This past weekend my friend and I hosted a small, casual dinner party for six with wine pairings. It was a great group of people and a lot of fun, with some excellent summer plates including a tomato salad, green beans with basil, creamed sweet corn, and spicy pork tenderloin. One of my friends even made an apricot and raspberry pie to finish off the meal. We had a bottle of 2008 and 2007 Dry Riesling from my favorite winery in Napa Valley, Trefethen (most of us preferred the 2007 which was slightly sweeter and a little more carbonated). With dinner we had a Pinot Noir from a small winery in Mendocino called Toulouse, which I highly recommend visiting if you're ever in that area. We finished off the night with some Gruet Champagne, which my friend picked out, and it was fantastic!
The tomato salad I made was a concoction I came up with after dining on something similar at a luncheon a few weeks ago. It was a huge hit with everyone, and so easy to make. If you have access to a local farmers market, I would recommend getting your tomatoes there. The other ingredients can be purchased at a supermarket, but if you have them at your Farmer's Market then you can save some money that way.
Ingredients (serves 6 as a nice first course)
-2 large red tomatoes
-3 small green tomatoes
-2 large purple heirloom tomatoes
-1 small watermelon (of orange or yellow variety is good, but red is fine too)
-fennel
-spring salad mix
-1/3 cup pine nuts
-1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing:
-1/4 cup red wine vinegar
-3/4 cup olive oil
-1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
-salt and pepper to taste
-pinch of sugar
-pour all ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously
Directions:
-cut off the heart of the fennel and slice it into small slivers. Probably want about a cup or so.
-chop tomatoes into chunks
-chop watermelon into smaller chunks
-combine all ingredients (including pine nuts and feta) in bowl. Cover and chill for one hour before serving
To plate:
-put spring salad mix into bottom of bowls or on plates
-add tomato salad
-pour about a 2 Tablespoons or less of the dressing over it
Serve and enjoy!
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