Fall is here, which means bonfires, football, and pumpkin EVERYTHING! We’re big fans of this seasonal flavor and the wide variety of yummy pumpkin products available, so we’ve compiled a list of pumpkin must-haves to get your pumpkin fix. Let’s face it, is fall even fall without pumpkin treats?
How many of these pumpkin goodies have you tried?
Whether you’re looking to step into the world of gluten free, or you’re looking for new recipes to add to your repertoire, these mouthwatering gluten-free recipes are ones you’re sure to love.
We are taking a trek through The Alps with this month’s Food Explorer theme, and I couldn’t be more excited about the amount of food and drink hailing from this area. What exactly makes up The Alps? It’s more than the mountainous and picturesque Austrian countryside depicted in The Sound of Music. You’ll find the following countries as specified by The Alpine Convention, which exists to oversee the sustainable development of The Alps: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia, and Switzerland. With that in mind, grab your picnic basket and enjoy some of my favorite wines and cheeses from this area and keep reading for more food inspiration!
EMMI CHEESE FONDUE BLEND
With 70% of the Switzerland’s agriculture made of pastures and the majority of the farmers having fewer than 30 cows, Emmi contracts for the milk and this easy-toprepare, velvety Alpine herdsman originated fondue is one of the prizes! Dip in crusty bread, fruit, meat, or vegetables.
ALP BLOSSOM
Inspired by its home in western Austria’s “hay belt,” it’s both a feast for the palate and eyes. Its coating of flowers include marigold, rose petals, lavender, and chervil. It’s rich, full-bodied flavor has hints of umami and a slight sweetness to the finish.
CRUCOLO
Made by a single producer at the mouth of the Val Campelle in Trentino, Italy. It’s smooth, creamy, and slightly tangy, pairing well with cured meats and a hearty wine.
PRÉSIDENT EMMENTAL SWISS
The old tradition using pure cow’s milk and a maturation period of at least four months allows Emmental to develop into a mild, slightly nutty tasting cheese.
COMTÉ ST. ANTOINE GRUYÈRE
This cheese is made in the cooperative dairies of the Jura Mountains and aged for 18 to 22 months in the renowned caves of Marcel Petite Fort St. Antoine. It’s smooth with assertive flavor and particularly good with a white wine from the Savoie, such as Abymes.
ABYMES VIN DE SAVOIE
Savoie is located in eastern France, very close to the Swiss border near Lake Geneva. Made from the grape Jacquère, this wine is extremely vibrant and crisp, with a dry finish. It’s a very pleasing wine perfect for lunch or light dinner dishes.
DÖNNHOFF RIESLING TROCKEN
The Dönnhoff family first came to the Nahe region of southwestern Germany 250 years ago and Helmut, who took over from his father in 1966, makes simply breathtaking wine! This dry wine is extremely balanced with flavor nuances and speaks to Helmut’s personal philosophy for wine making. “I express myself clearly and so do my wines,” he says.
MÜLLER-CATOIR RIESLING
From one of the grand old estates in Germany, this wine is easily one of the best white wines in the world! Amazing complexity, with ample fruit, minerality, and very well-balanced acidity.
BOTTEGA VINAIA TEROLDEGO ROTALIANO
From Trentino, Italy, this wine is dry, full-bodied, with soft tannins and a long, well-rounded finish that seems to be wrapped in raspberries! Wonderful paired with roast chicken, grilled meats, or a charcuterie board.
ELENA WALCH VIGNA CASTEL RINGBERG PINOT GRIGIO
Castel Ringberg is the hotel and restaurant that the Walch family owns near their vineyards in Italy. This single vineyard Pinot Grigio is easily the most intense, wellstructured, vibrant Pinot Grigio we have ever had. No watered-down version here!
NIGL FREHEIT GRÜNER VELTLINER
Tucked deep in the Krems Valley in Austria is Nigl, easily one of our favorite producers. They’ve been farming this land for over 200 years! Stunning vibrancy, minerality, and length in this dry wine that is lovely on its own, but best with food.
