Over the years I have enjoyed and reviewed many wines from
Alsace, France with their distinctively shaped bottles and
sometimes, but not always, their distinctive taste. This is
the first time that I have found one in the inexpensive
price range here defined as $10 and less. I'd like to say
something about this price limit. I live in Ontario, Canada
where wine prices tend to be somewhat higher than in many
parts of the United States. Our dollar fluctuates and I
don't want to cut off a wine because the Canadian dollar
inched up a bit. So I specify about $10 when it's floating
near the limit.

Alsace is a relatively small wine-producing region. Its
wine growing area is a mere 60 miles (100 kilometers) long
and at most 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) wide sitting on the
German border to the east. Almost all its wine is white.
While Sylvaner is fairly widely planted, it is not
considered a fine grape in Alsace or elsewhere. For $10 did
you expect to get a fine grape from an expensive region in
an expensive wine producing country? However, this wine
just might turn out to be a bargain.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review
are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Dopff and Irion Crystal d'Alsace Sylvaner
2007 11.9 % alcohol about $10

Let's start with the marketing materials. Tasting Note:
Pale straw color; light floral aromas with hints of pear
and melon; fresh and lively with green apple, lime and
herbal notes on the palate; crisp, clean finish. Serving
Suggestion: Seafood or fish; quiche, etc... And now for my
review.

I started by sipping this wine alone. It was lightly sweet,
quite long, and mildly acidic. The first meal was smoked
turkey thighs cooked with chickpeas. The wine was appley
and refreshing but uni-dimensional and light.

The second meal was a commercial shepherd's pie. Now the
Sylvaner tastes both lemony and appely. Its acidity is
pretty good but the length was inconsistent. When I added
some Turkish hot pepper it became stronger and wasn't
overwhelmed. This is by no means the hot pepper sauce that
I love (even if the two share the name Harissa). I can only
wonder how this wine would handle the pungency of the real
thing.

The final meal consisted of chicken meat balls slow cooked
with soft wheat. The wine became rounder and was sharply
acidic, tasting of citrus fruits. It was palate cleansing.

I completed this tasting with two cheeses. The first cheese
was an Italian-style Ricotta cottage cheese. It was hard to
define the wine's fruit, perhaps gooseberry. The wine
became somewhat sweeter. This wine and cheese pairing
turned out better than average. Then I went to a Provolone.
The Sylvaner was citrusy, modestly long with pleasant
acidity.

Final verdict. I would buy this wine again. It does qualify
as a bargain. You can easily pay much more for Alsace wine
and not get better. But it's not a wine to rave about.

----------------------------------------------------
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and
Internet books, but frankly prefers drinking fine German or
other wine, accompanied by the right foods and the right
people. He teaches computer classes at an Ontario
French-language community college. Check out his wine
website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly
column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about
(theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

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Do you have a severe lack of skills in the kitchen?
Unfortunately, not everyone has the natural ability to
throw ingredients together to yield a tasty masterpiece;
however, I have a solution for those of us who lack
culinary finesse! If you're tired of stove-top Ramen and
Hot Pockets, then get ready to wow your stomach with these
simple recipes!

Homemade Pizza

1 package pizza dough
1 jar pizza sauce (tomato puree works, too—and it's
cheaper!)
grated cheddar cheese
toppings of your choice (pineapple, onions, sausage,
pepperoni, mushrooms, etc.)
Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste

To prepare: If the pizza dough comes in a package, prepare
it according to the instructions (usually you just add
water, then knead it). If it comes in a tube (like
biscuits), then you just have to roll it out. To do this,
just sprinkle a bit of flour on the (clean) counter top,
roll the dough with a rolling pin. If you don't have a
rolling pin, use a round glass or do as best as you can
with your palms. If you prefer a truly deep dish pizza,
then leave your dough about half an inch thick. If you like
it a little thinner, roll it out until it's 1/4 inch thick.
Transfer the dough to a greased cookie sheet. Preheat the
oven according to the temperature on the pizza dough packet.

