Wine Dinner Report

Last Saturday was my annual wine dinner with my family. A multi-course feast with wines to match. We had a great time. Too good a time maybe...no worries, there was an offsite designated driver who arrived to ferry people home.

I think I am recovered enough to give a quick glimpse of what we had. I'll be providing more details, including recipes, in the days and weeks to come.

First Course:
I always like starting a multi-wine meal off with something sparkling. For this one, we opened an interesting (and inexpensive) wine from New Mexico, Gruet. Paired it with several nibbles: a nice baked ricotta on toast, a pan-seared sesame and panko-crusted oyster, and a little bite of spicy oven-fried chicken.

Second Course:
Working from lightest to richest on the wine front, next up was the Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc. To complement it, we had the melon soup with crab I have posted before. Even if you're not serving many courses, it would be a great light way to start a summer meal.

Third Course:
I've noticed lots of chefs serving single ingredients in several ways on the same plate these days. So I took their lead and served four very small portions for this course. Strawberries two ways and salmon two ways. One strawberry recipe is a warm "salsa" with shallots and jalapenos that is perfect with a simply-grilled shrimp. The other was simply strawberries drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar with a little basil stirred in. I put a spoonful on top a slice of mozzarella cheese.

The other mini-plate was salmon prepared two ways. The first I previewed last week. Apple and Horseradish-Glazed Salmon. The second was salmon crusted with crushed wasabi peas and then sauteed. The wine to go with them is one of the most versatile...dry rosé. This one from California, the Miner Sangiovese Rosato.

Tempted your taste buds yet? Then stay tuned for the rest of the preview tomorrow and then the recipes themselves soon...