Hog Island Oysters with Ginger Mignonette, Cucumber, and Wasabi Tobiko
Alsatian Tart with Leeks, Fromage Blanc, and Bacon
Tuna Tartare with Lime Crème Fraîche
New Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Tapenade
Shrimp Corndogs with Bistro Honey Mustard
Rock Shrimp and Yuca Cakes with Spicy Mango Salad
Grilled Peaches Wrapped in Serrano Ham
Halibut Crudo with Shaved Radishes, Fried Capers, and Chive Oil
Cucumber Cups with Roasted Beets and Yogurt Dressing
It’s easy to overwhelm oysters with a topping that’s too bold or too rich, but chef Rick Moonen knows just when to stop. His hors d’oeuvre, served at the 2008 Workshop, elevates the oysters’ briny flavor, and frankly, it’s just fun to eat. Each oyster makes a tangy splash in your mouth, with cool, warm, brisk, and sweet elements in perfect balance.
SERVES 8
MIGNONETTE
¼ cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1½ teaspoons finely minced shallot
1½ teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon soy sauce
2 dozen Hog Island Sweetwater oysters or other fresh oysters
½ cup peeled and finely diced Armenian or English (hothouse) cucumber
1 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) wasabi-flavored tobiko (flying fish roe)
For the mignonette: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, shallot, ginger, sugar, and soy sauce until the sugar dissolves. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Shuck the oysters and place them, on the half shell, on crushed ice. Top each oyster with about 1 teaspoon of the diced cucumber. Whisk the mignonette, then spoon about ½ teaspoon over each oyster. Top with a small spoonful of tobiko and serve immediately.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc or another white wine with lively acidity.
THE ROAD THROUGH MARIN COUNTY to Tomales Bay is twisty and a challenge for queasy types, but we like showing Workshop chefs how Hog Island Oyster Company raises its oysters and clams. As a winery renowned for its Sauvignon Blanc, we are oyster aficionados and grateful to have this sustainable shellfish farm in our “backyard.”
One year, our guests climbed into boats and went out to the oyster beds for a close-up look at these bivalves growing in the cold waters of Tomales Bay—a process that takes eighteen months to three years from start to finish. The baby oysters mature in submerged net bags, feeding on phytoplankton and other nutrients that the ocean provides. Workers flip the bags occasionally to harden the shells so the edges won’t be brittle.
We usually get Hog Island Sweetwaters for chefs who want to prepare oysters for a Workshop dinner. Some chefs roast small Sweetwaters in our wood oven or steam them open on the grill. Brian likes to grill them and top them with a chipotle lime butter. But every year, inevitably, one Workshop chef wants to serve raw oysters on the half shell. That’s feasible in a restaurant where orders come in gradually over the course of the evening. But shucking enough oysters to serve the seventy Workshop dinner guests, who dine all at once, can send the kitchen into a temporary frenzy. One chef, who shall remain nameless, wanted to roll each raw oyster in a thin pickled cucumber strip shaved from a baby cucumber. Thank goodness there were plenty of hands on deck for that one.
Alsatian Tart with Leeks, Fromage Blanc, and Bacon
Canadian chef Rob Feenie made this savory tart during the 2002 Workshop. Unlike quiche with its custard filling, the classic tarte flambée topping includes no egg—just fromage blanc thinned with crème fraîche, sweet sautéed onions, and smoky bacon. The name (“flaming tart”) derives from earlier times, when cooks would bake it near the embers of a wood-fired oven.
SERVES 8
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, quartered through the root end and thinly sliced
Kosher salt
2 slices thick bacon, halved lengthwise, then sliced ¼ inch wide
½ pound (or half of a 14-ounce package) frozen puff pastry, partially thawed
½ cup fromage blanc
2 tablespoons crème fraîche
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
Thinly sliced fresh chives or scallions for garnish
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt. Cook until softened but not colored, about 8 minutes. Let cool.
Put the bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until it renders some of its fat and just begins to crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer it to a small bowl with a slotted spoon.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 12-inch circle (if the packaged pastry is round) or into a 10 by 12-inch rectangle (if the packaged pastry is rectangular). Transfer it to a baking sheet and prick with a fork in several places. Return it to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Put the fromage blanc, crème fraîche, and nutmeg in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Add several grinds of pepper.
Spread the fromage blanc mixture evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch bare border. Scatter the sautéed onions and bacon over the fromage blanc. Fold the border over to make a rim and crimp it as you would a pie crust. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden-brown on the edge and well browned on the bottom, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, sprinkle with the chives, and let cool for about 5 minutes, then cut into pieces of desired size. Serve warm.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay or another white wine with a full, creamy body.
