The Wine & Food Society of Oregon, Inc.

Favorite Recipes for Wine Enthusiasts

Jim Galbraith, Membership Chair 

The Wine and Food Society of Oregon’s mission is “to enjoy, heighten appreciation and increase knowledge of superior wines and foods.”  Since cooking with wine and pairing the perfect wines with great meals are enjoyed by many of our members, what better venue to share our favorite wine recipes than in our own WFSO Newsletter? 

For those members who have recipes or cooking tips to share, please forward no more than one each month to our Newsletter Editor, Dawn Foster for inclusion in the next issue.  Depending on the quantity received, your recipe may appear in a subsequent issue.  You can submit recipes you’ve created yourself, ones you’ve obtained from another source and enhanced with your own culinary twist, or recipes from published sources (please note to cite the source to avoid potential copyright infractions).  With each submission, include a brief description of how you came about the recipe and what food and wine pairings you enjoy. 

Recipe Index (Click to Read):  Cannele     Pinot Noir Sauce  Bleu Cheese Sauce Ceviche Summer Salad

For future recipe submissions 

Favorite Recipes for Wine Enthusiasts 

Since cooking with wine and pairing the perfect wines with great meals are enjoyed by many of our members, we invite you to share your favorite recipes with our other wine and food enthusiasts. 

Submission:  Please forward no more than one each month to our Newsletter Editor, Dawn Foster for inclusion in the next issue.  Depending on the quantity received, your recipe may appear in a subsequent issue.  You can submit recipes you’ve created yourself, ones you’ve obtained from another source and enhanced with your own culinary twist, or recipes from published sources (please note to cite the source to avoid potential copyright infractions).  With each submission, include a brief description of how you came about the recipe and what food and wine pairings you enjoy. 

Recipe Title

Submitted by [Member Name] 

[Intro paragraph provided by member regarding the recipe.] 

[Recipe]

Ceviche Summer Salad

Submitted by Jim Atwood and Dana Miller

We have taken a few cooking classes from a great little Mexican restaurant located at 2135 SE Division. It’s run by a husband and wife team and is called Nuestra Cocina, telephone (503)232-2135.  One of the easiest, most tasty dishes we have learned to make is Cerviche Summer Salad (Salad of Fresh Fish Strips in Fresh Limejuice and Chili with a Jicama, Cucumber, and Mango Salad).  It’s a little spicy. We like it on a hot evening with well-chilled Champagne, Sauvignon Blanc, or beer. (We know that Pat Kimmer, Jim Galbraith, and us aren't the only "chefs" in the WFSO, so dig into your favorite recipes that pair up great food with wines or are made with wine and share them with our members!)

1½ lbs. Very Fresh Patrale Sole or other rockfish (we usually use Red Snapper)

½ Cup Fresh Squeezed Limejuice

2 Tbls. Chili Arbol toasted and ground

1 ea. Jicama

2 ea. Cucumbers

2 ea. Mangos

Salad:             In a mixing bowl dress Jicama, Cucumber and Mango with a little lime and salt.

Cerviche:        Slice 2 oz. – 4oz. per person of fish into strips about ¼” thick.                                           Salt and cure fish strips in limejuice for a couple of minutes (until translucent).             Season with the Chili.

To Plate:         Mound the salad in the middle of the plate and surround with the fish slices.                                      Serve as-is or with chips on the side.  Terrific cool treat on hot summer evenings.

Bleu Cheese Sauce

Submitted by Jim Galbraith

I can't recall the name of the restaurant, but their special of the evening was a flatiron steak served with bleu cheese sauce and au gratin potatoes.  I always enjoyed a salad with bleu cheese or Roquefort dressing when ordering a steak, so I thought the combination would be great and the flavor combination was  incredible!   When paired with a great Cabernet Sauvignon, my mouth was in Heaven.  Over the next few months I had difficulty locating a comparable recipe but a just happened to have a recipe for bleu cheese sauce used when barbequing flank steak.  I later tried it with a flatiron steak paired with steamed broccolini, twice-baked potatoes and a 2003 Rodney Strong Cabernet from Alexander Valley and...wow!  If you've never had this with steak and enjoy the tart flavor of a great bleu cheese, I highly recommend trying this!  (I know that Pat Kimmer and I aren't the only "chefs" in the WFSO, so dig into your favorite recipes that pare great with wines or are made with wine and share them with our members!) 

1/4 pound bleu cheese (solid or crumbled)

4 Tbls softened butter

1 clove garlic

Cayenne pepper (pinch)

2 Tbls brandy 

Blend first four ingredients together with a fork and then blend in the brandy.  During the last four to five minutes of barbequing, spread bleu cheese mixture over the top of the meat.  Place the cover over the grill and allow the sauce to melt into the meat.  Remove from the grill and let sit for 5 minutes prior to carving or serving to help seal in the juices.  This sauce is best used with flank or flatiron steak, beef tenderloin, filet mignon or rib eye.  (Note recipe makes enough to cover one large flank steak.  This recipe can also be used as a spread for French bread toasted under the broiler.)

