Tomato Season, What to Pour?
Tomatoes reach their flavorful peak in late summer—the perfect time to pair them with a great wine! Although many wine professionals and chefs have trouble pairing wine with tomato-based dishes, these glorious garden-fresh favorites are worth the effort. Check out the following hints for pairing wine and tomatoes, as well as some delicious recipes from our chefs in which tomatoes take the lead role along with our Biltmore Wine suggestions.
The basics of pairing food and wine hold true even when tomatoes are on the menu. Here are a few key tips:
- Tomatoes are highly acidic and therefore best paired with equally acidic wines.
- Fresh tomatoes are generally best paired with acidic, fruit-forward white wines such as Riesling, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc.
- Cooked tomatoes are more complex with more concentrated and sweeter flavors and are generally best paired with high acidity red wines such as Sangiovese and Malbec.
Chilled Yellow Tomato Soup
Ingredients: • 1 pound yellow onions, shopped• 2 fennel bulbs, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped garlic
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 1 cup Chardonnay Sur Lies
• 4 pounds yellow tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 pound yellow bell peppers, roasted
• 1/2 gallon chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons honey
• salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground white pepper
• 2 cups olive oil
• Sweet Tomato Marmalade (below)
• Lemon Mascarpone (below)
Method: Sweat the onions, fennel and garlic in the butter in a large stockpot until tender. Add the wine, stirring to deglaze. Cook until the liquid evaporates. Add the tomatoes and bell peppers and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Add the honey, salt, crushed red pepper and white pepper and mix well. Add the olive oil gradually, processing with an immersion blender until puréed. Adjust the seasoning and ladle into soup bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of Sweet Tomato Marmalade and Lemon Mascarpone.
Wine Pairing: Pair with Biltmore Chardonnay Sur Lies Sweet Tomato Marmalade
Ingredients: • 4 slicing tomatoes
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
Method: For the marmalade, heat the tomatoes with a kitchen torch until the skins blister; remove the skins. Cut the tomatoes into halves and squeeze out the seeds and excess juice. Chop into medium pieces and combine with the sugar and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until liquid id syrupy and the tomatoes are tender. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until needed. Lemon Mascarpone
Ingredients: • 2 cups (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Salt and white pepper to taste
Method: For the lemon mascarpone, combine the mascarpone cheese with the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, salt and white pepper in a bowl and mix well. Store in the refrigerator until needed. Serves four to six.
Tomato and Buffalo Mozzarella Platter
Ingredients: • 3 each Vine-Ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4" thick• 1 lb. Fresh Buffalo mozzarella, sliced 1/4" thick
• 1 each English cucumber, sliced 1/4" thick
• 4 fresh Basil leaves, sliced thin
• 1 oz. Aged balsamic vinegar
• 1 oz. Olive oil
• sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Method: Shingle tomatoes, cucumbers and mozzarella on a serving tray, alternating as you go. Drizzle with oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper and garnish with basil. Serve immediately. Serves six. Wine Pairing: Pair with Biltmore Pinot Grigio
Tomato Vidalia Gratin
Vidalia onions are a naturally sweet variety of onion grown in Vidalia, Georgia. If Vidalia onions are not available, yellow or white onions can be used in this recipe, but they will not have as much sweetness.
Ingredients: • 1 unbaked (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell• 1 very large slicing tomato, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup chopped Vidalia onion
• 1 cup (4-ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup (4-ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise, or enough to bind the mixture
• 1 pound bacon, crisp-fried and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the pie shell for 8 minutes or just until light brown. Cool for 5 minutes. Arrange the tomato slices in the pie shell and sprinkle with the basil and onion.
Mix the Cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise and bacon in a bowl. Season with the pepper. Press the cheese mixture over the vegetables, Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serves four to six. Wine Pairing: Pair with Biltmore Estate Riesling
Chorizo-Stuffed Tomatoes
You can serve this summer specialty as a side dish or an appetizer. Prepare them in advance and bake at serving time.
Ingredients:
• 4 whole slicing tomatoes
• 2 links chorizo, casings removed
• 3 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 2 ribs celery, minced
• 1 carrot, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 button mushrooms, sliced
• 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced salt to taste
• Butter or olive oil for sautéing
• 1 cup crumbled Corn Bread (prepare ahead of time)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small cubes
Method:
Remove the stems from the tomatoes and cut a small X on the bottoms. Place in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute or until the skins can be easily slipped off. Plunge into ice water to cool and discard the skins. Cut the tomatoes into halves, discarding the seeds.
Crumble the sausage. Cook with the bacon in a heated sauté pan, stirring to brown evenly. Remove the sausage and bacon to a bowl, reserving the drippings in the sauté pan.
Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the reserved drippings and sauté until tender.
Add the button mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the excess moisture evaporates, adding a small amount of butter or oil if needed. Add the vegetables to the sausage mixture and mix well. Stir in the corn bread, sage, parsley and 1/2 cup butter. Let stand until cool
Wine Pairing:
Pair with Biltmore Limited Release Malbec
Marinara Sauce
Ingredients: • 1 tablespoon olive oil• 6 large ripe tomatoes, chopped (about 8 cups)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 6 basil leaves, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Method: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add tomato and garlic, cook 2 minutes. Reduce head and simmer uncovered, 1 hour and 10 minutes or until thick. Cool slightly. Position knife blade in food processor bowl; add tomato mixture. Process mixture until almost smooth. Pour through a wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, pushing solids through with a back of a spoon or rubber spatula. Return tomato mixture to pan. Stir in parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer; cook 10 minutes. Yield: 2 1/2 cups. Wine Pairing: Pair with Biltmore Century Red