Last weekend my adventures included a trip to visit my friend, Sandi, at her home in Fort Myers, Florida. A group of us gathered to enjoy beautiful scenery, a bit of golf and some great restaurants, with the highlight being a multi-course wine dinner at Sandi’s home. This group of friends has been gathering for parties in this format for years, and it never disappoints.

The concept is that each is assigned to provide one course and choose a paired wine. We then gather at the table to enjoy the meal. It’s great to have fun making one dish and sharing it with the group, and the dishes combine to create a fabulous multi-course meal. I hope this story of last weekend’s adventures will inspire some memorable evenings.

It was my turn to provide the appetizer. I paired Goat Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Figs with a White Bordeaux wine. My recipe is attached to this post, and my friends and family have enjoyed this appetizer with all of their favorite beverages. If you are up for something new, I recommend trying it with a White Bordeaux.

My friends, Suzan and David, were on for first course. Suzan and David (well, OK, Suzan in the kitchen and David supporting from afar) served Blood Orange Pistachio Salad, paired with a Viognier. Delicious. Suzan found the recipe at https://www.simplyscratch.com/blood-orange-salad-ginger-and-cayenne-blood-orange-vinaigrette/, and she omitted the cayenne and used goat cheese instead of feta.

As is our tradition, our hostess served the main course. She prepared The Original Marry Me Chicken and served it with steamed green beans and buttered pasta drizzled with sauce from the chicken. It was outstanding, and it paired well with a Bourgogne Pinot Noir. Sandi found the chicken recipe at https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a46330/skillet-sicilian-chicken-recipe/. We had one dairy-free guest, and it worked well to bake one chicken breast in a separate pan and cover it with sauce prior to adding the cream to the sauce.

For dessert, John and Wendy teamed up to make Pear, Apple and Cherry Crumble and served it warm with vanilla ice cream. It was delicious, with oats and the perfect amount of cinnamon in the crumble, and it paired well with a Vouvray. They used the recipe found here: https://www.food.com/recipe/pear-apple-and-cherry-crumble-301585

If you like to pair food and wine, I hope you will recruit a few like-minded friends and try this dinner party format.

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Goat Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Figs

This delicious goat cheese appetizer can be made ahead and heated at serving time. It's great for taking to parties. It is one of my most requested recipes.

Check out this recipe