2019 Fall Flavors
Seasonal Farm to Table Pairings
by Lizzie Peyton | Chef de Cave
Featuring two new wines from the Radio-Coteau Estate and vegetables from the Estate Vineyard & Farm.
Happy harvest from the Radio-Coteau Estate! Our fruit is nearing full ripeness, and our cellar is starting to fill with the aromas of grape juice and fermentation. In accordance with our focus on Biodynamic farming practices, we strive to utilize our homestead terroir to the fullest. Included in these efforts is the cultivation of an abundant vegetable and flower garden—vegetables to nourish our team (both human and animal alike), and flowers to sustain our bees.
Our Garden Guru, Terry “Poppins,” has laid out a veritable cornucopia in the garden that our team is fortunate to enjoy throughout harvest, our most rigorous work season of the year. We are presently preparing lunch each day from our garden and thought it would be lovely to share garden-centric recipes that pair well with some of our 2019 Fall Release wines—from our terroir to your table. Our hope is that enjoying these food pairings will transport you to our ridgetop estate, a glass of Radio-Coteau in your hand, watching the cool ocean fog roll in on these early September evenings.
We hope you utilize these recipes at home while savoring some of our exciting new releases this autumn and beyond. Bon appétit!
Squash Blossom Risotto
Recommended Wine Pairing: Radio-Coteau, 2017 ‘SeaBed’ Sonoma Coast Estate Chardonnay
(Serves 8)
- 10 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 white or yellow onion, diced
- 4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups diced summer squash
- 10-20 squash blossoms
- 4 Tbsp butter, divided into two equal portions
- 1 ¾ cups grated Parmesan, with ½ cup reserved for garnish
- Salt & pepper to taste
Add stock to a pot and place over low heat to keep it warm for the duration of your risotto making.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a 6-qt. Dutch Oven over medium heat. Sauté diced onion with a pinch of salt, stirring often, until onion is translucent and starting to soften (about 6–8 minutes). Add garlic and stir constantly for another minute.
Add rice & 2 Tbsp butter and stir well to coat with fat so everything in the pot is shimmering. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice has translucence around the edges, about 3-5 minutes. Add white wine and another pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until wine is completely evaporated (about 2 minutes).
Once the wine has evaporated, it is time to grab a ladle. Ladle warm stock into rice in ¾ cup-1 cup increments, stirring constantly and allowing liquid to absorb almost entirely before adding more, until rice is al dente and surrounded by a bit of stock, approximately 25 minute. Just before the rice is finished cooking add the diced summer squash to soften on the heat for 2-3 minutes. The risotto’s consistency should be a little more liquid/looser than you think as you’re about to thicken it up with Parmesan.
Remove pot from heat, add 2 Tbsp more butter and squash blossoms. Stir until incorporated. Gradually add 1¼ cups Parmesan, stirring until cheese is melted and liquid surrounding risotto is creamy but very fluid. Stir in more stock if needed to achieve the right consistency. Taste and season with salt & pepper.
Plate risotto & garnish with basil leaves or other fresh herbs you may have in your garden. Serve with remaining ½ cup Parmesan alongside for garnish. This dish pairs beautifully with our Estate Chardonnay, the 2017 SeaBed. If you would like to step it up a notch, serve alongside butter poached lobster tail.
Corn Soufflé with Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Sugo
Recommended Wine Pairing: Radio-Coteau, 2017 ‘Board & Batten’ Sonoma Coast Estate Proprietary Red
(Serves 4)
Soufflé
- Butter, for coating soufflé dish
- Freshly grated Parmesan, for coating soufflé dish
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 4 ears of shucked corn
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 cups shredded Gruyère or Comté cheese
- ½ tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 6 large egg whites
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter a 1½ quart soufflé dish (or four 4” ramekins) and coat it with Parmesan, discarding the excess.
Bring a large saucepan of water (just enough to submerge the corn) to a boil. Add the corn and a generous sprinkle of salt. Boil over high heat until just tender, about 4-5 minutes. Drain the water from the pan.
Cut the corn kernels from the cobs, which should yield approximately 2½ cups. Place 2 cups of the kernels back into the saucepan with the milk and simmer over medium heat until the milk has reduced by ⅓ (about 4-6 minutes).Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Use a spatula to pour the puree into a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ½ cup kernels. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Stir in the egg yolks, Gruyère, and thyme. Cover and let cool to room temperature.
In a standing mixer, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until you achieve stiff peaks. Mix ⅓ of the whites into the corn base to create an initial levity, then gently fold in the remaining whipped egg whites until just uniform. Use the spatula to pour into the prepared soufflé dish and bake for 40-50 minutes, until nicely browned and elevated an inch or two above the dish. Serve immediately.
Roasted Eggplant & Heirloom Tomato Sugo
(Yields 2 quarts sauce)
- 3 lb eggplant, peeled & cubed into 1½” dice
- 3 lb heirloom tomatoes, cut in half or thirds, depending on size
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large yellow onions, diced
- 2 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp grape seed or canola oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
Place your oven rack approximately 4” from the heat source. Turn your oven broiler onto high (550-600°F). Toss eggplant with a generous sprinkle of salt and the grape seed oil, (just enough to lightly coat).
Place diced eggplant onto a foil covered broiler pan and into the oven. Broil for 3 minutes or until you see significant browning (and a slight amount of blackening). Remove from the heat to flip over the eggplant, & place back into the oven for another 3-5 minutes, until both sides look lightly charred. (Alternatively the eggplant can be cooked for a similar duration on a high heat grill.)
Repeat broiling process with halved tomatoes, tossing them in oil & salt, and broiling over high heat for 5-8 minutes per side, until lightly charred.
While the eggplant and tomato are charring in the broiler (on the grill), sauté the onion in a large saucepan for 5-10 minutes with the olive oil, until translucent and soft. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme, and red pepper. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes. Add roasted eggplant and tomato (and the juices from the latter) to the sauté pan. Cook down for 5-10 minutes, until sauce is a nice thick consistency and slightly chunky. Serve hot next to or over soufflé.
This sugo can be made up to 3 days in advance, and heated to serve atop corn soufflé, as the soufflé is much more time sensitive. If you’d like to fortify this dish with a protein, we suggest a nice pork chop from the grill or seared on a skillet. The rich, luscious flavors of the roasted sugo pair well with the structured mouthfeel and intensity of our 2017 Board & Batten Sonoma Coast Estate Proprietary Red.