A light, bright, citrusy hors d’oeuvre for a warm summer night, this tartare requires impeccably fresh tuna. Keep the fish on ice as you prepare it and serve it immediately for the most vivid flavor. To preserve the tuna’s plum-red color, don’t add the salt or soy sauce until the last moment. You can present the tartare in lettuce cups, if you prefer, instead of on fried wontons or crackers.
MAKES 24 (SERVES 8 TO 12)
½ pound skinless sushi-grade ahi tuna
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ large jalapeño chile, seeded and finely minced
2 tablespoons finely minced red onion
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
½ teaspoon grated lime zest
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt
⅓ cup crème fraîche
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Kosher salt
24 fried wontons, shrimp crackers, rice crackers, or thin toasts
Finely minced scallions for garnish
Cut the tuna into neat, small dice. Place in a bowl set over ice. Stir in the olive oil, jalapeño, onion, sesame seeds, lime zest, soy sauce, and fleur de sel. In a deep bowl, whisk the crème fraîche, lime juice, and a pinch of kosher salt to soft peaks.
Spoon the tartare onto the fried wontons, dividing it evenly. Top each serving with a small dollop of the whipped crème fraîche and garnish with a sprinkle of scallions. Serve immediately.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc or other crisp white wine.
Chef Walter Pisano, a 1999 Workshop alumnus, makes an aromatic pesto that includes neither basil nor garlic. He makes it with fresh spring herbs—parsley, chives, and mint—in place of the basil that doesn’t mature until summer. It’s lively and light, just the right complement to his feather-light gnocchi, but you could use this pesto on fresh pasta or fish as well. Chef Pisano’s gnocchi melt on the tongue when made with high-quality ricotta. At the winery, we use Bellwether Farms ricotta, but Calabro also makes an excellent product. You may need to visit a specialty cheese shop to find fresh ricotta. Supermarket ricotta containing gums or stabilizers will not produce the most delicate gnocchi.
SERVES 6
GNOCCHI
1 pound whole-milk ricotta
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper
½ cup sifted all-purpose flour, or as needed
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
¼ cup sliced fresh chives
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
For the gnocchi: In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add just enough flour to make a soft dough that will not stick to your floured hands, about ½ cup. Divide the dough into four equal pieces. On a lightly floured board, with floured hands, roll each piece into a ¾-inch-thick rope, 14 to 15 inches long, then cut each rope into 1-inch pieces. Place the gnocchi on a lightly floured tray and refrigerate for 2 hours to allow the flour to hydrate and the gluten to relax.
For the pesto: In a food processor, combine the parsley, chives, mint, pine nuts, and salt and process to a paste. With the motor running, gradually add the olive oil through the feed tube, processing until nearly smooth. Transfer to a bowl and add pepper to taste.
Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi and lower the heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cook until the gnocchi float to the top, about 1 minute, then cook for 1 minute longer.
Whisk a little of the hot pasta water into the pesto to thin it to a sauce consistency. Lift the gnocchi out of the pot with a skimmer or strainer and transfer to a warmed serving bowl. Add the pesto and toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay or another full-bodied white wine.
A professor of wine and spirits at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Weiss is part of our Workshop “faculty.” He teaches a wine and food pairing seminar for the participants every year and selects appropriate Cakebread Cellars wines for the evening meals. That’s no small challenge given how complex many of the chefs’ creations are, but we give Michael carte blanche in the cellar. When entertaining at home, he and his wife, Jenny, often serve their own gravlax as a first course. In place of the fresh dill that perfumes traditional gravlax, the Weisses season the fish with coriander seed, fennel seed, and lemon. The method works beautifully on farmed Arctic char, a more sustainable choice than farmed salmon. You can serve the translucent slices with toast and condiments, as described here, or on cucumber slices with a dab of crème fraîche.
SERVES 16
2 skin-on Arctic char fillets (¾ pound each)
½ cup kosher salt
¼ cup raw (turbinado) sugar
1½ tablespoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
Grated zest of 1 lemon
GARNISHES
Capers, thinly sliced or minced red onion, crème fraîche, baguette toasts
With needle-nose pliers or tweezers, remove the fish’s fine pin bones. (You can feel these by running your fingers over the thickest part of the flesh in the head-to-tail direction.) In a small bowl, stir together the salt and sugar. Lightly crush the coriander and fennel seeds together in a mortar.
