Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay with an aromatic salad and warm cozy pork chops with apples

Mar 10, 2021

When I was looking for a pairing for a beautiful Utopia Chardonnay we received as a sample, I went to a book I have been reading to find the aromas and flavors that would pair.

As of late, I have been diving into François Chartier’s book “Taste Buds and Molecules – The art and science of food and wine”. It’s pretty fascinating. It breaks down scientifically why some pairings are so wonderful, and inspires new creations.

I knew from the wineries tasting notes, that I was likely to find “notes of pineapple, banana, citrus, and white peach”. I cross-referenced this with the notes in the book on Chardonnay as well as my knowledge of what I knew to be good Chardonnay pairings.

This 2017 Utopia Chardonnay from the Ribbon Ridge AVA, was a whole cluster press. It aged in multiple vessels, 20% new French oak, 40% neutral French oak, and 40% stainless steel.

So…do look at this as an oak-aged Chardonnay or a stainless steel chardonnay? Stainless steel would have more anise notes, whereas barrel-aged leans to spice.

I narrowed my list a bit and came up with these potential elements to include:

Yellow apples, saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, citrus fruit, dried lavender, dried rosebuds, eucalyptus, fresh figs, ginger, juniper berries, leeks, mint, paprika, parsley, pink grapefruit, quince, rosemary, rosewater, sage, spruce beer, basil.

Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay Ribbon Ridge AVA

Well, that’s a pretty diverse list, right? A bit more fine-tuning and we settled on…

Avocado, roasted blood orange, and kumquat salad with a citrus, cardamom, and rosewater dressing

&

Pork chops with yellow apples, sage, apple butter & maple

Avocado, roasted blood orange, and kumquat salad with citrus, cardamom, and rosewater dressing

This dish tied in the notes of citrus from the wine and layered in the notes of cardamom and rosewater. The avocado added a bit of fat and creaminess. I will admit that this was my first time working with cardamom and rose water and I am kind of swoony about it! The fragrance of this salad made me a little weepy with joy. Scent memory is a thing, and I was transported back to my mother’s rosebushes. The aromatics were wonderful.

On top of that, the dish is a real stunner. The colors really pop and you get multiple textures.

I chose blood oranges, mostly for the drama. I knew I was going to roast them and I loved the thought of them coming out so dark and dramatic. The juice also lent a lovely deep color to the dressing.

So I sliced the blood orange and kept the ends to juice. The slices got tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted for 15 minutes at 425. In the meantime, I worked on the rest of the dish.

The dressing was a citrus mix of lemon, lime, and blood orange juice, then olive oil, of course, salt, pepper, honey, cardamom, and rose water. The cardamom I had in pods which I crushed with the flat side of a knife and popped out the seeds. Since we were filming, I went the pretty route (although it takes more muscle) and used the mortar and pestle to grind the cardamom seeds. You can easily toss them in a spice grinder or your coffee grinder, just wash it!

I stirred things up in a bowl and as usual, was not happy with the emulsification of the olive oil, so I used my favorite trick and threw it in a jar and shook it!

I sliced up a shallot into thin strips and tossed the shallot and roasted blood oranges (once they had cooled) with ½ of my dressing.

The rest went into the bottom of my salad bowl. I tossed my greens in on top. I used red leaf lettuce and some sliced purple cabbage and mixed them with the dressing. I sliced up my avocado to lay out on top, the blood oranges were next, followed by the shallot and sliced kumquats.

I finished the dish with a sprinkle of sliced almonds and dried rose petals.

With the Utopia Chardoannay, I found that the wine popped the rosewater note. It was bright but not overpowering and balanced well with the salad, amping up the brighter notes, like the kumquats, and blending beautifully with the rest.

Pork chops with yellow apples, sage, apple butter & maple

I knew I was going with white meat and chicken can just be so boring…so I pulled out 2 boneless pork chops. Pork and apples are classic, right? This tied in the Yellow apple note.

Cinnamon & maple were other spice notes that I thought might pair with the wine. Apple butter (which is typically high in cinnamon) was slathered on the pork chops after they were seared.

Then the yellow apple slices are cooked in butter with garlic and fresh sage for just a couple of minutes.

The slathered pork chops returned to the pan and the whole thing was drizzled with maple syrup. Then this hits the broiler for 2 minutes to finish it off.

The yellow apple was still a bit firm and was great with this Utopia Chardonnay, the aromatics of the apple, cinnamon, and maple were heavenly. We found the dish pulled out tropical notes in the wine.

Again, a really lovely pairing, and the butter, maple, apple juices in the bottom of the pan? Don’t waste those, they are delicious! Drizzle them over your pork and apples and savor those aromas.

Ingredients for pork chops with yellow apples with Utopia Chardonna

Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay pairings Avocado and Roasted Blood Orange with kumquats in a citrus, rosewater and cardamom dressing and Pork chops with yellow apples, sage, apple butter, and maple

2017 Utopia Estate Chardonnay

A few details on the wine. The Utopia Vineyard & Winery is located in the Ribbon Ridge AVA, which is one of those Russian Doll AVAs, it sits within the Chehalem Mountain AVA which sits within the larger Willamette Valley AVA.

Utopia is a small producer and they only made 337 cases of this wine. As I mentioned, it is whole cluster pressed and spends 11 months in 20% New French oak, 40% neutral French oak, and 40% stainless steel. It is 13.2% abv and runs $45 a bottle.

We also tasted the Utopia 2017 Estate Pinot Noir watch for the recipe details on our pairing with that wine, coming out soon!

To learn more about Utopia Wines visit our post

Oregon’s Utopia – A bit of vineyard perfection in the Ribbon Ridge AVA

More on Oregon Wines

We collected our stories on a page called Oregon Wine Country. You will find information on the state and some of it’s AVAs as well as wineries we have visited, some interviews with winemakers and more recipes.

Oregon Wine Country on Crushed Grape Chronicles

Avocado, roasted blood orange and kumquat salad with a citrus, cardamom, and rosewater dressing

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

This salad is meant to be eyecatching. A bed of greens with purple cabbage to help it pop, topped with creamy avocado, roasted blood orange slices, and tart pops of kumquat are dressed with an aromatic dressing of lemon, lime, and blood orange juice with cardamom, and rosewater. The scent of roses mingling with the citrus is enchanting. The kumquats bring a great pop of acidity and the creaminess of the avocado is a great contrast. It is definitely a show-stopper!

Don't be afraid to mix this recipe up with different citrus, greens, and even spices!

We paired this with a beautiful Oregon Chardonnay from the Ribbon Ridge AVA that was not too oaky and not too sharp. It was just right and sang with the food.

Ingredients

¼ cup + 2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp honey
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs lime juice
2 tbs blood orange juice
1/8 tsp cardamom
1 1/2 tbs rosewater
1 shallot thinly sliced
1 avocado sliced
1 blood orange
4 oz kumquats
½ head of red leaf lettuce Salad greens
1 cup Purple cabbage
1 tbs Sliced almonds
1 tbs Dried rose petals

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
2. Slice the blood orange into slices. About 4 slices about ¼ inch thick. Keep the rest for juicing
3. Toss the slices in 2 tbs of olive oil, plus a dash of salt and pepper
4. Roast 15 minutes at 425 degrees F
5. Slice shallot into thin slices
6. Slice kumquats into 1/8 inch rounds
7. Mix dressing of the ¼ cup Olive oil, honey, juices of lemon, lime, and orange, cardamom, and rosewater. Put it in a jar and shake it!
8. Take oranges out to cool.
9. Toss cabbage and greens with ½ dressing
10. Toss shallots in ½ the dressing, then add cooled orange slices
11. Top the mixed greens & purple cabbage with shallots, blood orange slices, kumquats, sliced avocado. Finish this off with a sprinkle of sliced almonds & dried rose petals

Notes

*Sidenote on the cardamom. Rather than buying it ground, buy the pods and grind as you need it. This keeps it fresher and more fragrant. You can smash the pods with the flat side of a knife and pull out the seeds, then crush them with a mortar and pestle as I did, or if you have a spice grinder use that. I have read that you can grind them with the pods also, but I didn’t try that. Some recipes call for toasting the pods first, again, I didn’t do that with my first exploration with cardamom.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 229Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 0mgSodium 32mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 8gSugar 11gProtein 4g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Pork chops with yellow apples, sage, apple butter & maple

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Warm but bright these pork chops, slathered in apple butter, drizzled in maple syrup, and cooked with butter, garlic, sage, and yellow apple slices, are fragrant and delicious. Done in 20 minutes and perfect to pair with a Chardonnay.

Ingredients

2 tbs of vegetable oil
2 pork chops (mine were ¾ inch thick & boneless)
2 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 tbs butter
2 tbs of fresh sage
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbs apple butter
1 yellow apple apple, cored and sliced
2 tbs Maple syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to Broil
2. Heat a rod iron skillet with the vegetable oil
3. Sear chops 2-3 min on each side (don’t move them around)
4. Reduce the heat and cook for 3 minutes
5. Remove from the pan and tent with foil to keep warm.
6. Into the skillet add the butter, garlic, apple slices, and sage, cook 2 min
7. Spread the pork chops with apple butter
8. Add the pork back to the pan
9. Drizzle with the maple syrup
10. Brown under the broiler 2-3 min
11. Drizzle the butter from the pan over chops.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 906Total Fat 62gSaturated Fat 19gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 37gCholesterol 178mgSodium 385mgCarbohydrates 47gFiber 5gSugar 36gProtein 41g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

Robin Bell Renken I have always loved people’s stories. I spent a career in Theatre helping to tell stories, as a Stage Manager. Daily enabling artists to freely and safely tell stories through their art. Then I fell in love with wine. There are so many details, so many nuances, not just in the glass, but in the vineyard, the region and the people. As I met winemakers and vineyard owners and even the people in the tasting room excited to pour me a glass and tell me the story of this wine, I knew these were stories I wanted to share. I completed my study and became a Certified Specialist of Wine and continue learning daily as I meet and interview people in this industry.

Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Steak with Gorgonzola and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Feb 7, 2021

Sometimes, a delicious Steak is just what you need to spoil yourself or that special someone. This dish is perfect for Valentine’s Day with the steak resting in a pool of luscious gorgonzola sauce. Plate it with a salad and some polenta and you’ve got a perfect romantic meal.

