Apple Cinnamon Crock Pot Pork Loin
Serves: 5-6
INGREDIENTS
3 Lbs. Porkloin
1 Sweet Tart Apple/ Such as Crispin, Honey Crisp or Granny Smith
3 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 medium yellow onion
INSTRUCTIONS
Slice slits every ¾” to 1” into Porkloin horizontally about ¾ through the meat.
Fill each slit with an ¼” thick slice of apple skin edge out.
Brush honey over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Transfer the Porkloin to the crock pot and layer the onions over the top.
Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
Serve with mashed potatoes.
A perfect pairing with Ledger David 2011 Viognier.
Class Teaches Wine Enthusiasts How to Choose, Pair and Serve Wine
Join Ledger David Cellars for Wine 101: How to Choose, Pair and Serve Wine, on Wednesday, March 5, 2014, from 5-7pm at Le Petit Tasting Room in Central Point. This interactive class takes attendees on a journey through a brief overview of wine sensory evaluation, what’s behind the tasting notes, and simple methods to help you pair your go-to wine with your favorite foods.
Cost is $25 and includes a logo wine glass, wine flight and sample food pairings. Attendees will also receive a course syllabus with reference list for those who wish to further pursue their wine knowledge. Registration is required as seating is limited. Call (541) 664-2218 or visit www.ledgerdavid.com for more info.
Visit Ledger David Cellars’ Le Petit Tasting Room at 245A North Front Street in Central Point, conveniently located between Lillie Belle Farms and the Rogue Creamery. Open April – September, daily, noon – 5 p.m.; October – March, Thurs. through Monday from noon – 5 p.m.
Italian Winemaker’s Dinner at Pomodori Bistro & Wine Bar
Join Vintner David Traul of Ledger David Cellars for a special winemaker’s dinner Jan. 22 at Pomodori Bistro & Wine Bar. The event will feature an Italian menu paired with a selection of Ledger David wines, including the exclusive release of our 2012 Primoris Chenin Blanc.
MENU
Mahi Mahi with a Sweet Chile Tomato Sauce
Paired with 2012 Sauvignon Blanc
European Greens, Walnuts, Cranberries, Tomatoes and Gorgonzola with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Paired with 2012 Primoris Chenin Blanc
Wild Mushroom and Herb Soup
Paired with 2011 Sangiovese
Lemon Tomato Chicken Penne
Paired with 2011 Chardonnay
Peppercorn Encrusted Filet with Tempranillo Mushroom Cream Sauce
Paired with 2010 Tempranillo
House Made Tiramisu and Lillie Belle Dark Chocolate Shavings
Paired with 2010 Tempranillo Port
$50 per person. Reservations Required. Limited Seating.
Contact Jeff Lindow at (541) 779-4162 or [email protected].
Pomodori Bistro & Wine Bar, 410 E. Main St., Medford, OR 97501
Robert’s Good Luck Black Eyed Peas
Robert’s healthier riff on Hoppin’ John Black Eye Peas for luck in the New Year of 2014
This stir-fried version of black-eyed-peas-and-rice has plenty of flavors from bits of bacon or ham, without a pound of ham hock needed. It’s a great way to use up holiday leftovers. You can add whatever vegetables and grains you have on hand to this and it only gets better. Black Eye Peas and Collard Greens (on the side) are good luck foods to ring in the New Year and a big Trottmann Family and Southern tradition.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces slab bacon or smoked ham, cubed
2 onions, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
Salt and black pepper
2 cups cooked white or brown rice, preferably chilled. Choose the rice you love.
2 cups cooked or canned black-eyed peas, drained, liquid reserved
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Put the oil in a large skillet or large Wok over medium-high heat. A minute later, add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pieces are crisp and browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat and lower the heat to medium. (If you’re using smoked ham, which is very lean, you won’t need to pour off any fat.) Add onions, peppers, and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the rosemary and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Begin to add the rice, a bit at a time, breaking up any clumps and stirring it into the oil. When all the rice has been added and is glossy, add the peas with 1/2 cup of their liquid. Cook and stir until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve, garnished with parsley and steamed or braised collard greens. Delicious!
