Plum & Late Harvest Zinfandel Crostata

8" Crostata

1 ¼ Cups Flour
1 ½ Tsp. coarse Salt
½ Tsp. Granulated Sugar
1 Stick Cold Butter - Unsalted and cubed
2 Ice Water
1 ½ Cups Harvest Moon Late Harvest Estate Zinfandel 2007
1 ¼ Cups Brown Sugar - packed
½ Chili Powder ( optional ) I used this :)
2 Lbs. Plums - any kind you want, halved and pitted
(optional - I peeled some of the skin on 1/4 of them )
¼ Cup Cornstarch
¼ Tsp. Cinnamon
¼ Tsp. Heavy Cream for brushing on Crust

Sanding Sugar, for the Crust

1. Pulse flour, 1/2 Tsp. Salt and Granulated Sugar in food processor.
2. Add Butter, pulse until mixture looks like coarse meal. With machine running add ice water until dough comes together.
3. Shape into a disk shape, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8” thickness.
5. Fit into a 8” pie dish, leaving at least 1” overhang. ( I used a spring form pan lined with parchment instead of a pie dish.)
6. Freeze up to 15 minutes - remove from freezer as soon as the Wine Syrup is almost done, this gives the pie crust time to unfreeze a bit.
7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
8. Simmer Late Harvest wine & half cup brown sugar in sauce pan over medium heat until reduced to a ½ cup syrup; about 25 minutes.( Add chili now –if using)
9. Remove from heat and cover to cool – 10 or less ( It thickens fast so watch it closely.)
10. Stir together remaining ¾ cup brown sugar and 1 tsp. Salt, Plums, Cornstarch, Cinnamon and Wine reduction syrup.
11. Pour into Pie shell & fold over the overhang crust, brush with cream and sprinkle with Sanding Sugar.
12. Bake for 30 Minutes: reduce oven to 374 degrees and bake until a rich golden brown color and the center is bubbling, about 1 Hour – 1 ½ hours more - depending on the oven.
13. Let Cool !

recipe courtesy of Jeanette Matteucci

Grilled Peaches or Pears glazed with "Ice-Style" Dessert Gewurztraminer

Take 2 peaches, preferably white, cut in half and remove the pit. Place on the BBQ grill, pit-side down, for three minutes. If you don't have a grill, you may place the peaches in a saute pan on the cooktop for three minutes over medium heat. Pour a small amount of Dessert Gewurztraminer in the pan and reduce the liquid during the three minutes.

Remove from the grill or saute pan and place in a serving dish. Pour Dessert Gewurztraminer over the peaches and serve with a little Vanilla Ice Cream or Crème Fraîche.

Alternatives:
Substitute the peaches with pears.
Take a 1-inch piece of poundcake and grill over low heat until lightly brown. Place in the serving dish and then add the grilled fruit. Pour Dessert Gewurztraminer over the fruit and serve with a little Vanilla Ice Cream or Crème Fraîche.


Recipe courtesy of Susan Dusterhoft

Harvest Salad

Fresh Spinach, Mixed Greens or Arugula
Baby Greens
Candied Walnuts or Pecans
Dried Cranberries or Cherries
Bleu Cheese

Dressing: Estate Olive Oil or Late Harvest Zinfandel Wine

Pairing: Russian River Valley Zinfandel

Blend enough fresh spinach with baby greens to feed your guests. Add candied walnuts or pecans and the dried cranberries or cherries. Crumble bleu cheese over the top. Pour either our Estate Olive Oil or if you are feeling adventuress our Late Harvest Zinfandel Wine directly over the salad and toss. Watch your guests gobble it up and ask for more.

Recipe courtesy of Corks Restaurant Forestville, CA

Muskrat Meat Loaf

1 1/2 lbs ground muskrat
Water
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. salt
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 cup dry crumbs
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup evaporated milk
1/4 minced or grated onion

Soak muskrat overnight in salted water (1 tbsp. salt to 1 qt. water). Drain, remove meat from bones, and grind. Mix ground meat thoroughly with other ingredients. Place in meat loaf dish. Place dish in pan containing hot water. Bake in moderate oven at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 - 2 hours.

Serves 6-8.

Creamy Artichoke Dip

Pairing: Zin, Pinot or Dry Gewurz, I've paired it all!

1 can (14 oz.) Artichoke Hearts, drained & chopped
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.

Variations on this recipe:

Add 1 package of frozen Spinach, thawed & squeezed dry for Spinach & Artichoke Dip.
Add 1 can of Crabmeat, drained & flaked for Seafood Artichoke Dip.
Add 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup roasted Red Peppers, drained & chopped for Italian Artichoke Dip.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ferro

Crab & Cauliflower Bisque

Pairing: Dry Gewurz anyone? Sparkling or still, no matter; although a young RRV Zin with tons of acidity would also taste yum...

Stock:
1 whole crab
1 onion
2 carrots
4-6 leafy stalks of celery
1 bay leaf
1 bunch thyme
2 bottles Harvest Moon Gewurztraminer (one for the soup, one for the table)

Clean and crack, and pick the crab, reserving shells and meat separately. Roast the shells in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove and place in pot with 1 bottle of Gewurztraminer, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf and thyme. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain and reserve crab stock for soup base.

Soup:
Herb sachet (tied in cheese cloth)
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs of thyme
1 tsp celery seed
1 tbsp black peppercorns
Cayenne pepper
salt
juice & zest of 1 lemon
1 head cauliflower, trimmed & cut into flowerettes
1 onion sliced
3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp butter
1 pint cream
1 pint milk
1 pint crab stock ( see below)

Melt butter in a large pot, add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cauliflower, cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the cream, milk, crab stick and herb sachet. Bring to a simmer and cook until cauliflower is tender; approximately 1 hour. Remove from heat, discard the herb sachet and blend soup until smooth. Before serving, add the reserved crab and season to taste with salt, Cayenne pepper, lemon juice and zest.

Recipe courtesy of Mary McGraw

Mushroom Tarts

Pairing: This is a dish that we found is really enhanced with an aged Harvest Moon Pinot Noir.

24 Slices of thin white bread (sandwich bread works best)
2 Tbsp. melted butter
3 Tbsp. minced shallots
1/4 cup butter
1/2 Lb. Fresh mushroom, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Cup heavy cream
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced chives
1 Tbsp. minced parsley
1/2 Tsp. salt
1/8 Tsp. cayenne pepper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut a 3 inch round from each bread slice. Brush insides of 2 inch muffin tins with butter. Gently fit bread rounds into molds. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Sauté shallots in butter in skillet for 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms and simmer uncovered until all liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat & stir in flour. Stirring constantly, pour cream into mixture. Return to heat & bring to boil, cook until mixture thickens.
Remove from heat, stir in remaining ingredients. Spoon mixture into shells & if necessary, freeze. Thaw completely before baking. Sprinkle mixture with parmesan cheese & parsley.
Dot with butter. Bake 10 minutes. Pop under broiler to brown.

Note: Don’t let the recipe fool you, it’s great with Zin!

Recipe courtesy of Ginny Pitts