Texture is the biggest challenge for pairing Dolce, which is why winery executive chef Abi Martinez and sous chef Trevor Eliason employ brioche to make their signature Monte Cristo for brunches. The flaky, sweetened bread becomes a just-crisp, buttery raft for the country pâté and Gruyère filling, and isn’t too crunchy to crudely erase the viscosity of the wine. PHOTO: MJ WICKHAM
	Late Harvest Lunch - Pairing California's preeminent dessert wine with savory dishes By Jen L. Karetnick
		Late harvest bottlings, with their honeyed noses, their tropical tangs and their keenly balanced acids, have something revelatory to teach us about how our palates experience not just flavor but texture. This symbiotic relationship between essence and viscosity can be demonstrated by a series of proofs - namely, food pairings. Dolce, a sibling of renowned wineries Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel, and North America's preeminent professor of late harvest wines, leads the class in these visceral exercises. Lesson No. 1? When it comes to sublime matches, Dolce, a mouth-filling blend of botrytised sémillon and sauvignon blanc grapes, has range. And while a handful of other notable Bordeaux-style late harvest labels - among them Beringer Nightingale, Ferrari-Carano El Dorado Gold, Swanson Late Harvest Sémillon and Topaz DLX - can be considered peers, Dolce is the only winery in the United States dedicated to producing an annual single vintage of this uncommon wine type. Its owners, Beth Nickel, Erik Nickel, Jeremy Nickel (family of the late founding partner Gil Nickel), Dirk Hampson and Larry Maguire, dedicate an entire 20-acre vineyard each year in the hope that the grapes will contract a "clean" strain of botrytis cinerea, or noble rot, become infected and begin to shrivel in such a way that acids and sugars remain in perfect balance throughout a harvest that spans much of October-November. The process is always protracted because grapes are picked one at a time. The resulting nectar is a gilded, stone fruit-inspired frame for a buttery apple tarte Tatin or pear clafoutis, a poetic muse for Napoleons and other pastries that contrast crisp and creamy layers. It serenades sweets such as baklava, enriched with honey and pistachios, goes down like silk with sticky almond macaroons and softens hazelnut biscotti. Anything vanilla-tinged - from a simple crème anglaise to an intense wedding cake - strikes an inspired match, as well. Assuring that the wine's perceived sweetness is greater than the dish is inherent to every one of these marriages. Yet dessert is not Dolce's only love match. Nor is the dinner table its only court. Serve Dolce with eggs Benedict, smothered with rich, lemony Hollandaise sauce; or with foie gras or sweetbreads, seared to molten tenderness; or even with a lobster roll, the bun lightly toasted, buttered, slathered with mayonnaise and overstuffed with the sweet Maine crustacean. Yes, from the erudite to the pedestrian, this Sauternes-style wine can be exquisitely wedded with savory brunch and lunch dishes, as long as the palate is first coated with luxuriant, fatty goodness. Underscoring this somewhat unorthodox concept are the first words that pop up on the Dolce Web site: "Waiting for dessert would be a sin." New Yorkers need only wait for lunch at Django in Manhattan, where Dolce proves itself a palatable partner to executive chef Andrew Karasz's lump crab risotto with heirloom tomato, slow-roasted lemon and basil. The toothsome crab, individually toasted grains of starch and bursts of citrus and tomato juices, mellowed by the heat of cooking, meld beautifully with a 2-ounce pour of Dolce (the current 2005 retails for $85/375-ml), which exudes notes of earthy truffle, orange rind and crème brûlée. Dolce winemaker Greg Allen says the house style became more consistent after 1994, before which there was a considerable learning curve and startup hurdles. Hampson, Far Niente director of winemaking, made the first six barrels of Dolce from the 1985 vintage, but before launching it commercially he first had to convince ownership to invest in what he admits was a "high-risk business plan" with the prospect of unpredictable yields and limited productions even in outstanding years. His inaugural commercial vintage was 1989. Between 1989 and 1994, as Hampson refined the wine, Allen says, "There's more variation. Some are more tropical or more citrus. Some are more fruit driven; others have more minerality." By 1992, with the release of the 1989, it had become so much its own brand, that it was spun off by Far Niente as a separate winery. While Allen always