Thanks to all of you who participated in the 2007 Barrel Tour. We hoped you enjoyed your visit to High Pass Winery. In response to many requests, we are publishing recipes for the food we served so you are able to enjoy these superb pairings with High Pass Wines.

Chocolate Almond Cake paired with 2003 Huxelrebe Late Harvest Wine

7 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

¾ cup unsalted butter 1 cup sugar (divided)

4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

¼ tsp almond extract

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon cake flour

¼ tsp salt

½ cup (3 oz) almond meal (available at Tr. Joes)

Caramel Sauce

Preheat the oven to 325. Butter and flour a bundt pan.

Combine the chocolate and butter and melt. Be very careful not to burn the mixture. Remove from the heat and whisk to combine. Whisk in ¾ cup of the sugar, the egg yolks and the almond extract. Whisk in the almond meal and the flour. (Make sure the chocolate mixture is not too hot when adding the egg yolks or they will become scrambled eggs).

Beat the egg whites until they start to foam. Add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat until the whites form soft peaks. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold a third of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remaining whites.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until the cake is puffed and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 – 40 minutes.

Just before serving, using a fine-mesh sieve, dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar and drizzle with caramel sauce.

Vichyssoise paired with 2006 Pinot Gris

5 cups leeks, cleaned and dark green sections removed

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Heavy pinch kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning

4 cups potatoes, unpeeled and diced small

3 cups chopped cucumber (remove large seeds)

6 lettuce leaves (not iceburg)

6-8 sorrel leaves

¼ cup lemon balm

1 1/2 quarts chicken broth

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon snipped chives

Chop the leeks into small pieces.

In a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and oil. Add the leeks and a heavy pinch of salt and sweat for 5 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks are tender, approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes, lettuce, sorrel, lemon balm and the chicken broth. Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until the potatoes are soft, approximately 45 minutes.

Turn off the heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately, or chill and serve cold.

Seared Salmon paired with 2006 barrel sample pinot noir (please call for futures availability)

3 lbs salmon

1 ½ tsp curry powder

1 ½ tsp coriander seeds

1 ½ tsp cumin seeds

1 ½ tsp caraway seeds

1 ½ tsp anise seeds

1 ½ tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

Combine the spices. Coarsely grind the mixture in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

Season the steaks with salt and pepper

Rub both sides of each salmon piece with a generous amount of the spice mixture.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a preheated pan. Add half the salmon and cook turning once until the fish is browned on the outside and opaque in the center about 4 minutes per side.