Line a tray with plastic wrap. Sprinkle the tray with ¼ cup of the salt-sugar blend, making an evenly thick bed as large as the fillets will be when placed side by side. Arrange the fillets on the bed of seasoning, skin side down. Sprinkle each fillet with ¼ cup of the salt-sugar blend and with half of the pounded seeds and half of the lemon zest. Sandwich the fillets, flesh sides together, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Put a tray on top and a 5-pound weight on the tray. Refrigerate for 24 hours, turning over the package halfway through.
Unwrap the fish and inspect the flesh. It should feel firm but not leathery. If it still feels flaccid, rewrap, replace the weight, and marinate for a few hours longer.
To serve, unwrap the fish and scrape off the spices. Rinse the flesh briefly in cold water, then pat it dry. Using a thin-bladed slicing knife, carve the fish as thinly as possible on a strong bias to make wide slices. Arrange the slices on a platter or on individual plates and pass the garnishes separately for guests to add as desired.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc or another medium-weight, brisk white wine.
The affinity between asparagus and eggs is apparent to anyone who has ever enjoyed an asparagus omelet. But here’s another variation on that theme. Brian roasts the asparagus to concentrate their flavor, then tops them with fried farm eggs basted with sizzling olive oil. The edges of the egg white become lacy and crisp while the yolk remains runny. A sprinkling of Parmesan helps make the dish more wine compatible. Serve as a first course for a spring dinner party, or in larger portions for a weeknight supper. It’s best to fry only one egg at a time, but each one takes less than 30 seconds.
SERVES 4
1½ pounds large asparagus
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup thickly sliced spring onions or leeks, white and pale green parts only
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus. Arrange the spears on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands to coat the asparagus evenly with oil and seasonings, then rearrange in a single layer with tips pointing in the same direction. Roast in the middle of the oven until tender, about 15 minutes.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over high heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring to prevent browning, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
About 1 minute before the asparagus is done, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small nonstick skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, crack an egg into a small bowl, then slide the egg into the hot oil. The egg white will immediately puff and sputter, so be careful. After about 30 seconds, remove the pan from the heat and spoon the hot oil over the egg to firm the white and film the yolk. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the hot asparagus among 4 warm plates. Top one of the portions with the fried egg, lifting it out of the oil with a slotted spatula. Return the skillet to high heat and repeat with the remaining eggs; you should not need additional oil.
Garnish each portion with some of the sautéed onions and Parmesan, dividing them evenly. Serve immediately.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc or another young and brisk white wine.
Over the years, workshop chefs have devised many memorable hors d’oeuvres with chèvre because of Cakebread’s long friendship with two wine-country goat cheese producers: Laura Chenel and Skyhill. This one-bite appetizer, featuring soft herbed goat cheese spread on a potato slice with a dollop of tapenade, comes from chef Pascal Olhats, who prepared it during the 1993 Workshop. If you have a small food processor, you can halve the tapenade recipe, as you need only a small amount for this dish. Then again, tapenade keeps well in the refrigerator, and you will be happy to have some on hand. Use it as a sandwich condiment or spread for crostini, slather it on grilled tuna, or toss it with pasta.
SERVES 8
8 small red potatoes, about the size of golf balls (about ⅓ pound)
2 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 tablespoon fine dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon minced fresh thyme
½ pound pitted niçoise or kalamata olives (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 anchovy fillets
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed
1 large clove garlic, crushed
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Sprigs fresh thyme for garnish
Put the potatoes in a small saucepan with salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool. Slice the potatoes about ¼ inch thick, discarding the rounded ends. You should get 3 or 4 slices from each potato.
In a small bowl, combine the cheese, bread crumbs, olive oil, and thyme.
For the tapenade: Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Preheat a broiler. Spread each potato slice with some of the cheese mixture, dividing it evenly, then put the slices on a tray and broil until the cheese melts and colors slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Top each slice with about ¼ teaspoon tapenade and garnish with the tip of a thyme sprig. Serve immediately.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc or another refreshing white wine or rosé.
Everyone’s inner child emerges when these “corndogs” come out of the fryer. Who doesn’t love eating from a skewer? But unlike the popular corndogs that star at America’s state fairs, this whimsical hors d’oeuvre hides a juicy whole shrimp under its cornbread coat. Steven Oakley, a 2005 Workshop alumnus, serves the skewers with homemade honey mustard for dipping. On another occasion, you could use the cornmeal batter for pancakes.
