The Ponte Winery Blog

Falling for Red Wines

What is it about cold weather that makes us want to break out the red wines that we’ve cellared away all summer?  For me, as soon as the farm stand switches from corn to brussels sprouts and chefs on television stop making gazpachos and start making stews, I mentally switch from whites and roses to deep, delicious red wines.  Comfort foods that make a come back in fall are generally warm, savory dishes that scream for something equally bold to drink.  There are exceptions to the rule, of course, and sometimes even the coolest of weather will have you reaching for a sauvignon blanc or dry rose, depending on what you are cooking.  For example, I couldn’t dream of drinking anything but white when I make chicken pot pie, a serious comfort food.  But, for the most part, I’m stocked with Cabernet’s, Zinfandels, Syrahs, Pinot Noirs and red blends from October through March.  Here are some of my favorite food and Ponte wine pairings for autumn and winter. 

Meatloaf and mashed potatoes with Zinfandel.  It doesn't get more comforting than this classic dish.   It needs an equally dense wine, or a good Zin with lots of spice and chewiness.

Beef Stew with Cabernet Sauvignon.  Cab and beef go together like peanut butter and jelly.  It doesn't get more satisfying than this. 

Blue Cheese Souffle with Syrah.  Syrah's spicy character and oaky bite beautifully match a souffle made with a good, strong blue like Roquefort or Danish Blue. 

Orocchiette pasta with brussels sprouts and bacon with Merlot.  A Merlot with a bit of smoke flavor or hickory notes is best with this dish. 

Pumpkin ravioli with brown butter and sage with Super Tuscan.  I always taste a good bit of herbs in this red wine, and I think that's why it works well with this dish.  For a white, I'd go with a buttery Chardonnay.

Roast Chicken with Dolcetto.  Roast chicken is my standby meal in the winter.  It never disappoints.  A medium-bodied red like Dolcetto is surprisingly good with poultry. 

Pasta with arrabiatta sauce and Sangiovese.  It's not so surprising that a classic Italian wine goes great with classic Italian food.  Sangiovese is wonderful with any tomato-based pasta dishes that you dream up.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Port.  Maybe it's the cinnamon.  Perhaps it's the raisins.  All I know is that happiness can be found in a warm batch of these cookies and a glass of Port.  

www.pontewinery.com 

 

October Featured Wines and Recipes

Recipes from Steve Stawinski

It's the end of summer.  You have two choices: lament the loss of long sunny days or celebrate the new season with some killer new recipes to pair with Ponte Winery's October featured wines.  This month, Wine Club members will receive the non-vintage Moscato and the brand new 2006 Sangiovese.  For each shipment, Executive Chef Steve Stawinski creates recipes that compliment each featured wine.  Here are his picks this month.

Avocado and Crab Baked Halibut--to serve with Moscato

Ingredients:

3 large avocados, chopped

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 small bunch cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper, to taste

6 ounces crab meat

1/4 cup mayonnaise

3 tsp cayenne pepper

2 scallions, finely sliced

4-6 ounce halibut filets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Combine first five ingredients, mixing well.  Adjust seasoning to your taste.  Set aside in refrigerator.  Combine the crab meat, mayonnaise, cayenne pepper and scallions, adding salt and pepper to your taste.  Set aside.  Season the halibut filets with salt and pepper.  In a medium heated saute pan lightly coated in olive oil, place the fish in carefully, giving them enough room for air to circulate between.  Cook on the bottom side one minute, then evenly spoon the crab mixture over the top of each filet.  Place pan in oven for approximately 12 minutes, or until the fish is opaque.  when the fish comes out of the oven, carefully add the avocado mixture to the top of each piece of fish and serve.  Serves 4.

Sauteed Calves Liver with Cipollinis and Mustard Mashed Potatoes--to serve with 2006 Sangiovese

Ingredients:

4-5 oz. calf liver slices

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

All purpose flour

Canola oil

1 lb. cipollini onions

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 large Yukon Gold potatoes

1/2 lb. butter, melted

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup whole grain mustard

Kosher salt and white pepper

Season the flour liberally with kosher salt and black pepper.  Dredge the liver in the seasoned flour.  Heat the oil in a saute pan.  Add the liver to the pan and cook on medium heat until browned.  Turn and repeat.  For the onions, bring a small pot of water to a simmer.  Cook the onions(with the peels on) in water for about 30 seconds.  Remove from the water and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Squeeze the onions gently to peel.  Melt the butter in a saute pan.  Add the peeled onions and cook on medium heat until tender and brown.  Serve on top of the liver.  Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.  Add to a pot of cold, salted water.  Boil until cooked through.  Drain the water.  In a mixing bowl combine the cooked potatoes, melted butter, half and half, and mustard.  Mash by hand or in a counter top mixer.  Season with salt and pepper.

