Falling in Love With Pomegranate Wine

Lately I have been pondering the making of pomegranate wines. Normally, my scope of production is larger scale for commercial markets and I know that the potential for well made pomegranate wine is huge. This is true, not only because it can taste great, has an "exotic" attraction to it but also because it is a very healthy wine too. But today I wish to look at making this wine for personal use as well because I think everyone should try some of this wonderful elixir!
The word pomegranate is derived from French "pome garnete" and means "seeded apple." There are over 800 seeds in one pomegranate, they're tasty but difficult to eat with all the layers between the seeds. I think the wine version can be more fun!
The history behind the pomegranate is also quite interesting. The fruit has been used throughout history as symbols of fertility, hope, and royalty. In Greek Mythology, they believe that Aphrodite, the goddess of love, planted it on the isle of Cyprus. Due to the number of seeds in each pomegranate the fruit was connected with procreation and abundance.
Pomegranate's health benefits are almost legendary. Basically, a 100 ml of pomegranate juice has 3 times the antioxidants of 100 ml of red wine or 100 ml of green tea. Research has stated that if you eat pomegranates on a daily basis, the fruit's antioxidants can help prevent hardening of the arteries.
Today I thought I would post a simple wine pomegranate wine recipe for all amateur winemakers and commercial producers thinking about experimenting with this wonderful fruit. In many parts of the world such as India, parts of SE Asia and Southern China, the fruit is now coming into season so, this is another reason to start thinking about trying out this wine.
Here are the ingredients needed for this basic and simple pomegranate wine recipe for 4 liters of finished wine:
- 6 pomegranates
- 500g of raisins or 500ml of red grape concentrate
- 1 kg granulated sugar
- 10g of acid blend or just malic acid
- 5g pectic enzyme
- 10g yeast nutrient or diamonium phosphate
- 2-3g of metabisulphite or 1campden tablet
- 1 package wine yeast
Split open pomegranates. Remove seeds, make sure none of the skin or pith get into the wine, or it will be bitter and will take years to age.
Crush the fruit. Add 3 liters of water and all other ingredients except the yeast. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Let sit overnight.
Specific gravity should be between 1.090 and 1.095. The acid level should be approximately 7g/L.
Adjust both the sugar or acid with more sugar, acid or water if needed. Rehydrate the yeast and add to the wine once the must is adjusted to the right level. Stir daily for five or six days, until specific gravity is 1.050.
Strain the must and squeeze the juice out lightly so not too much tannin escapes from the seeds. Siphon into secondary fermentor and continue the fermentation.
Complete the fermentation to dryness, rack a couple of times, fine with bentonite and gelatin. Make sure the wine is stable with enough SO2 and then filter if you need to after at least 4 months.
Prior to bottling, you can adjust the final sweetness to taste but in my opinion, this kind of wine is best as an "off-dry" style with a specific gravity of about 1.015 at bottling. Make sure that the FSO2 is about 50ppm and maybe add about 150ppm of sorbic acid to a sweetened wine to make sure the wine will have no chance at re-fermenting, especially if you do not have the ability to sterile filter the wine.
The wine is best if you can refrain from drinking it for one full year from the date it was started.
Pomegranates come in different sizes. If you use 6 large fruit you will have a fuller-bodied wine than if you used 6 smaller fruit. The wine made with smaller fruit will not take as long to age.
Again, this is a very basic recipe but with it, it will give you a base to start something and maybe tweak it next time with what was learned.
If you need or are thinking about making larger production sizes, let me know, maybe I can help! I would love to hear from anyone else who has tried making this wine or enjoys drinking it.
Happy winemaking!

A lot more information here:
http://www.fruitwineguide.com
An excellent resource for all your winemaking questions.
All you need to know to make an excellent fruit wine.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7218482

Chicken Caesar Salad With Homemade Croutons

There are a few things I miss not being able to bread and one of them is a tasty chicken caesar salad. I hate it when I go out for lunch and I have to tell the waiter no croutons for me. Well it just so happens that I have found a way to make lovely wheat and gluten free croutons. These are easy and take minutes to make. I use off the shelf wheat and gluten free bread. I like Genius brand (UK) and have used both the brown, white and seeded bread for this, and they all work a treat. I have used other brands but always go back to Genius.

To start make the croutons and the salad dressing and put to one side.

Instructions.

Really really quick fake croutons.

• Take two slices of shop bought bread chopped roughly into cubes. You can use stale bread or fresh. I keep my bread in the freezer as I can never eat a loaf quick enough! It defrosts in the microwave on full power for about 20 seconds per slice.


• I like to add a few squashed cloves of garlic to my pan to flavour the croutons. You could alternatively add garlic salt/garlic powder/dried herbs or fresh herbs.


