Wine Country Chefs : Three years ago only six wineries in Napa and Sonoma had resident chefs. Today the number has tripled. These are rising stars.

The bounty of Sonoma and the diversity of its products are limitless. We pride ourselves on being able to achieve the epitome of the art of living .

--JOY STERLING,

Iron Horse Vineyards

A black stretch limo zooms past plush vineyards, then turns up a winding road toward a replica of a French chateau: Jordan Winery. The passengers are heading to dinner.

Airport limousines carrying wine trade pilgrims--wine buyers, distributors, visiting winemakers from around the world--are commonplace in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. So too, these days, is the growing number of winery chefs.

Barbara Bowman, Jordan’s hospitality director and vineyard host, recalls that as recently as three years ago only six wineries had resident chefs. Today the number has probably tripled.

“It makes business sense,” says Bowman. “The table is the best environment to appreciate wine, whether you do it at home for your own enjoyment or at a winery for business.”

Beringer Vineyards was among the first large wineries to see the business sense. It started a professional chef’s program in 1979 (Robert Mondavi Winery had installed a culinary program in 1976) which later showcased nationally and internationally renowned chefs. Beringer public relations director Antonia Allegra points out that as wineries merge with large corporations (Sterling Vineyards and Domaine Mumm have joined Seagram’s, for instance; Inglenook, Beaulieu and Christian Brothers have been purchased by Heublein), the job of entertaining winery guests has become more of a business than a home entertainment event.

Dolores Cakebread still performs the cooking duties at Cakebread Cellars, with the help of professionals, but she is an exception. Today the wife of the owner is less likely to play cook than co-host. “Most see their role as a business partners rather than cooks,” says Allegra. When it comes to cooking, wineries will look around for a chef to match their style.

Iron Horse Vineyards snapped up Mark Malicki right after he sold Truffles, a trend-setting restaurant in Sonoma County. His creativity, Culinary Institute of America (CIA) training and experience at New York’s River Cafe where what owners Barry and Audrey Sterling were looking for. They like to entertain artists and writers as well as people in the wine trade.

For a dinner honoring architect Frank Gehry, he created an entree which was a culinary interpretation of the artist’s sculpture. When Barry Sterling wanted something “thoroughly American” after an austere trip to China, Malicki answered the request by drawing a straight line from Nanking to the United States, landing in Savannah. It was a regional Savannah menu he served.

Malicki is an advocate of healthful, low-cholesterol essences, or “infusions,” as they are sometimes called. His essences are derived from olive oil produced on the property for private use, flavored with herbs, seeds and vegetables. “The oil-based essences are a great substitute for cream and butter and they are very versatile,” says Malicki.

He uses the essences to baste meat, poultry, fish, shrimp or other shellfish, salads and vegetables. Fruit essences made with peanut or almond paste and fruit juices are used as sauces for desserts.

The Iron Horse gardens, Jeffersonian in scope and character, are a source for Malicki’s inspiration. In sawed-off wine barrels perched along the roadside leading to the farmhouse grow 32 different species of tomatoes, hybrid lettuces, squashes, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, fava beans and leeks, as well as countless herbs.

The Sterlings, Malicki and co-owner Forrest Tancer function as a team of wine and food tasters. They have discovered that eggs, especially omelets, go well with sparkling wines. “Avocado, as in guacamole, is also terrific with sparkling wine,” says marketing director Joy Sterling, who adds that coconut cream with sparkling wine is another knockout combo.

Other successes with sparkling wine are oily fish, ginger, shellfish and chicken. Thumbs down foods? Fruit, cheese and chocolate.

Jordan Vineyard and Winery, founded in 1972, not only looks like a traditional French chateau but is unmistakably organized like one. The 32-seat oak dining table is laid with French royal blue china and decorated with masses of magnificent pastel hybrid roses grown on the property. (Roses are traditionally planted along fences of vineyards to color-code wine grapes; red for red wines, yellow and white for white wines).

