The wrong food can kill a great wine. The perfect food pairing can elevate a mediocre wine.  Food and wine—they play off of each other like Yin and Yang. A marriage made in heaven or one wrought in hell.  I’m still learning—but I want to share the tiny bit of knowledge that I have gleaned with my friends and fellow wine aficionados.  We call ourselves the Wimberley Winos and we have never done a Pinot Noir tasting with a food pairing. Maybe it’s time.

It all started with a book—What to Drink with What You Eat—that I discovered in a charming restaurant in Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley. I refer to it while planning dinner parties, and so many of my friends have purchased this same book on my recommendation that I feel I should earn a commission.

On second thought, instead of planning a party, perhaps I should just go take a nap.  Read another book.

But I don’t.

The Food

Being a food friendly wine, the pairing choices for pinot noir are almost too great! I am given options of good (regular typeface), better (bolded typeface) and BEST (all caps, bolded typeface).  There are almost 100 foods or combinations or cooking methods, ranging from proteins to vegetables to herbs to condiments. My head spins.

Out of the BEST I settle on beef (grilled) and mushrooms. The better choices point me to goat cheese, brie, gruyere cheese, beets, eggplant, tomatoes and soy sauce.  This leaves me with the good.  Bacon and onion and pepper and sausage and truffle and additional root vegetables other than beets—carrots!

I collect recipes from my own stash and tweak those to my own taste from wineries specializing in Pinot Noir along the Sonoma Coast in Northern California. I try to be judicious, making sure many can be prepared ahead, partially if not totally. And the all-important part—most need to taste great at room temperature. Then I remember eggplant fries. I must have those because they taste so great. This causes me to lose the battle of totally done ahead and room temperature.  Oh well, they’ll be worth it.

The Wine

I walk into Total Wine on a cold gray winter day with a fistful of recipes and a long list of top ranking pinot noirs.  The first employee I encounter listens to me and says, “Wait here. I can find you an expert on what you want to know.”

A smiling young woman with long blonde hair approaches me, someone with a degree in wine and winemaking. who also happens to like Pinot Noir.  Together we begin the hunt. What I want is a good selection of new-world and old-world Pinot Noirs; light, medium and heavy bodied.  One of each type from Burgundy, France, and Northern California. We traipse back and forth from one country to another. Inspecting. Appraising. Deciding. Finally, my cart is full of bottles. They range in price from the sublime to the ridiculous—or perhaps vice versa. I leave the store with a lot of wine—fourteen bottles of pinot noir and four bottles of cava for sparkling wine cocktails to entertain guests while waiting for everyone to arrive. I hope hey will be happy with smoked salted almonds—easy and delicious—for munching while sipping their sparkling wine.

The Menu

Smoked Salted Almonds

Sparkling Wine Cocktails

Pinot Noir Wine Selection and Appetizers

Light-Bodied Pinots

Roasted Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts

 Roasted Beet, Carrot and Scallion Toothpick Kabobs with Soy Dressing

Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

Ropiteau Pinot Noir, Burgundy, France 2016

Pres Run Pinot Noir, Monterrey, California, 2016

Medium Bodied Pinots

Tomato Onion Tart

Louis Chavy Bourgogne, Burgundy France 2016

Amici Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, California 2016

Heavy Bodied Pinots

Grilled Sausage Rounds

Javillier Savigny Serpentieres, Burgundy, France 2015

Belle Gloss Dairyman Vineyards Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California 2016

Entree

Shitake Mushroom and Truffled-Brie Sliders

Eggplant Fries with Saffron Aioli

A Potpourri of All Six Pinots Tasted

Dessert

Giant Salted Oatmeal Cookies with Soft Goat Cheese and Fig Preserves

Precipice Pinot Noir, Modesto, California 2016

The Details

Based on a lot of research and information I gleaned from Total Wine, I create a wine scoring sheet for each wine we taste.  A perfect wine would receive a score of 50, a not so perfect wine would come in at 5.  I then create another sheet—a cheat sheet— reminding everyone how to determine acid and tannins and sweetness and fruit and alcohol, in order to determine if a wine has perfect balance. This is really serious stuff! 😥 

Scoring sheet and cheat sheet devised to help my friends with their pinot noir wine tasting.Finally, I put together an information sheet on the seven pinot noirs I purchased, to be handed out at the end of the tasting, to let everyone know the price of the wine and how the experts and other wine drinkers rated the wine and what they thought about what they tasted. Somehow I can never seem to get there—I can taste fruit—but hardly ever identify the variety. I keep trying.

