Colorado Mountain Winefest Friday evening dinner

This is what we came up with for a menu this year at our Friday night
winemakers dinner.

The Two Rivers Winery and Chateau

Presents:

An Evening with the Wine Makers

Reception

Lamb Kebobs with Two dipping sauces

Tomato Jam sauce

Tzatziki sauce

Featuring Two Rivers Merlot

Salad

Smoked Duck bedded on Frisee with a sour cherry vinaigrette

Featuring the introduction or Two Rivers First Syrah

Main Course

Salmon on a garlic spinach bed, small beef tenderloin with roast new potatoes

Two Rivers Winery Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon

fourth Course

Cayenne Apple Pie in a Cheddar Crust

Featuring Two Rivers Riesling

Dessert course

Handmade Truffles

Featuring Two Rivers Port

This year was a real nice menu, I ordered in lamb saddles and fabricated the
kabobs out of the saddles. Of course not wanting to waste anything I also
reduced the saddle trimming and built myself a nice gallon of pure clear lamb
stock over the weekend while working on the dinners. It is now frozen and
waiting to perform its magic at a feature date. The kabobs where well received
and cleared out of the house in a hurry. Next of the duck salad. Chef Al roasted
the duck with cherries and other stone fruits. I picked and shredded the duck
for the salad, I took the liberty of creating duck stock out of the trimmings.
And would end up using in the next evening on a combined effort sauce Al and I
put together. We strung and tied the loins and Chef Mike Bate steamed the fish
on spinach. I carved the beef and we all plated the main. Of special interest
was Chef Al’s purple mashers. He was able to control the heat on the potatoes so
they kept the purple color and had a beautiful blue hue to the potatoes. Last
the dessert. Using a handmade grand marnier ganache I formed just over 400
individual truffles, then 1/3 of them became cocoa powder coated, 1/3 I did in a
walnut and candy cane crust and 1/3 I did in a special Pistachio Wasabi Jalapeño
crust. They were a hit as was the rest of the dinner. The wines were great and
the evening was rated a success.

Til we talk again

Chef Bob Ballantyne

The Cowboy and The Rose Catering

Grand Junction Colorado