Thanksgiving Wine Recipes

Last year this country spent $2,375,000,000 on Thanksgiving dinner food, yet the average household spending was just over $50. That’s not a bad number considering how many people are probably at the average dinner table on turkey-day. This is probably because families typically split the menu, each person bringing their own special dish. Grandma makes the turkey, mom brings the sweet potato casserole, and uncle whips up his famous stuffing.

While some people might have their classic recipes they recreate year after year, others might be looking for something a little different, and we have just the thing! Below are some delicious recipes that are sure to please. Even better, they all involve wine, of course!

Cabernet Cranberry & Blueberry Sauce– a unique twist on a Thanksgiving classic, AND we recently released our 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon! The recipe only calls for 1 cup of the wine, so you still have the rest of the bottle to enjoy before, during, or after.

 

 

 

 

 

White Wine Mushroom Bruschetta with Halloumi– I think I teared up a little at this one, it looks so good. It would make a great appetizer while you wait on the turkey’s final touches! Try with out 2013 Chardonnay.

Cheesy Garlic Bites– Forget Great Aunt Edith’s homemade bread recipe that’s been passed down for generations and served at every Thanksgiving meal for the last century, it’s time to start some new traditions! May I recommend our 2012 Pinot Grigio?

 

Mulled Wine– Who doesn’t love warm, spiced wine this time of year? It gets you feeling so cozy and totally in the holiday spirit. You can try this recipe or stop by our tasting room gift shop to find mulled wine spice packets. We like to use our Northern Harrier Red for this one.

Darkest Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Glaze– Don’t forget dessert! You will probably need to make one cake per person because I can’t see how anyone would want to share this. 2011 Proprietor’s Red Blend will probably work very nicely for this.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving recipes, especially ones using wine as an ingredient? How about pairings, what are you drinking with dinner?

Click pictures or recipe titles for image and recipe sources.

Try this Turkey Lasagna with our Northern Harrier Red

Winter is the time for comfort food and a hearty lasagna really hits the spot. This recipe for Turkey Lasagna is perfect paired with our 2011 Northern Harrier Red, and feel free to pour yourself an extra glass. This dish is not only delicious, but with all that spinach and lean turkey meat, its actually kind of healthy, too!

Turkey Lasagna

original recipe found here

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound fresh ground turkey
1 (28 oz) can plum tomatoes, crushed
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 (9-oz) package no-boil lasagna noodles
15 ounces low-fat ricotta or low-fat cottage cheese
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, beaten
2 pounds fresh spinach, washed, but not dried
1 pound shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add ground turkey and cook for about 10 minutes. Add plum tomatoes, tomato paste, and season with salt and pepper; let simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in basil and parsley; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and egg; season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Place damp spinach in a large skillet over medium heat; cook until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.

Ladle 1/4 of the turkey mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; spread to cover. Add a pasta sheet, 1/3 of the mozzarella, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the spinach mixture, and another 1/4 of the turkey mixture. Repeat process two more times; top with remaining sheet of pasta. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over top. Line a piece of aluminum foil with parchment paper; spray parchment with nonstick cooking spray. Cover lasagna with prepared aluminum foil, parchment-side down, and transfer to oven. Bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let stand about 5 minutes before cutting; serve.

If you make this tasty recipe, share your pictures and wine pairings with us! Post to our facebook or email us at info@Hawkhavenvineyard.com.

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta

You know autumn is here when you visit the grocery store or farmer’s  market and everywhere you look are different varieties of squash. Acorn squash, spaghetti squash, even pumpkins, and of course my personal favorite: butternut squash. Even the name sounds delicious, and it is so easy to incorporate in all your fall recipes.

Butternut squash is a pale orange veggie with a long pear shape and a sweet, nutty flavor. The easiest way to cook it is to cut it in half long ways, scoop out the seeds, coat the inside with a bit of olive oil, then roast it coated-side down in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until tender. You can jazz it up with a little cinnamon and brown sugar, chipotle powder, or even just salt and pepper. Once its cooked, you peel away the skin and it’s ready for any number of tasty dishes.

Recently a friend shared a very delicious butternut squash recipe with me and I couldn’t wait to try it. Even better, one of our wines here at Hawk Haven has reached its peak in flavors and aromas and turned out to be a perfect complement to this dish: the 2012 Signature Series Sauvignon Blanc.

Due to limited production, the Signature Series Collection wines are not typically included in our normal wine tasting. The oak-fermented Sauvignon Blanc, however, has evolved so much since we bottled it back in April, and the once subtle essence of kiwi and melon have unfolded into bolder, more rich flavors of caramel and green apple. This wine is really in its prime!

So stop by Hawk Haven (we’re open every day 12-5pm), grab a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, and try it with this recipe tonight for dinner!

