Wine With Our Pedal South

How could you not like a wine from a place called Casablanca Valley? Just saying Casablanca brings my thoughts immediately to the 1942 film staring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. I bet I have watched that movie 50 times! The part I love the most, and of course is famous, is the very end at the airport when she is leaving, just the softness of her face and the look in her eyes while they are speaking....and "here's looking at you kid". OK Deb, snap out of it. This is a wine review, not a movie review! Last night a bottle of 2006 Casas Del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc was on our tasting menu. This winery is located in the Casablanca Valley, not far from Santiago, the capital of Chile. The Casas Del Bosque was a nice crisp wine with a pleasing citrus, such as lime, taste on the plate with a hint of mineral following. A nice refreshing, balanced white wine for under $10.00. We did not have this wine with any particular food, just a nice sipping wine to start the end of the day!

In my last post I talked about the books by Sarah Leah Chase, Pedaling Through Provence and Pedaling Through Burgundy. Two great little cookbooks highlighting Sarah's trips through these two special spots in France. I told you about 2 dishes that I made from the Provence book, but I now want to give you a taste of potatoes that I prepared and served the other night with the Basil Green Bean Salad and the Tarragon Chicken dish.

Potato Gratin Dijonnaise

3 pounds of potatoes, I used Yukon Gold

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large yellow onion thinly sliced

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 teaspoons dried chervil

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 cups creme fraiche

3 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

4 ounces freshly grated Gruyere cheese

Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Cook until fork tender. Drain and let cool enough to handle. Remove skins and slice into 1/3 inch rounds.

Melt the butter in a small skillet and saute the onion until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and butter a shallow 12 inch wide baking dish and set aside.

Gently combine the potatoes with the onions in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and add the parsley and chervil.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the creme fraiche, mustard and lemon juice until smooth. Gently, but thoroughly, combine the mixture with the potatoes. Turn this into your buttered baking dish and cover with the shredded cheese.

Bake in the oven until bubbly and nicely brown on top, about 30 minutes. Cool and serve.

This is a great fall dish as the mustard and the creme fraiche make it so comforting. The flavors will surprise you!

Cheers!