Happy Birthday Kurtis!

Last night we celebrated my older brothers 23rd birthday. He had celebrated it the day before at Disney with his wife Michelle, but last night was my gift. I planned with Mom to give them a tasting dinner with 6 courses and 3 different wines. Kurtis is a foodie in the terms that he will try and eat just about anything. Kurtis and Michelle however, have not ever experienced wine with food. So we food educated them last night.
Here's what we did:

 The three wines I chose are >>>

From left to right is the order they were served.

The courses were as follows,
1. Cream of Mushroom Soup
2. Apple, Cranberry and Goat Cheese Salad
3. Tuna Tartare
4. Seared Scallops
5. Pork Roulade
6. Stuffed Crimini Mushroom

 Cream of mushroom soup was made with crimini and portabello mushrooms. It had small dices of portabello mushroom in it, and the garnish was a celery leaf with a leak feather. Overall this was my favorite course. We paired this course with the Tour de Bonnet Sauvignon Blanc. The wine is very earthy, and has mushroom aromas. It is crisp and slightly acidic. The cream of the soup balances the acidity and allows the earthy tones of the wine to come out.

 Second was the apple and goat cheese salad. It had crushed walnuts, dried cranberries, and we used gala apples because of the sweetness. The dressing was a raspberry vinaigrette. It was a very simple assemblage. This course was also served with the Sauvignon Blanc. However, different foods react differently to wines. Since this dish was very sweet by nature, it intensified the acidity and crisp finish to the wine. It contrasted in a good way, and the opposite of the course before it.

 Third course was a classic Tuna Tartare. The tuna is served inside of a soy wrap, which I have had but haven't had a reason to use. The garnish is a sliced avocado, toasted sesame seeds, and crispy wontons. This course was paired with the Sangiovese from Italy. The acidity of the dish balanced the tannins in the wine, and created a less harsh red wine. However this wine is very smooth naturally. It is very well balanced.

 Here's what the soy wrappers look like...










The fourth course is seared scallops with a beurre blanc sauce and scallions. The beurre blanc sauce really brings out the butter mouth feel and taste of the wine, which was strange to explain to those who didn't understand how wine can taste like butter. But it is true! This was my favorite pairing of the evening.

 Fifth course was a pork roullade stuffed with apples. There is swiss cheese and carmelized apples on top of the dish. The sauce underneath is a creamy Dijon mustard sauce with parsley. This course was paired with the moscato. Moscato is very sweet and has flavors and aromas of apples and pears. This was a great pairing with the pork. The dish was sweet, but was balanced with the savory of the sauce. This made the wine even more sweet tasting when paired with it.

Last course was a Parmesan rice stuffed crimini mushroom. It was roasted with garlic and worcestershire sauce. Then stuffed with a parmesan rice. It was simple and not too heavy as a last course. The wine cut down on sweetness when paired with this dish and it was easier to taste some of the different fruit notes in it.














Overall, it was a great dinner. Kurtis and Michelle really enjoyed themselves, and I enjoyed making it. It really does make me happy to cook all day and see how happy my food makes those who eat it. Happy Birthday Kurtis!