March 2024 Wine of the Month Recipes to Enjoy!

For our March Wine of the Month Recipes, we paired a root vegetable terrine and wild greens salad with our Frey Organic Pinot Grigio.

Every month we try to offer up something produced using local farmers and their goods. Our March twist on this theme is that we harvested wild greens for a salad! So, this month’s featured farmer is Mother Nature! We have a wealth of wild greens that offer themselves up in our vineyards in the late winter/early spring. Eliza Frey, an herbalist, has lots of insights into what greens to harvest; her blog post from seasons past still rings true today! We’re also highlighting the local wild edible greens this year for our highlight from the hedgerow series.

For March’s dinner, we took advantage of a beautiful, sunny day for a picnic outside. It’s been a rainy, stormy winter in Northern California. While we’re grateful for the rain, we were also very pleased that the clear day in the weather helped us enjoy our picnic in the . We brought along a cream of mushroom soup and some roasted Brussels sprouts to round out our feast!

Tasting Notes: Racy and mineral driven, this vibrant 2022 Organic Pinot Grigio has compelling aromas of lemon verbena and lime blossoms. Wet stone, white pepper, and hazelnut form a linear composure alongside bright acidity. Enjoy with a layered vegetable terrine topped with a Gruyère cream and a wild-harvested spring greens salad.

The March Wine of the Month Recipes showcase the Pinot Grigio with a vegetarian picnic. Nicole, our graphic designer, created a delicious root vegetable terrine. The terrine has three components: the root vegetable layer, the creamy sauce, and the phyllo top.

FOR THE VEGETABLES

6 medium red potatoes
2 large sweet potatoes
2 large beets
2 pounds butternut squash
4 cups grated Gruyère cheese
Good salt and black pepper (to taste)

FOR THE CREAM SAUCE

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups half-and-half
3 large egg yolks
4 large shallots finely chopped shallots
8 fresh or dried bay leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of salt
¾ teaspoon grated nutmeg

FOR THE PHYLLO TOP

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons/5 ounces unsalted butter
16 phyllo pastry sheets (we substituted gluten-free phyllo)

Step 1
First, heat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 13-by-9-inch baking dish by greasing it with your fat of choice (we used butter)

While the oven is heating up, prepare the dish

Step 2: Making the cream sauce
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the shallots, garlic, and black peppercorns to the melted butter. Cook until shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half, bay leaves, thyme, nutmeg, and 1½ teaspoons salt and bring to a simmer. Cook cream sauce until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes over low heat.

Step 3: Finish the cream sauce
Whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in a few tablespoons of the warm cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, to temper the yolks. (Tempering prevents the cold yolks from scrambling when combined with the warm cream. The yolks will help your filling hold together.) Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the cream. Reserve and refrigerate 1 cup cream for serving.

Step 4
Using a mandoline slice the unpeeled red potatoes crosswise ⅛-inch thick. In the bowl, toss the potatoes with a generous pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper until evenly seasoned, then stir the potatoes into the cream in the saucepan.

Step 5
Peel, trim and halve the beets, then slice them ⅛-inch thick using a mandoline. Add the beets to the bowl and toss with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Shingle the sliced beets in the baking dish, overlapping slightly, in two even layers, then sprinkle them evenly with 1⅓ cups grated Gruyère.

Step 6
In the bowl, season the sliced sweet potatoes with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; toss to coat. Shingle them on top of the cheese-topped beets in 2 to 3 even layers, then press them gently to compress the vegetables evenly, eliminating any air pockets. Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with 1⅓ cups grated Gruyère.

Step 7
In the bowl, season the squash with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; toss to coat. Shingle the squash over the cheese-topped sweet potatoes in 2 even layers, press to compress the mixture, then sprinkle the squash with the remaining 1⅓ cups grated Gruyère.

Step 8
Shingle the potatoes on top in 2 to 3 even layers, then slowly pour the remaining cream mixture evenly over the sliced vegetables. Set on the middle rack of the oven and place a large sheet pan directly underneath on the rack below to catch any drips. Bake until the vegetables start to soften, about 1 hour.

Step 9
After the vegetables have baked for about 40 minutes, prepare the phyllo. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Working on a large, clean surface, set 1 sheet of phyllo down. Brush lightly with melted butter then set a second sheet of phyllo on top. Take your hands and scrunch the phyllo into a 5½-inch rosette with lots of folds. Push aside, then repeat with remaining 14 sheets of phyllo, creating 8 rosettes total.

Step 10
After the sliced vegetables have cooked for 1 hour, remove from the oven. Increase heat to 400 degrees. Using a paper towel, gently pat the surface to remove any liquid that may have risen to the surface, then cover the top with the 8 phyllo rosettes, scrunching them as needed to fit. Brush the phyllo generously with melted butter.

Step 11
Bake until the phyllo is crisp and golden and the vegetables are tender and a paring knife slides easily through the center, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing to let everything set.

Step 12
While the gratin firms up, reheat the reserved cream over medium until warmed, about 2 minutes. Season the warm sauce with salt and pepper.

Step 13
Cut and serve the gratin

Dessert!

Pinot Grigio pairs exceptionally well with fresh mozzarella. So, for our March Wine of the Month Recipes finale at the picnic, we showcased a cheese board featuring mozzarella with a collection of apples, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, oranges, and cashews.