Non-vintage Moscato:http://www.nexternal.com/ponte/Product644

2006 Sangiovese: http://www.nexternal.com/ponte/Product655

www.pontewinery.com

Opening Another Bottle of Ponte Medicine, by Claudio Ponte

by Claudio Ponte

I was about done with my annual Halloween article, when I got my hands on a very interesting article I  want to share with you. It’s not scary, but it will be gross, I promise.

It has been almost twenty years since CBS’ 60 minutes aired “The French Paradox” where it was reported that there was a correlation between drinking red wine and a lowering of heart disease. Subsequent research confirmed that drinking moderate amounts of wine is also good for your health and prolongs life. Since then, many scientists have tried to figure out the reason. I suppose they are trying to figure out which ingredient they can extract from the wine so they can sell you a pill. I say, just drink the wine. But I digress.

Dr. Josef Kanner of the University of Jerusalem has now discovered that the beneficial effects of wine apparently take place in the stomach. It has been known that red wine is rich in polyphenols, a group of powerful antioxidants that protect against cancer and heart disease by destroying molecules that damage cells. Just how this works was a mystery because the polyphenols do not travel from the stomach into the bloodstream. Logically, the answer might lie in the stomach itself. The digestion of high fat foods like red meat releases a nasty toxin called malondialdehide which is implicated in arteriosclerosis, cancer, diabetes and other serious diseases. Dr. Kanner suspected that red wine’s protective effect occurs when its polyphenols arrive in your tummy at the moment when the malondialdehide is being released by the digested fats thus preventing it from entering your bloodstream. Did I warn you it was going to get gross?

Here’s more: To prove the theory, Dr. Kanner fed a group of rats turkey meat and another group turkey meat mixed with red wine concentrate. (Yes, turkey meat releases plenty of malondialdehide in humans too). Two hours later he killed the rats, removed the stomachs and analyzed the contents. Ta da! The wine concentrate had reduced the malondialdehide. It also cut hydroperoxides, another oxidizing agent known to cause cell damage. His research also suggests the habit of eating fruit at the end of the meal is a healthy one. That being said, here is our prescription for a healthy meal: start with a glass of white wine for relaxation, followed by a light appetizer of nuts and cheeses. Enjoy the meat of your choice and vegetables washed down with plenty of red wine and end the meal with lots of ripe fruit. We hope to see you at the Smokehouse Restaurant where we will be happy to serve you a delicious and healthy meal with a bottle of your favorite Ponte medicine

Finding France at the Farmer's Market

Walking up to the farmers market on Saturday I found myself overwhelmed by the amount of summer  produce set before me.  What does a foodie like me do in such a situation? Why, overindulge, of course.  Summer’s fruits and vegetables don’t stick around long enough on the East coast to practice self control.  Unlike the West coast, precious local tomatoes and perfect green beans are available for only a few months and I’d been impatiently waiting all year for them to make an appearance at the market.  Soon, my arms were full of breads, tomatoes, corn, beans, herbs, peaches and figs and I waddled home to scour my food magazines and figure out what to do with my bounty. 

I came upon a recipe for Provencal Salad from an old copy of Gourmet Magazine that looked too good to pass up.  The following was inspired by, but is not an exact replica, of this recipe:

First make a dressing by combining ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1 large minced garlic clove, ½ teaspoon sugar and salt and pepper to taste.  Slowly whisk in 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil.  Set aside.  To make the salad, boil 1 pound of fresh purple beans (or green beans) for about 5 minutes so that they are cooked but still a bit crunchy.  Shock the beans in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and then put them in a large bowl.  In the same pot of boiling water, cook 1 ½ pounds of yellow and/or red potatoes that have been cut into 2 inch pieces.  Cook for about 10 minutes or until they are fork tender.  Drain and set aside in a separate bowl to cool.  When the beans and potatoes have cooled, combine the two and add 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, about a handful of drained capers and a handful of chopped parsley.  Drain 2 cans of tuna and flake over the salad.  Pour on the dressing and stir gently to combine.  Serve salad with chopped hard boiled eggs. 

