CALIFORNIA has a long tradition of enjoying food and wine in its natural setting.
In the 18th-century Spanish missionaries planted grape vines throughout the state, and although much of the resulting wine was doled out during Catholic mass, the surplus paired nicely with the figs and olives flourishing in the dry, Mediterranean climate.
Today, Kendall-Jackson’s 120-acre Wine Center offers both a viticultural testing ground with 26 grape varieties grown on 19 different trellising systems, and a tasting playground where visitors can pluck grapes right off the vine, or sip Pinot Grigio and sniff a freshly torn basil leaf.
Any visitor can explore Kendall-Jackson’s Culinary and Sensory gardens planted with the cardoons and heirloom tomatoes Italian cooks have long recognized as suitable mates for Chianti. Unfortunately, participation in the winery’s Culinary Exchange Program is limited to the nations top chefs.
Led by the Wine Center’s Executive Chef Randy Lewis, each three-day Culinary Exchange Program allows four chefs ample opportunity to traipse down the rows of oregano and eggplant -- complimentary to Cabernet and Merlot -- and sample the local bounty of artisan cheeses, olive oil, seafood, fish and meat products.
Program participants visit Tomales Bay’s Cowgirl Creamery and Hog Island Oyster Company, then Bellwether Farms, DaVero Olive Oil and Liberty Duck to taste and match products with local wines. A cookbook compiling the chef’s wine-tinged recipes is set for future release.
Camp Run-A-Muck
Participating chef Jody Adams says the Culinary Exchange Program is “like a dream come true! It’s an improvisational theater camp with no homework -- just a chance for chefs to interact with their peers and winemakers.”
Touring the country in support of her cookbook, In the Hands of a Chef, Adams has already discovered the region’s exceptional products. Her popular Boston eatery, Rialto, offers Kendall-Jackson’s Grand Reserve Pinot Noir, and the pungent cheeses of Cowgirl Creamery are prominently served on the restaurant’s cheese trolley.
“Wine is a gap in my culinary education,” Adams admits. “And, to a chef, wine is an important ingredient in the meal."
Adams knows wine and food pairing is increasingly emphasized in the restaurant industry and she is eager to continue her education.
"I have daily discussions with Rialto’s wine director about what pairs well with our food. But we always have a duck on the menu that goes with everything. It’s made with soy sauce, mustard and Sicilian green olives without a high acid content -- and slow roasted until we’ve rendered off all the fat."
Experimentation -- also an important tool in the cooking process -- is something Adams is quite familiar with. She began playing with the toasted spices and seeds encountered in Middle Eastern dishes many years ago, and her recipe for Dukkah -- an Egyptian mix of seeds, nuts and spice -- is a wonderful nibble alongside a glass of fruity California Zinfandel. The substantial wine stands up nicely to the riot of flavors in the cumin and coriander-scented appetizer dip.
Cheeseburgers in Paradise
If visiting Kendall-Jackson’s Wine Center unleashes the culinary goddess or god in you, don’t let the lack of a chef’s starched white toque keep you from a fulfilling food experience. The grounds are perfect for picnicking -- especially under the covered gazebo in the middle of the historic walnut grove.
If you begin your day by following the free map distributed through Sonoma County Farm Trails, when you reach the winery you can unpack a picnic basket stuffed with Vella's aged Dry Monterey Jack, dark purple figs, U-pick strawberries, Willie Bird’s smoked turkey legs and a Polish sausage or two. The Wine Center’s tasting room staff is, of course, more than happy to sell you a bottle of vino and souvenir wine glasses. The two-dollar tasting fee -- $10 for reserve tastings -- is credited toward any purchase.
If you’d rather experience the finest local wines served alongside food prepared by a talented local chef, John Ash & Co. -- with Jeffrey Madura now in charge -- is located at the Vintner’s Inn less than a mile down the road.
Madura's menu uses regional food products like Redwood Hill Farm’s smoked cheddar goat cheese, and Hog Island Oysters, which are as good with a cold beer as with the more traditional glass of bubbly.
The menu includes an 'Executive Lunch' -- salmon club sandwich on Foccacia with romaine lettuce and roasted garlic cloves, and a mug of cream of asparagus soup. A hefty, fourteen-dollar burger topped with Point Reyes Bleu and Applewood smoked bacon -- served on a peaceful patio overlooking verdant green grapevines -- is one of the world’s great bargains. A good selection of local varietals available by the glass will satisfy your urge to play with new food and wine combinations.
Kendall-Jackson Wine Center, 5007 Fulton Road, Fulton CA 95439 (707) 571-8100, www.kj.com, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., garden tours at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Sonoma County Farm Trails, (800) 207-9464, www.farmtrails.org
John Ash & Co., Vintner’s Inn, 4350 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa, CA (707) 527-7687, www.vintnersinn.com
RECIPE SIDE BAR:
Jody Adams' Dukkah (Egyptian Seed, Nut & Spice Mix)
Chef Jody Adams suggests toasting each of the seeds and nuts in a separate frying pan on top of the stove since they all finish at different times. To serve Dukkah as an appetizer, pour it into a bowl and accompany with a second bowl of extra virgin olive oil and a basket filled with wedges of Middle Eastern pita bread for dunking. Invite your guests to first dip the bread into the oil, then into the Dukkah.
1 cup blanched almonds
1 cup hazelnuts
1 cup macadamia nuts
1 cup coriander seeds
6 tablespoons cumin seed
1 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened, untreated, shredded coconut
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Chop the nuts coarsely, just enough so that instead of being whole each nut is now in about four pieces.
Toast the nuts and seeds separately and allow to cool.
Combine nuts and seeds with the remaining ingredients and mix well.
RECIPE CREDIT: Copyright 2003 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation. Cooking for Solutions. Reprinted by permission.