Mealtime Monday: June Recipes and Wines of the Month from WineStyles

Open Ridge Chardonnay,
Santa Barbara County, California

Open Ridge is committed to producing wines that communicate the beauty, elegance and vivacious soul of Santa Barbara.

Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels to add complexity and allow oaky, buttery notes to appear. Offering rich tropical fruits, Open Ridge Chardonnay has a round creamy body that balances nicely on the finish.

Try pairing this wine with the recipe below:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Chardonnay wine
• 1/2 cup apricot preserves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 smoked, fully cooked ham half( about 6-7 pounds)
• 20 whole cloves (optional)
• Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small saucepan, cook apricot preserves and wine over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half. Remove from heat and add seasonings, using a whisk or hand-held immersion blender. Set Aside.

Note: Consider doubling this recipe and serving table-side as a sauce.

If desired, score outside of ham and stud with cloves. Place ham on the rack of a broiler pan coated with nonstick spray. Brush ham with glaze until well coated. Bake at 325 degrees for about one hour or more, until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, basting with glaze about every 20 minutes. Transfer ham to serving platter and let stand for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Served immediately.

Crica 55 Merlot,
Lake County, California

Big, robust and intense. This is the heart of Circa 55 wines. The grapes for Circa 55 are selected from the finest growing regions in California. Circa 55 is a throwback, an old school, cowboy-style wine that is not for the faint of palate.

This 100% merlot was aged for 24 months in both stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels giving it a softness, yet still maintaining a rich spice of herbs and intense red fruit character. We recommend serving Circa 55 with a quality cut of beef, preferable charred over an open flame.

Try pairing it with the recipe below:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup seedless blackberry jam
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup Merlot wine
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon each, salt, white pepper, onion powder, chili powder, garlic powder

Directions:

In a small saucepan, add 1/4 cup of wine and all other ingredients. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring constantly until jam melts. Add more wine to achieve the desired consistency and taste.

Pour sauce over bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin filets and enjoy.

Note: Try using a small immersion blender to stir the sauce.

All wine descriptions and recipes have been written and provided by Jenevieve Croall of WineStyles – Flower Mound. You may join the Wine Club on their website to receive 2 bottles of wine each month, along with special invites, discounts and more. Join Today!

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