Recipes- Food- Wine- Cooking- Guide
to the California Central Coast

Welcome to The Romantic Table, an online magazine about the wine and food of California's Central Coast, featuring wine reviews, California Central Coast recipes, food and wine news and culinary events from the California Central Coast.
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Wine And Food Articles

Glorious May is Here with Some Great Breakout Recipes

©2012 The Romantic Table, Strawberry Walnut Watercress Salad 2012-05-07 17:41:01:331

2012-05-10 02:26:37 ID=665:1
© 2012 The Romantic Table
by Susan McGourty

It's May! One of the best months to live here and enjoy the perfect weather and delightful fruit and vegetable bounty of this prime month of Spring. May is a fun month too, with Wine Festivals, Mothers Day, Memorial Day and Car Shows to use as a reason for get-togethers with your friends and family. And we've got some new recipes that are worthy for your celebratory mood.

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April's Recipes: A Time for Transitioning and Gearing up for Spring and Summer

©2012 The Romantic Table, Pickled Beets and Eggs 2012-04-11 14:29:54:326

2012-04-28 02:07:15 ID=663:1
© 2012 The Romantic Table
by Susan McGourty

April for me, has always been a "transition month" food-wise. April has also always been one of my funkier months personally. (I would physically "hit bottom" for some reason in April, only to do a "re-set of my system" then get up and out, and back on track for the rest of the year!) It was also always a hard month for my family because the first Friday after Easter -usually at the beginning of April, was the day that we'd re-open our seasonal restaurant, "The Country Cousin," for the Summer through Early Fall. There were a lot of preparations to do and everyone had their responsibilities, expectations and desires.

It is now Spring and by month's end we will start to feel the warmth of the improved outdoor weather that leads us into the summer months of May and June. So April is the month I usually start craving and cooking a little lighter and tempting fare with the flavors and aromas of the delicious late Spring produce.

We've got some real "keepers" for you this month that you can enjoy right through the the fourth of July -if not for the whole year!


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California Central Coast Wine Value Pick | Beckmen Vineyards 2010 Purisima Mountain Vineyard Grenache Rosé

©2011 The Romantic Table, Beckmen Vineyards 2010 Purisima Mountain Vineyard Grenache Rosé 2011-08-28 13:32:21:300

2011-08-29 01:04:24 ID=649:1
© 2011 The Romantic Table
by Larry McGourty

Beckmen Vineyards 2010 Purisima Mountain Vineyard Grenache Rosé is a dry Rosé style wine which pairs well with Mediterranean style cuisine and robust Pacific Coast style seafood dishes.

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How to Truss Poultry

©2009 The Romantic Table, trussing poultry 2009-11-16 21:29:57:228

2009-11-16 21:25:06 ID=555:1
© 2009 The Romantic Table
by Susan McGourty

When I was a girl helping my Mother and Grandmother prepare Thanksgiving dinner one of my jobs was to stuff the turkey and sew the cavity shut for roasting. Despite all my efforts, it usually never really stayed closed however, and there was always the problem of retrieving bits of thread from the bird as it was carved. The secret I learned later was to truss the bird.

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California Central Coast Wine Value Pick | Edward Sellers 2006 Paso Robles Syrah

©2009 The Romantic Table, Edward Sellers 2006 Paso Robles Syrah 2009-09-29 16:04:26:204

2009-10-01 15:58:31 ID=511:1
© 2009 The Romantic Table
by Larry McGourty

In this California Central Coast Wine Value Review we take a look at Edward Sellers 2006 Paso Robles Syrah

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California Central Coast Wine Value Pick | Norman Pinot Grigio 2006

©2009 The Romantic Table, Norman Pinot Grigio 2006, Citrus-lemon-tangerine aroma with melon and floral overtones, good balanced acidity and an overall smoothness. 2009-09-21 22:36:17:199

2009-09-21 22:35:44 ID=491:1
© 2009 The Romantic Table
by Larry McGourty

In this California Central Coast Wine Value Review we take a look at Norman Pinot Grigio 2006

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A tip from Sue!

Get a Black Pepper Mill

There's nothing that substitutes for freshly cracked black pepper. You can find pepper mills in all price ranges. Just get one that looks like it will hold up well over continual use. Freshly cracked black pepper can really enhance the smell and final taste of a recipe!

This web site is about how to find and enjoy some of the best of the California Central Coast’s Food and Wine bounties. All these California Central Coast Recipes are home-kitchen tested and the photographs are the fully cooked final products. Cooking should be fun as well as an adventure! These recipes are not carved in stone. They’re meant more to use as guidelines. For example, if you especially like a certain ingredient and would like to use more, go ahead and alter the recipe to your personal taste.

Cooking is NOT something that you should dread. It’s very straight forward and logical. It can be really fun and relaxing. I hope that I can pass on to you some of the techniques and “tricks” of my cooking experiences through the years. My recipes have a practicality factor that I’ve perfected over the years so you’ll get the most taste and looks for time spent. I will show you how to make a good-looking as well as good tasting meal in a half hour or so, you can enjoy quality dining every night at home for a mere fraction of the cost of dining out!

Plus we will keep you on top of Food and Wine events that are happening right here under our noses on the California Central Coast, so you can have a lot of fun too.