





My son-in-law came home from deployment so that was an added bonus. The girls were thrilled to have their dad back home.
























My son-in-law came home from deployment so that was an added bonus. The girls were thrilled to have their dad back home.





















From farm fresh produce to honeys to jams to olive oil, there was a little bit of everything at the market. Chef Tuohy bought some okra, he said we in California don't appreciate it enough and he was bound and determined to have us try it. He also bought several other items then we headed back to the restaurant to cool off and relax while lunch was being prepared.
Next cane the fried Okra that Chef Tuohy was determined we should try. Personally I love Okra and his fried version was delicious with a light crunchy batter.
At this point I had to leave to pick up my mother so I don't know what desert turned out to be, but I'm sure it was great if it was anything like the rest of the meal.
Marlena Spieler had Tweeted a few time about making Banoffi Pie..what is that? I'd never heard of it before so I did a little research.
Spread one and a half cans of the dulce de leche over the bottom of the prepared crust.
Whip the cream with 1tsp instant coffee and 2-3 Tbsp sugar depending on how sweet you like it.
When you make the dulce de leche or toffee, make extra cans since they will keep in the cupboard almost forever. They may form sugar crystals but give a little crunch to the caramel or I'm thinking if you reheat the dulce de leche it will dissolve the sugar. It will come in handy as a topping for ice cream, cake, eating right out of the can.

Second course was the Cherry Tomato,Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Skewers with Pesto Dipping Sauce paired with the 2009 Gruner Veltliner,Clarksburg. The Gruner Veltliner is an Austrian grape that produces a medium bodied wine with citrus and peach flavors. For me this had the somewhat buttery mouth feel of a Chardonay.
The third course was the Artisan Cheese Station, a trio of cheeses served with fig jam and a cookie paired with a 2009 Gewurztraminer, Clarksburg.
Fourth course was Grilled Thai Chicken Satay with Sweet and Spicy Peanut Sauce with a side of Black Rice paired with 2009 Vedelho, Clarksburg. The Vedelho is a grape native to Portugal. It is the grape used to make Madeira. The Vedelho has the hint of pear, citrus, pineapple.
Fifth Course was Pulled Ancho Chile BBQ Pork Sliders with Cilantro Cole Slaw paired with a 2008 Petite Sirah, Clarksburg. This was the one and only red wine served this evening. It is big and bold with hints of blackberries and some spice.
And what is dinner without desert? Dio made a fabulous Orange Tea Cake with Orange Oil Drizzle and Simple Syrup paired with an Orange Muscat. The cake was moist with a really nice texture. The orange muscat was luscious. It could have been desert on it's own. Sweet, smooth and rich. A perfect end to a delicious dinner.

We had a great time as usual and as usual the food was outstanding. Chef Dio and the other chef's who present these wine and food pairings always do an excellent job. As you can see there is never a shortage of food either. I loved the wines, I loved the food, I think this was one of my favorite food and wine classes that I've been to. The Co-op is adding more of these lately to their schedule of classes since they have proven to be so successful so next time they are having one go sign up, you won't be disappointed.
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