SERVES 8
⅓ cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon honey
CORNMEAL BATTER
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups whole milk, or more as needed
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
16 large shrimp (16–20 count), peeled and deveined
16 (6-inch) bamboo skewers
In a small bowl, stir together the mustard and honey. Set aside.
For the cornmeal batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and egg yolk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk to blend. Thin the batter with a little more milk if batter is too stiff for coating the shrimp.
Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil in a deep pot to 375°F. Adjust the heat to maintain the temperature.
Using 1 skewer per shrimp, skewer each shrimp from tail to head end so that the shrimp is straight. Working in batches, dip the shrimp in batter to coat thoroughly, then place the whole skewer in the hot oil and fry until the cornmeal coating is golden brown, about 2½ minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Serve hot with a ramekin of honey mustard.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay or another full-bodied white wine.
HELENE AND SPENCER MARSHALL maintain beehives all over the San Francisco Bay Area, including some in our vineyards. Thanks to the Marshalls, we have had several tutorials in beekeeping and honey harvesting and have come to appreciate that varietal honey can be as varied and distinctive as varietal wine. Pumpkin-blossom honey is assertive and dark, almost earthy in flavor, like Italian chestnut honey. Blackberry honey is sweeter and fruitier, while Napa wildflower honey is complex and delicious on whole-wheat toast.
Often we take the Workshop participants to visit the hives in our vineyards. Spencer, the beekeeper, invites everyone to “suit up” while he smokes the hive to calm the bees so he can remove a frame. He explains how a hive operates, and often he locates and points out the queen. Breaking off fresh honeycomb and sampling it on the spot is a transporting taste experience, like eating a warm tomato right from the garden.
We always offer Marshall’s Farm honey at the Workshop breakfasts. Participants drizzle it over Bellwether Farms ricotta or fromage blanc, and it tastes all the sweeter because they have met the bees who made it.
Crab cake fans will enjoy chef Marc Ehrler’s golden shrimp cakes, a dish that reflects his years cooking in the Caribbean. Chef Ehrler, a 1991 Workshop participant, substitutes rock shrimp for crab, grated yuca for bread crumbs, and cilantro for parsley to make an appetizer that tastes like something you might find at a seafood shack on Martinique. A mango salad seasoned with chile and lime is the palate-tingling accompaniment. Look for yuca, the starchy root vegetable also known as cassava, in markets that cater to a Latin American or Caribbean clientele.
NOTE: Because the shrimp cakes must be served fresh and hot, it’s helpful to prepare all the salad ingredients in advance so they can be quickly combined while the fried cakes are draining.
SERVES 4
SALAD
½ large mango, peeled, cut into ½-inch dice
1 tablespoon finely minced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely minced red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
¼ teaspoon seeded and finely minced habanero chile
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon grated lime zest
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
SHRIMP CAKES
½ pound yuca (cassava)
6 ounces rock shrimp, finely minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely minced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely minced red onion
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
2 ounces (2 large handfuls) baby greens
For the salad: In a large bowl, combine the mango, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, chile, rice vinegar, olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, and salt. Set aside.
For the shrimp cakes: Peel the yuca and cut it into 2-inch chunks. Put the chunks in a saucepan, cover with salted water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer until you can just pierce the yuca with the tip of a paring knife, about 8 minutes. Drain and let cool. Grate on the coarse holes of a box grater. In a bowl, combine the grated yuca with the shrimp, egg, cream, cilantro, bell pepper, onion, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Mix with your hands to blend. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions. Shape each into a flattened cake about 3 inches in diameter.
Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat. Add ¼ inch of the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp cakes and fry until nicely browned on both sides, about 2½ minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly.
Add the greens to the salad mixture and toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Divide the salad among 4 salad plates. Put 2 shrimp cakes on each plate. Serve immediately.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc or another crisp and herbaceous white wine.
Like the marriage of prosciutto and melon, this duo explores the harmony of salty and sweet. Replace the peaches with nectarines, figs, or pears, if you prefer, or offer a combination. It’s an easy, juicy hors d’oeuvre for a hot summer evening. Although you can wrap the charred fruit with prosciutto, the nutty, earthy serrano ham from Spain is less commonplace and may be a discovery for some of your guests. Don’t wrap the fruit ahead or the ham will soften.
SERVES 8 TO 12
3 large freestone peaches (about 1½ pounds)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
3 ounces Spanish serrano ham or prosciutto, sliced paper thin
Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to high.
Cut each peach in half (no need to peel) and remove the pit. Slice each peach half into 3 or 4 wedges and toss with the olive oil, thyme, and pepper.
