Wine and Food Pairings: Fish Florentine

Wine and Food Pairing: Fish Florentine

Try this delicious fish with our 2021 Pinot Gris!

 

Fish Florentine

(adapted from Half Baked Harvest)

• 4 (5-6oz) white fish fillets such as mahi-mahi, sea bass, tilapia, or halibut
• 1/2 cup flour of your choice
• 2 tbls extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbls salted butter
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
• 1 1/2 c cherry tomatoes
• 2 tbls fresh thyme leaves
• crushed red pepper flakes
• 3/4 c milk of your choice
• 2 oz cream cheese, cubed
• 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 c baby spinach, roughly chopped
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbls chopped fresh parsley

 

1. Pat the fish dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Dip the fish into the flour to coat on both sides.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the fish and cook until lightly browned on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the fish to a plate. 

3. To the same skillet over medium heat, add the butter, shallots, garlic, tomatoes, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, the milk, and cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the Parmesan and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted, 3 to 5 minutes more. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Slide the fish back into the sauce, and cook until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. 

4. To serve, divide the fish among plates and spoon the sauce over the top. 

Wine and Food Pairings: Caramelized Leek Pasta

The perfect date night dinner! Make it a date activity by making homemade pasta, or surprise your date with this creamy and delicious pasta dish. The perfect pair for our Classic Chardonnay

 

Caramelized Leek Pasta

adapted from Justine Doiron

INGREDIENTS

2 large leeks very well cleaned

Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons salted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk of choice I used almond milk, but any you have on hand will work

Freshly ground black pepper

16 ounces dried spaghetti

1/2 lemon for juicing

1 ounce fresh parmesan for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Remove the green tops of the leeks from the white bottoms. Using long, careful cuts, slice the green parts of the leeks lengthwise, creating long green strips that are similar in size and shape to spaghetti noodles. Set these aside.

Halve the white parts of the leeks and thinly slice them crosswise into half-moon pieces. Set aside.

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Prepare a bath of ice water to the side. Liberally season the water with salt and submerge the green parts of the leeks into the water for 30 seconds to a minute, or until they are softened and bright green. Transfer them directly into the ice bath and remove the heat from the water, but leave the pot on the stove.

Set a large sauté pan on the burner next to the pot and bring it to medium heat. Add a glug of olive oil (about 3 tablespoons). Let this heat up before adding the white parts of the leeks. Season with salt and add a tablespoon of butter. Stir to melt the butter and combine.

Cook down the white parts of the leeks for 15-25 minutes, quickly "caramelizing" them (true caramelization would take 45-60 minutes, but this is our quicker version!).

Bring the pot of water that blanched the green parts of the leeks back to a boil. Add in the spaghetti and cook for 7-8 minutes, or until al dente.

While the pasta is boiling, move the caramelized leeks to the side of the pan. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour. Stir into a paste.

Gradually add the milk into the pan, using about 1/3 cup at a time, stirring for 30 seconds until it has combined with the butter and flour, and repeating until a smooth sauce forms. Swirl this together with the caramelized leeks. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
When the pasta is ready, use tongs to transfer it right into the creamy sauce. Add splashes of pasta water to help everything emulsify.

Drain and squeeze out any excess moisture from the green parts of the leeks, and add them to the pasta. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir until everything is combined.

Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve and top with parmesan cheese.

Wine and Food Pairings: Winter Pavlova

Pair this light and citrusy dessert with our Traditional Method Zweigelt or any of your favorite sparkling wines!

 

 

WINTER PAVLOVA

 Author: Baker Street Society

 
Prep Time: 60 minutes
 
Cook Time: 90 minutes
 
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
 
Yield: 10 servings 1x
 
Category: Cake

INGREDIENTS

 

For the Winter Pavlova

230 grams egg whites (about 7 egg whites)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
310 grams superfine sugar*
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp lemon juice

For the Orange Cream

(237 ml) heavy cream, chilled (1 cup)
Zest of 1 orange
4 oz mascarpone cheese

For the Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

273 ml water (1 1//2 cups)
250 grams sugar (1 1/4 cups)
6 oz cranberries
Pomegranate arils of 1 pomegranate

Pavlova Toppings

Sugared Cranberries
Pomegranate arils

INSTRUCTIONS

1.Preheat oven to 300 and prepare 1 half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Draw an 8 inch circle on the parchment, then flip the parchment over so the pencil side is down on the half sheet pan.

2. Next, clean your mixing bowl and whisk with some vinegar or lemon juice to get rid of any oils.

3. Add the room temperature egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt to the mixing bowl and mix on speed 4 for a 10 speed mixer. 

4. Once soft peaks form, begin adding the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time every 30-60 seconds. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl 4-5 times when adding the sugar so that all of the sugar gets mixed in. If any sugar remains undissolved, this will cause the mini lemon pavlovas to weep.

5. Mix on speed 4 until stiff peaks form, which takes about 25-35 minutes from start to finish. To test for stiff peaks, lift the whisk attachment out of the bowl and see if the pavlova meringue stands up straight. If not, mix longer until stiff peaks.

6.Add the cornstarch and lemon juice and mix for about 30 seconds.

7. Spoon the meringue onto the parchment in the circle, keeping it high.

8. Gently spread the meringue out to fill the circle and make upward furrows around the sides so that it helps the meringue to rise up and not outward.

9. Make the top of the pavlova flat or slightly like a bowl.

10. Place the pavlova in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 250 degrees. Bake for 90 minutes, then turn the oven off, and let the pavlova rest in the oven for at least 6 hours or overnight.

11. Do NOT open the oven for any reason once the pavlova is in the oven, otherwise it can deflate. Keep the oven closed until the pavlova has baked and cooled completely.

You can make the pavlova a day ahead store it in an airtight container without the toppings, but it is best eaten within 1-2 days.

To Make the Orange Cream

1. Whip heavy cream until medium stiff peaks form. Add orange zest and mascarpone and mix for 30 seconds.

To Make the Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a medium pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until berries easily break down when pressed with the back of a spoon.

2. Press sauce through a fine mesh strainer to leave pomegranate seeds and cranberry skins behind.

3. Refrigerate for at least two hours before pouring onto pavlova.

To Assemble the Winter Pavlova

Top the pavlova with orange cream, cranberry pomegranate sauce, fresh pomegranate arils, sugared cranberries, and gingerbread cookies (optional). Add toppings right before serving or within an hour of serving. 
Don’t add toppings far in advance, as the toppings make the pavlova dissolve some from the added moisture.

NOTES

*If you don’t have superfine sugar, pulse granulated sugar in a blender until fine and powdery.