Grilled Summer Vegetable & Goat Cheese Pizzetas

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Nothing says summer like the fresh, grilled vegetables of the season. Drizzle with a delicious vinaigrette and bake atop a homemade pizza crust and you’ve got an amazing appetizer or light lunch. For the perfect finish, serve with a glass of crisp and refreshing Biltmore Sauvignon Blanc.

Serves 4-5
 

Pizzeta Dough Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon quick-rising dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water

Pizzeta Topping Ingredients

  • 2 heirloom tomatoes
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 small zucchini
  • 1 small yellow squash
  • 2 portabella mushrooms
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Herb vinaigrette salad dressing
  • 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
  • 12 basil leaves, thinly sliced

Preparation Instructions

Dough: Combine flour, sugar, garlic, basil, rosemary, tarragon, olive, oil, vegetable oil, and salt in a mixing bowl; mix with a dough hook. Add the yeast and mix at low speed. Add ½ cup of the water gradually, mixing constantly. Add the remaining water gradually, mixing constantly until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Mix at low-to-medium speed for 3–4 more minutes. Remove to an oiled bowl, turning to coat the surface. Let dough rise, covered with a clean towel, until doubled in bulk. Punch down the dough and let rise again until doubled in bulk. Punch down to remove air bubbles and divide into 4–5 equal portions. Preheat a grill for 10–15 minutes until hot. Place each portion of Pizzeta Dough on an inverted cake pan or baking pan and press gently into a circle. Invert the pans on the grill so that the dough circles rest on the grill. Grill for 1–2 minutes or until the dough is set. Remove the pans and turn the crusts over. Grill until the other side is marked. Remove from the grill.

Pizzetas: Cut the tomatoes, onion, zucchini, yellow squash, and mushrooms into chunks. Combine with the salt, pepper and dressing in a bowl. Toss to coat evenly. Drizzle vegetables with salad dressing and toss to coat evenly. Grill the vegetables until tender-crisp.  Chop into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle over the pizzetta crusts. Sprinkle the goat cheese over the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake pizzetas until the cheese melts and the crusts are crisp. Sprinkle with chopped basil. Cut into wedges to serve.

Tip

Pizzetas are simply small/individual-style grilled pizzas. Try any combination of toppings and sauces that you enjoy!

Grilled Shrimp with Spicy Jalapeño Chimichurri

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Chef Damien Cavicchi is heating things up this summer with his recipe for Grilled Shrimp with Spicy Jalapeño Chimichurri.

For a delicious pairing, serve this dish with Biltmore Century White. The wine is refreshing, with hints of tropical and citrus fruit, plus a nice balance of sweetness to tame a bit of the spicy heat in this sizzling summer favorite!

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 medium jalapeño peppers
  • 2 cups cilantro, large stems removed, finely chopped
  • 2 cups Italian flat leaf parsley, large stems removed, finely chopped
  • 1 cup green onions, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • Zest and juice of 2 large limes
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 24 large shrimp (about 1½ pounds), peeled and deveined

Preparation Instructions

Preheat grill, grill pan, or iron skillet to medium-high heat. Grill jalapeños until black on sides, about 5 minutes. Place peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to loosen outer skin. Remove black outer skin, stem, and seeds. Finely chop peppers. In the bowl of a food processor, combine cilantro, parsley, onions, peppers, garlic, cumin, and lime zest and juice. With motor running, add ½ cup oil in a steady stream. Stop processor to scrape down sides of bowl, and pulse a few more times to achieve a medium-coarse texture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss shrimp with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill about 2 minutes per side on the hottest part of the grill, until pink and opaque. Serve immediately with chimichurri sauce.

See more Biltmore recipes.

Elaine’s Favorite Place

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Elaine Breault’s daily responsibilities often take her all around Biltmore. As operations manager for Lioncrest, Deerpark Restaurant, and Biltmore Catering, she manages the private events, weddings, and conferences hosted at these venues in addition to managing functions off the estate that use Biltmore Catering.