Grill the peaches on both cut sides until slightly softened, about 2 minutes per side, turning them with a spatula. Let the peaches cool to room temperature. Tear the ham lengthwise into as many pieces as you have peach wedges, then wrap a slice of ham around the center of each wedge, leaving the ends of each peach wedge exposed. Serve immediately.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Vin de Porche Rosé or another dry or off-dry rosé.
Inspired by the simplicity and purity of Japanese sashimi, American chefs are exploring the world of seafood crudo (Italian for raw). Typically, crudo is accompanied by Mediterranean garnishes like capers and olive oil rather than the soy-based dipping sauce that is served with sashimi. At the 2005 Workshop, Florida chef James Reaux made a beautiful halibut crudo with chive oil, using the abundant chives in the winery garden. For raw preparations such as this one, the seafood must be impeccably fresh.
SERVES 8
¼ cup thinly sliced fresh chives, plus more for garnish
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound fresh center-cut skinless California halibut or fluke fillet
1 Meyer lemon, halved
1 teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt
4 radishes, shaved with a vegetable slicer’s julienne attachment or coarsely grated
Vegetable oil for frying
2 tablespoons large capers, rinsed and patted dry
For the chive oil: Put the chives and olive oil in a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl.
With a sharp knife, cut the halibut filet into broad, paper-thin slices, as if slicing smoked salmon. As you work, arrange the slices, slightly overlapping, on 8 chilled salad plates. You should be able to make about 32 slices, or 4 per portion. Drizzle the fish with Meyer lemon juice, using about 1 teaspoon per portion, then sprinkle with fleur de sel. Put a clump of shaved radish on the center of each portion, then drizzle chive oil around (not over) the fish, using about 2 teaspoons per portion.
In a small saucepan, heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil to 360°F. To test whether the oil is hot enough, add a couple of capers; they should sizzle on contact. Add all the capers and cook, stirring with a wire-mesh skimmer, until they stop sizzling fiercely, about 20 seconds. Transfer to paper towels with the skimmer. The buds should have opened slightly, and they should be crisp. Scatter over the fish and serve immediately.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc or another brisk, refreshing white wine.
This modern, savory interpretation of panna cotta comes from Chef Debbie Gold, who participated in the 2000 Workshop. It has the silky, quivery texture of a traditional dessert panna cotta, with an appetizing butterscotch color. For an autumn first course, serve the custard with crisp toasts and a tart salad for contrast. Note that the panna cotta must be chilled for at least four hours before serving.
SERVES 6
PANNA COTTA
1½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 cup whole milk, divided
¾ cup heavy cream
½ cup roasted kabocha squash puree (see Notes)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper
18 thin baguette slices, cut on a strong diagonal
Extra-virgin olive oil
SALAD
1 to 2 heads baby frisée (about ¼ pound total)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar or cider vinegar
¼ cup coarsely chopped marcona almonds (see Notes)
Kosher salt
For the panna cotta: In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over ¼ cup of the milk. Let soften for 5 minutes. Place the remaining ¾ cup milk, the cream, squash, and thyme in a saucepan. Whisk to blend. Warm over moderate heat just until it begins to simmer. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
Remove from the heat and add the softened gelatin, stirring until the gelatin dissolves. Season with salt and pepper. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. (You can speed up the cooling by placing the bowl in an ice bath.) Divide among 6 espresso cups or other small ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
For the baguette toasts: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush the baguette slices lightly with olive oil on both sides. Bake until golden and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes.
For the salad: Trim the core and any dark green outer leaves and leaf tips from the frisée. Tear the pale yellow center leaves into bite-size pieces. Just before serving, put the frisée in a bowl and toss with the olive oil, vinegar, almonds, and a pinch of salt.
To serve, put a panna cotta ramekin on each of 6 salad plates. Accompany each portion with 3 toasts and a tuft of frisée salad.
NOTES: For the kabocha squash puree, preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut a small kabocha squash in half and remove the seeds. Put one half in a pie tin or small baking dish, cut side down, reserving the other half for another use. Add ½ inch of water. Bake until the squash feels tender when probed, about 45 minutes. Let cool, then scoop the flesh from the skin into a bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth, then measure out ½ cup.
Marcona almonds are Spanish almonds that are typically skinned, fried in oil, and salted. They are available at well-stocked grocery stores and specialty food stores. For a substitute, toast whole blanched almonds, then toss with olive oil and salt.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Reserve or another rich, barrel-fermented Chardonnay.
