Hello, I am David Bush, Executive Chef at St. Francis Winery in Santa Rosa, California.  Here in the Sonoma Wine Country I specialize in wine and food pairing for both private and public functions hosted at St. Francis Winery.  My job entails tasting our wonderful red and white wines and creating tantalizing pairings with the freshest Sonoma Wine Country produce available...it's a tough job but someone has to do it! I have always had a passion for good food which led to my attending the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco where I completed my studies in December of 1995. I worked my way through several restaurants in San Francisco; including Azie under Chefs Jody Denton and Donny Masterton, the Carnelian Room under Chef David Lawrence and many others.  My wife and I grew tired of those cold San Francisco summers so we fled north to the Wine Country landing in the town of Sonoma.  Since moving to the Wine Country I have worked as Chef de Cuisine for Sondra Bernstein's growing collection of Girl and the Fig restaurants, as well as completing a bachelor's degree in history from Sonoma State University.  I joined the St. Francis team in June of 2007 and with much help from my team members have pushed our wine and food programs to new heights.

Hope to hear from you soon,
Chef David 

A busy week at St. Francis Winery, at least for me that is.  We are winding down our winter wine and food pairing program and shifting into the summer charcuterie program which starts the last week of May.  I am also working on three recipes paired with St. Francis wines for Outdoor Life magazine which will be coming out this fall; and we are taking food shots this Friday. That being said I need to stop writing and start cooking! 

Cheers,
Chef David

I just received a comment from Judith in Tahoe wondering how the duck prosciutto that we recently made turned out. First off,thank you Judith for reading my blog and to answer your question the prosciutto turned out great. I am planning on making  more soon and hopefully, if the weather cooperates, pairing it with some fresh apricots and one of St. Francis' Chardonnays. The recipe is very easy. I will add it at the bottom of the blog. Thanks again for the comment and keep checking back for more recipes and wine and food pairings.

Cheers,
Chef David

Duck Prosciutto:

Ingredients:
1.1/2 to 2  cups kosher salt
1 whole boneless Pekin duck breast, skin on, split in half
½ tablespoon of freshly ground black or white pepper
Cheesecloth
Butchers twine or string

Process:
Place about half of the salt in the bottom of a stainless steel (or other nonreactive) container.
Place the duck breasts skin side up on the salt, and cover with the remaining salt being sure to cover the breasts completely, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerate for 24 hours.
Remove breasts from the fridge and rinse thoroughly under cold water.
Sprinkle the breasts on both sides with the fresh cracked pepper.
Wrap the breasts in a double layer of cheesecloth and tie off the ends with the butchers twine.
Hang the breasts in the refrigerator for about 7 days.
When finished the breasts should be firm but not hard, and will have a deep red color.
Remove from the cheesecloth, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Slice thinly on a bias and serve with fruit, nuts, or cheese, and of course some St. Francis wine.

Just returned from a fishing tournament in nearby Clear Lake. It was the first FLW Stren series tournament of the season and I fished it as a non-boater; meaning since I did not own a boat I fished from the back of someone else's. This was my second highest finish, 10th out of 148 fishermen, which landed me a pretty good size check. So good in fact that I have since bought my own bass boat so no more back of the boat for me. The next stop on the tournament trail is April 18th which unfortunately for me is the date of our Winery Tax Relief dinner. Needless to say, with a 52 gallon gas tank to fill, I'll be keeping my day job

Tight Lines,
Chef David

Vicki was at the winery last weekend and sent along a comment about a salmon dish on our wine and food pairing menu that she especially enjoyed.  Thank you so much for your comment Vicki which, along with others who have requested this same recipe, motivated me to sit down and format it for everyone to access through our website. We serve the 2006 Behler Chardonnay with this salmon at the wine and food pairing as this wine complements the buttery texture of the fish and the leeks.  It would also pair nicely with the St. Francis 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, which will cut through the richness of the dish providing a refreshing contrast. It might be fun to serve your guests both wines with the salmon to show how wine can be a complementary flavor or provide a contrast with the food. Just one more note; at the winery we serve a bite size portion so I have adjusted the recipe so that it is a more substantial portion for the home cook.

Cheers,
Chef David

Winter has finally returned to Sonoma wine country and the cold, rainy weather outside has me yearning for a warm bowl of clams and spicy chorizo.  This dish pairs really well with both white and red wines.  I prefer the red so I like it with St. Francis Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon but the Sonoma County Chardonnay also works nicely with this dish. Both wines are available in stores across the country.  You can find the recipe here  and you'll see it is both easy to prepare and satisfying.  If you can't find Spanish chorizo you can substitute with linguica or andouille sausage.

Cheers,
Chef David

One good thing about the slow season in the wine country is that it gives me a chance to play with new food and wine pairings. I just finished curing and wrapping some Sonoma County duck breasts.  I should have some great duck prosciutto in about seven days.   I am thinking that I will serve the duck with a tart cherry compote, shaved Vella Dry Jack, cherry syrup and some upland cress.  I will pair it with one of our Zinfandels, possibly the Pagani or Old Vines Zinfandel.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Cheers,

Chef David

The weather is beautiful in Sonoma Wine Country today and is supposed to hold throughout the weekend.  This unseasonably warm weather has me yearning for spring and all the great produce to come.  But for now I need to stay focused on what is available; citrus, root vegetables, winter greens, and hearty braised dishes.  Saturday looks to be a busy day for me and my Sous Chef Stacey with many reservations already on the books.  Those who do come out will be treated to a great wine and food pairing experience along with some excellent mid winter weather.  I am going to change the wine and food pairing menu soon so if you haven't tried the current menu, which includes a baby quiche, and braised chicken mole to name just two of the four items, time is running out.  Hopefully I'll see you at the Winery where I am always free to answer any questions or just talk about wine and food.

Cheers,

Chef David

I recently read an article on Washingtonpost.com written by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenberg.  They hit on a couple of points that echo recent wine and food pairings I have prepared at St. Francis Winery.  The first is pairing food prepared with dried chilies.  Our new Wine and Food Pairing Menu couples the 2004 Wild Oak Cabernet Sauvignon with chicken braised in a dark mole sauce.  The mole is made with three different dried chilies, Cascabels, Anchos, and New Mexican, as well as Mexican chocolate. The authors mention in the article the "smoky earthiness" of the chilies pairs well with red wines; I couldn't agree more! Our 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon pairs beautifully with the deep and complex flavors in the mole; the dried chilies and Mexican Chocolate enhance the subtle smokiness and chocolate nuance hiding within this complex wine.

The article also mentions pairing wine with horseradish, one of my favorite ingredients, but one that needs to be handled carefully when pairing with wines.  I love serving horseradish crème fraiche with a medium rare roasted Prime Rib.  The St. Francis 2005 Sonoma County Merlot is a “fruity, low-tannin merlot,” quoting the article, making it a perfect accompaniment for Prime Rib slathered in horseradish crème fraiche.

The article contains other good suggestions concerning hard to pair with foods, but you shouldn’t be afraid to paint outside the lines and find pairings that suit your palate best.  

Happy Pairing,
David Bush
Executive Chef