Rocket Salad with Grilled Salmon and White Wine Dressing

INGREDIENTS

1 pack Arugula
1 Head Endive, chopped
8 Strawberries sliced
1 Avocado, sliced
½ Cup Goat cheese, crumbled
2 Filets of salmon, grilled
¼ Red Onion, thinly sliced
Candied Pecan Halves (Recipe Below)
1 C Sugar
½ Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Salt
1 Egg white beaten
1 Tbsp Water
1 Lbs Pecan halves
2 Tbsp Dry white wine
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ Tsp honey
½ Tsp mustard
½ Tsp salt
¼ Tsp Ground Pepper
4 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

White Wine Dressing
Mix the wine, lemon juice, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Candied Pecans
Preheat oven to 250F.

Mix sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl. Whisk egg white and water together in a separate bowl until frothy. Toss pecans in the egg white mixture.

Mix sugar mixture into pecan mixture until pecans are evenly coated. Spread coated pecans onto a baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until pecans are evenly browned, 1 hour.

Grilled Salmon
Preheat the grill to high.

Brush the salmon on both sides with 1 teaspoon oil and lightly season the flesh side with black pepper.

Put skin-side up on a lightly oiled baking tray. Grill the salmon for 8 minutes, or until just cooked through. Carefully peel off and discard the skin from each fillet and place on top of the salads.

Salad
In a large bowl combine arugula, endive, onion. Split greens and onions onto 2 to 4 plates, top with sliced strawberries, sliced avocado, crumbled goat cheese and a few pecans. Place ½ of a salmon filet on top of the greens and drizzle dressing on top.

Originally published in The Wine Cellar, August 2017.

Red Wine Poached Eggs Benedict

INGREDIENTS

Hollandaise Sauce
4 Egg Yolks
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
½ Unsalted Butter, melted
Pinch of Cayenne
Pinch of Salt
Poached Eggs
4 Eggs
2 bottles Red Wine (something light like a Pinot Noir)
4 slices Back Bacon
2 English Muffin

DIRECTIONS

Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume.   Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl). Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the eggs benedict. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.

Brown bacon in a medium skillet and keep warm.

Now for the eggs. In a medium saucepan heat wine to a high heat without boiling. Crack each egg into a small bowl. Once wine is hot enough, stir wine with a spoon, in a circle to create a whirlpool (this will give the egg the nice shape). Once you have a good swirl going, drop an egg from the bowl in to the swirl. Cook for  3 to 3 ½  minutes.

While eggs are cooking toast English Muffin. Place toasted English Muffin on plate, top each with slice of bacon. Place poached egg on bacon and top with hollandaise sauce. Serve.

Originally published in The Wine Cellar, July 2017.

Cinnamon French Toast with Peaches in a White Wine Syrup

INGREDIENTS:

Peaches and Syrup
1 Cup Castor Sugar
½ Tsp Madagascar Vanilla
1 Cup  White Wine (I used a off-dry wine with peach notes)
2 Peaches, cut into wedges

French Toast
2-3 Extra large Eggs
1 Tsp Sugar
½ Tsp Vanilla
½ Tsp Cinnamon
2-3 Tbsp Cream
4-6 Slices of thick bread
Whipping Cream for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

For the French toast, place the eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and cream into a bowl and mix well. Dip the bread slices into the egg mixture until soaked.
Heat the butter in a frying pan and cook the bread slices for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown. Set aside and keep warm.

For the peaches, place the caster sugar, vanilla and white wine into a saucepan, over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add the peach pieces to the pan and simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until the peach is tender.

To serve, place the French toast onto a serving plate. Remove the peaches from the syrup with a slotted spoon and place on top of the toast, drizzled with a little of the white wine syrup and top with whipping cream. Serves 2.

Originally published in The Wine Cellar, June 2017.

