 Rendezvous Rosé is perfect with ahi
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Wine & Food...Life is Good
Here are some of our favorite recipes that not only delicious, but also are the ideal complement for our wines. Enjoy!
Zinfandel
Grilled Salmon with Moroccan Charmoula Sauce
This was a big hit at our Winemaker dinners at Stella's Cafe in Forestville, CA—chef Greg Hallihan says the Monga Zin, with its dusty Asian spice, is even more Moroccan than the dish he created for it!
- 1-2 lbs. of Wild Salmon, steaks or fillets, whatever you prefer
- 4 tsp of cumin seed, freshly toasted and ground (in coffee/spice grinder or mortar and pestle)
- 2 tsp coriander seed, freshly toasted and ground
- 1 Tbsp Paprika
- 4 cloves garlic, minced and sauteed briefly
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- dash of freshly ground white pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or moreif you like--I am a wuss)
- 2 ounces of freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (a really good one!)
- 2 Tbsp (about 1/4 bunch) chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
- 2 Tbsp (about 1/4 bunch) chopped cilantro
- Lemon/lime zest (from the ones squeezed above), coarsely chopped
In a bowl combine ingredients #2-9 (the cumin seed through the lemon/lime juice), whisk well to blend. Add olive oil slowly. Add parsley and cilantro and gently stir in.
Rub salmon with salt and pepper and around half of the Charmoula Sauce, let it stand for 20 minutes. Grill salmon over medium indirect heat to your preferred level of doneness--just cooked thru is good for us! Remove to a platter at top with rest of Charmoula sauce, garnish with cilantro and cherry tomato halves, olives and lemon zest curls if desired.
Serves 6-8, depending on how much salmon you started with. Great with couscous--we like the Israeli/Middle Eastern "Giant pearl" couscous, pan-toasted before you cook them! Greg has also used the Charmoula sauce as a dip for crispy vegetable spring rolls--yummy!
Note: While it is some trouble to freshly toast grind the spices, it is definitely worth it for this recipe!
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Grilled Pork Tenderloin in Raspberry Marinade
Beware, this recipe is so delicous and easy, and goes perfectly with Zin that you'll find yourself making it over and over again.
Marinade
- ½ cup Raspberry vinegar
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 T. Dijon mustard
- 1 T. honey
- 1 t. minced fresh rosemary (or ½ t. dried)
- 1 t. minced fresh sage (or ½ t. dried)
- 1 t. minced fresh thyme (or ½ t. dried)
- ½ t. freshly ground black pepper
- Raspberry jam to taste, preferably Kozlowski Farms (Sonoma County)
- 1 - 1½ pound pork tenderloin
Trim and discard surface fat and silvery membranes from pork. Pour the marinade into a heavy plastic zip-loc bag, add tenderloin and seal. Slosh around the meat so it is well-covered, put in the fridge overnight (or 1-2 hours at room temperature). Turn meat over in the bag occasionally.
Lift meat from marinade, draining back to bag or a dish so you can save as much marinade as possible. Grill meat, basting often from the marinade reserve, until the meat thermometer in the thickest parts reads 155°F, about 20-30 minutes. Meat will look a little pink when cut into in the middle, but that will fade when off the heat.
Heat remaining reserved marinade to boiling in microwave or on stovetop. Sweeten to your taste with raspberry jam-the amount depends on how much marinade is left after basting, and how sweet you like your savory foods!
Thinly slice the tenderloin across the grain, and place slices in a small puddle of marinade/jam sauce on each plate as you are serving. Be sure to serve with rice to soak up all the yummy juices! |
Moroccan Pork Stew
After tasting our Monga Zin, Elmo's Steakhouse owner and chef Greg Hallihan created this combination of exciting flavors to showcase the spiciness of our wine. The original stew took two days to create, and nearly three months to duplicate, as Greg often works without benefit of recipes.
