Inside Sonoma

The label reads like a riddle wrapped inside of a mystery: The Convict from a Rockpile by a winery called Paradise Ridge. Would it help to know that they inherited the terroir of a 19th century cult called the Brotherhood of the New Life? Of course. In Santa Rosa’s Fountaingrove neighborhood, this family-owned winery has superlative views and is a bride magnet. It also features a serious outdoor sculpture garden, and a historical display that pays homage to the little-known but historically important Fountaingrove Winery. But the fruit for this wine comes from the Rockpile appellation above Lake Sonoma, so-called because the road there was chiseled out of rock by chain-gangs. Hence, “The Convict.”

It’s not such a tough customer compared to all that-or compared to previous vintages. Paradise Ridge’s 2006 “The Convict” Rockpile Zinfandel ($38) is a deep color of strawberry jam; no sooner do I think that than inhale the selfsame aroma from the glass. Strawberry-raspberry jam with a dusty, chalky note-you can almost smell the rocks breaking on a summer’s day. Heat hits the tongue, and tickles the back palate on the finish-this is a ripe, jammy wine but 2006 was a cool harvest season, perhaps keeping flavors in the strawberry realm.

A typical dry and brambly Zin might go with the grill, but this one requires some  hard time to think things over. Luckily, Paradise Ridge’s own “culinary person extraordinaire” has come to the rescue:

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Eggplant & Portobello Moussaka

Created by Amanda McLain

Ingredients:
3 medium eggplants peeled and sliced into inch thick slices.
2 tablespoons olive oil.
1 stick butter

16 oz. Ricotta cheese (mix with salt & pepper)

16 oz. Mozzarella cheese

½ cup grated pecorino cheese
8 large Portobello caps sliced in half lengthwise.
3 cloves garlic peeled and diced.
1 large onion diced.
16 ounces tomato sauce heated with 1/4 cup Paradise Ridge 2006 Convict Zinfandel, Rockpile Vineyard.
4 eggs.
1/2 cup flour.
Try making it a two pot dish and reuse the cast iron skillet. Rinse skillet after browning veggies, re-oil, fill, and throw the whole thing right in the oven!

Instructions:
Pan sear eggplant slices in an oiled deep cast iron skillet until golden brown. Lay between two paper towels to soak up access oil. Follow the same process with the mushrooms. Sauté onion in oil on medium heat or until browned. Add garlic and toss until golden. Cool mixture and add Ricotta cheese.  Layer sauce, eggplant, mushroom, seasoned ricotta cheese, and thinly sliced mozzarella in that order until gone. Leave 2 inches of room at the top of your baking dish.  Melt stick of butter in skillet and reduce heat to low. Add 1/4 cup butter milk and a tablespoon of flour and beat until smooth. Repeat these steps until mixture is smooth and thick and you have utilized all the buttermilk. Remove from heat and slowly beat in 4 well beaten egg yolks. Pour mixture over layered vegetables and cheese. Top with grated cheese and bake at 425˚ for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350˚and cook for 40 minutes. Cover with foil when top becomes golden brown to prevent burning. Remove from the oven and let stand for at least 20 minutes before cutting and serving.

Instructions:
Pan sear eggplant slices in an oiled deep cast iron skillet until golden brown. Lay between two paper towels to soak up access oil. Follow the same process with the mushrooms. Sauté onion in oil on medium heat or until browned. Add garlic and toss until golden. Cool mixture and add Ricotta cheese.  Layer sauce, eggplant, mushroom, cheese mixture, and thinly sliced mozzarella in that order until gone. Leave 2 inches of room at the top of your baking dish.  Melt stick of butter in skillet and reduce heat to low. Add 1/4 cup butter milk and a tablespoon of flour and beat until smooth. Repeat these steps until mixture is smooth and thick and you have utilized all the buttermilk. Remove from heat and slowly beat in 4 well beaten egg yolks. Pour mixture over layered vegetables and cheese. Top with grated cheese and bake at 425˚ for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350˚and cook for 40 minutes. Cover with foil when top becomes golden brown to prevent burning. Remove from the oven and let stand for at least 20 minutes before cutting and serving.