Wine Blog Wednesday #21 Meets Food Blog Friday.

No, today isn't Wednesday. But today, wine bloggers around the world will be teaming up with the food bloggers around the world with assistance from the ultimate guide to food blogging, Is My Blog Burning? Both group of bloggers have collaborated and will blog about food and wine together. The hopes is that it will attract the largest group of participants ever for any culinary blog event. The goal is: Pick a favorite bottle of wine from your cellar and create/cook a dish that goes with it. Pick a favorite dish in your culinary repertoire and seek out a wine that will pair will it. Or, if you’re feeling really ambitious, create an entire wine-pairing menu of favorites.

My contribution to this day of world wide food and wine blogging is my chicken pot pie recipe. And I have found a wine that will pair perfect with it. To start you will need about 1 - 1.5 lbs. of cooked chicken breasts. They can be left-over, grilled or baked, but I prefer to poach them fresh. I often poach chicken breasts in chicken stock with a bit of water and if I have some white wine opened, even better with a touch of wine in the poaching liquid. Also, I will spice up the liquid with a couple of peppercorns, a bay leaf, thyme, sage and kosher salt to taste.

This recipe is really a basic spring board for future recipes. The veggie amount doesn't have to be exact. If you really like peas, then add more. You can also add mushrooms, use leftover turkey instead of chicken, remove the peas, add red potatoes, chopped shallots or whatever your little heart desires. Remember, be creative - - this ain't yo' mama's frozen Banquet pot pie.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 cup carrots

1 cup celery

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into large bite size chunks

1/4 pound butter (one stick)

1 cup flour

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup frozen peas

1 - 1.5 pounds cooked white chicken breast (see above)

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

1 pkg of frozen puff pastry (thawed)

Directions: Dice cooked chicken and put aside. Place butter, carrots, celery and potatoes into a pot and sauté until the vegetables are al dente. Next, add the flour to make a roux, making sure the flour and butter are combined together well and leaving no lumps. Add the chicken stock. Continue stirring until mixture is smooth. Bring this mixture to a boil, then turn down to simmer. Cook until it becomes thick (you can add more stock if too thick) and the flour cooks out of the chicken gravy (about 15-20 minutes). Add the diced chicken and thawed peas. Mix well, adding salt and pepper to taste. Place the chicken filling into one large casserole or individual ones. Cover with puff pastry and trim (or not) according to the size of the casserole(s). You can get creative and cut the pastry into strips and weave a lattice top like the photo if you want to impress your friends (or not - leave the pastry as is). Bake at 350 degrees, until the puff pastry rises and turns golden brown.

For a wine pairing and also to poach the chicken with, I chose a 2004 Columbia Valley Chardonnay from the College Cellars in Walla Walla. I am picky about my Chardonnay, but this one made me smile and later left with a case of it. It is a big Chardonnay that does not exhibit a lot of oak. The acidity comes through with flavors of lemon and definitely toasted marshmallow (without being sweet). This Chardonnay is round and satisfying, but finishes very bright and crisp. Priced at $10.00.

College Cellars of Walla Walla is a non-profit teaching winery located at the Center for Enology and Viticulture. It is the first teaching/commercial winery at a two-year college in the United States. Proceeds from the sale of wine support the wine education program through the Walla Walla Community College Foundation.