Springtime Risotto

When I mentioned to my mother that Lost Creek had a bottle named "Springtime", she couldn't get over what a great name that was for a wine. And it certainly lives up to this name... it is light, crisp and fresh. It is my absolute favorite of all our white wines, so I was very excited to do a food pairing for it.

When I think of Spring-y foods, asparagus immediately pops into my head. It is always the first vegetable that shows up at my farmer's market, and I've seen bunches of it on sale at the grocery store lately. I knew that I had to find a way to incorporate into my dinner.

Once again, my latest issue of Everyday Food beckoned to me, where I found a recipe for a basic risotto. It even called for Pinot Grigio as one of the ingredients! Our Springtime is a blend of four grapes (Vidal Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay and Muscat Canelli), but it closely resembles Pinot Grigio in taste. So, with my bunch of asparagus stalks in one hand, and my box of Arborio rice in the other, I set off to tailor a risotto that would complement this delicious wine.

Springtime Risotto
Adapted from Everyday Food, April 2011

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 large shallot, diced small
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as  Springtime
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/2 pound asparagus, chopped into 1- inch pieces 
3/4 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

In a medium saucepan, bring broth to a simmer; reduce heat and keep warm. In a large, heavy skillet or pot, heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high. Add shallot, season with salt and pepper, and cook until it starts to soften. Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice is translucent at edges (about 1 minute).

Add wine and stir until evaporated. With a ladle, add about 1 cup broth to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Repeat, gradually adding broth by the cupful and stirring constantly, until rice is tender but al dente and sauce is creamy. This takes about 20 to 25 minutes. Towards the end, stir in the shrimp and asparagus. Both need only a couple of minutes to cook.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining butter and Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 4

The Springtime and the risotto were an excellent match, if I do say so myself. The wine pairs well with lighter meats, so seafood was a good choice. The mildly sweet flavor of the shrimp, the crispness of the asparagus, and the creaminess of the Parmesan blended well in the dish, but did not overpower this subtle wine. And my glass of Springtime brought out the bit of wine that was incorporated into the dish. All in all this was a great pairing, and I plan to do it again!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I have red hair and freckles, and my last name is McKenna..... needless to say, I love St. Patrick's Day. We are doing our own Irish celebration this weekend at Lost Creek. So don your green and join us for some delicious stew, provided by the fabulous Savoir Fare. It will be served with warm bread and a glass of wine of your choice, all for $15. Our festive meal will be served on Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th, from noon to 4:30. Reservations are recommended! David Davol will be playing acoustic guitar from 2 to 5pm. David has a great voice and is a wonderful performer. It's going to be a really fun weekend, so please come by! Erin Go Bragh!

Our Vidal Blanc is Back!

I couldn't be happier that spring is on the horizon. I'm looking forward to daffodils, baseball and evenings on the patio with a glass of our Vidal Blanc!

Our Vidal is such a clean, refreshing wine -- perfect for spring. Vidal is a French hybrid grape; its thick skin helps it to survive in colder climates. If you've tried an ice wine from Canada or the Great Lakes region, you were likely enjoying a Vidal! Our Late Harvest Alyce dessert wine is a Vidal as well.

Our Vidal Blanc is not as sweet as the aforementioned wines... one might compare it to a dry Riesling. It is one of the biggest sellers at Lost Creek, and it is back in our tasting room! Come by for a tasting; you will love it (and the pretty blue bottle it comes in). I guarantee it will inspire you to plan your first picnic of the season!

Hello!

Welcome to Lost Creek Winery's blog! We are very excited to join the world of blogging. To start things off, I am going to begin a series of wine and food pairings. I love to cook, and I think this will be a great way to feature our lovely wines.

So why not get the ball rolling with chardonnay, a wine that is notoriously difficult to pair with food? Sounds like a challenge! Our chardonnay is tank fermented and aged in stainless steel, so it doesn't have that distinct "oak-y" flavor that chardonnays are known for. This makes pairing it a little easier.... Lost Creek's chardonnay is surprisingly light and fruity.

My research leads me down a few paths. Seafood is frequently mentioned as a good choice for pairing. As are buttery and/or creamy sauces. I was pretty much set on making a shrimp scampi-type of dish, when another suggestion caught my eye: Caribbean food. Now, I have made many a cream sauce in my time, but I can't for the life of me remember cooking a Caribbean dish even once. So here is a great excuse to broaden my international cuisine horizons. Plus, I just so happened to have bookmarked the (hopefully) perfect dish in my recent issue of Everyday Food.

Jerk Pineapple Pork Chops

Everyday Food Magazine, March 2011

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2/3 of a whole (4 pound) pineapple
• 1 bunch scallions, sliced crosswise into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 small habanero or 1 large jalapeno, stemmed and seeded
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 1 1/2  teaspoons ground allspice
• 4 bone-in pork chops
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

 Directions:

• Cut four 1/2-inch-thick rounds from pineapple; set aside. Cut remaining pineapple into large chunks, discarding core.
• In a food processor, combine pineapple chunks, scallions, chile, thyme, garlic, and allspice and pulse until coarsely chopped. Reserve 3/4 cup pineapple marinade and refrigerate.
• Generously season pork with salt and pepper and place in a 9"x13" glass baking dish along with pineapple rounds. top pork and pineapple with remaining pineapple marinade and turn pork and pineapple to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 4 hours).
• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Working in two batches, brush pineapple mixture off pork and cook chops until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes, flipping once.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Brush pineapple marinade off pineapple rounds and cook until golden brown in spots, 5 to 7 minutes, flipping once.
• Top pork chops and pineapple with the reserved marinade, and serve.

I added some black beans and rice as a side. The results were surprisingly delicious! The marinade and topping were complex without being overwhelmingly spicy. The chardonnay really complemented its garlic flavor. The pineapple was a perfect pairing with the chardonnay, emphasizing the wine's fruity undertones. And the allspice was such an interesting addition. It warmed the whole dish without overpowering it, giving it a certain je ne sais quoi; perfectly subtle for a chardonnay pairing. This dinner let me escape a dreary, rainy  March evening, and transported me to a warm, breezy beach in Jamaica. One can dream.....

For further information on pairing chardonnay with food, check out these links:

Lessons in Chardonnay

Wine Pairing Tips -- The Best Food To Pair With Chardonnay

Chardonnay Wine Food Pairings