For January we did a wine tasting with the food and the theme was called
"Grape Vine".
The first course was pan seared mahi mahi served on top
of gaufrette potatoes, baby spinach, topped with grape tomato jelly with
a curried roasted butternut squash puree paired with Pacific Flyway
Reisling. We started with a sweet wine and the fruitiness of the wine
goes well with the spice of the curry and the acid from the jelly.
Smoked Chicken Pasta
The second course was a play on a dish I used to serve at a restaurant I
worked at in Nashville. I smoked Amish chicken breasts in mesquite wood chips
and served it with homemade sundried tomato pasta
with sautéed Kalamata olives, garlic, red peppers and onions. The
dish was paired with Voga Pinot Grigio the smokiness works
well with the pungent white wine.
Braised Pork Cheek with Gorgonzola Polenta
The third course was a braised pork cheek with creamy gorgonzola polenta, pan
jus and sautéed mushrooms. I chose to pair it with Smoking Loon Pinot
Noir. I chose this wine simply because Pinot Noir is my favorite red wine
and it is not too heavy but has the acidity to cut through the heaviness of the
dish.
Upside Down Apple Cake
The fourth dish was prepared by one of our protégés Kyle Bulfer he
prepared an individual upside down apple cake to finish off the pairing. It was
paired with pineapple Jelly Bean Chardonnay wine. The pineapple notes compliment
the buttery, caramel-apple flavors of the cake.
Many of the guests were first timers' so it is great for us to see new
comers.