We paired it with a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington!

A full dinner for Valentine’s Day!

If you want to do the day right, start with a cheese platter, move into dinner with this steak and gorgonzola sauce, do a side of cheesy polenta and a salad with arugula (good pepper notes to pair with the wine) and berries.

Finish dinner off with a chocolate tart with forest berries!

(Here are links to the cheesy polenta and the chocolate tart recipes.)

Now let’s dive into this steak recipe!

Steak with Gorgonzola Sauce

This is our fancy meal. To incorporate the polenta, salad, and tart into your menu, I suggest making the tart in the morning, so it can set in the fridge while you make the rest of your meal. Get your dressing for your salad ready in a jar (olive oil, macerated berries, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper), and then start your polenta. It can cook on a back burner while you make this dish.

Here’s what you will need for the sauce:

1 tbs unsalted butter or olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 cups heavy cream
4 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Kosher salt

And for the steaks:

2 tbs olive oil
2 6oz filet mignons
2 tbs butter
1 tbs fresh chopped rosemary
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Ingredients for Steak with gorgonzola sauce

Directions

This dish cooks in two pans simultaneously.

Preheat the oven to 400
Season the steaks with salt and pepper
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat
Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
Start your rod-iron skillet for your steaks, heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil until it is almost smoking.
While this is heating, add your cream to the shallots and turn the heat up to medium-high. Bring this to a rapid simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. *Keep an eye on it, because it will want to boil over. Reduce the heat and stir as needed while you cook the steaks.
Add the steaks to the almost smoking oil. Cook for 5 minutes.
Flip the steaks, add 2 tablespoons of butter and your chopped fresh rosemary, basting the steaks with the butter.
Cook another 3 minutes and then check the steak with a meat thermometer. You are looking to get this to 135 degrees or so for medium-rare.
Put the skillet in the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes until it is at the proper temperature.
When the steak is done, put it on a cutting board with tented aluminum foil to rest for 5 minutes.
Back to the sauce
Pull the sauce off the heat stir in the blue cheese, parmesan, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
When the steak is rested slice it against the grain at an angle.
Plate this on a pool of the gorgonzola sauce and serve with a side of cheesy polenta and an arugula berry salad.

L’Ecole No. 41 2017 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine comes from Washington’s largest AVA the Columbia Valley AVA. It covers a full 1/3 of the landmass of Washington. It is sourced from vineyards across this AVA that L’Ecole No. 41 has built a relationship with over the years.

You’ll find a blend of fruit from a few vineyards in here: Candy Mountain, Estate Seven Hills, Alder Ridge, Klipsun, Summit View, Bacchus & Dionysus, Pepper Bridge, Stone Tree, Loess, Yellow Jacket, Estate Ferguson & Stone Valley

100% Cabernet Sauvignon – 5,600 cases produced – $29.00 SRP

Cabernet calls for red meat and our steak was perfect for that. It also goes well with blue cheese (as in the gorgonzola sauce) and parmesan, which we incorporated into the polenta we served as a side.

L’Ecole No. 41 is located in Walla Walla Washington in an old schoolhouse. You can read more about them here and here.

*We received this wine as a media sample. No other compensation was received. All opinions are our own.

L'Ecole No. 41 2017 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for Valentine's Day

Steak with Gorgonzola and L'Ecole Cabernet

Check out our Full Story with all of our Valentine’s Pairing Suggestions!

Steak with Gorgonzola sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

These dishes cook simultaneously and you will end up with lots of leftover gorgonzola sauce. That's really okay. It's so good on almost anything. I drizzled it on pizza the other night.

This is an elegant dish, but not too tough to make! Get the polenta going first and set that on a back burner to cook while you make the steak and gorgonzola sauce.

We paired this with a Cabernet Sauvignon and it was heaven!

The recipe came from "The Anthony Kitchen"

Ingredients

1 tbs unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
2 cups heavy cream
4 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbs olive oil
2 6oz filet mignons
2 tbs butter
1 tbs fresh chopped rosemary
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Instructions

Steak with Gorgonzola and L'Ecole Cabernet

Preheat the oven to 400
Season the steaks with salt and pepper
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat
Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
Start your rod-iron skillet for your steaks, heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil until it is almost smoking.
While this is heating, add your cream to the shallots and turn the heat up to medium-high. Bring this to a rapid simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. *Keep an eye on it, because it will want to boil over. Reduce the heat and stir as needed while you cook the steaks.
Add the steaks to the almost smoking oil. Cook for 5 minutes.
Flip the steaks, add 2 tablespoons of butter and your chopped fresh rosemary, basting the steaks with the butter.
Cook another 3 minutes and then check the steak with a meat thermometer. You are looking to get this to 135 degrees or so for medium-rare.
Put the skillet in the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes until it is at the proper temperature.
When the steak is done, put it on a cutting board with tented aluminum foil to rest for 5 minutes.
Back to the sauce
Pull the sauce off the heat stir in the blue cheese, parmesan, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
When the steak is rested slice it against the grain at an angle.
Plate the sliced steak on a pool of the gorgonzola sauce.

Notes

Serve this with a side of cheesy polenta and a salad with arugula and berries to play up to your Cabernet Sauvignon.

Valentines Day Menu Ideas

L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Truffles

These delicious wine truffles are completely decadent. We created two, one with chopped dried cranberry inside, dusted with ground pistachio, and one with a touch of espresso powder inside, then dusted with cocoa.

The wine we used was the L'Ecole No. 41 2017 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon, which is also the perfect wine to pair with these truffles.

Thank you to L'Ecole No. 41 for the delicious sample that inspired these truffles.

Burgers with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese

Based on Bobby Flay's recipe for the Perfect Burger which keeps your burgers perfectly juicy! It's important to use at least 80/20 ground beef to keep the burgers juicy and the thumbprint? Well, a thumbprint in the middle is key to keeping the burgers cooking evenly.

We topped our burgers with sautéed shitake mushrooms, blue cheese, arugula, and bacon jam. (there is a recipe for that too!)

Steak with Gorgonzola sauce

These dishes cook simultaneously and you will end up with lots of leftover gorgonzola sauce. That's really okay. It's so good on almost anything. I drizzled it on pizza the other night.

This is an elegant dish, but not too tough to make! Get the polenta going first and set that on a back burner to cook while you make the steak and gorgonzola sauce.

We paired this with a Cabernet Sauvignon and it was heaven!

The recipe came from "The Anthony Kitchen"

Cheesy Polenta

Polenta is simple but takes a little time. I love cooking it in my Dutch Oven. I can get other dishes going while it cooks, and the big heavy dutch oven lid keeps the splatter down.

You can also pour your finished polenta in a dish or pan and refrigerate it, then cut it when it is firm and pan fry it. I like to do this and serve it covered in sautéed vegetables.

Bacon Jam

This bacon jam is based on a recipe from Mom's Dinner. We substituted dried cranberries for the raisins, which brings a bigger fruit note to the dish and paired great with the Cabernet Sauvignon we chose.

Bacon jam is life-changing. How did I ever live without this stuff! You can serve it with crackers or bread. The other night we topped a pizza with some. Quite honestly, had I been home alone, I would have made this and sat on the couch and eaten the whole bowl with a spoon.

Stuffed Vegan Portabella Mushrooms

This recipe has variations to be Vegan Vegetarian or Gluten-Free, depending on the breadcrumbs and cheese (or cheese substitute) that you use.

This is a dish that is great with Cabernet Sauvignon. Yes, red wine with a dish that isn't meat!

Grilled balsamic purple cabbage

This is a perfect side dish and it's vegan! The marinade gives this so much umami. With a stovetop grill pan this is a delicious grilled dish that you don't have to go outside for!

Chocolate tart with forest berries

This looks so fancy, but it's really easy. I found this recipe on Rachel Cooks. No-bake, 4 ingredients (+the berries and powdered sugar). So easy and delicious.

I suggest starting with a full pack of Oreos. For a 9 inch tart, use 32. Mine was actually an 8-inch tart pan, so I sadly destroyed too many Oreos. Somehow I ended up with just 3 left?

Oreos and melted butter for the crust, chocolate, and creme make a ganache for the filling and then berries to decorate just before serving. Pretty simple

Get artsy with your decoration. I used strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and mint, but you could use a variety of fruit. I think I might try adding just a little orange liqueur and candied oranges to decorate next time. There are so many variations you can take with this.

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Grilled balsamic purple cabbage and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Feb 7, 2021

Want a Vegan side dish that is delicious and full of umami? This is your dish. You can cook it outside on the grill, but I like to cook it the easy way, on a grill pan on my stove.

Shout out to Diethood for the inspiration for this recipe.

Grilled Balsamic Purple Cabbage

What you will need:

1/2 head of purple cabbage
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs of balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp of dijon mustard
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp of honey
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
fresh parsley, for garnish

Marinated purple cabbage wedges on the grill

Directions

Cut the cabbage into wedges, cutting out the stem.
In a mixing bowl, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper; mix well until combined.
Brush the cabbage steaks with the prepared balsamic glaze on both sides.
Heat a grill pan on the stove add oil and sprinkle with salt
Grill for 8 minutes on each side
Garnish with fresh parsley and additional glaze

Valentine's Day Vegan Style with stuffed portabella mushrooms and grilled purple cabbage wedges

We served this as a side with stuffed portabella mushrooms and paired it with the L’Ecole No. 41 2017 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

L’Ecole No. 41 2017 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

We paired this with a Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington. This was from L’Ecole No. 41 and it is their 2017 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

It is 100% Cab Sav from the Columbia Valley AVA and runs $29.00.

L’Ecole No. 41 is located in Walla Walla Washington in an old schoolhouse. You can read more about them here and here.

*We received this wine as a media sample. No other compensation was received. All opinions are our own.

Check out our Full Story with all of our Valentine’s Pairing Suggestions!

Grilled balsamic purple cabbage

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

This is a perfect side dish and it's vegan! The marinade gives this so much umami. With a stovetop grill pan, this is a delicious grilled dish that you don't have to go outside for!

The marinade also makes this a great side for any meal to pair with red wine.

