2009 Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Cardinal Cranberry Sauce: Saute 1 shallot in 4 Tablespoons butter til soft and translucent. Rinse and sort 1 bag of cranberries. Add to shallot.  Add 1 350ml bottle Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Cardinal and stir to blend.  Simmer the cranberries uncovered until cranberries are done and sauce is thick. This may take awhile.  Turn up to a fast simmer if desired taking care not to scorch the cranberry sauce.  When sauce is thick and ready remove from heat and cool before refrigerating with a cover. sauce may be topped with walnuts for a wonderful accompaniment to turkey, chicken, or even pork.

Use the rest of the cranberry sauce over a small round of brie.  Remove the skin from the top of the brie leaving the bottom and sides intact.  Cover brie with Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Cardinal Cranberry Sauce. Bake in 375 degree oven for 10 minutes til brie melts. Serve with crackers or baguette slices.

Fall 2009

Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Vidal Blanc and Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Goldenrod make wonderful additions to your family Apple Pie recipe.  Whatever your favorite recipe for Apple Pie is, simply add 1 tablespoon of Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Goldenrod.  It smooths out the sugar and enhances the apple flavor.

Summer 2009

Grilled Chicken Breasts

Marinate boneless, skinless chicken breasts in olive oil and Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Vidal Blanc. Use enough olive oil to coat (depending on how many chicken breasts you have) and at least 1 Tablespoon of wine per chicken breast, always using more olive oil than wine in total..  Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and fresh oregano. If you are using dried oregano, use 1 teaspoon; fresh can take about twice that per 2 to 4 chicken breasts.  Grill over a slow fire til done.  Enjoy with fresh vegetables and a salad.

Fall 2008

Pumpkin Bisque

Peel and chunk a small pumpkin, removing the seeds and fibers. Place in a medium saucepan along with one medium chopped onion. Add 1 can chicken broth and 3/4 cup Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Vidal Blanc. Add water and a chicken boullion cube to cover the pumpkin chunks. Add pepper and two stalks fresh thyme and one sprig of fresh rosemary. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until pumpkin is of mashable consistency. (Compare to a potato for mashing.) Cool. Blend in a blender or a processor until smooth. Reheat to serve.

We preferred this bisque at this point but if a sweet finish is desired serve with a dollop of whipped cream sweetened with Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Goldenrod and seasoned with a touch of allspice.

Fried Apples

Core and slice-chop a Granny Smith apple or two. Pour 1/4 cup Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Vidal Blanc over and thoroughly stir to keep the apples from turning. Melt 1/2 stick butter in a saute pan, add the apples and vidal and simmer briskly until the apples are done but still hold their shape. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

2008 Summer Fruit Desserts

Two ideas for simple, fresh, fast and easy no-cook desserts.

1. Sweetened whipped cream with Horseshoe Bend Goldenrod.

2. Melt a good quality chocolate bar in the microwave and add Horseshoe Bend Cardinal.

Serve one or the other or serve both at the same time for a diner’s delight. suggested Fruits are Strawberries, raspberries, peaches, apricots.  Use your imagination. Whatever is at your local Farmer’s Market would be super!

Strawberry Pie for May 2008

1 baked pie shell--cooled
2 pints hulled Strawberries

Glaze for Strawberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Vidal Blanc
1 cup strawberries cut up into fairly small pieces
3/4 cup sugar
Heat above until strawberries can be disintegrated into the liquid.
Dissolve 3 T cornstarch in 3T Horseshoe Bend Vineayrds Vidal Blanc and add stirring constantly to the heated strawberry mixture.  Cool completely

Place Strawberries on cooled pie shell, cover with cooled glaze, and chill until set--about 2 hours.

If desired, serve with whipped cream sweetened with Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Goldenrod Dessert wine.

Soup Recipe tip for March 2008:
Add 1 cup Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Vidal Blanc to any vegetable soup.  Ann also put it in February’s Chicken Noodle and Senate Bean to rave reviews!

