| Iron Horse Vineyards
Sparkling Wine Cauliflower and Blue Cheese |
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| CEO Joy Sterling and Operations Manager Laurence Sterling |
The people at Iron Horse Vineyards strive to create wines with a specific sense of time and place. Each of their sparkling cuvees, for example, is estate bottled with an emphasis on the Green Valley appellation (where it’s located) and the vintage year. The winery’s founders, Audrey and Barry Sterling, began producing still wines in 1978 and moved on to sparklings in 1980. And of everything Iron Horse Vineyards produces, its Wedding Cuvee is the offering for which it’s best known. Its delicate, pale peach color hints at its smooth, creamy and easily drinkable characteristics. Made with mostly Pinot Noir grapes, this elegant, silky Blanc de Noir is aged in the bottle for three years prior to release.
Regarding pairings, CEO Joy Sterling has some ideas to share. “The first thought for holiday entertaining is great bubbly and caviar. From our tastings, our favorite is Tsar Nicoulai’s golden-hued ‘Select,’ which is a top-of-the-line, sustainably farmed California product. But at Iron Horse we’ve discovered there are also many other very elegant pairings,” she says. This crostini recipe, created by Iron Horse’s Chef Christopher Greewald, topped Joy’s list. Cheers!
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| Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Crostini
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| 1 small head cauliflower (cut into little pieces) 1 cup heavy cream Pinch of salt 2 cloves garlic (sliced) |
Pinch of nutmeg 8 pieces of hand-sliced rustic bread 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup blue cheese (preferably Pt. Reyes Original Blue) |
| Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cauliflower, cream, garlic and salt in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, cover and turn on low heat. Watch very closely to ensure it doesn’t boil over. Cook until tender and reduced cream is easily mixed with vegetables to form a thick and chunky purée. Add nutmeg to mixture and hold in a warm place. Spread butter on bread pieces and bake in preheated oven until golden and crispy (about 15 minutes). Remove bread from oven and spread cauliflower purée on top of each piece. Top each with crumbled blue cheese. Serve alone as an appetizer or alongside a salad for the first course for four people. |
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