RUSTIC APPLE GALETTE RECIPE WITH THYME

One thing you should know-I’m not a baker. So if you are thinking that you aren't either, keep reading because you HAVE to try this. I just don’t enjoy cooking in the oven, I prefer cooking over a fire (which really means a grill) and hanging outside with the guys. But, this is so easy that even I can do it. I make this pie crust ALL the time for sweet and savory desserts or pot pies. I’m more of a savory girl, as you know. To my palate EVERYTHING tastes better with chopped herbs from my kitchen garden.

Another roadblock to baking- 6^th grade home economics.  Making pie crust by cutting butter with 2 forks chopping butter into those TINY pieces. I SO didn’t love it! I didn't think I would ever make a pie.  But, alas!  I found a quick crust using olive oil (my favorite staple) and it’s also vegan for those of you out there! This crust is so easy and delicious. It’s inspired from my friends at Winterhill  in Placerville.

One of my favorite things about cooking is using my hands. I like to feel the textures and build an intuitive sense. A nice heavy duty wooden spoon will do too and I use one in this recipe.

Baking spices! Yum!  These are some of my favorite flavors this time of year. I like to add them all and I very specifically will only use fresh ground nutmeg since it was introduced to me.

Putting together this recipe makes me giggle because it mirrors my winemaking process in a funny way. It starts out simple,-like apple pie. But, it becomes uniquely my own by carefully choosing a process that fits my taste and style. My winemaking and recipes have a lot of intention and I love sharing it with you so you can create these easy recipes in your home.

Additions:

Olive oil crust

2 C all-purpose flour

1 C Meyer lemon Winterhill olive oil

8 T ice water

1 T champagne vinegar

dash of salt

Pie

4 apples, mix of granny smith, fuji, and red delicious. Thinly sliced.

2/3 C sugar

3 T lemon juice and zest

1 T cinnamon

1 T fresh ground nutmeg

1 T fresh ground cardamom

2 thyme sprigs, leaves removed

1/2 C Quadrello cheese, grated

Protocol:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Prepare the apples by mixing with the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg.

For the crust: Mix olive oil, water, vinegar, and salt. Add flour and stir with a large wooden spoon until dough forms and completely mixed. Divide the dough into 2 balls. Roll each ball out between two pieces of wax paper. Remove the top paper and place the dough side onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Place the cheese in the center of the dough. Scatter thyme leaves over the cheese. Add the apple mixture. Wrap the dough around the apple mixture until the edge is sealed.

Cook at 425 for 20 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 and cook for an additional 30 minutes. You may need to cover the top with foil if the apples start to brown. Top with fresh leaves of thyme. And more cheese if you wish.

Winemaker’s Notes:

To be honest, I’ve been enjoying homemade hard cider lately with a cinnamon stick. I can’t resist the urge to ferment cider pressed from nearby farms.  I also love those baking spices that often match those in Roussanne, a delightfully spicy and rich wine. 

Cheers!

APPLE CIDER THYME FRENCH ONION AND VERMENTINO

I am finally settling into home after a weekend trip to Seattle where I attended an incredibly inspiring food photography workshop (can you tell?) and visited one of my best friends and her family. She is six months pregnant and needed some down time from her regular life as an attorney.

Her husband, the cook in the family and artsy architect, was eager to share some wine-and the cooking duties. I was thrilled to be in their newly renovated kitchen to cook something seasonal and comforting. Leaving the extended indian summer in California and landing in Seattle was just the inspiration that I needed for one of my favorite fall recipes. Insert kitchen assistant here! Just kidding, but it was awesome to have help with chopping the onions. Thanks E!

This recipe can be made gluten free and vegetarian without sacrificing the flavor. If you love traditional french onion soup, I would top your oven safe bowl with a piece of crusty bread. Then smother with cheese. Pop that in your hot little oven on broil for 3-4 minutes while you sip on the wine you just poured to go with it.

I like to allow the flavors to come together for as long as possible and practical. It's similar to aging wines to allow the components of the fermentation and the grape to harmonize before bottling. You don't have to wait tha-at long to eat dinner, but the best comes to those who wait. I will make the soup and allow it to sit for as long as I need -to do just a couple more things around the house. Then I heat it up one last time and sit down with a great glass of wine to enjoy.

