Did you try this wine?  Add a comment to this posting or if you are interested in having groovy grapes pick wines for you personally or for an event contact us at http://www.groovygrapes.com/about-us/contact-us

Did you try this wine?  Add a comment to this posting or if you are interested in having groovy grapes pick wines for you personally or for an event contact us at http://www.groovygrapes.com/about-us/contact-us

Did you try this wine?  Add a comment to this posting or if you are interested in having groovy grapes pick wines for you personally or for an event contact us at http://www.groovygrapes.com/about-us/contact-us

Slow Roast Pork Belly with Braised Kale paired with Beau’s Koru

Servings: 25

Ingredients:
1.5 kg Pork Belly
Oil
30 gr. Chinese 5 spices
2 cloves
15 gr coarse Sea salt

Dipping Sauce:
0.2 liter Chinese red or black rice vinegar
0.2 liter soy sauce
1 bunch green onion sliced
Braised Kale (see below)

Method:
- Take a slab of pork belly with the rind still attached (available in Chinatowns, everywhere). Often, you’ll find they’re about 1.5 kg, but any size will work.
-  Score the skin in a 1-cm-wide crosshatch pattern with a very sharp knife. A serrated knife works well, as the skin can be a bit tough to get through, especially if you don’t have good knives. Don’t cut too deeply – you basically want to just score through the rind and not too deeply into the fat.
- Rub all over with a bit of oil, a handful of Chinese five-spice, a couple of cloves of minced garlic, and some coarse sea salt. The five-spice is purely optional and this dish is actually absolutely out of this world, even with no seasonings at all.
- Place on a rack in a large roasting pan.  Pour about 1 cup of water in the bottom of the roasting pan — just enough to cover the pan, but not enough to touch the roast. This is to prevent the stuff
that drips off from burning to the bottom of the pan and smoking you out.
-  Roast in a slow oven (about 275° to 300°F/130 to 150°C) for about 2 to 21/2 hours, adding more water to pan if it gets dry.

Notes:
You know it’s ready when the rind is translucent and brittle and the fat is golden, crispy and completely puffed up. If your belly meets this description, then you’ll have the most tender,
succulent meat, with a nice crisp crackling, topped with a shiny-as-glass, crunchy skin.

**Oven temperatures vary, so if the pork doesn’t look like that yet, don’t freak out – just turn up the temperature to 400°F (200°C) and flash-roast for an additional 1/2 hour, or until it’s
done.

Let it stand for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing— if you can keep your hands off it, that is.

If you want a dipping sauce, mix equal parts Chinese red or black rice vinegar and soy sauce and a few slices of green onion.

Garlic and Vinegar Braised Kale:

Servings: 16

Ingredients:
500 g Kale, red Russian or Siberian
25 mL Olive oil
10 g Garlic, sliced
125 mL Stock, chicken or vegetable
60 mL Red wine vinegar
1 pinch Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:
1. Wash and remove large stems from kale.
2. Blanch kale for 30 seconds in boiling salted water.
3. Shock in ice water and drain thoroughly.
4. In a braisier, sweat the garlic in olive oil.
5. Add the kale, toss and add stock. Cover and cook 4-5 minutes or until tender.
6. Finish with vinegar, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Beau’s Koru

Description: Koru Belgian Pale Ale boasts interesting spicy, peppery yeast notes, with tropical fruit inflections from New Zealand Nelson-Sauvin and Rakau hops. Complex and tasty, with a dry finish.

Love these food and beer pairings?  Watch our blog for the recipes that were given to event attendees or see below for hos you can get a pdf copy.

Looking for beer tasting event ideas? Whether you’d like us to re-create an event like this or just get a few ideas for your next get together with family, friends, clients or colleagues schedule a free consultation with Groovy Grapes.  Schedule your consultation and request a free copy of the menu and food pairings from the Nov 29/12 Beer Tasting Panel and Food Pairing Experiment.