Four years of handling these duties has resulted in Elaine being pretty familiar with locations around the estate. And she has a couple of favorite places–that you may not be aware of–that keep drawing her back time after time.
One area is located behind the Inn on Biltmore Estate; there are hiking trails that Elaine uses for running when she feels like a challenge.

“The trail behind the inn is marked with good signage, and I usually turn right and run by the Brooder House, which used to be a chicken coop,” she says. “This particular trail also offers great long-range mountain views.”
There’s another location she likes for a completely different reason. The paved path that connects Antler Hill Village and the Lagoon is a favorite for both Elaine and her pit bull/lab mix named Lola. This is a popular trail for dogs and people alike as it passes through fields with the French Broad River nearby.

“Lola loves to walk here because she meets so many other dogs,” Elaine says.

Hope’s Favorite Place

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If you attended a seminar hosted by A Gardener’s Place, you may have met Hope Wright. In addition to her responsibilities as a sales associate in our garden shop, she conducts the free daily seminars on gardening and flower arranging offered throughout the year. Which means Hope is one of the lucky few who can gather materials from Biltmore’s gardens to create beautiful arrangements seen in displays.

Since she’s spent 14 years at A Gardener’s Place, it’s only natural that several of our gardens hold her most preferred locations on the estate.

One of her favorite walks begins at Biltmore House and continues down into the Shrub Garden, bypassing the steps that lead to the Walled Garden. She recommends stopping there to admire the glory of a Weeping Blue Atlas cedar.

As you continue toward the Shrub Garden, take a trail that cuts up to the right. Then turn around to view the many dogwood varieties that thrive here.

“This area is unofficially known as the ‘dogetum’, a take on the word arboretum,” Hope says. “I continue to be amazed at the variety of interesting dogwoods—my favorite is the variegated Weeping Kousa Dogwood.”

The view from this location on the trail is amazing. “You can see a tiny section of the Conservatory through the evergreens, and a fabulous view of the entire Walled Garden,” she says. “I like to sit on the cast iron Victorian bench and take a few moments just to appreciate the scenery.”

In springtime, you can see the tulips in full bloom, but summer also serves up beauty with the Walled Garden bursting with bright annuals. “Take a few minutes to go off the beaten path—there’s always a new sight to behold in every season,” Hope says.

Learn more about our gardens and grounds.

Pairing Grill & Grigio For Summer

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Chef Brian Hough of Stable Café has created a great grilling recipe that brings together classic Indian cuisine and a fresh take on chickpeas with the intriguing taste and texture of charred broccolini.

Enjoy this recipe for Tandoori Spiced Grilled Chicken with Chickpea Salad and Charred Broccolini with Biltmore Pinot Grigio. Crisp and off-dry, our Pinot Grigio offers a touch of fruitiness with hints of lime and tangerine, plus a nice acidity to balance the heat of the Tandoori spices without overwhelming the vegetables.

Tandoori Spiced Grilled Chicken with Chickpea Salad & Charred Broccolini

Serves 4

Chicken Ingredients

2 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 skinless chicken leg-thigh pieces (substitute white meat for a healthier alternative)

Chick Pea Salad Ingredients

1 (15 1/2 – ounce) can garbanzo beans
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 seedless cucumber halved and thinly sliced on a bias
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red onion, finely julienned
Salt and pepper

Broccolini Ingredients

1/2 lb fresh broccolini
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 fresh lemon
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

Preparation Instructions

Blend yogurt and all seasonings in a large bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours. Preheat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high. Mix together the garbanzo beans, olive oil, cucumber slices, tomatoes, and red onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and reserve at room temperature until ready to serve. Toss broccolini lightly in olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill until lightly charred on both sides, about 3–5 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and reserve. Grill chicken to an internal temperature of 170 degrees, about 10–12 minutes, turning to prevent burning. Serve chicken over chickpea salad and garnish with the broccolini and chopped cilantro.

Learn more about our Pinot Grigio.

See all Biltmore recipes.

Biltmore Wines Take The Gold

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If you think wines from a North Carolina winery might have trouble competing with some of the finest wines from around the world—think again!

Biltmore Wines faced stiff competition this spring to win gold medals and high points rankings from several of the most prestigious national and international wine events in the industry.

