Vine and Dine with the Candle 79 Cookbook continues! Given the name, we expected this to be spicier than it was. Jim even asked if it was “supposed to be Mexican”. Either our spice sensors are out of whack or the peppers were unusually mild. Either way, it had as some heat, but not really chile heat. Even the jalapeno in the sauce wasn’t very zippy. No matter, we really enjoyed the dish.
The recipe calls for simmering the tofu before marinading. It gave it a slightly different texture and is something I think I’ll play with in the future. The sauces were both wonderful ad the dish comes together smoothly.
In other stuff:
Do you want to cook with us? Food Network Friday is up next with an incredible Bayou “Chicken” Pasta. After that, it’s back to Vine and Dine featuring Bryanna’s World Vegan Feast.
Try to win a copy of World Vegan Feast by commenting on this post. Random drawing will be Wednesday or Thursday.
Need a new soup recipe? How about this one?
And…I’m trying to centrally locate all my food posts at this facebook page. Like it and check back often.
Whew, that’s a lot of bookkeeping kind of stuff.
Before I turn this over to Jim for the wine, don’t forget to see what Liz and Matthew did with this pairing, and also Kim and Fred. I don’t know about Liz and Kim, but I didn’t let Jim see the suggestion in the book. They picked a German wine: a Sylvaner blend.
Price point is in the just-under $20.00 range. New Mexico actually has some kick ass “sparkling wines”, just the way it is. Living in Ohio, that doesn’t make a lot of sense, but Ohio has a pretty strong Finger Lakes-Lite style wine region right where we live. So who am I to judge?
This Gruet was made from Pinot Noir, our particular preference, as opposed to what would be labeled Blanc de Blanc, which uses Chardonnay as a the primary grape. This inexpensive, simple wine was bright, acidic and effervescent, with a citrus nose and an apple tingle on the palate. It worked well as a foil to the dish, didn’t interfere, didn’t oppose, but didn’t integrate either. A sort of stood-on-its-own thing but worked out that way. Pick some up, but please share better than I do.
9 Comments
You make cooking vegan look so easy. I am not a very good cook, not creative at all and never sure what spice to use….well lots of issues. Do you recommend a book or a link to what every vegan should have on hand all the time like a pantry supply list? I keep going back to a carnivore lifestyle because 1)I was raised on it 2)I was never taught how to cook anything healthy…help!
It certainly has some vibrant colours to it! I can’t wait to try this one. Gotta make some time to get to know my newest cookbook. And I would Vine and Dine with you guys but I don’t vine at all (I’m no fun like that!)
I thought it was very mild too. Guajillos don’t have much heat, but oh so yummy. I don’t know if Fred peeked at the wine suggestion. He usually doesn’t. He likes jawing with the wine folks at the store. This dish had a lot of flavor that made up for the lack of heat.
I like the idea of simmering the tofu before marinating it. I have to try this, too.
Itsok, I actually just posted to you on your blog. Cooking isn’t hard, it just takes practice. You can do it. Most of us were raised on a carnivore diet, but there is so much more.
Kelly, you could always dine with us if you wanted!
Kim, you can tell Fred likes chatting with the wine guys. It’s one of the best ways to learn, too.
Mihl, it was new to me, too. But I liked it.
Thanks Tami!!
I have this cookbook but have not tried this recipe – it looks way yummy though so hopefully I can give it a try soon. thanks for the reminder.
Re: Food Network.
No doubt it’s just me and the old eyes, but where is the “Essence” recipe?
This Fall we are going to New York and one of the main reasons is so that at long last we can dine at Candle 79!
In2, it’s here. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/emerils-essence-recipe/index.html
So many incredible opportunities for fantastic vegan food in NYC!