strives to develop a combination of orange rind, tropical fruit, white truffle and crème brûlée aromas; honeysuckle, apricot and fig flavors; and a lengthy finish with a signature oily-silky characteristic, Dolce's executive chef, Abi Martinez, suggests sampling Dolce (or any wine that will be paired with a dish) before the ingredients are finalized. Allen observes that "Dolce ages so long and so well, and the older the vintage the more developed the bouquet." Of course, Martinez, who has access to the wine library, has the luxury of continually sampling the vintages. Martinez considers risotto a good choice for a leisurely harvest brunch, and has developed a Gorgonzola and red d'Anjou pear version with Dolce-dry fruit compote for the singular wine. "The texture and the mouth-feel of the risotto is just as important as its flavors," Martinez notes. "With Dolce, you want something creamy to coat your palate." > Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Stilton are ingredients that will show themselves again and again as a late harvest wine's instinctive cohorts. "Creamy cheeses, noble cheeses, work particularly well. They have a mouthwatering quality and oily characters that bring out the flavors of the wine," Allen notes. In fact, winery visitors are offered blue cheese when they taste Dolce. When pouring Dolce as an apéritif at home, Allen recommends serving baby endive leaves with a dollop of Gorgonzola as a straightforward yet transcendent foil. "There's a natural bitterness to Dolce, and you want to complement that," he explains. "You want to hold the sweetness of your foods in check." Chef Cindy Pawlcyn's signature Roquefort gougères, which have a fluffy textural component and a rich quality that sets off the wine's deep, mead-like edge, are also perfect pass-arounds. The chef-owner of three wine country restaurants, Mustards Grill, Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen and Go Fish, Pawlcyn is a Dolce fan to the extent that, like Martinez, she even cooks with it. Her wild mushroom casserole calls for a half-cup of the slightly viscous wine to deglaze the pan of mushrooms and then reduce the sauce, lending minerality, earth tones and stone fruit intensity to the foresty depths. For extra punch, she says, "I serve it in individual dishes so that each person gets the whole hit of the earthy aroma as they take the lid off their own little 'casserole'… I invented this dish for a friend who loves to take in the smells of foods before eating them." Which is quite apropos, considering that a prime part of Dolce's pleasure is its phenomenal honeyed, apricot-laden bouquet. Taking cues from Pawlcyn and Martinez, I whipped up a goat cheese-Dolce Alfredo sauce that adds a veil of necessary unctuousness to frittata "muffins" - ideal individual serving portions. When the sauce is spooned on top, scented steam rises to wash over your olfactory sensors. Cured meats can be easily diced up and sautéed to add another element. "Salty foods are always going to work," Martinez notes. He cautions, however, that sinewy chunks should be kept to a minimum. "You don't want anything dense you have to chew through. Or anything too crunchy," Allen adds, "Your biggest challenges [with pairing Dolce] will come from texture," which is why Martinez and sous chef Trevor Eliason employ brioche to make their signature Monte Cristo for Dolce brunches. The flaky, sweetened bread becomes a just-crisp, buttery raft for the country pâté and Gruyère filling. For something heartier, think rendered fat. Long-braised pork belly has all the right components; so, too, does Peking duck. Composing an entire brunch menu that a late harvest wine will flatter is a delicious exercise. Martinez recommends setting up an outdoor table, either communal or buffet, with family-style platters and several vintages of Dolce. An autumnal squash soup can be ladled into individual bowls in advance and nuts and cheese can be passed as a denouement. A more formal brunch is served at New York's eighty-one, where sommelier Heather Branch offers Anthill Farms 2005 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc as a by-the-glass option at midday. "It has a 'raisin-ated' quality that makes the wine rich, but not too cloying, so I pair it with items such as [chef Ed Brown's] farmer cheese blintzes with caramelized apples. The notes of honeysuckle in the wine work well with the caramelized apples." Whether pulling the cork on Dolce, Anthill Farms or any one of the estimable late harvest wines trickling out of the Golden State, the options for partnering them, night or day, are limited only by