White Wine Lobster Mac & Cheese

INGREDIENTS

4 pounds freshly shucked lobster meat
18 cups cooked elbow macaroni
1 cup chopped scallions
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks plus 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry mustard
Salt and white pepper
6 cups half-and-half
4 cups heavy cream
2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 cups old white Cheddar, grated
2 cups old cheddar, grated
2 cups Mozzarella, grated
4 cups plus 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
3 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the lobster meat, cooked macaroni, scallions and tomatoes in a large bowl. Set aside.

Combine the flour with the 2 sticks melted butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic powder, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper; stir. Add the white wine, half-and-half, heavy cream and lemon juice and cook, stirring frequently, until heated to just below a simmer. Stir in the cheeses, keeping the 1/2 cup Parmesan reserved. Mix together the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning and the remaining 1 stick melted butter and 1/2 cup Parmesan in a bowl. Combine the hot cheese sauce with the lobster and macaroni mixture. Spread evenly into four 10 X 15-inch baking pans and top with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 35 minutes.

This recipe is meant to feed a family of 4 for 2 days. You can cut in half or quarter to suit serving size.

Originally published in The Wine Cellar May 2017

Red Wine Crème Brulee

INGREDIENTS

6 Egg Yolks, room temperature
1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
3 Tbsp Red Wine
2 Cups Heavy Cream
½ Cups Sugar
4 to 6 Cups Boiling Water
Topping
Raw Sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 315F. Place 6 ramekin dishes in a oven safe dish the is at least 3 inches deep; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, vanilla and wine until combined; set aside.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine cream and sugar. Cook until mixture begins to boil and all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Slowly add approximately ¼ cup of the hot mixture into the egg mixture, whisk until well mixed. Continue to do this with all the hot mixture until it is all incorporated in the egg mixture.

Pour custard into ramekins. Fill oven safe dish with boiling water till water is half way up the sides of the ramekin.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until set. Place ramekins on wire rack to cool to room temperature; about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat broiler. Unwrap the custards, sprinkle raw sugar on top of each custard. About 1 tsp for each. Place ramekins on a baking sheet, and place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until sugar is melted and brown.

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and serve cold.

Originally published in The Wine Cellar April 2017.

White Wine Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

3 Cups Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Cup Unsalted Butter
2 Cups Sugar
4 Large Eggs
Zest of 3 Lemons + 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
1/2 Cup White Wine (I used a Citrus forward Pinot Grigio)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325F Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla to the butter mixture. Add flour mixture and the buttermilk, alternating 1/2 cup of each, mix after each addition. Add wine to cupcake batter. Line muffin tin with paper liners and fill each cup 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes approximately 24 cupcakes.

To finish each cupcake, using a filling piping tip and pipping bag, fill piping bag with lemon curd ( recipe below), and insert into cupcake. Fill cupcake and as you pull out of the cupcake, pipe a small amount of lemon curd on top of the cupcake. Using a star tip and a clean piping bag, pipe seven minute frosting (recipe below) on top of lemon curd. Using a kitchen/pen torch, brown the meringue.

Lemon Curd

8 Large egg yolks
Finely grate lemon zest of 2 lemons
1/2 Cup Lemon juice
1 Cup Sugar
1/8 Tsp Salt
10 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold cut into chunks

DIRECTIONS

Combine yolks, zest, lemon juice and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, while scraping sides of pot to ensure mixture is well blended, until mixture is thick enough to coat back of spoon. Approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter, one chunk at a time. Add salt and mix till smooth. Strain through fine sieve into a medium bowl. Cover surface of lemon curd with saran wrap to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate about 1 hour till set.

7 Minute Frosting
1 1/2 Cup+ 2 Tbsp Sugar
2/3 Cup water
2 Tbsp Light corn syrup
6 Large egg whites, room temperature

DIRECTIONS
Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Now continue boiling WITHOUT stirring until candy thermometer reaches 230 degrees. Meanwhile, whisk egg whites with a mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. While still mixing egg whites, add the 2 tbsp sugar to egg whites until combined. Soon as syrup reaches 230 degrees, remove from heat. While mixer is on medium low speed, pour syrup down the side of bowl in a slow and steady stream into egg white mixture. Raise speed to medium high speed until mixture is cooled and stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use IMMEDIATELY.

