Where do we go from here?

Last month, I regaled you with tales from my first ever wine and food pairing event with an intimate group of classy ladies. The bar was set so high that first evening, I wasn’t sure how we could top it. I should have known this group was up for the challenge. I will try to do the menu justice.

Having received a bottle of Dr. Konstantin Frank’s Gewurtraminer for my birthday, I opted to make a Beef Satay with a peanut dipping sauce.

As always, I used this Emeril Legasse recipe as a loose guide.

• 2 pounds skirt, flank or sirloin tip steak, cut into thin, wide strips against the grain (I used the Wegmans pre-cut beef sirloin strips)
• 1 cup teriyaki sauce (I used tamari, a lower-sodium soy sauce, because I didn’t have teriyaki)
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 teaspoon salt (I didn’t use this because soy sauce has enough sauce already)
• I added some hoisin sauce to the marinade as well
• About one dozen wooden skewers

Of the ingredients I did use in the sauce recipe, I basically doubled them, added some Hoisin sauce, and adjusted the ratio until the sauce tasted more Asian than peanut butter. Emeril’s recipe  calls for:

• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce (again I used tamari)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used red pepper chili flakes)
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro  (I didn’t have this)
• 1 tablespoon toasted chopped peanuts (I didn’t use these)
• 1 cup julienned carrots ( I didn’t use these)
• 1 cup julienned celery (I didn’t use these)
• 2 cups shiso greens (I’m not sure what these even are, so I didn’t use them)

Marinate the beef strip in the soy sauce (or teriyaki) ginger, garlic and hoisin sauce. Soak the wooden skewers so they won’t burn when you broil the meat.

While the meat marinates, mix the sauce in a small bowl. Skewer the strips of steak. Broil them on low for about four to five minutes or until medium-rare. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Now for the rest of the offerings:

Leslie (@leslieluuu) out-did herself with a pairing of a 2010 Clos Du Bois Sonoma Reserve Chardonnay with an Asaparagus and Cheese Tart recipe from the Food Network.

She also whipped up Sauteed Greens and Cannellini Beans and Garlic from Epicurious, which was paired with Stacy’s 2008 Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir.

Chiara (@chiaraaamai) provided some incredible Italian classics. Her antipasti included a caprese salad, Italian salami, Yancy’s Fancy Finger Lakes Champagne Aged Cheddar Cheese, and crusty baguette, slightly toasted and covered in ricotta cheese, prosciutto and peaches, drizzled with a balsamic glaze. Her wine pairings included an exquisite 2008 Cantina Zaccagnini il vino ‘dal tralcetto’ Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Cerasuolo. I was delighted with the piece of the vine which was tied around the bottleneck.

Breanna (@bmbanford) brought up the dessert end of things with her Puff Pastry with Brie Cheese and Blackberry Jam which you can find on her Pinterest page. This paired quite lovely with Segura Viudas Brut Reserva champagne.

And with a gorgeous location provided by Lynn, I am unsure how we can possibly top this again. We’ll  see soon enough though with our next pairing scheduled in just a few weeks!