Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 180

Food Guide 26 Section 6 Chicago Tribune, Thursday, July 21, 1977 Let's learn about wines Wine buffs talk back Spanish sherry with the word manzanilla on the label is very, very dry, and you may rely on it. Check all this with your physician. And I suggest that 'you find a reliable wine shop which carries a wide range of wines, Including many from California, and make yourself known to the proprietor or manager. A good wine man can help you. "A YEAR AGO last Christmas my husband derided to make stfme glogg.

By mistake, he mixed gallon of port and Vi gallon 180-proof alcohol. When he realized his mistake, he just left the mixture in a 1-gallon bottle. Can we still use this mixture after it has been sitting in a closed jug for a year and a half?" You're all set for the holidays this year! The warm drink base should have kept perfectly. All you need to do is correct your proportions, adding whatever other ingredients your recipe requires more port, spices, and sugar, raisins, and almonds, if they are called for. heating it all in a large kettle.

Much of the alcohol will be lost (a good thing! in the heating, but in the closed jug the powerful mixture should have kept so well that you might consider using only half of it and keeping the rest in a half-gallon bottle for the holidays of 197B. "A RECENT ARTICLE by you about jug wines was By Ruth Ellen Church READER COMMENT and questions are always wel-i come when of general interest. "BEING DIABETIC and loving wine is a problem. You could help with specific names of wines that I might drink." It's a common problem. Wines to be avoided include ports, cream sherries, muscat wines, German wines above the kabinctt designation, and licbfraumilch.

Low cost California and eastern chablis and burgundy tend to be a little sweet and probably should be avoided. For bone-dry wines (no residual sugar), it's hard to beat the while wines of Alsace, including riesling, syl-vaner, and gewurztraminer. Your wine shop should have them in one or more of the good labels: Huge), Leon Beyer, Trimbaeh, and Willm. French while burgundies, chablis from France, and California chardon-nay, are safe wines for diabetics. French Macon Blanc, Poiully-Fuisse, Montracliet, Puligny and Chassagne, Montrachct, and Meursault are very dry white wines, though the last three tend to be expensive.

White Graves wines usually are suitable. Bed Bordeaux and Burgundy wines above the vn ordinaire quality and chianti are dry. Italian Verdicchio is bone-dry. California chardonnay, french colombard, cabernet-sauvignon, and zinfandcl are all wines you might enjoy. Chcnin blanc tends to be sweet, and California riesling also may be a little sweet, and had better be avoided by diabetics.

A FEW CALIFORNIA labels arc explicit about the residual sugar in the bottle. All labels will be more, explicit as to bottle content, origin of grapes, and other matters important to consumers if pending legislation passes, as expected. Something should be done about the term "extra dry" used on champagne; extra dry is not dry wine, but is instead sweet, sweet. Brut is the term that indicates dry champagne; it is more trustworthy on the French bottle than the American, for many of our champagne producers have their own interpretations of dry. For really dry champagne, look for the word natural or nature (French spelling).

Korbel's Natural and Mirassou's Nalurel can be trusted. A popular Spanish sherry, Dry Sack, is not dry wine, but rather sweet. Rely instead on a lino such as La Ina or Pedro Domecq or Tio Pepe of Gonzales Byass. Any most mi nueresuiig except ior several lacunae tnat slipped writes an architect. "There is good reason whv the in No slaving over a hoi slove is required lor these no-bake beauties.

Whip up no-bake desserts The key word in cooking: organize By Pierre Franey NEW YORK A bit nf psychology. It can scarcely lie stated often that in the interest of good cooking whether it requires less than an hour or the better part of a weekend organization is a primary consideration. Assemble the ingredients for a dish, chop what must be chopacd. shred what must be shredded, measure what mU5t be measured, and relax. This will make you flexible, -ind flexibility yields to dexterity.

all the ingredients at your disposal, ready for a skillet or pot, vou can work on alternate dishes with facility. Take rock cornisn game hens cooked in a with a lujht vinegar sauce The actual cooking time of the birds is slightly more than half an hour. After the small hens are browned all over, there is little to do as they cook other than add more ingredients from time to time. During that half hour, you can turn your attention to a vegetable dish. Cornish game hens au vfnaigre Four servings 4 rock cornish game hens (1 pound each) with flblcts alt, freshly ground pepper lo lastc 2 tablespoons butter Vi pound fresh mushrooms, left whole or quartered 1 whole clove garlic, impeded but lightly crushed cup coarsely chopped onion 1 bay leaf 2 sprigs fresh thyme or teaspoon dried 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar cup chicken broth 1.