We like to think that our Food & Wine Show is the perfect kickoff to a celebratory season to come, and this year is certainly no exception. For one night, DLM Springboro transforms into the stage of a spectacular gustatory experience and it’s hard to believe that it started 21 years ago. We hope that each year, just like a fine wine, it keeps getting better and better.
At our Food & Wine Show, Thursday, Nov. 7, you’ll have the opportunity to taste wines from around the world and from some of the best producers, and talk to knowledgeable sommeliers all while sampling chef-driven food prepared by DLM’s best. It’s truly an evening that we take great pride in hosting and infusing with our passion.
A ticket to the Food & Wine Show includes an opportunity to taste from a selection of nearly 200 fine wines and beer with a bevy of hors d’oeuvres coming from our kitchen along with ample food stations. We promise you won’t go hungry!
Cheers and I’ll see you soon!
Although the event isn’t until Nov. 7, tickets go on sale Friday, Sept. 13, starting at 6 a.m. and they’ll sell out quickly. Limit 10 per customer.
Tickets can be purchased at Guest Services or online at www.DorothyLane.com/FoodWineShow.
What is it about Thai food that has so many of us enthralled? I can answer that with four words—hot, sour, salty, and sweet. In most Thai dishes you can find some kind of combination of all of these taste components. In addition to the contrast of flavors, you’ll also find a contrast of textures. How fun is that? Think for example of bright herbal soups, savory curries, crunchy salads, slurpy noodles, spicy dips, and beautiful tropical fruit to name a few.
Street food found in Thailand is some of the best in the world. Some favorites from my travels include spring rolls, grilled satay, salty fish cakes, and sweet sticky rice in baggies along with the best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten in my life.
Lucky for us, it’s easier nowadays than in years past to find the ingredients to recreate excellent Thai food in your own kitchen. Rice and mung bean noodles, curry pastes, coconut milk, fish sauce, and chili sauce are now common and you need to find some room for them in your pantry. Along with some fresh veggies and a variety of proteins, a taste of Thailand can be yours! So challenge yourself to roll up your sleeves and explore the incredible flavors that the cuisine of Thailand has to offer.
Mexican food—who doesn’t like it? It’s a cuisine that’s embraced worldwide. Interestingly, Mexican cuisine was the first to be awarded an UNESCO Culinary Heritage Status. As we embark on a new Food Explorer destination this month, we’re especially drawn to the cooking coming out of Oaxaca, Mexico (pronounced Wa-ha-ka).
We’re not the only ones who are slightly obsessed with Oaxacan cuisine. American chefs, restaurateurs, and cookbook authors are heavily influenced by Oaxaca, including Rick Bayless, Alice Waters, and Diana Kennedy, to name a few. It’s become quite the trendy food-lover destination bringing in tourists to the region and flooding their food markets. Although we can’t hold a candle to that experience, we’re excited to bring our interpretation of some of these food experiences to DLM.
Oaxacan cuisine has a large variety of ingredients coming from mountain areas, central valleys, southern coastline, and in and around the capital city that shares its name. Think staples like not only corn and beans, but a variety of chiles and stunning produce, seafood, chocolate, avocados, cheeses, and even the smoky mezcal that heavily influences this cuisine. Other more exotic ingredients are the delicious, but not super attractive, corn fungus called huitlacoche (or corn smut) and a small type of grasshopper called chapulín that is full of protein and plentiful to the area.
We especially love favorites from Oaxaca, such as tlayudas, tamales, quesadillas, black beans, and Oaxacan cheese, also known as quessillo. Chocolate also is plentiful, mostly drunk hot. But the primary focus and foundation of Oaxaca cooking is mole, see page 6 for more! We’re excited to explore Oaxaca and we hope you join us for the journey.
On my first trip to Italy some years ago, I was surprised to learn that Tuscans largely ignore balsamic vinegar, and Milanese favor rice over pasta. And right in between Milan and Tuscany you find many recognizable delicacies from lasagna to Prosciutto di Parma to balsamic vinegar in the region of Reggio Emilia. Hazelnuts are a big deal in the north and hot peppers in the south.