Ingredients

• 1/2 head red cabbage
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Cut the cabbage into 4 wedges, removing the stem at the bottom

2. In a mixing bowl, add the balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking the mixture to emulsify the oil and integrate it into the mixture

3. Coat the cabbage wedges with the mixture on both sides.

4. Heat a grill pan on the stove add oil and sprinkle with salt

5. Grill for 8 minutes on each side basting with any remaining marinade, as you go.

6. Garnish with fresh parsley and additional glaze

Notes

We paired this with Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms and a Cabernet Sauvignon,

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 160Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 0mgSodium 193mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 3gSugar 5gProtein 2g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Valentines Day Menu Ideas

L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Truffles

The wine we used was the L'Ecole No. 41 2017 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon, which is also the perfect wine to pair with these truffles.

Thank you to L'Ecole No. 41 for the delicious sample that inspired these truffles.

Burgers with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese

We topped our burgers with sautéed shitake mushrooms, blue cheese, arugula, and bacon jam. (there is a recipe for that too!)

Steak with Gorgonzola sauce

These dishes cook simultaneously and you will end up with lots of leftover gorgonzola sauce. That's really okay. It's so good on almost anything. I drizzled it on pizza the other night.

This is an elegant dish, but not too tough to make! Get the polenta going first and set that on a back burner to cook while you make the steak and gorgonzola sauce.

We paired this with a Cabernet Sauvignon and it was heaven!

The recipe came from "The Anthony Kitchen"

Cheesy Polenta

Polenta is simple but takes a little time. I love cooking it in my Dutch Oven. I can get other dishes going while it cooks, and the big heavy dutch oven lid keeps the splatter down.

You can also pour your finished polenta in a dish or pan and refrigerate it, then cut it when it is firm and pan fry it. I like to do this and serve it covered in sautéed vegetables.

Bacon Jam

Stuffed Vegan Portabella Mushrooms

This recipe has variations to be Vegan Vegetarian or Gluten-Free, depending on the breadcrumbs and cheese (or cheese substitute) that you use.

This is a dish that is great with Cabernet Sauvignon. Yes, red wine with a dish that isn't meat!

Grilled balsamic purple cabbage

This is a perfect side dish and it's vegan! The marinade gives this so much umami. With a stovetop grill pan this is a delicious grilled dish that you don't have to go outside for!

Chocolate tart with forest berries

This looks so fancy, but it's really easy. I found this recipe on Rachel Cooks. No-bake, 4 ingredients (+the berries and powdered sugar). So easy and delicious.

I suggest starting with a full pack of Oreos. For a 9 inch tart, use 32. Mine was actually an 8-inch tart pan, so I sadly destroyed too many Oreos. Somehow I ended up with just 3 left?

Oreos and melted butter for the crust, chocolate, and creme make a ganache for the filling and then berries to decorate just before serving. Pretty simple

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Steak and chocolate – The best way to enjoy a L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon

Jan 27, 2021

As we embark on the new year, we embark on a new relationship with L’Ecole No. 41 in Walla Walla. They have invited a selection of writers to join them to explore their wines in 2021. We don’t take this relationship lightly. We value the trust of our readers, and we will only recommend wines that we honestly trust and like. L’Ecole No. 41 stands to that challenge, so we look forward to sharing their wines with you over the next year.

You may have seen our social media posts on their Columbia Valley Semillon. It’s likely, that if you are not “into” wine, you might not be familiar with this variety.

If you are it is probably due to its use in the sweet wines of Bordeaux like Sauternes, or maybe you have heard of the fabulous expression of this wine coming from Australia’s Hunter Valley.

While not widely grown, this is one of L’Ecole No. 41’s most popular white wines. Three cheers for them getting this variety out into the wider market!

Our post today will focus on the L’ecole No. 41 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Walla Walla Valley.

L'Ecole No. 41 2019 Columbia Valley Semillon

L’Ecole No. 41 and where it fits in the Washington Wine World

I’ll be honest, when you look at Washington Wine, first you see the big names, Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle. Columbia Crest sold 7.53 million cases of wine in 2019!

L’Ecole No. 41 is on a smaller scale selling around 50,000 cases per year. Of the smaller wineries, they are one of the bigger ones. They are family-based. Marty and Megan Clubb took over the winery from Megan’s parents Bake & Jean Ferguson back in 1989. Today their children, Riley and Rebecca continue the legacy.

Baker and Jean when they founded L’Ecole No. 41 were just the 3^rd winery in Walla Walla. It was their retirement project in 1983.

Where did the name “L’Ecole No. 41” come from?

The winery is in Frenchtown, just outside of the city of Walla Walla. The school was built in 1915 and named the Lowden school. The community was called Frenchtown, because of all the French Canadians who settled here in the early 1800s. They were of French descent, so of course, they made wine! The district here is “41”.

For more details on the winery you can see our post L’Ecole No. 41 2017 Merlot with Dinner and a Unique Dessert. We also do a really fun pairing there with a bleu cheese ice cream for dessert with the Merlot!

Now let’s dive into this wine.

The 2017 L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon from Walla Walla

This wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and is blended from several vineyards in the Walla Walla AVA that cover 4 different soil types.

Ferguson Vineyard, an Estate Vineyard has fractured basalt soils
Pepper Bridge Vineyard has ice-age flood silts
Seven Hills, Loess, and Summit View vineyards have wind-blown loess soils
Stone Valley and Yellow Jacket Vineyards are in “The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater which has lots of cobblestones of basalt.

The lots are hand-harvested and fermented in steel then racked to small French oak barrels 40% of which are new. This ages with 4 different rackings for 22 months.

*This wine was received as a sample, no other compensation was received. All opinions are our own.

LEcole No 41 2017 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon bottle shot — LEcole No 41 2017 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

What does all that mean as far as flavor?

Here are my tasting notes:

Deep red ruby in color, this wine has a pronounced nose of Ground coffee, cinnamon, tobacco, forest floor, cocoa powder, baking spices, and bruised mint.

On the palate, it is dry with high tannins that are very fine, medium to high body, and medium acidity. I get notes of mocha, spice, and black currant. It has a medium-long finish. This is a higher alcohol wine, and you know it, but it is not out of balance. I think of it not as large, but rather as tall and elegant.

This wine is 14.5% abv and retails for $39.00. They made 1,800 cases.

So what to pair with this Cabernet Sauvignon from L’Ecole No. 41? Well Steak of course!

Well, it’s a Cabernet Sauvignon, so I reached for steak. Michael is a lean meat guy so we did Filet Mignon with an arugula salsa verde which included some spices, like cumin and sumac. Alongside we did a fresh green bean salad with grape tomatoes, feta, and lemon.

The wine was great with the food, brightening both dishes and making the feta seem even more aromatic. The steak was a great pairing, of course, and the addition of the salsa verde tied in nicely with the spice notes and acid.

Chocolate and Cabernet Sauvignon

But we didn’t stop there. While I know a few people who are not fans, I am a BIG fan of Cabernet Sauvignon and chocolate. With the L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon, we decided to try some homemade wine truffles.

The recipe is simple, just dark chocolate, half and half, and wine. I mixed this up then split my mixture in half. To half, I added a bit of espresso powder and to the other half, chopped dried cranberries. The idea was to pull out these notes in the wine. After they set up, I rolled the espresso wine truffles in cocoa powder and the cranberry wine truffles in ground pistachios.

Both went beautifully with the wine in my opinion. Espresso is wonderful in accentuating dark chocolate and this did pair really well with the wine bringing out those dark brooding notes.

The cranberry truffles were brighter and pulled out the fruit notes in the wine. These also for some reason firmed up a little better so they were easier to eat. Either way, you can’t go wrong, and having to eat a truffle with a fork, is not a deterrent for me!

Check out the recipe below!

Want to know more about L’Ecole No. 41?

L’Ecole is located just outside of Walla Walla Washington. You can visit their website to learn more about the winery and its history.

14 Truffles

L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Truffles

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

The wine we used was the L'Ecole No. 41 2017 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon, which is also the perfect wine to pair with these truffles.

Thank you to L'Ecole No. 41 for the delicious sample that inspired these truffles.

Ingredients

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup of whole milk
1/4 cup of heavy creme
2 tablespoons Cabernet Sauvignon wine
1 teaspoon espresso powder
¼ cup chopped dried cranberries
2 tablespoons Cocoa powder
2 tablespoons ground pistachios

Instructions

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate (slowly) until smooth
Remove from the heat and stir in half and half, and the Cabernet
Divide this mixture into 2 small bowls
To one dish add the chopped cranberries
To the other add the espresso powder
Put in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until firm enough to hold a ball shape
Put the coating ingredients in shallow bowls
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
Scoop out a teaspoonful of the espresso mixture and gently roll into a ball and then roll in the cocoa powder to coat
Place on the cookie sheet and repeat with the remaining espresso truffle mixture
With the cranberry mixture, roll this in the ground pistachios
Refrigerate until ready to serve

Notes

I did notice that the espresso truffles came out a little soft, compared to the cranberry truffles. Perhaps including some chopped hazelnuts in these would have worked. None the less, I am happy to eat them with a spoon if necessary!

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 113Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 1mgSodium 10mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 2gSugar 7gProtein 2g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Sources and Resources

For more great wine and food pairings visit our recipe page.

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

An Elegant Spanish inspired Cod in a White Wine and Saffron Sauce to Pair with a Beautiful White Rioja

Jan 25, 2021

What to pair with a white wine from Rioja? Cod in a White Wine and Saffron Sauce. Well, I knew it wanted to be a Spanish inspired dish. With the wine we had which was 100% Viura I knew that I needed a flavorful dish for this oak-aged white wine, as while it would be bright, it would also be rich and the dish would need to stand up to that. I settled on fish cooked in a sauce and this recipe for cod cooked in white wine and saffron came close to what I was looking for in the flavor profile.

This recipe was inspired by “Spain on a fork”. This is a great site to search for Spanish inspired dishes!

This recipe is quick and easy, with maybe 15 minutes tops of actual cooking time on the stove. You can use fish other than cod also, just be aware that the cooking time may need to adjust if you have a lighter or meatier fish.

As we were pairing this with a white wine from Rioja, and the dish calls for wine…well, since it only required 1/2 cup, I used the wine I would be serving it with. This helps tie the pairing together.

