FEATURED RECIPES

Enjoy some of our favorite recipes & wine pairings:

CHARDONNAY: Roast Lobster with Tarragon-Lemon Butter

CABERNET SAUVIGNON: Coffee and Pepper Rubbed Rib Roast

MERLOT: Catalan Bean and Sausage Stew with Mint

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Roast Lobster with Tarragon-Lemon Butter
Perfect Pairing: Chardonnay - Russian River Valley / Russian River Selection

Serves 4

4 Lobsters, about 1 ½ pounds each
½ cup tarragon vinegar
2 tablespoons finely minced shallot
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a very large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Drop in the lobsters and parboil for 7 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, fill the sink with ice water. When the lobsters are done, use tongs to transfer them to the sink of ice water to cool. Transfer 1 lobster to a work surface. Cut it in half lengthwise and remove the gravelly sac at the base of the head. Remove the claws. Crack and remove the meat, transferring it to a bowl. Discard the claw shells. Remove the meat from the body cavity, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and transfer to the bowl. Stir the meat to combine and put it back into the body shells. Repeat with the remaining lobsters. Wrap tightly and refrigerate.

Combine the vinegar, shallot, and tarragon in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until the liquid is syrupy and almost totally absorbed, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and zest and cool to room temperature. Using a food processor beat the butter until creamy. Add the tarragon-lemon mixture and beat until incorporated. Season the butter to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the butter over the lobster meat in the shells. Cover loosely with foil and roast in the oven for 8 minutes. Serve Immediately.

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Coffee and Pepper Rubbed Rib Roast
Serve with Cabernet Sauvignon

Serves 6 – 8

1 Eight pound rib roast (3 to 4 ribs)
3 large cloves of garlic, slivered
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground coffee
4 tablespoons olive oil

Using a small sharp knife, make slits at intervals in the meat. Insert slivers of garlic into the slits. Place the meat in a roasting pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce and mustard. Whisk in the pepper and coffee and then gradually beat in the olive oil. Spread this mixture all over the roast. Let the roast stand at room temperature for at least 1 and up to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cook the roast 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Roast to desired doneness, about 1 hour 30 minutes longer, until a meat thermometer reads 115 degrees for very rare. (The internal temperature will rise about 10 degrees as the meat stands, bringing it to rare.) Remove from the oven and let stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Reprinted with permission from Perfect Pairings by Evan Goldstein with recipes from Joyce Goldstein, published by the University of California Press, copyright 2006. (www.ucpress.edu)

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Catalan Bean and Sausage Stew with Mint
Serve with Merlot

Serves 4

2 cups dried white beans or dried favas
1 onion, chopped
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt, or more to taste
Freshly ground pepper
4 chorizo, botifarra, or other fresh spicy sausages (about 1 pound, not encased in plastic)
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ pound salt pork or bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
½ cup meat stock or water
½ cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the beans in a large pot. Fill the pot with enough cold water to cover and soak the beans overnight in the refrigerator.

Drain and rinse the beans, Return them to the pot. Add enough cold water to cover the beans by 2 inches, then add 1 chopped onion, 2 garlic cloves, and the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add salt, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 40 minutes. Season to taste with 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Place the sausages in a large skillet and prick them with a fork in a few places. Add water to a depth of ¼ inch and cook the sausages until the water has evaporated and the sausages are browned, about 10 minutes. Cool. Transfer the sausages to a cutting board and slice into 1 ½ inch pieces.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the salt pork or bacon and sauté until crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate, leaving the drippings in the Dutch oven. Add 1 chopped onion to the drippings and cook over medium heat until the onion is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic, tomatoes, and paprika to the onions and cook 3 minutes longer. Add the stock, wine, sausages, cooked bacon or pork, cooked beans and simmer, covered, until heated through, about 10 minutes, If the stew seems dry, add additional stock. Season the stew to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with additional mint as a garnish and serve.

Reprinted with permission from Perfect Pairings by Evan Goldstein with recipes from Joyce Goldstein, published by the University of California Press, copyright 2006. (www.ucpress.edu)