Pork Stew
- 4 lbs. pork pillows (pork butt will do but pillows are leaner)
- 4 T. oil
- 6 qts. chicken stock
- 4 large carrots, diced
- 4 large onions, diced
- 1 large jalapeno chile, diced
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 c. couscous
- 4 oz. fresh ginger, grated
- 1 T. turmeric, ground
- 2 bunches cilantro, chopped
Dry Rub
- 8 oz. ground cumin
- 1 T. cayenne pepper
- 1 T. ground cinnamon
- 3 T. kosher or sea salt
To prepare the dry rub, in a small bowl, combine the cumin, cayenne, cinnamon and salt.
To prepare the stew, using your hands, generously rub the spices into the pork. In a large,heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sear the pork until it’s nicely brown on all sides. Add to the pot enough chicken stock to cover the meat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot and simmer the pork for 2 hours.
After the pork has been braised, reserve the liquid. Remove the pork from the pot and cut it into 1-inch cubes. In the same pot, sauté all the remaining ingredients except for the cilantro, then pour in the braising liquid. Increase the heat to a simmer, add the pork, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add half of the chopped cilantro and let simmer another 5 minutes. Season with salt and serve in bowls garnished with the remaining cilantro. Serves 8
Pair with Carol Shelton Monga Zin! |
Pork Roast with Spice Rub & Maple-Ginger Sauce
This goes wonderfully with all of our Zins, but is really enchanting with our Black Magic!
- One 2-lb. Pork roast (I use a club roast or shoulder, but you can use tenderloin too.)
Spice Rub--mix in a small bowl:
- 1 tsp. chili powder (more if you like more zing!)
- ½ tsp. dry ground ginger
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 t. fresh black pepper
- 1¼ tsp. salt
Rub mixed spices onto surface of pork roast. Let stand in refrigerator for 30 min or so.
Brown the pork roast on all sides in a heavy non-stick skillet over med-high heat—do not sear for too long, just 3-5 minutes total, or you will overcook the meat.
Place roast on broiler pan (foil lined and oil-sprayed) and bake at 375°F for about 20-30 minutes, or until cooking thermometer reads 145°F. Let the roast stand, covered lightly, for 10 minutes before cutting into it.
NOTE: Mitch is very picky about not overcooking meat—we always use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. It will continue to cook as it “rests” out of the oven, and it can become dry and tough if overdone.
While pork is roasting in oven, make the sauce and then keep it warm on low till you can eat.
Maple-Ginger Sauce
- 2 T. butter
- 2-3 T. dried chopped onion (or 1 c. fresh chopped onion)
- 2 heaping T. bottled ground fresh ginger (do NOT substitute dry or powdered ginger)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup maple syrup (the real kind, not the imitation)
Melt butter and brown onions in it. Add fresh ginger and cook 4 minutes. Stir in broth and maple syrup, scraping pan to loosen any browned bits. Bring to a boil, and reduce down to about ¾ cup—about 10 minutes.
Note: you can make this less sweet if you do not boil down the sauce as much. If you cook it too long it gets too thick, almost like tar!
Serve pork slices with Maple-Ginger sauce over them, and carrots on the side.
Smack your lips over a glass of one of our Zinfandel, or if you're brave, try it with our Black Magic Late Harvest Zinfandel. |
Rosé
Carol's Ahi Poke
I created this recipe after hearing Mitch go into raptures over tasting various Hawaiian poke salad blends. I “do not do spicy” since I have a very pain-sensitive mouth (I have to protect those precious taste buds so I can make great wines!) so I have omitted any spicy element—go ahead and sizzle it up with chili flakes or chili oil or whatever else you like.
This is the all-time BEST meal for those hot days when you do not want to cook, or you can use it as an appetizer before a larger meal. Be sure to put the Rosé in to chill before you start! Serves 2-4.
- 1-1.5 lbs of raw sushi grade ahi tuna (also will work with quality wild salmon)—cut into small cubes (about ½”) with a VERY sharp knife, omitting any tough membranes
- 2-3 green onions, sliced thin and chopped a bit smaller yet.
- ¼ cup of chopped (or chiffonade-thin strips) of fresh cilantro
- 1 T. lime zest, finely grated
- Salt and Pepper to taste (not much needed)
Dressing
- 3 T. high quality Ponzu sauce—this is citrus-laced soy sauce, you can substitute soy sauce with a bit of lime juice (or lemon)
- 2 T. high quality toasted sesame oil
- 1-2 t. fresh lime juice
- 1 t. each minced garlic and minced fresh ginger (I use the pre-minced in the jar!)
