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July 28

0
2010

Chef Richard Haake will do a demo at this Thursdays Napa Chefs Market

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This Thursday night, July 29th, Chef Richard Haake will do a recipe demo paired with  X Winery’s Carneros Chardonnay. Richard will do a cajun classic, Chicken Maque Choux, which is pronounced “Mock Shoe”. Its is so good and the recipe is below.  This dish is seasonal classic that utilizies corn, peppers and tomatoes. Its paired with the X Winery Carneros Chardonnay. We hope to see you at the Chefs Market. Richard will be giving out samples with the help of Chef Annie Baker. X Winery will also be there so join us for a summer pairing.

Cheers!!!

Chicken Maque Choux

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon corn oil

salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 pounds chicken thighs, boneless, skin off, cut into bit size pieces

½ cup bacon

1 tablespoon bacon fat

½ cup onions, small diced

¼ cup celery, small diced

¼ cup green bell pepper, small diced

¼ cup red bell pepper, small diced

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 cups white wine

4 ears fresh corn, fresh cut off the cob, be sure the scrape out all the pulp

1 cup roma tomatoes, seeded and medium diced

1 tablespoon fresh picked thyme

1 tablespoon old bay seasoning

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup of heavy cream

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

salt and fresh ground black pepper

In a large sauté pan over high heat add the corn oil. Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the pan; sear the meat well making sure to brown on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan and to a plate lined with a paper towel. In the same pan add the bacon. Cook until crispy. Strain the bacon fat into a small bowl, reserve and place the crisp bacon on a plate lined with a paper towel. Place deep-sided sauté pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of bacon fat to the pan. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic then sweat the vegetables for 10 minutes or until tender. Add the wine and reduce until almost dry. Add the corn and tomatoes, stir together with the vegetables and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in thyme and Old Bay seasoning. Place the chicken back in the pan and cover with the chicken stock. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid from the pan, stir in the heavy cream and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Finish with a dash of hot sauce and serve over rice with te crispy bacon as a garnish.


January 15

0
2010

Winery Chefs introduces a Winter drop off menu thats good for the soul and budget.

I have had a lot of inquiries about meals that could be dropped off at the wineries without the need for a chef or server. I think thats a great option this time of the year, Winery Chefs can drop off hearty Winter fare using our platters and serving utensils. This menu is designed for your big fruit forward wines, cold weather and a hot fire. Cheers!!

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Winter 2010

Family Style Menus

1.

Chicory Salad with Cara Cara Orange, Pistachios, Goat Cheese, Shaved Fennel

Duck Cassoulet with Rancho Gordo Beans

Dried Fruit- Scharffen Berger Chocolate Galette

2.

Spinach Salad with Bacon, Blue Cheese and Dates

Pozzi Ranch Lamb Stew with New Potatoes and Rosemary

Gingerbread Cake with Caramelized Pineapple

3.

Endive Salad, Smoked Trout, Horseradish Crème Fraiche

Braised Pork Shank, Turnips, and Kale

Almond-Orange Torte

4.

Chopped Salad with Meyer Lemon-Mint Dressing and Croutons

Beef Bourguignon, Crimini Mushrooms, Pearl Onions

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

Drop off $30.00 per person

The food comes on our platters with serving utensils and bread.

Minimum order of 10

No drop off fee.

December 14

0
2009

Winery Chefs and Richard Haake continue to contribute to Wine Crush Radio.

Last year I made several guest contributions to the Wine Crush, a syndicated  radio program hosted by Laura Lawson. Laura and the team at Wine Crush cover many topics in a hour and provide the avid as well as novice wine consumer with a wealth of information thats very entertaining. Several of my recipes are available on their web site. To find out the wine recommendations for the recipes you will have to listen to the program.  I’ll be taping a holiday episode tomorrow. I will post it when it aires. Cheers!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYxHEvSZ2EE

http://www.winecrush.com/

December 02

0
2009

Ziata WInes releases inaugural Pinot Noir with recipe developed by Winery Chefs.

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I knew Karen Cakebread had created something special when I tasted her inaugural Sauvignon Blanc this past summer. It just scored a 90 in the Wine Enthusiast. I have a palate for these things and when you get to taste a wine during recipe testing you learn a lot about different nuances of a wine. She’s done a great job with her 2008 Pinot Noir. Karen has posted is the perfect seasonal recipe for this time of the year that pairs with this new release. Get a bottle and try it out.
http://www.ziatawines.com/

July 27

0
2009

Ziata Wines by Karen Cakebread

My good friend Karen Cakebread is making two great food friendly wines under her new label Ziata. My wife, Virginia, thinks the Ziata Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best wines she has tasted this year. I created a fun summer time recipe the pairs perfectly with this beautifully structure Sauvignon Blanc. To learn more about Ziata Wines and Karen Cakebread visit her website at http://www.ziatawines.com

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Grilled Zahtar Rubbed Shrimp and Fattoush Salad
Serves 4 to 6

Zahtar Spice:
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
4 tablespoons sumac
1 teaspoons fresh picked, chopped lemon thyme leaves
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
*Reserve some of the spice mixture to use another time with fish or poultry

1 pound medium 25/30 shrimp, peeled, deveined and tail intact
¼ cup olive oil

Dressing:
½ cup lemon juice
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sumac

Salad:
2 pita rounds, torn into pieces and toasted or ready made from the store
2 romaine hearts, rough chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 English cucumbers, peeled, seeded and medium diced
¼ cup mint, roughly chopped
½ cup parsley, roughly chopped
1 avocado, quartered, pitted, peeled and cut into pieces

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Grind the sesame and fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or spice mill. Combine the remaining spice ingredients and mix well.

Light the grill. Toss the shrimp in the spice mix, covering the shrimp evenly. Thread the shrimp on soaked bamboo or metal skewers. Brush the shrimp with olive oil and grill for approximately 2 to 3 minutes a side until the shrimp are cooked. Remove from the grill and set aside.

Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl, mix well and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the salad ingredients. Add the dressing, season with salt and pepper and toss together.

To serve, portion the salad onto plates. Remove the shrimp from the skewers. Top the salad with the shrimp and serve.

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