March Hosted at Home with Chef Ron Duprat

Bring your appetites and dust off your decanter because Bella Union Winemaker Brooke Price and Top Chef’s Ron Duprat are teaming up for our March Hosted at Home virtual wine tasting! From the new vintage of Bella Union’s estate-grown Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon to the [foie-gras optional] seared scallops menu Chef Duprat has designed to pair with the new vintage of Post & Beam Chardonnay, this month’s Napa Valley wines and recipe pairings are nothing short of decadent.

In fact, Chef Duprat has created not just one, but two, pitch perfect recipe pairings for Hosted at Home’s March wine selections. He’ll be demo-ing them for us during our March 12th online “happy hour,” and we’ve included them below for anyone who wants to cook along with him. Or prepare them in advance!

Chef Ron Duprat’s Seared Scallops with Wilted Collard Greens and Chardonnay Beurre Blanc

Wine Pairing: Post & Beam Chardonnay, Napa Valley

Note on the Chef: Best known as one of the top competitors on Bravo TV's "Top Chef,” Chef Ron Duprat is nationally recognized for his expertise in Afro-Caribbean cuisine. He has been featured on Iron Chef America, as well as recognized by The Huffington Post as one of “10 Black Chefs that are Changing the Food World.” The author of “My Journey of Cooking,” Duprat has prepared incredible menus for Former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, Jay Z and Beyonce, and many more.

Ingredients

For the Beurre Blanc

3 tablespoons Beurre Margarette or unsalted butter

2-ounces shallots, chopped

4 portobello mushrooms, stems only, chopped (reserve caps for grilling)

3 white peppercorns

3 coriander seeds

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons sugar

2 2/4 cups chardonnay

For the Scallops with Collard Greens

1 1/2 pounds jumbo scallops

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 ½ lbs foie gras, cut into 6 cubes about 4 ounces each

Maldon salt

Black pepper, freshly ground

1/2-pound Collards Green, cleaned and stripped of center stem

Method

For the Beurre Blanc: Sautéed the shallots and 1 cup wine vinegar and Add peppercorns, coriander seeds, bay leaf, over medium heat until reduced to half. Slowly add the cold butter while whisking for about 10 minutes or until reduced by three-fourths. Strain through a chinois and reserve.

For the Scallops, Collard Greens and Foie Gras: Brush scallops with oil, then season lightly with Maldon salt and pepper. If you’re indulging in foie gras, season it with Maldon salt and pepper as well. On a very hot grill, sear scallops for about three minutes on both sides, until no longer translucent. In a hot sauté pan, sear your cubed foie gras on all sides until brown. Heat a medium to large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add a splash of olive oil. Add collard greens and cook for three to five minutes, until bright green. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Presentation

Reheat your butter sauce in a sauté pan. Warm your plates. Make a “bed” of collard greens, then top with scallops and your foie gras, if you added it. Generously drizzle Beurre Blanc atop all. Pour any remaining Beurre Blanc in small ramekins so guests can add more to taste. Uncork a bottle of Post & Beam Chardonnay, fill your glasses and draw in your first sip. The whispers of candied citrus on the nose and the full, round palate with juicy stone fruit and toasted oak flavors are the perfect foil for the creamy-sweet scallops. Absolutely fabulous! A santé!

Chef Ron Duprat’s Certified Angus Tomahawk Ribeye with Beurre Rouge

Wine Pairing: Bella Union Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa Valley

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

For the Ribeye:

1 48-ounce Tomahawk Ribeye
Maldon salt

Mixed peppercorn mélange

Extra Virgin Olive oil
3 oz Beurre Margarette or unsalted butter

4 thyme sprigs
2 shallots

For the Sauce Beurre Rouge:

13 ounces Cabernet Sauvignon or Bordeaux-varietal red wine
4 ounces veal demi-glace
1½ ounces shallots, thinly sliced
1 ounce cremini mushrooms
3 thyme sprigs
3 Italian parsley stems
1 fresh bay leaf
8 black peppercorns
5 ounces beurre Margarette or unsalted butter, cut into half-inch cubes, cold
Maldon salt

Method

For the Ribeye: Heat the grill up to 325° over high heat. Season meat with Maldon salt and mixed peppercorn mélange. Cook until medium rare, approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 119°.

Transfer ribeye to wire rack and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes before slicing.

For the Sauce Beurre Rouge: In a small sauce pan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Continue reducing until the liquid has a syrupy consistency, approximately 20 minutes. Reduce heat to its lowest temperature, then whisk in cold butter, adding just a few cubes at a time until they are emulsified into the red wine reduction. Continue until all the butter has been incorporated. Season sauce lightly with Maldon salt to taste, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer and store in a warm location until you are ready to serve.

Presentation

Carve the meat from the bone, separating the muscles and slicing against the grain. Lightly season maldon salt at the last moment. Generously spoon or drizzle with your sauce beurre rouge. Serve with your favorite leafy salad or wilted greens, a crusty baguette and a decanted bottle of Bella Union’s Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. The dark berry fruit and dusty-cocoa accents enhances the savory-peppercorn crusted meat, while the marbling of the ribeye turns the wine’s already-velvety tannins to silk. A santé!

Have we mentioned how much we love pairing our winemakers with chefs, culinary artisans and international tastemakers for these once-monthly afternoons (or evenings) of wine, food, conversation and laughter? We launched Hosted at Home in 2020, and now, even as we return to winery tastings and events in real life, this one-of-a-kind program remains one of our favorite ways to connect with wine-loving members across the U.S.!