We served this with roasted lemon potatoes and a salad with seared lemon, goat cheese and almonds with a white wine & honey vinaigrette.

The wine was a beautiful Finca Alta Cantabria from Conde Valdemar made of 100% Viura fermented and aged in New French Oak.

Cod in a White Wine and Saffron Sauce

Ingredients

2 – 7 to 8 oz cod fillets
2 tbs olive oil
½ small yellow onion chopped
1 clove of garlic finely minced
¼ cup diced red pepper
½ tsp saffron threads
½ cup dry white wine
Salt & pepper
Fresh chives
Lemon zest

Directions

Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper
Heat a non-stick pan with 2 tbs of olive oil over medium heat
Let this warm for a minute and add the onion and red pepper
Cook 3 minutes
Add the garlic
Cook 30 seconds
Add the saffron, season with salt and pepper
Add the wine
Bring to a boil then add the cod fillets
Cover and cook 4 minutes
Carefully flip the fillets.
Cover and cook another 4 minutes
Remove from heat.
Plate the cod, spooning the sauce over it.
Garnish with chives and lemon zest.

Additional sides

We roasted some potatoes with lemon and put together a salad with seared lemon slices, goat cheese, and almonds topped with a honey & white wine vinaigrette.

This all comes together pretty quickly! The potatoes can roast while you cook the cod! I did need a minute to sear the lemon slices, which I did in a pan with olive oil and a little brown sugar.

Watch for the potato recipe coming soon!

Finca Alto Cantabria from Conde Valdemar

The White Rioja we paired with this dish is made of 100% Viura which is the predominant white grape in the Spanish Region of Rioja. This region is mostly known for its red wines based on the red grape Tempranillo, but barrel-aged white wines are also traditional in this area.

To read more about this wine, visit our post “Viura – There is more to Rioja than Tempranillo“

Finca Alto Cantabria Viura 2017 from Conde Valdemar

Cod in a white wine and Saffron Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

What to pair with a white wine from Rioja?
Well I knew it wanted to be a Spanish inspired dish. With the wine we had which was 100% Viura I knew that I needed a flavorful dish for this oak-aged white wine, as while it would be bright, it would also be rich and the dish would need to stand up to that. I settled on fish cooked in a sauce and this recipe for cod cooked in white wine and saffron came close to what I was looking for in the flavor profile.

Ingredients

2 – 7 oz cod fillets
2 tbs olive oil
½ small yellow onion chopped
1 clove of garlic finely minced
¼ cup diced red pepper
½ tsp saffron threads
½ cup dry white wine
Salt & pepper
Fresh chives
Lemon zest

Instructions

Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper
Heat a non-stick pan with 2 tbs of olive oil over medium heat
Let this warm for a minute and add the onion and red pepper
Cook 3 minutes
Add the garlic and stir
Cook 30 seconds
Add the saffron, season with salt and pepper and stir
Add the wine
Bring to a boil then add the cod fillets
Cover and cook 4 minutes
Carefully flip the fillets. Cover and cook another 4 minutes
Remove from heat.
Plate the cod, spooning the sauce over it.
Garnish with chives and lemon zest.

Notes

We served this with roasted lemon potatoes and a salad with seared lemon, goat cheese and almonds with a white wine & honey vinaigrette.

The wine was a beautiful Finca Alta Cantabria from Conde Valdemar made of 100% Viura fermented and aged in New French Oak.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 395Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 109mgSodium 310mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 46g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

More recipes with Wine Pairings from Crushed Grape Chronicles

Hungry for more wine and food pairings? You can visit our recipe page for more inspiration!

Food Recipes & Wine Pairings

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Roasted baby potatoes with burrata, basil, spinach and radicchio with lemon

Jan 19, 2021

I was looking for a roasted baby potatoes side dish to pair with an Oregon Pinot Noir and was surfing Pinterest for inspiration. It’s the visuals of the food I love. You eat with your eyes, you know what I mean?

I came across this dish and couldn’t get it out of my head.

Inspired by this recipe from Half Baked Harvest, we updated to include different greens and potatoes that were available in the winter.

This dish was to pair with an Oregon Pinot Noir and the blend of fat of the cheese the roasted potatoes and the different greens and herbs seemed to make this a perfect side dish.

Roasted baby potatoes with burrata, basil, spinach and radicchio with lemon

Feeds: 4

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

3 tbs olive oil (you will need a little more later for drizzling)
1 lb of baby mixed potatoes
½ lemon juiced and zested
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 cup fresh basil (1/2 of this chopped the remainder whole for garnishing)
½ cup o fresh spinach
½ cup of chopped radicchio (torn and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes)
4 oz of burrata
Salt & Pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
In a baking dish combine the potatoes, a tablespoon of olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper
Roast for 15 minutes, toss and roast another 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp.
After you have tossed them the first time…
Mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the chopped basil, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper.
Take the potatoes out of the oven and place on a serving plate. Break the burrata and place on the plate, garnish with the spinach, radicchio and fresh basil.
Spoon the lemon zest mixture on the burrata
Drizzle the whole plate with EVOO.

Roasted baby potatoes with burrata, basil, spinach, and radicchio with lemon - closeup

What to serve this with?

We served this with Roasted Cornish Game Hens with a Savory berry drizzle

And Minted Pea Mash

The wine we paired was a beautiful 2018 Alloro Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley that we received as a sample.

To learn more about this wine visit our post Alloro – Stunning Wines from Oregon’s New Laurelwood District AVA

Roasted baby potatoes with burrata, basil, spinach and radicchio with lemon

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

This is one of those dishes that you see on pinterest and can’t get out of your head. Inspired by this recipe from Half Baked Harvest, we updated to include different greens and potatoes that were available in the winter.

https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/roasted-mixed-potatoes-with-spring-herbs-and-burrata/

Ingredients

3 tbs olive oil (you will need a little more later for drizzling)
1 lb of baby mixed potatoes
½ lemon juiced and zested
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 cup fresh basil (1/2 of this chopped the remainder whole for garnishing)
½ cup of fresh spinach
½ cup of chopped radicchio (torn and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes)
4 oz of burrata
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

2. In a baking dish combine the potatoes, a tablespoon of olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper

3. Roast for 15 minutes, toss and roast another 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp.

4. After you have tossed them the first time…

5. Mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the chopped basil, and lemon zest.
Season with salt and pepper.

6. Take the potatoes out of the oven and place on a serving plate. Break the burrata and place on the plate, garnish with the spinach, radicchio and fresh basil.

7. Spoon the lemon zest mixture on the burrata

8. Drizzle the whole plate with EVOO.

Notes

We served this with Roasted Cornish Game Hens with a Savory berry drizzle and Minted Pea Mash. The wine we paired was a 2018 Alloro Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 287Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 22mgSodium 234mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 3gSugar 2gProtein 9g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Alloro Pinot Noir Recipe Pairings

Here you will find all of our wine pairing Recipes

Roasted baby potatoes with burrata, basil, spinach and radicchio with lemon

This is one of those dishes that you see on pinterest and can’t get out of your head.

Inspired by this recipe from Half Baked Harvest, we updated to include different greens and
potatoes that were available in the winter.

https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/roasted-mixed-potatoes-with-spring-herbs-and-burrata/

Roasted Cornish Game hens with savory berry drizzle

This was an elegant dish that we paired with a Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette
Valley. We wanted something that would
not be too heavy, but would match the elegance of this wine. Incorporating Pinot Noir into the dish as
well as adding a savory berry drizzle, help to match notes in the wine and make
this pairing extra delicious.

This recipe was inspired by a recipe by Moon and Back on Allrecipes. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8938/cornish-game-hens-with-garlic-and-rosemary/

We adapted the recipe to feed 2 rather than 4 and made a few other adjustments.

Minted Pea Mash

Sometimes you look at a plate and it just needs some green. What if you
really DON'T feel like a salad? I found a quick and easy recipe for
Pea Mash on Sprinkles and Sprouts and updated it adding fresh mint to
brighten the dish.

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Co Dinn 2015 Syrah Roskamp Vineyard Block 2 – Day 5 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Dec 17, 2020

We got lost on the way to the Roskamp Vineyard to meet Co Dinn. In Washington’s Yakima Valley, GPS service here can be sketchy, and even when you look it up ahead of time, sometimes roads have gates and you find the maps program tried to take you in a locked back door. So after a bit of driving for us and Co talking us in through landmarks we were unfamiliar with, we finally connected and headed up to the Roskamp Vineyard in the Snipes Mountain AVA. Co sources grapes here, for his Syrah and Chardonnay and it is a great vantage point to see the Yakima Valley.

Co Dinn is an expert on the soils and topography of the region. As we walked the vineyard he pointed out the large rocks that had been tumbled through with the Missoula floods. This is “ancestral Columbia River gravel soils, uplifted atop a sharp south-facing ridge top”. You can feel the difference in the wind from this block, to the Chardonnay block on the south side. Block 2 is on an edge at 1150 feet and the block is very exposed to wind. These low vigor vines in these conditions give small berries so you get more structure.

Syrah with a view!

Roskamp Vineyard In Washington State, Snipes Moutain AVA with Co Dinne

Co Dinn of Co Dinn Cellars

Roskamp Vineyard In Washington State, Snipes Moutain AVA with Co Dinn looking toward the Rattlesnake Hills AVA

Roskamp Vineyard View on Snipes Mountain Yakima Valley Washington

Roskamp view looking to Painted Hills

As we stood there in the wind we could look across to Painted Hills and Horse Heaven Hills on one side and Elephant Mountain and the Rattlesnake Hills AVA on the other. The views are really spectacular and listening to Co explain how this land was transformed by the Missoula floods I could picture the floods and the land moving and shifting.

While we had to run off that day to another appointment, we were able to return a few days later to meet Co in his tasting room in Sunnyside. It is a restored historic building that was the city waterworks.

Co Dinn Cellars Tasting Room Sunnyside WA

Co Dinn Cellars Tasting Room in the restored historic waterworks

Co Dinn in the Winery at Co Dinn Cellars

Co showed us the winery and we tasted through a series of his wines. We left with a Chardonnay and with this Syrah.

