Bay Scallop Gratin with White Wine

April 28th, 2010 by jolan in recipes

Robin Raible, the Director of Operations for Vintners Circle Franchising, suggested this easy and delicious scallop dish. She adapted the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa’s Bay Scallop Gratin, found at foodnetwork.com.

This dish is a wonderful blend of both light and rich flavors, balancing the gentle sweetness of bay scallops with a full-bodied white wine (in this case, a Chardonnay-Semillon blend made at Vintner’s Circle). White wine and butter provide the substantial backbone of the gratin, ensuring each delicate bite of scallop goes down with a smooth creaminess. Panko is a Japanese breadcrumb: lighter and crispier than traditional Western-style breadcrumbs, panko is a perfect compliment to tender seafood. Most supermarkets carry panko; look for a bag or box in the International aisle of your local grocery store.

Robin served this dish with angel hair pasta, to make the gratin a complete and hearty dinner for her family. She notes that even her teenage daughter, normally a picky eater, ate the scallops and pasta with gusto.

Bay Scallop Gratin with White Wine

24 ounces Persian Bay scallops, cleaned and dried
6 – 8 tablespoons Chardonnay-Semillon
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup panko

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Using the paddle attachment in an electric mixer, blend together the butter, garlic, onion, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper on low speed. Once thoroughly blended, slowly add the olive oil. With a rubber spatula, fold in the panko, and set the mixture aside.

Pour the wine into an 8 – 9 inch casserole dish, and place the scallops in, as well. Spread the butter-breadcrumb topping evenly over the scallops, and put the casserole dish into the oven.

The length of baking time depends on your personal taste: if you prefer barely-cooked, juicy scallops, bake for 10 to 12 minutes; if you prefer thoroughly cooked, firmer scallops, bake for close to 20 minutes. Once the casserole is finished, serve atop freshly boiled angel hair pasta for a readily sauced, hearty dinner.

Choosing the Right Wine

May 20th, 2009 by robin in wine lifestyle

It is a question we hear almost daily, “How do I decide which type of wine I should make?” or “How do I know which wine I will like?” Whether you are choosing to make your own wine, trying to make a selection in the liquor store, or ordering from a wine list in a restaurant the question can be daunting. In all of these situations, however, there are a few items to consider to help guide your decision.

First, do you prefer red or white wine? For many people this is an a straight forward answer and will help cut your choices in half. Unfortunately, we have found that when speaking to a couple the pair often fall on opposite sides of the line. If this is your situation, understand that there are several types of wine that tend to be good compromises to suit both tastes, such as Chateauneuf du Pape (Vieux Chateau du Roi on our website) or a Bianca (Luna Bianca on our website).

So let’s assume you have narrowed your choices slightly. Next question, do you drink wine by itself or with food? If you answered “with food”, what type of food do you tend to eat while drinking wine? We have a great wine and food pairing chart to help you find a great wine style to enhance your meal.

If the food pairing selector hasn’t solved your dilemma there is one last question. Do you like a light wine or a full bodied wine. This means do you like something that feels light on your tongue or something that truly makes its presence known in your mouth. There are both white and red wines that fit into each of those categories, so paired with your answers to the previous questions you should be well on your way to finding your perfect wines.

Finally, we know how difficult these decisions can be and have created a Wine Selector Guide to help you in your decision. Just understand, there can be several answers to this important question and once you get started on this adventure of finding wines that fit your flavor/taste profile you will want to try them all. We should know,  our passion turned into our business.

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