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Winery chef Andrew Cohen creates a new recipe for this web site each month. The recipes are designed to go with a particular Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard wine in current release or from the cellar. So come back and see what is new each month!

Andrew Cohen is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy. He interned at Chez Panisse and has worked at a number of fine restaurants in the area, including India Joze, The Crow’s Nest, The Veranda and Theo’s. He also is an accomplished sushi chef and has worked at a number of sushi restaurants from Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay.

Chef Andrew Cohen is available for private parties and cooking classes in the Monterey Bay area. Please email him for more information.

MUSTARD CRUSTED SALMON AND RED WINE SAUCE

This is a good summer recipe that uses fish but also gives you a great excuse for drinking red wine with your fish instead of white wine! Salmon works well with red wine anyhow, but in this particular version the accompanying sauce contains red wine.

Suggested wine: Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2003 Tempranillo, 2002 Grenache, or Grenache Rosé.

6 ounce slice of salmon fillet per person

½ T. Dijon or honey mustard per piece of fish

2 T. breadcrumbs per piece of fish

your choice of fresh herbs, a pinch per piece of

salt and pepper

2 T cooking oil

• Preheat oven to 450 °
• Skin salmon fillets
• Paint tops (non skin side) of fillets with mustard
• Toss breadcrumbs with oil and herbs
• Carefully, dip painted sides of fish into crumbs and transfer to a baking dish
• Sprinkle w/ S&P
• Bake in middle oven for 8 minutes per inch (about 12 minutes for most pieces)
• Check for doneness, serve if ready

Keep in mind that if your fish is much thicker, the bread crumbs may burn before the fish is done. If this is the case, cook the fish in the lower 1/3 rd of the oven or use the flat of a knife to pat the fish thinner. If you cook the fish in the upper portion of the oven, the crumbs will burn from the reflected heat at the top.

Red wine sauce to go with fish or many other things

1 T. Shallot, minced

½ t. Fresh Thyme, minced

10 Whole Peppercorns

1 oz. Port, Cognac, or Brandy

1 C. Red Wine

2 + 1 T Butter

• Heat an 8-inch sauté pan over med. heat. When the pan is hot, add the butter.
• When the butter has finished foaming, add the shallots and peppercorns. When the shallots turn “clear”, add the thyme.
• When the thyme begins to give off its smell, turn up the heat to high and add the Port or cognac, and cook until the liquid is almost gone.
• Add the wine, and cook down (reduce) by 80%.
• While the wine is cooking down, cut the remaining butter into pea-sized pieces and keep it cold.
• When the wine has reduced by 80%, remove the pan from the heat and begin adding the butter chunks a few at a time. Hold the pan by the handle and rotate the wrist to “twirl” the pan so the butter melts evenly into the sauce. Continue adding the butter bits until all are in or the sauce has the consistency you are looking for. It should be glossy and just film the back of a spoon.
• Keep the pan in a warm (not hot- if the sauce gets too hot it will “break” or separate into butter and wine and will not be fixable) spot until you are ready to use it. At time of service, strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and use.

When using this sauce with the salmon recipe, put the sauce under the fish or the bread crumbs will absorb it and get all gooey.

Contact Andrew Cohen: andrew@santacruzmountainvineyard.com