September 3, 2019
Buckhorn Dinners Pair Well With Wines
You may have noticed that our online dinner menu now carries suggestions for wines that will pair especially well with the selections. Guests routinely ask us for pairing recommendations, so our suggestions will help you take out some of the guesswork. A member of our team is taking a certificate program at Napa Valley Wine Academy http://www.napavalleywineacademy.com so we all will benefit from what she learns.
The aromas of wine are even more diverse than the flavors.
A really good food and wine pairing creates a balance between the flavors of the dish and the characteristics of the wine. Here are some basic rules of thumb:
- The wine should have about the same intensity or “weight” as the food. A robust wine might overwhelm a light dish, while a delicate wine might be overwhelmed by a hearty dish.
- Acidic wines work well with rich dishes. For example, a zesty Sauvignon Blanc would complement the richness of macaroni in a creamy béchamel sauce.
- Rather than simply matching a wine with the protein in the entrée, match it with the sauce.
- Off-dry wines, like a Riesling, balance spice and are delicious with dishes featuring ginger, chutney, or barbecue sauce.
- Wines that may seem lean or tannic when sipped by themselves may taste very different when paired with boldly-flavored food. Don’t be scared away!
Remember that taste is a subjective sense and what might be a “textbook perfect” pairing for one diner might not be perfect for another. This subjective nature makes it possible to drink any kind of wine with any kind of food and have an enjoyable experience. So feel free to experiment!
Taste Profiles for Wines Featured at Buckhorn Inn
In general, if you are looking for a pairing for a light seafood dish, try a light-bodied wine with a higher acidity, like Pinot Grigio. Chardonnays have more body and are not as acidic and go well with fatty fish or a rich sauce.. Pinot Noir doesn’t have a lot of tannin and is a light-bodied red. Pair it with dishes featuring mushrooms or truffles. If you are looking for full-body and high tannin, look for Cabernet Sauvignons. Cabs go well with steaks and chops as the tannins refresh the palate. Try a Malbec with sweet, spicy sauces as it is bold enough to hold its own.
Sparkling wines like Champagne, Prosecco, and Cava have a faint touch of sweetness, even when they are dry. This makes them especially good with salty foods.
Please let us know some of your favorite food and wine pairings. Happy sipping!
July 30, 2018
“Throwback Thursday” for Buckhorn Inn 80th Anniversary
In 2018 Buckhorn Inn is celebrating our 80th anniversary with Throwback Thursday! Each Thursday in August our talented chef, Matthew Poole, will incorporate into the menu his modern take on some historical recipes. Innkeeper Lee Mellor is in possession of the original hand-written recipes used by our cooks in the 1930’s!
These handwritten recipes served the Buckhorn Inn kitchen well in 1938!
Desserts figured prominently in these early recipes. We found recipes for Fluffy Banana Cake, Texas Pecan Pralines, and Heavenly “Goo” topping for shortcake.
Savory recipes from 1938 include stuffed pork chops, roasted turkey and porcupine meatballs. Don’t worry– there is no porcupine meat in these meatballs! The name comes from the way rice grains poke out of the meatballs when they are done. The rice resembles the quills of these little animals, common in Israel. In Hebrew these meatballs are called Ktzizot Kipod.
Throwback Thursday Honors Long Culinary Tradition
The Buckhorn Inn opened its doors for business in August 1938. Many Knoxville residents visited this new Inn for lunch. Yes–in those days the Inn served three meals a day. Leisurely, plentiful lunches were a hallmark of the times. Douglas Bebb was passionate about the meals served at the Inn. He raised his own chickens to provide the very freshest eggs and his garden produced an abundance of fresh vegetables. He was an excellent cook and prepared all the meat dishes served at the Inn.
The ladies pictured here are Buckhorn Inn staff members Ella Huskey and Grace Price Branam (on the right). Mrs. Branam was the original cook for Buckhorn Inn.
The guests especially looked forward to the Sunday luncheon buffet. It was Mrs. Branam’s (the cook) day off, so Mr. Bebb cooked the meal in its entirety. He was rightfully famous for his corn pudding. In fact, his recipe was featured in the book Ford Times published by the Ford Motor Company to encourage driving vacations.
In those early days, a staff of four served the three meals a day. Tennessee was dry in those days, yet the pre-dinner cocktail hour was an honored tradition. The guests would simply bring their wine and spirits with them. Ellen Bebb, daughter of Douglas, reports that some of the guests would take turns hosting cocktail hours in the cottages. But the greatest honor was bestowed when guests were invited to Bebb House to share cocktails with their hosts.
Join us for a taste of history during dinners this August. Visit our website https://www.buckhorninn.com/dining/weekly-dining-menu to review our upcoming menus.
May 7, 2018
Spring Salad Days at Buckhorn Inn
The beautiful salad greens we have been growing in the Buckhorn Inn gardens have made us love our dinner salads even more! This spring we have been harvesting and serving a sweet mesclun mix from Burpee Seed Company http://www.burpee.com. The mix includes Beet Bull’s Blood, Spinach Bloomsdale, Black Seeded Simpson lettuce, Red Salad Bowl lettuce, and Mustard Tendergreen.
Your salad, from the garden to the kitchen to the table.
Soon we will be harvesting our Heatwave mix which includes a blend of crisphead, romaine, and looseleaf types that mature a bit later than the spring mix.
Caesar’s Salad Dressing
Guests love our Caesar salad. It was first made by restaurateur Caesar Cardini in Tijuana. In 1924 a rush of diners depleted his ingredient supply. He made do with what he had and added his own flair by making it tableside. Our version of the tangy dressing omits the raw egg. We recommend you serve it at room temperature on romaine with crisp croutons.
3 Anchovies
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T Chopped garlic
1 T Dijon mustard
1/3 C Mayonnaise
1 t Pepper
1 t Salt
1/2 C Lemon juice
1 1/2 C Olive oil
1/2 C Shredded Parmesan cheese
Combine the first 8 ingredients in a food processor. Slowly add the olive oil, processing until creamy. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
This is one of Chef Bob’s most popular dressings. We especially like it over a bed of tender spring greens with grilled asparagus and tomatoes.
1/4 C Diced onions
1 T Minced garlic
1 t Dijon Mustard
1/2 C Fresh basil leaves
1 t Salt
1/2 t Pepper
1 T Sugar
1/4 C Mayonnaise
1/2 C Lemon juice
1 1/2 C Combined olive and canola oils
Combine in a food processor, adding the oil slowly at the last. Chill. Makes about 2 cups. We love using the fresh basil from our Buckhorn Inn herb garden for this recipe and many others. When making a basil-based dish, such as a pesto, blanching the basil will help it retain that sunny green color.
We hope you enjoy many salad days ahead!
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