Originally published in The Wine Cellar March 2017.

Red Wine Pork Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

INGREDIENTS

1 Large Spaghetti Squash, halved and cooked
1 Lb Lean Ground Pork
1 Tsp Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, diced
2-3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Can Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Medium Green Pepper, diced
8 Mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 Tsp Basil
1/2 Tsp Rosemary, Crushed
1/2 C Red Wine (I used a Barolo type)
1/8 C Balsamic Vinegar
1 C Grated Mozzarella (more if needed)

DIRECTIONS

While spaghetti squash is cooking, cook ground pork in a large frying pan with olive oil and onion over medium high heat. Once the onions are translucent, add the minced garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste. Add balsamic vinegar and red wine. Next add the green pepper, italian seasoning, basil and rosemary. Once the green peppers are almost cooked, add the mushroom slices. Once the green pepper and mushrooms are cooked, remove pan from heat and set aside. Take the cooked squash and run a fork through the flesh of the squash to create 'spaghetti noodles'. Leave the noodles in the squash skin, and set both halves in a oven safe dish. Load the squash halves with the pork and tomato sauce mixture, top with grated mozzarella. Bake at 350F until cheese is melted. Carefully cut both of the squash halves in half. Serves approximately 4 people.

Originally published in The Wine Cellar February 2017.

Cornish Game Hens with Raspberry Red Wine Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1-1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pound Cornish game hen, halved
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup dry red wine
2/3 cup frozen raspberries
2 teaspoons (or more) sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 500°F. Sprinkle hen halves with thyme, salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add hen halves, skin side down, and cook until brown, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer hen halves to baking sheet (do not clean skillet). Roast until juices run clear when thigh is pierced, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. Add shallots and saute over medium heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Add broth, wine, raspberries, 2 teaspoons sugar and allspice. Boil until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, scraping up browned bits and crushing raspberries, about 12 minutes. Strain wine sauce into small bowl. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper; add more sugar, if desired. Serve hen halves with sauce.

Originally published in The Wine Cellar January 2017.

Red Wine Truffles

INGREDIENTS

16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup red wine (Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon), at room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature & halved
3/4 cup natural unsweetened or Dutch-process cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS

Place the semi-sweet chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Microwave in four 15-second increments, stirring after each, for a total of 60 seconds.

Stir until almost completely melted (I had to micro mine for a couple more rounds before the chocolate was melty). Set aside.

Pour heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisking occasionally, heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Gently begin stirring with a wooden spoon in one direction.

Do not forcefully stir. Once the chocolate and cream are completely smooth, gently stir in the wine and butter until combined.

Cover with plastic wrap pressed on top of the mixture. Let the ganache mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours, or until it reaches a soft, scoopable consistency (I ended up putting mine in the freezer for a bit to speed things along).

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside. Pour the cocoa powder into a bowl.

Remove the ganache from the refrigerator. Measure 1 teaspoon, roll between your hands into a ball, roll in the cocoa powder, and place on the baking sheet.

Repeat with the rest of the ganache. For pretty presentation, I roll some truffles more heavily in the cocoa than others.

Serve immediately or cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Originally published in The Wine Cellar December 2017.

Red Wine Hot Chocolate

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cup milk (I used Homo)
1 cup red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon)
1/3 cup dark chocolate chunks

DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and chocolate chips. Whisking constantly until chocolate is melted into milk and you have a thick and creamy chocolate milk.

Pour in red wine and heat until everything is hot.

Pour into 2 mugs or 6-8 smaller glasses and top with whipped cream.

Originally published in The Wine Cellar December 2016.