You learn that when speaking of Italy’s great food culture, it’s impossible to describe it without putting it in a regional context. Maybe it’s the Italian connection to the land, a long culinary history, or simply local pride. In any case, discovering the regional foods of Italy is both educational and incredibly fun. Over the years, so many of us at DLM have traveled to Italy to discover its food treasures, and we’ve made it a point to bring a number of those back to you.
You see Italy’s influence at DLM in the Italian products themselves, like our Vera Jane’s Extra-Virgin Olive Oil hailing from the hills of Tuscany or our Parmigiano-Reggiano from Modena. Other times, you’ll find its reach in the form of a technique we’ve learned from studying with Italian masters that we then replicate here, such as our DLM Handmade Mozzarella, Naples-Style Pizza, and Tuscan butcher-inspired specialty prepared meats, to name a few. As you can imagine, we could write a book on our passion for Italian food, but for the purpose of giving some focus, we are spotlighting a few regions of Italy that have inspired us the most: Tuscany, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, and Southern Italy, mainly Calabria and Sicily.
We’ll be celebrating Italy all month culminating with our Food Explorer Day taking place May 18. Join us for great fun and good Italian eating on our next stop as Food Explorers…buon appetito!
FOOD
Vera Jane’s Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (GROCERY), Pane Toscano (BAKERY), Pecorino Toscano (THE DLM CHEESE SHOP), Italian Oven-Ready Meats (MEAT)
WINE
CAPPONE CHIANTI CLASSICO – Count Sebastiano Capponi is a dear friend to DLM, hailing from his lovely Tuscan estate that’s been in his family since 1524! This young-vine Chianti is named for the first ancestor of Sebastiano. It’s 100% Sangiovese, brimming with beautiful fruit and richness.
VILLA CALCINAIA CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA – 100% Sangiovese from the best blocks of old vines near Greve in Chianti. It’s a well-structured wine that’s full of rich black fruits, leather, spice, cigar box notes, and supple tannins.
FONTALEONI VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO – A wonderfully dry, minerally, and extremely pleasing white wine from the surrounding vineyards of the hilltop town of San Gimignano.
FOOD
Naples-Style Pizza (DLM WASHINGTON SQUARE & SPRINGBORO), San Marzano Tomatoes D.O.P. (GROCERY), DLM Handmade Mozzarella (THE DLM CHEESE SHOP)
WINE
COLLI DI LAPIO ROMANO CLELIA FIANO DI AVELLINO – A white wine from the Avellino province and a varietal the Romans called Vitis Apiana, vine beloved of bees. It’s dry, lovely, and has hints of pear and hazelnut, floral tones, and a hint of minerality.
FOOD
Prosciutto di Parma (DELI), Mortadella (DELI), DLM Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (GROCERY), Lasagna (GOURMET TAKEAWAY), Parmigiano-Reggiano (THE DLM CHEESE SHOP)
WINE
CASALI ROSA DI ROSA RED SPARKLING WINE – Perfect chilled with a plate of charcuterie enjoyed al fresco with its bright raspberry/blueberry fruit and soft bubbles.
LO DUCA LAMBRUSCO REGGIANO – Lambrusco does not exactly excite most after we’ve suffered so many terrible mass-produced and exported representations of this wine. However, Lo Duca is bright, semi-sweet, and has a naturally carbonated essence. Try it in a cocktail.
FOOD
Cannoli (BAKERY), DLM Gelato (FROZEN), Scalia Anchovies (GROCERY), Marinated Anchovies (SEAFOOD BAR)
WINE
VILLA POZZI NERO D’AVOLA – The Pozzi family is a fifth-generation winemaking family located on the island of Sicily.
DONNAFUGATA ANTHILIA BIANCO – An amazingly crisp, minerally, and vibrant white wine blend from Sicily that’s perfect for light seafood dishes, salad, or poultry.
Occasions to break out the sparkling wine evoke much anticipation and result in special memories for many people, whether celebrating a special anniversary, a new beginning, or a toast at a holiday gathering. “Bubbles” are a happy beverage and they pair beautifully with darn near any dish! We believe that all sparkling wine in any number of varying styles and originating regions can be a magical addition to any meal or event. Here are a few of our favorites!
