All the Summit to Sea Wine Trail wineries are celebrating Passport weekend with special wine sales, spectacular food and special music for a summer’s afternoon! Get your Corky the Wine whale tattoo and show off your tan!
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Posts tagged as:
food
Did somebody say gourmet food and Pinot Noir? Count me in. Last Sunday proved to be just another reason why living in the Santa Cruz Mountains is so awesome as the annual event Pinot in Paradise took place.
Hundreds of dedicated Pinot lovers attended the sold out event last weekend to pay homage to their favorite wine, and the winemakers made sure they wouldn’t go home disappointed. Visitors were first greeted at the door and given full sized, Pinot Noir style glasses as the vessel for tasting some of the best wines in the world. When first walking into the room, one can’t help but to ask the question, “Where do I start?” But with each winery in alphabetical order, it was easy to navigate from some old favorites, to new wineries that normally have their doors closed to the public.
Of course, it was easy to be distracted by the abundance of gourmet snacks. Succulent pork belly sliders, stinky duck pate, and tangy Parmesan dipped in honey kept my palate alive and happy as I journeyed through paradise.
A highlight of the day was the opportunity to sample two different vintages of fine Pinot from Kings Mountain Winery. As usual, Heart o’ [...]
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This is my own pumpkin soup recipe just in time for Thanksgiving. My secret is using “3 kinds of pepper” gives any dish a deep smoky, peppery flavor with a hint of heat.
To really look cool you can serve soup in a large roasted pumpkin shell. That always gets lots of ohhhs and ahhhhs from my guests.
Ingredients:
1 large onion sliced
3 cloves garlic chopped (unless you love garlic like me and put in as much as you like)
¼ cup olive oil
1 small to medium sugar pumpkin; seeded and cut into chunks
48 oz. chicken broth
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp white pepper (imparts a smoky flavor)
¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper (adds a peppery)
Dash or two of red pepper (cayenne powder, adds a small bit of heat)
Dash of nutmeg
I tsp dry sage
¼ C. butter
1 cup heavy cream or half n half
Crumbled bacon and/or chives for topping
Directions:
In a large stock pot, cook onion and garlic and pumpkin chunks in olive oil and cook over low heat until soft onion is soft.
Cover with chicken broth and cook until pumpkin is soft enough to puree.
Puree mixture.
Add butter and cream.
Add salt, 3 kinds of pepper and sage.
Heat thoroughly.
Top with bacon and chives and serve.
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This is our favorite gravy and I make it every year for Thanksgiving. The spicy flavor goes so well with the Turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. I usually serve a crisp, spicy Gewurztraminer with this gravy. This is the only gravy I make for Thanksgiving now and it is a huge family favorite. I used to struggle to make gravy each year using drippings or simmering neck bones and giblets until I found this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks Chef Paul Prudhomme, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen. This is now one of my Thanksgiving staples and as long as you can make a roux then you can have delicious gravy every time.
Ingredients:
¾ c chopped onions
¾ c chopped green bell peppers
¼ c chopped celery
¼ veg oil
¼ + 1 tlbs all-purpose flour
¾ tsp ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
¼ c minced jalapeno peppers
1 tsp minced garlic (I usually use 3 – 4 large cloves)
3 c broth (beef, chicken, vegetable or turkey)
Directions:
I usually double the recipe so we have plenty for leftovers. Fresh jalapenos are preferred; if you have to use pickled ones, rinse as much vinegar from them as possible. I use 2 peppers; 1 [...]
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I love this sauce with beef or venison. You can also use a bottle of Cab or Pinot if that is what you have on hand. This Christmas I will serve it with my favorite Beef Wellington… yum… I can’t wait!
Ingredients:
6 shallots finely pureed
4 cloves of garlic finely pureed
Olive oil – 3 tbsp
3 tbsp flour
1 14 oz can chicken stock
1 bottle Wine (the best you can afford)
Pinch of dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cream
Note: Use the best bottle of wine you can afford, a good rule of thumb is that “if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it” but you should never blow your whole dinner budget on wine for sauce. This recipe makes a lot of sauce so you might want to cut it in half or make it all and freeze the leftovers for another dinner.
Directions:
Puree shallots and garlic in blender or food processor if possible or chop as fine as possible
Sauté shallots and garlic in Oil for a few minutes until soft and clear
Add the flour and sauté for a couple of minutes
Add the Herbs and wine followed by chicken stock and seasonings.
Simmer the sauces down to less than ¼ the volume [...]
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