The Party

When the doorbell rings at 6:30 on Friday night, I tell my first guests that they get to play host and hostess while I finish tweaking things in the kitchen. The noise level peaks and everyone is having such a good time without me I am wondering if it might just be possible to grab that nap…

Instead, I set out the beet and carrot kabobs on sixteen appetizer plates and place the bacon stuffed mushrooms on thirty-two Chinese soup spoons.  My husband pours sixteen one-ounce tastings of the California light-bodied pinot noir into sixteen wine glasses, while I pour the same amount of French pinot into another sixteen wine glasses. I ring the dinner bell and everyone pours into my kitchen, gathering around the extra large island and extra large farm style table. I explain the process, and the tasting and sipping and nibbling begin. First comes the light, then the medium then the…

We are all surprised—beets and pinot noir are a match made in heaven.

The Pre-Party Game Plan

Monday

1. Make Fig Preserves. Refrigerate.
2. Bake Giant Salted Oatmeal Cookies. Place in airtight container.

Wednesday

1. Prepare Roasted Beet Dip. Cover and refrigerate.
2. Roast beets for Roasted Beet, Carrot and Scallion Toothpick Kabobs with Soy Dressing. Cut beets into wedges and refrigerate.
3. Roast carrots for Roasted Beet, Carrot and Scallion Toothpick Kabobs with Soy Dressing. Refrigerate.
4. Prepare Soy Dressing for Roasted Beet, Carrot and Scallion Toothpick Kabobs. Refrigerate.
5. Clean and prep mushrooms for Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms. Refrigerate in open paper sack.
6. Fry bacon for  Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms. Refrigerate.
7. Sauté the chopped onion, green pepper, and chopped mushroom stems for Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms. Refrigerate.

Thursday

1. Prepare eggplant, placing in cold water. Refrigerate.
2. Prepare Saffron Aioli. Refrigerate.
3. Prepare and cook beef patties for sliders. Wrap in double layer of foil. Refrigerate.
4. Cook onion/mushroom mixture for sliders. Refrigerate.
5. Saute onions for Tomato Onion Tart. Refrigerate uncovered. Drain any accumulated moisture from onions before adding them to the tart crust.
6. Prepare butter crust dough for Tomato Onion Tart. Refrigerate.

Friday Morning

1. Finish Tomato Onion Tart. When baked set on a wire rack and leave out at room temperature.
2. Stuff mushrooms. DO NOT add panko crumbs at this point. Refrigerate.
3. Prepare rice flour mixture for eggplant.
4. Fill deep fryer with oil.

Early Friday Afternoon

1. Remove goat cheese from refrigerator and allow to come to a warm room temperature.
2. Remove fig preserves from the refrigerator and allow to come to a warm room temperature.
3. Thread root vegetables on toothpicks for kabobs.
4. Remove Soy Dressing from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.
5. Prep arugula for sliders.
6. Set out champagne flutes and salted almonds.
7. Set out wine glasses for tasting, hors-d’oeuvres plates, and napkins.

One to two hours before guests arrive:

1. Remove Roasted Beet Dip from the refrigerator. Spoon into 3 – 4 shallow serving dishes and place around tasting area.
2. Dip mushrooms in panko crumbs, arrange on greased baking sheet.
3. Spoon onion/mushroom mixture for sliders in a heavy bottomed dutch oven or saucepan. Cover, place on top of the stove on the lowest heat available.
4. Heat cream, remove from heat and add brie. Cover and let sit on top of the stove with NO heat underneath.
5. Grill Sausages and slice. Place in a double layer of aluminum foil and keep warm till it is time to serve.
6. Place sugar cube in each champagne flute, add two drops of Angostura Bitters to each cube, drop a twist of lemon peel in each glass.
7. Place cava in ice bucket where it is easily accessible for all guests to pour their own cocktail.

When guests arrive:

1. Cook stuffed mushrooms, place in Chinese spoons or appetizer plate
2. Grill root vegetable toothpick kabobs on stove top grill. Place one – two each on an appetizer plate, drizzle with olive oil and Soy Dressing.
3. Garnish beet dip.
4. Slice tomato tart.

After the Tasting:

1. Recruit a few guests to help you pull things together while you send the rest off to visit and reflect on the pinot noir they have tasted.
2. Toss eggplant in rice flour mixture and fry eggplant. Get a friend to man the fryer while you…
3. Uncork the remaining wine.
4. Gently heat the brie sauce and assemble the sliders. Put everything on two giant trays and ring the dinner bell.
5. Arrange the dessert components on a tray and place it where it is accessible to all.

