August 2023 Food Pairing

August 2023 Wine Club Release and Food Pairing

This August we celebrated the release of our 2021 Côtes du Ombrè and 2020 Tempranillo for our Wine Club Members. Our Côtes du Ombrè is the Shadow Ranch take on the classic GSM Blend, the Côtes du Rhone. All three varietals (Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre) are grown in the same Loomis vineyard by our owner and winemaker Sam Patterson. With extroverted aromas of ripe fruit, dried sage and herbs, and a pepper-and-herb finish, this is a very well-loved blend among our members. Our Tempranillo is 100% Estate grown and one of our most popular varietals. This wine is dark cherry red in color, with aromas of plum, blackberry and jam, with varied spicy notes of vanilla and cacao. 

For this pairing we thought we would embrace regionality, so the French Côtes du Ombrè was paired with a croque monsieur, while the Spanish Tempranillo was paired with a refreshing gazpacho. Both turned out absolutely delicious thanks to the hard work of Tricia and Kimari. Below you will find the recipes so that you can recreate these pairings at home!

Croque Monsieur

Ingredients:

• 1 baguette, thinly sliced and lightly toasted on each side
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cub whole milk
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 1 ¾ cups shredded Gruyère cheese
• 6 oz thinly sliced ham, cut into 1 inch strips
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and turn on broiler.
2. Make the bechamel sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan and whisk in flour. Cook until light golden, then slowly whisk in milk. Cook about 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until sauce thickens. Remove from heat, then stir in salt, pepper, mustard and nutmeg. Add 1 cup of cheese and stir until melted and smooth.
3. Assemble sandwiches: Place toasted slices of baguette on a baking sheet. Layer with cheese and ham and top with another slice of toasted baguette. Pour bechamel sauce over the sandwich.
4. Place under broiler until sauce bubbles and cheese is golden, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Gazpacho

Ingredients:

Soup:

• 5 lbs roma tomatoes, peeled and de-seeded with white parts removed
• 1 cucumber, peeled and de-seeded
• 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and with white parts removed
• 1 green bell pepper, de-seeded and with white parts removed
• 2 green onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 qt tomato juice
• 1 qt sparkling water
• 1 slice of day-old white bread
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Red hot sauce, 1 tbsp or to your liking
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Avocado Crema:

• 2 avocadoes
• ½ cup sour cream
• Lime juice

Garnish:

• Bacon bits
• Croutons
• Chives, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Combine all soup ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
2. For the crema, smash ingredients together until smooth.
3. Garnish soup with a dollop of crema, croutons, and a sprinkle of bacon bits and chives. Serve immediately.