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Casual Connoisseur
Summer Party Tips with Ted Allen
By Staff Writer
Ted Allen's voice can be heard way before you enter a room, as we learned recently at a party introducing the new Food and Wine Ambassador for "Robert Mondavi Discover Wine".
Emmy Award winner as the food and wine specialist on the series "Queer Eye," it's a gift to TV viewers that this congenial connoisseur stayed in the public eye as the host of the Food Network's "Food Detectives" and "Chopped." He is the author of "The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes."
Here Ted shares tips for Summer parties:
Bored with your plates? Use interesting, unusual serving pieces! Start your search in your own basement and garage from remodel leftovers in the form of 12-inch stone or ceramic tiles or in, or tile shop bins or stoneyards. Add adhesive "feet" to tile or for natural stone, simply apply a stone sealant multiple times so they won't stain. Felt feet make it possible to warm the pieces in the oven.
Decorate! There is nothing more beautiful than food in the form of bread loaves, gourds, lemons, stalks of wheat or bunches of kale
Decorate with yard waste! Nothing is more chic than a vase filled with attractive branches from your own trees/flowers. Flats of wheat grass look great on tables, and can be juiced later.
Think about medium-bodied blended red wines. The wine isn't overpowering and pairs really nicely with a variety of foods.
One of the Mondavi is practically priced ($11) and rich, elegant wines.
Meritage is a collage of the five classic Bordeaux red varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. It offers dark plum, black cherry, and blackberry aromas along with a plush, velvety texture and succulent midpalate flavors.
Go Potluck: It gets everyone involved and so easy to do.
Always feature some side dishes that can be eaten at room temperature. Grilled vegetables, rice salads, pasta salads, etc.
Why pay $20 for a cut of meat that needs to be coated in sauce to taste like anything when you can choose flavorful cuts for a fraction of the cost? Most chefs prefer pork shoulder, hanger steak, and flank steak.
Raise the sophistication factor: A "happy ending" a dessert is one served in their own little individual skillets or porcelain lidded pots.
Gift-wrap your food. Everybody loves surprises inside attractive packages. Food that's been wrapped, cooked, and presented in banana leaves, salt or parchment paper makes for dramatic presentations-and terrific aromas and flavors.
www.tedallen.net
Amgen Tour of California Announces "Taste of the Tour"
SPECTATORS INVITED TO ENJOY STAGE 7 AT SPECIAL FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL HOSTED BY MALIBU FAMILY FARMS WITH TOP CHEF FINALIST FABIO VIVIANI
By Staff Writer
The Amgen Tour of California tri-city finish-line hosts and sponsors announce that the public is invited to a Taste of the Tour Food & Wine Festival that will be hosted by Malibu Family Wines at Saddlerock Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains on May 22, 2010, from 1 to 5 pm. The festival is in conjunction with the Amgen Tour of California's Stage 7 time trials taking place in downtown Los Angeles. The trials will be airing live from a JumobTron at the event while patrons experience the best food and wine in the region and meet Bravo's TV's Top Chef from season 5, Fabio Viviani. The best in biking will also be on display with merchants bringing cutting edge bikes and cycling gear and giving demonstrations.
In a vineyard setting participants will enjoy a sampling of the area's top restaurants-- Saddle Peak Lodge, Firenze Osteria, Panera Bread, Tra di Noi, Grissini Ristorante, Crowne Plaza - Ventura Beach, Four Seasons Westlake Village, We Olive, Novy Ranch Grass-Fed Angus Beef, Catering Celebrations by the Plug Nickel, Restaurant Brooks, The Counter, The Sidecar Restaurant, Westlake Village Inn and Stone Fire Grill.
Among the red and white varietals from Malibu Family Wines that will be offered at the tasting is King of the Mountains Cuvée, the official wine of the Amgen Tour.
A highlight of the event will be the opportunity to meet Top Chef Fabio Viviani, the owner of Firenze Osteria Italian Restaurant. Born and raised in Florence, Italy, Viviani has prepared classic Italian and Mediterranean cuisine across Europe, incorporating Italian, French and Spanish influences in his dishes. He has launched kidshealthcafe.com, the largest informative resource library available online, designed to enhance a healthy and safe lifestyle for children.
The Taste of the Tour will provide a fun and memorable afternoon for the entire family. Tickets are $95/couple $35/children with parking and may be purchased at www.malibufamilywines.com. Event proceeds go toward helping to fund the Stage 8 finish in the Conejo Valley.
Main sponsors of the Taste of the Tour are Amgen Tour of California, Malibu Family Wines and 805 Living. For more information contact, visit www.amgentourconejo.org or phone 805-449-2100.
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