2008 Winter Vegetable Cream Cup.  A delicious combination of wine and root vegetables yields a hearty repast.

4 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1 medium sweet potato (yam), peeled and chunked
1 medium turnip peeled and chunked
4 medium Red Bliss potatoes, peeled (if desired) and chunked
(FYI--a chunk is a bit larger than a chop)
Fresh thyme sprigs--about 4
2 T chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

In a 5 quart soup pan heat in 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.  Saute the onions over a low heat until soft and transparent. Add the other vegetables as they are readied and let them steam over the onions. When all vegetables are added, stir and allow to slowly saute for about 5 minutes longer.  Add 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Vidal Blanc.  Stir.  Add the thyme and parsley and salt and pepper and simmer until the vegetables are cooked.  Remove the vegetables from the broth and chop in a food processor for a moment or two until all vegetables are chopped finely. You may puree if you wish but as for me I prefer finely chopped. Return the finely chopped vegetables to the broth.   Add 1/2 cup cream and stir. Adjust seasonings and serve, sprinkling each serving with chopped parsley.

Serve with the rest of the Vidal Blanc and ENJOY!

If you wish to serve a Pimento Cheese type spread with the soup, try this.

2 cups shredded Cheddar or a combination of Monterey Jack, White Cheddar, Yellow Cheddar, Pepper Jack, and even Mozzarella.  Your choice.
From a jar of Roasted Red Bell Peppers in oil, chop and add at least half of them.
Finely chop 1/2 small peeled onion.
Finely chop 1/2 Jalapeno pepper
Bind with enough mayonnaise to hold together.
Add a bit of Worcestershire sauce and mix.
Serve with wheat crackers or as an open faced sandwich on rye bread.

Happy Eating!

2007 Archives

Recipe for November:

Turkey Secrets.  Roast it upside down! I began doing this several years ago and the result was SO delicious.  The breast is moist with the juices from the legs and thighs. Use your regular recipe for times.  I do stuffing as a side dish so into the cavity go 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot and 1 onion pealed and in pieces and a bit of sage.  Rub the outside of the turkey with butter and with rubbed sage. Even go under the turkey skin with the rubbed sage.  Place in a rack upside down and in a pan . Pour 1 cup Horseshoe Bend Chardonnay over the turkey and place in the oven to roast. Roast according to the timetables for the poundage of your turkey. Pour another cup of Horseshoe Bend Chardonnay over your turkey after 1 hour or so of roasting. Be sure there is always liquid in the roasting pan and add Chardonnay as needed always pouring over the turkey when adding. Brown the breast by turning the turkey for the last half hour of roasting.

Make a pan gravy.  Skim the fat in the juices and thicken with flour. 

Open a bottle of Horseshoe Bend Chardonnay and enjoy your Thanksgiving Dinner!

Recipe for October:

Pot Roast. Fall weather always makes me hungry for pot roast. Fall is here at last.

Take a chuck roast and pepper both sides with freshly ground black pepper. Place roast on heavy duty aluminum foil. Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup Cardinal dessert wine over the roast. Close and seal the foil. Place in cold oven on a cookie sheet for safekeeping. Set the oven to 200 degrees and turn on. Roast without peeking for 7 hours. Carefully drain the roast. Blend with a roux to create a flavorful sauce for rice or mashed potatoes. Serve with our 2004 Cabernet or 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, rice or mashed potatoes, and a green salad.

Recipe for September:

The aromas of the Fall Season are especially poignant as we begin to reclaim our appetites and do a bit more cooking. For a delicious Fall dish try our Chicken with Pecans:

Saute 1/2 cup Pecan halves in 3 T. olive oil until fragrant. Remove Pecans.

Add 1/2 to 1 cup chopped onion to same skillet and saute until onions are translucent, using more olive oil if necessary.

Add skinless chicken pieces to the onions and brown on all sides.  Use breasts, thighs or legs, whichever you prefer.

Add 1 cup Horseshoe Bend Vineyards Vidal Blanc, 1 tsp fresh Thyme (1/8 tsp ground, 1/4 tsp dried. Add 1/2 tsp Coarse Ground Black Pepper.

Cover and simmer 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove cover and chicken pieces.

Reduce pan juices to 1/2 cup.

Place chicken piece on plate and top with sauce.

Top with Pecans and a sprig of fresh thyme.

Serve with rice cooked in chicken bouillon and a green salad and of course a glass of Vidal Blanc.

Happy Eating!