your personal definition of self-indulgence. Features Editor Jen Karetnick also writes for MIAMI Modern Luxury magazine. Her co-authored book, Born-Again Vintage, is forthcoming from Potter Craft, December 2008. As part of the upcoming 2009 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Dolce will anchor a stylish, February 21 brunch at the Delano Hotel. Anne Burrell, executive chef of Centro Vinoteca and star of Food Network's "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" will pair the late harvest wine with three savory courses and one dessert. Katie Lee Joel (Billy Joel's wife), formerly of "Top Chef" and author of newly released cookbook The Comfort Table, will host; Dolce winemaker Greg Allen will also preside. Only 100 fortunate ticket holders will be able to tuck into Burrell's beautifully counterpointed orchestrations. - JLK For more information, visit www.sobewineandfoodfest.com/corporate/festival.htm. Roquefort Gougères From Chef Cindy Pawlcyn 5 large eggs, divided 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 3/4 cup water 1/3 cup butter 3/4 cup flour 3/4 cup Roquefort cheese Preheat oven to 375°. Beat 1 of the eggs with a pinch of salt and set it aside for an egg wash. In a saucepan, combine the water, butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add flour, and whisk until batter comes away from the sides of the pan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a mixing bowl and beat in 3 of the eggs, 1 at a time, until smooth after each addition. Add the last egg only if the batter seems too thick. The dough should be like a thick cookie dough. Stir in the Roquefort, saving a little to sprinkle on top before baking. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe or spoon the batter onto it, about a teaspoon of batter for each gougère. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake until golden and puffed, 12 to 16 minutes. Serves 6 Wild Mushroom Casserole From Chef Cindy Pawlcyn 2 pounds fresh morel mushrooms, stemmed, or 2 ounces dried morels and 1 3/4 pounds fresh cultivated mushrooms, stemmed 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil 1/2 small sweet white onion, cut into thin crescents 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme 3 cloves garlic 1/2 cup Dolce 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 to 1/2 cup whipping cream 3/4 cup shredded pecorino cheese If you're using dried morels, soak them in hot water till soft. When softened, remove them from the water, reserving the water, and gently squeeze out the excess liquid. Slowly pour the soaking water into a clean bowl, stopping before any bits of sand get into the bowl. Use this liquid in addition to the Dolce and cream. Cut all the mushrooms neatly into halves or quarters. Heat a large sauté pan and add butter. When hot, add onion and cook several minutes, stirring until soft. Add mushrooms, thyme and garlic; cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have absorbed any liquid and are slightly caramelized. Add Dolce, salt and pepper; cook over medium-high heat until reduced and very syrupy. Add reserved mushroom water, if you have any, and 1/4 cup of cream. Reduce until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Adjust seasoning, if necessary, and add more cream if the mixture seems too dry. Pour into 6 individual ovenproof bowls and reserve until just before ready to serve. Preheat oven to 475°. Sprinkle with cheese, cover, and bake 8 to 10 minutes, until heated through and bubbling. If you don't have lidded casseroles, cover the dishes with aluminum foil. Serves 6 Prosciutto-Spinach Frittata "Muffins" with Goat Cheese-Dolce Alfredo Sauce From Jen L. Karetnick 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 large sweet onion, diced 1 cup diced prosciutto (or pancetta) 2 cups fresh leaf spinach, washed and dried 12 eggs 1/4 cup milk 2 tablespoons Reggiano-Parmigiano 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper Goat Cheese-Dolce Alfredo Sauce (recipe follows) Preheat oven to 350°. In a 12-inch skillet, melt butter and sauté onion and prosciutto until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and sauté until wilted. Grease standard 12-muffin tin. When mixture is ready, divide equally into muffin molds. Beat eggs with milk, salt and pepper. Pour equally over mixture until molds are no higher than two-thirds filled. Place in oven. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes or until egg mixture is solid and golden-brown on top. Let set for 5 minutes before releasing. Spoon Goat Cheese-Dolce Alfredo Sauce over tops of muffins before serving. Makes 12 Goat Cheese-Dolce Alfredo Sauce: 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1 small shallot, minced 1/2 cup Dolce 1 cup heavy cream 1 small log plain goat cheese Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Sauté shallot until translucent. Add Dolce to deglaze and allow to reduce for 3 minutes. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add cheese and whisk, heating through. Season to taste. Farmer's Cheese Blintzes with Apples From Chef Ed Brown For the Blintz Batter: 2 eggs 1 cup whole milk 1/3 cup water 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons butter, melted, until brown, reserve at room temperature 1/4 teaspoon salt Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and blend with a hand blender or whisk. Allow batter to rest in refrigerator overnight. Using a 2-ounce ladle, pour batter into a 10" Teflon non-stick pan. Cook until lightly brown, and then flip and cook for 1 minute on medium heat. For the Caramelized Apples: 2 tablespoons butter 4 tablespoons brown sugar 2 lemons, juiced 4 cups chopped apples Splash of apple brandy 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Melt butter in sauté pan. Add brown sugar and lemon juice. Combine until brown sugar is dissolved; bring to a slight simmer. Add apples, brandy and cinnamon. Continue to cook over low heat until apples are tender on outside. Remove from heat and cool. For the filling: 12 ounces farmer's cheese or fresh ricotta 1 lemon, zested 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons kosher salt In a non-reactive mixing bowl, combine all ingredients gently using a rubber spatula. To make the blintzes: Spoon 1 ounce of the cheese filling onto each blintz round and fold into desired blintz shape. Reheat the folded blintz in an oven at 320° for 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon warm caramelized apples over the blintz. Lightly dust with powdered sugar and serve. Makes 6 servings Monte Cristo From Dolce Executive Chef Abi Martinez & Sous Chef Trevor Eliason 12 brioche slices 6 generous slices of Les Trois Petite Cochons or other coarse-style pâté 12 thin slices of Gruyère cheese 2 eggs 1/4 cup light cream 1 tablespoon flour Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste Non-stick spray or clarified butter for frying Mix eggs, cream, flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Preheat a non-stick pan to medium-high heat. Make sandwiches using two slices of cheese and one slice of pâté. Crack fresh black pepper and close the sandwiches. Dip in the milk batter and cover both sides. Spray the pan with non-stick spray or clarified butter. Cook each side for about 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Makes 6 Gorgonzola & Red d'Anjou Pear Risotto with Dolce-Dry Fruit Compote From Dolce Executive Chef Abi Martinez 1 cup arborio rice 1/2 cup white wine 3 cups light chicken stock 1/2 cup apple juice 1/3 cup pineapple juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup diced onions 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 tablespoon chopped sage Salt and pepper to taste 2 ounces Gorgonzola dolce 1 red d'Anjou pear, small dice Dolce-Dry Fruit Compote (recipe below) In medium heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add rice and cook another minute; add wine and cook until almost dry; add apple and pineapple juice and reduce. Add 2 cups of chicken stock to rice. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring often. Mix in sage. Cook until rice is tender yet still firm to bite and risotto is creamy. Add remaining chicken stock 1/4 cupful at a time and cook to desired consistency. Mix in Gorgonzola and pear. Cook until cheese melts and pear is heated through, about 1 minute. Season to taste. Spoon into a bowl; top with Dolce-Dry Fruit Compote and drizzle with soaking liquid (see below). Serves 4 For the Dolce-Dry Fruit Compote: 1 cup Dolce 1/2 cup water 1/3 cup sugar 1 small star anise 1 1-inch long cinnamon stick 4 juniper berries 2 1/4-inch thick lemon slices 4 cardamom pods 1/4 cup dry figs, small dice 1/4 cup dry apricots, small dice 1/4 cup dry pears, small dice 1/4 cup raisins, small dice In a medium size pot, combine all ingredients but dry fruit and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 1 hour. Strain and discard spices. Using same pot, add dry fruit and pour syrup back in. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Pour compote into an airtight container. Let it cool and cover. Refrigerate overnight. Remove fruit with slotted spoon; reserve unabsorbed liquid for garnish. - JLK

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