Last night I enjoyed champagne (sparkling wine, as it were) flights, cheese and cured meats at a lovely wine and cheese bar on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. One hundred dollars later, I was full and tipsy (as it should be). Keep reading for our best recipes that utilize wine and cheese, whether they come in the form of a rack of lamb, pasta dish or a simple but decadent wine and cheese plate.

It’s typical for foodies to enjoy wine and cheese on a summer picnic or on an early Fall day at an alfresco cafe, but there are no rules saying you can’t enjoy the experience year-round. Whether you enjoy a rich blue cheese or a sharp cheddar variety, a wine plate comes together with bread, salty almonds and a tangy fruit mostarda.

Here are some of our favorite recipes that are heavy on the wine…or the cheese…or both!

Red Wine Crockpot Roast: This is an elegant beef dish flavored with rosemary and onion soup mix.

Sour Cream Chicken: Slow-cooked, moist and deliciously flavorful— straight out of the crockpot.

Hearty Mac and Cheese Strata with Bacon: This dish combines the elegance of a strata with the everyday appeal of mac ‘n cheese. Yum, yum and YUM!

Mussels, White Wine and Garlic Over Pasta: Perk up the flavor of mussels with this white wine garlic sauce pasta dish.

Pork Chops in Wine: Make this dish for a romantic weekend dinner; feel free to drink the rest of the wine, too!

Brie Soup: This fancy soup with white wine and creamy Brie makes for an impressive first course.

Peppercorn-Seasoned Steaks with Mustard-Wine Sauce: The mustard-wine sauce compliments the beef tenderloin steaks so nicely!

White-on-White Pears with Gorgonzola: So simple, yet so good. You can’t go wrong mixing tangy cheese with juicy pears. Add a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts and a splash of olive oil with red wine vinegar and it’s divine.

Wine Jelly: For deep red jelly, use ruby port or a robust red wine. For a soft rose-colored jelly, choose a fruity rose such as Grenache Rose. If using white wines, use those with a faintly sweet or fruity flavor, such as Gewürztraminer.

Wild Chanterelle White Wine Cream Sauce: A most savory and delicious cream sauce using wild chanterelle mushrooms and white wine. Mushroom lovers: prepare to fall in love!

Coq au Vin: This classic French chicken dish is great for feeding a crowd. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice, and make sure to use a full-flavored red wine.

Do you have a favorite wine or cheese dish? What do you include on your cheese plate? Let us know in the COMMENTS!

Tags: cheese recipes, chicken recipes, coq au vin recipe, crockpot recipes, crockpot roast recipe, mac and cheese recipe, pork chop recipes, sour cream chicken recipe, wine bars chicago, wine cheese, wine recipes

Posted by Emilie, 11:13 AM

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 11:13 am and is filed under food, holidays, recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.