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♦ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2006 4C Learn categories of tastes to understand Some time ago, fellow wine writer Robin Garr wrote a column that used the idea of teaching basic wine tasting ideas with tea. Tea contains a flavor profile that can be rather diverse. The idea is terribly sim plistic, yet it makes good sense. You serve one plain, one with lemon, one with sugar, and one with milk. The plain tea allows the taster to concentrate on the profile of the tea itself, while the lemon shows acidity, the sugar demonstrates sweet ness, and the milk compares to the mellowing effect of malolactic fermentation. If you can get the idea this way, when you hear of a wine with “lively acidi ty,” you may have a better idea of what to expect. Even more so, you may have a bet ter idea of what foods to pair it with to bring out the best in each. Although I can appreciate a glass of wine by itself, I rarely indulge apart from food. Wine and food are intended to be taken togeth er, and the idea of pairings is not really as complicated as it first may appear. When you realize that wines can be categorized according to flavor charac teristics, it makes the pro cess immeasurably simpler. Instead of facing an over whelming number of vari etals, blends, and regions, you can narrow it down to wines which are very acidic, Palm oil rivals olive for health benefits, beats it for versatility AKA Peruse a menu at your neighborhood Asian restau rant and you may wonder how so many Asian cultures, whose diets often include lots of fried foods, can still have some of the lowest choles terol levels and longest life spans in the world. Research shows that their use of palm oil is at least part of the answer. By now, most Americans know that the hydrogenated vegetable oils we once relied on for our cooking needs boost levels of bad choles terol. With the federal govern ment’s recent requirement that manufacturers now reveal the use of hydroge nated oils on package labels, the move is on to find alter natives. Olive oil has long been considered the alternative oil of choice for those con cerned with watching their cholesterol. Its healthful reputation has been based, in part, on stud ies that show Mediterranean populations, who consume olive oil as their main dietary fat, have lower incidences of heart disease. However, Americans, including some major play ers in the food industry, are discovering red palm olein, a liquid derivative of palm oil, as a more nutritious, health Just The Right Look jfe,J! tk\ t 4 r> <The 926 Carroll St. • Perry. GA 31069 478-224-8888 M-F9am-spm SAT 10arn-2pm such as many Sauvignon Blancs, wines which are sweet or off-dry, as are many Rieslings, and so on. Then you can choose to pair according to these, rather than simply by color. region, or tradition. Of course, there are no right and wrong pairings, but there are cer tai n 1 y those which seem to have been 1 Brian Goodell The Wine Guy Morris News Service made for each other. When hosting a dinner at home, I may pair sev eral wines with a variety of courses, perhaps includ ing a dessert or after dinner wine. We sometimes choose to serve coffee with dessert, rather than wine, especially if we have guests who will be driving home and would be better off without any additional alcohol. WhileMarcoNegriMoscato D’Asti with mocha tort is amazing, a fresh cup of rich coffee from the French press is hard to beat as well. Turns out there are other such heavenly coffee and food matches. A reader who loves German Dallmeyer coffee wrote and told me that, “the best way to really enjoy it is with a red Lindor chocolate ball by Lindt. ful and versatile alternative. Consider these olive vs. palm facts from the American Palm Oil Council: ■ Fat facts - Studies show that monounsaturated oleic acid, which makes up about 70 percent of olive oil, has a beneficial effect on choles terol. Palm olein is made up of about 50 percent oleic acid. While the scientific commu nity generally agrees oleic acid is good for you, no one is sure yet how much you really need in your diet. Research shows that while palm olein performs about the same as olive and canola oils in reducing bad choles terol, it matches olive and surpasses canola in raising good cholesterol levels. ■ Nutrition notes - Olive oil is a good source of vita min E, an antioxidant. Palm olein, however, packs a more significant nutritional punch. It contains many potent antioxidants, including beta-carotene, pro-vitamin A carotenoids and tocotre inols, a form of vitamin E. ■ Flavor facts - Olive oil imparts a distinct flavor to all food cooked in it. The flavor of olive oil doesn’t always go well with every recipe, especially in American and Asian cui sines. Red palm olein, on the other hand, is virtually fla Pop the whole thing in your mouth, bite through the center, and enjoy! As you near the end of the candy, swig the coffee for an unbe lievable treat!” This is a person who understands the synergy of a great pairing. A complex, smoky Valpolicella with Veronese gnocchi does the trick for me. Or how about a dark, pep pery Chianti Classico with a good, homemade Ragu that simmered all day over penne? Heck, why not a Cabernet Sauvignon like Clos Du Bois with prime rib while we’re at it? But if you’re not ready for that yet, Starbucks tells us that African coffee pairs perfectly with lemon pound cake, Columbia Supremo is a match for gooey pecan rolls, and CafZ Verona is a part ner to chocolate mousse or soufflZ . Events Enjoy the beauty of fall in northern Georgia along with the tastes of Crane Creek Vineyards this Saturday at the Annual Harvest Festival from 11a.m. - 6 p,m. Stomp grapes, relax on a hayride, listen to live music, and enjoy the food and wine. Call the tasting room at 706-379-1236 or go to www. cranecreekvineyards.com. To share your favorite pairings, ask questions, or just to talk wine, write me at goodell wineguy((tisbcglobal. net vorless, allowing the flavors of the food ingredients to shine through, rather than overpowering or influencing them. For this reason, and because palm olein doesn’t turn rancid as