Colorado Lamb Rack with Blueberry Compote,
Pumpkin Risotto and Mustard Glace

 

Chef: James Waller
Executive Chef, Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa
Prepared for Pairings at the Plaza during the 9th Annual Great Wine Escape

Lamb

Grain Fed Colorado Lamb Rack 2 ea.
Remove fat cap cover with a sharp knife.

Method:
Season Lamb with salt and pepper and grill both sides. Place on mirepoix (diced celery, carrot, onion) with Bay Leaves and Thyme. Place in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Set aside before cutting. Lamb should be medium rare and should be fairly firm, yet give a little when squeezed. 

with Pinot Noir, Raisins and Carrot Purée

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4

LAMB SHOULDER 2 tablespoons olive oil 2- to 3-pound lamb shoulder roast, boned, tied and seasoned with salt and pepper 1 1/2 cups Pinot Noir 8 to 10 cloves garlic, chopped 4 to 5 sprigs rosemary 2 onions, thinly sliced 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 cup raisins 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 1/2 cups chicken stock   CARROT PURÉE 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 2 tablespoons unsalted butter teaspoon curry powder 1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper 2 teaspoons grated orange zest 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice     Preheat oven to 350º

FOOD+WINE PAIRING More Pinot Noir is always a good thing. Pinots have that earthy, black cherry flavor, which complements the fruit in the dish. The slight undercurrent of cinnamon in the wine works well with the spicy notes of the carrot purée. --Chef CORY SCHREIBER. Chef's Recipe Notes: This preparation works well with a rolled and tied shoulder of lamb or lamb shanks. The carrot purée adds flavor and color and can be made while the lamb is braising. Cory Schreiber - Executive Chef and Founder - Wildwood Restaurant & Bar.                       Cory Schreiber                       Executive Chef              Wildwood Restaurant & Bar

 

Chef's Recipe Notes:
This was our spin on duck a l'orange. Duck confit takes a real commitment to make. If you are looking for something simpler, you could use two seared duck breasts instead, sliced on top of each salad.
DUSKIE ESTES AND JOHN STEWART - Chefs and co-owners - Zazu

FOOD+WINE PAIRING
Salads can be a tough food to pair with. The aromatics in Viognier work with the bitter and pepper found in salad greens' ginger and five-spice powder. The exotic citrus blossom and honeysuckle notes align with the kumquat dressing. The rich, viscous nature that a Viognier can have works with the duck confit.
-- Chef JOHN STEWART

INGREDIENTS
Serves 6 to 8

DUCK

• 1 shallot, sliced in rings
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black  pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup kumquats, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup Viognier
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 1 pound watercress, frisée and other  young lettuces, washed
• 2 legs duck confit, picked
  
  

John Stewart and Duskie Estes
Chefs and co-owners
Zazu

You will find Morel Mushroom and Goat Cheese Toasts on page 23 of "Mustards Cookbook," the acclaimed winner of the James Beard Award for the Best Americana Cookbook. Chef Cindy Pawlcyn is well known though out the United States, but can be mostly found at her signature restaurant, Mustards Grill, in Yountville and at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena (CA).

Pinot Noir is one of the most difficult wine grapes to grow requiring constant attention and long growing season. When it is made correctly it can be quite sublime. It pairs well with pork and matches well with fennel and rosemary. The following recipe uses both of these spices and the natural earthiness of Pinot Noir make a great combination.

If you want to enhance the recipe a bit, after you make the butterflied pork roast, marinate it with olive oil, Pinot Noir, black pepper up to four hours, then proceed with the recipe.

Hurley's general manager, Jerry Lampe, created this delight with exquisite Callebaut milk chocolate, melted to a smooth drizzle, for a favorite customer. 1 ounce Ketel One Vodka 1 ounce dark crème de cacao Splash of Bailey's Irish Cream 2 teaspoons Callebaut milk chocolate, melted Shake all ingredients except chocolate over ice and strain. Drizzle in melted chocolate.   Hurley's Restaurant & Bar 6518 Washington Street Yountville, CA (707) 944.2345

By Courtney Cochran

You know how the saying goes: “they’ve got everything but the kitchen sink in there!” And though this is usually shorthand for the fact that “in there” is overrun with clutter and other useless artifacts left over from the year 1982, this couldn’t be further from the truth in the case of the brand spanking new Oxbow Public Market (oxbowpublicmarket.com ) in downtown Napa.

