Monday, Mar. 01, 2004

Roussanne Pairings

By Eric Degerman

Two chefs pair dishes with Sawtooth Winery's 2001 Roussane

Sawtooth Winery's 2001 Roussanne, Idaho

In each issue, Wine Press Northwest sends a bottle of Northwest wine to two chefs and asks them to match a recipe to it. In this issue, we saved one of our favorite whites from the 2003 Recent Releases tastings - Sawtooth Winery's 2001 Idaho Roussanne.

The vineyard is Sawtooth's own near Nampa, Idaho. The grapes were harvested by hand and whole berry pressed, then racked to 2-year-old French oak barrels and aged on the lees for five months. Its release came in the fall of 2002, with 280 cases produced.

Tom Doughty, sommelier at C Restaurant in Vancouver, B.C., noted its beautiful golden straw color with aromas of pink grapefruit, white peach and honeysuckle, followed by a rich, creamy mouthfeel of citrus, honey and baked pear. He also credited winemaker Brad Pintler for its long finish, balanced alcohol and sufficient acidity. "Overall, it's a delightful and well-made wine," Doughty said.

Doughty so enjoyed the wine, he immediately looked into ordering a case.

Eses Bistro, Post Falls, Idaho

Eses Bistro only holds a dozen or so tables, which made the laser-etched, hand-painted double magnum of Maryhill Winery's 2000 Syrah stand out.

There was no way to miss the gift, a newly released

3-liter limited edition, as it sat proudly displayed on the counter space between the bar and the kitchen in the tiny Post Falls, Idaho, restaurant.

"Isn't that neat?" Sharon Secchiaroli said of the bottle, signed by owners Craig and Vicki Leuthold, who were longtime residents in nearby Spokane. "I think they do a phenomenal job down there."

Secchiaroli, 45, was one of Maryhill's early supporters when she started Eses Bistro in 2001. The Columbia Gorge winery's award-winning Zinfandel, Portteus Winery's Sangiovese and Sagelands Vineyards' Merlot fit in well with her pasta-based, Italian-themed menu.

"I enjoy cooking and creating dishes based on that," she said. "That was pretty much my background. I was cooking since I was 10 and cooking for a family of 10. I was always begging to be let in the kitchen. And I was back East a lot, in New York. I like the thought of the whole family coming to the table and it's full of food of all different sorts."

That sense of family runs deep at Eses Bistro, which she also refers to as The Gathering Place.

Her two oldest sons, Denis, 22, and Derek, 21, who worked with her in the restaurant at Twin Lakes Village, helped her open Eses Bistro and served as the chefs until last fall. She's promoted from within and still works the floor, but Secchiaroli, who creates the menu, ends up in the kitchen "all the time," she said with a laugh. Another son, Richie, 14, and daughter Gianna, 13, get enlisted occasionally as a server, dishwasher or cashier.

Secchiaroli, who moved her family to Idaho in 1997 "not knowing a soul," admits that she's just now breathing a bit more confidently in regards to Eses, which is a play on her initials - S.S. The bistro is on the ground floor of a two-story strip mall just north of Interstate 90 on the eastern fringe of Post Falls.

"We were out in the middle of nowhere," Secchiaroli said. "We were out here way too soon before any activity was going on. We had no road. Sometimes, we didn't even have use of our parking lot. We knew that the Wal-Mart was going in, but 9/11 changed everything."

Another factor is that much of the Idaho Panhandle is struggling to build a reputation for fine dining.

"Even something like fresh vegetables and the pasta, people aren't as apt to try that as they would the old standbys," she said. "Most of my clientele is from Spokane. They are a little more adventuresome."

That fan base also attends her winemaker dinners, which have included Maryhill and Robert Karl Cellars, with Pend d'Oreille Winery to be featured next.

"I always fill up those dinners," Secchiaroli said. "I'll cut them off at the first 32, but somehow I'll end up with 40."

She also offers wine tastings, usually the second Wednesday of each month. Lunch is served six days, with dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

"The only day we're closed is Sunday," she said. "I go to church, do laundry and try to rest, but all that downtime is spent with my kids, even though I'm always dragging them in here."

The combination of her vivacious attitude, dependability and delectable food have helped her to also establish a thriving catering business, which allows her to expand upon her creativity when putting on a spread for 450 folks.

"It is a lot of work, but I enjoy it," Secchiaroli said. "I enjoy the relationships I have with all the people I deal with. It began as a family thing, and I have the same employees that I started with. It all just kind of works."

Her creation for the Match Maker really works well with the Sawtooth 2001 Roussanne.

"There was this moist earthiness to the wine, and I thought about trying it with some game," she said. "I like duck and think it is a little bit stronger in flavor than quail. The red chili pepper flakes give it some kick at the end, and the wine has a nice finish to back up that kick."

