AMISTA Recipes

Bittersweet Chocolate Cassis Truffles

If you've been to our Amista events you'll know we often have a local chocolatier offering samples of their hand made truffles.  Here's a beautiful twist on the classic chocolate truffle that adds a hint of Cassis.  This is am amazing pairing with our port-style dessert wine we call Ilusión - an elegant way to end a lovely meal with friends.

 

 

 

 

(makes about 30)

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips

½ cup heavy cream

2 T. Crème de Cassis liqueur

½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring the cream just to a boil in a small saucepan. As soon as it begins to boil, pour through a fine strainer into the bowl of chocolate. Whisk cream and chocolate together until chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the liqueur. Cover and refrigerate until stiff, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Working quickly, roll the chilled mixture into ¾” balls with your hands and place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. If the mixture becomes too soft to roll, return it to the refrigerator to firm before continuing.

Lightly cover the truffles with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. Place the cocoa powder in a shallow dish and roll each truffle in powder until coated. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Cassoulet Amista

Mike, our winemaker, proprietor and home chef, first tried his hand at cassoulet one chilly autumn evening and it’s been a favorite of ours ever since – rich, hearty and satisfying – like a wonderful friendship.  Chef John Franchetti presents a variation on this popular dish in soup form.  It was our featured dish at Wine & Food Affair in 2010 and is included in Tasting Along the Wine Road Cookbook.

Start this dish two days before you plan to serve.

2 lbs. white beans
5 T extra virgin olive oil 
2 medium onions, cubed
3 carrots cut in rounds
12 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
6 oz. Prosciutto, in one piece and then cubed
8 oz. pancetta, in one piece and then cubed
1 tomato peeled and chopped
5 quarts chicken stock
1 herb bouquet (4 sprigs parsley, 2 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf and 3 small ribs celery, tied together)
6 duck confit legs (available in most gourmet markets)
1 lb. garlic sausage
2 T breadcrumbs
4 T chopped parsley, finely chopped
4 T zest of lemon
3 T walnut oil
salt and pepper to taste at each stage

Rinse beans under cool running water. Cover with water and soak overnight.

Sauté onions, garlic and carrots with olive oil until soft; add salt and pepper

Add prosciutto and pancetta, cook an additional minute; add tomato, 2 quarts stock and herb bouquet

Drain beans and add to mixture; bring to a simmer and cook for 1 ½ hours until the beans are tender

Remove from the heat, let cool and refrigerate overnight

Next day remove any fat from top, add additional 3 quarts of stock and reheat on low heat; add duck confit legs and garlic sausage and simmer for about 1 hour; add salt and pepper if needed

When hot, pull duck legs out, remove meat from bone and chop; remove sausage, chop into ½ inch pieces; return duck and sausage to pot; remove herb bouquet and discard

Mix bread crumbs with lemon zest and chopped parsley in a small bowl (for garnish)

When serving, ladle into a bowl, garnish with bread crumb mixture and walnut oil

Using the finest ingredients is very important - local beans, great prosciutto, chicken stock and walnut oil.  Just use the best and your experience will be like mine.  Have fun, John Franchetti

We love this rich earthy soup with our Amista Syrah.

Grilled Shrimp on Mache & Arugula with Grapefruit and Avocado

Hallie suggested several variations and we tried one last night.  We made the following substitutions and  prepared a large salad that we had as our main course.

• shrimp grilled on the barbecue in place of
  the scallops
• added half arugula to the mache
• made a lemon dressing by adding 1/4 teaspoon
  lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon sugar

There's one main thing we didn't change - the Amista un-oaked Chardonnay still goes beautifully with this light and luscious salad.

Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

  

For 2 generous servings:

1 cup Arborio (short grain) rice
1 cup diced white onion
1 diced red pepper
1 lb. asparagus (trimmed and peeled for last 2 inches),
bias cut to 2 inch length
2 or 3 cups mushrooms (white or a mixture of wild)
2 pieces pancetta (Italian bacon) or bacon in a pinch,
diced into ~1/2 inch pieces
1 14 oz can of chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon thyme (or to taste)
salt & pepper to taste
about 1 dozen saffron threads
1/2 cup dry white wine (leftover chardonnay or dry vermouth)
olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Splash heavy cream

I use two pans - a 10 inch saute pan (straight two inch sides) for the risotto and a sauce pan for the broth. Pour the stock into a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.

Saute the onion and red pepper in a little olive oil until soft; remove from pan and set aside.  Add pancetta to pan and saute with a little olive oil until crisp; add mushrooms and saute until slightly browned. Salt and pepper to taste.  Add thyme to the cooking mushrooms. Remove from pan and add to onions and peppers.

Add the rice to the saute pan with a little olive oil and saute for a minute or two (do not brown).  Add the wine and as the wine is reduced, add the onions, peppers, mushrooms and pancetta and stir the mixture. Add enough of the hot stock to cover the rice mixture and stir.  As the liquid is absorbed, add more stock and stir.  Do not let the pan go dry. 

Continue adding stock and stirring until the rice is firm but not crunchy, about 20 minutes. Suggest setting a timer for 20 minutes.  If you use all the stock before the rice is properly cooked, add simmering water.

At about 17 or 18 minutes (when the rice is nearly done), add the saffron and adjust seasoning as needed.  Stir in asparagus pieces and cover the saute pan.  Allow the liquid level to fall to your desired consistency (some prefer more wet; others like it more dry).  When the rice and asparagus are done to your taste, add a splash of cream to thicken sauce.  Remove from heat and add Parmesan cheese and stir.  Serve immediately.