Country Pâté Banh Mi
Silken tofu blended with lemongrass and lime juice is a terrific dairy-free stand-in for mayonnaise in this riff on the Vietnamese banh mi sandwich. Adam Erace sometimes makes the sandwich with local scrapple (a hash of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and shaped into a log or loaf).
Pairing: Refreshing sparkling wine: NV Dibon Cava Brut Reserve.
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Smoked-Trout Salad with Mustard Dressing
"I've never met a wine I didn't like," says Lou Amdur of Lou in L.A. One of the wackiest he's ever tasted is the amphorae-aged Vinoterra Kisi, made from the indigenous Georgian white grape Kisi. It's unexpectedly delicious with smoked fish.
Pairing: Apricoty Georgian Kisi: 2006 Vinoterra.
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Crisp Spiced Chicken with Hummus Vinaigrette
Green Aisle sells thousands of tubs of hummus made by local chef Michael Solomonov of Zahav. Hummus is the key to making this creamy, complex-tasting vinaigrette.
Pairing: Spicy, citrusy Verdejo: 2008 Shaya.
More Fast and Easy Chicken Recipes
Buttermilk Cake with Riesling-Poached Pears
"We get these crazy organic pears that are ugly as sin," says Tory Miller of the Moon-glow variety he uses throughout the cold winter months. Peeling them, though, reveals a fruit so beautiful and juicy that he prefers a minimalist approach, either serving them raw or poaching them in wine, such as the Riesling he uses here.
Pairing: A sweet Riesling like a late-harvest bottling: 2007 Kendall-Jackson Late Harvest or 2007 Inniskillin Riesling Icewine.
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Roast Pork Loin with Fennel Salad
Tory Miller works with the Uplands Cheese Company's co-owners, Mike and Carol Gingrich, to raise pigs that taste of Wisconsin terroir—they're fed local apples, hickory nuts and acorns, as well as whey and cream from the dairy. The addition of brown sugar and mixed spices to the brine for this pork loin enhances the meat's natural sweet, spiced flavor.
Pairing: Vibrant white like Albariño: 2009 Doña Rosa or 2009 Santiago Ruiz.
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