We went all out for this theme - check out me and Pedro. The only time winedown has seen costumes.

We even had appearances from other wizards!!

Now onto the food, because that's what we're here for after all. Here was the rundown - can you guess who the winner was before getting to the end? Remember, it's all about the pairing!

Pedro started us off with a play on Slytherin - a snake shaped cucumber, tomato and feta salad paired with a refreshing and crisp sauvignon blanc. His wine (and mine) were both from our local wine store, which never disappoints!

John was next with savory pumpkin pasties paired with a fresh Gruener Veltliner. We loved how the white complemented the sweet and savory feel of taste of the hand pies. Look at the crispy, buttery texture! And pumpkin, perfect for a fall evening.

I rounded out the appetizers with a savory version of Hagrid's rock cakes!! Translation: savory scones made with jalapeno and cheddar (a la Smitten Kitchen). I paired mine with a cabernet sauvignon, a dark red to complement the fats in the cheese and the spice of the jalapeno.

Mckinsey was up next with a unique dish to Winedown - soup!! Technically, "cauldron soup" to go with the Harry Potter theme, made super spicy with red pepper and creamy curry. We haven't had too many soups lately but it's a great make ahead and easy option for a big group. Paired with a pinot blanc!

Bryan came next to round out the savory mains - kidney pie paired with Malbec! Everyone loved this savory, hearty take on pie.

Ready for desserts? The group was big so we had FIVE!!

Ray came first with a trifle: lemon and raspberry flavored, paired with Sherry! We don't usually have fortified wines but enjoyed this one as a transition to dessert.

Meghan came next with a fun take on fizzing wizbies - chocolates made with pop rocks that fizzed in your mouth with prosecco. So unique!! And of course I loved the bubbles.

Caitlin came next with a butterbeer inspired cake paired with a gewurztraminer. Can you see the design on top of the cake?!

Lauren rounded out the chocolate game with chocolate cookies paired with a sweet wine.  Oh my, getting full just typing this up...

And finally....you bet we were full at this point....Joy with golden snitch cake balls paired with a Ravenswood zinfandel. One of my favorite red wines!

And the winner was....John!!! The savory pumpkin pastie took home the crown, paired with a light white - a classic winner from Winedown it seems. Whites just seem to pair so well with the food that we eat. We decided a red might win if we serve straight up steak, however.

You can also see the snitches that I made out of Ferrero Rocher and wings! The cutest.

Until the next Winedown recap!!

The post Winedown November 2017 appeared first on French Pressed Kitchen.

Pedro pulled out all the stops in August, taking home the crown with his shrimp ceviche and white wine. Summer perfection! For our September get together the theme was.......VEGAN!! You bet I was pumped! There tends to be a lot of dairy at Winedown so I was excited for a theme that would be more stomach friendly for me 🙂

Here's the lineup - see if you can guess who won before reading to the end!!

Dish 1: Pumpkin Sage Gnocchi paired with a Sparking White (me!)

After the usual deliberation, I finally settled on homemade pumpkin pasta with a "butter" sauce made with Earth Balance. Fall recipes were already coming out and I was inspired by a Pinch of Yum recipe that called for sage to complement gnocchi. Sold! A little early in the season for pumpkin but I went with it 🙂 The fried sage was sooo tasty. Need to do that more often.

Dish 2: General Tso's Cauliflower paired with Riesling

This is another one I loved and would definitely make myself. GT crushed the veggies with this sweet and spicy combo. I could've eaten the cauliflower all day and definitely got seconds of it.

Dish 3: Mushroom Pasta Dish paired with a dry red

Appetizer to entree transition began with Kim!! Serving up a gluten free, vegan mushroom pasta. I loved this dish - so flavorful and creamy!

Dish 4: Sweet Potato with Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Dill paired with Petit Sirah

Joy was up next with roasted sweet potato topped with chickpeas, tomatoes and a hummus dill dressing. It was a unique take on produce with such an interesting dressing! The wine was a good complement to the hearty flavors of the dish.

Dish 5: Thai Curry Noodles paired with white

Alya continued the mains with a Thai curry noodle dish. I almost made something similar (a curry ramen)! Served with bean sprouts and basil. One of my favorites!

Dish 6: Zucchini Bread paired with a dry red (?)

Dessert kicked off with zucchini bread by Dan! A classic. Pairing was a little unclear on this one but the first dessert was enjoyed by all 🙂

Dish 7: Vegan Cinnamon Rolls paired with Prosecco

Sarah held down desserts with a classic Minimalist Baker recipe for cinnamon buns with raisins. Of course I loved them and had TWO!