I opened a bottle of chilled rose wine (my summer wine of choice) to serve with this dish—it was a pairing that made me slow down and savor every bite and consecutive sip.  The Ponte Fiorella, a dry rose wine inspired by the roses from France’s Bandol region, would be fantastic with this dish. Enjoy this recipe and, by all means, enjoy your local farmer’s market this summer.  Next week: I tackle a Korean-inspired dish.

www.pontewinery.com

Ponte Fiorella wine: http://www.nexternal.com/ponte/Product425

Keeping Cool at The Smokehouse

It must have been at least 90 degrees last Friday when a friend and I sat down to lunch at the Smokehouse Restaurant.  With its all-outdoor seating, the Smokehouse runs misters on days like this, a much appreciated gesture.  And once guests catch a glimpse of the unobstructed views of the mountains beyond the vineyards, they’re mighty glad they’re not sitting indoors.  Far from feeling like we were in an air-conditioned dining room, my friend and I were nevertheless pretty comfortable.   

As we sat and waited for our appetizer, we noshed on artisan rolls and the chef’s house-made scallion oil (worth the trip alone).  The Smokehouse is one of the best places I’ve been to as far as keeping me happily munching away before the first course arrives; along with the bread came a small bowl of olives and cornichons that were marinated in olive oil and fresh herbs.  Next, our waiter appeared with a tiny amuse-bouche of fried risotto cakes which were satisfyingly crisp and savory at the same time.  It’s worth noting that the amuse-bouche is reserved for Ponte Wine Club Members only—a nice little perk if you ask me. 

Next came the first food that we actually verbalized to the waiter—Stuffed Grape Leaves.  Bursting with jasmine rice and ground lamb, the grape leaves are rolled into a stout little cigar shape and topped with balsamic red pepper relish and mint oil.  The only problem I had with this dish was that I had to share them with my lunch date.  They were magnificent—the perfect combination of sweet, savory and tangy.  It took all my mental strength to not cancel my lunch order and request two more dishes of the Grape Leaves, but I’m glad I did not or I’d have missed the next two delicious dishes. 

My friend and I both ordered the chef’s daily soup, a spicy fruit gazpacho and farmer’s market salad.  Normally, I prefer a chunky gazpacho, but the Smokehouse’s gazpacho was pureed with a gorgeous strawberry and orange slice acting as the garnish.  The first spoonful of soup was like a farmer’s market had exploded in my mouth: I was amazed at the complexity of a dish that had been blended so thoroughly. I tasted fruits and vegetables and the distinct brightness of cilantro—my favorite herb (Chef Steve Stawinski gets brownie points for that alone).  As I swallowed, I felt a spiciness that just tickled the back of my throat, no doubt the result of some kind of chili pepper.  The heat of the pepper was offset by the coolness of the soup.  It was served chilled and acted like an instant cold pack on my soul, considering the temperature outside.  Outstanding. 

The farmer’s market salad is a dish in which the ingredients change daily according to whatever the chef finds at the local farms.  As our waiter set down our salads, he informed us that some of the ingredients had come from a farm just one road over from the restaurant.  On that afternoon, baby greens were tossed with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow wax beans and potatoes in a fat-free roasted red pepper Italian dressing.  Eating this salad was like taking a drink of cool water: the components were utterly fresh and flavorful. The wax beans were crispy and tasted so…green.  And the potatoes were a combination of yellow and purple and were the tiniest potatoes I’d ever seen, perfect for popping in your mouth and not filling up your stomach.  The dressing, albeit fat free, was light and just coated the baby greens with a hint of flavor.  

At the end of this lunch in the middle of summer, on a very hot day, I felt satisfied, not full, energized, not lethargic.  The Smokehouse gets what seasonal eating is all about: great ingredients crafted into really cool dishes.