Guests of the winery sit down to a meal cooked by Brooklyn-born, French-trained John Caputo, and his assistant, Jean Reynolds, who also apprenticed in top restaurants in France. A typical lunch menu might include seafood salad with couscous and mint, served with a smooth 1987 Jordan Chardonnay. Grilled chicken served on a bed of corn and asparagus would be accompanied by a 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Jordan’s guidelines to wine and food pairing emphasize the simple idea of harmony between the food eaten and the wines served. The soft, rich elegant Jordan wines are meant to complement rather than overpower the food. “Our philosophy of matching food and wine is one of creating a partnership of flavors between the two,” says Caputo.

Some general rules followed at Jordan include serving “white wine before red, young before old, lesser before greater, and dry before sweet.” However, Caputo warns against over-analyzing food and wine.

“It takes the romance out of it. We’re not scientists, we’re cooks and chefs. The part we enjoy is the unscientific aspect.”

Gary Danko is the resident chef at Chateau Souverain and executive chef of its restaurant. Like several other wine country chefs, he is a protege of author and teacher Madeleine Kamman. (See story on Madeleine Kamman, p. 21.) He would pair smooth-textured avocado with Chardonnay, oysters with acidic Sauvignon Blanc. “It has the same effect you find as when you team port with Stilton,” he said.

He has found that Sauvignon Blanc goes well with smoked fish and Fume Blanc with roasted peppers. Veal is particularly suited to white wine, and red wines become flavorful when teamed with roasted red meats, bacon and even red beets.

Cottage industries that started with the hippies of the early ‘70s have helped Sonoma come into its own as an important food center, says Danko. “There is a thriving oyster industry,and Sonoma has become the poultry capital. The county also produces some of the best goat cheese and lamb in the country.

“People are just beginning to appreciate the land and what it offers. The county has the best of everything. Chardonnays in Sonoma are some of the finest and the Pinot Noir resembles those of Provence and Normandy.”

With such offerings a chef’s scope is unlimited. “We use what we feel will balance food with wine,” says Danko. “Much of what we do is dictated by the land. It’s like letting the environment take over the body.”

Health concerns in cooking have also influenced Danko’s direction in cooking. “We take the fat off everything now,” he says. They have also led him to create meat essences for flavoring sauces by cooking down beef, veal and lamb, game birds without fat. He uses a less fatty and less heavy demiglace, originally described by Escoffier and resurrected by Madeleine Kamman.

CIA graduate Stephen Benson, who perfected his skills at La Costa Hotel and Spa in Carlsbad, Mille Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe and other Napa Valley restaurants, prepares meals for Cain Cellars owners Joyce and Jerry Cain and also for winery events and private parties.

The California native brings much of his German heritage into his cooking: braised red cabbage, light sauces and reductions. Wine from the 552-acre Cain property provides the inspiration when Benson cooks.

Sauvignon Blanc, for instance, suggests sipping with appetizers. Chardonnays are paired with first course dishes such as crab cakes, buttery seafood dishes and creamy sauces. Meat or poultry entrees might call for red wine, especially when fruit, such as black currants, and pepper are used in the meat sauce. “Pepper brings out wine wonderfully,” Benson says.

Benson enjoys using ingredients from local farmers, such as Peter Forni and Lynn Brown, who operate a small farm in Napa and specialize in 40 varieties of hybrid lettuces supplying many local chefs. Much of their produce is also air-shipped to top restaurants around the country.

So dedicated are some chefs to the art of food and wine pairing, they have developed their own principles. Beringer’s Patricia Windisch has made a scientific study of the art of “pairing” and concluded that acid in food should be kept just below the acid level in the wine.

“When using a Chardonnay that seems acidic and a chicken or seafood dish is being served,” she wrote in her research paper, “Secrets of a Winery Chef,” “add an acid to the sauce in the form of lemon, lime, balsamic vinegar or reduced wine. That touch of acid in the dish will soften the acidic quality of the wine; conversely, when the wine seems low in acid, a creamy sauce that is high in lactose (sugar) and more alkaline in character will help raise the acidic perception of the wine.”

