Andie's Chipotle BBQ Chili

Time for a perfect summer recipe that is as yummy as it is easy. We served this at last night's wine dinner and it got RAVE reviews so I am putting it on wax.

The chipotles add a sweet smokey spice, and the pressure cooker does a fabulous job of creating depth of flavor in a short cooking time. I think the corn is an unexpected twist too. Even my husband - who is NOT a chili person - loved the flavor combination.

We served this with the Manos Negros Malbec from the Uco region of Argentina, which was quite amazing - the pairing was very succesful. Enjoy!


Andie’s Chipotle BBQ Chili with Sweet Corn & Tortillas

Makes 10-12 servings

3 pounds lean ground turkey, seasoned with salt & pepper

2 teaspoons grapeseed oil



1 (12-ounce) bottle of full flavored beer

2 cups original flavor BBQ sauce

1 (16-ounce) container fresh salsa

2 cups sweet corn kernels

1 small jalapeno, minced

1 small can roasted diced green chilies

20 small corn tortillas, cut into bite sized pieces

2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, seeds removed, minced

1 small can tomato sauce

2 teaspoons kosher salt



Chicken Stock, for thinning

Garnishes – crème fraiche, cilantro, green onions



Heat a large sauté pan over high heat and brown the turkey in the grapeseed oil.

Heat a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pressure cooker over high heat until hot. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Add the meat back to the pressure cooker and stir well. If necessary, add chicken stock to thin out the chili’s consistency a bit. Lock the lid in place according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the steam begins to hiss out of the cooker, reduce the heat to low, just enough to maintain a very weak whistle. Cook for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully release the steam.

Adjust consistency of the chili by adding additional chicken stock. Taste, and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Serve immediately or keep warm until ready.

Garnish with crème fraiche, cilantro and chopped green onions.

Bon Voyage, Katie Finn

Last night we gathered a few dozen of our friends and customers to toast our beloved Katie before she leaves us for greener pastures up North. It was an incredible night, thanks to a beautifully paired menu based on a selection of Katie's favorite wines. Our resident "cork dork" didn't dissapoint with her thoughtful selections of wine that both surprised and delighted us all, and as usual, it was a priveledge for me to pair food with her picks. There were sniffles, stories, hugs and above all - a genuine appreciation for all Katie has brought to our little hamlet for the past three years. I will miss you my friend - so glad you'll be back now and then so we can do our thang'.

"The Last Supper"

Tahbilk Marsanne, Australia -

Roasted Butternut Squash Rissoto with Crispy Pancetta & Parmesan

Hamilton Russell Chardonnay -

Roasted Wild Salmon with Creme Fraiche Polenta, Avocado Corn & Bacon Succotash, Basil Brown Butter

Chateau La Nerthe CDP -

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Sauteed Wild Mushrooms and Parmesan Parsnip Puree, Truffle Oil & Crispy Fried Sage

Darioush Signature Cab -

Rosemary Dijon Crusted Lamb Lollipops, Gorgonzola Sauce, Roasted Tomatoes with Oregano

Broadbent "10 year" Malmsey Madiera -

Mascarpone & Banana Stuffed French Toast with Coffee Caramel, Pecans & Seasalt

Food and Wine , Wine & Food

So I am sitting in front of my computer for the 11th straight hour. I am seeing double, and my whole body is stiff!! Unfortunately I was faced with a crazy deadline and only one day to put together a huge project - c'est la vie.

Cork and Fork was excellent on Wednesday! Our team rocks, that's all I can say. We were very busy and the crew handled it like pros, which we are NOT! It was a lot of fun and so many of our wonderful customers came out to support us. Thanks to everyone who joined us, and if you haven't been yet next week is going to be awesome - the menu is shaping up beautifully! By the way - the superstar wine hit of the night was the Val de L'ours french Cab / Syrah blend at $14 a bottle. People were buzzing about it all night and we sold out of every bottle before 8pm - awesome. I just about did a backflip when I tasted it along side the prosciutto carpaccio dish - AMAZING.

Speaking of wine - I found out today that we might not be able to carry one of my absolute favorite wines anymore, and I'm bummed. Sometimes it seems like everything I like gets discontinued, I swear. So I think I'll order a case while I still can - that's the proper response right??

Just finished working on the menu for tomorrow night's Wine Dinner -

Wine Dinner 5/14/10
Kukkula Va’alea / Spiced Carrot Coconut Soup with Crab & Crème Fraiche
Cune Rose' / Prosciutto Wrapped Sea Bass with Melon Coulis and Pesto Oil
Amancaya Malbec / Roman Gnocchi with Mushroom Ragout and Gorgonzola
The Wolftrap / Pork Tenderloin with Caponata and Purple Parmesan Whipped Potatoes
Banyuls / Tiramisu Parfaits

Can you tell I was hungry??

Winemaker Dinner with Mike Grgich

It's not too often you get to be in the presence of a living legend, let alone spend an evening sharing your craft with them. It's kind of like playing a round with Arnold Palmer, or going to the movies with Meryl Streep, I suppose. On Friday I got to live out a little bit of a life long dream - creating a wine dinner to highlight the wines of perhaps my biggest winemaking "crush", the incomparable Mike Grgich of Grgich Hills Estate. To me, he's like an 86 year old rockstar. I was honored and delighted to host him at the school for what was surely one of the most memorable nights of my career so far=)




Mike is a notorious flirt - I think he enjoyed being surrounded by all of us girls doting on him all night.




Here's Mike toasting with Katie and Maria, his lovely assistant.




On to the menu!

