This month, we welcomed back our fan-favorite Corks & Courses dinner! This event consists of a delicious six course dinner laid out in tandem with six of our vintages. The night was wonderful with great company, great wine and great fare.
Below, you’ll find the recipes to the recipes that we all shared together.
Caesar Salad
Paired with Pinot Grigio
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup (105ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 3 cups hearty bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 2 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup), divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) juice from 1 lemon
- 2 to 6 anchovies (see note)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) canola oil
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, inner leaves only, washed and carefully dried, large leaves torn into smaller pieces, smaller leaves left intact
Steps:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons (45ml) olive oil with minced garlic and whisk for 30 seconds. Transfer to a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl and press with the back of a spoon to extract as much oil as possible, leaving garlic behind. Reserve pressed garlic separately. Add bread cubes to garlic oil and toss to coat.
Add 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, toss again, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until croutons are pale golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and toss with 2 more tablespoons Parmesan. Allow to cool.
While croutons bake, make the dressing. Combine egg yolk, lemon juice, anchovies, pressed garlic, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese in the bottom of a cup that just fits the head of an immersion blender or in the bottom of a food processor. With blender or processor running, slowly drizzle in canola oil until a smooth emulsion forms. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in remaining 1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil. Season to taste generously with salt and pepper.
To serve, toss lettuce with a few tablespoons of dressing, adding more if desired. Once lettuce is coated, add half of remaining cheese and three-quarters of croutons and toss again. Transfer to a salad bowl and sprinkle with remaining cheese and croutons. Serve.
Parmesan Couscous
Paired with Sangiovese
Ingredients:
- 1 dry pint small cherry or grape tomatoes
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup Israeli couscous
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup chopped mixed herbs such as mint, basil, parsley, and/or chives
- 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan, shaved ricotta salata, or crumbled feta
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss together the cherry tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes until lightly caramelized and just barely shriveled, about 15 minutes.
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil then add the couscous. Stir until the couscous begins to turn golden and smells toasty, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water and a big pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 13 minutes, or until the couscous is tender. If there is any liquid remaining, drain it off, then transfer the couscous to a serving bowl.
Toss the couscous with the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Gently mix in the herbs and roasted tomatoes. Scatter the cheese over the top and serve.
Goat Cheese Crostini
Paired with Montepulciano
All you need is a small, fresh baguette cut into 12 slices. Then simple ingredients like olive oil, kosher salt, goat cheese, and marmalade jam. Or, you can use your favorite preserves. Honey is great, too, if you don’t have a good quality jam. Also needed is prosciutto and fresh arugula leaves!
Optional is a balsamic glaze (or you can use balsamic vinegar and good quality olive oil).
Steps:
To prepare, slice twelve 1/2-inch slices of bread from the baguette. You can make these as thin or thick as you want. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet, and brush generously with the olive oil. Next, sprinkle a little salt on each slice. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until crisp and slightly golden.
On the warm bread, spread a small amount of goat cheese and a tablespoon of marmalade or honey. Fold prosciutto and place on top of each crostini, next laying down arugula leaves!
Pinotage Pulled Pork
Paired with Cape Blend
Ingredients:
- 2lb pork shoulder roast (or any other roast you prefer)
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 2 apples, cored and sliced
- 2/3 cup beef or chicken bone broth
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger (use ground ginger if you don’t have fresh on hand)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1 bay leaf
Steps:
Pull out your crockpot.
Add your broth or water, then onions, then pork, then apples then all your honey/spices/garlic clove/and bay leaf. Cover.
Cook for 8-10 hours on low or 6-8 hours on high. Use tongs or a fork to shred your pork
Manchego Stuffed Peppers
Paired with Bordeaux-Style Red Blend
Ingredients:
- 4 medium-size yellow bell peppers
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1½ cups cooked quinoa
- 2 ounces Manchego cheese or Parmesan, grated (½ cup)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1½ cups marinara sauce
Steps:
Roast the peppers over a flame, under a broiler or on a grill until uniformly charred. Place in a plastic bag or a tightly covered bowl and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove all of the charred skin, rinse briefly and pat dry.
Carefully cut away the stem from the peppers. Cut a slit down the side of each pepper, from the stem end to the bottom. Gently open out and remove the seeds and membranes; tip out the juice. Try to keep the peppers in one piece. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, nonstick skillet and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the parsley and quinoa and mix together until the quinoa is coated with oil. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a baking dish large enough to accommodate all of the peppers. One at a time, lay a pepper in the dish and fill with the quinoa mixture. I do this by gently opening up the pepper, mounding the filling onto one half, and folding the other half back over the filling, overlapping the edges slightly. Lay the peppers in the dish. Cover the baking dish with foil or a lid and bake the peppers for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, reheat the tomato sauce.
Ladle the tomato sauce onto serving plates or a serving platter. Top with the stuffed peppers and serve.
Chocolate Strawberry Gateau
Paired with Big Rush
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted and cooled to room temperature
For the Ganache:
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
Garnish:
- 24 oz. strawberries
Steps:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. In the bowl of stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix until the frosting is smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. Drizzle in the cooled melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until the frosting is smooth and creamy. Set aside while you make the ganache.
To make the chocolate ganache, add the chocolate to a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat just until it bubbles around the edges or you can heat it in the microwave. Pour cream over the chocolate chips. Let the mixture stand for 30 seconds, then stir until the chocolate melts and a smooth ganache comes together, about 1-2 minutes. Let the ganache cool for about 5 minutes. Stir again.
To assemble the cake, place one cake on a cake stand or serving platter. Spread frosting over the bottom layer of the cake. You want a thick layer of frosting. Next, slice 1 cup of strawberries lengthwise and place them on top of the frosting. Carefully place the second cake on top of the strawberries and gently press down to help set the cake.
Pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides of the cake. Wait for the ganache to set, about 15 minutes. Remove the stems from 10 pretty strawberries and place them stem side down on the top of the cake. Gently pressing them into the ganache so they will stand up. Cut into slices and serve!
Thank you to everyone who joined this event! We hope you’ll attend the next ones. You can view upcoming events here.