Conversely, in a meal created for a designer’s show house luncheon Windisch paired macerated melon and berries with Late Harvest Johannisberg riesling, a rather sweet and fruity wine.

Napa’s century-old Inglenook Vineyard, tucked in a “nook” of the Rutherford Hills, first installed a resident chef in 1980. After a competition involving more than 60 candidates, the job went to Jamie Morningstar, a CCA graduate and, by coincidence, a great-granddaughter of Gustave Niebaum, Inglenook’s 19th century founder. She prepares special meals for guests of the winery, holds classes in matching of food and wine, and travels widely to showcase the Hueblein-owned Inglenook estate bottled wines (not to be confused with Inglenook jug wines).

“I have found,” she says, “that matching acidic wine with acidic foods tends to have a neutralizing effect. A Sauvignon Blanc, for instance, which is acidic, plays well with bold flavors of salsas and other fiery foods. Chardonnays, which are less acidic, find harmony when paired with pastas and rich, creamy sauces.”

For a dish of chicken topped with a herb butter, Morningstar selected 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Inglenook-Napa Valley. With strawberries macerated in liqueur she served 1986 Late Harvest Gewurztraminer, to match the sweetness of the strawberries and liqueur at harmonious levels with the wine.

Anita Velardi, a graduate of the California Culinary Academy (CCA) in San Francisco, was resident chef for the officers on a Sagafjord-Cunard Lines Alaska cruise before joining Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves four years ago. In keeping with Gloria Ferrer’s Spanish origins (the parent company is Freixenet, a leading producer of methode champenoise sparkling wine in Spain), Velardi serves tapas on the winery patios each Sunday. She also prepares meals for visitors in the wine trade. The winery is also open to privately catered events and weddings.

The idea of staff winery chefs is becoming so fashionable that neighbors hardly can keep up with growing numbers. Few wine country residents, for instance, could tell you that the small (20,000 case) Frog’s Leap Winery now boasts a resident chef. True, Bev Salinger also handles office duties, but the CCA graduate is still called upon several times a week to entertain private guests of the owners, Larry Turley and John and Julie Williams.

Frog’s Leap sits back from the road in rustic surroundings that suggest the romantic countrified rompings of a modern Marie Antoinette, undistinguished but for the bright green mail box that identifies the winery to “by-appointment-only visitors.” A babbling brook behind the main house shimmers in the midday sun streaming through lacy oaks.

The air is filled by the aroma of huge Washington State oysters barbecuing on the grill. The oysters, purchased at Johnson’s Oyster Farm at Point Reyes in nearby Marin County were specifically selected to complement the 1986 Sauvignon Blanc being served.

Salinger, who worked for 10 years at Domaine Chandon before joining Frog’s Leap, believes that some portion of the wine appearing in the food should be the one served with the food. A Cabernet Sauvignon used in a sauce for lamb would also appear on the table as the wine of choice. A strawberry coulis served with chocolate might contain a touch of Zinfandel, which also complements chocolate desserts.

Here are some of the recipes and menus with wine suggestions derived from the Napa-Sonoma chefs.

GRILLED QUAIL ON IRON HORSE GRAPE CUTTINGS WITH TAMARIND GLAZE

(Mark Malicki, Iron Horse)

4 (12- to 16)-inch vine cuttings, about 1/4-inch in diameter or long metal skewers

4 (6-inch) lengths butcher twine

4 quail

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, pepper

Soak branches in water 1 hour. Remove from water, then insert branch through cavity of quail lengthwise so quail is centered on branch. Tie legs to branch with twine. Trim excess twine. Brush with olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook on grill over over medium coals or heat, about 15 minutes, turning frequently. Baste with Tamarind Glaze during last 5 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Tamarind Glaze

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons fish sauce

6 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons tamarind juice

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 tablespoon minced ginger root

1 teaspoon olive oil

Combine sugar and fish sauce in saucepan and bring to boil. Add water, tamarind juice and lime juice. Reduce by 1/3. Saute garlic, shallot and ginger root in olive oil until golden. Add to sauce. Makes about 3/4 cup.