quickly as olive oil, food manufacturers around the world prefer it as a frying medium. ■ Versatility vs. olive - Imagine baking your favor ite chocolate chip cookies with olive oil. Doesn’t sound appetizing, does it? But in most baking recipes, you can replace shortening with palm oil, because palm oil starts life as a semi-solid and is completely trans-fat free. For the same reason, it can be used in preparing confections. ■ Price points - Most of us are cooking on a budget. While the cost of extra-vir gin olive oil can leave you gasping, palm olein costs roughly a fifth the price of olive oil. So the next time you’re shopping for a healthful alternative to traditional cooking oils, why not pick palm? To learn more about the benefits of palm oil, or to find a list of distributors in your area, visit www.ameri canpalmoil.com or call 877- ASK-PALM (275-7256). FOOD SLOW From page jC Slow cooker chicken with rosemary, apples and onions 2 cups sliced onions 2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced 2 pounds of cut-up chicken pieces with bone 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons rose mary leaves 1 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup cream of cel ery soup 2 cups cooked white or brown rice Put apples and onions in bottom of cooker, then layer chicken on top. Season all ending with rosemary leaves. In another bowl, mix broth and soup. Pour over REA From page jC 2 cans Navy or great Northern Beans 1 pkg, Knorr Vegetable Soup mix Tabasco Sauce to taste Cover turnip greens with water and bring to a boil. Add rest of ingredients and simmer covered for 45 min utes to one hour. Mustard greens and ham hocks 1 mess* mustard greens 1-1/2 lbs. Ham hocks 2 cups water salt and pepper to taste 1 tbsp. Cane syrup Wash greens thoroughly. MCDONALD From page jC At The Brick, owner Steve Kuntz is interested in help ing children, Peters said. The staff at Fionne MacCool’s recently donat ed time and food to put on a benefit for a regular who is suffering from cancer. “I don’t know if our owner (Amy McNulty) has said no to anybody yet. She’s a good-hearted woman who wants to make everybody happy,” Swed said. “Sometimes she’ll go overboard, but we are helping people out and that makes us a lot stron ger company.” With so many requests, it’s hard to say no. I’ve talked with chefs and owners about the constant requests. Every cause is worthy. But they can’t do them all. Several restaurants designate a certain amount of money in the annual budget for charities. The restaurants decide what events they’ll par ticipate in and which ones will get gift certifi cates for silent auctions. Jadjj's Sandwicb Shoppe 1201 Sunset Ave. • Perry Plaza Hours: Mon, Tue, Thurs, Fri. 11am-7pm • Wed 11am-2:3opm Judy’s Choice This Week: . f . Deluxe Grilled Chicken W/Lettuce, Tomato, & nCiC i Bacon On Onion Roll W/ Pickles & Chips - $5.25 fVc^^! Hot Soups (Made Fresh Daily) C u p-$2.50 • w/meal-$1.50 Kids Menu Available f plus Salads • Desserts • Drinks chicken. Cook for six to eight hours on low. Serve over rice. Hot broccoli cheese dip 3/4 cup butter 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced 1 onion, chopped 1 4-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained 3 tablespoons flour 1 10 3/4 ounce can cream of celery soup 1 cup shredded Ched dar cheese 1 10-ounce package chopped broccoli In a small skillet, melt the butter and sautee the celery, onion and mush rooms. Stir in the flour. Place into a lightly greased slow cooker and stir in remaining ingredi ents. Cover cook on high, stir ring about every 15 minutes until the cheese is melted. Turn to low for two to four hours or until ready Brown ham hocks in skil let with one tablespoon fat. Put greens in pot and add water. Add ham hocks. Cover and cook on medium low heat for 30 minutes. Add salt and syrup. Cover and cook another 10-15 minutes * Mess - any measured amount of vegetable neces sary to serve a given num ber of people. Country green beans 1 lb. fresh green beans (trimmed) 1/4 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup chopped fully cooked ham 1/4 cup butter or mar garine 1/4 cup water 1 garlic clove (minced) Often, the restaurants will rotate the major chari ties on an every-other-year basis to keep the place fresh in the eyes of those going to the events. It is also the only way a restaurant can spread itself around to the many chari ties wanting its presence at their events. It helps that all of this happens in a growing com Grrrreal Deals DcycuhaveseaeUiiiK ® f «ses tc sell and it's under w SM Ml. sc. call cur c *Merp srts a a&ks i|assffle<| •’w** + w ®' ll -<— Irttiwcuscwmentw* . must run on] line* , 478-987-2428 Remember For Your Convenience WE’RE OPEN EVENINGS! Hot & Cold Sandwiches (Many to Choose) HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL to serve. Source: www.crock-pot. com Triple chocolate surprise 1 package chocolate cake mix 1 8-ounce carton of sour cream 1 package instant chocolate pudding mix 1 cup chocolate chip morsels 3/4 cup oil 4 eggs 1 cup water Spray the stoneware of the slow cooker with non stick cooking spray or lightly grease it. Mix cake mix, sour cream, pudding mix, chocolate chips, oil, eggs and water in bowl. Pour into stoneware. Cover and cook on low six to eight hours or on high three to four hours. Source: www.crock-pot. com. 1/2 tsp. Salt 1/4 tsp. Pepper In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until beans are tender. Fruit fizz punch 2 qt. Boiling water 3 Lipton family size flo-through tea bags 1 can 6 oz. Frozen orange juice concen trate 1 can 6 oz. Frozen grape juice concentrate 1 can 6 oz. Frozen lenonade concentrate 1 bottle 32 oz. Ginger ale In large pitcher, pour water over tea bags, brew four minutes and remove tea bags. In punch bowl, combine tea, juices and lemonade. Before serving, add ginger ale and ice. munity. New restaurants open regularly, and that gives charities a bigger pool from which to choose. The newer restaurants can get their name out there through the charity events, and also offer different kinds of foods for the tast ings. That’s good for the res taurants and the commu nity. tPpiCK UP » home .