ADDITIONS

5-6 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced in rings
4 C chicken broth
4 C fresh pressed apple cider
4 T butter
5-6 sprigs of Thyme
salt and pepper to taste
shaved gruyere to top



PROTOCOL

1. Melt butter in large stockpot

2. Add sliced onions and cover. Saute on medium heat until soft, about 15-20 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

3. Add broth, cider and thyme and cover. Bring to simmer and heat for approximately 20- 30 minutes. The longer the thyme is infused, the more flavorful it will become.

4. Season with salt and pepper, remove the thyme sprigs.

5. Shave Gruyere on top and serve.

WINEMAKER'S NOTES:

October in Seattle reminded me of fall as a kid when the warm winds mixed with rainy showers gave life to the decomposing fall foliage (which I happen to think smells amazing! So I guess that's why I LOVE to use the description 'mushrooms from under [the forest floor] for wines that possess a unique earthy and spicy aroma). The thyme in this recipe hits similar notes that feel earthy and woodsy.

We enjoyed this recipe with a Vermentino from Italy. The crisp acidity in the wine complemented the slightly sweet soup. We found an inexpensive Vermentino in a local Seattle wine shop that was delightful. I love Vermentino because it has a very rich flavor from the skins, but remains crisp with lots of minerality. Perfect for this soup on an autumn day.

Cheers!

Harvest Salsa

The grape crush v. 2014

During the harvest season, I am so focused that all other aspects of life nearly cease to exist. I dedicate my full attention to the process and opportunity that comes just once a year, The Crush.

The harvest experience is fast paced as each sun-ripening day the grape flavors and maturity progress. The daily activities involve a sensory experience walking the vineyards in various soils tasting grapes. I love tasting wine grapes. I add their flavors to my reference log and file it away to later decipher the very source of the forthcoming wines.

There are grapes everywhere. Just last night, I found a skin on my bumper, seeds in my pant cuffs, and sticky juice on my elbows.  After a long day sun drenched day in the field, I love to enjoy this recipe with my family and a refreshing glass of chilled wine. 

Harvest Salsa

Additions: 

3 C. table grapes, halved

1 white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, finely chopped

1 T. olive oil

Juice of one lime

salt and pepper to taste

Protocol:

Mix ingredients together keeping the grapes chunky. Enjoy with a cool refreshing white wine and crispy tortilla chips. Great on tacos too!

Using the seasonal abundance, I love to enjoy this recipe with white wines with high minerality. I recommend a Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, or Gruner Veltliner. The recipe is simple and fresh for a fast paced harvest season.

Scent memories of summer

It's amazing what our scent memory can do to take us back. The smell of sunscreen- a Coppertone bottle, with a it's bumpy texture and brown bottle. The lotion generously spilled out into warm sunshine and outdoor adventures while slathered on girls lined up on colorful towels giggling on the grass and boys squirting water at the lake.

The memories of summer are a unique marker in time. Each summer is filled with unique adventures at different stages of life. This year, our family has had a fun summer together. With one son about to start preschool and the other entering first grade, there will never be another summer exactly like this one. Life has been full of watermelon and mint, hot peppers, little trips, late nights, crisp wines, grilled eats, outdoor baths, river time, and lots of exploration. I wonder which scents will remind me of this summer? The one when my husband and I looked at each other and said, 'that was a great summer.'

What are some of your favorite scent memories? How was your summer marked this year? I love to hear from you!

Basil and Cherry: Creating sweet and spicy

When I first set out to write about Basil, I couldn't separate it from the tomato. It's that ying and yang.  The seasonal flavor conjures up visions of... basking under tuscan sun amidst sunflower fields sipping Chianti with a second course of pasta on it's way-totally satiated.  Basil and tomato are so classic and delicious with all wines Sangiovese that I just wanted to post an italian flag and go on vacation instead of working on creatively incorporating basil into wine pairings.

However, I love the fragrant scent of fresh basil leaves with a woody, spicy, and sweet complex flavor profile. I wanted to include it in a recipe that used the aromatics, from it's mint origins, to brighten flavors and show off more wines during summer. Then, I started to get creative and followed the stone fruit season to make some super yummy salads and dressings that taste delicious with wines of all kinds.

Since I feel best eating summer fresh salads after a long hot day in the vineyard or garden, I created a couple salads that are wine worthy. I hope you enjoy them!