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The Recipes

beets, goat cheese

 

Roasted Beet Dip 

Makes Approximately 3 cups

• 1½ – 2 pounds beets, trimmed
• 2 small garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small Fresno chile, seeded and minced of used jarred red chili if Fresno’s are nto available
• 5-ounce container plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon za’atar
• Salt

For Garnish

• ¼ cup roasted skinned hazelnuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

For Serving

• Warm flatbread, cut into triangles

Preheat the oven to 350°. Put the beets in a small roasting pan and add 1/4 cup of water. Cover with foil and bake for about 1 hour, until tender. Let cool slightly.

Peel the beets, cut into wedges and transfer to a food processor. Add the garlic, chile and yogurt and pulse until blended. Add the olive oil, maple syrup, and za’atar and puree. Season with salt. Spoon into a wide, shallow container. Scatter the hazelnuts, goat cheese and scallions on top and serve with warmed flatbread.

Can be made ahead and refrigerated (without garnish). Bring to room temperature before serving.

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beets, onions, soy sauce, root vegetable

Roasted Beet, Carrot and Scallion Toothpick Kabobs with Soy Dressing

Makes approximately 48 hors d’oeuvres

Toothpick Kabobs

• 6 medium beets (about 2 inches in diameter), stems trimmed
• 4 medium carrots, each sliced on the diagonal into 12, ½-inch thick slices
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 24 scallions, white and tender green parts, cut into 48, 1 1/2-inch lengths
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

 Soy Dressing

• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For the Carrots

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a medium bowl, toss the carrots with ½ tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Scrape onto a parchment lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 25 minutes, until the carrots are tender and lightly browned in spots.

For the Beets

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat beets lightly with oil and wrap beets in aluminum foil, placing on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven until cooked through, approximately 45 to 60 minutes.

Remove from the oven, let rest till cool enough to handle, and then peel and cut into 8 – 16 wedges (depending on the size of the beets).

To Assemble

Thread a carrot, a green onion, and a beet slice onto a sturdy toothpick or small skewer. Repeat till all vegetables are used.  (May be made ahead to this point.  Refrigerate.)

Heat a stovetop grill pan.

Drizzle vegetables lightly with olive oil and grill until lightly browned, about 1 – 2 minutes per side. Transfer the skewers to a platter and drizzle with sauce. (may be grilled an hour ahead of time)

 Soy Dressing

Combine all ingredients, stirring to dissolve sugar. (May be made several hours ahead of time.)

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bacon, MUSHROOMS, onion

Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes about 18 – 24 stuffed mushrooms, depending on the size.

• 1-pound medium fresh mushrooms
• 4 strips of thick sliced bacon, diced
• ½ cup minced onion
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh green bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
• 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup panko crumbs

 

Clean mushrooms, remove and chop stems; set aside.

Fry the bacon in a heavy skillet. With a slotted spoon or spatula, remove the bacon to paper towels to drain. In the bacon drippings, sauté the chopped onion, green pepper, and chopped mushroom stems until tender; drain well. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Heat the oven to 425 F.

In a bowl, combine the bacon mixture with the softened cream cheese. Press mixture firmly into the mushroom caps, mounding a bit.

Place the panko crumbs in a small bowl. Turn the filled mushroom caps upside down and press gently in the breadcrumbs to coat tops. Place in a 13-by-9-by-1-inch baking pan that has been lightly sprayed with a non-stick spray. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. If the panko crumbs are not browned, turn the oven to broil and watching carefully, broil till crumbs are golden.

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tomatoes, onions, gruyere cheese

Tomato Onion Tart

Serves 16 as an appetizer

• 2 large onions (about 1½ pounds), sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ pound grated Gruyère cheese
• Campari tomatoes, each cut into 6-8 wedges
• Niçoise olives, pitted
• Butter Pastry

In a large heavy skillet cook onions with salt to taste in oil, covered, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 20 minutes. Remove lid and cook onions, stirring occasionally, until golden and any liquid evaporates. Remove skillet from heat to cool onions slightly.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place cookie sheet or aluminum sheet pan in the oven that is large enough to hold tart shell. Place sheet pan upside down in oven if necessary.

On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll dough into a 14-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Fold round in half and transfer to a 12-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Unfold dough, easing to fit, and trim overhang to 3/4 inch. Fold overhang toward center and press against the side of pan or dish. Spread onion mixture over dough. Top with cheese. Arrange tomato wedges and olives in concentric circles over cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Place tart on top of pan in the oven. Bake tart in middle of oven 1 hour, or until pastry is golden. Cool on a rack. Remove rim of pan.

