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Mulled Wine
From the fabulous recipe writers at Riverbench Vineyard & Winery. This cold weather is the perfect time for... Mulled Wine Sometimes on those cold nights, mulled wine is just the thing to warm you all the way through. Use any dry red wine for this recipe. Even something you don’t normally love will taste amazing once it’s all mixed together and warmed. • 2 tsp. allspice • 1 cinnamon stick • 8 whole cloves • 2 strips orange rind • 1/3 cup sugar • ¼ cup bourbon • 1 bottle dry red wine • Juice of half an orange Mix all ingredients in... [Read more...]
Meet the SIP Farmers: Erin Amaral
Erin Amaral, Viticulturalist, Pacific Vineyard Company. Classic Rock or Classic Country? Classic Rock! Even now Aerosmith is considered classic! Favorite spot in the vineyard? If you are daring enough... there is a hill top in the vineyard in which you can feel the vortex and hear the swirl of the wind from the jets flying into the San Luis Obispo airport. Best tip for surviving the "Roller Coaster They Call Farming"? Every season has it's own twists and turns and it's best to flow with the "Coaster" and get the most thrill out of all the... [Read more...]
Happy New Year from SIP
[caption id="attachment_4184" align="alignright" width="300"] Happy New Year[/caption] Here it is, New Year’s Eve day, we hope everyone has been having an amazing end of the year and we wish you nothing but the best in this upcoming New Year! We are looking forward to some exciting things this year at the Central Coast Vineyard Team. The Earth Day Food and Wine Festival is coming up in April and in February we are scheduled to do a #winechat on Twitter which I will discuss more in an upcoming blog. So what do YOU have coming up... [Read more...]
Sea Salt Blondies With Peachy Canyon Cabernet
When I was a kid we followed the holiday tradition of leaving cookies out for Old Saint Nick and they were always chocolate chip cookies. (I think this was an ingenious way for my dad to ensure that there was an ample supply of his favorite treat.) Getting into the season I wanted to dress up this tradition with Sea Salt Topped Blondies paired with Peachy Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon. I had to do a little research on the pairing and the Cab does work nicely. Anther pairing to balance the sweet would be a tawny... [Read more...]
Shepherds Pie With Cass Viognier
A few weeks ago, while working at our Sustainable Ag Expo, I grabbed a quick lunch of Shepherds Pie from the local English pub and I have been jonesing for more ever since! I must say this delightful meal is fast, easy and scrumptious. As usual, I cooked based on what is in the pantry rather than following a recipe Since I subbed ground turkey for the traditional beef or lamb, I paired this dish with a light viognier from Cass Winery. Shepherds Pie 10-12 white or red potatoes, quartered 3 tbsp. butter 1 c. half... [Read more...]
Green Curry Carrot Soup With Gewurztraminer
The simplest recipes can be the best and this quick fix is perfect for a cozy evening by the fire. A friend of mine shared this recipe with me and we were both intrigued by the use of rice as a thickener in the soup. Of course no cook can help tinkering with a recipe so we have added a little green curry powder that I brought back this summer from a great spice shop in Murphys, CA. Green Curry Carrot Soup 7 lbs. (about 7 medium) carrots 2 Tbs. butter 1 tsp. green curry... [Read more...]
Meet the SIP Farmers: Rodger Mohme
We all enjoy getting to know people better; whether it’s interesting facts, thoughts, or humorous tidbits. So we came up with some questions to ask the farmers of SIP that we feel will give us a more interesting view of them behind the soil and vines. In this post we’ll hear about Rodger Mohme, owner/grower at Colina d’Oro Vineyards. Classic rock or classic country? Classic rock Favorite spot in the vineyard? Anywhere there isn't a gopher, squirrel, or some other beast to chase down Number of years farming? 12 Number of years with current company?... [Read more...]
Cinnamon Rolls with Laetitia XD
Generally my cooking leans toward the healthy but I don' t mind slipping in a tasty treat now and then. Most people call them cinnamon rolls but in my childhood home these delicious goodies were always called sticky buns for their rich, caramely topping. This recipe is interesting in that it adds oatmeal to the dough...interesting in that oatmeal in in there but it does not seem to change the texture much. And when you get to the sticky bun topping I recommend making a little extra. I had to do some research on how... [Read more...]
Wine for Sangria
Sometimes it is nice to get a taste of summer when the weather is chilly and gray. Initially I was really going for summer fare with a recipe for sangria sorbet. Naturally, making sangria sorbet means making sangria first. As it turns out, the sangria was too good to freeze! The first step is picking wine for sangria. I decided not to over think this and simply choose a Pinot from Tolosa Winery that I love. From there, you basically add some fruit and brandy and presto summer. Sangria 3 c mixed berries (fresh or... [Read more...]
Eggplant Rollatini with Ancient Peaks Rose
[caption id="attachment_3871" align="alignright" width="150"] Eggplant Rollatini[/caption] Living in the fog zone here on the Central Coast I am a sucker for warm, cozy comfort foods. Recently I tried my hand at eggplant rollatini which was not only excellent but surprisingly simple to make. I had a smoking hot tray of cheesy rollatini on the table paired with a nice rose from Ancient Peaks in about one hour. And the best part is, this recipe will not break the calorie bank and still satisfy your taste buds. Eggplant Rollatini 2-3 eggplants, stems removed and cut into... [Read more...]