With the o8' Fume Blanc, we paired a Seared Diver Scallop, Curried Corn Pudding and Mango Buerre Blanc with Basil Oil. A light and delicious pairing that was accentuated by the nice acidity in the fume.





The 07' Napa Chardonnay was a daunting task - after all, Mr. Grgich is known for making perhaps the most famous Chardonnay EVER!! Lots of nice lemon undescores the oak here - so we went with a lemon infused dish, that turned out to be an excellent pairing.
Housemade Brie & Fresh Tarragon Ravioli with Lemon Infused Cream and Pine Nut Gremolata





Next up - a Grgich Library selection - Milejenko's Old Vine Zin 06'. Milejenko is Mike's Croatian name - and he likes to wax poetic about Zin - genetically proven to be a product of his native country! A no brainer pairing here for me after having tasted this ripe spicey zin - Star Anise & Clove Braised Lamb with Bacon & Blue Cheese Polenta, Cherry - Zin Reduction & Sauteed Sprout Leaves.

This was my favorite wine of the night - the 05' Napa Cab. Consequently this also resulted in the most successful pairing of the night - exquisite!!

Fliet Medalion with Gorgonzola Butter, Parsnip Puree and Leek & Wild Mushroom Melange

Oh boy - this one was a doozy too. Mike brought us his special 06' Violetta Late Harvest Riesling, which we paired with Vanilla Orange Scented French Toast "Cubes" with Peach Ameretto Gelee, Maple Mascarpone Cream and Praline Crumbs. Even the most full guests squeezed this one in - so incredible. I was so surprised at the acid in this dessert wine - I've never had such a balanced late harvest riesling. YUM



Mike & more ladies! We all got "pinned" that night - he brought us all Grgich Hills Estate pins to wear.

Graciously signing wine for everyone after dinner with his signature gold pen. He also brought me a signed copy of The Judgement of Paris - a book that recounts the true story of his role in the famous Paris Tasting of 1976.

What a remarkable evening we had. Can't wait to do it again next year!! Thanks to everyone at Grgich, Katie for all of your generous help, and all of our staff who did an amazing job as usual=)

Menu for Tomorrow's Wine & Food Tasting

Lucien Albrecht Gewurztraminer / Winter Squash & Pancetta Tartlets with Sweet Onion Marmalade

Man Chenin Blanc / Seared Sea Scallop on a Fried Tomato, Grilled Corn Relish & Cilantro Garlic Yogurt

Cartlidge & Brown Merlot / Tuscan White Bean & Sundried Tomato Bisque with Basil Oil and Prosciutto Crisps

Quo Grenache / Sausage, Eggplant & Wild Mushroom Pot Pie with Manchego Cheese

Oakville Zinfandel / Braised Beef Short Ribs with Figs, Cippoline Onions & Applewood Bacon on Polenta Oreganata

Dessert: Pumkpin “Fool” with Candied Pecans & Caramel

The menu features this weeks new wines!! There is still a little space available - click here or call to sign up=)

Friday's Wine Dinner

This Friday's Wine Dinner was so much fun, with a terrific menu and some fantastic wines. Here are some photos of what we made along with descriptions and the wines Katie selected=)



Julie made these fabulous little Crab Ravioli, they were light and creamy and fresh. She actually let me make the Lemon Pesto sauce to go with them, ha. We burned the first round of toasted pinenuts but version 2.0 was perfect.

This dish paired soooooo perfectly with our Neil Ellis Chardonnay from South Africa.


This ended up being Katie's favorite dish. Fresh Sea Scallop & Grilled Corn Cakes served with an Apricot Ginger Cream. The funny thing was that when we pan seared them, the corn kernels started "popping" like crazy. Will definitely be making these again!

Another wonderful pairing - the Sur Luchtel Viognier , really picked up the apricot notes and played off the scallops beautifully.


I loved this dish and will absolutely keep tweaking it until it's just right. Prosciuto wrapped Tuscan Melon on Arugula dressed with a Roasted Garlic & Thyme Vinaigrette. Then we crumbled fresh Greek Feta over the top - so good!!

Just right with the Chateau Val Joanis Rose ( of syrah ) - the feta is superb with this wine.



Well this photo looks awful but the dish is our signature Braised Beef Short Ribs ( yay- they're back!!) served with a Red Wine & Apple Cider Reduction and Gorgonzola Whipped Potatoes. I'm so thrilled to be doing comfort food again , it just makes people really happy!

I put lots of fresh ground pepper in this to stand up to the Angus the Bull Cab from South Australia.



We have been going risotto crazy this week - this one included Black Olives, Manchego and Sausage, and it was delicious.

A lovely final wine - one of our favorties from Portugal - the last of our stash of Crasto Duaro.






A sweet fall inspired ending - Vanilla Poached Pears with Cinnamon Yogurt Cream and Homemade Salt Caramel, topped with crumbled Biscotti. LOVE!

Photos from Friday's Wine Dinner

Prosciutto Wrapped Wild Salmon in Thai Mango Coconut Lemongrass Water


Pork & Applewood Bacon Meatloaf "Sandwich" with Gruyere & Ratatouille




Gorgonzola & Filet in Pastry with Mushroom Shallot Melange & Chipolte Jus




Crab & Lobster Custards with Red Pepper Sherry Coulis

Impromtu Dessert: Boysenberry & Port Soaked Bread Pudding with Creme Fraiche and Guava Vanilla Puree

Somehow I forgot to take a photo of Julie's Pasta Bolognese with Veal. I'm sure you can conjure up a mental image=)