WINE & FOOD AFFAIR RECIPES

Appetizers


Cherrywood Cold-Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Fromage Blanc-Blue Cheese Mousse and Karma Gastrique

Carol Shelton Wines

3354-B Coffey Lane
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
carolshelton.com

This rich and decadent appetizer was created by Chef Greg Hallihan to pair perfectly with Carol Shelton’s bold and complex Zin-based blend, Karma Reserve, matching the meat's sweet smokiness and the bite of creamy blue cheese. You can prepare the components the night before your dinner party and keep in the fridge until you're ready to quickly assemble and serve the next day.

Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound pork tenderloin, silverskin removed and fat trimmed
  • 1 small bag cherrywood smoking chips
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
To prepare the pork tenderloin, cold-smoke the tenderloin with cherrywood chips for 1 hour, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to let the smoke seep into the meat and stabilize.  

The next day, preheat the oven to 275°F.

Sprinkle the tenderloin with salt and pepper. In an ovenproof frying pan over high heat, sear the tenderloin until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until the tenderloin is medium-rare (still quite pink in the center), 20 to 25 minutes 

Cover the tenderloin and refrigerate to cool. When the meat is cool enough to handle, slice into 1/2-inch-thick "nickels" across the loin. Set aside until ready to serve.

Fromage Blanc-Blue Cheese Mousse

Ingredients:
  • 4 ounces fromage blanc, at room temperature
  • 4 ounces Point Reyes blue cheese, at room temperature
Directions:
To prepare the mousse, in a food processor, blend the fromage blanc and blue cheese together, or whisk together in a bowl until smooth. Carefully spoon the mousse mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Karma Gastrique

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups Karma Reserve (about half the bottle)
  • 2 ounces honey (your favorite local brand)
Directions:
To prepare the Karma gastrique, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the wine and honey and simmer until reduced to the point where it covers and sticks to the back of a spoon. It should be reduced to about 1/3 cup, or about 90 percent volume reduction. 

Keep an eye on it, especially near the end, as failure to do so will end in a burnt gastrique!

Toasts and Assembly

Ingredients:
  • 1 sourdough baguette
Directions:
To prepare the toasts, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Cut the baguette into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until the slices are crispy and light golden brown. 

To assemble the appetizers, place a pork tenderloin "nickel" on a toasted bread slice, pipe the two-cheese mousse mixture on top in a nice "star" and drizzle with the Karma gastrique from a squeeze bottle. Enjoy with a glass of Karma Reserve Zin blend!