The first recipe I thought of to pair with our Wine of the Month, 2019 Sauvignon Blanc, was this Asparagus and Hazelnut recipe from Donna Wilcox. I was on the “committee” with Fran Reploge from Fenestra Winery and Mike Miller of Brown-Miller Communications to publish a cookbook for the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association in 1995, Cooking A Honker, Charring a Cheesecake, and other kitchen tales from the Livermore Valley Wine Country. At the time I was working at Concannon Vineyard and a group of us were assigned to test all of the recipes, and I was assigned this recipe. Sauvignon Blanc has always been my white wine of choice, and this recipe was a winning combo, enjoy!
Nancy Mueller, Editor-in-Chief and Driving Force, Cooking a Honker
Asparagus with Hazelnuts and Tarragon Vinaigrette
1-pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 tablespoons Sauvignon Blanc
3 tablespoons tarragon-white wine vinegar
4 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 1/4 teaspoons dried
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups baby lettuces or field greens
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, coarsely chopped
Bring a large pot with 1 inch of water to boil. Place asparagus on steamer rack above water and cook until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus to bowl of ice water and cool. Drain. Place asparagus on paper towels. Can be covered and refrigerated up to 6 hours.
Combine shallots, vinegar, Sauvignon Blanc, tarragon and mustard in a bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place baby lettuces on large platter. Arrange asparagus atop lettuces. Drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with hazelnuts.
Serve with a dry Sauvignon Blanc with a nice acid. A Riesling or Chenin Blanc may taste too sweet for the salad. Asparagus contains an element which makes whatever you have after it taste sweet.
Serves: 4
Donna Wilcox, Concannon Vineyard
Enjoy this video with Jim Concannon and Monique Soltani about how the cookbook was named! www.patch.co