Did you try this wine? Add a comment to this posting or if you are interested in having groovy grapes pick wines for you personally or for an event contact us at http:/www.groovygrapes.com/about-us/contact-us

Argentinian-Style Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce paired with Big Rig Stud Stout

Serving: 16

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped parsley
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 pounds skirt steak

Method:
1. Light a grill. In a bowl, mix the parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and crushed red pepper; season with salt and pepper.
2. Season the skirt steak with salt and pepper and grill over a hot fire until the meat is charred on the outside and rare within, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a carving board and
let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak across the grain. Serve right away, passing the chimichurri sauce at the table.

Big Rig Stud Stout

Description:  With a mocha colored head this bold and beautiful stout has layers of chocolate and roasted coffee like barley that give it a rich flavor that is intensified with the addition of Belgian bitter sweet chocolate. This beer is a velvet painting of chocolate and beer.  Smooth!
STATS – 5.6% alc. vol. – O.G. 1.058 – 25 IBU – 40 Lovibond

Love these food and beer pairings:  Watch our blog for the recipes that were given to event attendees or see below for how you can get a pdf copy.

Looking for beer tasting event ideas? Whether you’d like us to re-create an event like this or just get a few ideas for your next get together with family, friends, clients or colleagues schedule a free consultation with Groovy Grapes.  Schedule your consultation and request a free copy of the menu and food pairings from the Nov. 29/12 Beer Tasting Panel and Food Pairing Experiment.

Did you try this wine? Add a comment to this posting or if you are interested in having groovy grapes pick wines for you personally or for an event contact us at http://www.groovygrapes.com/about-us/contact-us

Lobster Poutine paired with Kichessippi Natural Blonde

Servings:  16

Ingredients:
4 lobsters, each 1 to 1½ lb (500 to 675 g)
4 cups (1 L) lobster stock
2 Tbsp (30 mL) butter
salt and freshly ground pepper
canola or peanut oil for deep-frying
6 Yukon Gold potatoes (unpeeled), julienned
1 lb (450 g) cheese curds finely chopped
chives, for garnish

Method:
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lobsters for 2 minutes. Cool in ice water. Remove meat from the shell and set the lobster meat aside. (If you do this ahead of time, chill the lobster meat
and use the shells for making the lobster stock.)
For the gravy, reduce the lobster stock by half until it is thick enough to coat a spoon. Whisk in the butter, a spoonful at a time. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lobster meat and gently reheat it
while you make the frites.
For the frites, heat the oil in a deep fryer or large, deep pot to 300°F (150°C). Dunk the potatoes in the hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes to blanch them. Drain and let sit for a few minutes. Heat the same oil
to 350°F (180°C). Cook the frites 2 to 3 minutes more, until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
Top the frites with the cheese curds and lobster gravy. Garnish with chives

Kichessippi Natural Blonde

Description:  Kichesippi Natural Blonde is an all malt Pale Ale.  A noble hop presence offers hints of spice, citrus and caramel.  The hop presence introduces the palate to a subtle fruitiness and light malt flavours. A medium bitterness at the end makes this a food friendly brew.

Love these food and beer pairings?  Watch our blog for the recipes that were given to event attendees or see below for how you can get a pdf copy.

Looking for beer tasting event ideas?  Whether you’d like us to re-create an event like this or just get a few ideas for your next get together with family, friends, clients or colleagues schedule a free consultation with Groovy Grapes.  Schedule your consultation and request a free copy of the menu and food pairings from the Nov. 29/12 Beer Tasting Panel and Food Pairing Experiment.

Did you try this wine? Add a comment to this posting or if you are interested in having groovy grapes pick wines for you personally or for an event contact us at http://www.groovygrapes.com/about-us/contact-us

Bourbon is on the brain because Feb 27/13 we have the second Bourbon Tasting Shootout at Events InStyle.  Space is limited!