Best of the best: Winners from the 12th annual Platinum Judging

In November, we conducted our 12th annual Platinum Judging, what we have dubbed “the best of the best in the Great Northwest.”

Last week, we shared some of the top wines from British Columbia’s Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery, which won six Platinums in the 12th competition. This week, we will look at some of the best wines from Washington, Oregon and Idaho, along with brief descriptions.

Wines are eligible to enter the Platinum if they from the Northwest and have won gold medals in any of about 35 professionally judged competitions around the world. We bring in top judges from … Continue Reading

Walla Walla Valley wineries hold Holiday Barrel Tasting

Area wineries will crack open barrels of their newest and future reds and whites Friday-Sunday for the annual Holiday Barrel Tasting. More than 70 of the Valley’s wineries will be decked-out for the holiday season.

Whether it is a locally catered spread, the “Battle of the Soups,” or local hand-crafted chocolates, each winery will offer something special for its guests. Winemakers will be on hand to introduce their new wines as well as future wines still in the barrel. Visitors can be the first to enjoy the new vintage and take home a selection of wines. A downloadable event guide is available at wallawallawine.com/submit-event/holiday-barrel-tasting.

Creative use of Thanksgiving leftovers makes for real treats

So, Thanksgiving has come and gone and now you are left with the aftermath.

The pounds of turkey and mashed potatoes, the cranberry sauce, the stuffing and the tighter feeling around your middle when you put on your pants.

While you know how to solve the latter issues, the real trick is what to do with all of those leftovers: Time for a pantry raid!

If you have been following Walla Walla Table since the beginning of the year and taking good notes you should have a well-stocked larder. One of the first things I reach for after the holidays is some serious comfort food, and for me that means Mexican.

Enchiladas are a favorite in my family. We love them, the kids love them and they are a fantastic way to use up leftovers. If you are not into making your own tortillas, good ones can be found in stores. You should have your ranchero sauce ready to go in your freezer, so this is a no brainer. Heat your sauce, dip the tortillas in for 20 to 30 seconds, add your turkey – cheese is optional – roll them up … Continue Reading

EATING LOCAL – Food revolution gains steam as parents demand quality

Earlier this month I attended a talk on food awareness by Chantal Valentine, a Whitman College graduate who authored “The Baby Cuisine Cookbook” and has launched a “preschool food revolution” in the San Francisco Bay Area in response to the food served in her child’s school.

Seeing a need for a healthy change in their community, she and husband Shane, were speaking at Whitman to share their knowledge and bring about awareness and change to the processed food trend aimed at children. With the extreme rise of obesity and Type-2 diabetes, and the realization that our poor food habits are the cause, people in increasing numbers in the United States are starting to take action. The Valentines are among those on the frontline of a growing movement.

For the first time in history, children born in the year 2000 and after are forecast to have a shorter life span then their parents. These kids have a 1-in-3 chance of contracting Type-2 diabetes, something that is avoidable with healthy food choices.

In Berkeley, Calif., chef Alice Waters started an “Edible Schoolyard” to teach kids about growing, harvesting, and preparing nutritious, seasonal produce. For over 16 years, the project has … Continue Reading

Making Thanksgiving turkey isn’t an all-day affair

The best part about Thanksgiving is the turkey.

The worst part of Thanksgiving? The turkey.

It’s either dry and overcooked, or it’s spot on. The unfortunate thing is you never know what you are going to get, unless you have some know-how.

When I was a kid my mother did all of the major holidays, and she was really good at it. She would wake up at the crack of dawn and start cooking by 7 or 8 am. No joke. The turkey would cook all day. Most years it was really good, a few times we needed extra gravy … if you know what I mean.

When the time came for me to cook the turkey one year, I could not imagine myself standing in the kitchen all day long. So, like everything else I have ever done, I figured out a better way with … Continue Reading

Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman winds up for tasting events

A special tasting today at 19 N. Second Ave. kicks off a series of events that signal the start of the holiday season.

From 5 to 7 p.m., the wines of Forgeron Cellars will be poured and paired with cheeses from Cheese Louise.

