Posts Tagged ‘asparagus’

Photo shoot for “Decanting Sonoma County” + other food photography, video

by on June 4, 2010

Because food is an essential part of the Jordan experience (both at the winery and hopefully in your home), Executive Chef Todd Knoll seasonally creates new recipes that pair nicely with balanced, elegant Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons, like those made at Jordan. These recipes are showcased at our estate events, during meals for Jordan Estate Rewards members, on our website for home cooks and also in cookbooks.

Last week, we had the opportunity to create some recipes and style them in three separate food photography shoots. All three shoots are captured in this behind-the-scenes video.

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With inspiration from a new Vollrath fryer, Chef Knoll, who grew up in Hawaii and loves flavors from Asian and the Pacific, developed a Fava Leaf Tempura recipe, which will be featured on the Jordan website later this summer. For the home chef, Chef Knoll recommends the Cayenne Countertop Fryer—it conveniently uses a standard electrical outlet—and he recommends rice oil for frying.

Another new Chef Knoll creation is a Hoisin Duck Breast with White and Green Asparagus, which was conceptualized for the first addition of Decanting Sonoma: The Cookbook, which is expected to debut in 2011. Local photographer Robert Holmes was asked to capture the beauty of the plated duck with a bottle of Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon, as the cookbook will include wine pairings with each recipe. The photo selected by Decanting Sonoma’s author will be exclusive to her book, but here’s one of the shots we took with our Canon 5D during the shoot.

Hoisin Duck with White and Green Asparagus, originally uploaded by blog.jordanwinery.com.

A selection of the photographs we took (while professional photographer Robert Holmes was clicking away nearby) can be found on Flickr. If you’re interested in trying the Hoisin Duck recipe, a copy is posted on our Facebook page notes tab.

Harvesting white asparagus

by on February 8, 2010

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El Niño, characterized by unusually warm temperatures in the Pacific Ocean near the equator, caused a wave of January rainstorms in Sonoma County—and an early harvest in our garden thus far this season. On January 15, our white asparagus arrived two months early, so we recorded a video of Sous Chef Manuel burying the asparagus to deprive the spears of light and ultimately color. Two weeks later, the white asparagus was ready to be unburied, harvested and taken up the hill to our winery kitchen, where Manuel peeled the white asparagus, then tied the spears with string (both efficient and protective, as white asparagus is more brittle than green) before blanching. Here’s a short video of the harvesting process and kitchen preparations.

White asparagus arrives two months early

by on January 15, 2010

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In the Jordan estate garden, we focus on growing heirloom varieties and other fruits and vegetables that demand meticulous care. Our white asparagus arrived two months early this year (see winter garden post), so Sous Chef Manuel Reyes rushed out to the garden on Friday to bury all the asparagus spears in the ground. White asparagus comes from the process of etiolation, which is the deprivation of light. Dirt is mounded around each emerging stalk, depriving it of sunshine. The plant cannot produce chlorophyll without light, thus there is no green color to the stalk. White asparagus is typically milder in flavor and more tender than its green counterpart.

Click here to view my Hanger Steak and Asparagus Salad recipe.

A winter growing season update from our organic garden

by on January 15, 2010

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The mild winters of Alexander Valley mean our organic gardens continue to afford us a weekly bounty of vegetables to inspire dishes for our guests. In this video, I discuss what’s growing this month in our garden behind the winery, as well as the early ripening witnessed this season, which may be attributed to El Niño climate patterns.