The Galveston County Daily News

KEMAH — September on the Gulf Coast may not feature the calm, cool weather of the Pacific Northwest, but at least we can share some of the region’s best products when the Kemah Boardwalk Wine Festival uncorks wines from Washington, Oregon and Northern California.

The event showcases four signature wines from each of 13 wineries and food that evokes the Pacific Northwest, as interpreted by five of the Boardwalk’s restaurants.

“We chose the Pacific Northwest as the theme for our first wine festival because it’s something we can do very well,” Scott Tarwater, wine and beverage education manager for Landry’s Restaurants, said.

“We’ve developed personal relationships with many of these winemakers, and they or their representatives will be at the festival to talk directly to the consumers and answer any questions they have about the wines.”

While this is the first edition of what is planned to be an annual wine festival, Tarwater is no stranger to planning wine events. As Landry’s corporate wine manager, he recently organized a three-day wine festival at the company’s Golden Nugget property in Las Vegas.

“I’ve done this type of event before, but I haven’t always had venues this gorgeous,” he said, looking out at the waterfront plaza as the water shimmered and boats glided by.

The wine festival will be held in tents on the Boardwalk’s plaza, with food stations interspersed among the wine offerings.

“When you talk about the Pacific Northwest, you have to look at the cultural side as well,” Tarwater said. “The population drives the food, and so there’s an Asian influence that’s reflected in some of the food we’ll have at the festival.”

The Boardwalk’s beverage operations manager, Brett Boswell, brought his background as a native of Longview, Wash., into play for the wine festival, drawing on his knowledge of the area’s products.

“I used to fish in the Columbia River,” Boswell said. “The fish we’ll be serving at the festival will complement the wines well.”

Seared ahi nachos, sushi and fish tacos will accompany the wine selections, along with cheeses from Washington and Oregon.

“We’ll have a mountain of Northwest cheeses, from sharp cheddar to goat cheese and everything in between,” Tarwater said. “Of course, there will be plenty of Tillamook, which is the iconic cheese of Oregon.”

Following the wine festival, which runs from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 19, two of the Boardwalk restaurants are holding wine dinners.

The Flying Dutchman is hosting a dinner that pairs the Washington wines of the Covey Run winery with a five-course seafood dinner. At the nearby Chart House, Carolyn Wente, of Wente Vineyards, will be the guest of honor at a five-course dinner featuring foods paired with Wente wines.

The Chart House dinner includes a roasted beet and pear salad, herb-crusted sea bass, filet mignon and berry compote. Diners at the Flying Dutchman dinner will choose among selections that include ceviche, grilled oysters, crab rémoulade and mixed-grill dishes, all accompanied by specific wines.

“The wine festival is a great opportunity for people to spend quality time with some outstanding winemakers,” Tarwater said. “We want everyone to walk away with a better understanding of wine.”

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At A Glance

Tickets for the Kemah Boardwalk Wine Festival are available online at www.kemahwinefest.com or by calling 281-535-8100. Tickets cost $35 in advance and $45 at the door.

Reservations are required for the wine dinners. The Covey Run dinner at the Flying Dutchman is $50. Call 281-334-7575 for reservations. The Wente Wine dinner at the Chart House is $75, and reservations can be made by calling 281-334-3360.

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Coastal Mediterranean-style Pasta

4 ounces capellini pasta (thin spaghetti) 2 ounces (about 4) Sun-dried tomatoes, julienne 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 ounce (about 15) capers 2 ounces extra virgin olive oil 1 ounce cured olives, chopped Zest from ½ lemon, minced 1 pinch chili flake ¼ cup parsley, chopped 2 cups arugula

Use a touch of oil and sauté over medium heat garlic, shallot, tomatoes, capers, olives and chili flake for 2 minutes.

Add the remaining olive oil and the lemon zest and parsley.

Add the cooked pasta and toss.

Add the arugula and toss three more times and serve.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve with your favorite grilled fish or prawns and a fresh squeeze of lemon juice.