Serves 4.
Robert’s Day-After-Thanksgiving Quiche
By Robert Trottmann
Serves 4
Quiche
6 eggs
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 cup roasted turkey leftovers, chopped
¼ cup tomato seeded and diced
¼ cup apple wood smoked bacon, cooked until crisp and finely chopped
1- 8-inch pie shell
Mornay sauce
2 ½ tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. all purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream
1 pinch nutmeg
2 oz. grated hard dry cheese (your choice), plus more for sprinkling
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
1 tbsp. paprika (Smoked Paprika really makes this dish shine)
2 Roma tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp. parsley
To make the quiche batter, whisk eggs and whole milk together. Chill well.
Split the turkey, tomato and bacon evenly into the 8 pie shell. Pour in quiche batter, filling to the rim. Bake in a preheated oven at 325° for 10-15 minutes until set. The quiche should be golden brown and firm.
To make the Mornay sauce, first make a roux by melting the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat and adding the flour to it. Continue to cook and whisk to keep it from burning. Add cream and whisk in the roux to slightly thicken the sauce. Add nutmeg, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
Pour Mornay over the now cooked quiche. Sprinkle with the paprika and place evenly the pieces of Roma tomato on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake at 325° for 5-7 minutes or until sauce bubbles. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately. Pairs with Sangiovese Rose’ or Primoris Chenin Blanc.
2013 Harvest begins with sprint intensity, but evolves into a marathon…
By Lena Varner
Overall, this was an extended, more evenly paced harvest…perhaps the most enjoyable yet. Starting with Sauvignon Blanc in September and ending with Cabernet Franc and Tempranillo the first week of November – David compares the 2013 harvest to a “two month marathon.” Although the timing was somewhat unexpected, I’ve always enjoyed marathons to sprints.
With the unusually warm days of summer this year, the sugars increased steadily in our wine grapes at Varner-Traul Vineyards. Heather returned from a short vacation in October, thinking that harvest would be coming to an end. Little did she know, we were just at the 13.1-mile marker and only half way to the finish.
We spent many more hours in the vineyard tasting fruit, measuring numbers and waiting until flavors were “there.” Then, the weather turned cooler, with frost warnings and waking to the sounds of windmills in the vineyard, pulling warmer air in to protect the crop. Ledger and Slater used to enjoy the sounds of the “helicopters” in the night but at the age of 4 and 2 ½, they already prefer sleep in those early morning hours. As for the grapes, this cool weather shift at the end of the season allowed for more complex flavors to develop.
Our final day of harvest started a bit chilly and ended with sunshine. On November 3rd, Heather, Mariano, David and an enthusiastic crew brought in the last of our Tempranillo.
As in prior years, we had the benefit of working with multiple winemakers to harvest and ultimately produce this vintage, which may prove to be a landmark year for Ledger David. We look forward to sharing 2013 releases, new blends, and what may be some of the best estate wine our Rogue Valley vineyard has ever produced!
Thanksgiving Weekend Open House at Ledger David Cellars
Special wine release, comfort foods and live music Thanksgiving Weekend at Le Petit Tasting Room in Central Point
Celebrate two years with Ledger David Cellars at our Thanksgiving Weekend Open House event, Nov. 29-Dec. 1 from 12 to 5 p.m. Enjoy fall comfort foods and toast our new release 2011 Cabernet Franc and our first vintage 2010 Tempranillo. And enjoy our signature Primoris Chenin Blanc and other award-winning estate wines. Also, listen to live music from the rock and popular guitarist Jeff Kloetzel on Saturday and flamenco guitarist Grant Ruiz on Sunday from 2-4pm both days.
Visit Ledger David Cellars’ Le Petit Tasting Room at 245 North Front Street in Central Point, conveniently located between Lillie Belle Farms and the Rogue Creamery. Fall and winter hours are Thurs. through Mon. from 12 to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.ledgerdavid.com or call (541) 664-2218.
