Mother's Day Pairing

"Real men make quiche, at least on Mother’s Day” - WG

In celebration of mother's all over the world roll up your sleeves and treat mom to a delectable brunch or dinner made with that special ingredient; a sons or fathers love

The Wine

Schramsberg Brut Rosé 2013

This is fruitful, complex and dry, making it both versatile with food and delicious by itself as an aperitif. The character of the wine is influenced by bright, flavorful Pinot Noir grown in Carneros, Anderson Valley, and the Sonoma and Marin coastal areas. A few small lots of Pinot Noir are fermented in contact with their skins to add depth and subtle color to this vibrant sparkling wine. Chardonnay gives spice, structure and length on the palate. Hand picking, careful handling and gentle pressing produce a wine of delicacy, free of skin and seed tannin. An extensive process of blending and refinement is carried out in the spring. The finished blend is aged on the yeast in the bottle for about two years, just enough to achieve refined effervescence and tastiness without diminishing its refreshing, vibrant appeal.

The 2013 Brut Rosé has generous aromas of mixed red berry, orange blossom, and white peach. Its fruitful nose is complemented by notes of strawberry cream pie and brioche. On the palate, there are bursts of raspberry sorbet, lemon custard, and summer apricot. The wine has a fresh, juicy acidity which drives to a bright, vibrant finish. This wine is as close as it gets to a perfect paring with this dish

The Pairing

Crabmeat and Asparagus Quiche

What you will need:

1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell

17 medium to small asparagus

2 tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 1/4 cups of lump crabmeat

2 tablespoons of dry vermouth (or a very dry white wine will do)

4 eggs

2 cups of half-and-half

1 cup of heavy cream

4-ounces of gruyere cheese, grated

freshly ground white pepper and salt to taste

How to prepare it:

Put a sheet pan in the oven to preheat 350. Hold the bottom and middle of the of the asparagusand bend until the bottom breaks off trim the rest of the asparagus at the same length (if asparagus is thicker than you index finger you might want to peel it)Blanch the asparagus dry it set aside 6 for garnish and cut the rest into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside. (Drain crabmeat well), Sauté the onion in half the butter until softened.  Add the rest of the butter to the same pan to quickly sauté the crabmeat.

Add the vermouth and cook until most of the liquid is gone.  Add the crabmeat mixture to the pie shell.  Sprinkle the grated gruyere over the crabmeat. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, and cream.  Add white pepper and a pinch of salt.  Pour the custard mixture into the pie shell. Bake the quiche on the preheated sheet pan for 15 minutes. Add the whole asparagus spears to the top of the quiche to garnish. Lower the heat to 300 degrees and bake for an additional 40 to50 minutes.  The quiche is done when the custard is set around the edges (it can still be slightly wiggly in the center) and brown on top. Recipe adapted from Sarah Zorn, restaurantgirl.com

Cheers Mom! 

The Wine Guys