Holiday Recipes and Pairings Part 2
Delicious wine and food make the holidays even more special. For our Home for the Holidays pack we've paired each superb wine with a complementary meal.
Almond Crusted Halibut with Cherry Beurre Rouge Paired with Teneral Cellars Russian River Pinot Noir
Serves 4
Ingredients for Cider-Cherry Beurre Blanc
1½ cups fresh or organic Apple Cider
1½ cups Juice from canned dark Sweet Cherries
½ cup White Wine
1 tablespoon Shallot, minced
½ cup Heavy Cream
½ cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, cut into pieces
16 dark Sweet Cherries
Sea Salt
Ingredients for Almond Crusted Halibut
4 Halibut fillets (6 ounces each)
Sea Salt & freshly ground Pepper
1 Egg
1 cup Milk
½ cup Water
⅔ cup Panko bread crumbs
⅔ cup Almonds, sliced & lightly toasted
1 cup all-purpose Flour
Canola Oil
Directions for Cherry Beurre Rouge
In a large saucepan simmer the cider, cherry juice, wine, shallot, and cream until reduced to just over 1/2 cup. Strain into another saucepan (we skipped this). Off heat, whip in the butter piece by piece until just melted. Add cherries. Season with salt. Keep warm, but do not reheat.
Directions for Halibut
Season fillets with salt and pepper. Combine egg, milk, and water. In a food processor, pulse panko crumbs and almonds until mixture is the consistency of coarse meal. Dredge fillets in flour, dip in egg wash (Laura repeated the flour and egg wash a second time before pressing it into the panko), then press into panko-almond mixture; reserve.
In a large skillet add enough canola oil to cover the entire skillet; heat over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add fillets in a single layer, cook until golden; flip and cook until the other side is golden and just done, about 6 minutes total. Drain on paper towels, keep warm.
To serve divide the beurre blanc among 4 warm plates. Top with halibut and garnish each fillet with 4 cherries from the sauce.
Ratatouille paired with Teneral Cellars 2020 Rose
Ingredients
2 eggplants
6 Roma tomatoes
2 yellow squashes
2 zucchinis
Sauce Ingedients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
28 oz crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
Herb Seasoning Ingredients
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
Preheat the oven for 375˚F.
Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice the eggplant, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini into approximately ¹⁄₁₆-inch thick rounds, then set aside.
Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers until soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Remove from heat, then add the basil. Stir once more, then smooth the surface of the sauce with a spatula.
Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers until soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Remove from heat, then add the basil. Stir once more, then smooth the surface of the sauce with a spatula.
Arrange the veggies in alternating slices, (for example, eggplant, tomato, squash, zucchini) on top of the sauce, working from the outer edge to the center of the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
Make the herb seasoning: In a small bowl, mix together the basil, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spoon the herb seasoning over the vegetables.
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, then bake for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
Serve hot as a main dish or side. The ratatouille is also excellent the next day–cover with foil and reheat in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven for 15 minutes, or simply microwave to desired temperature.
Enjoy!
Lamb Shanks paired with Teneral Cellars Reserve Merlot
Ingredients
4 lamb shanks
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 – 3 tbsp olive oil, separated
1 yellow onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup carrot, peeled, finely diced
1 cup celery, finely diced
2 1/2 cups red wine
800 g / 28oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock
5 sprigs of thyme,
2 dried bay leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Season shanks – Pat the lamb shanks dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Brown – Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Sear the lamb shanks in 2 batches until brown all over, about 5 minutes. Remove lamb onto a plate and drain excess fat (if any) from the pot.
Sauté aromatics – Turn the heat down to medium low. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same pot. Add the onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add carrot and celery. Cook for 5 minutes until onion is translucent and sweet.
Braising liquid – Add the red wine, chicken stock, crushed tomato, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
Add shanks – Place the lamb shanks into the pot, squeezing them in to fit so they are mostly submerged. Turn stove up, bring liquid to a simmer. Cover, then transfer to the oven for 2 hours. Then remove lid and return to the oven for another 30 minutes (so 2 1/2 hours in total). Check to ensure lamb meat is ultra tender – if not, cover and keep cooking. Ideal is tender meat but still just holding onto bone.
Remove lamb onto plate and keep warm. Pick out and discard bay leaves and thyme.
Sauce – Strain the sauce into a bowl, pressing to extract all sauce out of the veggies. Pour strained sauce back into pot. If needed, bring to a simmer over medium heat and reduce slightly to a syrupy consistency. Taste then add salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!