>> Recipes of Fall 2008

A homemade dry rub blankets the beast before it hits the grill, adding some sweet and heat to the pork platform. We like to use local pork when we can, and we love to go to an experienced butcher that can offer sage advice, like Belmont Butchery (http://belmontbutchery.com) in Richmond. Ask your butcher for cooking techniques to match your preferred method.

Dry Rub

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Method

Combine in a bowl and store at room temperature in an airtight jar. Makes enough for 3 pounds of ribs.

Suggested pairing: Afton Mountain Vineyards 2006 Gewurztraminer.

AUTUMN APPLE TURNOVER

A thin cornbread cake provides an absorbent base for crème fraiche lightly sweetened with confectionary and spiced with ground cinnamon as well as a generous serving of Virginia apple sliced macerated overnight in the refrigerator in Wintergreen Winery’s Mill Hill Apple wine. On top: a sprinkling of cherries from Carter Mountain Orchard near Charlottesville, dried at home in a food dehydrator.

Suggested pairing: Continue the appleness with Wintergreen Winery’s Mill Hill Apple wine.

DRAFT CHOICE CHICKEN WRAPS

We take boneless nuggets of chicken, fry (or grill) them, and toss them in a mix of hot sauce and melted butter for a good Buffalo-style flavor profile and wrap each piece with a strip of lightly-fried Virginia bacon from Edwards of Surry (http://virginiatraditions.com) before tucking it in a half piece of flatbread wrapped in a cone shape and held together with a toothpick. The icing on the cake is a homemade blue cheese dressing simply prepared with Greek-style yogurt bombarded with large chunks of gorgonzola.

Suggested pairing: Tarara Winery’s 2006 Cameo rose’.

PLAYBOOK SWEET POTATO WEDGES

Earthy, cloying and orange, autumn is the time for sweet potatoes. We like to get our locally and cut them into large, generous size wedges then toss them in a mix of some onion and garlic powder, a little paprika and ground white pepper, and just a hint of light brown sugar. Onto a Silpat-lined baking sheet for 30 minutes or so at 400 degrees F and these are winning season spuds.

Suggested pairing:

PARM AND PEPPER POPCORN

Three pepper flavors – red pepper flakes, black pepper, and paprika (dried and ground sweet red pepper pods) – pair well with nutty-flavored Parmesan cheese and a soupcon of olive oil to create a delicious treat to be enjoyed in the parking lot or on the sidelines.

Parm and Pepper Popcorn

Ingredients

4 quarts freshly popped corn
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Put the popcorn in a large, clean paper bag or a washable muslin bag. In a small bowl, combine the red pepper, black pepper, paprika, salt and Parmesan. Drizzle the oil over the popcorn, fold over the top of the bag, and shake until the popcorn is coated and moist. Sprinkle the pepper mixture over the popcorn, folk over the top of the bag, and shake a few times to coat.

Suggested pairing: Veritas Vineyard and Winery’s 2005 Mousseux sparkling wine.

From Erika Caylor, mixologist
Terrapin Restaurant, Virginia Beach

Southern Belle

3 oz. Kluge Estate “Melange Noveau” Cru
2 oz. Woodford Reserve bourbon
1 oz. vanilla bean simple syrup
Orange twist