Picnic at Mt. Eden Vineyards

Jeffrey kindly offers the Mt. Eden Vineyards for an annual potluck picnic that a wine group has. As many of you already know, wine and food go together and many times, people who collect, taste and savor wines are also gourmet cooks. This group is no exception.

Have you noticed that when you go to pot lucks at your church, workplace or community gathering, very little of it is homemade anymore? It’s often ready-made food from Costco, re-heated frozen entrees from a grocery store, delicatessen food or take-out fast food. It is so marvelous to go to a pot luck that, except for cheese and bread, all of it is homemade, often original recipes and fresh! This wine group is exactly like that! Several members of the group were part of the Cookbook Club at one time but dropped out due to time constraints and other commitments. And, of course, Jeffrey, Bill and I are still part of both groups.

The meal started off with homemade Gravlax that Einar makes each year….and yes, Einar is Norwegian so you know it was the best gravlax ever! He & Cammy brought a wonderful wine to drink with his Gravlax, Mount Eden Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay, Edna Valley, a wine we all know and love! We then moved on to the next course that Bob prepared. It was an original recipe of sliced Yellow Beets placed on pepper boursin and puff pastry. Several people who say they “hate beets” liked these beets and started a conversation about pickled beets ugh! And how they thought that’s what beets were supposed to taste like and that’s why they thought they hated beets! These beets had that wonderful earthy, sweet flavor that were enhanced by the pepper boursin and made elegant with the puff pastry. Yea, Bob!!! Another success! He served a beautiful German wine, Maximin Grunheuser Abtsberg 1999 Riesling Auslese Mosel with his dish. We were then served with a Gazpacho that Martin made, again from scratch. It was a very rich & thick gazpacho that had crunchy bits of bell peppers, celery and onion. Instead of the bright red color that you normally see in gazpachos, this one was a deep red and almost thick enough to eat with a fork. It received rave reviews as well from everyone! He brought a bottle of Suavia 2007 Soave Estate Superior Classico Verona from Italy, of course, to partake with his soup.

Our main course and sides was Braised Baby Back Ribs, a recipe from the cookbook Braise by Daniel Boulud. Jeffrey prepared it perfectly and it came out falling off the bone, draped in a rich sauce that can only come from hours and hours of braising. Kudos to Jeffrey for another star entré! It was served with a jalapeno corn bread that was equally a smash hit. He shared a bottle from his neighbor on Pierce Road, Katherine Kennedy 1977 Cabernet Sauvignon. Tony prepared a Panzanella that was made with fresh tiny mozzarella balls, fresh tomatoes & basil and toasted bread croutons. It was the perfect foil to the rich braised ribs. And his Barbaresco 2004 Nebbiolo Ovello Riserva, Produttori Del Barbaresco from Piedmont, Italy and Ipsus 2007 Mosato (Muscat) Passito di Pantelleria from Sicily went well with the ribs as well as his Panazella.

We then had a cheese course. The artisanal breads and cheeses were just what we needed to add another layer of richness to the potluck. These cheeses were just fabulous! They were served with a little slice of a fruit geleé that enhanced the flavors of the cheeses. And, of course, Acme bread, in my estimation, the best large producer of breads in the Bay Area! Bruce & Nan brought a Chateau Coutet 1989 Barsac Sauternes to drink with their cheeses.

The last piece de resistance was, of course, dessert prepared by the all time Dessert Queen, yours truly! I made a Lemon Buttermilk Pudding Cake with Berries and Chantilly Cream. An easy-peasy dessert that is so mouthwatering delicious, thanks to Cincy Pawclyn’s book, Small Bite Plates. The recipe is now also online so you can bake this cake without having to buy the book. I made the cake in a baking pan and cut out the circles using a biscuit cutter but you could make the dessert in small ramekins if you have enough of them….I didn’t. Bill & I shared a bottle of Louis M. Martini nv Moscato Amabile* Estate Bottled from Napa. It’s a lovely blend of muscat canelli, Gewurztraminer, mixed white, and French Columbard

We had to rush off to another dinner at Beausejour in Los Altos and a TheatreWorks play, Yellow Face, currently at the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts. If you have a chance to go, try to see it. It’s well performed, powerful and humorous. And, if you want a marvelous dinner at a very reasonable price in a QUIET restaurant with great service, do try Beausejour. It’s run by a Vietnamese family and has been there for years. It’s consistently good food and has a pretty wide menu so there’s always something that will please everyone. They are running a 3-course prix fixe for $18 so in these economic hard times, it’s a way to go out to a nice dinner without draining your checkbook!

Enough for now…I have to prepare for my next dinner!