By: F&B Manager, Tariq Alhammouri

The Bordeaux wine region is home to some of the finest wines in the world, to most wine lovers the French wine region of Bordeaux is a vinous Mecca. As back as AD379, some of the greatest names in the wine world have their home there: Château Mouton-Rothschild, Château Pétrus, Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Margaux and Château Latour, among others.

Yet these top names comprise less than 5% of the region’s production—which means you don’t have to fork over $100 to get a good bottle. In fact, there are more than 5,000 châteaux, encompassing some 300,000 acres of vineyards, which produce about 700 million bottles a year.

This is the largest fine winemaking region in the world, about the same size as the entire wine region of Chile. Recently, Bordeaux production has exceeded 550 million litres a year, about half of the total output of Australia. The Bordeaux region offers it all, from rich and bold red wine to sweet white wines.

The cabernet sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc grape varieties make up the typical red Bordeaux, Bordeaux Whites wines are made using Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

When it come to Bordeaux, buying the vintage is often seen as a significant consideration, it has a temperate oceanic climate, with cool winters thanks to its close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the cooling effect of the westerly winds, yet summer can be extreme hot in some years since the region lies close to a humid, subtropical climate zone.

Below are a few wine recommendations that are available through Cedar Brae or LCBO

-Vieux Chateau Palon 2016 $40

-Chateau Pipeau, Saint -Emilion Grand Cru 2018 $45

-Chateau Saint-Pierre 2015 $130

Broccoli Mac & Cheese

By Junior Sous Chef Akshay Deshmukh

Today I will share a quick and easy recipe that is great for pre-teens or teenagers to make at home…broccoli mac & cheese!

Ingredients:

10g butter
10g flour
250ml milk
100g grated cheddar cheese
100g broccoli
300g macaroni pasta

Cook the pasta in boiling water and set aside. Blanch broccoli for 2 minutes and set aside.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a pot and add flour. Stir for 30 seconds and add milk to it. Keep whisking till the sauce becomes thick. You will want the consistency to be like mayo. Add the cheddar to the sauce and mix until melted. Add the seasonings you would like and fold in the blanched broccoli and macaroni. Plate and serve.

This recipe makes about 2 portions.

Happy cooking!

Miso Sauce

By Executive Chef Jeff King

Today I will share with you this quick and easy miso sauce recipe. This is the perfect sauce for salad dressings or to use as a marinade for either fish, chicken or pork.

You will need:

2 tbsp miso paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar or white vinegar
1 tbsp sriracha
1 tbsp honey

Whisk the ingredients together until well incorporated.

Happy cooking!

Sweet & Sour Sauce

By Executive Chef Jeff King

Today I will share with you this quick and easy recipe for a sweet and sour sauce. This sauce is great for chicken or pork dishes.

You will need:

1 cup pineapple juice

3/4 cup brown sugar

4 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp cornstartch

2 tbsp water

Place all the ingredients in a small pot. On medium heat, whisk the sauce continuously for 1 minute. Remove from heat and season to taste.

Happy cooking!

Peanut Sauce

By Executive Chef Jeff King:

Today I will share a quick and easy peanut sauce recipe you can do at home that is great for dips. This particular sauce is great for dipping satays.

You will need:

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sweet chili sauce

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 cup chicken stock

1 tbsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp cold water

Place all ingredients in a small pot. On medium high heat, whisk continuously for 1 minute. Remove from heat and season to taste.

Happy cooking!

Asian Dipping Sauce

By Executive Chef Jeff King

Today I will teach you a very quick and easy sauce that can be used for dipping or as a marinade.

You will need;

1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sriracha
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup

Whisk all the ingredients together until well incorporated. This sauce is great with chicken, pork or seafood.

Happy cooking!

Wine of The Week – Benziger

By F&B Manager Aalim Lila

For more than thirty years, Benzinger farmed from a ranch on Sonoma Mountain and searched Sonoma County for the most distinctive and expressive vineyards. Once found, they tend these sites using certified Biodynamic, organic and sustainable farming methods. The result is a portfolio of authentic and memorable wines.

In the mid 90’s, the Benzinger family began transitioning their home ranch to a Biodynamic farm. They learned which flowers attracted the bugs needed to keep pest populations in control. Habitats were created for birds and owls, and brought cows, sheep and chickens to live on the property. Once the estate found its balance, the wines did too. From their home ranch came Tribute, the first Biodynamic wines from Sonoma or Napa Counties. Today, they are proud to be living and working on a healthy, vibrant ranch that is home to numerous species of plants, animals and insects and we love sharing this special place with visitors from all over the world.

Blended from premier benchland vineyards, this Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon is polished and approachable. Elegant, juicy flavors of berry cobbler followed by mocha and wood spice unite, layer by layer to form a rich full-bodied wine with chalky, round tannins and a long finish.

Find this delectable red at your local LCBO for $27.95

Enjoy!

Super Bowl Snack Ideas

By Executive Chef Jeff King

Try these recipes for the Super Bowl this weekend!

Chicken Wing Sauce (Hot Honey)

1 cup honey garlic sauce

½ cup franks red hot

1 tbsp melted butter

Mix sauces together with melted butter and toss wings.

Jalapeno Cheddar Chip Dip

2 jalapeno’s minced

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1 cup milk

1 clove garlic minced

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 tsp cayenne pepper

In a small pot melt butter and add flour whisking until fully combined. Add milk and whisk together. Add minced jalapeno and garlic and stir frequently until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and whisk in cheddar and cayenne until all cheese melts into sauce. Serve immediately with chips, nachos or flatbreads.

Enjoy the game!

Cauliflower Quinoa Fried Rice

By Executive Chef Jeff King

Today I will share with you my recipe for cauliflower quinoa rice. This is a great side dish to pair along with your meal.

Ingredients:

1 head Cauliflower

3 cups of cooked quinoa

1 onion finely diced

1 tbsp chopped garlic

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp peanut oil

Cut cauliflower florets into small pieces and place in food processor and pulse till it is about half the size of a grain of rice.

In a large pan place peanut oil and sesame oil and place on high heat.

Sauté onions and garlic for about 1 minute.

Add cauliflower and quinoa and sauté for 4 mins stirring frequently.

Add soy sauce and mix well.

Place in serving dish and top with sesame seeds

Happy cooking!