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Patty Held

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Eating In, Dining Out

'Tis the Season to Cook, Serve Savor Local Specialties

Adding a gourmet touch to the yuletide table is easy, especially with a little help from St. Louis' chefs and vintners. Each offer an assortment of savory original recipes perfect for this year's round of holiday buffets and cocktail gatherings.

Setting the seasonal table with a little originality can be a challenge. This year  I took inspiration from the Hermann Wine Trail vintners and the St. Louis Originals – St. Louis’ independent restaurateurs. Each has created unique recipes designed to give the holiday menu a gourmet touch using traditional favorite ingredients such as cheese.   Cheese is a popular element in holiday recipes and is the theme of the recent  Just Say Cheese Holiday Wine Trail. The annual event produced by the Hermann Wine Trail presented a collection of unique cheese dishes paired with wine. For example, Chef Andrew Durbin of Stone Hill Winery’s Vintage Restaurant’s pairs a Traminette with his Ham and Cheese Crisps, a sophisticated yet simple recipe using …

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Eating In, Dining Out

Trendy Summer Sips

Shrubs, infused spirits and wines flavored with seasonal herbs and fruits makes summer cocktails a refreshing way to beat the heat.

Chilling out this summer hasn’t been easy. With record breaking temperatures still forecast for the remainder of summer, your bartender has a suggestion -cool off with a trendy summer cocktail. Summer cocktails are typically lighter concoctions that can be mixed with or without alcohol. Fruit flavored wine punches such as sangria has been a favorite for decades as well as wine spritzers and sparklers made with sparkling wines. “My favorite sparkler is made by taking a sparkling wine like Proceso and placing frozen raspberries in the drink. It's something different and refreshing on hot summer days,” said Patty Held, Hermann Wine Trail Director/Trail Boss.  “I also like to make red wine spritzers with a Missouri wine like Hunter's Red and …

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