Dish 8: Sweet Silken Tofu paired with a sparkling white

As the evening lingered....sadly so did my photography. I didn't get a picture of Ray's sweet tofu, but he served in a smooth sweet sauce and paired with a refreshing white. A light dessert that was perfect after some Asian food!

Okay....so can you guess who won best pairing?! Drum roll please....ALYA!!! Three time champion!!!! Thai takes home the crown again. The curry flavor just couldn't be beat. She set the theme for our November edition....which is also coming soon 🙂

The post Winedown September 2017 appeared first on French Pressed Kitchen.

(Yeah...that's wine!)

It's been a busy month so this is coming just after month's close...but we made it with the first official recap ever!! If you don't know what Winedown is, check out my intro post here! The theme for July, chosen by the previous winner , Alya, was to pick a food or dish from a TV show or movie. We had lots of great recreations, with some taking the theme to the extreme. As always, the goal was to be voted the best food and wine pairing, meaning you pick the next theme and you don't have to cook for the next one!

Table, set, go!

Here's was our run down for the Saturday night extravaganza. Note that it isn't easy to take pictures after drinking so much wine - I need to practice, but you'll get the food and wine highlights 🙂 As you read through...see if you can pick the winner! What do you want to try the most??

Dish 1: Forrest Gump's Bubba Gump Shrimp paired with a Vinho Verde from Portugal

Pedro rocked the lead spot with this ceviche dish, paired with a bright and crisp white wine. Perfect summer appetizer. Not the best shot but you can see those nice 'ol chunks of avocado in the bowl. I highly recommend the wine if you see it!

Close up!

Dish 2: Waitress's I Don't Want Earl's Baby Pie paired with Picpoul de Pinet

Next up was Sarah's savory pie with another summer white wine. The "I Don't Want Earl's Baby Pie" was a super creamy quiche with ALL the cheese. So of course it was delicious with white wine! It came straight from the oven, served warm with love (hence the towel!!).

Dish 3: Sound of Music's Schnitzel paired with a Gruner Veltliner

Next up was McKinsey with schnitzel!!! Simple but so delicious. She served this breaded chicken with lemon zest and parsley which I thought was so great. We all enjoyed this wine as well! I got thirds of this. (Can you tell McKinsey is actually saying schnitzle? So authentic)

We had a lot of fun pronouncing (or trying to pronounce) this wine...

Dish 4: Wedding Crashers' Meatloaf paired with a sultry red

Next up was Jon with meatloaf (in ball form), inspired by Wedding Crashers, served with a Hey Mambo red California wine. I love the way these were served (so practical!) and also so delicious. I hadn't had meatballs in a while!

Dish 5: Orange is the New Black's Meatloaf with Prison Wine

Next up was KIM, bringing back the meatloaf them but with an Orange is the New Black theme. Her meatloaf was gluten and corn free (because she's allergic!) and had a tangy sweet apple cider sauce on top. So much yum. The wine was a base of Sauvignon Blanc, served à la theme in a plastic bag with fruit, because apparently that's how they ferment wine in the prison in the show?! Major creativity + theme points here. Also, who knew a bottle of wine only filled up this much of a bag??

Dish 6: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Grilled Charlie Sandwich paired with Riot Punch

Next savory stop: RAY! With the ridiculous blue drink (Gatorade, Prosecco, Blue Curaçao) and - wait for it - grilled cheese + peanut butter + chocolate. What?? Sounds so weird, right? This was actually a hit and way more tasty than the ingredients would indicate. Think sweet and savory peanut butter sandwich. I would totally have this again! Blue curaçao drink (see first picture above) was definitely different for us but we definitely enjoyed the theme execution!!

Dish 7: Willy Wonka's Blueberry Cake paired with Sparking Wine

Are we done yet? NOPE we're just getting to dessert. First in the dessert line up (um yes, how often do you get to have FOUR desserts?!) was Lauren with a blueberry icebox cake, inspired by the blueberry scene in Willy Wonka. I loved this idea and how the graham cracker layers of the cake turned out! Totally summery. Didn't get a picture of the sparkling (white) wine but I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought the bubbles went well with the sweet and creamy flavors.

Dish 8: Chocolat's Chocolate Macarons paired with the 7 Deadly Sins Zinfandel

Next stop, chocolate. Or Chocolat, to be precise. Dan brought out the French game with macarons (first time making!) and a dry-ish red wine. The cookies (is it bad to call them that?) were a hit!

