Pecan Truffles

Recipe by Mike "Ollie" Oliver, Blue Heron Café Director

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
3 oz. butter
20 oz. chocolate, semi-sweet or bittersweet

Step 1 directions:
Steam cream with butter. Whisk in chocolate to melt. Scoop out 1 oz. balls and chill on parchment.

Ingredients:
3 oz. butter
2 oz. cream
12 oz. chocolate, semi-sweet or bittersweet
¼ cup Late Harvest Vidal Blanc
Pecans, finely chopped

Step 2 directions:
Steam cream with butter. Whisk in chocolate to melt, and stir in Vidal Blanc. Drizzle chocolate mixture over balls and sprinkle with pecans before the chocolate sets. Chill truffles in a refrigerator until ready to serve.

Suggested wine pairings:
Eclipse Red
Ingle Vineyard Cabernet Franc
Late Harvest Vidal Blanc

Raspberry Cheesecake with Chocolate Eclipse Ganache

Recipe by Mike "Ollie" Oliver, Blue Heron Café Director

Graham Cracker Crust
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix and press into the bottom of a 9" or 10" spring form pan.

Cheesecake
4 - 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Eclipse Red
1/3 cup raspberry puree

Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and blend until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and blend until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add sour cream and blend. Scrape down, add Eclipse Red and raspberry puree and blend again.

Transfer to the pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes until the center sets up. Chill for at least an hour before topping with the Chocolate Eclipse Ganache.

Chocolate Eclipse Ganache
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup Eclipse Red

Melt butter in sauté pan, add cream and bring to a simmer. Add chocolate and Eclipse Red, whisk until smooth and thick. Pour this over the cooled cheesecake and chill again for another hour. Pairs well with the Eclipse Red.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Recipe by John & Jo Ingle, Owners

2 cups sifted flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 t. soda
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. allspice
1/4 t. powdered cloves
1/2 cup salad oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 cups fresh rhubarb cut in 1-inch pieces

Sift the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Place eggs, oil and milk in another bowl and beat them together. Then add to the dry ingredients. Fold in the cut rhubarb and turn it into a greased 8" x 13" pan. Spoon the following toppings all over the batter and bake at 350 degrees F. for 50 minutes.

Topping

2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 T. margarine
3.4 cup flaked coconut
1/4 chopped nuts

Blend the first three ingredients together, then add coconut and chopped nuts.

Raspberry Cheesecake

Recipe by Mike "Ollie" Oliver, Wholesale Sales Representative & Blue Heron Café Director

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter/margarine, melted

4 [8 oz.] packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 t. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups seedless raspberry puree

Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter and press into the base of a springform pan. In the bowl of a mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar, whisk on medium setting for 2 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk on medium setting for 1 minute. Add raspberry puree and mix for 1 minute. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, until just set in the center. Allow to rest on the counter before chilling.
 

Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake

Recipe by Mike "Ollie" Oliver, Wholesale Sales Representative & Blue Heron Café Director

1 ¼ C graham cracker crumbs
¼ C sugar
¼ C butter/margarine, melted
2 eggs
1 [14 oz] can sweetened condensed milk
3 [8 oz] packages cream cheese
1 [15oz] can pumpkin pie filling
¼ C maple syrup
1 ½ t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press firmly on bottom of 9 inch spring form pan. In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add eggs, pumpkin, maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 1 hour and 15 min. or until edge springs back when lightly touched [center will be slightly soft]. Cool. Chill 2-4 hours. Drizzle with glaze. Refrigerate leftovers (what leftovers??)

Maple Pumpkin Glaze - prepare when cheesecake is well-chilled

¾ C pure maple syrup
½ pint [1 C] whipping cream
½ C chopped pecans

In saucepan, combine maple syrup and cream. Boil rapidly 15-20 min. or until thickened; stirring occasionally. Add pecans and drizzle AFTER cheesecake is chilled. 8-10 servings… maybe more very rich.
 

  
Pears al Vino Bianco  

Recipe by Christina Bowe, Wholesale Sales Manager

Pairs with Late Harvest Riesling

6 Bosc or Anjou pears (not too ripe)
1 ½ cups of dry white wine (chardonnay, dry riesling)
½ cup water
¾ cup sugar
2 strips lemon zest, about 2 inches long
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla

With a demitasse spoon or melon baler, working from the bottom of the pears, scoop out the core and seeds.

In a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears upright, bring the wine, water, sugar lemon zest and vanilla bean to simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the pears and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and cook turning the pears once, for 20 minutes or until they are tender throughout when pierced with a small knife.

Transfer the pears to a serving dish. Turn the heat under the pan to medium-high and cook the syrup until thickened and golden about 10 minutes

Plate standing up and pour the syrup over the pears. Let cool slight, then cover and chill before serving.