One of the most beguiling qualities of our wine of the week, Marine Layer, 2018 Aries Sonoma County Chardonnay ($40), is its hint of salt, a briny flourish suggestive of ocean mist, marine fog and wet rocks. This quality is foundational, with tropical fruit — pomelo, kiwi, mangosteen and white pineapple — rising above it. It continues to reverberate on the wine’s lingering finish.
The wine shows a fair amount of oak, toast and vanilla, too, with suggestions of lemon zest on first sip. It is ripe, luscious and mouth-filling. It is easy to pair with fall foods, from root vegetables and winter squash to shellfish and turkey, especially white meat. Corn is a good companion, and a dressing of cornbread would make a match with turkey soar. Sweet potato souffle, mashed parsnips and potatoes with brown butter, mashed celery root with Estero Gold cheese, gnocchi with winter squash and walnut sauce and chanterelle strudel all welcome this wine alongside.
Risotto is an outstanding match, too, when carrots and cream, corn, winter squash, beets, cabbage or mushrooms are a primary ingredient.
For today’s recipe, I’m inspired by the coconut and ginger in this lovely soup. The light toasting of the coconut engages beautifully with the wine’s oak, and the ginger connects with the hints of vanilla in a way that sends the wine to new heights.
Roasted Carrot Soup with Toasted Coconut
Makes 4-8 servings
1 pound organic carrots, preferably Nantes variety, trimmed and peeled
1 parsnip, trimmed and peeled (see Note below)
3 shallots, trimmed and peeled
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper in a mill
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon coriander seed, crushed
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
4 cups homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons very thinly sliced spearmint
3 tablespoons sliced dried coconut, lightly toasted
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Put the carrots, parsnip and shallots in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet; drizzle with a little olive oil; and toss to coat them thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Set on the middle rack of the oven and roast until tender when pierced with a fork. This will take about 45 minutes, a little less if the carrots are small, a bit longer if they are very big. Turn the vegetables now and then so they don’t burn.
When the vegetables are tender, remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool. When they are easy to handle, cut the shallots into small dice and cut the carrots into thin slices.
Put the coconut oil in a large saucepan or soup pot set over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic and ginger and saute for 90 seconds. Add the cumin, coriander and cardamom and season with salt. Stir in the carrot mixture, add the stock and simmer gently over low heat for 15 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk and lime juice, heat through and remove from the heat. Let cool for 10 minutes and then puree with an immersion blender.
Season the soup very generously with black pepper. Taste and correct for salt.
Ladle into soup plates, garnish with mint and toasted coconut and enjoy right away.
Note: If the parsnip is particularly fat, cut it in half lengthwise; some may even need to be cut into lengthwise quarters to be done at the same time as the carrots.
Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date. Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
Root veggie soup with coconut complements chardonnay – Santa Rosa Press Democrat