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta
Ingredients
1 medium sized butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
1 package fisarmoniche pasta (or your favorite variety)
3/4 cup ricotta
2 tbsp ponzu sauce

Instructions
Set oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half length-wise and scoop out seeds. Brush inside of each half with olive oil, then place face down on a baking sheet. Roast in oven for 30 minutes or until tender, then remove from oven and peel off skin. Roughly chop the squash into small pieces.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain off water and return pasta to pot. Stir in squash, ricotta, and ponzu sauce.

At this point you may be tempted to grab a fork and eat right out of the pot, but let’s be civilized, you’re drinking a Signature Series wine after all! Scoop some out onto a plate, pour yourself a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and go sit at the table. Try not to inhale it, remember to chew, and most of all, enjoy!

 

Got any favorite butternut squash recipes? What are your favorite foods to pair with Sauvignon Blanc? Tell us in the comments below!

Wine Tips: Five Tips for Pairing Wine with Food

Believe it or not, a lot of people feel a great deal of anxiety over this one little choice: selecting a wine to go with a meal. This is especially true when they are choosing for a group. How do I know which wine to pick? How can I pick a wine that everyone will like? How do I know if it will pair well with the food? Relax! The choice is easier than you might think, and these five tips will help you along the way.

Tip One: Drink what you like! As we have said before, the most important thing is to pick a wine you enjoy. Ignore all the other factors for a minute, such as red or white, sweet or dry, expensive or inexpensive, chicken or steak. Forget it! What wine do you like? If you’re having guests, what do they usually drink? If you don’t know what your guests like, don’t worry about it, just focus on what you know. It is fun to experiment with different combinations, and over time you will find pairings that you love.

Tip Two: White & Light. Lighter foods like chicken and fish tend to taste better with similarly lighter wines which, generally speaking, are white varietals. Try barrel-fermented Chardonnay with a creamy chicken dish, or a Pinot Grigio for a light, flaky fish.

Tip Three: Heavy & Red. This tip goes along the same line as the second tip. Full-bodied reds will stand up better to heavier foods. Have Merlot with your red sauce pastas or Cabernet Sauvignon with a nice, juicy steak. The idea is to match the robustness of the food.

Tip Four: Opposites Attract. Sometimes it pays to choose a wine that is on the opposite end of the sweet/dry scale. Sweet wines can be great with spicy foods as they cut through some of the heat and refresh your palate for the next tasty bite. A lot of wine connoisseurs would frown at the idea of chocolate and red wine, but I personally think they are meant to be together. Dark chocolate and a dry red wine with plenty of smooth, berry flavors… pour me a glass!

Tip Five: Similar Tastes. This might contradict Tip Four, but matching tastes and aromas can also produce some lovely  flavor combinations. Let’s say you cooked seared scallops for dinner and you’ve drizzled them with fresh lemon juice. You already know that white wine would be a good choice, but let’s narrow it down a bit. Look for something with citrusy notes, such as Sauvignon Blanc, to match the lemon from the scallops.

I can’t end this article without adding a sixth bonus tip:  Google It! The internet is loaded with information and advice when it comes to wine, and you’re sure to find plenty of wine suggestions with a quick search for whatever you’re serving. Also, the tasting room staff here at Hawk Haven are more than happy to help you come up with something delicious. A lot of us love to cook, and we all love to eat and drink wine (who doesn’t?), so if you’re looking for a good pairing, all you have to do is ask! Don’t forget to share your favorite pairings with us!

Wine Tasting Tip: Clear Your Palate

“A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.” Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, ‘The Physiology of Taste’ (1825)

As wonderful as wine can be with food, did you know that during a wine tasting it is actually best not to have anything to eat? The reason for this is because ideally you need to have all your senses free of any influence besides the wine. Even the meal you had several hours before your wine tasting can potentially affect your experience.

Of course, this isn’t surgery and we’re not going to ask you to stop eating 24 hours before you visit a winery. Your sense of taste is not going to change so drastically just because you had that onion bagel for breakfast. But here are a few pointers to consider for your next wine tasting.

Many wineries offer some type of food at their tasting room. Some offer crackers to absorb any lingering flavors, but you want to stick to something bland so as not to distract from the wine.

Some, like Hawk Haven, offer cheese plates. We love a good cheese plate with a glass of wine. Generally speaking, wine and cheese are a wonderful combination; however, cheese during a wine tasting can clog your taste buds and suppress the flavors in the wine. Also, not all wines will pair well with all cheeses. Some cheese can make even the best wines taste terrible. A better choice would be to go through the wine tasting and afterwards have a glass of your favorite paired with a cheese plate.

And have you ever had a drink of something right after brushing your teeth, especially fruit juice? Tasted horrible, right? Its best to avoid chewing gum and mints before a wine tasting.

But the wine tasting experience involves much more than just your sense of taste. Your sense of smell is very connected to your sense of taste, and there are many aromas in wine. This is another reason why food can be distracting during a wine tasting. You might also want to go light on the perfume/cologne or any other strong aromas.