Sprinkle cavity of game hens with salt and pepper. Truss the birds and rub outsides with salt and pepper. 2. Heat butter in heavy casserole or dutch oven. Add game hens.

Do not crowd them or they will not brown properly. Brown all over, about 15 minutes, and add the giblets. Cook 5 minutes. 3. Add mushrooms and garlic.

Cook briefly and add onion. Cook 5 minutes. 4. Add bay leaf and thyme. Cover and cook 10 minutes.

5. Add vinegar and chicken broth. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer. 6. Unlruss the birds and discard the strings.

Drain cavity juices back into pan. Discard garlic and bay leaf. Serve the game hens hot with mushrooms and boiling-lint pan liquid. Green beans with parsley butter Four servings Vi pound tender, very fresh green beans Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste .1 tablespoons melted butter 2 tablespoons chopped parsley Juice of lemon 1. Cut off and discard tips of beans.

Break beans into 2-inch lengths. Drop into boiling salted water and return to boiling. Simmer about 7 minutes, or until crisp tender. Do not overcook. Drain.

2. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, butter, parsley, and lemon juice. Toss well and serve hot. Now Yoik Times News Service eastern wines are not good. There is no reason for Meier's wines to taste like anything but grape juice, since they are made of native grapes.

The same applies to New York wines, except that it you have been reading Wine, an English magazine, you would know that one or two wineries have been trying lo make a hybrid grape that will stand our climate." While I did not choose the wines for the lasting I reported, I would have included Meier's with the others. Some of Meier's wines are basically native grape wines, and many people enjoy them. But Meier's and almost all the Eastern wineries now work with hybrid grapes, also, and some with the classical grapes of California and Europe. We are now seeing new varietal wines called Aurora, Seyval Blanc, Baco Noir, and Chelois. I have been visiting Midwestern and Eastern wineries for the past two years, tasting the new wines, and I think you'll be surprised at the fine quality.

French and American hybrids have been grown in the United States for 40 years. The English magazine, Wine, has not been published for several years. I regret this, for it was a good publication. Note: For especially festive dessert tarts, stand berries with tips pointing up or top cheese mixture with a variety of in-season fresh fruits arranged in circles. Chilled cheesecake pie Six servings 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese softened 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup whipping cream, whipped 1 graham cracker crumb crust (flinch) 1 pint fresh strawberries cup currant jelly, melted Beat cream cheese, sugar, anil vanilla until smooth.

Fold in whipped cream; pour into crumb crust. Chill several hours. Clean strawberries and put in ring on top of chilled pie. Brush strawberries with melted jelly. Dressed up lady fingers Four to six servings 1 teaspoon soft butter teaspoon grated orange or lemon rind Vi cup confectioners' sugar 2 teaspoons orange or lemon juice 1 dozen lady fingers, split Blend butter and rind.

Alternately add sugar and fruit juice, mixing until smooth. Spread a thin layer of fruit glaze-between lady fingers. Sprinkle with more sugar. Serve at once or store in airtight container. A delightful accompaniment with in-season fresh fruit.

TOO HOT TO COOK? Then don't turn on the gas or your electric oven. Think of all the things you can do without heating up the kitchen. For breakfast there is always fresh fruit, yogurt, and cereal parfaits. For lunch, delistyle sandwiches and a cold soup whipped up in the blender. Round out the meal with crisp vegetable relishes.

And. for dessert, whip up some no-bake desserts, putting the spotlight on fresh fruits. No-bake fresh fruit tarts Six servings 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 1 tablespoon grated orange rind 2 tablespoons orange juice 'h cup confectioners' sugar 6 individual crumb tart shells or an 8-inch rcady-to-fill crumb crust (purchased) 2 or 3 cups fresh whole berries; seedless green grapes, pitted sweet cherries, sliced peaches, nectarines, or plums, etc. Confectioners' sugar Beat cheese, rind, juice, and sugar until fluffy. Fill crumb crust or tart shells with cheese mixture; chill well.