Co Dinn 2015 Roskamp Vineyard Block 2 Syrah

This Co Dinn Roskamp Vineyard Syrah is fermented in one-ton bins. He presses when he feels the tannins are structured by not too grippy. The wine does secondary fermentation in neutral French oak.

100% Syrah. 14.6% abv SRP $45

My notes:

This wine is a burgundy purple color and it is glass staining.

It has an intense nose of dark fruit with red notes. Red currant, cocoa powder, espresso, baking spice, anise, and brown sugar come to mind. Kinda sounds like dessert right? (We’ll get to that later).

In your mouth, it is intense again and warms and coats your teeth and gums. Flavors of dark tart black cherry, and blackberry with notes of anise.

We did a full meal to go with this! I was inspired.

BBQ chicken, grilled eggplant with chimichurri sauce, and smoked gouda mac and cheese with Co Dinn Roskamp Vineyard Syrah

We made BBQ chicken thighs with my special blend BBQ sauce. I played to the wine with my flavors, including black cherry preserves, and spices, a bit of espresso and cocoa, along with my usual mix of tomato paste, ketchup (yes, or catsup if you prefer), Worcestershire sauce, soy, honey, cider vinegar, balsamic, paprika, nutmeg, and assorted other spices. We did these in the slow cooker. If I do them again I will skin the chicken. Alright, I like fat and the flavor it imparts, but in this case, my sauce didn’t get to permeate the meat as well as I would have liked.

We also did grilled eggplant. In his tasting notes, Co mentions the wine will pair well with eggplant dishes.

Lastly, I made a smoked gouda mac and cheese. This made the whole thing feel like a Southern picnic to me and well, there is a little bit of pandemic virtual travel to be had in that!

Co Dinn 2015 Roskamp Vineyard Block 2 Syrah with BBQ chicken, grilled eggplant with chimichurri and smoke gouda mac and cheese

Co Dinn 2015 Roskamp Vineyard Block 2 Syrah with BBQ chicken, grilled eggplant with chimichurri and smoked gouda mac and cheese

Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken

Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese

Grilled Eggplant with Chimichurri Sauce

All the dishes paired beautifully with Co’s Roskamp Vineyard Syrah, but the smoked gouda mac & cheese was my favorite.

You can check out the recipes here.

Black Cherry Ice Cream Sandwiches

To complete our Southern picnic theme, I made black cherry ice cream sandwiches. Okay, I made the cookies for them and bought black cherry ice cream which I thought would pair well with the wine. The cookies though included cocoa and espresso powder which I hoped would pair well with this Roskamp Vineyard Syrah.

Indeed they did! It was delicious! You know, those moments when you take a bite and a sip and close your eyes and groan with pleasure just a bit. Yeah, that kind of good!

Find the recipe here.

Co dinn Cellars Tasting Room in Sunnyside Washington

Finding Co Dinn Wines

Co Dinn’s wines are wines that you should search out. These are made in small quantities so they are rare finds. When you can visit his beautiful tasting room at 501 Grant Ave in Sunnyside WA.

In the meantime, you can head to his site and order this Roskamp Vineyard Block 2 Syrah as well as his current releases.

Sources and Resources

More by Crushed Grape Chronicle on the Yakima Valley and Co Dinn

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Tertini 2018 Arneis – Day 4 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Dec 16, 2020

Early one spring morning we headed into the Southern Highlands region in New South Wales Australia to visit Tertini Cellars. It was October and we were staying on the coast in Shoalhaven. We arose early and headed inland up through the Kangaroo Valley, past Fitzroy Falls. It was a rainy morning and the driving felt a little treacherous; winding roads into the mountains, with the rain and driving on the opposite side of the road and car than we were accustomed to.

This area is so lush and green. Spring was definitely in the air. It was so different than the Shoalhaven area we had just left.

We made it, arriving before the cellar door opened and Jonathan Holgate, the Tertini winemaker met us to tell us a bit about the wines, and show us the winery. He took us out to the Yarrandoo Vineyard which is closest to the winery before taking us through a tasting at the cellar door.

This is a high-altitude region with a moderating maritime influence. We had just driven up from the coast. This gives them a long growing season. When I say high-altitude, the vineyards here sit between 650 and 715 meters above sea level. That’s around 2100-2300 feet. The Yarrandoo Vineyard is the highest of their vineyards at 715 meters. Here they grow, Pinot Noir, Arneis, Riesling, and Chardonnay.

Tertini is sensitive to the needs of the wildlife locally and leaves 30% of their property undeveloped. They say doing this gives the animals shelter and places to forage, so they don’t bother the vines, so everybody wins.

The Tertini entrance sign, unpretentiously nestled in the trees

The Tertini Tasting Room in Australia’s Southern Highlands

The Patio at Tertini Wines

The elegant Tertini Tasting Room Southern Highlands New South Wales Australia

The elegant Tertini Tasting Room Southern Highlands NSW Australia

Spring Vines in Tertini’s Yaraandoo Vineyard in Southern Highlands

Tertini Wines Yaraandoo Vineyard in Australia’s Southern Highlands

Tertini 2018 Private Cellar Collection Arneis

This Arneis is from the Yarrandoo Vineyard that we visited with Jonathan on that drizzly spring morning. There were only 62 cases produced. This does a partial oak ferment. Yes, I said ferment. Jonathan said that at the time he did not know of another Arneis being made in this way in Australia.

13.5% abv SRP $42 AU

This Arneis was medium lemon in color, with notes of light smoke, dusty citrus, bruised herbs like tarragon, grilled peach, earth, and roasted nuts.

Medium in alcohol, body, and medium to high acidity, it had pronounced flavors of tart yellow apple, almond, vanilla, and under-ripe white peach, with a long finish.

This wine was not loud, but quietly confident. It swam around the food enveloping it beautifully. When you return to sip it on its own it is bolder and brighter. It’s like a brilliant friend who is a good listener.

This vintage is sold out, but the 2019 Vintage is now available.

We paired this with a grilled peach, roasted chicken, and tarragon salad. If I could have found duck, I would have used duck, but…pandemic, ya know!

Tertini Private Cellar Collection Arneis from Southern Highlands NSW Australia

Grilled peach, roasted chicken, and tarragon salad paired with the Tertini Arneis

I sliced the roasted chicken and warmed it in a pan with olive oil and butter. After removing the chicken to a plate to keep warm, I added honey and more butter to the pan. When the butter melted I added lemon juice and salt, stirred this up, and removed it from the heat.

Sliced peaches and shallots are cooked on a grill pan, then the salad assembles with greens on the bottom. We used artisan salad greens, frisee, red leaf, and butter lettuce, but you can use whatever you have on hand. This gets topped with roasted chicken, grilled peaches, and shallots and drizzled with the honey dressing. Finish this off with fresh tarragon and sliced almonds.

I found that this barrel-fermented Arneis really made the tarragon pop.

See the full recipe here.

Ingredients for roasted chicken, grilled peach and tarragon salad

Tertini Private Cellar Collection Arneis with grilled peach, chicken and tarragon salad

Peach crisp

Dessert was a peach crisp made in two individual gratin dishes. We mixed fresh and frozen peaches with sugar and flour to coat and placed them in the buttered gratins. This was topped with a mixture of butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and rolled oats. We served this warm with vanilla ice cream.

This was warm and wonderful with the Arneis, much of that was due to the fresh peaches which cut the sweetness of the dish.

See the recipe here.

Tertini Private Cellar Collection Arneis with peach crisp

Finding Tertini and the Arneis

If you find yourself in Australia (I realize that is unlikely to happen soon unless you already live there). Head to Southern Highlands and visit Tertini. The region is beautiful especially in the spring and the wines at Tertini are a step above.

While they are sold out of this vintage, I spoke with Craig their Cellar Door Manager and he recommends the Tertini 2019 PCC (Private Cellar Collection) Arneis, which spends 10 months in oak and he says “Looks terrific”.

Sources and Resources

More by Crushed Grape Chronicles on Tertini and Southern Highlands

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Mascarpone crepes with strawberry sauce with an Amphora Pinot Gris

Dec 14, 2020

Strawberry Mascarpone Crepes

For dessert, we went with something lighter, crepes filled with mascarpone crème, orange zest, and strawberries, served with a trio of strawberry sauces to see which went best with the wine. One sauce had cardamom, one fresh tarragon, and one basil. I enjoyed all 3 but the basil was my favorite with the pairing.

These light easy crepes are perfect for a quick dessert that looks beautiful.

Time: 35 Minutes

Yield: 4 people

Ingredients for strawberry mascarpone crepes

Ingredients for the Crepes

2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter
Butter, for coating the pan

Directions

Mix the ingredients, you can use a mixer, or a blender. Then let the batter rest in the refrigerator for an hour to let the bubbles rest. This will keep the crepes from tearing.

Heat a small non stick pan, add butter to coat. Pour an ounce of batter in the center and swirl it to coat the pan evenly. Cook 30 seconds and flip. Cook 10 seconds and remove to a board or plate to cook. Repeat until your batter is gone. (Once they are cool, you can stack them and they will keep in the fridge for several days)

Ingredients for the filling

1 Cup mascarpone cheese
2 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 ground cinnamon

Directions

Beat mascarpone, milk, granulated sugar and cinnamon 2 minutes with an electric mixer on high until well blended. Keep cold.

Mascarpone crepes with orange zest and strawberry sauce

For the Strawberry sauce

Cook crushed strawberries with lemon juice and sugar to taste. We did 3 sauces to test with the wine we were pairing. One had fresh basil, one ground cardamom and the last had fresh tarragon. You can add a variety of herbs or spices depending on your mood and your pairing.

To assemble

Spread a thin layer of the mascarpone filling, layout some thinly sliced strawberries, roll and slice in half to see the roll, garnish with powdered sugar, orange zest and drizzle with the strawberry sauce.

Keep in mind that with crepes, the sky is the limit. You can do these sweet or savory with a wide variety of flavors, serve them open like an elegant pancake, folded in half or quarters or rolled as we did. You can also flavor the batter, with cocoa or change out your oil, subbing in coconut oil for the butter, or changing out the flour. The fillings, well, that’s all up to your imagination!

Mascarpone crepes with strawberry sauce

Watch our quick video for the highlights.