Note: Tamarind juice is available at Mexican or health food stores.

Chef’s Wine Note: Serve with Iron Horse Pinot Noir.

ARUGULA OIL

(Mark Malicki, Iron Horse)

1/4 pound arugula

1 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon salt

Blanch arugula in boiling salted water 30 seconds. Quickly submerge in ice water to prevent further cooking or color change. Remove from water and pat dry. Squeeze out excess moisture.

Using mortar and pestle or food processor, turn into fine paste or to consistency of prepared mustard. Mix with oil and salt in glass jar and let rest 24 hours. Ladle off top without stirring up sediment in bottom of jar. Store in cool, dry place 2 or more days to meld flavors. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Note: Use oil to brush over pizzas, breads, rolls, foccaccia, or mix oil with mashed anchovies and minced Nicoise olives to add to stews or casserole dishes.

Chef’s Wine Note: Serve with Iron Horse 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon or other good quality Cabernet.

CHILE OIL

(Mark Malicki, Iron Horse)

1/4 pound dried mild chile peppers

Warm water

1 cup peanut or canola oil

Grind peppers into fine powder using mortar and pestle or food processor. Add warm water, teaspoonful at time, until paste is consistency of prepared mustard. Add oil. Let stand 24 hours.

Ladle off top without stirring up sediment in bottom of jar. Store in cool, dry place 2 or more days while flavors meld. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Note: Serve with Southwestern or Southeast Asian recipes. Drizzle lightly over cold, cut tropical fruit.

Chef’s Wine Note: Serve with Iron Horse 1986 Brut.

FIVE SPICE OIL

(Mark Malicki, Iron Horse)

1/2 cup ground five-spice powder

1 cup olive oil

Stir five-spice powder into olive oil until blended. Let stand 24 hours. Store in cool, dry place 2 or more days while flavors meld. Makes about 1 cup.

Note: Drizzle over poached duck breasts and sprinkle with grated grapefruit zest. The oil can used as basting sauce for roasted meats.

Chef’s Wine Note: Serve with Iron Horse 1989 Fume Blanc.

SAUSAGES WITH SWEET AND SOUR FRUITS

(Anita Velardi, Gloria

Ferrer)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 stick cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 cloves

1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 pound dried figs

1 pound dried apricots

1 1/2 pounds Italian mild sausage

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons Gloria Ferrer Brut or other sparkling wine

Combine sugar, vinegar, cinnamon stick and powder, cloves, lemon slices and orange zest in saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Add figs and apricots. Simmer 10 minutes. Cool fruit in syrup. Set aside 2 hours.

Cook sausages in oil and sparkling wine until wine evaporates and sausages are cooked. Remove sausages from pan and cool on platter. When cool, slice sausages into 1/4-inch to 1/2- inch slices and add to sweet and sour syrup. Let stand 12 hours.

To serve, drain fruit and sausages from juice. Spread 1 piece of sausage and 1 piece of fruit on wood pick and serve as appetizer. Makes 3 or 4 dozen kebabs.

INGLENOOK LUNCH FOR FOUR

Scallop salad marinated in lime and dill

1988 Gravion (Semillon and

Sauvignon Blanc blend)

Chicken With Rosemary-Green

Olive Butter

1985 Inglenook-Napa Valley

Cabernet Sauvignon

Roasted new potatoes tossed

with caramelized onions

Broccoli with pine nuts

Strawberries macerated in Grand Marnier and Frangelico

1986 Inglenook-Napa Valley Late Harvest Gewurztraminer

CHICKEN WITH ROSEMARY-OLIVE BUTTER

(Jamie Morningstar,

Inglenook-Napa Valley)

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary

Freshly cracked black pepper

Rosemary-Green Olive Butter Rosettes

Rosemary sprigs

Place chicken breast halves in shallow glass pan and sprinkle with olive oil, rosemary and season to taste with pepper. Let stand in refrigerator at least 30 minutes.

