I recently caught up with local celebrity Caprial Pence. An award-winning chef, Caprial is talented enough in the kitchen that none other than Julia Child invited her to cook at her 80th birthday party after tasting the bold, simple flavors of her cuisine. Pence, who co-hosts the OPB television series Caprial and John’s Kitchen: Cooking for Family and Friends (with husband John), writes cookbooks, and operates Caprial’s Bistro and her own 40-seat cooking school, carved a few minutes out of her busy schedule to answer a couple of questions about one of food’s best friends, wine.

Caprial says that getting the combination right requires a little forethought. “As far as pairing wines and food together, you really need to consider both the food and wine,” she explains. ”Often, chefs really only think about how the food is going to look next to the wine and winemakers are worried about the wine. If you show both in the best way possible, then it can really be amazing.”

Based in Oregon, it’s not too surprising that Caprial is a bit of a Pinot Noir fan. “We do a lot of pairings with Pinot Noir,” she says. ”It really depends a lot on the time of year and the entire menu that we are doing. One of my favorite pairings is seared rare tuna with John’s homemade bacon and braised kale. The one thing about Pinot Noir is it is just the best food wine and goes with so many things.”

Of course, a chef of Pence’s caliber doesn’t limit herself to mixing and matching Pinot Noir with enticing entrées. Even desserts are fair game. “I’ve been making this little dessert sauce where I cook honey until it starts to brown, then I add a dessert wine or at least a sweeter wine,” she says. According to Caprial, it’s “simple and really good!” I believe the “really good” part.

For access to several of Pence’s recipes, visit her website at www.caprialandjohnskitchen.com and click Search All under Featured Recipes. I entered the word “wine” and was treated to a list 248 entries, from Simple Butter Sauce to Horseradish Crusted Halibut with Sautéed Leeks. The site also includes details about her television series and Caprial’s Bistro in Portland, where you might just get the chance to test her dessert sauce firsthand. Bon appétit!

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