Strawberry Mascarpone crepes with AD Beckham Pinot Gris

AD Beckham Amphora Pinot Gris

A couple of years ago we made our way to the Beckham Estate Vineyard. It sits at the east end of the Chehalem Mountains AVA on what is known as Parrett Mountain. We spent the morning with Annedria Beckham tasting through their wines and hearing the story of the winery first hand on their patio, their dog Ruby Tuesday curled up to keep us company. They have a fascinating story, which you can read in our post here.

One of the things that drew me to Beckham was their Amphorae program, called AD Beckham. You see, Andrew Beckham is a ceramics artist. Annedria had come across an article on Elizabetta Foradori in Italy where she was making wine in terra cotta vessels.

I thought about it 3 different times before I decided to show the article to Andrew…I said “you know I’ve heard of this winemaker and I’ve heard of her wines, we should see if we can get some in Oregon.” And he flipped through and said, “I can make those”. Annedria Beckham

The die was cast, he ordered clay the next day.

Utopia 2017 Pinot Noir with tea smoked tuna with rosemary and anise scented steam

Tea smoked tuna and roasted beets with an aromatic plating paired with a Utopia 2017 Pinot Noir

We received this beautiful Pinot Noir from Utopia Vineyards as a media sample. What to pair with it? Tea and umami are notes that are often present in Pinot Noir, it is also noted for its earthy notes. The tasting notes from the winery mentioned rosemary and spice notes, so I wrapped this all up [...]

Yakima Valley Wines from Eight Bells and Pearl and Stone Co. with Pairings

Yakima Valley AVA – Blends of friendship and history with wines from Eight Bells and Pearl and Stone Co. #WinePW

The Yakima Valley is one of my favorite wine regions. We visited a few years ago and were enamored by the wine and the people. This month I’m leading the intrepid writers of the Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) group on a virtual trip to the Yakima Valley AVA. You can read my preview post here. [...]

Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay with avocado, roasted blood orange and kumquat salad with a citrus, cardamom and rosewater dressing and Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay pairings Avocado and Roasted Blood Orange with kumquats in a citrus, rosewater and cardamom dressing and Pork chops with yellow apples, sage, apple butter, and maple

Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay with an aromatic salad and warm cozy pork chops with apples

When I was looking for a pairing for a beautiful Utopia Chardonnay we received as a sample, I went to a book I have been reading to find the aromas and flavors that would pair. As of late, I have been diving into François Chartier’s book “Taste Buds and Molecules – The art and science [...]

Where's? Linus Sauvignon Blanc, Shaved Vegetable Salad, Goat cheese, green apple and mint crostini, cauliflower risotto and seared scallops and the winemaker Chris Christensen

Where’s Linus? Sauvignon Blanc with a shaved vegetable salad, crostini, and scallops on cauliflower rice risotto #WinePW

Where's Linus? Sauvignon Blanc had me dreaming of spring. I dove into those spring green colors as I set the table. Even the dishes I was pairing with this wine had a lightness to them. A lightness, a brightness, but also a depth. Yes, I am dreaming of spring, of warmer weather, of happier days [...]

LEcole Valentine Day Burgers with Mushroom, Bacon Jam and Blue Cheese

Burgers with blue cheese bacon jam and sauteed mushrooms and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Sometimes you just need a juicy messy burger. We took the opportunity for a Valentine’s Day indulgence, although, really, anytime is a good time for a burger. The Perfect Burgers We start with my go-to recipe for burgers from Bobby Flay. Use an 80/20 blend to keep your burger juicy. Bobby’s recipe is simple, a [...]

Valentin's day Steak with Gorgonzola and L'Ecole Cabernet

Valentine’s Day – Spoil yourself and maybe someone else with 3 delicious pairing menus, 1 for every palate and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Valentine’s Day is a day for Love. We decided to go all-in on our Valentine’s Pairings. I encourage you to celebrate, spoil your partner or a relative or friend that you are sheltering with during the pandemic. Celebrate with your fur baby, with a bit of this steak for your favorite pooch, and pull out [...]

LEcole No. 41 for Valentines Day with steak gorgonzola sauce and polenta

Steak with Gorgonzola and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Sometimes, a delicious Steak is just what you need to spoil yourself or that special someone. This dish is perfect for Valentine's Day with the steak resting in a pool of luscious gorgonzola sauce. Plate it with a salad and some polenta and you've got a perfect romantic meal. We paired it with a beautiful [...]

LEcole No. 41 for Valentines Day with a chocolate berry tart 8

Chocolate tart with forest berries and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This chocolate tart with forest berries is the perfect dessert when you need something that looks really fancy, but is really simple to make. this no-bake tart just needs a little time in the fridge. Start it early in the day then it can chill in the fridge while you cook the rest of your [...]

Bacon jam and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Bacon. I mean, it's an amazing food, right? When I was in college, my best friend would always make me request extra bacon and then give it to her in the cafeteria. It is a testament to my love for her, that I actually let her have it. It was only a few years ago [...]

Cheesy Polenta and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Polenta is a great side dish to substitute for potatoes or another starch. This recipe with parmesan cheese is great to accompany a steak and went beautifully with the Cabernet Sauvignon we had from L'Ecole No. 41 in Washington. Chessy Polenta Polenta is a pretty simple dish. I used Bob's Red Mill Polenta, but I'm [...]

Stuffed Vegan Portabella Mushrooms and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Using a Portabella mushroom is a great flavorful way to go meatless. This delicious dish can be made gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan. Filled with a wide variety of vegetables, the flavor in the sun-dried tomatoes really kicks it up a notch. Stuffed Vegan Portabella Mushrooms I will admit, that I didn't go all the way [...]

Grilled Balsamic purple Cabbage and L'Ecole Cabernet

Grilled balsamic purple cabbage and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Want a Vegan side dish that is delicious and full of umami? This is your dish. You can cook it outside on the grill, but I like to cook it the easy way, on a grill pan on my stove. Shout out to Diethood for the inspiration for this recipe. Grilled Balsamic Purple Cabbage What [...]

L'Ecole No. 41 2017 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon with chocolate truffles

Steak and chocolate – The best way to enjoy a L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon

Spanish inspired Cod poached in a white wine saffron sauce

An Elegant Spanish inspired Cod in a White Wine and Saffron Sauce to Pair with a Beautiful White Rioja

Finca Alto Cantabria Viura from Conde Valdemar with pairings

Viura – There is more to Rioja than Tempranillo #WorldWineTravel

Viura from Rioja's Conde Valdemar paired with an elegant cod in a saffron sauce This month with the brand new #WorldWineTravel group will be exploring the wines of Spain this year, beginning with the Rioja region in North Central Spain. You can scroll to the bottom of this post to read my colleagues' exploration of [...]

Minted Pea Mash

Sometimes you look at a plate and it just needs some green. What if you really DON'T feel like a salad? I found a quick and easy recipe for Pea Mash on Sprinkles and Sprouts and updated it adding fresh mint to brighten the dish. The mint brightens it, making it taste as vivid green [...]

roasted lemon potatoes with basil radicchio and burrata

Roasted baby potatoes with burrata, basil, spinach and radicchio with lemon

I was looking for a roasted baby potatoes side dish to pair with an Oregon Pinot Noir and was surfing Pinterest for inspiration. It's the visuals of the food I love. You eat with your eyes, you know what I mean? I came across this dish and couldn't get it out of my head. Inspired [...]

Roasted Cornish Game Hens with a savory berry drizzle

Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Savory Berry Drizzle

This recipe for Roasted Cornish Game Hens was an elegant dish that we paired with a Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We wanted something that would not be too heavy, but would match the elegance of this wine. Incorporating Pinot Noir into the dish as well as adding a savory berry drizzle, help to [...]

Alloro 2018 Pinot Noir with Cornish Game Hens with a savory berry drizzle

Alloro – Stunning Wines from Oregon’s New Laurelwood District AVA

“Alloro” It’s the Italian word for laurel. When David Nemarnik purchased this now 130-acre site, he named it after the Laurelwood soils found on the site. He grew up nearby in Portland, making homemade wine in his garage. He searched the area for the right site, testing soils to find the best for growing the [...]

Fetzer 2019 Gewürztraminer and Thai Red Curry

An Affordable and Aromatic Gewürztraminer Paired with Thai Red Curry #WinePW

This month the #WinePW crew is looking to pair with Asian dishes, led by Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. The premise is Saké or another wine with Asian dishes. I enjoy saké, but it is something that I enjoy the ceremony of, out at a sushi restaurant with friends. Oh great, now I’m nostalgic, [...]

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Pineapple meringues with pineapple curd and roasted pineapple toasted coconut and pistachios with Tablas Creek Bourboulanc

Dec 11, 2020

Tablas Creek 2019 Bourboulenc

The bourboulenc we tasted was from the first vintage of this variety at Tablas Creek Vineyard in the Adelaida District AVA of Paso Robles California. It is full of pineapple notes, so we ran with that on our pairing.

Honey Roasted Pineapple, pineapple curd filled meringue cups with toasted coconut, pistachios, and yogurt

Yep, there’s a lot going on here. I kinda did some pineapple overkill. But this dessert was delicious!

Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

Yield: 2 people

Roasted Pineapple with honey and pistachios, meringue cups filled with pineapple curd.

Honey Roasted Pineapple (for 2)

Ingredients

2 spears of pineapple

¼ cup pineapple juice

1 tablespoon of honey

¼ cup of pineapple juice

¼ cup of dark brown sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper
Stir the honey, pineapple juice and dark brown sugar in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves.
Add the pineapple spears and toss to coat them.
Allow this to marinate for 10 minutes
Put the pineapple spears on the baking sheet (reserve the rest of the marinade)
Roast the pineapple for 15 minutes.
Flip the spears and brush with the marinade.
Roast for another 10 minutes (they should caramelize)
Remove from the oven and drizzle with the remaining marinade.