When ready to cook, shake off excess oil and grill over medium coals or mesquite and rosemary branches which have been soaked in water, until chicken is done on both sides, basting with marinade. Place 1 Rosemary-Green Olive Butter Rosette over each hot chicken breast half. Garnish each breast with 1 rosemary sprig. Makes 4 servings.

Rosemary-Green Olive Butter Rosettes

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

1/4 cup chopped green olives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Place butter, olives, rosemary and garlic in blender and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Using pastry bag and rose tube, pipe rosettes 1 1/2-inch in diameter onto wax paper-lined baking sheet. Chill until firm. Bring to room temperature before using. Makes 6 rosettes.

CAIN CELLARS LUNCH Crab cakes with corn relish and Cajun remoulade sauce Cain Cellars Chardonnay Morels stuffed with veal mousse and blue cheese Noisettes of venison or beef with pepper and Cassis sauce 1986 Cain 5 or Cabernet Sauvignon Valley Greens with Honey-Lemon

Dressing

Combination cheese and fruit 1986 Cain 5

HONEY-LEMON DRESSING

(Steve Benson, Cain

Cellars)

1 shallot, chopped fine

2 to 3 tablespoons honey

Juice of 2 medium lemons

1 tablespoon olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

Combine shallot, honey, lemon juice, olive oil and season to taste with pepper and salt. Blend well. If necessary add more lemon or honey until desired sweet-sour flavor is obtained. Makes about 2/3 cup.

Note: Toss greens with dressing until well coated just before serving. Garnish with toasted nuts, tomato wedges or cucumber slices, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

CRUSH PICNIC AT FROG’S LEAP

Washington State oysters

East Meets Oysters Salsa

Baby new potatoes with chives and pancetta

Fresh asparagus with Roquefort vinaigrette

Caramel Nut Torte

Frog’s Leap Zinfandel

EAST MEETS OYSTERS SALSA

(Bev Salinger, Frog’s Leap)

1/4 cup fresh peeled, shredded ginger root

3 sprigs green onions, finely chopped

1 cup rice wine vinegar

Dash sesame oil

Squeeze of lemon juice

Salt, pepper

Combine ginger, onions, vinegar, oil, lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand 10 minutes before using. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Note: Use as sauce for barbecued oyster or other shellfish.

CARAMEL NUT TORTE

1 cup sliced natural almonds

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 egg white

1 tablespoon flour

Caramel Nut Filling

Crust Dough

Pastry strips

In food processor or blender blend almonds and sugar until pulverized. Add butter and egg white and blend well. Remove from blender and stir in flour by hand. Mixture should be creamy paste. Set aside.

Reserving 1/4 of Crust Dough for lattice strips, roll out remaining dough to 10-inch circle and fit into 10-inch tart pan with removable sides or 10-inch pie plate. (Dough also may be patted into pan). Spread Almond Cream Filing over bottom of crust. Bake at 350 degrees 10 minutes.

Spoon caramel nut mixture into prebaked crust. Lattice top with reserved pastry strips from Crust Dough. Bake at 350 degrees 25 to 30 minutes. Cool thoroughly. Makes 1 (10-inch) tart.

Crust Dough

7 ounces butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Dash salt

2 1/4 cups flour

Cream butter until smooth and light. Add sugar and mix well. Add egg and yolk one at time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Mix salt and flour together then add to butter mixture, mixing just until flour is well distributed.

Remove from bowl and form into ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Caramel Nut Filling

3 cups whole mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews or pistachios)

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup whipping cream

Lightly toast nuts at 400 degrees being careful to prevent scorching. Cool, then rub between hands to remove any loose skins.

