May 04 2011

2nd Annual Hall Winery Cabernet Cookoff: The Results

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We lost:  only in the very limited sense, however, in that we did not receive a shiny medal from Hall Winery and that none of the proceeds would go directly to my team’s chosen Napa Valley non-profit, the Napa Valley Opera House.   So, in what sense did we win?

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By simply participating, we helped our chosen non-profit receive increased marketing and public exposure.   A large number of locals attended the event at Hall Winery on Saturday and as I worked the table with the Napa Valley Opera House’s Director of Marketing, Julie Dalrymple, I was impressed at the number of people who did genuinely want to know what events were scheduled at the Napa Valley Opera House and wondered about how things were going there.   We had made sure to place some literature on our table to show that we were committed to our non-profit and interestingly enough, I did not see many other tables including that information.   Nevertheless, that was the reason that all of the teams (professional or amateur) embarked on making food for 350 folks in order to win monies for a non-profit of our choice.

The goal of the event, aside from raising money for non-profits in Napa Valley, was also to create a dish that was organic and seasonal that would pair with Hall Winery’s 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.   My team took this aspect quite seriously.  Visits to the winery happened as early as February to taste the wine and start noodling on what to pair.   Initially the wine was quite tannic this past spring and yet over two short months it evolved to become increasingly fruity (namely blackberry fruit) with anise and baking spices.   Nevertheless, I created a menu and a few weeks before the competition, my team did a test-run of the food over a sit-down dinner and tasted it alongside the wine.   Eyes widened, smiles spread and excited, “We’re going to win” exclamations were exchanged as we plotted to serve at the event:

1)      Spring Salad Bouquets:   Spinach, Red Butter Lettuce, Microgreens, Pear, Pecan and Gorgonzola with a homemade Berry Vinaigrette;

2)     Caramelized Shallot-Lemon Thyme- Gorgonzola Polenta topped with Lavender Braised Shredded Beef with a Blueberry-Plum Red Wine Reduction Sauce; and

3)     Chocolate Lavender Truffles.

Our menu was brilliant.  It was to be a small plate “mini-meal”.   It even anticipated accommodating the vegetarian judge or patron.  Our seasonal ingredient was lavender as it is blooming everywhere in Napa Valley.  Blueberries were coming into season in places and herbs and salad greens were abundant, even in my backyard.   We were ready.

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What we were not ready for was the reality of working with 10 bags of polenta and 35 pounds of beef.   We are amateurs, after all.   But sleeves were rolled up, piles of herbs were chopped with a bag of onions, shallots and garlic.   A case of wine was corked to braise this much beef and a full bottle was used to make the blueberry-plum red wine reduction sauce.   Eight containers of blueberries were opened and cleaned.  Anyone who thought that this much food could be prepared in less than four hours was just not realistic.   A full business day was devoted to prepare this mass of food and between using the commercial kitchen at Markham Vineyards and at the Napa Valley Opera House, my team successfully emerged at 5:00 p.m., wiping our brows, blinking in the warm and bright Napa Valley sunlight and ready for the next day.

Did our food turn out?   Absolutely and deliciously, too:

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At the end of the event, after spending a day in the bright Napa Valley sunshine, proudly boasting funky tan lines and slight sunburns, nonprofits won.   In this respect, everyone wins.   As intuitive as that may sound, the swelling of one’s heart in the moment of hearing which nonprofits will receive the proceeds and knowing that you perhaps are a tiny part in helping make that happen and touching others’ lives is, indeed, priceless.

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