Cucumber Cups with Roasted Beets and Yogurt Dressing
The beets and cucumbers in Dolores’s summer garden and the tangy goat’s-milk yogurt from Skyhill Farms, a Napa Valley producer, inspired chef William Withrow at the 2005 Workshop. He folded diced roasted beets into yogurt, then spooned the mixture into edible “cups” made from cucumber chunks. When all of the ingredients are well chilled, this healthful appetizer is incomparably refreshing—just what you want on a warm summer night.
SERVES 8
1 medium red or golden beet
3 tablespoons whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill, plus dill sprigs for garnish
1 teaspoon very finely minced shallots
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 Armenian or English (hothouse) cucumber
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wrap the beet loosely in aluminum foil, sealing the package tightly. Bake until the beet is tender when pierced, about 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, peel the beet and cut it into very small, neat dice. You should have about ½ cup.
Place the diced beet in a small bowl and fold in the yogurt, minced dill, and shallots. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Chill well.
Peel the cucumber and cut into ½-inch-wide chunks. You should have about 2 dozen. Use a melon baller to scoop out the center of each chunk to make room for a filling, taking care not to pierce the bottom and to leave the sides about ¼ inch thick. Set the cucumber cups on a serving tray and chill. Just before filling, season with salt and white pepper.
To serve, spoon 1 teaspoon of the beet mixture into each cucumber cup and garnish with a small sprig of dill. Serve immediately.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc or another young, dry white wine with good acidity.
By mid-November, the tomato vines in our garden have usually had enough. The days are no longer sufficiently warm to ripen the fruits that remain on the plants, so we start thinking about fried green tomatoes. Southerners might raise their eyebrows, but Brian uses neither cornmeal nor bacon fat when he makes these. He prefers the lightness of vegetable oil and the crispness of a panko coating. These coarse Japanese bread crumbs are a favorite of many chefs because they produce such a crunchy and well-browned exterior. Brian tops the fried tomatoes with a dollop of softened goat cheese from Skyhill Farms and a spoonful of fennel marmalade. The dish offers so many pleasing contrasts: warm and cool, tart and sweet, crisp and creamy. We typically serve it as a passed hors d’oeuvre with our Sauvignon Blanc, which has the bright acidity to match.
SERVES 8
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 fennel bulb, minced
1 yellow onion, minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 strips of lemon zest
2 teaspoons Pernod
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt
4 green (underripe) tomatoes, sliced ½ inch thick
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, beaten
½ cup buttermilk
2 cups panko (packaged Japanese bread crumbs)
Vegetable oil for frying
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
For the fennel marmalade: In a small saucepan, place the olive oil, fennel, onion, thyme sprigs, and lemon zest. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the fennel and onion are meltingly tender, about 20 minutes. Do not let them brown. Uncover and continue cooking until most of the moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the Pernod and cook uncovered, stirring, for about 2 minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Remove from the heat and discard the thyme sprigs. Pull out the strips of lemon zest, mince fine, and return to the mixture. Season to taste with lemon juice and salt. Let cool to room temperature.
Season the tomato slices on both sides with salt.
Set up a breading station: Put the flour in a small bowl. Combine the eggs and buttermilk in another bowl and whisk to blend. Put the panko in a third bowl. Using one hand for the wet mixture and another for the dry ingredients (the flour and the panko), dip the tomato slices first in flour, coating both sides. Drop the floured tomato into the egg mixture and, using your “wet” hand, turn it to coat it with egg. With your “wet” hand, place the coated tomato on the bread crumbs. Use your “dry” hand to press the bread crumbs into place on both sides. Place the coated tomatoes on a tray in a single layer.
Put ¼ inch of vegetable oil in a 12- to 14-inch skillet and set over high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, dip the edge of a coated tomato slice in the oil. If it sizzles on contact, the oil is hot enough; if not, wait a little longer.
Add the tomatoes to the skillet a few at a time; do not crowd them. Fry on both sides, turning with tongs, until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Lower the heat if needed to keep the bread crumbs from burning. Transfer the fried tomatoes as they are done to a double thickness of paper towels to drain. Season with another pinch of salt.
Put the goat cheese in a bowl and mash with the back of a spoon until smooth. Arrange the fried tomatoes on a serving tray. Top each tomato with a small spoonful of goat cheese, then top the goat cheese with 1 teaspoon of fennel marmalade. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc or another dry, refreshing white wine.
WHEN YOU’RE BUYING RINDLESS, unripened chèvre, freshness matters. This moist cheese is meant to be consumed immediately, so we don’t want to purchase it from across the country, much less from across the sea.
