This time of year, with so much coming out of the garden, this recipe was a no-brainer. It’s easy to make, the ingredients are easily obtained and the flavor is surprisingly rich and robust. I found nearly everything I needed in my garden. We found the 2010 Surry Oak Vineyard Sunshine a fun match.
The white wine is fashioned from the native American grape Niagara. Newly-opened Surry Oak Vineyard near Pilot Mountain crafts this in a style that reduces the foxy, jammy nature of this grape. Winemaker Ken Goehle picks the grape early, at lower sugar levels to achieve this desired effect. Then he adds sugar later to bump up alcohol levels.
The end result is an easy-drinking white wine that carries 2.5 percent residual sugar. Because the grapes were harvested early, malic and tartaric acids were elevated, providing a strong framework balancing perceived sweetness.
"I get mostly citrus of some kind with a little bit of pineapple and apricot. Some people say they get a lot of flowers in the nose," Goehle says. "The human palate is so complicated, I tend not to tell people what they're going to taste. I say taste it and tell me what it taste likes to you."
Ingredients:
* One refrigerated piecrust at room temperature
* 3 teaspoons of olive oil
* 2 small zucchini, sliced cross-wise into 1/4-inch rounds
* 2 small yellow squash, sliced cross-wise into 1/4-inch rounds
* Kernels cut from one ear of sweet corn
* One medium sweet onion, diced
* Salt & pepper
* 3 Tablespoons of your favorite basil pesto
* 2 ounces of fresh goat cheese (or substitute cream cheese) at room temperaure
* 1 large egg
* 6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
* 5 basil leaves, thinly sliced
Directions:
* Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a pie plate dish with the pie crust. Set this aside.
* Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion, squash, zucchini and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Cook veggies until lightly browned. Transfer to a bowl to cool, then toss them with the basil pesto.
* In small bowl, whisk together goat cheese (or cream cheese) and the egg, until a smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
* Use back of a spoon to spread the egg and cheese mixture over the piecrust.
* Spread cooked vegetables atop that mixture. Scatter tomatoes atop that. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese atop that.
* Bake tart until crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let it cool on wire rack. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve.
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