Brian Carter Cellars- Wine and Food Pairing Recipes

Brian Carter Cellars Wine Menu

Abracadabra *Warm Brie with Strawberry Salsa (black pepper, jalapeno, no heat, thyme)
Oriana *Grilled Mussels with Spicy Rosemary Butter
Tuttorosso *Seared Copper River Salmon, topped with Moroccan Preserved Lemon and Olive Compote, Served atop Braised Fennel
Byzance *Sliders of Coriander Spiced Lamb, Grilled Mushrooms, Aioli; served with Truffled Sweet Potato Fries
Tretenaire *Rosemary Foccaccia Baked on the Grill; topped with Grilled Sour Cherry Marinated Flank Steak Ribbons, Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola and Alder Smoked Salt
Abracadabra *Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream, Drizzled with Aged Balsamico

Click Here for the Recipes (PDF)

Stuffed Pimentos de Piquillo

6-1/2 ounces canned or bottled WHOLE pimentos de piquillo
(charbroiled sweet red peppers)
salt & pepper
fresh herb sprigs, to garnish

1/3 cup pitted black olives, finely chopped
7 ounces soft goat cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Drain peppers, reserving the oil. Set aside.

Put olives in mixing bowl; add soft goat cheese, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil from the pimentos. Mix well. Season to taste.

Using a small spoon or a pastry bag, fill each pepper overfull. Refrigerate two hours, or until firm.

To serve the pimentos, arrange them on a serving plate and garnish with the fresh herbs.

Serves 6-8 as a tapa.

Paired with Byzance

Goat Cheese & Sun-Dried Tomato Tart

Sift flour and salt. Add butter cubes to flour, cut in until pieces are about half the size of a pea. By hand add 3 tablespoons ice water; bring mixture together with scraper. Add more water very slowly as necessary, taking care not to add too much. The dough should not be sticky or too soft to handle. Shape the dough into a ball, flatten into a disk. If the dough is reasonably cool, you may work it immediately, or wrap and chill at 15 minutes.

Shrimp, Chickpea, and Celery Salad

¾ # bay shrimp
2, 14 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 ½ cups celery, very thinly sliced, including some of the chopped leaves
½ cup red onion, minced
3 tablespoons Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, finely minced
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Thaw bay shrimp overnight in refrigerator or in unopened bag under cold running water. Pat dry with paper toweling. Cover and set aside in refrigerator.

Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl, seasoning with the kosher salt and black pepper. Remember the shrimp and chickpeas will be a bit salty so be careful not to over salt. Cover and place in the refrigerator for an hour or so to meld flavors.

Gently mix shrimp into salad just before serving.

2008 Passport 2005 Abracadabra Pairing

Sausage and Pancetta Ragu

This recipe is an adaptation from Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s well known book The Splendid Table, recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the heartland of Northern Italian Food.

Although we served this ragu as a small bite with Rosemary crackers , this recipe is really wonderful tossed with 1 pound of pappardelle pasta or poured over soft polenta and topped with shaved Reggiano Parmesan and fresh Italian parsley.

1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
½ each medium carrot, grated
½ each medium onion, minced
2 ounces pancetta, minced
1 # ground Italian sausage
12 ounces chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, cut into ½ inch dice
1 each bay leaf
½ cup red wine , Abracadabra of course!
2 pinches ground clove
1 ¼ cup beef or chicken stock
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
4 cup heavy cream
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large saute pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add the vegetables and pancetta and cook until a bit of color forms, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage, chicken, and bay leaf. Raise heat to high and cook for about 8 minutes, being careful not to let ingredients get too brown. Lower heat to medium and continue cooking for about 10 more minutes until the meat is a nice dark brown.

Pour ingredients into a colander to remove fat, then return ingredients to pan and place on medium to medium-high heat. Add the Abracadabra and clove. Cook until the wine has almost totally evaporated, about 3 -5 minutes. While wine is reducing, use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium and add ¼ cup of stock and reduce down again until almost dry. Stir in garlic, tomato paste and another ¼ cup of stock. Reduce down again until almost dry. Pour the mixture into a large 3 quart pot.

Add remaining ¾ cup stock and cook on low with a low simmer for 30 – 45 minutes. You are looking for a moist sauce that is not too thin. Add the cream and simmer another 3 – 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.