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Posts Tagged ‘3.5 Corked Forks’

Week 46: View the Results and the Recipe! (UPDATED V 2.0!)

16 Aug

What a fun CorkPopper week this was! Because I received the wine so late in the week, I decided that J and I would do our own little tasting of all three of this week’s Oregon Pinot Gris and pair them with one of my favorite summertime pasta dishes, Penne with Spicy Sausage, Asparagus and Pesto. Not only did this give us the opportunity to compare the wines side by side, it was also an excellent example of just how the taste of wine can literally change when you pair it with food. So fun.

Now, to recap, this week’s wines were three 2008 Pinot Gris from Oregon’s Willamette Valley (a region that will also make an appearance in a couple of weeks when I do Oregon Pinot Noir). The Willamette Valley is an ideal climate for Pinot Gris, as it is on the cooler side of temperate bit still has a nice long growing season, allowing temperamental grapes like Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir to ripen slowly and maintain their acidity and minerality.

The first contender, the 2008 Adelsheim Pinot Gris, had almost non-existent aroma, with just faint notes of white pineapple, fuji apples and slate. On the palate, J and I both agreed that although it wasn’t the most interesting or complex wine of the three, it was nicely balanced and an easy sipper for a warm summer evening, with it’s tropical fruit and crisp mineral finish. Not surprisingly, perhaps, this wine was the least impressive when paired with the pasta, as it simply didn’t have a strong enough personality to stand up to the spicy sausage, asparagus and pesto. 3.5 corks popped and 2.5 corked forks! You can find the Adelsheim Pinot Gris at wine.com for $17.99/bottle.

The second wine, a 2008 Benton Lane Pinot Gris, was initially our least favorite wine of the three, as it had an odd musty aroma. With some time in the glass, however, the must dissipated, leaving a much better aroma of honeydew melon, limestone and herbs. On the palate, the melon persisted with a nice amount of lemon zest, and the finish was wonderfully acidic. Interestingly, this was the hands-down winner when it came to the food pairing, as the acidity was an excellent counterpoint to all the spice and richness of the dish. 3.5 corks popped and 4 corked forks! The Benton Lane Pinot Gris is available at wine.com for $16.99/bottle.

Finally, the third wine was a 2008 King Estate Signature Collection Pinot Gris. J wasn’t a fan of this wine, as it had a fairly strong floral aroma and slight sweetness that, as we’ve learned through our experiences with Torrontes and Riesling, is just not J’s preferred style of wine. I quite enjoyed the honeysuckle and ruby red grapefruit flavors, however, and found it to be an almost perfect pairing with our salad, which was dressed with a white wine and grapefruit vinaigrette. 3.5 corks popped and 3.5 corked forks! You can find the King Estate Signature Collection Pinot Gris at wine.com for $15.79/bottle.

Now for the recipe: Penne with Spicy Sausage, Asparagus and Pesto

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 package fresh penne (or a box of dried penne if you can’t find any fresh at the store)
  • 4 spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
  • 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • Crushed red pepper
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Pesto sauce
  • Goat cheese (optional but delicious)

Preparation

Boil a large pot of salted water. Cook the pasta until just al dente. Drain and set aside, reserving about 1/4 cup pasta water for the sauce.

In a large skillet, brown the sausage, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Add the garlic and onion and a little olive oil. Stir, season with some salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cover and allow the onions to soften, stirring occasionally. When the onions are about soft, add the asparagus. Season with a bit more salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir and cover and allow it to cook until the asparagus is just cooked but still crisp, about 6-7 minutes.

Add the pasta to the skillet. Stir to combine then add the pasta water and enough pesto to coat everything. Stir well.

Serve the pasta in large bowls. Sprinkle with some goat cheese before serving. Tell your guests to stir the goat cheese into the warm pasta so that it melts and makes the whole concoction perfectly smooth and creamy. Uh, yum.

4 forks!

Cheers!

FURTHER UPDATE!  Check out the appetizer J designed around the Benton Lane Pinot Gris!

Seared Scallops with Grilled Nectarine Sauce and Pancetta

Yummm!!!

 
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Posted in 2.5 Corked Forks, 3.5 Corked Forks, 3.5 corks popped, 4 Corked Forks, 4 Corks Popped, Adelsheim, Benton Lane, King Estate, pinot gris, recipes, white wine

 

Week 49: What to Eat with the 2008 Babcock Rita’s Earth Pinot Noir

09 Aug

California Pinot Noir was, as I expected, a fantastic week.  All three wines were delicious (see the reviews here, here, and here), with the Babcock and Sean Minor wines making particularly great showings.  I had to pick one, however, and (perhaps not surprisingly) Babcock won out.

When deciding what to cook for the 2008 Babcock Rita’s Earth Pinot Noir, I knew I wanted to play upon the savory “bacon” flavor in the wine without, as one might say, completely porking out.  So, instead of a straight pork dish, I decided to instead make a beef roulade* filled with speck (smoked prosciutto), burrata cheese and basil.  The thinly sliced pork gives just enough salty kick to bring home the bacon in the wine, while the cheese and basil provide a summer fresh twist and the tender beef gives the entire dish the depth and balance it needed to fully compliment the wine.

Ideally, you want the meat you use for a roulade to be as thin as possible.  I had planned on pounding down my flank steak with a meat tenderizer, but J and I spent last weekend on my parents’ boat on Catalina Island, and the meat tenderizer I was convinced would be there was, unfortunately, not.  As such, my roulade didn’t quite roll the way I intended, and the too-thick slice of beef slightly overwhelmed the flavors of the pork, cheese and basil.  With that in mind, the following is how you should make a roulade to pair with the 2008 Babcock Rita’s Earth Pinot Noir.

Beef Roulade Stuffed with Speck, Burrata and Basil

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. skirt or flank steak
  • 6-8 slices thinly sliced speck or prosciutto
  • About 4-6 ounces burrata cheese, excess water squeezed out
  • A handful of fresh basil leaves
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Sea salt

Preparation

Preheat your grill to high.  Pound out the steak with a meat tenderizer so that it is about 1/2 inch thick.  Pat the steak dry with a paper towel and then season well with salt and pepper.  Quickly sear both sides of the steak and then remove to a cutting board.  Spread the cheese onto one side of the steak, followed by the speck/prosciutto, the garlic and then the basil leaves.  Very carefully roll the steak tightly around the filling, being sure to roll perpendicular to the grain of the steak, as you want to eventually cut the roulade across (rather than with) the grain.  Seal the roulade with toothpicks, skewers or cooking twine.

Turn the heat on the grill down to medium.  Place the roulade back on the grill and close the lid.  Allow the roulade to finish cooking, turning occasionally so that each part gets cooked evenly.  Because the beef has been pounded thin and has already been seared, this whole process shouldn’t take more than about 5-7 minutes. Remove the roulade to a cutting board and allow to rest at least another 7-10 minutes.  With a very sharp knife, cut 1- to 1 1/2-inch slices.  Serve with crusty grilled bread and a simple green salad.

3.5 forks

and 3.5 corked forks!

Cheers!

* A roulade is a slice of meat (often beef) rolled around a filling (often cheese, vegetables, or other meat).

 
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Posted in 3.5 Corked Forks, 3.5 Forks, Babcock, California, Pinot Noir, recipes, red wine