Place 1/4 cup sugar in medium heavy saucepan over medium high heat. With wooden spoon stir sugar until sugar liquefies and begins to caramelize. Add remaining sugar, 1/4 cup at time, stirring after each addition, until mixture liquefies again. Remove pan from heat and slowly pour cream into caramelized sugar. Return to low heat and stir until smooth. Add nuts to caramel and stir to mix well.

CILANTRO CHUTNEY

(Bev Salinger, Frog’s Leap)

1 cup cilantro

4 green onions, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 small serrano or jalapeno chiles

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt, pepper

Process cilantro, onions, lemon juice, chiles, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, cumin and salt and pepper to taste in food processor or blender until smooth paste is formed. If necessary add lemon juice and water for desired consistency. Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

LOW-FAT DESIGNER’S SHOW MENU

Orange, jicama and endive salad

1989 White Zinfandel

Mandarin Grilled Quail

1988 Gewurztraminer

1988 Napa Valley Chardonnay

Gingered snow peas and water chestnuts

Melons and berries macerated in Late Harvest Johannisberg Riesling

1986 Late Harvest Johannisberg Riesling

MANDARIN GRILLED QUAIL

(Patricia Windisch,

Beringer Vineyards)

3/4 cup low-salt soy sauce

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons ground peanuts or peanut butter

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch piece ginger root, peeled and minced

1 shallots, minced

3 green onions, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons hot sesame oil

12 quail, backbone and rib cage removed and butterflied

Mix soy sauce, water, hoisin, peanuts, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic, ginger, shallots, green onions and sesame oil. Stir until sugar dissolves.

Place quail in non-metallic shallow dish. Cover with marinade. Turn to coat well on both sides. Marinate several hours or overnight in refrigerator. Remove quail from marinade and pat dry. Grill over hot coals about 2 minutes on each side until meat is no longer pink. Makes 6 or 12 servings.

LUNCH AT JORDAN WINERY

Seafood Salad With Couscous and Mint

1987 Jordan Chardonnay

Grilled chicken with orange cumin sauce on bed of corn and asparagus

1986 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon

Sorbets of guava, blood orange and rosemary honey with Fraises des Bois in sparkling wine soup

Coffee

SEAFOOD SALAD WITH COUSCOUS AND MINT

(John Caputo, Jordan Winery)

1/4 pound rock shrimp

1 pound crayfish

2 quarts court bouillon or chicken broth

Extra virgin olive oil

2 small cloves garlic, minced

Salt

1/2 carrot, peeled and finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

1/2 zucchini, finely diced

1 artichoke

Lemon juice

1 (12-ounce) package instant couscous

1/2 small red onion, finely diced

2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped mint

Crushed black peppercorns

1/4 pound calamari, cut in circles

Cayenne

1 cup flour

2 cups peanut oil

2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Cook rock shrimp and crayfish separately in court bouillon until done, about 2 to 3 minutes. Chill them immediately in ice cold water. Drain and remove shells. Marinate in olive oil and garlic. Season to taste with salt.

Cook carrot, celery and zucchini in boiling salted water few minutes. Rinse in cold water and pat dry. Set aside.

Cook whole artichoke in boiling salted water with small amount lemon juice added. Rinse in cold water. Remove artichoke leaves and thistle. Finely dice artichoke heart. Set aside.

Steam couscous according to package directions. Rub couscous between palms of hands to separate grains. Cool. Season to taste with salt. Add cooked vegetables, artichoke, red onion. Sprinkle with olive oil and lemon juice to taste. Marinate overnight in refrigerator.

Just before serving add chopped mint and crushed peppercorns to couscous. Arrange couscous in center of plate and place shrimp on top. Fan crayfish tails around shrimp.