Today’s wine and cheese event will be followed Thursday by “Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé,” a special tasting of a traditional French Gamay. According to Catie McIntyre Walker, who owns the downtown retail shop, France is known to erupt in massive celebration at the stroke of midnight on the third Thursday of each November. The celebration is for the unveiling of the Beaujolais Nouveau wine, which is a young — six weeks old — Gamay that comes from south of Burgundy. The light-bodied and fruity wine goes well with Thanksgiving turkey. The French government has adopted regulations delaying the wine’s release until the third week of November. It is tradition that the wine must be finished by Christmas. McIntyre Walker doesn’t plan to open at midnight. But she does … Continue Reading

‘Tis season for Three Rivers open house

Three Rivers Winery is getting into the spirit of the season with a Holiday Open House this week.

The Walla Walla winery, at 5641 Old Highway 12, will host an after-hours shopping event Thursday. From 5 to 8 p.m., the tasting room will be open and stocked with holiday gift items for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Linens and dinnerware for the holiday table, cookbooks, aprons, candles, cork jewelry, ornaments, confections, stocking stuffers, hostess gifts and more will be available for purchase. Brands include VIETRI, Michael Aram, Garnier Thiebaut, Couleur Nature, The Thymes, Roost, Stonewall Kitchen and Jan Barboglio.

Complimentary wine tasting will be available, as will gingerbread cupcakes from Frosted — The Cupcake Shop and charcuterie from Salumiere Cesario.

Those who attend will also receive a gift and have the chance to enter a drawing for a $50 gift certificate. A free gift will also be available to those who spend $100 or more on VIETRI holiday dishes. Guests will “draw for a discount” and receive 5 to 30 percent off purchases during the event. For more details, call 526-9463.

Ins and outs of ‘organic’ and buying locally

In our ongoing discussion of where your food is coming from, I hope to provide some insight and “education,” as much as I hate to call it that. The goal is to dispel myths and rumors about the food you buy, in hopes of create better informed consumers who can make smart decisions about what foods are best for themselves and their families.

Myth 1: You should only buy organic

While organic is good, it is not the end all, be all. Some foods labeled “organic” as opposed to 100 percent organic, can contain up to 5 percent non-organic ingredients, such as fish oils, sausage casings from conventionally raised animals, saccharides and even colorings. So is it really “organic”? No

Foods grown organically can also be raised with pesticides, even though that is completely against what “organic” is all about. There are three levels of … Continue Reading

Cultured foods from many cultures make for happy digestive tract

The closing of October marks the end of the Walla Walla Farmers’ Market for the year, so I made sure to attend the last Saturday market. It was a picture perfect autumn morning — brightly colored leaves, azure-blue sky and everyone dressed in warm hats and puffy jackets.

Off in the corner of the market, an old white truck had its tailgate down. Inside were beautiful giant green cabbages, larger than I had ever seen before. Alongside them lay gorgeous purple cauliflower, just as big and stunning.

“Better get some before they’re all gone!” Amiee, the market manager, told me.

I don’t know if you’ve ever actually cut up a cabbage and realized how a little bit goes a long way, but a standard grocery store cabbage in our house can last us a few weeks worth of soup, coleslaw and sauteing. And this guy, at least three times the size of … Continue Reading

An American fall classic, and we ain’t talking World Series here

As we move into fall the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. Admit it, what you really want is something to warm the body and soul without having to spend hours sitting watching and stirring pots and pans, right?

This week we bring you one of our favorite family recipes that is sure to excite even if the name does not.

This is a great meal that you can get a lot of mileage out of all week long and with very little effort.

It’s called pot roast. Yes, pot roast. Plain and simple.

It is one of the classic American dishes you either love or hate. Most of those I’ve had in my life have been rather blah, unfortunately.

But once I learned how to cook and do it properly, things seemed to change for the pot roast.

Gone were the dry chewy bits of meat and that rather bland sauce (aka “gravy”) and the … Continue Reading

Savor fall with seasonal snacks and treats kids can help make

Now that summer is officially over, it’s time to celebrate fall and all of its wonderful seasonal foods. Days are cooling down and nights require an extra blanket on the bed. Time for hearty winter squash, fresh orchard fruits like warm apple treats and crisp delicious pears.

Today I stocked up on a variety of winter squash, from the deep orange -red kuri to the smooth, creamy butternut, from the yellow and green striped delicata to the required sugar pie pumpkin. Each has a different use in our house and is perfect for its own individual recipe.

The red kuri is wonderful cut in half, baked until tender and scooped out for use in pancakes, cookies or other sweet, savory treats. The butternut is easy to peel and chop for use in soup, risotto, pan fried, or just roasted in the oven with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

The delicata has a thin skin and does not require peeling, making it a wonderful dish cut in … Continue Reading