Top with fruit. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to" peaches or nectarines to prevent discoloration. Sift more sugar generously over fruit. Jellied consomme beats the heat at breakfast. Combine 3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate and 1 teaspoon honey.

Add 1 cup cold buttermilk. Beat with mixer or whirl in electric blender. Garnish with orange slice. Drink at once. JELLIED CONSOMME is a favorite summer refresher.

Here's an easy way to add extra flavor and crunch to the convenient canned soup. Combine contents of 2 cans (IOV2 ounces each) undiluted condensed consomme with gelatin added, cup each minced green pepper and finely chopped toasted walnuts, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, and 1 tablespoon chopped chives. Chill until jellied, stirring occasionally to distribute ingredients. Spoon into glass dishes. Garnish with parsley sprigs.

Makes 6 servings. Add a little peanut pizzazz to your favorite creamed vegetable dish. Just before serving, sprinkle about Vi cup chopped peanuts over creamed onions, cauliflower, broccoli, or green beans. Buttermilk fanciers should enjoy this summer cooler CREAMY RICE PUDDING is a versatile and thrifty dessert. This easy recipe for just two servings is cooked on top of the stove and can be served warm or cold.

Combine 1 cup cooked rice, 1 cup milk, 2V2 tablespoons sugar, dash salt, and 1 tablespoon butter or margarine in heavy pan. Cook on medium heat until thickened, about 20 minutes, stirring often. Add teaspoon vanilla. Serve plain or topped with fruit preserves. One-half cup prepared whipped- topping can be folded into cold) rice pudding for a velvety smooth texture.

Hot stoveline A guide to freezing zucchini 'round, firm radishes make the prettiest roses. The elongated radishes are best for fans. For roses, trim radishes from stems, leaving about an inch of the green. With paring knife, cut flat tip off each radish. Then make 4 thin slices along each side of the radish from top to middle.

With tip of knife, cut each sliced portion to make points. For fans, cut thin crosswise slices almost through radishes, bending outward slightly to flare. Put roses and fans in ice water overnight to crisp and flare. We've made raspberry jam, using fresh and frozen raspberries and pectin in the past. This year we made a big batch of jam, using only frozen berries and pectin.

The result: We have several quarts of raspberry sauce. What happened? A The key to your problem, we suspect, is "big batch." When using liquid or powdered pectin, you must not double batch size or change recipe proportions. Directions must be followed exactly. Doubling a recipe will only double your trouble. If your jam did not jell we'd suggest using it as a sauce over ice cream, french toast, or as a base for summer fruit drinks.

Reboiling to thicken will only compound your problem. You'll lose the fresh fruit flavor, too. Please, I need directions for freezing zucchini and summer squash. My garden is providing more than we and the neighbors can eat. A Wash zucchini or summer squash.

Peel or not, as you wish. Cut into to Hit-inch thick slices. Blanch '4-inch slices 3 minutes: l'S-inch slices 6 minutes. Drain and package in freezer bags, removing as much air as possible. Or freeze drained slices on tray, then sweep into plastic bags or freezer cartons, seal, and freeze.

You also might prepare double batches of vegetables dishes such as sauteed zucchini or stuffed zucchini, serving some now and freezing the rest for later use. For freezing, slightly undercook zucchini, then cool, pack in freezer containers, and freeze. Omit the seasonings until ready to reheat and serve, if possible. Onion and garlic change flavor during long periods of freezing and the dish will not he as palatable as when freshly cooked and served. Fresh radishes look so beautiful now that I want to serve them as a vegetable relish.

How do you make those pretty radish roses? My cookhooks don't offer any Instructions. A Radish roses and fans are easy to make. The Bg-PI onCornKing Relinks, The juicy franks with Sl )) tie meatV taste' Made from lean beef Bjp and tender pork. There's nothing iSj or Corn King BcLGOn. Sweet, sizzling-crisp, j- sugar-cured, lightly-smoked bacon.

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