Ledger David Celebrates Two Years in Central Point
Stop by the Artisan Corridor in Central Point this weekend – construction has ended on Hwy. 99 and a new year is set to begin!
Celebrate Ledger David’s two-year anniversary, Oct. 26 & 27 from noon – 5 p.m. at Le Petit Tasting Room. Enjoy sparkling wine, complimentary champagne infused-cupcakes, and more. Plus, the winery is offering special pricing on all 2013 San Francisco Chronicle Competition award-winning wines.
Visit Ledger David Cellars’ Le Petit Tasting Room at 245 North Front Street in Central Point, conveniently located between Lillie Belle Farms and the Rogue Creamery. Open October – March, Thurs. – Mon., from noon – 5 p.m., and April – September, daily noon – 5 p.m.
For more information, call (541) 664-2218.
The People’s Coast Classic: 363 Glorious miles down the Oregon Coast
Visiting Art 101 in the coastal town of Bandon.
by Robert Trottmann
The back story. It was late winter 1998, my daughter was 7 and my son was 2. I had just bought a new touring bicycle and was determined to soon ride my new bike down the Oregon coast from Astoria to Brookings. It is now a not so soon 17 years later, my daughter is newly married, my son just went to his first high school homecoming dance Saturday night and from September 8-14, I was finally able to realize my dream of bicycling the most beautiful coast in the world. And I did it on that very same bicycle.
Day 1. After spending the first night in the Astoria High School football field, made famous in the movie The Goonies (check it out), I awoke early dawn September 8 in a dew soaked tent so excited to get rolling down the Coast. With a full dose of coffee and breakfast at the Maritime Museum and the requisite fanfare and photos of the riders, some 45 plus cyclists and our support staff headed Southwest in a long stream out of Astoria with the first stop 25 miles ahead in Seaside with the day to end in Tillamook 68 miles down Highway 101. The day was sunny and simply perfect.
Landing in Tillamook I set up my tent and grabbed a beer, graciously provided by the Rogue Brewery, and headed to our mobile shower truck for one of the best soakings I have ever had. The wonderful David Gremmels of the Rogue Creamery had in the meantime arranged for me to get a massage at the mobile massage tent! This is not the roughing it, solo ride, I had planned on doing 17 years ago. Oh no, this was pure biking, camping, eating and drinking fun like it should be. I didn’t even have to carry my gear! Really, this was my version of a week at a mobile Ritz Carlton.
Day 2 meant the longest day of riding starting out climbing and descending the 3 capes out of Tillamook head. Cloudy to start, the day cleared with little wind and more perfect weather. Just magnificent! Onto Newport and a gala dinner with Ledger David wines, plenty of amazing Rogue Creamery Cheeses, organic fruits and vegetables, and fresh line caught tuna. All this inside the incredible Oregon Coast Aquarium, which I encourage everyone to visit.
The following morning I rode back into Newport and explored a bit of the historic Nye Beach neighborhood, had a double shot of espresso and then headed back the Rogue Brewery under the bridge for lunch and a brewery tour headed up by the brew master John Maier, who was also riding with us. John was my off and on riding companion. He is a true gentleman and makes some really fine beers! The afternoon was perfect as we headed down the next leg of our adventure and the shortest distance of riding for the week. A short and beautiful 25 miles ended in the lovely town of Yachats.
Camping in Yachats was windy and chilly but dinner in the shelter house was cozy and supplied with delicious Ledger David Cellars wine making for some very happy riders. Late in the evening, shenanigans ensued with the incredibly high energy Bill Bloxum’s bike being suspended in the rafters by our illustrious support staff. Hilarious! It’s important to note that Bill’s company F.C. Bloxom generously supplied all our produce and fruit for the ride.