Laurent-PerrierA great value, this is from the historic city of Reims, France. Dry and elegant with a nose of bread dough yeast and a long finish.
Long the standard bearer of super well-made American bubbly, this is the consummate apéritif. Dry with wonderful strawberry and apricot notes; pairs well with smoked salmon dishes.
Yes, sparkling Riesling! A bright, clean sparkling wine that is ultra-charming and super affordable!
A French favorite, this is a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and a touch of Chardonnay creating a fruity, full-bodied expression of the Veuve Clicquot style and perfect with an oyster platter.
An Italian sparkling wine that is quite dry and refreshing with dried apple, honeysuckle, and peach fruits.
Made in the French-style with a hint of dough mid-palate, this New Mexico favorite is crisp and sophisticated with apple and citrus flavor.
In this 70th wonderful year of Dorothy Lane Market, we hope you can join us at the 20th annual Food & Wine Show, happening 7-9:30 p.m. November 1, as this year will be quite a celebration of fine food and drink. We like to think that our Food & Wine Show is the perfect kickoff to a celebratory season to come; and this year is certainly no exception. For one night, DLM Springboro transforms into the stage of a spectacular gustatory experience and it’s hard to believe that it started 20 years ago.
Taste wines from around the world and from some of the best producers, and talk to knowledgeable sommeliers all the while sampling exquisite chef-driven food prepared by DLM’s best. A ticket to the Food & Wine Show includes an opportunity to taste from a selection of nearly 200 fine wines and beer with a bevy of hors d’oeuvres coming from the kitchen along with 15 food stations. We promise you won’t go hungry!
In addition, we’re adding a fun twist this year as we take a trip back to 1948 with jazz music and by celebrating the dress of the era. So pull out your fancy hat or fedora, satin gloves, peep-toe pumps or oxfords, and double breasted suits. Let’s Party like it’s 1948 DLM style, and celebrate all things food and wine!
Most may find that wine and cheese go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Both are two of life’s great culinary pleasures. But on a hot summer day, the taste of a cheese that’s very salty and full of fat will be left hanging on your palate, which begs the question: have you ever considered pairing your cheese with a nice cold beer? Let’s trade in those fruits and tannins for some malts and hops instead, as beer and cheese are natural partners with equally wide ranges of possible flavors.
The first thing to consider when pairing cheese and beer is the same principle that holds true when pairing it with any other food: match the intensity of the beer with the intensity of the cheese. Set aside your doubts—taste is subjective and not everyone’s taste buds are the same. That said, you can’t pair any cheese with any beer and expect pure bliss. Cheers with beer and add a little curd to your hop with these tips.
Lighter Beers are Best with Lighter Cheeses. Pale lagers or wheats tend to pair nicely with lighter, fresh cheeses such as DLM Handmade Mozzarella, burrata, or chèvre. Try this: LIFT from MadTree Brewing Co. paired with a fresh chèvre from Laura Chenel. The crisp and refreshing hint of orange from LIFT marries with the rich-tasting, bright, citrusy tang of the Laura Chenel. It’s like the icing on top of a cupcake!
Stronger Cheeses Deserve a Stronger Beer. My favorite pairings include a decadent blue cheese like our Champignon Grand Noir with a rich stout like Yeti Imperial Stout from Great Divide. The salty and creamy experience of the Grand Noir melds so well with the sweet, smoky goodness that the Yeti has to offer.
Hoppy Beers Lift Buttery, Floral Cheeses. Now, I didn’t forget about you hop-heads! If you’re anything like me, then your go-to is a nice, juicy IPA, like New Belgium Brewing Voodoo Ranger. Match that with the key notes of buttery, floral goodness from the Comté Saint Antoine Gruyère. This is a young cheese with an old soul but somehow an IPA just brings out a refreshing and citrus life that it didn’t have before.
In the end, tasting is believing so don’t take my word for it and try some combinations for yourself. Grab your favorite cheese, try it with a variety of beer, and give it a whirl!