The Smokehouse Restaurant is located at Ponte Winery and serves the full Ponte Wine List.  They are currently open for lunch daily and for dinner on Friday and Saturday.  Sunday brunch and dinner is served on Sundays.   Reservations can be made at www.pontewinery.com

A Taste of Ponte

Ponte Wine Club Members have a new reason to celebrate thier membership.  Starting on Saturday, August 2nd, members will have the chance to participate in A Taste of Ponte, a brand new food and wine pairing experience.  Guests at A Taste of Ponte will dine in the newly opened Reserve Room, an intimate structure that boasts an open patio and veranda overlooking Ponte's vineyards.  Parties will be seated and served "family-style", a common dining method in European countries where guests sit with their party as well as others to encourage socializing and meeting new friends.  The 3-course menus are designed by Steve Stawinski, Executive Chef at the Smokehouse Restaurant and change every weekend.  An advocate of seasonal, local ingredients, Chef Steve will choose his courses according to whatever is fresh and will also choose 6 Ponte wine tastings to accompany each dish. 

The entire dining experience will last two hours and will conclude with a "gondola ride" through the vineyards, hosted by a Ponte Winery associate, where guests can sip the last of their wine and take in incredible mountain and vineyard views. 

A Taste of Ponte will take place every Saturday and Sunday, starting on August 2nd.  There are two seatings every Saturday at 12:00 pm and 2:30 pm.  There is also one seating every Sunday at 1:30 pm. 

A Taste of Ponte is open to Ponte Wine Club Members only and is $35 per person. This price includes tax and gratuity.  Tickets must be purchased in advance on Ponte's website, by phone or in person at Ponte Winery.  To see Augusts menus, visit www.pontewinery.com or http://www.nexternal.com/ponte/Product649

Menu 1: August 2nd and 3rd

Starter: Chilled cucumber and melon soup with pink peppercorn and cilantro.  Paired with Graciela

Main Course: Roast pork tenderloin with red plum relish and herb couscous salad.  Paired with Dolcetto

Dessert: Grilled peach melba with tarragon-vanilla ice cream and micro mint.  Paired with Ariana

*Menus are subject to change

The Farmer in the 'Burgh

When I was young, I wanted to be a farmer.  While all the other kindergarteners were drawing pictures of themselves dressed in veterinarian coats and astronaut helmets, I was drawing myself in the middle of a dirt field surrounded by sprouting carrots and wearing overalls (my mom still has the artwork).  I am not sure why I have always felt an attraction to the earth—I was raised in

San Diego

(hardly farm country) by a non-farming family—but to this day I am fascinated with seasonal produce and can’t wait to have a garden of my own.  All week long I look forward to the Saturday morning farmers market, forgoing my chance to sleep in so that I can get the best of the best before it’s gone.  Farmers markets to me are jewel boxes; everywhere you look there are flashes of reds, greens, yellows, purples begging to be purchased and presented on your dinner table.  I tend to incorporate at least one item from the market in every dinner I make throughout the week, but last weekend I noticed a sign hung high over the market’s entrance: “Everything you need for your Saturday dinner.”  I decided to test that out that night and make a meal of market-only ingredients.  Everything that is bolded below denotes an item purchased from the farmers market. 

I found some beautiful candy-striped beets and roasted them in the oven until they were soft.  I then sliced them up and topped them with soft goat cheese, shallots, toasted walnuts, mixed baby greens, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  I also roasted sweet corn in the husk in the oven.  When it was done, I slathered it in chili-lime butter and salt.  On the side, I ate the beet greens from the candy-striped beets.  I washed them and sautéed them in some olive oil and garlic scapes.  Finally, I warmed up a couple slices of sourdough bread from the best baker in town who sells her goods at the farmers market every weekend. 

Overall, I give myself a B+ on this little project; as you can see, not every ingredient was from the market, but it all tasted really good.  And what did I drink with this feast?  Sauvignon Blanc. At Ponte, this is known as Fume Blanc.  What attracted me to this wine was Sauvignon Blanc’s reputation for being herbaceous and “green” tasting.  This, I thought, would be great with a vegetable-heavy meal.  My assumption was correct and dinner was quickly bumped up from a B+ to an A. 

www.pontewinery.com

Ponte Fume Blanc: http://www.nexternal.com/ponte/Product625

Cooking like Thomas Keller...Almost

During a trip to Napa Valley last winter I had the pleasure of dining at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon restaurant.  Arguably the best chef in the country, and to some, the world, Keller is also the man behind the infamous French Laundry restaurant--#1 on my list of places to dine at before I die—and Per Se restaurant in New York City.  If you’ve read my blogs, you know I’m a foodie.  And for most foodies, simply hearing the name, Thomas Keller, is enough to get the heart pumping a little faster.  Simply put, I was ecstatic about visiting Bouchon. 