Dish 9: Inglorious Bastards' Apple Strudel paired with Fetzer Vineyards Gewurztraminer

Second to last dessert was G.T. with a killer apple strudel inspired by Inglorious Bastards. G.T., a previous TWO TIME WINNER, always brings his A game and consequently I'm always super pumped to eat whatever he makes. This was no exception. The wine was also a crisp, summery white - good pairing with apples, especially if they are a little tart!

Close up because NOMS look at that crust

Okay, are you full yet? One more to go!!

Dish 10: Julie & Julia's Chocolate Pie paired with a German sweet red wine

This was my dish! Inspired by Julie & Julia, of course the most fitting movie from me. I of course took a healthier spin on it and made a vegan // grain free chocolate silk pie, courtesy of Minimalist Baker. The research I did about chocolate and wine pairing returned mixed results, with some saying it's impossible to do. I was happy after reading a few sources that said the sweeter the chocolate, the sweeter your wine pairing should be, so I went with that theme (not too sweet for both food and wine). The reasoning is that if you have a sweet dessert and a dry wine they will contrast too much and the red wine will taste even more dry. As always, though, it's up to you to decide what you like!! The red wine I found at Trader Joe's was a tad sweet but just the right amount and I enjoyed the pairing more than I thought I would.

Dat creamy tofu swirl though...

WOW yes we made it all the way through. Stuffed and full of wine and happiness, as always. Pacing is definitely a key to this event, and we all did well this time with a few more bite sized dishes. #strategy

The theme for next Winedown is still TBD but some good options have been thrown around. Stay tuned!!

The post Winedown July 2017 appeared first on French Pressed Kitchen.

Winedown is a dinner party that I help put on with a group of about 10-15 friends in the D.C. area (where we all live). It started as a way to get friends together and learn a little bit more about food and wine pairing - a communal setting for sharing a good meal and good wine in the comfort of a friend's home. Recently, however, it has developed further into a culinary adventure of the most fantastic proportions.

So how does it work? First, we assemble the team. A group of 8-10 is more than enough, but we've had as many as 14 on occasion. Next, a dedicated member of said group  volunteers to host the dinner. We tend to rotate venues, but in general there are no limiting factors for hosting; if you don't have enough chairs or plates or wine glasses (2 per person), don't worry! The attendees help provide and make it all come together. That is part of the special Winedown magic.

Every individual (i.e., no couple cooking) brings a dish and a wine to pair with their dish. A master order is created from the dishes, from appetizers through mains and desserts. When everyone has arrived and is seated at the table, each pairing is presented one by one, and tasted one by one according to the tasting order. Attendees take notes on each pairing, evaluating each for the winning category - Best Overall Food and Wine Pairing. At the end of the meal, votes are also submitted for best dish, best wine, and a surprise category. The votes are tallied in a dramatic manner with each person nominating their top three pairings, as well as one top choice for all other categories. The first vote is the most important, however. If you win Best Pairing, you do not have to bring anything next time AND you can pick a theme or rule for the next dinner!! Basically you just show up after a totally stress free day and enjoy a 12 course meal.  Now what's better than that?

We drank that.

Note that Winedown does operate on a strict rule set, now known  as the Winedown Commandments. They are as follows:

• Thou shall not spill wine.
• Thou shall cook to win.
• Thou shall use at least three ingredients.
• Thou shall bring one dish per attendee.
• Thou shall not sabotage thy neighbor's dish.
• Thou shall not vote for yourself.
• Thou shall honor the wishes of the winner.
• Thou shall convene at least every 90 days.
• Thou shall reply to the invitation.
• Though shall have fun.

Additionally, Winedown is by invite only. The size must be limited because as you can imagine, there is a limit to how much food can be consumed, even by the most valiant of participants. We started out as a crew of about 8-10 people but have happily grown our group and our bellies with the addition of significant others and new friends to about 12-15. Life events such as moving have emptied some seats, but they are quickly filled by friends eager to take home the Winedown glory.

My group of friends has been holding winedown for the last several years but it's just now coming to the world to share with you. I'm hoping to inspire others with some more food and wine pairing knowledge, as well as inspiration to gather with friends and family. The company is the best part after all. This embodies the true French Pressed Kitchen mantra of taking the time to enjoy your food, and the meals you share with those around the table with you :).

Follow along with our Winedown adventures. We already have 4 years behind us, but many more ahead!!

Cheers, and bon appétit!

The post What is Winedown? appeared first on French Pressed Kitchen.