Duck-filled Ravioli with Red Chili Pepper Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients

For Filling

8 ounces duck meat, cut into 1-inch cubes except for 1 ounce cut into 1-inch strips and reserved for sauce

8 ounces chicken thigh meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1⁄2 teaspoons white pepper

1 egg

1 cup heavy cream

For Sauce

2 tablespoons red pepper flakes

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons, plus 2 tablespoons butter

4 plum tomatoes

2 roasted red bell peppers, seeded and diced

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup cream

Salt and pepper to taste

For Ravioli

8 sheets of frozen flat lasagne pasta

3 eggs

Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Directions

Make Filling:

- Place bowl and blade of food processor in freezer until thoroughly chilled. This will help keep the mixture from sticking.

- Add duck meat and chicken meat, parsley, salt and pepper to processor. Grind to chopped.

- Add egg. Process to purée.

- Add cream. Set aside in refrigerator.

Make Sauce:

- Sauté chili flakes and garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter, being careful not to brown the garlic.

- Add tomatoes and bell pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes.

- Add stock, boil then reduce by half.

- Add the cream. Bring to boil and slightly reduce. Then push through a strainer.

- Brown the duck meat strips in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook to medium rare then add to sauce. Keep sauce on very low heat until ready to use.

Make Ravioli:

- Let the lasagne sheets warm up to room temperature.

- Create egg wash by whisking the 3 eggs. Do not add water. Brush on dough. "Think of the egg wash as a glue," Secchiaroli said.

- Use a cookie cutter (four inches in diameter) to cut nine round pieces from each sheet. This will create 72 circles of dough.

- Place dollop of pureed meat onto 36 circles.

- Top with remaining 36 circles, crimp edges by pressing slightly and let dry for a few minutes.

- Drop several at a time into 21⁄2 quarts of gently boiling water. Wait for ravioli to float to top. This should take about 4 minutes. Then flip over and boil another 3 minutes. Don't try to boil a whole bunch at once because they won't cook evenly.

- Place nine ravioli on each plate and drizzle with Red Chili Pepper sauce.

- Add garnish of 3-4 basil leaves on each plate and serve.

Eses Bistro – The Gathering Place, 780 N. Cecil Road, Post Falls, Idaho, 208-773-4688.

C Restaurant, Vancouver, B.C.

The restaurant is called C - as in seafood.

And the wine program at C, as does the menu at the Vancouver, B.C., dining destination, shines a beacon on the Pacific Northwest.

The cuisine features shellfish from Vancouver Island's coast, octopus from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, sablefish from the northern Pacific and game fish from our region as well as around the globe.

Credit goes to proprietor Harry Kambolis, whose other Vancouver restaurant - Raincity Grill - is a past Match Maker that annually ranks second only to The Herbfarm in our Best Northwest Wine List Competition.

"We are fine dining, and people have expectations," said sommelier Tom Doughty, who manages the wine list that is 43 pages and growing. "This is something that we've been building for four years, and we try to represent every single one of the world's great regions, the famous vintages and the cult wines, so I don't think our wine list is very big at all."

The list at C features Oregon Pinot Noir giants such as Beaux Freres and Domaine Drouhin and Washington red wizards Leonetti and Woodward Canyon.

However, the rise of the B.C. wine industry is most evident on the list. Blue Mountain, Burrowing Owl, CedarCreek, Gray Monk, Gehringer Brothers, Hawthorne Mountain, Jackson-Triggs, Kettle Valley, Lake Breeze, Quails' Gate, Sandhill, Stag's Hollow and Sumac Ridge are found in the early part of the list - which is reserved for by-the-glass and half-bottle offerings. Virtually every winery in the province is represented somewhere on Doughty's list.

"The first thing I ask for when I go to a winery is, 'Do you make half-bottles?' The second thing is if they make any sparkling wine," Doughty said.

C Restaurant believes that sparklers deserve more interest in food pairings and that the 375-milliliter bottle is an ideal format for dinners.

"I definitely think there's a future in it, and I have not seen a list with as many half-bottles as we have," Doughty said. "Overconsumption is something that restaurants in Vancouver are very conscious of, so we suggest to our guests a half-bottle of a white to go with the early courses and before they move onto the reds. And with a half-bottle you are guaranteeing your guests that a wine, which they might not be able to get by the glass, is fresh."

Such a program allows diners a chance to sample a lot of what B.C. has to offer.

At a recent event, "We decided to pair every course with CedarCreek wines," Doughty said. "I enjoy the fact that they respect the land and follow sustainable farming practices. The folks at Blue Mountain do, too, and the Pinot Noir at both stack up with those of Burgundy."

Executive chef Robert Clark, a native of Montreal, agrees.

"British Columbia is finally getting noticed on a world-class level," he said. "Our crisp whites and sparkling wines can stand with most of the world's best producers. Our Burgundian varieties flourish and are made into exceptional wines by our talented winemakers. As an industry, we may be young but are growing and learning with every vintage."

Clark grew up fishing on the York River - arguably Eastern Canada's most famous river for Atlantic Salmon - and helping his grandmother in the kitchen. Both experiences blended into his career path, and his work in many of Toronto's famous restaurants got him involved in Canada's organic movement.

In 2001, Clark and C teamed up with the David Suzuki Foundation, created by the award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster, to develop a new seafood program.

"S.E.A. is our mandate," Clark said. "Sustainable - environmental - awareness are the questions we ask ourselves every time we decide to put an item on the menu. We believe that quality is directly related to quantity, and quantity is directly related to sustainability."