The French-inspired Bouchon menu was a drool-inducing wonderland of French dishes—pates, French cheeses, charcuterie, seafood, foie gras, etc.  Always one to order dishes I would rarely make at home when I’m dining out, I selected the Truite Grenobloise or pan-roasted trout with hericots verts, lemon, capers and brown butter.  As soon as I took my first bite, I knew I’d want to re-create it a home and so I took a mental inventory of the ingredients. The fish utterly melted in my mouth and the brown butter offered a savory nuttiness to the dish.  The capers and lemon satisfied the tangy and salty element and the hericots verts were fresh and tasty, if not drenched in butter.  But, hey, that’s the French for you.  I believe, however, that all that butter was the culprit behind me being the fullest I’ve ever been after a meal…and maybe the profiterole I had for dessert had something to do with it.

Fast forward four months and I am at home in Pittsburgh.  FOB (friend of blogger, blogger being me) walks in the door with two freshly-caught trout in tow.  He begins spouting out ideas he has for dinner using the catch but I quickly retort, “Oh, no.  We are doing nothing with that trout if it doesn’t include brown butter, capers, lemon and green beans (unfortunately, haricot verts can be hard to find out here).”  FOB concedes. 

I suppose the moment I knew we were in for trouble is when FOB attempted to butterfly the trout so that it would lay flat.   Note to readers: if you plan on butterflying anything, use a very sharp knife.  We did not have a very sharp knife and so what should have been a few graceful, smooth slices became violent sawing motions, intertwined with some very colorful language.  When they finally were as flat as could be, I decided to de-bone the filets.  As luck would have it, I couldn’t find my trusty fish bone pliers.  Shrugging, I suggested we suck it up and cook as is; so what if we’d have to maneuver the pin bones out of our mouths in-between bites? 

The rest of the dish went off without a hitch; I browned the butter (although I did try to cut the amount down), added capers, lemon juice and tossed in blanched green beans and toasted bread crumbs.  When it came time to eat, we uncorked a bottle of chilled Ponte Fiorella and dug in.  Eating the dish was much more difficult than actually cooking it.  Every bite of fish contained a healthy number of pin bones and so chewing was a drawn-out process.  Halfway through mine, I dismissed all table manners and ran my fingers over the remaining trout in order to pick out the remaining bones, one by one.  FOB did not follow suit and his dinner was intertwined with more very colorful language as he attempted to avoid swallowing the sharp bones.  It was a long meal, and I must say, Keller’s heavily buttered version tasted much better than my own (as I knew it would). The wine was a success, however.  A dry rose, the Fiorella neither overpowered nor got lost in the flavors of the dish. 

So, I learned a couple of things here: one—rose wine is a knockout with fish.  Two—when you have an excellent meal created by one of the world’s greatest chefs, don’t try to equate yourself in their superhuman talent.  Just enjoy the memory.

*Photo note: The image at the top is Truite Grenobloise at Bouchon in Yountville, CA.  The image on the bottom is the dish re-created at home in Pittsburgh

www.pontewinery.com

Ponte Fiorella rose wine: http://www.nexternal.com/ponte/Product425

Mother's Day Brunch at Ponte

For the 5^th year in a row, Ponte Winery will host their ever-popular Mother’s Day Brunch, an event open to the entire family in celebration of Mom.  This years event will be held in the newly-modified Vineyard Pavilion which has been updated with atrium windows that offer breathtaking views of Ponte’s vineyards.  The special time spent with mom in a relaxing environment is always the star attraction at the Mother’s Day Brunch, but the wine-country inspired cuisine prepared by Executive Chef Steve Stawinski is never far behind.  In addition to the menu below, adults will enjoy Ponte wines, raspberry mimosas and peach bellinis.

Mother's Day Brunch Buffet Menu:

Breakfast Station

• Wine Country Omelet Bar, featuring black forest ham, bay shrimp, wild mushrooms, torpedo onions, spring garlic, heirloom tomato, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, sweet peppers, fresh herbs and jack cheese
• Crepes, with choices of meyer lemon glaze, strawberry-rhubarb glaze, maple syrup and triple orange sauce
• Scrambled eggs
• Applewood smoked bacon and turkey-apricot sausage
• Rustic roasted breakfast potatoes with thyme, garlic and chives
• Assorted breakfast pastries and bagels

