Maureen Grunter & Rollie Carlson
A few weeks ago, Pairing to Perfection and Cru Wine Online were invited to make an entertaining, educational presentation to the Club Managers’ Association at the Pool & Yacht Club in Lilydale, MN. Club Managers, like food and wine communities, are wonderful – hospitable, generous, eager for new ways to present their food and beverage in fresh and delicious ways to their members… It is a delicate balance because the members want the same thing, BUT they come from the perspective of wanting it to reflect an extension of their home entertaining preferences. Sounds easy, no? Not always… So between Cru’s dedication to making wine a fun, educational vehicle for entertainment, and P2P’s commitment to showcasing the club’s food and wine list, we offer them ways to accomplish this.
Executive Chef Kevin with Maureen & Rollie as he shared his vision in creating this menu
Each month their meeting is held in a manager’s club, and last month, we were honored to be making our presentation at the Pool & Yacht Club where Maureen is gracious General Manager and Kevin is genius Executive Chef. They warmly invited us into the planning process for the entire evening. We were joined by past-President, Rollie of St. Cloud Country Club, Joe of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Karen of Wirtz Beverages to taste Chef’s appetizers and courses. This was fun from first meeting to scrumptious dinner! Below each pairing is a brief description of why each particular wine was chosen.
Pool & Yacht Club Welcomes CMAA Upper Midwest Chapter
~Appetizers~
Vanilla Shrimp with Blood Orange Buerre Blanc
Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Blue Label Champagne, France
~We paired the Nicolas Feuillatte with this gorgeous shrimp appetizer because it features notes of honey, spices, yellow fleshy fruit (like apricots & peaches) and vanilla which complimented the vanilla and blood orange buerre blanc beautifully, in addition to the fact champagne & shrimp just work together.
Crispy Prosciutto, Sun-dried Tomato & Provolone
Petite Flat Bread
Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Eroica’ Riesling, Washington
~ We all loved the Eroica with this crispy prosciutto appetizer because of its mouth-watering acidity is beautifully balanced fruit which brightened the prosciutto.
Creamy Polenta with Roasted Forest Mushrooms
Gorgonzola Sauce
Erath Pinot Noir, Oregon
~ We unanimously matched the Erath Pinot because it shows a provocative suggestion of smoke which showcased the fabulous Roasted Forest Mushroom Polenta.
~Salad~
Arugula with Duck Confit,
Dried Cranberries, Candied Walnuts;
White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Esk Valley Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand
~ The Esk Sauv Blanc was perfect with this great salad because its flavors are a mix of ripe tropical fruits, citrus and cooler notes of fresh herbs, tomato leaf and pea pod; so refreshing & delicious; a clean palate after each bite of divine salad.
~Entrée~
Coffee rubbed Wild Boar
Atop sweet potato flan;
Pineapple red-eye reduction finish
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars ‘Hands of Time’, Napa Valley
~ This incredible entrée was so fabulous and the rich flavors not only of the Wild Boar, but the coffee, sweet potato flan and pineapple red-eye reduction begged for bold, rich flavors like the ones featured in the ‘Hands of Time’ ~ pleasing aromas of spiced fruit, clove and vanilla, which wrap around the structured tannins and lead to a lingering spice-filled finish; perfectly balanced pair.
~Dessert~
Chocolate Chipotle Cake
Cherry Almond frozen soufflé
Columbia Crest H3 Merlot, Washington
~ This addictively delicious dessert was a pairing made in Heaven with the H3 (as in Horse Heaven Hills) Merlot and its offering of raspberries, black pepper and earthy tone aromas which lead to flavors of chocolate covered cherries and plum preserves on the silky smooth palate.
Menu courtesy of Kevin Gillis, Executive Chef, Pool & Yacht Club, Lilydale, MN;
tasting notes courtesy of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates;
course pairing notes by Pairing to Perfection.
Nick, Cru Wine Online with Joe, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates & Karen Heiser, Wirtz Beverage
One of the reasons that Cru and P2P work so well together is that we share a commitment to showcasing the food with the wine. When an executive chef creates a superb menu, the pairings are much like an orchestra adding vibrant color to soul of the virtuoso’s performance… Chef Kevin created the masterpiece and Ste. Michelle Estates provided the orchestra ~ the evening was perfect.
Cheers!
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