Menu for seduction

[anna]

Well, as usual, I would like to hear more suggestions re: wine/food pairings. And with the number of dirty minds out there [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img], I'm sure you can come up with some good ideas for this one:

I've finally met a guy that I'm willing to cook dinner for (no small feat), and I'd like to make the event special. The tentative menu is --

Caesar salad (I make a mean salad)

Champagne Risotto with Wild Mushrooms and Gorgonzola (and a touch of truffle oil)
Glazed baby carrots

Grapes coated with cream cheese, crystallized ginger and toasted almonds
Baci chocolates (yes, I purposely picked finger food for dessert)

Any wine suggestions (preferably the same wine throughout)? Should I just serve the same champagne that I used in the risotto? And any other suggestions to making the evening one to remember? Keep it clean, please...(hahaha)

[This message has been edited by anna (edited 12-01-1999).]

[n144mann]

Anna, you might try a beautiful Port with the chocolates in front of a roaring fire, if you do not have a fireplace, find another romantic place to cuddle together....if the chocolates melt in your hands, you can always lick it off eachothers finger tips. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

As for what makes an evening special....in my experience, it all depends on the man. But if you truly want to get your point across...be a bit daring, do something unexpected and unusual. What?? Well that is up to you to decide....<grin> Making the plans can be almost as much fun as implementing them. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]

Hope you enjoy your evening Anna!!
Nancy

[Jerry D Mead]

I would think champagne would hit the right note and carry through both the salad and the risotto...something pretty dry and austere...like maybe Roederer Estate from Mendocino.

And I think the Port might also work the grapes, cream cheese and nuts. The champagne would, I suspect, turn bitter on you in the presence of grapes and ginger.

So a full bottle of champagne and a half bottle of Port should see you through nicely (or get a full bottle of Port...and what you two don't finish over dinner you can share over breakfast the next morning!).

[Randy Caparoso]

Ah, but Champagne perks the interest, but it's RED wine that sets the blood afire. The risotto (with sharp, penetrating Gorgonzola) and ginger crystallized grapes (did I read this right?) sound like a job for... Pinot Noir! A sumptuously textured one from Santa Barbara, the Russian River Valley, or Oregon's Willamette Valley. Barring that, a thick, zesty, but not too-heavy red Zinfandel (like Quivira, Nalle, Lolonis, Robert Biale, or Ridge's "Sonoma Station").

For further advice, check out M.F.K. Fisher's "How To Cook a Wolf." There's an art to it -- utilizing pacing as much as movement from Point A to B. Hope you get you catch YOUR wolf!

[anna]

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I'm going to have to ponder the Roederer vs. pinot noir -- I love both! Dinner won't be for another few weeks, but you're right -- planning the event is half the fun. And thanks, Randy, for suggesting "How to Cook a Wolf". I have a library copy of Fisher's "Art of Eating" sitting on my table, so I'll have to look into that tonight.

Now if I can only choose the right outfit from my Victoria's Secret catalog.... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]