— From Executive Chef Arthur Wall, The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards

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Hazelnut-crusted Halibut With Northwest Pear Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette

1 unpeeled firm, ripe fresh pear, halved and cored 1/2 cup olive oil 2 teaspoons sugar or honey 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons minced shallot 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme 1/4 teaspoon salt Pinch of cayenne pepper

Crust

1 1/2 cups (8 ounces) hazelnuts, lightly toasted and skinned 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest 4 skinless 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch-thick halibut fillet portions (about 6 ounces each) 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted Fresh thyme sprigs for garnish

To make the vinaigrette, chop half of the pear and reserve the other half.

Combine the chopped pear, olive oil, sugar, lemon juice and mustard in a blender and process until smooth. Place puréed mixture into a small bowl.

Dice the remaining pear into 1/4-inch pieces and add to mixture with the shallot, thyme, salt and cayenne.

Set aside or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

To make the crust and finish the dish, combine the crust ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not so fine as a meal. Set aside in a large shallow dish.

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with oil.

Dip each piece of fish in the melted butter, coating well. Immediately press each piece firmly into the crust mixture, turning to coat all sides well.

Place the coated halibut pieces on the baking sheet, and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through. The cooking time will depend upon the thickness of the fish.

Carefully transfer the fish to individual plates and drizzle some of the vinaigrette over them. (Bring vinaigrette to room temperature before using.) Garnish with thyme sprigs.

This dish pairs perfectly with Covey Run 2007 Riesling, Columbia Valley.

— Recipe from Covey Run chef Kathy Casey

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Ginger Cake With Spiced Poached French Butter Pear, Riesling Caramel and sweet cream

Poached Pears

4 juice oranges 1 lemon, halved 4 cinnamon sticks 2 whole cloves 8 cups water 2 cups granulated sugar 5 firm-ripe French butter pears

Riesling caramel 2/3 cup sugar ¼ cup water ¾ cup Wente Vineyards Riesling

Sweet cream 1 cup cold heavy cream 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Ginger cake

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup molasses (preferably mild) 1 cup boiling water 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened ½ cup packed light brown sugar 1 large egg, lightly beaten

To make the poached pears, remove zest of oranges in strips with a vegetable peeler and cut away any white pith from strips.

Squeeze juice from oranges and lemon into a 6-quart pot, and add lemon halves, water, cinnamon sticks, clove, granulated sugar, and zest.

Peel and slice pears in half and with a corer. Remove the hard center, seeds and add to pot.

Simmer pears 15 to 25 minutes, or until just tender, and cool in liquid. (Poached pears will continue to cook a bit as they cool.) Once the pears have cooled, you can slice them leaving the pear attached on the top into 4 to 6 thin slices.

To make the Riesling caramel Instructions, combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.

Increase heat and boil without stirring until deep amber color, occasionally brushing down pan sides with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 8 minutes.

Carefully add wine (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over low heat until smooth and any caramel bits dissolve. Cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

To make the sweet cream, chill medium mixing bowl and whisk in freezer for 10 minutes before beginning.

In chilled bowl, whisk cream until it begins to foam and thicken.

Add sugar and continue to whisk just until soft peaks form. Do not over-whip.

Keep in refrigerator until ready to use. Can be made up to 6 hours ahead.

To make the ginger cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a bowl.

Whisk together molasses and boiling water in a small bowl.

Beat together butter, brown sugar, and egg in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes, then alternately mix in flour mixture and molasses in three batches at low speed until smooth.

Pour cake batter into a greased 9-inch-by-5-inch cake pan or in individual cake rings. Bake cake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes and then remove from cake pan or rings. If making in a cake pan, cut cake into nine square pieces.

Serve ginger cake warm or at room temperature. Place caramel sauce on the plate then the ginger cake down and top with the fanned poached pear. Place a dollop of whipped sweet cream on top. If desired, drizzle a small amount of the caramel sauce over the whole dessert.

— From Pastry Chef Lisa Shaver, Wente Vineyards