Herbed Crostini with Rosemary Whipped Goat Cheese, Balsamic and Sun Dried Tomato Compote, Fontina and Truffle Oil served with Huia Pinot Gris 2009

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Crostini
1 baguette
3 T Dried Italian Seasoning blend.
4 T Extra Virgin olive oil.
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
With bread knife slice Baguette on bias into ¼ inch slices
Line baking tray with 15 or so pieces: take pastry brush and brush with herb oil and sprinkle bread with dried Italian seasoning.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes or until crostinis are browned and crispy.
 

Herbed Whipped Goat Cheese Spread
Procedure:
In Small mixer Combine
4 ounces Goat cheese (chevre)
½ t minced rosemary
1 t minced thyme
1 t minced parley
½ t minced shallot
1 t extra Virgin olive oil
1/8 t minced garlic
 

Sundried Tomato Compote
3 T extra virgin olive oil.
3 ounces sundried tomato roughly chopped
3 ounces minced shallots
¼ t minced garlic
6 ounces heirloom cherry tomatoes cut into 1/8ths
1 T extra virgin olive oil.
½ t minced rosemary
1 t minced thyme
1 t minced parsley
3 T good quality balsamic vinegar
Procedure:
Get small sauté pan hot: add extra virgin olive oil, let oil get hot for 7 seconds then add shallot and garlic and stir constantly to prevent burning garlic. Cook until shallots are translucent (about 4 minutes); then add fresh herbs and cook for 1 minute; then add both types tomatoes and cook till the cherry tomatoes break down(about 3 minutes), then add balsamic Vinegar and cook till liquid has evaporated. Cool and season with salt and pepper.
 

Also:
Fontina cheese, sliced thin
White truffle oil
 

ASSEMBLY OF CROSTINI
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Take a butter knife and smear the Goat cheese to cover Crostini with a reasonable layer of spread.
2. Take about 1.25 T of the tomato compote and place on top of the goat cheese, then top with sliced fontina.
3. Bake for about 2 minute or until fontina is melted. Being very careful, put a single drop of truffle oil on top of melted fontina as to not saturate it with truffle oil.
It is preferable if tomato compote is at room temp when assembling crostini so that it not cold at time of cheese melting.
 

THE WINE: Huia Pinot Gris 2009
Background:
The 2009 Pinot Gris was sourced from three blocks: Huia’s Winsome block, Huia’s Home block and the Anderson’s vineyard in the upper Brancott Valley. The vineyards have a range of soil types from free draining clay loam and stones to sandy and clay soils, to very stony alluvial silts in
Rapaura. 

Winemaking:
The grapes were harvested by hand between the 31st March and the 1st of April. All three blocks achieved excellent ripeness and flavour with grapes reaching 23.5 to 24.0 Brix. All of the juice was fermented using indigenous yeasts in older neutral French barriques.

Tasting Note:
On the nose ripe pear and mandarin notes integrate with a delicate hint of spice. The palate is rich with a silky creamy texture. Ripe pear and white peach flavours combine with a delicate touch of nuts and spice. It has excellent length and structure.

Food Matches:
Huia Pinot Gris is delicious with: seafood risotto, roasted and casseroled game, Thai food, grilled salmon and fresh water trout, seared game fish, rare beef salad, light blue cheese and walnut tart.