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temptation of either preparing a meal where the bottle of the wine is the star
or just simply drinking the bottle of wine on its own without any food at all.
If you fell into either one of these two courses of action, I personally could
not fault you. However, keep this in mind, wine was created not only as a
delicious drink to be enjoyed, but also as a special accompaniment and
perfect companion with food. Therefore, even with these truly amazing
California Cabernet’s and blend’s, it is possible to create a dinner where
both the food and the wine receives equal billing.
Now I’m not going to lie to you here, with wines of this magnitude, your
options are somewhat limited. I wouldn’t be serving any dainty little chicken
dish if I were you and certainly any fish dish is out of the question. These
wines are far too dense and way too tannic to be served with anything light.
In the end, all you would end up tasting is the wine. Of course, that could be
a good thing if you are a terrible cook!
Think strong flavors. These wines have strong flavors and the food should
match their intensity. I don’t mean offensive flavors, I mean something that
has strong, but pleasant flavor to it. Meat marinated or cooked with some
sort of sage seasoning for example. Sage is a strong flavored spice and is
often times found in great cabernet wines such as these that we have
focused on this month. The sage would create a bridge between the wine
and the meat that would be unbelievable.
Of course red meat like steak is a no-brainer. You really can’t go wrong
with steak and it is almost certainly the perfect match for these wines.
However, you can think outside the box and include wild game meats, like
venison, wild boar or buffalo as well. These are the very types of meats that
overwhelm simpler and less complex wines, but next to these beauties, they
make a delightful pairing.
I typically find pairing wine with cheese a bit over-rated because to me,
often times the cheese robs the wine of its richness. If you wanted to serve
these wines with cheese, I would think hard cheeses like Parmesan, Asiago
or Manchego. The softest I would go is sharp cheddar, which may make a
good match by the way. I would strongly discourage things like artichokes,
mint or vinegar-based dressings or marinades. The last thing you want is
some food spoiling your $75.00 bottle of wine.
Of course, if you are serving one of these bottles of wines that we are
covering this month on our website and they happen to be fully mature, say
seven to twelve years of age, you could throw some more subtle dishes into
the mix, like chicken or pastas. If these wines have been aged, they will
typically have much of their tannins drop out (in the form of sediment) and
become much softer. Tannins as you know are the enemy of delicate foods.
I finish with this one final thought. A wine this expensive and this wonderful
can create quite the ambiance of a remarkable and memorable occasion. To
pop open a cork on one these wines and not share it amongst friends and/or
love ones, in my humble opinion, would be a travesty. Therefore, plan a
small dinner party, no more than four to six people, well at least two anyway
(hey, you don’t want share something this nice with the whole entire world,
right?). Most of us don’t have the luxury of drinking an expensive bottle of
wine like these everyday and therefore it should be part of an occasion that
will be remembered and talked about for years to come!
The following recipes, with the exception of the last one, were provided to
me by the good folks at Cakebread Cellars, Merryvale and Shafer
wineries. They were all created with their wines in mind and represent an
outstanding pair with their wines. I can’t think them enough for all of their
contributions!
Recipes
specially prepared for their Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon.
Pan Seared Lamb Loin with Garden Ratatouille and Black Olive Sauce
To be paired with Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon
Lamb
1 bulb – garlic
2 Tbs – olive oil
4 Tbs – fresh rosemary, chopped
2 – lamb loins
Ratatouille
5 Tbs – olive oil
¼ cup – eggplant, diced
¼ cup – yellow squash, diced
¼ cup – zucchini, diced
1 cup – onions, diced
¼ cup – red/yellow bell peppers, charred, peeled, seeded and diced
¼ cup – tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
2 Tbs – fresh basil, chopped
salt & pepper
Black Olive Sauce
1 Tbs – olive oil
½ cup – Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
½ cup – beef stock
1 cup – kalamata olives, pitted and diced
Roast a whole bulb of garlic wrapped in foil in a 350°F for 45 minutes or until tender. Once the garlic is cool
squeeze the garlic out of the skins and mix with the olive oil and rosemary. Rub the loins with the garlic
mixture and marinate for a couple hours.
