Eastern Zest

Tempura is a light and crunchy Japanese batter that can cover almost anything and make it taste delicious. Often vegetables like sweet potato or  bell pepper or seafood such as shrimp are covered in tempura batter and fried, all which pair beautifully with Riesling. When I asked a friend how to make tempura at home she explained, depending on how you want your batter to turn out, there are two ways of making tempura batter:

1. If you want to achieve a flat and crunchy batter like a croquette, coat shrimp in flour, dip in beaten egg, then coat with panko crumbs. Deep-fry until browned.

2. To recreate a restaurant-style light and crunchy batter, beat an egg in a bowl, add ice cold water and flour into the bowl and mix gently. Make sure the batter stays cold as the crunchiness comes from the temperature difference between the batter and oil. (Proportions are approximately one egg, one cup water, one cup flour) Dip shrimp into batter and fry.

Panko crumbs can be purchased at any grocery store with an Asian section.

Tempura is easy to make and a great way to add satisfaction to any meal. ANUPA SIMON

Sweet Temptation

Two-crust caramel apple pie: An American classic that tastes heavenly with late harvest Riesling.

Makes one 9-inch (23 cm) pie
Serves 8

This apple pie is sort of a cross between a French apple tarte Tatin and a traditional apple pie. By first caramelizing the sugar and then stirring in the apples so they soften just a bit, you get an evenly sweetened pie, with excess juices thickened by the caramel so that they stay in the pie as you slice it and don’t run over the bottom of the pie plate.

1 recipe Double-Crust Pie Dough, chilled
3 Tbsp (45 mL) rolled oats
¼ cup (60 mL) water
1 cup (250 mL) sugar
2 Tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
6 cups (1.5 L) peeled and sliced apples, such as Mutsu or Granny Smith
3 Tbsp (45 mL) unsalted butter
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon

For Brushing:
1 egg
2 Tbsp (30 mL) water
Turbinado or granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Pull the chilled pie dough out of the fridge 30 minutes before rolling. Lightly dust the bottom of a 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate with flour, and place it on a parchment- or foil-lined baking tray.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of the pastry to just under ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Lift the rolled dough, line the pie plate with it, and sprinkle the pastry with the oats. Roll out the second disc of pastry to ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Cut a 1-inch (2.5 cm) hole in the centre of the pastry (so steam can escape as the pie bakes). Chill both the lined pie plate and rolled top crust while preparing the filling.

Preheat the oven to 400°f (200°c). In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepot, bring the water, sugar, and lemon juice up to a boil without stirring. Continue to boil the sugar without stirring, occasionally brushing the sides of the pot with water, until the sugar caramelizes, about 3 minutes. Add the apples all at once and stir to coat. Add the butter and cinnamon, and stir. Once the juices return to a simmer, remove the pot from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.

Pull the chilled pie shell from the fridge and pour the apples and all the juices into it (the juices will absorb into the apples as the pie bakes). Top the fruit with the second rolled piece of pie pastry. Trim excess dough and pinch the edges of the pastries into an angled, even pie crust trim.

Why It Works With Riesling
“I would serve a late harvest Riesling because it’s not as sweet as Icewine,” says Food Network chef Anna Olson. “I like that late harvest Rieslings have a tree-fruit character to them, reminiscent of pears or apples and the acidity balances out the buttery pastry.” She also recommends Calvados, an apple brandy from Normandy. “I judged an apple pie contest a while back and the winning pie had Calvados mixed in with the apples!”

Ice Age

An inviting display on a hot summer day.

It’s a hot summer’s day and you just picked up a mouthwatering bottle of Riesling from your local liquor store. You’re itching to uncork it and enjoy its refreshing taste but there just isn’t the time to wait around while your bottle chills in the fridge. Luckily, you read this blog and prepared for the moment this should happen.

A great way to quicken the cooling process of your Riesling is through the convenience of ice cube trays. For those who are worried about your wine getting watered down, have no fear! You don’t have to use ice cubes – Riesling can freeze.

Like a child doing science experiments, I tried it out for myself. I used varying levels of the wine and different juice mixes in case Riesling didn’t freeze without being diluted. I experimented with carbonated water, berry soda, cranberry juice and green tea. And, to my surprise, after an overnight freeze all had successfully solidified. The office favourite was a blend ratio of one part mixed berry sparking fruit juice and three parts Riesling. I also found that a half and half ratio of these two mixed well enough to make a cocktail. To make a full ice cube tray, mix ½ cup of mixed berry sparking fruit juice and 1 ½ cups of Riesling. I added a drop of food colouring for some extra fun. ANUPA SIMON

*Keep in mind that Riesling ice cubes will not freeze to a hard state like your typical ice cube because of the alcohol content, however it is solid enough to lift out of the tray intact.

I found that 4 ice cubes measured to a ½ cup and adjusted my recipe accordingly, experimenting with four different flavours.

I added food colouring to distinguish between flavours, which was also a crowd pleaser.

The mint leaves added to aesthetic appeal, but keep it mind it does add an herbal flavour to the cube.

An inviting display on a hot summer day.