These are just suggestions, so please feel free to enjoy your wine tasting however you like, with or without food. The point is to have fun, get a taste of what we’re offering, and hopefully find something you like. Cheers!

Talks with Todd: The Booze and the Bees

Last wednesday we harvested the Pinot Grigio.  I decided to to try my hand at harvest, but I think I was more harm than help.

My Grandpa also helped, so we were both in the parking lot by 6:30 a.m. 

 The first step of harvest is to unload the grape lugs from the barn. 

Then we harvest!

Little known fact: if there is even a small puncture in the grape, it can start to ferment on the vine, especially if harvest is late in the season and the sugar content is high.  Todd decided to pull the Pinot Grigio at a fairly high brick count, which means there was a lot of sugar to ferment in the grapes. 

 

So, when the bees buzz around and feast on grapes, they actually get drunk!  Of course, Todd told me this like it was no big deal.  I thought it was hilarious!  Until one of them stung me, which I promptly used as an excuse to get out of the  grass and the bugs and stop harvesting.

 

Pinot and Chardonnay are my favorite grapes to look at; the pinot has such a beautiful maroon color.  Below is a picture of the offending bee…

Signing off from Hawk Haven Vineyard and Winery in Cape May County, NJ – Cape May Wine Country ~ Cate Hylas

Wine and Dine: Rye Breaded Pork Roast with Hawk Haven Red Table Wine Marinade

I concocted a delicious pork marinade using Hawk Haven’s Red Table Wine last night.  The Red Table wine is dynamic – good for cooking AND complimenting with many types of food.  It’s a 75% Cabernet and 25% Chambourcin blend.  The Chambourcin really mixes things up.  It’s a very vivacious grape (and temperamental too).  The 2008 vintage Chambourcin we used is full of two seemingly contradictory flavors: fruit and spice.  This flavor combination makes it perfect for pairing with a simple dinner dish like pasta; it almost seasons the food for you.  And it’s also great for cooking because it’s bursting with spiciness AND fruitiness.

Pork is often prepared with both spicy/salty and sweet foods like a spicy sauerkraut and fruity applesauce.  I tried to mirror the flavor combination above when I came up with my recipe.

Rye Breaded Pork Roast with Hawk Haven Red Table Wine Marinade

1 glass (5oz) of Hawk Haven Red Table Wine

1 3/4 lb pork loin

Chervil and rosemary to taste

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tsp whole grain mustard

2 tsp olive oil

one whole onion chopped

one whole lemon squeezed

three pieces of toasted rye bread

Pierce pork all over with skewer and pound with mallet. Combine the wine, chervil, rosemary, garlic, mustard, oil, onion and lemon juice (and rinds to increase acidity) in a zip-lock bag with pork.  Let sit in refrigerator for 45 minutes to one hour.

After the pork finished marinating (and my grandparents were salivating), I put the pork in a baking pan and put the bits of torn up rye bread on top.  I baked it at 350 for about an hour.

My poor grandparents just wanted to sit down early and eat a simple pork dinner last night, but I decided to put them through another Hawk Haven wine recipe ordeal.  They were hungry when I got home at six, but they had to wait until 8:30 to eat.  (They loved it anyway).  So if you execute my Hawk Haven Red Table Wine marinade, start earlier in the evening than I did.

I set the table with pewter, featuring a pewter sugar and cream set from TreeHouse Antiques.

Signing off from Hawk Haven Vineyard and Winery in Cape May County, NJ – Cape May Wine Country ~ Cate Hylas

Wine and Dine: Cedar Plank Salmon with Hawk Haven Red-Tailed Rose Wine and Orange Glaze

So I’m having a Julie Powell moment.  After seeing the movie Julie & Julia, I decided to try extending the blog to include cooking with Hawk Haven wine.  (Mostly I just want to bounce around my kitchen shouting  boef bourignon and bon apetit in falsetto).  I’ll try to wow my boyfriend and my grandparents with a Cedar Plank Salmon with Red-Tailed Rose and Orange Glaze tonight.  Wish me luck…

I’ll be grilling the salmon on a low flame with Cedar planks (courtesy of my Aunt Susan).   I’m not much for recipes, so I’ll just give you an idea of what I plan to do.  I can’t promise I’ll follow my own instructions, but I’ll let you know in another post what if anything I change:

Red-Tailed Rose and Orange Glaze for Cedar Plank Salmon

A little bit of cilantro..

A little bit of orange zest…

A few orange slices…

A few cups of orange juice…

About a cup of Hawk Haven’s Red-Tailed Rose…

Vegetable oil (maybe?)…

And Sour cream if I decide to turn the whole thing into a cream sauce…

I told you I wasn’t much for recipes… Suggestions and comments welcome!  If you have any of your own recipes that include Hawk Haven wine, please send them to me at info@hawkhavenvineyard.com, and I’ll post them on the website!

Signing off from Hawk Haven Vineyard and Winery in Cape May County, NJ – Cape May Wine Country ~ Cate Hylas