Harvest, an extra hour of sleep and the Wines of November

BonJour!

It is only eight in the morning on this first day of November and it is warm, bright and sunny out! I love when we “fall back” and the mornings get brighter and the evenings cozier.

Tonight we are having our delightful staff over for dinner. As you know, they are almost all “starving” college girls and I love to “mother” them and cook a big dinner (plus, Annie is coming home from UCSC for tonight’s dinner – so I really get to MOTHER”!). The girls are my guinea pigs, really, because I can try out new recipes and I either get a “mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….” or the food is quietly left on their plates. I know then to toss the recipe or file it in my binder. If the girls have significant others in their lives, they too are welcome to come over. I love a full house!

Menu

Espresso Martinis

Chickpea and Butternut Squash Fritters
Homemade Pesto Fingers

Broccoli and Cauliflower Flan with a Spinach Béchamel
Mashed Potatoes with Herbs and Chevre
Baked Applesauce
Grilled Raspberry Pork Tenderloin

Pumpkin Pudding

I will let you know what is left on the plates and which recipes will be saved to make again.
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Petit Soleil’s November Wines

Niner Wine Estates 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
Paso Robles

Hugel 2007 “Gentil”
An Alsatian blend of Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Silvaner – Fresh, dry and elegant. I LOVE ALSACE AND IT”S WINES!

Beckman 2008 Grenache Rose
Santa Barbara County

Robert Hall 2006 Rhone de Robles
A lovely Rhone blend from Paso Robles

Steele Wines 2008 Blue Franc Lemburger
A “story” wine! Originally this grape, the Blau Frankisch (translated “the blue grape from France”), was grown along the Danube River in Austria. While traveling in Europe, Jed Steele found the wine made from this grape to be full of berry flavors, with a trace of spice and without heavy tannins. At Steel Wines, Jed found the Lemburger, or Brue Frank, grapes and recreated the wine. It is very different from any wine we have ever had – flavorful and fun! Make sure you ask for a taste!

Jacuzzi Family Vineyards 2007 Barbera
Sonoma County No story, just a delicious wine from an old Italian family vineyard in Sonoma. Really YUMMY!
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Thursday, November 19 is Beaujolais Thursday, a celebration in France of the new 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau. We are scheduled to receive a case of the special wine and I will find some traditional recipes to pair with it in celebration!
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Speaking of wines – the San Luis Obispo Vintners’ and Growers Harvest Celebration begins this November 6th and goes until November 8th, 2009. Many wine tastings and winemaker dinners and always great fun. Visit www.slowine.com for all the information and to purchase tickets. I worked many of the harvest celebrations and they are always so much fun…plus the colors and smells and tastes of autumn are everywhere.

Another great thing to do in November is drive over to Sea Canyon, about 15 minutes or so from Petit, and visit the apple orchards. I always make the mistake of buying too many apples because they are so so delicious. Our guests at Petit benefit from this abundanza with apple slices with the appetizers, apple spice baked French toast, Apple Harvest coffee cake and apple cinnamon scones. I am making Ina Garten’s Baked Applesauce tonight….coincidence? Maybe.

For those guests that purchased DEUX, our second recipe book, I will be emailing you, as promised, two new recipes this month for AUTUMN. I suppose I should take pictures of the cooked or baked dishes so you can see how they turn out…..HMMMMM ..that may be the perfect excuse to buy the new Cannon Rebel camera, you think?

I know I am forgetting things that I want to tell you, but I must run to the store and start getting things together for our Food Frenzy this evening!

Bisous et bon appetit
Dianne