Add salt and small amount of cayenne pepper to flour. Toss calamari circles and heads in mixture. Shake off excess flour and fry in hot peanut oil heated to 425 degrees about 1 minute or until lightly browned. Place hot calamari around plate. Sprinkle chives and small amount of lemon juice and olive oil vinaigrette over calamari.

CHEF JOSEPH COSTANZO’S BERINGER LUNCH

Lobster and Corn Chowder

1988 Meridian Santa Barbara

Chardonnay

Grilled rack of lamb with smoked garlic Cabernet essence

Seasonal vegetables

Napa Valley greens with assorted cheeses

1985 Beringer Private Reserve

Cabernet Sauvignon

1985 Beringer Private Reserve

Cabernet Sauvignon

Macerated fruit with mascarpone cream

1983 Nightingale Botrytised Knights Valley Semillon

LOBSTER AND CORN CHOWDER

(Joseph Costanzo, Beringer Vineyards)

3 lobsters

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons Cognac

2 cups clam juice

1 cup chicken stock

1 leek (white part only), chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 teaspoon bouquet garni

1 1/2 pounds fava beans

2 quarts rich fish stock

6 ears corn, blanched and cut off the cob

3 potatoes, cooked, peeled and diced

2 cups whipping cream

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Blanch lobsters 2 minutes in boiling, salted water. Plunge into ice water immediately to prevent further cooking. Remove and cool, then remove meat from tail and claws. Reserve bodies (minus poison sacks and shells). Cut tail and claw meat into bite-size pieces.

In saucepan, saute shells in olive oil. Add Cognac, clam juice and chicken stock. Add chopped leek, onion, carrot, bouquet garni. Simmer 45 minutes and strain. Blanch fava beans and plunge into ice water to prevent further cooking. Peel down to green portion of bean. Heat fish stock until reduced by half. Add to lobster broth. Add corn, potatoes, fava beans and whipping cream. Saute reserved lobster meat and place in bottom of tureen. Ladle hot soup over lobster and serve. Garnish with tarragon and basil. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

CHATEAU SOUVERAIN DINNER

Pan steamed salmon medallion with spring vegetables

1988 Private Reserve Chardonnay

Roast Lamb Loin With Pine Nut and Basil Crust

Fennel Compote

1987 Cabernet, Alexander Valley

Savory salad of pears, walnuts and Parmigiano-Reggiano

1987 Merlot

Seasonal fruit in pastry shell with pistachio ice cream

ROAST LAMB LOIN WITH PINE NUT AND BASIL CRUST

(Gary Danko, Chateau Souverain)

2 (8 or 9-inch) long loin of lamb

Basil leaves

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

3/4 cup chopped pine nuts

Salt, pepper

Cabernet Sauce

Fennel Compote

Have loins boned and remove all fat and connective tissue. Chop 24 basil leaves and combine with mustard. Rub over loins. Combine garlic, parsley and pine nuts and sprinkle over loins to form crust. Refrigerate.

Place coated loins on rack in roasting pan. Roast at 400 degrees 20 to 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. Remove to cutting board and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Arrange slices on platter and spoon Cabernet Sauce over meat. Chop 9 basil leaves and sprinkle over dish. Serve with Fennel Compote. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Cabernet Sauce

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup minced shallots

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon

2 to 3 cups veal or other meat stock

1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme

1 bay leaf

Salt, pepper

Melt butter in skillet. Add shallots and garlic and saute until translucent. Add wine and reduce to glaze. Add veal stock, thyme and bay leaf. Simmer until reduced to 1 cup. Strain. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Fennel Compote

4 (8-ounce) bulbs fennel

1/4 cup butter or olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon ground green peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 anchovy, optional

Salt

6 tablespoons whipping cream

Slice fennel very thin. Melt butter in skillet and add fennel. Cook until tender and moisture is absorbed. Add ground fennel seeds, peppercorns, thyme, basil, parsley, anchovy and season to taste with salt. Add cream and cook until cream coats fennel. Makes 6 to 8 servings.