Next is the sauce. Spread the sauce over the dough—as
much or as little as you like! Sprinkle salt, pepper, and
Italian seasoning on top, then a little of the grated
cheese. Throw on your toppings (ground beef and sausage
need to be browned in a skillet beforehand), then coat with
more cheese. Sprinkle a bit more Italian seasoning, then
pop it in the oven. Use the cooking time on the pizza dough
as a guide, but keep an eye on it. The pizza will be ready
when the crust has turned golden brown and the cheese has
melted.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

1 package Knorr "Pasta Sides" Alfredo (or you can just buy
a cheap jar of Alfredo sauce and a package of noodles)
1 cup broccoli
1 cup grilled chicken breast strips (frozen kind works fine
as long as it's fully cooked)
salt and pepper to taste

If you opt for the jar sauce and noodles: boil some water
in a pot, add the noodles, and cook for about 8 - 10
minutes. Heat the sauce in a saucepan on a medium heat.

If you chose the packaged Alfredo, just prepare is per the
directions on the package.

Fill a small saucepan about half full of water and put on
the stove to boil. Chop most of the stems from the broccoli
(I like to leave about 1/2 an inch of stem on mine), then
chuck in the pan of boiling water.

When the noodles are done, strain them. Toss a spoonful of
butter into the pot and return the noodles to it (this
keeps them from sticking). Check on the sauce—is it
piping hot? If so, add it to the noodles and mix it well.

The broccoli should be done after about 8 - 10 minutes of
boiling. Test a piece to make sure the texture is to your
liking, then strain the broccoli and add to the noodles. In
a microwaveable bowl, heat the chicken in the microwave
until steaming hot, then add to the noodles. Give it all a
good mix and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Tuna Salad

1 can tuna (drained)
3 cups wide egg noodles
1/2 cup mayonnaise (real mayo, not miracle whip)
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1/2 can corn
4 spoonfuls relish

Boil the noodles in a pan of water for about 10 minutes, or
until fully cooked. Strain them and rinse with cold water
to cool them. Throw the noodles in a large container
(preferably one with a lid). Mix in all the ingredients
together, stirring well. Cover and refrigerate. (It makes a
lot, but this lasts a few days in the fridge, so you can
munch on it whenever you're feeling peckish.)

----------------------------------------------------
This article is brought to you by
The Platinum Recipes Collection:
http://www.platinumrecipescollection.com
The Platinum Recipes Collection is the Internet's Most
Comprehensive Recipes Collection.

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When the Christmas season hits, it seems like our bodies
instinctively start craving the delicious treats of the
season. The foods traditionally enjoyed around this time of
year vary depending on your family's traditions, but I
think it's safe to say that there are at least three types
of cookie that most people go out of the way to enjoy at
Christmas time: sugar cookies, gingerbread men, and coconut
macaroons. In honor of these three Christmas cookie
"kings," I've found a recipe for each that sticks as close
to the "old ways" as possible, and have compiled them in
this article. I hope you and your family enjoy these
recipes as much as I do!

Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

3 cups flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup butter
2 eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
granulated sugar

Cream butter, then blend the sugar in. Add vanilla extract,
eggs, milk, and, stirring well. In a separate bowl, combine
the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients
to the moist and mix well. Cover and keep refrigerated for
at least 4 hours. Roll the dough between your palms to form
3/4-inch balls, or cut with holiday cutters. Place two
inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar,
then bake at 375 degrees F for 8 - 10 minutes or until they
become golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on a wire
rack.

Gingerbread Men

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup margarine
1 egg yolk

In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and margarine. Add
the molasses and egg yolk and mix well. In a separate bowl,
mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and
soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger). Add to
the molasses mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed. Cover
with a towel and place in the fridge for an hour. Flour a
countertop or other surface and roll out the dough to 1/4
inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter or shape manually into
the desired form. Place at least two inches apart on a
cookie sheet (ungreased). Bake for about 10 minutes at 350
degrees F. When done, place on wire racks to cool, then
decorate.

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

1 can sweetened condensed milk
8 oz shredded coconut
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Mix together the condensed milk, salt, and chocolate in a
double boiler, stirring frequently. When chocolate has
melted, remove from heat and add coconut and vanilla. Mix
well. Grease baking sheets. Drop coconut mixture by the
spoonful (try to round them as best as you can) about an
inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 - 20 minutes
at 350 degrees F. Place on a wire rack to cool.

----------------------------------------------------
This article is brought to you by
The Platinum Recipes Collection:
http://www.platinumrecipescollection.com
The Platinum Recipes Collection is the Internet's Most
Comprehensive Recipes Collection.

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