Judith Henderson’s Wine & Country Living

Thanks to its tumultuous history and unique geography, America's culinary fabric is dense with an overwhelming variety of cultural threads.

Today, we are both an indigenous population and waves of immigrants, each group with its own cooking traditions. With such a diverse pantry and confluence of peoples, the result is a complex tapestry, food weaving its self into our culture.

Most food and wine historians agree that trends in food and wine have no limit to mimicking current events of the day. At this very moment, while U.S. politicians eye the northern states of India and Pakistan, professional chefs are experimenting with the foods and beverages of India and Pakistan. "Bollywood" never had it so good!

In the international cooking arena, the American melting pot style of cooking has taken full advantage of fusing foods with leftovers, adding a little Bollywood for good measure. Take for instance the meatloaf I made this weekend of ground defrosted thanksgiving leftovers; turkey, bread stuffing, onions, carrots and green beans. I threw in a tablespoon of gram masala, chopped cilantro and napped the top of each serving with the parsley cream recipe below. I paired the meal with North Star's 2008 Stella Blanca Semillon. The meatloaf was heavenly with each sip of wine wrapping each bite with a crisp star fruit and citrus bow tied around a cream and sugared tongue.

I have to give credit where credit is due and that's to North Star winemaker, David Merfield, whose sixth sense shows through the entire North Star line of incredible wines.

Because you paint a wine palate in broad strokes of colorful flavor nuances and because this sense shows so well in the '08 Stella Blanc, yours truly, Judith Henderson of Wine and Country Living, gives you 98 points of wine perfection and wishes you the very best over the holidays! Congratulations "Merf" and Team North Star!

Until next week, "Eat Art Drink Imagination!"

Parsley Cream

2-cups flat leaf parsley

¼-cup olive oil

2-tablespoons heavy cream

1-teaspoon white balsamic vinegar

1-large clove smashed garlic

1-teaspoon salt

1/6-teaspoon red pepper flakes

In a food processor, add all ingredients and blend until fluffy and smooth; about 1 minute.

Judith's "Wine and Country Living Cookbook," is now available for distribution and sale: 509-520-8748