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The French Winophiles: Gravlax, Goat Cheese, & French Sorrel Stuffed Squash Blossoms + Patient Cottat Sancerre 2013 #winophiles

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Welcome to the inaugural event for a new group - The French Winophiles - coordinated by Christy of Confessions of a Culinary Diva. Here's her initial plan...

We start with the Regions first and then move to the Appellations. The proposed schedule, based somewhat on the seasons is as follows:
  • June 20 - Loire Valley
  • July 18 - Provence or Corsica
  • August 15 - Southwest
  • September 19 - Languedoc-Roussillon
  • October 17 - Cote due Rhone
  • November 21 - Bordeaux
  • December 19 - Champagne
  • January 16 - Burgundy
  • February 20 - Alsace

Count me in! I'm not very well-versed in French wines. So I'm looking forward to researching the wines and creating some delicious food pairings.

To the Loire Valley
So, today, the crew is heading to the Loire Valley.

http://www.francetravelguide.com/loire-valley

The Loire Valley - southwest of Paris - was historically the stomping grounds of French monarchs and is renowned for its many vineyards. In fact, it's France’s third largest wine region and is the second largest region for sparkling wine, after Champagne, of course. 

The Inaugural Round-Up

 The Conversation
Join us for a live Twitter Chat Saturday, June 20th at 11 am EST/8 am PCT. You may join in the revelry by following hashtag #winophiles. Au revoir!

In My Glass...
  
Given the summer season, I opted for a Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre. This pale straw yellow 2013 Patient Cottat comes from fifty-year-old vines and is completely aged in tanks. Playful and medium-bodied, I detected intense aromas of citrus and grassiness with summery notes of melons and figs. And while there was a decided richness, it was simultaneously fresh and lively. What a treat!

On My Plate...


Gravlax, Goat Cheese, & French Sorrel Stuffed Squash Blossoms 
+ Patient Cottat Sancerre 2013

I knew that I had to make something with salmon to complement the citrus tones. I had originally planned to make bruschetta, but, when I was at the farmers' market this week and found squash blossoms, my mind was changed. One of the pleasures of summer is eating crisped stuffed zucchini flowers—the cheese and seafood ooze out of the thin, crisp fiori. I decided to try a baked version.


Ingredients

  • 3/4 C breadcrumbs (I used organic Panko breadcrumbs)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 C cold sparkling mineral water
  • French sorrel leaves
  • 1/2 C soft goat cheese
  • sliced gravlax (though I ran out of time to make my own, here's one homemade version - absinthe-scented gravlax - just know you'll need about 3 days' lead time)
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 8 large squash blossoms

Procedure
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place 2 eggs in a bowl and whisk. Put the breadcrumbs in another bowl.

Gently open the petals of each flower and carefully pinch out the filaments inside. Spoon some cheese onto a sorrel leaf and layer it with a slice of gravlax. Top with another sorrel and place it inside your squash blossom.


Twist loosely at the end to close. Dip each stuffed squash blossom in egg, then breadcrumbs.


Lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned and crispy.


Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

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Comments

  1. A Day in the Life on the FarmJune 20, 2015 at 9:25 AM

    What an elegant first course

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sarah | Curious CuisiniereJune 20, 2015 at 7:29 PM

    What a beautiful dish Camilla! I really need to try stuffing squash blossoms!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Christy @ Confessions of a Culinary DivaJune 21, 2015 at 9:12 AM

    Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I need to find squash blossoms so I can try this. The absinthe cured gravlax sounds so interesting too. Your wine sounds like one we would enjoy at our table. Thanks for joining in the journey!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Martin D. RedmondJune 21, 2015 at 7:17 PM

    OMG Cam! Your dish looks amazing (although I had to Google Gravlax)...And that Patient Cottat is a wine I've recommended more than a few times when I've done the SundaySupper pairings. Glad you enjoyed it! Wonderful post!

    ReplyDelete
  5. RebekahJune 24, 2015 at 4:27 PM

    Completely gorgeous - what a beautiful meal!

    ReplyDelete
  6. JoanJune 24, 2015 at 7:28 PM

    Sounds delicious. My mother in law used to fry squash blossoms and they were delicious.

    ReplyDelete

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