What a lovely, easy quaffer, our Wine of the Week, Rodney Strong Vineyards 2019 Sonoma County Charlotte’s Home Sauvignon Blanc ($17). On the first sip, there’s a bright flash of citrus, mostly grapefruit and Meyer lemon, followed by suggestions of green melon, pomelo and not-quite-ripe kiwi. You’ll notice a grassy meadow quality, too, with the slightest suggestion of sweetness mid-palate, followed by a crisp finish.
The wine is clean and bright from first sip to last. It is a classic oyster wine, especially if those oysters on the half shell are drizzled with just a bit of cucumber mignonette. It’s a natural with simple seafood dishes, from seared scallops and steamed clams to spaghetti alle vongole and sand dabs with lemon and capers. You’ll also enjoy it with savory yogurt dishes, including cucumber-yogurt soup and yogurt gazpacho. It works well with pizza with olive oil, garlic, grated zucchini, Jack cheese, sliced avocado and no tomato sauce.
Come Dungeness season, you’ll enjoy it with crab sandwiches and chilled crab, aîoli and sourdough bread.
Salads dressed simply, with olive oil and either white wine vinegar or lemon juice, welcome this wine alongside, too.
For today’s recipe, I’ve retooled my favorite fruit salad just a bit to help the wine soar. Be sure to let the melon, cucumber and green onion rest for at least 30 minutes before finishing the salad, so their natural juices are released. This is doubly important if you don’t have the absinthe.
Cucumber & Melon Salad with Green Onion & Yogurt
Serves 2, easily doubled
2 generous slices of green honeydew melon
1 medium Persian cucumber, cut into ¼-inch diagonal half moons
1 green onion, trimmed and cut into thin rounds
½ cup white grapes, halved (optional)
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons absinthe, optional
2 generous tablespoons whole milk yogurt, such as Straus or Bellwether Farms
5 or 6 spearmint leaves, cut into very thin ribbons
Use a sharp knife to cut the melon from its skin and tough rind and then cut the flesh into 2-inch cubes. Put the cubed melon in a medium bowl; add the cucumber, green onion and grapes, if using, and sprinkle very lightly with a pinch of salt. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and as long as 2 hours.
To finish the salad, add the absinthe, if using, and divide it between two soup plates or salad bowls, being sure to use all the juices that have collected in the bowl. Divide the yogurt between the two portions, scatter mint on top and enjoy right away.
Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date. Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com.
October 14, 2020 at 05:35AM
https://ift.tt/316AUps
Simple cucumber and melon salad matches this crisp white wine - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
https://ift.tt/2YiDHen
No comments:
Post a Comment