Oxbow is to Napa what the Ferry Building is to San Francisco:  a hedonist’s food and wine paradise, a meandering indoor/outdoor market fabulously chock full of retailers pedaling provisions befitting the gourmet lifestyle.  Goods available or on view at the $11 million marketplace include culinary antiques, an on-site micro winery (run by none other than Michael Mondavi), artisanal chocolates, olive oils, culinary literature, exotic bulk spices, and much, much more.  

There’s so much there, in fact, that you might even be able to score a kitchen sink.  I wouldn’t be surprised if you did.
Top Shops

• The Fatted Calf – Choice cuts abound at this Bay Area cult-popular artisanal charcuterie and butcher shop.
• Taylor’s Automatic Refresher – Yes, the St. Helena hamburger standout is present at Oxbow – and aren’t we glad it is.
• The Model Bakery – This outpost of the popular St. Helena bakery ensures the smell of freshly baked bread wafts throughout the market.  Thanks.
• The Oxbow Cheese Merchant – Just try to resist the goods at this shop run by Kate Arding, who helped start Cowgirl Creamery.

Chef Eric C. Maczko
Winery Chef, Pine Ridge Winery

Prepared during a Creative Culinary Combinations Class held at the winery on Monday, January 30, 2006. The cooking seminars are $40 per person.

Braising is a great way to help chase away any lingering winter blahs. What is better than the great smell of a long, slow cooked meal - that was easy to prepare and serve? This uncomplicated technique transforms tougher cuts of meats into juicy, tender morsels with a sauce that melds the flavors of the meat and vegetables intricately.

• 1 bottle red wine (Veramar Rooster Red)
• 2 cups apple cider
• 1/2-cup sugar
• 4 sticks cinnamon
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 orange
   

By Courtney Cochran

I had to chuckle at a recent New York Times article that included the provocative assertion that "the toque is the new tiara."  And while the piece's subject matter - the surge of interest in so-called foodie culture in America, epitomized by the popularity of TV shows like Top Chef and films like Ratatouille - is fascinating, what I find still more intriguing is the parallel rise in enthusiasm for wine culture we're seeing in this country.
 
Hip To Be Somm
While the Times piece pointed up as proof of the foodie phenomenon many American youths' newfound aspirations to careers in the culinary realm, I offer as support of my theory about the advancement of wine culture the many emails I receive from would-be sommeliers asking me for advice about breaking into the wine business.  Wine's surging popularity is also evident in the beverage's recent media inroads:  Wine appeared as a key theme in 2004's Academy Award-winning film, Sideways, was the subject of the controversial documentary Mondovino (which also appeared in 2004), and draws tens of thousands of viewers weekly to WineLibraryTV, one of the web's most highly rated video programs.  

And while some may dismiss this new interest in wine as merely tangential to the much-hyped growth in foodie culture, I believe it's a movement with its own unique energy and implications.  To wit, the Wine Market Council announced last Friday that wine drinkers in their twenties - a group dubbed Millennials since most of them turned 21 after the year 2000 - are the fastest growing segment of the wine market.  Seventy million strong, Millennials are the first generation to embrace wine at such a young age - a phenomenon that can only signal a still brighter future for wine. 

So although it's unlikely that "sommelier" will beat out "chef" as the darling occupation of the new millennium, the appeal of the position, and the broader interest in wine it signals, is undeniable.
 

The Stars of Wine Country: Chef Douglas Keane and Maître d'Hôtel and Owner Nick Peyton, Cyrus restaurant:

 

For about 5 years now, Cyrus restaurant has been the talk of foodies and wine lovers as the most refreshing and truly flawless dining experience in wine country. In 2002, Nick Peyton and Chef Douglas Keane came together to begin collaboration on a fine cuisine restaurant project for Sonoma County, soon to become the 4-star dining destination called Cyrus.

 

Peter Pahk:

According to Peter Pahk, Silverado Resort's Executive Chef, about 95% of the inspiration for his menus comes from the fresh products he procures for the resort's food service operations. Chef Pahk is committed to local, artisanal, and sustainable cuisine. Every item on his new menu for The Grill at Silverado as well as the Royal Oak Restaurant, the property's established fine dining restaurant, has a story behind it.