Wine In My Kitchen: Cooking and Reading Everyday

by Karen Tripson

PICNICS : Recipes from the Vineyards of Northern California by Leslie Mansfield

This is an odd collection of recipes assembled under the topic of “Picnics” in Leslie Mansfield's series. They might be tried and true from reliable sources in wine country but they are not necessarily what you might think of as picnic food. The collection might better have been titled "Summer". There are no tips on how to assemble a picnic menu that's ready to travel and no effort to adapt recipes for packing to serve later, many miles away. Too many recipes called for preparing and serving hot which falls outside of my picnic guidelines:

• Delicious (and safe) cold or room temperature;
• Easy to pack;
• Finger or fork food.

On the high-style end, for those who like to take sterling silver and linens picnicking, the Duck Rillettes and the Quail Salad are worthy. On the opposite end, are quirky choices such as cold white bean salad with hot croutons and stuffed olives baked in cheese dough. The SuperBowl® Gourmet Award belongs to a recipe titled Picnic Chicken Smokies. This man-pleaser takes ordinary chicken thighs, bones them; stuffs them with smoked sausage; tops them with bacon, cheese, onion and mustard; bakes them in chardonnay; and serves them with chardonnay. That's a food and wine pairing that demonstrates how flexible chardonnay can be — and how flexible pairings for picnics should be.

In the middle are the standards people really take on picnics: Chinese Chicken Salad, Sesame Wings, Potato Salad and other salads with beans and pasta. Good cookie and biscotti recipes are appreciated because they fit all the picnic guidelines perfectly. One tasty idea that will make it into my basket again is Grilled Shrimp, Avocado and Corn Salsa contributed by Handley Cellars. This salsa is substantial enough to be a main salad.

Hike Light Menu
If you're planning a small excursion to picnic with a friend, put a well-chilled salad in a sturdy plastic bowl with lid. Carry it in an insulated pack with a bottle of cold wine to maintain some coolness inside. Most food is fine at room temperature for two hours, so you can travel for a few hours before worrying about food safety. Your companion can carry the other essientials: corkscrew, cups, chips for forks, cookies, fruit and bottled water.

Picnic Wines
Cold wines are refreshing on hot days, but if chilling is too much trouble, go for food friendly and flexible enough for the whole menu. Zinfandel has a reputation as a barbeque wine for its ability to bite back or at least not shrink from spicy red sauces. I propose Sangiovese as the red wine for picnics. Value, too, is an element that adds to the atmosphere of whiling away a warm afternoon eating and drinking outdoors. Here are some recent favorites. Let me know what picnic wine you've enjoyed and it will be added to this list.

• Citra Trebbiano D'Abruzzo ($6 magnum)
  
• Chateau Ste. Michelle Johannisberg Riesling ($7)
  
• Montpielier Sauvignon Blanc
• Montpielier Syrah
• Monmousseau Rose d' Anjou ($6)
  
• Ca Montini Pinot Grigio ($10)
  
• Citra Sangiovese ($6 magnum)
  
• Yellowtail Shiraz ($6)

!!!! A reader responds:

"I cracked open one of the yellow fin tuna Shiraz wines tonite and was tremendoulsy underwhelmed -- jammy in the worst sense of the word. An enveloping, unfocused sweetness, like a stinky fog from Tacoma, that promises headaches in the morning.

I also opened a Nugan Family Estate Shiraz (a little more expensive @ $7/bottle). Not as smooth perhaps, but infiinitely more satisfying in balance of fruit/acidity. !!!