The Yachats to North Bend ride was a long 73 miles and I have to say lonely, which ironically, was part of the whole trip. The riders were spread out far apart each day giving plenty of time to be alone with ones thoughts. Not a bad thing. The bridge into North Bend is high and scary. Lots of wind and our support crew shuttled a lot of us. I hadn’t been in a car all week and wasn’t about to do that regardless of wind and fear. So I walked across with my bike. The camping in the North Bend baseball fields was the least desirable site of the ride. As I rode into the ball field I noticed that the outfield where many riders had already set up camp was lush with taller green grass. It looked like it was being well watered. The infield was dry and the grass was short. In my delirium of the day’s ride I just thought, hmmm I’ll set up my tent behind the pitcher’s mound where it was dry, thinking to myself “ what if the sprinklers come on at night.” They did. Everyone to a rider, except me were soaked. Completely soaked. Hours went by in the darkness, with support staff and a maintenance man trying to get the water shut off. The next morning it was a mini Katrina. Sprinklers shoot up, rain falls down, and rain flies aren’t made for that. It was bad. The great part was the way everyone handled the event. Lots of laughter and good spirits about the whole thing. A testimony to the quality people I rode with all week. Incredible people!
Day 5 was a solid 69 mile ride, mostly gray skies but the grandeur of the Southern Oregon Coast made of up for the clouds. Bandon was a welcome rest stop and Port Orford showed that it is an up and coming little destination with a new restaurant and really fine new art gallery. A short ride out of Port Orford and past Humbug mountain put us into our final campsite of Arizona Beach. It’s a funky little spot of State Park with an outdated motor inn. Worth visiting. Lots of bear scat and a resident bull elk added to the whacky charm of the place. Our final night of camping was a bit melancholy for me as the trip was coming to an end.
Day 6 meant 45 miles of incredible riding on the South Coast. The night before there was talk of the next days “climb”. I guess I was thinking too much about it. The ride from Arizona Beach into Gold Beach was mostly pastoral and I was thinking this isn’t so bad, until I left Gold Beach. The world changed. I was climbing. And climbing and climbing. It wasn’t ending. I was on the “back” side of Cape San Sebastian. It was my version of hell. It didn’t seem to end. When I reached the top, it was all fog. All I could see was the sign for the cape and the trees right in front of me. For those who have seen it on a clear day, you know how high you are above the ocean. It is incredible. On this day it was pea soup. I cried, got back on my bike and flew down, down, down the hill like a free fall. It felt like floating in a dream.
I arrived in Brookings at the back of the pack at Azalea Park near the Chetco River to cheering and a medal and hugs and smiles all around. A quick lunch and I gathered my gear, put my bike in the back of my escorts, Ryan and Jen’s scout vehicle and was whisked away back to the Rogue Valley. My ride was over.
I am changed by this. I had a dream that I didn’t give up on. I had so much support from my family, Lena and David, David Gremmels and so many others. Ledger David Cellars sponsored this for me and I am forever, beyond all words, grateful.
There is so much more I’d love to share about this adventure, so please come by the tasting room and lets visit!
Keep dreaming!
Scallops with Grapefruit and Bacon with Ledger David Sauvignon Blanc
Scallops with Grapefruit and Bacon with Ledger David Sauvignon Blanc
A tangy, buttery white wine and grapefruit sauce with smoky bacon is the perfect accompaniment to sweet sea scallops.
1 large grapefruit
3 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1-by- 1/4-inch matchsticks
1 1/4 pounds sea scallops (about 20)
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup Ledger David Cellars Sauvignon Blanc
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Peel the grapefruit and set aside ½ the sections. Squeeze and strain the remaining to get three tablespoons of juice. Cook bacon on moderate heat till crisp. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Cook in skillet on moderately high heat until just brown. Add onions and cook an additional 3 minutes. Transfer to plate. Add wine and grapefruit juice to skillet and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cook liquid scraping up any bacon bits. Strain liquid into heatproof cup and then return to skillet. Add capers and butter to liquid and cook until sauce is thickened, 2-3 minutes. Add scallops back into the skillet, turn them to coat in the sauce. Add grapefruit sections and bacon and serve immediately over a bed of field greens.