Fortunately, we have a producer practically in our own backyard, Skyhill Napa Valley Farms. Proprietor Amy Wend started with three goats in 1990 and now has a herd of almost 450. Her creamy chèvre is a staple at the winery, and because we receive it almost as soon as she makes it, the chèvre tastes as lively, clean, and fresh as the goat’s milk it came from.
We use Skyhill chèvre on crostini topped with beet tartare, on pizza, crumbled into salads, or in galettes with tomato or summer squash. Skyhill also makes an all-natural goat yogurt that often inspires the Workshop chefs. One year, Florida chef Oliver Saucy used it in a yogurt sorbet to accompany his Peach Crisp with Crystallized Ginger and Pecans. Another time, California chef William Withrow used the yogurt to dress finely diced beets that he spooned into cucumber “cups,” an hors d’oeuvre we still make at the winery.
At the winery, we are always looking for enticing finger foods that our guests can enjoy comfortably with a glass of wine in hand. This hors d’oeuvre from Memphis chef Wally Joe, devised at the 2004 Workshop, passes that test. Piped or spooned onto endive leaves, the mousse makes an easily passed hors d’oeuvre. The mousse’s creamy texture and smoky notes find an echo in our Napa Valley Chardonnay, and the apple garnish provides another aromatic link.
SERVES 8
SMOKED TROUT MOUSSE
1 skinless smoked trout fillet, about ¼ pound
¼ cup crème fraîche
¼ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives
Freshly ground black pepper
½ small tart apple, such as Granny Smith, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
¼ small fennel bulb, cored, cut into ¼-inch dice
1½ teaspoons chopped fennel fronds, plus more whole fronds for garnish
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Kosher salt
2 dozen Belgian endive leaves
For the mousse: By hand, break the trout into flakes, removing any bones. In a food processor, puree the trout, crème fraîche, cream, lemon juice, and horseradish until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the chives and several grinds of pepper, then refrigerate until the mixture is firm enough to pipe through a pastry bag, about 30 minutes.
For the salad: In a small bowl, combine the apple, fennel, chopped fennel fronds, olive oil, vinegar, honey, and a pinch of salt. Toss well.
If necessary, trim the base of the endive leaves so each leaf is no longer than 3 inches.
Using a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch plain tip, pipe about 2 teaspoons of mousse onto each endive leaf. Alternatively, use a spoon to place about 2 teaspoons of the mousse on each leaf. Top with a small spoonful of the apple-fennel salad. Garnish each filled leaf with a small fennel frond.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay or another creamy, barrel-aged Chardonnay.
Chef Nancy Oakes used fresh duck livers from Sonoma County Poultry when she made these elegant crostini during the 1997 Workshop, but chicken livers work, too. She hand-chopped the warm sautéed livers with butter and a lot of sweet sautéed onion, plus just enough earthy truffle oil to make them worthy of a black-tie occasion.
MAKES 16 CROSTINI
½ pound fresh chicken or duck livers
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ large yellow onion, finely diced
½ teaspoon minced fresh sage
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
About ½ teaspoon white truffle oil
FRIED SAGE GARNISH (OPTIONAL)
Vegetable oil for frying
16 large fresh sage leaves
Separate the lobes of the livers and discard any fat or veins. In a colander set over a bowl, toss the livers with 2 tablespoons salt. Let stand for 20 minutes to drain blood. Rinse the livers thoroughly in cold water, then pat dry.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small nonstick skillet over moderately low heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until soft and translucent, about 20 minutes; do not let the onion brown. Transfer the onion to a bowl. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same skillet and raise the heat to medium. When the oil is hot, add the livers, sage, and several grinds of black pepper. Sauté just until the livers feel firm but not hard, about 4 minutes. They should still be pink inside. Add the livers to the onions and let cool until just warm. Chop the liver and onions together until fine, adding the butter as you chop. Season the mixture to taste with salt, pepper, and truffle oil.
For the garnish: Heat ½ inch of vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot enough to sizzle when you insert the end of a wooden chopstick, add the sage leaves, a few at a time. Be careful: they will pop and splatter. Cook until the leaves become crisp, about 30 seconds. Do not let them color. Transfer them with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain briefly.
Spread the chopped liver on baguette toasts and top with a fried sage leaf. Serve immediately.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Reserve or another full-bodied, barrel-fermented white wine.
