Frank Family Wine Dinner

unagi, scallop roll and hazelnuts

mis en place for broth

asparagus, fennel, tomato and shellfish

seared black cod

hibiscus, ginger, lemongrass and port wine

sumac lamb loin, figs, confit potato

roasted macadamia nuts

cherries, truffles, honey vanilla ice cream and macadamia nut baklava

fillo, mac nut truffle, vanilla syrup

Frank Family Vineyards Wine Dinner

1st Course

Scallop Sushi Roll  Unagi, Negi, Cucumber, Nitsume & Hazelnuts

1997 Signature Brut

2nd Course

Seared Black Cod  Asparagus, Clams, Mussels with Galangal Infused Broth “Tableside”

2007 Chardonnay Napa Valley

3rd Course Sumac Crusted Lamb Loin  Figs, Fingerling Potato & Hibiscus Reduction

2007 Zinfandel, Napa Valley

4th Course

Deconstructed Macadamia Nut Baklava Truffle Cherries & Honey Vanilla Ice Cream

Zinfandel Port, Napa Valley, Coffee & Tea

Aloha! The 1st Wine Dinner for 2010 started off with a bang! We had 31 Guests, 4 courses,4 wines and a great group of guests.  The lovely Kristen Greenberg from Torrey Wines was our Representative for the evening.  She brought with her some beautiful wines and a great surprise at the end, a Zinfandel Port, amazing!

1st Course

Molly Mortenson, sushi-girl extraordinaire, created this roll. On the inside, diced scallops marinated (with sesame oil, sriracha), negi, asparagus, cucumber. On the outside, rice, unagi, nitsume and roasted hazelnuts. Paired with the 1997 Signature Brut, was perfect. The champagne had notes of roasted hazelnuts, toasted brioche and hints of vanilla custard.

2nd Course

The execution of the Seared Black Cod was time consuming. It incorporated many components. Asparagus tips were blanched and shocked. The bottoms were blended with seasonings and thickened with Xanthum Gum. Heirloom tomatoes were blanched in the fryer to remove the skins. Fennel bulbs were sliced thinly and dehydrated to concentrate the flavors. Manila Clams and PEI Mussels from Santa Monica Seafoods were poached and meat removed. Alaskan Black Cod were cut to 2.5 oz portions and seared until one side was crispy. The broth consisted of mirepoix, whole fennel, garlic, galangal, white wine, clams, mussels, cream, basil, thyme, dill, KSP. Once filtered the broth was put into teapots and served tableside in front of the guest.

The Chardonnay had hints of kaffir lime, galangal (thai ginger), juicy peaches and dried pear. The broth complimented the chardonnay very well and was much received by our guests.

3rd Course

First we took the loin off the rack, removed the sinew and seasoned it with KSP, Sumac (middle eastern spice), pan seared and cooked to med-rare. We then cut them to medallions. The fingerling potatoes were confit with EVOO, herbs, shallots, garlic.  Patty Pans were sauteed and caramelized.  Black figs were caramelized with sugar and roasted.  The Hibiscus sauce was made by steeping dried hibiscus leaves with shallots, port wine and sugar.  Once everything was arranged on the plate, the hibiscus reduction in place, we drizzled Natural on the lamb, green oil and micro greens on top.

The zinfandel has notes of black cherries, raspberry and grilled figs.  It has nice complex tannins, body and long lingering finish.