Putting the kids to work pitting late season cherries- great for dexterity

Cherry basil dressing

Cherry Basil Vinaigrette

Additions:

1 C Cherries, pitted
1/2 C apple cider vinegar
5 T honey or agave syrup
1/4 C Cherry juice
1/4 C chopped basil
3 T olive oil
1 t lemon zest
1/2 t garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste


Protocol:

In small saucepan, heat cherries, vinegar, and honey. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Once it has cooled, add it to a blender and combine remaining ingredients. Place blender on high for 30 seconds to puree. Enjoy within 5 days.

Enjoy as a salad dressing or marinade for pork. Drizzle over fresh grilled salmon.


Wine notes: 

This pleasing combination of flavors remind me of the profile of Counoise, a rare blending grape from the Rhone valley of France. The wine- like the dressing- is spicy, cherry, aromatic, light in color, and an interesting component of a blend.

This dressing is delicious with spinach salad topped with strawberries, feta cheese, and toasted pine nuts. Enjoy with Rose of all types and varieties, Grenache,  Counoise, and Sangiovese. Add bacon and substitute blue cheese for the feta to enjoy with a bigger red wine like Syrah or Claret style Cabernet Sauvignon. The cherry flavors in the wine are complimentary to the dressing.


***It's a short season that cherries and basil overlap and time is of essence for seasonality. However, frozen cherries would be fine if you no longer can find them fresh.

A mid summer's night snack

It seems that we are tumbling through summer with lots of somersaults and a a few cartwheels too. The longer days are packed with activities while my husband and I maintain our work schedules. Yep, living life to the fullest in this season is just non stop. Here we are in mid summer and our table has been pleasantly crowded with friends and family- Just how I love it. While entertaining, I like to find a few bites that can easily transition from drinking whites to reds and maybe back again if it gets that late. With our herb garden in full swing, we can impulsively pull flavors to match the wines we are drinking. I've shared a few of my favorites below.

Summer wine bites

Melon with fresh mint

Melon and mint combine refreshing summer flavors to pair with barrel fermented white wines. Creamy and delicious the mint lifts the aromatics from the wines while the melon complements the flavors and texture of the wine.

Figs from our tree with honey and oregano make a savory/sweet treat 

Figs and everything are delicious, but this combination adds some depth to pair with rustic reds like Mourvedre, Zinfandel, and even Barbera. They could be served as an appetizer or dessert.

Castelvetrano olives marinated in olive oil, lemon zest, and rosemary

Marinating olives is really simple and delicious. I buy the big jar of Castelvetrano olives and fill a small canning jar, add about 1 inch of olive oil, zest of one lemon, 2 sprigs of rosemary. Then I rotate the jar for a few days in the refrigerator to coat all the olives. They are so flavorful. So many wines are complemented by lemon that they make an easy transition from whites to reds while you entertain.

Fenaughty Apricots

Visiting vineyard manager, Ron Mansfield, during the summer season is a delicious occasion. Many of the ranches that he manages have stone fruit planted beside the vineyards which fill his packing shed during July through September. I've eaten the best plums, peaches, and pears straight from the vineyard while rattling back to the barn in Ron's truck,  leaving a trail of red dust behind. The Fenaughty ranch has two rogue trees that don't get pruned or sprayed. The broad and broody branches were covered with bright apricots this week. The upside of many of them were marked by the evidence of the hail storm in early May. The fruit was firm, tangy, and full of flavors that mimic those found in Viognier grapes. We grabbed a couple bags and began picking. The experience of tasting fruit with Farmer Ron is grounding. His dedication to ripening tree fruit with perfect balance is admirable to a winemaker. I couldn't wait to get the fruit back to my kitchen and create a meal paired with Viognier.

Fenaughty Apricot Dinner

Chicken apricot skewers on the BBQ

Fennel and apricot slaw

Saffron Rice

Apricot crumble

Selection of Viognier

Grilled chicken and apricot skewers. The cilantro leads flavors
from Viognier to Grenache.

Fennel Apricot Slaw

This is a simple and delicious way to bring wine friendly flavors together in summer months.

Additions:

1/2 head of red cabbage, thinly sliced

2 fennel bulbs, fronds removed, thinly sliced

1 C. diced apricots

4 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled

Dressing:

1/2 C Mayonaise

1/4 C Red wine vinegar

Fennel Fronds, chopped

2 t sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Protocol:

Mix the first four ingredients thoroughly. Then, whisk the dressing in a separate bowl. Toss the dressing over the fennel mixture and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

This salad is delicious with Viognier and also could transition to Grenache with the fennel and bacon flavors.