To show off Florida’s most famous shellfish, Chef Marty Blitz made miniature Thai-style tostadas at the Workshop in 1994. He replaced the conventional fried tortillas with wonton wrappers, which puff and crisp in the fryer and turn a rich nut-brown. Then he topped this crunchy base with a tangy crab and cabbage slaw sparked with fish sauce, lime juice, and chile. It’s finger food, but drippy. Offer sturdy napkins or small plates. If you dislike deep-frying, spoon the slaw into Bibb lettuce cups or Belgian endive leaves. You could also omit the wonton wrappers and serve the slaw in generous portions for lunch, or offer it as a side dish with baked or fried fish.
SERVES 8
Vegetable oil for frying
8 wonton wrappers, halved on the diagonal to make 16 triangles
1 cup stone crab meat (from about 1 pound cooked crab claws) or Dungeness crab meat
1½ cups very finely sliced green cabbage
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
DRESSING
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
½ jalapeño chile, seeded and minced
Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
For the fried wontons: In a 4-quart saucepan, heat 3 inches of vegetable oil to 375°F. Fry the wonton wrappers a few at a time, turning them once with tongs, until they puff and turn golden, less than a minute. Drain on a rack or paper towels.
In a bowl, combine the crab meat with the cabbage, red onion, and scallions.
For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, sugar, ginger, and chile.
Add the dressing to the slaw and toss well. Put a spoonful of slaw on each wonton wrapper. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc or another crisp white wine. An off-dry white wine would also work with these sweet-tart Asian flavors.
For large parties, it’s useful to have a repertoire of easy hors d’oeuvres that guests can enjoy standing up, with no plate or silverware. Winery chef Tom Sixsmith developed these tender biscuits for the wine and food program at our Visitors Center, where guests can sample appetizers designed to complement our wines. The toasted walnuts in these savory biscuits and the blue cheese butter inside help soften the tannins in our robust hillside Cabernet Sauvignon.
To save time, we make the biscuit dough in large batches, cut out the biscuits, and freeze them unbaked. Then we bring them to room temperature and bake them as needed so our guests have warm, buttery biscuits with their red wine. You could also serve them as an accompaniment to a green salad or a vegetable soup.
MAKES 20 TO 24 BISCUITS
CARAMELIZED ONIONS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large yellow onion, minced
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled
½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
1 large egg, beaten
⅔ cup whole milk
4 to 5 ounces Point Reyes Original Blue or other blue cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the caramelized onions: Heat the olive oil and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to caramelize and brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Lower the heat as needed to prevent burning. Stir in the thyme and remove from the heat. Let cool.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the chilled butter and mix in with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the caramelized onions and the walnuts and mix gently with your hands.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the milk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the egg mixture into the well, then mix gently with a rubber pastry scraper or spatula. The mixture will be shaggy; it will not come together into a smooth dough.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until it forms a cohesive dough. Do not overwork or the biscuits will be tough. Pat or roll the dough into a round about 1 inch thick, flouring lightly as needed to prevent sticking. Cut out the biscuits with a lightly floured 1½-inch round cutter. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. You can gather and reroll the scraps once. Refrigerate the biscuits for 15 minutes, then bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.
For the blue cheese butter: In a small bowl, mash the blue cheese and the butter with the back of a spoon until the mixture is spreadable.
Cut the warm biscuits in half horizontally and spread the bottom half with a little of the blue cheese butter. Replace the top half. Arrange on a platter and serve warm.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Dancing Bear Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon or another powerful red wine from Bordeaux varieties.
Blue Cheese, Red Wine
MOST MEALS AT CAKEBREAD CELLARS end, not with dessert, but with a cheese board, and Point Reyes Original Blue is often on it. We like the way a cheese board encourages sharing and lingering at the table, and of course we really like that it calls for another glass of wine.
In the interest of adding variety to our cheese boards, we have sampled numerous blue cheeses over the years. Many are too pungent, salty, or piquant to pair with red wine, but Original Blue works. Made in coastal Marin County by the Giacomini family, it has the creaminess and relatively mellow nature to complement our Cabernet Sauvignon.
Bob and Dean Giacomini have operated a dairy farm in scenic Point Reyes Station since 1959. But when it came time to pass the business to the next generation, the Giacominis’ four daughters had other ideas. They didn’t want to run a dairy farm, but converting the milk into artisan cheese had some appeal. So they hired an expert cheesemaker and, in 2000, debuted Point Reyes Original Blue, a rindless raw-milk wheel matured for six months.
Brian sometimes uses it in an endive and blue cheese galette, or in a fall salad with endive, persimmons, and caramelized walnuts. At the 2009 Workshop, chef Rob Wilson showcased Original Blue in a delicate soufflé.
