A Simply Irresistible Wine to Pair With Three Food & Wine Magazine Hits - Delicious!

By Suzanne De Cornelia
Remember the hit song Simply Irresistible? It's one of those songs that you experience and don't forget. A fine Voignier has the same effect.

The Voignier (vee-ohn-yay) grape goes back to ancient Roman times. With ideal conditions and artful winemaking it produces a golden, rich, silky wine with floral and fruit aromas. Honeysuckle, honey, pear and peach are typical.

For centuries, the Rhone Valley Voigniers from southern France set the standard. But that changed in the 1990s as vineyards in California's Central Coast started producing and then exceeded the once unattainable French standard.

Next time instead of reaching for a Chardonnay, try a Voignier paired with spicy Thai, Vietnamese, shellfish, sushi or bold cheese instead. Here are three quick and delicious Food and Wine staff and reader favorites; a suggested Voignier follows.

Four Cheese Panini:

1/2 cup shredded fresh mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (1 ounce)
1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese (3 ounces)

4 ciabatta rolls, halved lengthwise, or 8 slices firm white sandwich bread

8 arugula leaves

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the cheeses. Spread the cheese on the bottoms of the ciabatta rolls, top with 2 arugula leaves and close the panini.

Set a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over moderately high heat. Arrange the panini in the skillet and weight them down with a smaller pan. Cook the panini until the outside is crisp and the cheese is melted, 3 minutes per side. Cut the panini in half and serve at once.

Delicious Spicy Thai Shrimp and Basil with Jasmine Rice:

This is quick, healthy and easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon white peppercorns
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 or 2 fresh Thai or serrano chiles, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound medium or large shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup holy basil leaves, or 1/2 cup torn Italian basil leaves plus 1/2 cup torn mint leaves

Directions:

1. In a small dry skillet, toast the peppercorns over moderate heat just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a mortar and coarsely crush. Add the garlic, cilantro, ginger, chiles, lime zest and salt and pound to a coarse paste.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the paste and stir-fry over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until opaque throughout, about 2 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce. Transfer to a bowl, add the basil and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Grilled Mango Chicken Skewers with Red-Curry Peanut Glaze:

Have friends over for a Netflex movie night and wow them with this tasty pre-film grilled meal.

Ingredients:

1 large mango, peeled and cut into 2-inch squares, about 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups Red Curry-Peanut Sauce [recipe below]
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil, for brushing
Lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

Light a grill. In a bowl, toss the mango with the chicken and 3 tablespoons of the peanut sauce and season lightly with salt and pepper. Loosely thread the mango and chicken onto 8 skewers, alternating the pieces. Brush the skewers with oil and grill over high heat, turning occasionally, until the chicken is lightly charred in spots and nearly cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Brush 2 tablespoons of the peanut sauce on the skewers and grill, turning, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick to brush, thin it slightly with water. Serve the chicken-and-mango skewers with lime wedges and pass the remaining peanut sauce at the table.

Red-Curry Peanut Sauce:

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened peanut butter
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

Directions:

You can make this sauce ahead and refrigerate it for up to 1 week.
Serve it with grilled beef, chicken, spareribs, shrimp or pork or with crudités for dipping, or mix it into rice noodles or stir-fries:

In a medium saucepan, heat the peanut oil. Add the shallot and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the curry paste and whisk for 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and cook until melted. Whisk in the peanut butter, then slowly whisk in the coconut milk. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lime juice and fish sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Wine suggestion: From the Signature Series of the Gold Medal winning Tamayo Family Vineyards, Serve the luscious and fruity Bailey 2008 Viognier. Named for the Tamayo's granddaughter, they hope it will become your family's 'darling' too. Click on: http://tamayofamilyvineyards.com/tamayo/index.jsp

Bon appetit!
(C) 2008-2012-Suzanne de Cornelia. All worldwide rights apply. This article may be reprinted on websites as long as the entire article, including website link and resource box below are included and unchanged. Suzanne is a freelance writer and Web 2.0 expert. Her novel "French Heart" will be released in Summer 2009.Contact Suzanne on Facebook or on her site: http://web.mac.com/myfrenchheart

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