Meringue cups

Ingredients

3 egg whites (save the yolks for the curd)

½ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup powdered sugar (+ 1 tbs)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.
Put your silicone dome molds on a baking sheet bottom side up. Spray lightly with nonstick spray (and maybe NOT the baking spray, it has flour in it and you don’t need that. Unlike what I did).
Get your stand mixer out with the whisk attachment.
Slowly add the granulated sugar a tablespoon at a time.
Turn the mixer to high and beat until there are stiff peaks and the mixture is glossy
Sift in the powdered sugar and fold carefully to incorporate
Put the mixture in a pastry bag with a round tip (the size will depend on the size of your domes, the smaller the dome the smaller the tip to give you control)
Pipe the mixture in a circular motion around each dome, starting at the bottom and being careful not to leave gaps.
Bake in the bottom rack of the oven for 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the size). (The meringues should not change color, like mine did!)
Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the oven.
Remove from the oven and gently remove the meringues from the mold.

Pineapple curd

Ingredients

4 egg yolks (yes I know you will have to use another egg)

1 egg (a whole one, yolk and white)

½ cup pineapple juice

½ cup granulated sugar

1/8 tsp salt

3 tbs butter, cut into pieces

Directions

In a large bowl combine the egg yolks and the additional egg. Set aside
In a 2 quart saucepan heat the pineapple juice, salt and sugar over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. This will take about 5 minutes and it should just come to a simmer. (not too hot or you will scramble the eggs when you add this!)
Let this cool for several minutes.
While whisking the eggs, slowly add this mixture. Do this carefully so that you don’t scramble the eggs. (if you do, don’t panic, I have a fix at the end)
Once the mixture is thoroughly combined, put it back in the saucepan (get out your instant read thermometer here) and heat, whisking constantly over low heat until the mixture reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit. At that point the curd should thicken. (If it gets too hot it will become gritty. Again, don’t panic there is a fix at the end)
Remove the curd from the heat and whisk in the butter until combined.
Let the curd cool before using.

*Fixes! The immersion blender is your friend as well as a strainer. If you scramble your eggs, use the immersion blender to smooth the mixture back out. Likewise if your curd overheats and becomes gritty. If you notice the mixture does not look smooth at the end, you can push it through a sieve before cooling it down.*

Assembling

Additional Ingredients

¼ cup of yogurt

¼ cup pistachios

1 tablespoon of mint leaves (chopped)

½ cup toasted coconut

Directions

Place the pineapple spear on the plate at an angle
In a corner make a pile of toasted coconut
Spoon the pineapple curd into one of the meringue cups until about ½ full
Place the filled meringue cup on the pile of toasted coconut on an angle, allowing some of the curd to roll out (add more if needed)
Drizzle the pineapple spear with the yogurt and garnish with the pistachios and mint.

Watch our quick video for the highlights.

Roasted Pineapple with honey and pistachios, pineapple curd filled meringue cups with toasted coconut

I went a little nuts with dessert. Too many cooking shows I guess. Today, I thought, is the day I will learn how to make Meringues! Hmmm… Then I will tackle a fancy plating! Hmmm… Well, it came out delicious if not photogenic.

We made meringue cups with our new silicone molds, then, oh yeah I made pineapple curd. (1^st time making a curd too!). Spears of pineapple were roasted in a sauce of pineapple juice, dark brown sugar, and honey.

To plate it, the roasted pineapple got a drizzle of yogurt, a sprinkle of chopped pistachios, and a bit of fresh mint. The meringue cups sat tilted on a bed of toasted coconut and were filled with the pineapple curd spilling out.

This dessert pulled up all the Pineapple notes in the wine.

Bonny Doon 2018 Riesling to Live – Day 12 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

We kicked off this year's 12 Days of Wine with a story of endings and beginnings and we end in the same way. It has been a tough year, filled with changes, so we end again with joyful bubbles. These bubbles are made in the Method Champenoise style but made of Riesling. They come to [...]

Herederos del Marqués de Riscal El Ciego (Alava) Rioja 2014 Reserva

Herederos del Marqués de Riscal Reserva Rioja 2014 – Day 11 of the 12 days of Wine 2020

It’s time to do a virtual visit to Spain. This next year, I’m looking forward to being a part of the new #WorldWineTravel group of writers. This first year we will be focusing on Spain. I thought I would get a little head start and make sure we included a Spanish wine in our 12 [...]

Bailey Family 2017 Chardonnay – Day 10 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Earlier this fall I wrote a piece about Youngberg Hill. In 2019 they created Bailey Family Wines. It was a place we had visited years ago with a friend and tasting through the Pinot Noirs they had sent, I got a bit nostalgic. You can read that piece here Youngberg Hill – Reminiscing and Making [...]

LaZarre 2017 Central Coast Pinot Noir and black bean lentil burgers

LaZarre 2017 Central Coast Pinot Noir – Day 9 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Adam and Angie LaZarre have a bit of a “Rockstar” vibe. We met them during Merlot Month when we sampled their 2017 Paso Robles Merlot. We wrote about that in our piece Merlot from Elegant to Badass. When they sent us that sample, they included a bottle of their 2017 Central Coast Pinot Noir. *We [...]

Strawberry mousse filled macarons (and a blackberry goat cheese chocolate bomb)

Strawberry Macarons

Strawberry Mousse filled Macarons I will admit, I was not ready for this. Pandemic food show bingeing had Michael ready to make macarons. I was not so sure. I’d seen how skeptical Zumbo was when someone tried to make them. Michael, though, was determined. So we set forth to make macarons. I would love to [...]

Meinklang Hárslevelü with Hungarian Nut Cake and Apricot Mousse

Hungarian Nut Cake with Apricot

Hungarian Nut Cake was my mother's favorite cake, as her hand-typed recipe below attests. I remember having it often at home growing up and it was her favorite to make for friends birthdays, potlucks, or other gatherings. I have a vision of her carrying this cake out to the picnic table in the yard for [...]

Meinklang h17 – Day 8 of the 12 Days of wine 2020

Today we dive into Meinklang a wine from Hungary. I went to pick up a wine a while back at GaragisteLV and decided to add a bottle while I was there. “What do you have that is interesting,” I asked Eric. He immediately suggested this wine. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized [...]

2018 Rowlee Nebbiolo from Orange NSW Australia

Rowlee 2018 Single Vineyard Nebbiolo – Day 7 of the 12 Days of Wine

We visited Rowlee a little over a year ago with a group from the Wine Media Conference This was a post-conference excursion to Orange Australia sponsored by Orange 360. We joined Nicole and James at their cellar door on the vineyard. We gathered on the porch to look out on the vineyard as the sun [...]

Tablas Creek 2019 Bourboulenc with Coquilles St. Jacque and a pineapple, cucumber, avocado salad

Tablas Creek 2019 Bourboulenc – Day 6 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Bourboulenc. You may not have heard of this grape. It quite honestly doesn’t get out much. This is an ancient white grape found in Southern France in Provençe and the Southern Rhône. We find the first mention of this grape in literature from the early 16th century. It is perhaps most well known in Languedoc [...]

Pavlova with Apricot crème and berries

Pavlova with Apricot crème and berries Ah, Pavlova….they are so pretty. Deliciousness floating on clouds! I was bound and determined to pair one with wine for our 12Days of Wine 2020 Celebration. I fell in love with one on Gather & Feast but this massive, stunning pavlova would be 2 hours in the making and [...]

Chicken Paprikas with Meinklang Hárslevelü

Chicken Paprikas paired with Meinklang H17

Chicken Paprikas This recipe is based on my Mother’s. She made her dumplings to drop by the spoonful, although many prefer the smaller Nokedli. What to Pair? Meinklang h17 This wine is from the grape Hárslevelü (harsh-level-oo). It is a white grape whose name means “linden leaf”. This is an aromatic grape although less [...]

Blackberry Goat Cheese Chocolate Bombs

Blackberry Goat Cheese Chocolate Bombs Whew! That’s a mouthful, isn’t it? I was looking to pair with an Australian Nebbiolo and Goat Cheese and Blackberry…well that with chocolate would just do the trick. I found this recipe on Pinterest and tracked it down to Crumb Top Baking https://www.crumbtopbaking.com/frozen-blackberry-goat-cheese-chocolate-bombs/ Of course, I needed to adjust [...]

Cannolis with Lemon Curd

Lemon mousse cannolis So Amazon Prime day caused our kitchen to fill with new gadgets. One of the things that Michael ordered was cannoli molds, and he was ready to use them. We used Alex Guarnaschelli’s recipe https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/homemade-cannoli-recipe-2042720 from the Food Network for the Cannoli shells. For the filling, well, we made that up. It’s [...]

Co Dinn 2015 Roskamp Block 2 Syrah with a Black Cherry Ice Cream Sandwich

Co Dinn 2015 Syrah Roskamp Vineyard Block 2 – Day 5 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Tertini Private Cellar Collection 2018 Arneis with grilled peach, chicken and tarragon salad from Southern Highlands NSW Australia

Tertini 2018 Arneis – Day 4 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Chocolate nests with chocolate branches paired with Rioja Marques de Riscal 2014 Reserva

Chocolate Nests Okay, the full title is “Chocolate nests with chocolate branches. Pistachio soil, walnut cake soil, and chocolate, anise, cinnamon soil. With quenelles of black cherry ice cream, blackberries, and mint.” Have you ever seen a photo on Pinterest of a dish so pretty that you just had to try to recreate something similar? [...]

Syncline 2017 Subduction Red with a Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with raspberry sauce

Syncline Subduction Red – Day 3 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

It was a cool summer morning when we visited Syncline. Located on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge just where the lush green western part of the gorge begins to turn into the flatter browner drier landscape. Here though, the trees still grow lush and we entered the quiet property and set up [...]

AD Beckham Amphora Pinot Gris – Day 2 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Terre di Bacco Prosecco – Day 1 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Beginnings and Endings The year 2020. Unexpected, unpredictable, a year of endings and beginnings. This Terre di Bacco Prosecco brings up a story of endings and beginnings – a chapter in my life. In 2008 after having a successful business for 10 years, the economy crashed and my business was no longer viable. A Warm [...]

Hungarian Nut Cake, Caramelized Apples and Crème Anglaise with Prosecco

Black cherry ice cream Sandwiches with espresso and cocoa cookie a perfect pairing with Co Dinn Syrah

Black cherry Ice Cream Sandwiches with cocoa and espresso cookie When I read that the Co Dinn Syrah we were opening had notes of Black Cherry, cocoa, and espresso, I knew that a good dessert pairing would be epic. I searched and stumbled across this recipe for black cherry-chocolate ice cream sandwiches on Food [...]

