Alpine Meadows Food & Wine Pairing Event

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to pair Walla Walla wines and grapes with simple, yet scrumptious tapas dishes, many featured here on the blog over the past few years.

With six courses, a beautiful evening with a lovely 9-hole golf course in Wallowa County as the setting, amazing help from a handful of people I can’t thank enough, the evening went off better than I could have expected.

As I promised on Friday’s post The Weekend, below is the menu with links to each of the recipes and wines. All images were taken by Allison Cornett who kindly captured all of the photos for the event.

Voilà!

 

~First Course~

Savory Palmiers with comté and Dijon mustard

paired with

Blacksmith 2011 Chardonnay

~Second Course~

Sugar Snap Peas with Pancetta and Parmesan

paired with

Robison Ranch Cellars’ 2012 Rosé of Merlot

~Third Course~

Roasted Shrimp Salad on Bruschetta

paired with

Charles Smith’s K Vinters’ 2012 Viognier

~Fourth Course~

Caprese Bruschetta with Gianni’s Balsamic Vinegar drizzle

paired with

Flying Trout 2011 Torrontes

~Fifth Course~

Rachel Khoo’s Brochettes au Coq au Vin (find the recipe in her book The Little Paris Kitchen: 120 Simple But Classic French Recipes)

paired with

Tero Estates 2009 Windrow

  ~photo credit: Food Republic~

~Sixth Course~

Arrowhead Chocolates’ Dark Chocolate Truffle

paired with

Angel Vine 2008 Zinfandel

Bon appétit!

~After all of the food and wine have been enjoyed and the evening has wrapped up.~

 

~A Special Thank You to Jary and Shane Homan (Jary is seen below in the center), Bill and Judy Ables and the Alpine Meadows Golf Course for making this event possible and a tremendous success.

~all images captured by Allison Cornett, except (1) and (7) & (8)

Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Crunch and Flavor

In preparation for an upcoming food and wine pairing event, I found a recipe I had saved by Barefoot Contessa. A simple vegetable salad made with sugar snap peas, a savory champagne vinaigrette topped with the crunch of pancetta and shavings of parmesan – the perfect pairing with ham or pork loin or to be enjoyed on its own with a glass of wine (I chose K Vintner’s 2012 Viognier located in the Walla Walla Valley).

Snap Peas with Pancetta and Parmesan
courtesy of Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound pancetta, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place the pancetta slices on a baking rack set in a sheet pan and roast for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, bring 2 to 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Fill a large bowl with ice water and have a sieve or colander ready in the sink. Put the snap peas into the boiling water for only 10 or 15 seconds, drain, and put immediately into the ice water. Cool completely and drain. Cut each snap pea in half lengthwise and place in a large bowl.
4. Place the snap peas in a large bowl and add the red onion.
   To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Pour enough vinaigrette on the snap peas to moisten. Crumble the pancetta over the salad and add 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Add the Parmesan and toss well.