Seafood Station

• House-smoked wild king salmon with lemon-dill creme fraiche, capers, red onion and grapefruit-vodka reduction
• Assorted seafood and sushi on ice with accompaniments
• Pan-seared ono with organic honey, mint and curry
• Aromatic basmati rice with dried cranberry and cilantro

Carving Station

• Roast leg of lamb with mint pesto
• Sugar cane baked ham with grainy mustard and creamy horseradish
• Slow-roasted prime rib au jus with creamy horseradish
• Roasted garlic and leek mashed potatoes

Vegetable Station

• Assorted baby and seasonal vegetables
• Ratatouille lasagna with tomato coulis and mascarpone cheese sauce
• Stuffed portobellini mushrooms with snow pea-spinach pesto
• Fava bean salad with seedless grapes, organic Italian onions, baby fennel, shaved parmesan cheese, fresh herbs and extra virgin olive oil
• Baby spring greens with candid walnuts, feta cheese, dried cranberries and balsamic vinaigrette
• Baby spinach salad with asparagus tips, roasted peppers, blue cheese, pine nuts and lemon thyme vinaigrette
• Fresh fruit display

Dessert Station

• Assorted cakes and mini pastries
• Peaches Grand Marnier with vanilla bean ice cream

Kids Station

• Macaroni and cheese
• Dinosaur chicken bites
• Pigs in a blanket
• Carrot and celery crudite with ranch dip

Tickets are $70 per person / $63 Ponte Wine Club price

$30 per child / $27 Wine Club child

Purchase tickets at www.pontewinery.com

J'aime le Souffle

Have you ever wandered through a lavender field in Provence?  Awoken with the sunrise on a warm Parisian morning and made your way through the great market, sampling the local fromage before toting still-warm baguettes home? Eaten in an off-the-beaten-path bistro where the cuisine is humble, rustic, but by far the most delectable meal you’ve had in your life?

Neither have I. But, oh, to dream.

I’ve been dreaming of returning to France ever since I left a 2-day vacation in the French Riviera during my studies abroad in college. At the time I wasn’t the foodie I am today and did not sample the local food and wine like all good foodies should do so I have pledged to return and make things right between me and France. Every year is “the year” that I’m going to do it but, alas, the years come and go with no stamp in my passport. So what do I do in the meantime? I cook.

This weekend I made my very first soufflé, a traditional cheese soufflé complete with a salad, bread and white wine, served in tiny tumblers rather than wine glasses. It was the closest I could come to a genuine French bistro. People are generally intimidated by the soufflé. “Don’t open that oven!” screams one cookbook. “You must serve it right away!” wails another. I certainly was afraid of them until I read an article about soufflés in which the author convinced me that there was nothing to be afraid of. A soufflé really only requires a few ingredients and a little patience.

The first step is to make a béchamel sauce which is butter and flour cooked together until foamy and whisked together with warm milk. Seasoning is then added. In my case, it was salt, paprika and nutmeg. Off the heat, egg yolks are added, one at a time. While this is cooling, it’s time to work on the egg whites. With an electric mixer (or in my case, a hand, a whisk and a bowl), the egg whites are beaten until stiff peaks form. In stages, the egg whites are folded into the cooled soufflé base. Lastly, your flavoring is added, i.e. cheese or whatever kind of soufflé you are making. I used gruyere cheese. The mixture is poured into a soufflé dish that has been coated with butter and parmesan cheese. The dish then goes into a 375 degree oven for about 25 to 30 minutes. And, yes, you do need to keep that oven door closed. In the meantime, do like I did and make the salad, slice the bread, open the wine (Pinot Grigio in my case) and set the table. With the 10 minutes that remain before the soufflé is done, again, do like I did and plant a chair in front of the oven and stare at the soufflé that is puff, puff, puffing up higher and higher. After it’s removed from the oven, you can take pictures of it, like I did, or serve it up.

The moment you take your first bite of the fluffy, cloud-like wonderfood, you instantly know it’s a dish you will make over and over again. The eggs melt in your mouth and the cheese is so uniform, it’s almost like it’s been vaporized into the soufflé. And the Pinot Grigio was such a wonderful accompaniment; light, fruity and not overwhelming at all. It enhanced the simple, delicate flavors of the soufflé beautifully. So, if you can’t make it to France this year, trust in your cooking skills and make a soufflé. It’s not an equal substitute but it sure tastes good.

www.pontewinery.com

Ponte Pinot Grigio: http://www.nexternal.com/ponte/Product610