BBQ Chicken in Crockpot with Grilled Eggplant and Gouda Mac and Cheese

BBQ chicken, grilled eggplant with chimichurri sauce, and smoked gouda mac and cheese with Co Dinn Roskamp Syrah Our BBQ lunch to pair with this Washington Syrah from Co Dinn paired beautifully! BBQ with Syrah, especially when you play up the notes in the wine in the sauce, can be spectacular. Co had suggested eggplant [...]

Peach Crisp paired with a beautiful Tertini Arneis

Peach crisp This is such a simple recipe, it almost doesn’t need measurements. I whipped this up after lunch for Michael and me to enjoy as a dessert with a wine that really wanted peaches. What to Pair? Tertini 2018 Private Cellar Collection Arneis This wine comes from Tertini Wines in the Southern Highlands region [...]

Grilled Peach and Roasted chicken and Tarragon Salad Plating

Grilled peach, Roasted Chicken and Tarragon Salad perfectly paired with Tertini Arneis

Grilled peach, roasted chicken, and tarragon salad paired with the Tertini Arneis You can never go wrong with grilled peaches and this salad looks so lush and elegant. Grilled peach has those lucious fruit notes, with the texture made soft and the umami from those grill marks. Find some good greens, I used frisee, red [...]

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Stuffed Pork loin with Chimichurri paired with Carmenere from Chile

Nov 20, 2020

Stuffed pork loin with Chimichurri

There are a couple of great things about a stuffed pork loin. First, they are inexpensive. I got mine on sale 2 for $10. Even when not on sale a 1.5 lb pork loin will rarely cost you more than $10. Second, you can stuff them with a wide array of things, which allows you to cater to your tastes or to the wine you will be drinking (we were pairing with Chilean Carménère). I opted to go with spinach, bacon, onion and smoked gouda.

We also did a salad of spinach, bacon, and blue cheese as a side dish.

Time: 50 Minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1- 1.5 lb pork loin
2 slices of bacon
2 tbs olive oil
½ cup of chopped onion
½ cup of thawed frozen spinach
½ cup shredded smoked gouda
1 tbs minced garlic (optional)
Salt & pepper

Carmenere Pairing with Stuffed Pork loin with chimichurri and spinach salad

Directions

Heat the oven to 400 F.
In a large skillet cook the two slices of bacon with 2 tbs of olive oil for about 3-4 minutes. (I cooked 2 extra to add to my salad)
When it is crisp, add in the ½ cup of onion and sauté for 5 minutes until soft.
During the last minute, add salt and pepper (and minced garlic if you are using it)
Butterfly the pork loin, cutting a deep slit in it lengthwise, but not all the way through. Spread the sides open, cover with plastic wrap, and pound to about ¾ inch thickness.
Sprinkle the pork loin with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you might choose.
Spread half of the loin with the spinach, top that with the bacon, the onions, and finally the cheese.
Starting at the side with the filling, roll up your pork loin.
Tie with string (3-5 pieces).
Season the outside and sear the pork loin in the pan with the bacon drippings (about 2 minutes per side).
Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil, transfer the pork loin there and roast for 18-25 minutes. Check for drippings periodically and baste your pork loin with those. After 18 minutes begin checking the temperature with an instant meat thermometer. You want the interior temperature to be between 145 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
When it is at the right temperature, remove it from the oven and place the loin on a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes.
Remove the strings and slice.
Serve with a drizzle of chimichurri sauce

Carmenere Gran Reserva and Casillera del Diablo from Chile with Pork Loin Chimchira and salad

Bacon, Spinach, Gouda Stuffed Porkloin

Porkloin for Stuffed Porkloin with Chimichurri paired with Carmenere from Chile

1- 1.5 lb pork loin

Bacon slices

2 tbs olive oil

½ cup of chopped onion

Watch our quick video for the highlights.

Frozen Spinach thawed for Stuffed Porkloin with Chimichurri paired with Carmenere from Chile

1 cup fresh spinach or ½ cup thawed frozen spinach

Shredded Smoked Gouda for Stuffed Porkloin with Chimichurri paired with Carmenere from Chile

½ cup of cheese

Salt

pepper

Full disclosure: this pork loin did not want to butterfly easily, my technique is new, so I will get better. We did end up kind of butterflying each half again so that we could pound it out and accidentally cut all the way through in one spot. Guess what? Wasn’t a disaster! It worked just fine and looked beautiful when it was done anyway!

You can use fresh spinach, but I used frozen spinach that I defrosted. This way I could drain and squeeze it to control the water content and it makes spreads and fills easily.

Cheese is all about your preference. I happened to have smoked gouda in the fridge from a previous recipe and it turned out that it worked really well. Substitute your favorite cheese. You can also use softer cheeses, like goat or cream cheese. With these I would have mixed in the spinach rather than layering it and be aware, the softer the cheese, the more likely it is to try to ooze out of the ends while it’s cooking.

Carmenere Gran Reserva and Casillera del Diablo from Chile

Carmenère

Once widely grown in Medoc within the Bordeaux region. Cabernet Franc is one of its parents and it inherited those Cab Franc pyrazines, which lend it herbaceous notes. It is also a late-ripening grape. Luckily, in Chile, it has found a home where it can ripen until May (think November in the Northern hemisphere).

Concha Y Toro is one of the largest wine companies in the world, but they began here in Chile in 1883 founded by Don Melchor Concha y Toro.

We received 2 Carmenères as media samples, one that comes with a story, the other with a deep history and sense of place. Let’s start by zeroing in on the area these wines come from in this 3000-mile North-South expanse of Chile.

Stuffed Pork loin with Chimichurri

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1- 1.5 lb pork loin
2 slices of bacon
2 tbs olive oil
½ cup of chopped onion
½ cup of thawed frozen spinach
½ cup shredded smoked gouda
1 tbs minced garlic (optional)
Salt & pepper

Instructions

Heat the oven to 400 F.
In a large skillet cook the two slices of bacon with 2 tbs of olive oil for about 3-4 minutes. (I cooked 2 extra to add to my salad)
When it is crisp, add in the ½ cup of onion and saute for 5 minutes until soft.
During the last minute, add salt and pepper (and minced garlic if you are using it)
Butterfly the pork loin, cutting a deep slit in it lengthwise, but not all the way through. Spread the sides open, cover with plastic wrap, and pound to about ¾ inch thickness.
Sprinkle the pork loin with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you might choose.
Spread half of the loin with the spinach, top that with the bacon, the onions, and finally the cheese.
Starting at the side with the filling, roll up your pork loin.
Tie with string (3-5 pieces).
Season the outside and sear the pork loin in the pan with the bacon drippings (about 2 minutes per side).
Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil, transfer the porkloin there and roast for 18-25 minutes. Check for drippings periodically and baste your pork loin with those. After 18 minutes begin checking the temperature with an instant meat thermometer. You want the
interior temperature to be between 145 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
When it is at the right temperature, remove it from the oven and place the loin on a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes.
Remove the strings and slice.
Serve with a drizzle of chimichurri sauce

Notes

You can use fresh spinach, but I used frozen spinach that I defrosted. This way I could drain and squeeze it to control the water content and it makes spreads and fills easily.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 485Total Fat 28gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 157mgSodium 384mgCarbohydrates 5gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 52g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

More Recipes

Tea smoked tuna and roasted beets with an aromatic plating paired with a Utopia 2017 Pinot Noir

Yakima Valley AVA – Blends of friendship and history with wines from Eight Bells and Pearl and Stone Co. #WinePW

Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay with an aromatic salad and warm cozy pork chops with apples

Where’s Linus? Sauvignon Blanc with a shaved vegetable salad, crostini, and scallops on cauliflower rice risotto #WinePW

Burgers with blue cheese bacon jam and sauteed mushrooms and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Valentine’s Day – Spoil yourself and maybe someone else with 3 delicious pairing menus, 1 for every palate and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Steak with Gorgonzola and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Chocolate tart with forest berries and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Bacon jam and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Cheesy Polenta and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Stuffed Vegan Portabella Mushrooms and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Grilled balsamic purple cabbage and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Steak and chocolate – The best way to enjoy a L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon

An Elegant Spanish inspired Cod in a White Wine and Saffron Sauce to Pair with a Beautiful White Rioja

Viura – There is more to Rioja than Tempranillo #WorldWineTravel

Minted Pea Mash

Sometimes you look at a plate and it just needs some green. What if you really DON'T feel like a salad? I found a quick and easy recipe for Pea Mash on Sprinkles and Sprouts and updated it adding fresh mint to brighten the dish. The mint brightens it, making it taste as vivid green [...]

recipes for wine pairings

Avocado, roasted blood orange, and kumquat salad with a citrus, cardamom, and rosewater dressing

&

Pork chops with yellow apples, sage, apple butter & maple

Avocado, roasted blood orange, and kumquat salad with citrus, cardamom, and rosewater dressing

Pork chops with yellow apples, sage, apple butter & maple

2017 Utopia Estate Chardonnay

More on Oregon Wines

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

Did you make this recipe?

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

Did you make this recipe?

Share this:

Like this:

A full dinner for Valentine’s Day!

Steak with Gorgonzola Sauce

Directions

L’Ecole No. 41 2017 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Did you make this recipe?

Share this:

Like this:

Grilled Balsamic Purple Cabbage

Directions

L’Ecole No. 41 2017 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

Did you make this recipe?

Share this:

Like this:

L’Ecole No. 41 and where it fits in the Washington Wine World

Where did the name “L’Ecole No. 41” come from?

The 2017 L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon from Walla Walla

What does all that mean as far as flavor?

So what to pair with this Cabernet Sauvignon from L’Ecole No. 41? Well Steak of course!

Chocolate and Cabernet Sauvignon

Want to know more about L’Ecole No. 41?

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

Did you make this recipe?

Sources and Resources

Share this:

Like this:

Cod in a White Wine and Saffron Sauce

Ingredients

Directions

Additional sides

Finca Alto Cantabria from Conde Valdemar

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

Did you make this recipe?

More recipes with Wine Pairings from Crushed Grape Chronicles

Share this:

Like this:

Roasted baby potatoes with burrata, basil, spinach and radicchio with lemon

Feeds: 4

Total Time: 40 minutes