Syrah and Roast Turkey with Citrus Herb Glaze
October 31, 2009 by David
Filed under Wine & Recipe of The Month
Syrah with poultry, you ask? Absolutely! Your traditional Thanksgiving turkey is enlivened with zesty citrus and the Provencal herbs and garlic build a delicious bridge to our spicy, earthy Syrah. Create new traditions with savory Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and crowd-pleasing Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes as side dishes. All you need to top it off is Gram’s Pumpkin Pie and a glass of Chenin Blanc! Enjoy!
Roast Turkey with Citrus Herb Glaze
Ingredients
One 12-pound turkey
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup orange juice
1/8 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 large onion, quartered
2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 orange, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 bunch thyme sprigs
1 bunch sage sprigs
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
3 bay leaves
4 cups chicken broth, divided
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Wash the turkey well and pat dry inside and out with paper towels.
In a small bowl, blend the butter, orange juice, apple juice, lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub the turkey inside and out with the butter. Fill the cavity with the onion, celery, orange, lemon, thyme, sage, garlic, and bay leaves. Truss the turkey tightly and transfer to a rack set in a roasting pan.
Pour 2 cups of stock into the roasting pan. Roast the turkey in the oven for 45 minutes, then baste with 1 cup of the stock. Roast the turkey for 11/2 hours longer, basting with the pan juices every 20 minutes.
Add the remaining 2 cups of stock to the pan and roast the turkey for 2 hours longer, basting every 15 minutes with the pan juices. The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 170°. Transfer the turkey to a carving board, cover loosely with foil and let rest 20 minutes.
Carve the turkey and serve.
Serves 12
- Discover more great recipes at Colleen’s Kitchen
- Buy our Syrah and Chenin Blanc in our online store
Goosecross: Starting the Fermentation
Wonder how we get the fermentation started? In this 2-minute video Goosecross Winemaker, Geoff Gorsuch, inoculates the Syrah (mixes and adds the yeast) to begin fermentation. Enjoy!
Fear of Anchovies
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Fun Fact by Diane De Filipi, Let’s Go Cook Italian: Fear of Anchovies
Did you enjoy this? Here are more Fun Facts from Goosecross Cellars.
Goosecross: Harvest Ends with a Bang!
Well – things took a rather dramatic turn after our last update! Shoulda known better than to brag about the great weather 
Mother Nature reminded us, once again, who’s in charge and she did it in spades.
A mere four days after that post we got three+ inches of torrential rainfall in 24 hours here in Yountville. My rain gage at home in St. Helena showed over five inches. SHOCKING! WE DON’T ALLOW RAIN DURING HARVEST!!
What’s the beef? A little sprinkle is nothing to worry about. But, big-time rain causes rot and dilution – some varieties are more susceptible than others.
Lucky for us, a couple of days before the rain hit we got our three rows of Petit Verdot in looking very nice, thank you very much. That just left the Syrah.
After the rain stopped, Geoff gave it a few days, then went down to the Carneros , where our Syrah is grown, with trepidation. He saw some sad looking Chardonnay and Zin there but,fortunately, the Syrah looked clean and the sugar was just where it was for last year’s crush. So, not wishing to push his luck, we brought it in the next day. Thus, our harvest ended. Next day? More heavy rain. Good call, Geoff!!
As for our Napa Valley neighbors, things could be a lot worse. If you could choose which grape get hits by the rain it would be good-old Cabernet Sauvignon, which is about the only thing still hanging. It’s tough skinned, like the Syrah, and forms a loose cluster. The air circulation helps prevent rot. Plus, last weekend was very warm and somewhat windy, which really helps dry things out. Folks are harvesting at a frentic pace to finish up in case Mother Nature gets peevish again.
From valley-wide reports, just about everything will be in by Halloween. The most common response to rain damage is to be extremely careful about sorting the fruit when it gets to the winery. Most winemakers are quite optimistic about quality, in spite of the rain.
The theme for this harvest, aside from the game-changing rain, is that flavor maturity has been quite good at lower sugar levels, which translates to slightly lower alcohols. We’re absolutely OK with that!
So, all that’s left is to finish pressing, get the wines barreled up and call it a vintage. Cheers!
Baking Boot Camp
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Fun Fact by Diane De Filipi, Let’s Go Cook Italian: Baking Boot Camp
Did you enjoy this? Here are more Fun Facts from Goosecross Cellars.
Goosecross Fun Fact: The Olive Harvest!
As the Napa Valley wine harvest winds down, the olives are preparing to grab center stage! November is prime time for the olive harvest and in this 2-minute Fun Fact our good friend, Diane DeFilipi of Let’s Go Cook Italian, will tell you about some very fun goings on in the valley to celebrate! Cheers!
Lemon Verbena
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Fun Fact by Sherry Page, Culinary Getaways: Lemon Verbena
Did you enjoy this? Here are more Fun Facts from Goosecross Cellars.
2006 ÆROS® Napa Valley Meritage
October 20, 2009 by David
Filed under AEROS, Blog, Winemaker Notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
For those who demand the very best – that’s ÆROS. This vintage marks the 11th ÆROS® release in our 24th 
year history, so you know we’ve reached to the sky when those wings go on the bottle.
ÆROS isn’t a single wine, but a series of limited-production wines made only in the exceptional vintages that yeild the elusive ÆROS quality, character and style.
The 2006 vintage is a remarkably hedonistic blend of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. It’s a mouthfilling symphony of black cherry, wild strawberry, ripe plum, dusty mocha with a hint of tobacco and supple, polished tannins. Just delicious. Only 284 cases produced.
ÆROS Meritage and food: Opening the bottle creates an occasion in itself, but the ÆROS also makes the perfect centerpiece for a celebratory meal of rack of lamb or filet mignon. It’s a decadent partner for chocolate torte or dark chocolate souffle cake. Try it with this special recipe Colleen has created especially for the 2006 ÆROS: Duck Breast with Black Mission Fig Sauce.
Goosecross: Crushing Cabernet Franc
Enjoy this 2-minute video of stemming and crushing the Cabernet Franc from our Estate here at the Goosecross winery in Yountville, Napa Valley. Join us on our crushpad – you’ll see how the freshly picked grapes go into the hopper and are fed into the small machine called a crusher-stemmer before going into a fermentation tank. Fermentation for this Cabernet Franc took about one week. Cheers!
NVWR® 93 – Italian Food of the Renaissance
October 20, 2009 by David
Filed under Napa Valley Wine Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In this episode I had a chance to sit down with our friend and Italian Connection, Diane De Filipi of “Let’s Go Cook Italian“, to talk about the Italian food of the Renaissance.
She’ll tell us about the Renaissance cooking class and meal that’s featured in her wonderful culinary excursions to Italy and the foods of the day for peasant and king.
Relax and listen as Diane takes us back in time.
