April Wine & Food

April 13, 2012

As requested, here are the wine links and food links & recipes from last night's "One Day" book club.

Wine: Bogle Petite Sirah 2008

Available by the case from Abcon International, or by the bottle (with dinner of course) from Canvas Resto-Bar-Etc.

Poppy Seed Pinwheels

Adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/poppy-seed-pinwheels-recipe/index.html

• 1 (8-ounce) package light or fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried chives
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
• Cooking spray
• 1 egg, slightly beaten (or egg substitute equivalent)
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• Prosciutto (added by Naomi)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, parsley, chives, and garlic powder. Set aside. On a floured surface, unroll the crescent rolls into rectangles and combine to make 1 long rectangle. Spread cream cheese mixture on and roll up like a pinwheel, starting at the long side. Seal edges. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place roll on the cookie sheet, brush with egg, and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Score at 1/2-inch intervals along the roll (not all the way through). Pull apart slightly so that your scoring will not completely seal back up during baking. Bake until golden brown.

Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms

From http://southernfood.about.com/od/stuffedmushrooms/r/bl51227f.htm

• 1 pound large mushrooms
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3 green onions, minced
• 3 to 4 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
• 4 ounces crab meat
• 1 cup fresh fine bread crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning blend
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Wash and trim the end of stems from mushrooms. Pop remaining stem out. Chop stems and set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons butter; brush over mushrooms. Spray a shallow baking dish (about 8-inch square, or one which will fit mushrooms in one layer) with butter-flavored spray or grease with butter.

Melt remaining butter in skillet; add reserved chopped stems, minced green onions and red bell pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender. Combine cooked ingredients with bread crumbs, crab meat, and seasonings. Fill each mushrooms, piling up. Sprinkle each mushroom with a little Parmesan cheese, if desired. Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot and mushroom caps are tender.

Makes 16 to 20 stuffed mushroom appetizers.

Local foods

With all the great conversation last night (both book and non-book related), I didn't get the chance to mention the local foods that were included on the snacking menu. I've recently started ordering from Eastern Ontario Local Food Co-op, and served some of items the following:

• Glazed wild boar pâté & Red deer pepperets from Trillium Meadows Red Deer and Wild Boar Farm
• Gordz Spicy Cranberry Sauce from Gordz Hot Sauce
• While not served last night, I've also been very happy with the local eggs, potatoes, broccoli sprouts and garlic available from here. I am looking forward to local fruits & vegetables when they come into season.

Finally, the smoked salmon and smoked trout came from my ex-father-in-law, who owns Fumoir Artisanal Oscar.