Cannele ( French Cakes)

Submitted by Pat Kimmer

I thought it was only fitting to include in this newsletter a recipe for Canneles (kah-nuh-les) as they were a sweet little highlight of our trip to Bordeaux.  These little moist cakes started showing up everywhere in the Bordeaux region and in our vans and picnics.  We learned why while touring the Bordeaux wineries.  Most of the Bordeaux wineries go through a process of “fining”.  This is where egg whites are put into the barrels so that the sediments can attach to it and then later be removed through a process called “racking”.  We learned as much as 5 or 6 whites may be added to each barrel so naturally the question came up as to what do they do with all of the egg yolks.  The French Patisseries make Canneles out of them!   They get their name from the “fluted” baking molds and were first made by nuns in a monastery in Bordeaux.  They are very scrumptious little bites perfect for a snack or light dessert and go very well with a sip of sauterne or other wine of preference.  While I have not yet made these, I plan to even though I passed up buying the little copper molds at the gift shop at Chateau Haut Bailly when we were visiting there.  Lacking the real cannele molds, you can use other small cooking molds or the new silicone molds.  Perhaps Canneles will show up at the next WFSO Board Meeting!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk                                                          2 large whole eggs

2 additional large egg yolks                                             1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla paste                    

1-3 tablespoons dark rum (your pref.)                             3 cups confectioners’ sugar (or 1 cup regular sugar)

1 cup all-purpose sifted flour                                          ½ stick of butter           

Lemon zest (optional)               

Combine the milk, butter and vanilla in a saucepan.  If you are using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the milk and throw in the bean.   Bring to a boil and then remove immediately.  Cover and let cool (20-60 minutes).  If you used the vanilla bean, strain the mixture before continuing.  Beat the eggs and yolks (not foamy) and then the sifted sugar and flour and cooled milk and then the rum. Whisk until you have a smooth (crepe-like) mixture.  Cover and put in the refrigerator for 24 hours (48 hours maximum).  When you are ready to bake the cakes, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray molds with cooking oil or brush heavily with clarified butter and if desired sprinkle a coating of sugar. The traditional recipe actually uses edible beeswax to coat the molds first.  I decided to skip that option and go with the butter and sugar but I also read the beeswax lined tasted best so if you can find the beeswax go for it.  If you are using silicone molds place on a baking sheet before filling and don’t butter.  Whisk the refrigerated batter a little and then fill molds ¾ full with the batter.  For metal molds I would place them on a lined rimmed baking sheet in case the butter spills over.  Bake until puffy and dark brown about 40-45 minutes depending on your oven.  Remove from oven and invert and carefully unmold the cakes.   They are best eaten fresh as the outside should be crisp but the inside moist.  Waiting will cause the crust to become less crisp.  

I read several recipes before combining to make my own – trying to add all the tips I read. They sound like they can be tricky so may involve some experimentation with your own oven temperatures and timing and flavor and texture preferences.

To start things off, I’m providing one of my favorite Pinot Noir sauce recipes that goes very well served over grilled beef tenderloin or filet mignon.  I had found a basic “red wine sauce” recipe in Bon Appétit, chose to use Pinot Noir, and  added mushrooms and Tarragon.  Enjoy!

 Pinot Noir Sauce w/Mushrooms & Tarragon

Submitted by Jim Galbraith

¼ cup butter                                                                       ¼ cup Pinot Noir

¼ cup minced green onions                                                 1 ¼ cups beef stock or canned broth

½ lb fresh mushrooms, sliced                                              1 ½ Tbls cornstarch

1 Tbls minced fresh Tarragon (or 1 tsp dried)                       salt to taste

Melt butter in skillet over medium-low heat.  Add onions and sauté 1 minute.  Add mushrooms, tarragon, and salt.  Increase heat to medium, cover and cook until mushrooms release juices, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.  Add wine and bring to a boil.  Reduce to medium-high and continue cooking until liquid is reduced by 2/3rds, stirring occasionally, about 4-5 minutes or less.  Mix in 1 cup of beef stock.

Stir cornstarch with remaining ¼ cup beef stock in a small bowl.  Stir mixture into mushroom sauce and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.  Note that sauce will thicken as it stops cooking and begins to cool.  Spoon sauce over beef and serve, or provide as a side.  This should provide enough sauce for 2 lbs of beef, serving 4.

Paired with your favorite side dish and a nice Pinot Noir, and you’re ready to go!