- 1 T. brown sugar, no lumps
Toss all together in a lidded jar and shake. Chill for a minimum of 30 minutes, then serve with rice crackers (teriyaki ones are especially good) and slices/chunks of avocado and mango. Perfect with a well-chilled bottle of Rendezvous Rosé! |
Desperation Salad
I created this recipe one hot summer night when I had company coming and no tomatoes or cucumber for a salad; I decided to substitute strawberries for tomatoes and pear slices for cukes, and the other stuff just fits in nicely!
- 2-3 cups mixed greens
- 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
- 1 Bartlett pear, medium ripe, sliced thinly
- 2 Kiwi Fruits, peeled and sliced
- 1 peach or nectarine, cut into small chunks
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
- ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
- Raspberry Vinegar, preferable Kozlowski Farms (Sonoma County)
As you cut up the fruit, especially the pear, sprinkle raspberry vinegar over the pieces so they don't brown and look nasty. Keep the pear slices on the bottom of the dish so they get the most vinegar protection.
Mix all the ingredients and dress with raspberry vinegar (or vinaigrette) to taste.
This salad fades quickly once it is assembled and dressed, so it is best to keep all the fruit ingredients separate from the nuts and cheese until right before serving. Be sure you have enough greens to support all the fruits! |
Late Harvest Zinfandel
Crazy Choco-Razzleberry Cake
This recipe is a very old family favorite, used for many, many birthday celebrations in the Shelton family! It is a "crazy" recipe in that it has vinegar in it, and no eggs.
- 3 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 t. baking soda
- 1 t. salt
- 6 T. baking cocoa
- 10 T. melted butter
- 2 cups cold water
- 2 T. raspberry vinegar
- 2 t. vanilla extract
- 1-2 cups fresh raspberries (optional)
Preheat oven to 325°F. Sift together flour, sugar, soda and salt. Dissolve the cocoa in some of the cold water. Make a "hole" in the middle of the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl, and pour all liquid ingredients in the hole. Mix well with mixer. Gently fold in raspberries if desired (and in season). Pour into a lightly greased 9x13x2" pan or two 9" round cake pans, and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. If you go the 2-layer route, it is great to put whole raspberries in the filling with the icing between layers, and decorate with more berries on top.
Choco-Razzleberry Icing
- 1 ounce bitter baking chocolate, melted in the microwave
- 3 T. butter
- 1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- pinch of salt
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- ½ cup raspberry jam, preferably no-sugar added type
Cream the butter and sugar and slowly beat in the melted chocolate, then the salt, vanilla and jam. Be conservative on the sugar measure until the jam is all in, since it is going to add sweetness. You can adjust sweetness to your own taste with more powdered sugar.
NOTE: You should double the icing recipe if you are going to do a 2 layer cake, versus a sheet cake that doesn't get icing on the sides or middle. Also add the raspberries mentioned above!! |
Sweet Caroline
Grilled Stone Fruit with Creamy Blue Cheese, Lavender Honey & Mint Chiffonade
This simple yet delicious dessert will turn heads and having them coming back for more!
- 6 firm-ripe peaches or nectarines, halved and pitted (we like white ones best for this recipe)
- Vegetable oil, as needed
- Creamy blue cheese like Blue Castello, Gorgonzola or St.Agur (or mascarpone)
- Honey, preferably lavender, as needed
- Fresh mint leaves cut in a chiffonade (thin shreds)
- Fresh coarse-ground black pepper (if desired)
- Toasted chopped hazelnuts or almonds
Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan. Brush the cut sides of the peaches with oil and place on the grill, cut-side down. Grill until caramelized. Turn over and grill until almost soft, about 1 to 2 minutes more.
Transfer the nectarines to a platter, cut-side up, and place a dollop of cheese in the center of each. Drizzle with honey and grind fresh pepper, to taste, over the top. Garnish with the mint and nuts and serve with a glass of chilled Sweet Caroline Late Harvest Trousseau gris.
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