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Our
dry white Seyval Blanc is light and delicious
when served with appetizers.
A
favorite quick and easy appetizer is to make
an antipasti plate
of green olives, herbed cheeses, and cured
meats like salami and proscuitto.
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For dinner, always remember to try and match the weight
of a wine with its corresponding dish. So with Seyval,
look for light-bodied meals like salads with lots of
crisp vegetables and a creamy, low acid dressing, or
simply prepared fish, pan fried and served with lemon.
The
lively acid in the Seyval holds up well to garlicky
foods, and is a classic paired with Pesto Genovese
from the garden in late summer.
As
versatile as the Seyval is with food, be careful when
matching with cheese. Not all wines go with all cheese!
The Seyval pairs well with dill havarti, tangy goat
cheese, and soft cheeses mixed with herbs.
And this is really great - Parmigiano-Reggiano dribbled
with balsamic vinegar! Take a big chunk of Parmigiano,
break it up into small pieces, and drizzle sparingly
with a good balsamic. It is a classic Italian anitpasto
we learned from Lynne Rosetto Kasper.
ASPARAGUS
STARTER WITH SMOKED TROUT
Here
is a easy summer main course or elegent first
course from Mac and Marcy’s trout farm
on the Apple River in Wisconsin. Though the
two are off in their Airstream exploring a
well deserved retirement across the USA, you
can still find the delicious Star Prairie trout
in most grocery stores around the Twin cities.
4
- 5 spears asparagus per serving, cooked until just
crisp
2 - 3 thin slices Star Prairie Smoked Trout
Place
mayonnaise on bottom of plate, arrange asparagus in
a fan shape from the base of the spears over the mayonnaise,
then lay slices of fish over the base of the spears.
If asparagus is not available, thin slices of green
honeydew melon may be substituted.
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Tarragon Pesto
Tarragon
grows plush and plentiful in summer, try using
it instead of basil for this delicious pesto.
The tarragon won’t oxidize and turn brown like
a basil pesto but retains its bright green color
all the way to the bottom of the bowl.
1 cup packed tarragon
1 cup packed parsley
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp pine nuts
1⁄2 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
In food processor, blend tarragon, parsley, garlic,
nuts and salt until smooth. Add oil.
Stir in Cheese.
Makes enough for 1 lb pasta.
Can add:
2 cups shredded roast chicken
2 cups cooked green beans
1 cup small grape tomatoes
SPICED
PARSLEY MAYONNAISE
Combine
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise, 3/4 cup chopped parsley or
watercress leaves, 1 tbsp dill weed and 1 tsp each
lemon juice and grated onion. Blend thoroughly and
season with white pepper and salt to taste. Makes
2 cups.
Nan’s
Rillette Nan’s
recipe was featured in MORE Magazine from
a feature article that highlighted a recent
trip back to her early wine making days
in The Loire Valley of France where she
also learned much about the delicious relationship
between wine and food.
Serve rillete with toasted croutons of French bread
or crackers. Though we love to accompany it with
Seyval Blanc, a bottle of chilled Champagne works
well, too.
2 lbs
pork shoulder (if you can’t find shoulder,
check the chops section, some are from the same cut)
1 tbsp minced shallot
1 tbsp cognac or armagnac
1 tsp salt / 1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 lb fresh fat back (or pork fat)
1/2 cup water
1 half-maigret duck breast (I freeze the other half,
ready to make this again)
Cut port
shoulder into 1” pieces
mix with shallot, cognac, salt, pepper and thyme
in a heavy ovenproof casserole and let sit for
at least one hour.
Render the fat from the fat back by placing cutting
it in small pieces, place in a sauce pan, add 1/4
cup water, and slowly simmer on very low until
fat is rendered, about 1 hour. Strain.
Add rendered fat to pork in casserole.
Cut the duck breast into 1 – 2” pieces
and place on top of port keeping the skin side
up.
Place lid on casserole and bake in 300 oven for
3 – 4
hours.
Let cool. Remove the skin remaining on top
of the duck pieces and mix into the pork.
With a slotted spoon, place a small amount of
meat in a food processor, and using quick short
turns,
briefly process the meat. Do not over process;
leave some texture to the meat.
Place in a bowl and add back enough fat from
the pot to make a smooth and spread able
consistency, adjust seasoning with a generous
amount of
salt, then pack into small crocks or bowls.
This will
keep for a week, to store longer, seal the
top of the
crock with liquid fat after refrigeration
and it
will keep for weeks.
Reduced price version:
You can make this with just pork, simply
eliminate the duck.
Reduced fat version:
Replace the rendered fat with equal amounts
of chicken stock and white wine.
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