Serve tart warm or at room temperature.

Butter Pastry

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1½ sticks (¾ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 6 to 7 tablespoons ice water

In a large bowl whisk together flour and salt and with a pastry blender or fingertips blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork to incorporate, until mixture begins to form a dough. On a lightly floured work surface push the dough with the heel of your hand in 3 or 4 forward motions. Form the dough into a ball and flatten to form a disk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour. Pastry dough may be made several days ahead and chilled. Note: when it is chilled this far in advance you need to take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes before rolling it out.

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BEEF, grilled, MUSHROOMS, onions, brie, truffle oil

Shitake Mushroom and Truffled-Brie Slider

Makes 16 (2.2 ounce) sliders

Burgers

• 2 pounds 80/20 ground chuck
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoons steak seasoning
• ½ cup finely chopped Texas sweet onion
• ½ cup finely chopped Baby Bella mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 16 slider buns
• Arugula

Combine all of the burger ingredients in a mixing bowl. Form into 16, 2.2-ounce patties. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Keeping each layer separated with Parchment paper.  Place in freezer approximately 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat stovetop grill pan and grill frozen patties for two minutes on one side. Flip and grill an additional 30 – 60 seconds. Remove from heat.

Note: Can be prepared ahead and refrigerated. To reheat wrap in several layers of aluminum foil and seal tightly. Place in a 275 degree oven for approximately 1 hour.

 Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions

• 2 very large Texas sweet onions, sliced lengthwise
• 20 small to medium shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup Pinot Noir

Melt butter in a sauté pan on low heat. Add sliced onion and sliced mushrooms and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and sugar, stir. Turn heat up to medium high and brown. Once caramelized, add the red wine and turn to low and cook until the liquid reduces.

 Note: may be made ahead and refrigerated. Reheat before serving.

Cheese Sauce

• 2/3 cup of heavy cream
• 12 ounces brie (rind removed)
• 6 teaspoons white truffle oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• Grated nutmeg

Heat heavy cream in a saucepan on medium-low heat. Once warm, whisk in brie, truffle oil and spices. Keep warm until you’re ready to serve.

Note: May be made ahead, but the sauce must be kept warm at a VERY LOW HEAT.

To assemble the sliders,  layer arugula on the bottom bun then beef patty, onion /mushroom mixture, and drizzle with cheese sauce.

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eggplant

Eggplant Fries

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Saffron Aioli

• 1 cup Hellman’s Mayonnaise
• ¼ teaspoon saffron softened in 1 teaspoon hot water
• 3 – 6 cloves  (depending on size and strength)
• 2 – 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Fries:

• 2 1-pound eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2″ rounds, then into 1/2″-thick strips
• Canola oil (for frying)
• 2 cups rice flour
• finely grated zest of 2 lemons
• 4 teaspoons garlic powder
• 4 teaspoons onion powder
• 4 teaspoons fine sea salt

Seasoning

• sea salt to taste

For Saffron Aioli:

Turn food processor to On position. Drop in garlic cloves one at a time.  Turn off food processor and scrape sides of bowl.  Add mayonnaise and saffron/water mixture. Pulse 3-6 times to combine. Scrape into a bowl and add good quality olive oil. Stir to combine. Taste for seasoning.  If garlic taste is too strong add additional mayonnaise.

For fries:

Place eggplant in a large bowl. Add 2 cups ice and enough water to cover. Place a plate on top of the eggplant to keep it submerged. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Pour oil into a large deep pot to a depth of 2″. Attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of pot and heat oil over medium heat to 325°F.

Meanwhile, whisk next five ingredients. Drain eggplant. Working in batches, toss damp eggplant in flour mixture to coat.

Working in batches, fry eggplant, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 3-4 minutes per batch. (Reheat oil to 325°F between batches.) Transfer to paper towels to drain. Season with sea salt if needed. Serve immediately with Saffron Aioli.

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Giant Salted Oatmeal Cookies with Soft Goat Cheese and Fig Preserves

A classic recipe, but adapted from Ina Garten’s version in Cooking for Jeffrey, it is totally do-ahead. It is also one of the best, easiest and most wine-friendly desserts I have ever fixed. For the recipe above, go to the following link on this site and scroll to the bottom of the Picnics – Potato Pie and Wine blog:

 https://www.charlottestexashillcountry.com/picnics-potato-pie-wine/