Perhaps Clark's most renowned work comes with British Columbia sablefish, commonly but incorrectly called black cod. He prefers its qualities over Chilean sea bass, which some fear is being overharvested, so Clark supports the Canadian Sablefish Association. The fish are harvested live in traps, not traditional gill nets, with each vessel adhering to a quota system. It is a black-skinned fish from the deep waters of the North Pacific.

"My first experience was with smoked sablefish with natural color, not the glow-in-the-dark red-dyed stuff you see in some places," Clark said. "It was the most wonderful fish I have ever tasted, so buttery and rich."

He first worked in Vancouver in 1992, eventually helping to open Star Anise - a former Match Maker participant. In 1997, Kambolis developed the seafood concept for C, providing Clark with the table to showcase his lifetime of culinary experiences, which include stints in Australia and Southeast Asia. Within three years, Clark accepted an invitation to the famed James Beard House in New York City.

And C is a family affair for Clark with his wife, Maureen Seay, as the pastry chef.

Sous chef Robert Belcham, whom Clark gave top billing in regards to the recipe, left the renowned French Laundry in Napa Valley for C. It gave the Edmonton, Alberta, native a chance to return to Western Canada.

Doughty, 28, runs the wine programs for three other restaurants as part of his Vertical Catering and Consulting, Inc. At C, he lays out his list by variety, then subdivides the wines by characteristics and by price.

"We find that it makes it easier when you have such a large list for people to make choices," Doughty said. "We try to put a wine in every price point and do it in increments of $5-$10."

Doughty tours the Northwest each year, which explains how he keenly listed Isenhower Cellars' Dragonfly, a Roussanne-Viognier blend from the small Walla Walla winery.

"I kind of pride myself in taking on more obscure varieties such as Marsanne and Roussanne," Doughty said.

It so happens that this Match Maker combines two loves for the folks at C Restaurant - Sawtooth Winery's 2001 Idaho Roussanne with Birch Syrup Baked British Columbian Sablefish, a recipe created by Belcham and Clark.

"Some people say they don't like sablefish, but I believe they just have not had it cooked properly," Clark said. "At the restaurant, we have great success with the reaction of customers toward the sablefish."

And Doughty spoke highly of Sawtooth's Roussanne.

"I loved the richness of the wine, and we decided to match rather than combat the wine," Doughty said. "It's a rich wine, so we chose a rather rich fish. There's some acidity in the fish and the beets, and there's natural acid in the wine. There's some honeysuckle in the wine and we thought that sweetness would match with the birch syrup, which is like maple syrup but instead with birch. It is fairly common up here."

Clark said, "Birch syrup is not as sweet. It is much richer and more complex than maple syrup."

Birch Syrup Baked British Columbian Sablefish roasted beets, baked apples puree, toasted hazelnuts, banyuls and rosemary vinaigrette

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb. organic beets, any colour

2 large organic cooking apples

Lemon juice

4 ounces organic hazelnuts, toasted with skins on

1 tablespoon Banyuls vinegar*

2 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon hazelnut oil

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

1 whole shallot, finely chopped

1 tablespoon birch syrup

4 4-ounce sablefish steaks

1 ounce organic butter

*Banyuls vinegar, or Vinaigre de Banyuls, is a type of wine vinegar named for a small seaside town on the Mediterranean coast of France called Banyuls-sur-Mer. It is made using sweet wine grapes: Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris and Carignane. It has distinct nut-like qualities with aromas of walnut, vanilla, gingerbread and licorice.

Directions

- Wash and wrap the beets in aluminum foil and bake at 375°F for 2 to 3 hours or until cooked. When they are cooled, cut into desired shapes and sizes.

- Peel the apples, remove the core and chop. Place in a stainless steel pot with a touch of lemon juice and one tablespoon of water. Place over medium heat and steam until cooked. You want it to be chunky not puréed.

- Lay the hazelnuts out on a tray and roast in a 400°F oven until golden brown. Keep in mind that they will continue to cook after they are removed from the oven.

- Mix all the vinaigrette ingredients (vinegar, canola and hazelnut oil, rosemary and shallots) together and allow to macerate for a couple of hours. Strain, then refrigerate.

- To finish the dish, place the birch syrup in a dish and place the fish skin side up into the syrup and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Place the fish on a buttered baking sheet skin side down and bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes or until it has reach your desired temperature.

- Heat the beets and nuts in a small sauce pan with the butter and a tablespoon of water. When the water has evaporated, add one tablespoon of vinaigrette and remove from the heat.

- Place the chunky apple sauce in the center of the plate and make a well in the center to hold the beet juice and vinaigrette. Place the warm beets and hazelnuts in the center of the well and then place the cooked sablefish on top.

- Can be served steaming hot in the cold months of winter when you have top quality frozen pink salmon, or even cold in the lazy days of summer when the fresh pinks are running.

C Restaurant, 2-1600 Howe St., Vancouver, B.C., 604-681-1164, www.crestaurant.com.

ERIC DEGERMAN is Wine Press Northwest's associate editor. He can be reached at 509-582-1509 or edegerman@winepressnw.com

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