Don’t take our word for it—taste our outstanding wines for yourself. Whether you’re sipping them by the glass or enjoying them paired with your favorite foods, we think you’ll agree that our wines, handcrafted in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, make any occasion more special.

Consumer Wine Awards

Gold Medal – Biltmore Chardonnay Sur Lies
Gold Medal – Biltmore Century Red

Beverage Testing Institute

90 Points – Biltmore Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon North Carolina 2011
89 Points & Best Buy – Biltmore Reserve Chardonnay North Carolina 2011
87 Points – Biltmore Century Red
87 Points – Biltmore Century White

San Diego International

Gold Medal – Biltmore Estate Blanc de Blancs
Tasters Guild International
Double Gold Medal – Limited Release Tempranillo
Double Gold Medal – Blanc de Noir
Gold Medal – Malvasia
Gold Medal – Cabernet Franc
Gold Medal – Antler Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Shop all Biltmore wines.

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Bryan’s Favorite Place

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For Bryan McIntosh, the Spring Garden will always hold a special place in his heart. Since beginning his Biltmore career in Food & Beverage operations 12 years ago, he’s spent a great deal of his working life indoors, from managing the Stable Café to his current responsibilities overseeing all food & beverage services in Antler Hill Village as well as operations for The Biltmore Coffee Co. in downtown Asheville.

But the Spring Garden—a secluded space just beyond the Shrub Garden and shaded with towering pines and hemlocks— stands out to him for two reasons.

“It reminds me of a golf fairway, and it’s also the place where my wife and I were married,” he says.

“We met at Biltmore, so it was fitting that we got married here,” Bryan says. “The Spring Garden is an unusual place for a wedding so that made it different and special for us.”

Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted may have named it the Spring Garden for two small springs found here. As befits its name, this garden is glorious in spring with vivid blooms of forsythia, spirea, and redbuds contrasting with majestic evergreens. But summer brings its own beauty to this location, with leafy shrubs and trees creating a calm retreat.

For Bryan, the Spring Garden also had another plus going for it—it was one of the few places where he had not managed an event on the estate so it didn’t have “work” connections for him.

“My wife and I looked all over the Asheville area trying to find an outdoor location for our wedding. We just kept coming back to Biltmore; you can’t beat it,” he says.

 

Learn more about our gardens and grounds.

A Salmon Salad For Summer

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Perfect for a light summer lunch, enjoy this delicious recipe that pairs savory Biltmore Smoked Salmon with fresh greens in a tangy citrus dressing. Try pairing it with a favorite white wine like our Sauvignon Blanc to make any meal a bit more special.

Arugula, Avocado, and Cucumber Salad With Smoked Salmon & Citrus Vinaigrette

Serves 4

Citrus Vinaigrette Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange and lime zests
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad Ingredients

  • 6 oz. Biltmore Smoked Salmon
  • Arugula – Spring Lettuce Mix or other lettuce of choice
  • Cucumber
  • Avocado
  • Bean sprouts
  • Grape tomatoes cut in halves
  • Carrot shavings

Preparation Instructions

Salad Vinaigrette: In a small saucepan, reduce (over high heat) the fresh orange juice, lime juice, and citrus zest to 1/4 cup. The mixture should be thick and syrupy. Pour mixture in medium bowl, add mustard, honey, and rice wine vinegar. Whisk to blend. Stir vigorously and slowly drizzle olive oil into the bowl as you whisk. Set vinaigrette aside as you prepare the salad.

Salad: Arrange 2 oz. of salmon on each of 4 chilled salad plates. In a large bowl combine lettuce, cucumber slices, avocado slices, bean sprouts, tomatoes, and carrots. Toss with vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Make sure all is well blended. Place salad over salmon. Serve immediately.

See all Biltmore recipes.

Balustrade Rug

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Inspired by the iron and wood elements of the Grand Staircase and the Winter Garden railing in Biltmore House, the Balustrade Rug is created with a flowing scroll pattern. Crafted in wool, this hand-tufted transitional design is a lovely accent for any space. Available in a variety of colors.

See all Biltmore-inspired rugs.