Tag Archives: lemon

Skylark Pinot Blanc

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Creamy Lemon Pappardelle with Scallops

Creamy Lemon Scallop Pasta

© Spices in my DNA

INGREDIENTS:

For the scallops

  • 1 pound jumbo scallops, side muscle removed
  • small drizzle of olive oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • squeeze of lemon

For the pasta

  • 9 ounces pappardelle pasta
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
  • 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
  • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
  • zest of 1/2 a lemon
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus extra for serving

DIRECTIONS:

For the scallops

  1. Make sure scallops are super dry, pat down thoroughly with paper towels until they’re dry. Season with pepper (no salt yet). Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a small drizzle of olive oil and the butter. Once melted, wipe out the pan so that only a thin layer of oil and butter remain. Sear the scallops on one side for about 2 minutes, or until a golden brown crust forms. Flip and sear on the other side for 1 minute or until just cooked through. Season with salt and a squeeze of lemon.

For the pasta

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water generously. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Be sure to scoop out the pasta water during the last few minutes of cooking, or right before you drain it.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil. Once melted and hot, add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant, stirring constantly. If it seems too hot, reduce the heat to medium (you don’t want the garlic to brown). Add the reserved pasta water (start with 1/4 cup), mascarpone, ricotta, parmesan, and lemon zest, and stir until melted and creamy. Add the pasta and toss until coated. If the sauce seems too dry, add another splash of pasta water and toss until desired consistency is reached. Add the chopped basil and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the scallops over the pasta, and garnish with extra fresh basil and parmesan. Enjoy!

© Recipe from Spices in my DNA

DECEMBER WINE CLUB:

Silky styleSkylark Wine Company
Pinot Blanc
Mendocino County, California

SILKY WINE STYLE

Light straw yellow in color. High-toned aromatics of lime peel, roasted lemon, Granny Smith apple and a complicating note of pebbled soil. Intense and penetrating on the palate, the flavors follow through with the roasted lemon and green apple enlivened by natural acidity. Deftly light and concentrated at the same time, with the crunchy fruit streaming into a palate-staining finish.

One of Skylark’s oldest vineyard sources is Bernie Orsi’s Pinot Blanc outside of Hopland in Mendocino, California. Originally planted by John Fetzer in the 1970s, John and Robert walked through the oldest block of this site in 2005. Impressed by the thick, stubby trunks and gnarled old vines, they signed on to purchase that section for harvest 2005.  They have now grown production to almost the entire vineyard for Skylark’s Pinot Blanc bottling. After picking, the fruit is whole cluster pressed into a tank, then racked to Mueller stainless steel barrels for fermentation. Stirred the lees once, blocked malolactic fermentation and bottled with a light filtration. No doubt, this vintage of Pinot Blanc will brighten your day.

John L and Robert P

Photo by Skylark Wine: John L. and Robert P.

Analysis: 13.2% alcohol / volume
pH: 3.28 g/L
TA: 7.1
Aging: Whole cluster pressed and vinification in multiple stainless steel 75gl barrels
Harvested: Hand-picked
Vineyard: Orsi Vineyard
Cases Produced: 800

“To reflect our palates, the portfolio at Skylark includes crisp, flavorful, aromatic white wines and full-bodied, rich, spicy red wines. As we have long admired the beautiful white wines produced in Alsace and Austria, our Pinot Blanc is a California rendition of a classic European varietal.”

 

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Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc pairing recipe

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Open-Hills-Ranch_SB-bottle-render-300Silky_StickerOpen Hills Ranch
Sauvignon Blanc
Central Coast, CA

With so much terroir diversity in California, there’s a perfect place to grow nearly every kind of grape. In fact, you’ll find more than 100 varieties, giving  winemakers the latitude to create complex varietals and unique, expressive blends. Since the 1700’s, immigrants from all over the world have settled in California, bringing their vines and their skills with them. Hard-earned secrets of soil, climate and vine have been passed from generation to generation, providing California wine with its unique legacy and spectacular range. Always crisp and refreshing, California vintners like to put their own spin on this classic varietal, with flavors that range from vibrant lemongrass and herb, to tart green apple, round melon and fig. Enjoy this wine with oysters, gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce, or a dessert pastry.

DougFrost“Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t have to be grassy like so many New Zealand versions of the grape; California has been growing the grape for longer and offers a more elegant style. Instead of green beans or asparagus (as the Kiwis love it), this shows melons, citrus, white pepper, limes and a bit of lemongrass.”  – Doug Frost, Master Sommelier and Master of Wine.

Winemaking Team: Roxie Ward, Travis Proctor, Anna Clifford
Appellation: Central Coast, California
Varietal Blend:  100% Sauvgnon Blanc
Analysis: 14.3% alcohol / volume

mahiWood Fired Mahi

MAHI INGREDIENTS:
• Two, 8 oz pieces mahi
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS: Heat a medium sauté pan with 2 tbsp olive oil in a wood fire (an oven will work just fine). The smokiness adds a wonderful flavor. Meanwhile season mahi lightly with salt and pepper.  Place mahi gently in preheated pan and place back into oven for about 2 minutes. Check sear and flip once golden brown. Finish cooking in oven for about another 5-8 minutes. Remove and set aside.

LEMON BEURRE BLANC INGREDIENTS:
• 1 to 2 shallots, chopped fine
• 8 oz white wine
• 2 oz lemon juice
• 1 tbsp heavy cream
• 12 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
• Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS: Combine the shallots, white wine, and lemon juice in a non-reactive saucepan over high heat and reduce to 2 tbsp.  Add the cream to the reduction. Once the liquid bubbles, reduce the heat to low.  Add the butter, one cube at a time, whisking first on the heat and then off the heat. Continue whisking butter into the reduction until the mixture is fully emulsified and has reached a rich sauce consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

QUINOA: Cook about 1 ½ cups quinoa according to package instructions.

GRILL ASPARAGUS INGREDIENTS:
•  12 asparagus spears
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: Lightly rub asparagus with oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place asparagus on preheated grill and allow to cook until slightly charred.  To serve, place quinoa on plate, top with mahi, beurre blanc and arrange asparagus nicely around circumference of dish. Garnish with lemon wedge if desired. Recipe compliments of Chef Brian Reigle of Terravant Winery Restaurant.