• Put the pan on the stovetop and turn the heat onto medium wait for the pan to warm up a little add the oil or butter and then add the bread. Move the bread around straight away so as to make sure it is evenly coated with the fat. Keep moving the bread in the pan until it is golden brown. Add some more oil or butter if the pan starts smoking. Only a little bit of oil though, you don't want soggy croutons!


• Add to any salad or soup just before serving.


• These can be stored in a an airtight container for up to a week.

Low fat homemade caesar dressing.

I know essentially that most salad dressings are probably wheat and gluten free. However you would be surprised where wheat and gluten can and will be sneaked into the most innocent of food stuffs. I have found over the years that if make my own food and sauces then I know exactly what ingredients are in my food. It also means a lot less time reading labels in the shop as as well! Then I know there is no danger of accidentally eating some wheat or gluten and suffering the terrible consequences.

I have found that when you make your own salad dressings it takes minutes, costs less and wait for it, tastes better.

Instructions.

• Put the yoghurt or buttermilk into a bowl.
• Slowly add the lemon juice according to your taste.
• Finely chop or crush a garlic clove and add to mixture.
• Season with salt and pepper and a glug of good olive oil.
• Adjust seasoning according to taste. I like mine with a real lemony kick and lots of pepper.
• I also like to sneak in a cheeky splash of anchovy sauce by Geo Watkins.
• No one will ever guess low in fat.

Chicken caesar salad.

Instructions.

• Chop and wash the lettuce, pat dry.


• Fry bacon until crispy. Leave to cool. Crumble with your hands or chop roughly with a knife.


• Cut the chicken into strips and fry for 7-10 mins. I cook mine in a big wok and keep the chicken moving all the time. If you are grilling the cooking time may be a bit longer. Cook the chicken until the juices run clear and there is a slight browning. Try to make sure it is not dry and overcooked.


• Coat the lettuce in the homemade dressing. Add the chicken, anchovies, bacon or bacobits, shaved parmesan and last but not least croutons.


• This is how I like mine but you could keep it simple and just have the chicken, lettuce, croutons and parmesan with the dressing.

Eat and enjoy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7211614

Ricotta, Eggplant, Zucchini, Onions and Tomato Pie

This recipe does not derive from memory or from tradition. It's simply a response to my road venture yesterday to New Jersey, a reply to the resultant of that venture: my kitchen counter now overloaded with Jersey eggplant, squash, onions, tomatoes, peppers, melons, peaches and corn. The corn took care of itself immediately. The peaches were destined to jam, cobblers, tartes and freezing for winter resurrection. The peppers belonged to peperonata. Ciambotta would be the destiny of most of the tomatoes and eggplants and squash. But I had even more than the ciambotta needed. What, I wondered could I do differently with the extras? My first inclination was to use them for a pizza. But pizza would certainly not be different. Then, suddenly something struck me. Instead of a pizza why not try something more like an Easter ricotta pie? a pie with a true pie crust, a pie with a ricotta base with successive layers of onion, eggplant, tomato and squash.
With this idea in mind I first investigated online to see what I could find about such a recipe. It would seem to me that such a pie must have occurred to others. As I learned, it did. For the most part I found variations on eggplant and ricotta pizza. I also found a few recipes for actual pies made with eggplant and ricotta. These few pie recipes had the same ingredients but not carried out in the same way. Google Italy had one version, a crostata, in which the eggplant and squash were diced and mixed into the cheese. All in all, I didn't find anything exactly like the pie I had in mind.
The foundation of a pie is its crust. My next question was the type of crust to use. For ultimate ease I suppose I could have gone with a store bought crust, but I wanted something more substantial. The crust best suited to ricotta pies is a "pasta frolla," but this special crust would bring too many Easter memories to the taste of the pie I was looking for. We're in summer. Summer needs its own taste. A quiche crust seemed that it might work but I worried that it might be too delicate for the ricotta. I spent hours going through cookbook after cookbook. I finally found what I was looking for, a "pâte brisé." The recipe I like the best is in the Flammarion, French Cooking. You can make this crust without all the usual fuss about cold butter and ice-water. Just keep the dough loose and let the butter buttons show throughout the flour. This dough is chilled and then shaped in the pie mold by pressing it out with your fingers. The crust bakes alone at 400 for about ten minutes. It cools and then you add the filling.
My plan was all in place. The assembly is time consuming but the end result is worth every minute. Along with the farm fresh summer vegetables the essential ingredient is a quality ricotta. Standard store brand varieties are mostly water. Where I live I have the benefit of Carlino's Italian Foods where they make the most dense ricotta impastata. If you cannot find a locally made ricotta, try to find a very high quality cheese. The rich savory ricotta enhanced with the taste of crushed garlic, the sweetness of the fried onions, the succulent creaminess of broiled eggplant and squash and the summer perfect delight of the lush tomato all aligned so as merge their tastes while maintaining individual flavor. I serve this pie at room temperature with a sprig of fresh basil on the side as a fragrant enhancement.