Welcome Spring and The April Wine of The Month

HELLO Spring! 

Glad to have you back. Oh how we've missed you. 

With the warm weather comes a warm welcome to our white wines. To kick off the season, we toast the cherry blossoms, pollen, buds and sunshine with a new release.

The April wine of the month is our 2014 Chardonnay.

This new release has a light gold color and rich oaky aromas. Flavors of roasted nut brittle, singed apple pie, grilled pineapple and tree bark waft through the wine. A supple, soft dry yet fruity medium body finish makes this wine a perfect pairing for our recipe this month.

Roast Pork and Braised Endive with Green Apple Endive Salad

Couple the Chardonnay's nuances of lemon spritzed apple, melon, fine tannins and a hint of light oak with the bitterness of the endive salad and you have a playful mix of flavors. You'll find that the Chardonnay has just enough body to balance the creamy mustard sauce that accents the pork and buttery new potatoes. 

Here's what you will need for the recipe:

Ingredients

1 Pork Roast

2 Yellow Endives

1 Granny Smith Apple

6 small new potatoes

1 Lemon

1 Bunch Mint

Knick Knacks

3 tablespoons Pork Demi-Glace

2 tablespoons Crème Fraiche

1 shallot

1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon fennel pollen

Cook time: 30 to 40 min

Cooking Directions

1. Roast the new potatoes: 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the potatoes, pat dry. Coat each potato lightly with olive oil and place in a separate roasting pan. Cover with aluminum foil and place in oven to roast for 30 minutes until other ingredients have prepared. 

2. Sear and roast the pork:

Pat the pork dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper on all sides. In a large pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned pork and cook, turning occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes or until browned on all sides. Transfer to a foil-lined sheet pan, leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan on the stove. Roast the seared pork 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the oven. 

3. Prepare the ingredients: 

While the pork roasts, wash and dry the fresh produce. Cut 1 of the endives in half lengthwise. Cut off and discard the root end of the remaining endive; cut in half on an angle and separate the leaves. Using a peeler, remove the yellow rind of the lemon, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind to get 2 teaspoons of zest (or use a zester). Quarter and deseed the lemon, Core the apple and cut into matchsticks; toss with the juice of 1 lemon wedge. Pick the mint leaves off the stems; discard the stems. Peel and mince the shallot; place in a bowl with the juice of the remaining lemon wedges. 

4. Start the endive: 

Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan of reserved fond and heat on medium-high until hot. Add the halved endive, cut sides dow; season with salt and pepper. Cook 1 to 3 minutes or until browned. Flip and add 1 cup of water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, loosely covering the pan with aluminum foil, 8 to 10 minutes, or until very tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. 

5. Finish the endive and pork:

To the pan of endive, add the roasted pork, crème fraiche, lemon zest, demi-glace, half the mustard and 1/4 cup of water; season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook, occasionally spooning the sauce over the pork and endive, 3 to 4 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat. Transfer the finished pork to a cutting board and let rest for at least 5 minutes, leaving the finished endive and sauce in the pan.

6. Make the vinaigrette:

While the endive and pork cook, add the remaining mustard to the shallot-lemon juice mixture; season with salt and pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until thoroughly combined. 

7. Make the salad and plate your dish:

In a bowl, combine the apple, raw endive leaves, mint and enough of the vinaigrette to coat the salad (you may have extra vinaigrette). Toss to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste. Find the lines of muscle (or grain) of the rested pork; thinly slice crosswise against the grain. Divide the finished endive and sauce, sliced pork, potatoes, and salad between 2 plates. Garnish with the fennel pollen.

- Recipe reprinted from Blue Apron 

Try this pairing out for yourself and let us know how it turned out. Did you add or remove anything? What do your tastebuds say?

Bon appetit!