The Sun Valley Food and Wine Festival consists of two days of chef demonstrations, tastings and wine pairings.  It draws chefs both locally and nationally, descending on Sun Valley with their favorite recipes and their mad chopping skills.  This year's festival had a little surprise on the menu - rain.

The weekend kicked off on Friday night with a VIP Sponsor Reception at the Knob Hill Inn. Delicious steak and mushroom sandwiches were complimented by selections from Idaho's 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards. While waiting in line for my first glass of the weekend, I chatted with the event coordinator from the Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber of Commerce. "Try the Rose," she suggested. "Everyone's talking about it." After my first sip I smiled broadly over the pink liquid. It was dry and not too sweet - my idea of the perfect Rose.

On Friday evening a heavy rainstorm knocked out power to much of Ketchum - including those restaurants serving Vintner Dinners. Festival-goers laughed about the minor issue as the demonstrations began Saturday morning. The event was held in a large tent on the lawn of Sun Valley's Dollar Lodge. Folks sipped coffee and huddled around ground heaters while struggling to hear the first chef, Riccabona's Brent Rasmussen, over the pouring rain. Not the best weather for the event, I'll grant you, but once the food and wine started flowing it hardly seemed to matter.

Chef Rasmussen's delightful Morel Mushroom Quiche was followed by Dungeness Crab dishes created by Portland chefs Vitaly and Kimberly Paley. The dishes were paired with wines from Phantom Hill (OR) and their Pinot Grigio hit my taste buds just right. This usually white wine had a pink tint thanks to the "cold soak" on dry ice as the grapes made their way from Idaho to the Oregon winery.

Next, il Naso's chef Doug Jensen taught me a useful cooking lesson while preparing summer bruchetta. After heating bread, peeled garlic gloves can be rubbed directly onto the surface - and the garlic melts right on. "Now this," I thought to myself, "is my kind of cooking."