Place a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add 1 T. of olive oil. Add the eggplant and cook for 5 to 10
minutes until tender. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Place in a large mixing bowl. Repeat this procedure
with the squash and zucchini and place in the same mixing bowl with the eggplant. In the same sauté pan add 1
T. of olive oil and sauté the onions until tender. Add the tomatoes and sauté with the onions until all the water
has evaporated. Add the peppers and cook for 5 minutes more. Place the onion, tomato, and pepper mixture
in with the eggplant and zucchini mixture. Stir the mixture together and add chopped basil. Season with salt
and pepper to taste, cover and keep warm until serving.
Wipe the marinade off the lamb loins. Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, and place
the loins in the pan cooking for approximately 4 minutes a side. Be sure that nothing is burning to the bottom
of the pan. Remove the loins to a resting rack. Drain off any excess oil, deglaze the pan with red wine and
reduce until almost dry. Add the stock and the olives and whisk well. Remove from the heat.
To plate, place a spoonful of ratatouille on a plate, slice the lamb and fan out on the plate next to the
ratatouille. Top with the olive sauce.
The following recipes were provided by Merryvale and were specially
prepared for their Merryvale Profile Meritage
Beef Tenderloin with Shiitake Mushroom & Gorgonzola with a Cabernet Sauvignon
Sauce
From: Compliments of Chef Tom Wagstaff
2-8 or 10oz. Tenderloins, trimmed.
¼ lb. Shiitake mushrooms – stems removed then sliced thin and sautéed in butter until golden brown.
2 Tbs - Shallots, minced.
1 cup - Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon.
2 Tbs - Blackberry jam, seedless.
¼ cup - Balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs - Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled.
3 Tbs - Cold butter.
Grill or broil steaks to desired doneness (meat is at its best about medium rare). While the steaks are
cooking, prepare the sauce.
In a small saucepan, add shallots and wine, cook until 2-3 T. remain. Add the jam and the balsamic vinegar;
continue cooking until about 4 T. remains. Quickly add the cooked mushrooms, and whisk in the 3-T. of butter
and Gorgonzola. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the steaks from the grill, set on warm plates and spoon sauce over. Serve with steamed broccoli and
potatoes au gratin.
Serves 2
White Beans with Broccoli Rabe & Sun Dried Tomatoes
From: Chef Tom Anderson
Dean & DeLuca, St. Helena, CA
1 1/2 Cup - White Emergo Beans, soaked
1 - small Onion, cut into quarters
1 - Carrot, cut into quarters
1 - rib Celery, cut into quarters
3 - cloves Garlic, smashed
1 bunch Broccoli rabe, cleaned and blanched
1/2 Cup - Sun Dried Tomatoes
Place onion, carrot, and celery in a pot with beans. Add garlic in cheesecloth to pot and cover completely with
water. Bring to a slow simmer and cook beans until tender.
Rehydrate tomatoes and cut into slivers. To clean broccoli rabe remove any large woody stems. Cut remaining
leaves and florets into bite-size pieces. Cook broccoli rabe in rapidly boiling salt water until tender,
approximately 2-3 minutes. Combine bean mixture, broccoli rabe and sun-dried tomatoes with some liquid
from the beans. Reheat and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Spoon bean mixture onto a warm plate, top with quail and garnish plate.
Serves 6
Roast Pork Tenderloin with Sage
From: Judy Gillard
Profile Club member and author of Cooking with Herbs & Spices
1/2 cup - dry red wine
3 Tbs - minced green onions
2 Tbs - minced fresh sage leaves (2 tsp. dried)
1 Tbs - minced fresh parsley (1 tsp. dried)
1/2 tsp - dried whole thyme
1/2 tsp - white pepper
3 pork tenderloins, about 3/4 pound each
Fresh sage and parsley sprigs for garnish
Combine the first six ingredients in a large lock-top plastic bag. Seal bag and shake well to mix. Trim all fat
from the pork. Add pork to the bag, seal and shake until pork is well coated with mixture. Marinate pork in
the bag in the refrigerator for 8 hours, turning the bag occasionally.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove the pork from the marinade and place the marinade in a small saucepan.
