Enjoy the Holidays with fantastic recipes from Jacquie Wilson

Our Adventure in Wine Tasting tour was a success again this year, in part due to the creations of chef Jacquie Wilson. Chinese Cinnamon Pork, Brie with Stroopies and Pumpkin Soup were some of the favorites. Jacquie offered to share the recipes with me, and I’m passing them on to you. Enjoy!

Brie with Stroopies

We love how Jacquie always finds unique but accessible ingredients and then combines them to make simple but impressive dishes. This one is perfect for your next dinner party, and goes wonderfully with sparking wine, like the 2 Lads Sparkling Pinot Grigio.

Directions

Slice Brie, with rind on, into thin slices. Cut Stroopies in half, top with Brie. Serve with Medjool dates and other dried fruits.

In case you’re wondering, as I was, Stroopies are wafer thin waffle cookies with caramel in the middle, originally from Holland. But you don’t have to travel far to pick them up in Northern Michigan. They’re available at Peninsula Market on the Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City, and also Mary’s Kitchen Port on Front Street near Downtown Traverse City.

Thai Pumpkin Soup

Jacquie always finds a warm and hearty soup that pairs well with wines. Gewurtraminer is one of those wines I really love when paired with food, and this pumpkin soup, with it’s hint of spice, was great with the Peninsula Cellars 2007 Gewurztraminer.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
4 shallots, minced
2 small fresh red chili peppers, chopped
1 Tbsp chopped lemon grass
2 cups chicken stock
4 cups peeled and diced pumpkin
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat the peanut oil and butter over low heat. Cook garlic, shallots, chilies, and lemongrass in oil until aromatic but not browned. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk and pumpkin and bring to a boil. Cook until pumpkin is tender.

In a blender, blend the soup in batches to a smooth consistency. You could sprinkle fresh basil over this for a garnish.

Recipe inspired by Chef Paul Silva

Chinese Cinnamon Pork with Fustini’s Cinnamon Pear Balsamic

Perfect for a Christmas party or maybe Chinese New Year, this dish is full of flavor, tender and juicy. We served it with the Ancho Chili Double Dutch Chocolate Porter from Right Brain Brewery. Yum.

Ingredients

2 whole 1 lb. pork tenderloins. Ask your butcher to remove the silver skin and clean up the loin

Marinade

2 cloves garlic
2 green onions
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp dry red wine
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tsp red food coloring, optional

Note: adding red food coloring to the marinade give the mixture that distinctive Chinese red color. It bleeds slightly into the meat for an unusual red ringed look.

Directions

Finely chop the garlic and green onions. Combine honey, brown sugar and ine in a large bowl. Add chopped garlic and onions. Stir in cinnamon and then the soy sauce. If you are using red food coloring, add it now.

Place tenderloins in the bowl, coating them well with marinade. Cover bowl and marinate the meat for at least 2 hours, turning occasionally. May be left in the refridgerator overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Remove the meat from the marinade and place them on a broiler pan. Reserve marinade for basting. Bake until cooked through, about 45-60 minutes, basting often. Cool

Cut the roasted tenderloin into 1/4″ slices and transfer to serving plate. For the Coup de accoutrement, drizzle with Fustini’s Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Vinegar. It’s the perfect compliment to this delicious dish. If you haven’t been into Fustini’s in Downtown Traverse City, and Petoskey as well, you’ll want to check them out before the holidays for a taste of something special. You can also order from them online at www.fustinis.com.

This recipe originates from www.greatpartyrecipes.com/cinnamonpork.html

Bagel Chips with Ricotta, Chive Puree and Proscuitto

This tasty morsel was a great bitesize appetizer that’s easy to handle when sipping from a glass of wine.

Sometimes there’s no reason to mess with the recipes of other great chefs. In this case Jacquie looked to the experts at Food & Wine magazine.

Here’s a link to their version of this simple appetizer.

I hope you’ll try some of these tasty morsels this holiday season. Jacquie made them simple enough for everyone to prepare. But if you’d really rather bring in the pros, send Jacquie an email to contact her for catering.