Bring marinade to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Place the pork on a rack in a roasting pan coated with non-stick
cooking spray. Roast for 45 minutes or until meat is well done (the temperature at the center of the meat
should be around 170°F). Baste the pork frequently with the heated marinade.
Serves 6
The Following Recipes were provided by Shafer and were specially
prepared for their Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon
Sautéed Beef Steaks
This dish relies on two simple, basic ingredients: good beef and good red wine
3 lbs – tender beefsteaks like filet mignon, strip, or sirloin, ½ to ¾ inch thick
4 Tbs – minced shallots
1 ½ cups – red wine
3 Tbs – butter
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Rub a piece of fat trimmed from steak in a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Cook
steaks to desired doneness, turning once. Test for doneness by gently pushing on steak with finger: A rare
steak offers slight resistance, medium-rare springs back lightly, medium or beyond gets increasingly stiff and
resistant. Season with salt and pepper. Remove steaks to warm plates.
In same skillet, cook shallots in meat juices until translucent. (Add a little butter to the pan if it is too dry.)
Add wine, bring to a simmer, and reduce by two thirds. Remove pan from heat, swirl in butter, adjust
seasoning, and spoon sauce over the steaks.
Serves 6 to 8
Michael’s Garlic-Lemon Steak
This straightforward and delicious recipe is Michael’s very favorite way to prepare steak.
Perfect for summer entertaining, it’s a great example of combining the highest quality
ingredients you can find with a simple preparation to achieve memorable results. Steamed
broccoli and Italian Fries are food accompaniments for the steak. You’ll note the recipe calls
for fleur de sel, a delicate and sweet French sea salt that is increasingly available in gourmet
shops.
4 - boneless Prime or Choice strip steaks, 1 to 1 ¼-inches thick, trimmed of all fat (8 to 10 ounces each)
4 – garlic cloves, peeled and split
2 Tbs – finest quality extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp – fleur de sel, coarse sea salt, or kosher salt
2 – lemons, halved
Freshly ground black pepper
Put the steaks on a plate large enough to hold them in a single layer. Rub each side of the steaks all over with
a fresh garlic half, and leave all the garlic on the plate with the steaks. Season both sides of each steak with a
generous coating of freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle the oil over the steaks and turn them to coat
completely with the oil. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and let the steaks marinate at room temperature for
at least 1 or up to 2 hours.
Preheat a grill, grill pan, or barbecue until very hot.
Sprinkle the steaks on both sides with the salt and grill 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, or according
to your taste. (To make a crisscross pattern on the steaks, place them on the grill so that they lie diagonally
across the grates of the grill. Cook 2 minutes. Then rotate the steaks 45 degrees on the same side and cook
for 2 more minutes. Turn the steaks over and repeat on the other side.) Squeeze lemon over each steak and
serve hot.
Here is a recipe I have personally made a few times and it has always been a
showstopper! If you want to impress friends, this meal is the ticket. You
even get to set something on fire, what more could you ask for???
Steak au Poivre
Courtesy of Bob Blummer
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons fresh coarsely ground black pepper
4 (6-ounce, 3/4-inch thick) tenderloin steaks
1 tablespoon butter
5 tablespoons Cognac
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2/3 cup half-and-half or light cream
3 tablespoons brined green peppercorns (drained)
Rub salt and ground black pepper over both sides of the steak.
Heat a dry sauté pan over high heat. When pan becomes very hot add butter, let melt, then add steaks. Turn
steaks only once, and cook to desired degree of doneness (approximately 3 minutes per side for medium-rare,
depending on exact thickness.)
Add the Cognac to the pan, let sit for 5 seconds, and then light a match to it. Flame should burn out after
approximately 10 seconds. (If flame continues to burn, put it out by placing a lid on the pan).
Remove steak from pan, leaving the drippings in the pan, and reserve on a warm plate and cover with
aluminum foil.
Reduce heat to low and slowly stir Dijon and half-and-half into the drippings. Add peppercorns. Stir and
simmer for a couple of minutes until sauce becomes thick. Place steaks on warmed serving plates. Pour sauce
over steak.
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