French Cheese Straws + Peju Wines

A girls day in Napa was just what the doctor ordered last weekend. We planned it rather last minute, but sometimes that is simply the best. I jumped on OpenTable and booked an 11:30 reservation for Morimoto Napa. Since it takes only about an hour to get up to Napa from where we live, we left early to stop by Peju Province Winery for my friend Helen to pick up her favorite wine – provence. { BTW - Morimoto was a simply divine lunch experience - highly encourage you to go }

{ Elizabeth and Helen in front of the tower at Peju }

I have been to a good number of wineries in the valley, but Peju had for some reason been missed. Glad that we made a stop there – the wines were delicious. It was a bit early for wine, but as the romans say – when in Rome do what the romans do. The Provence along with the Cabernet Sauvignon were stands outs for me. So much that with the generous case discount, I purchased 5 Provence and 7 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Provence is a blend of red and white wines. I know you are thinking rose or white zinfandel – no way. It is actually made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Chardonnay and French Colombard. It is meant to be served cold and especially decadent with BBQ and spicy foods. It has fragrant notes of vivid cherry and raspberry along with floral notes and a slight cranberry essence. The fruit is fresh and ripe and quite a pleasant finish – perfect for summer.

Peju’s Cabernet Sauvignon is actually sourced from two estate vineyards and aged for 18 months in new french and american oak barrels. The oak aging comes through and is very pleasing on the palate and nose. It has aromatic summer berries, cherry and cocoa powder. Behind the scenes in the back of your nose, you can sense a ting of caramel. The berry flavors come through along with rich bing cherries and a slight toffee undertone that is quite memorable on the palate.

One of the distinguishing architectural delights is the tower. It is a 50 foot tower that was designed by Calvin Straub and each wine label embodies the picturesque tower. It resembles a French Provincial tower. With the French influence, I thought these French Cheese Straws from Martha Stewart would be a perfect pairing for this delightful wine.  They are crunchy, savory, cheesy and spicy - just perfect with a glass of wine.

French Cheese Straws
(slightly adapted from Martha Stewart)

1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound store-bought puff pastry
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Line two baking sheets with nonstick baking mats; set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together both cheeses and cayenne pepper and black pepper. Sprinkle cheese mixture on work surface; top with puff pastry and roll out to a 10-by-13-inch rectangle, pressing dough into cheese to adhere. Sprinkle top of dough with poppy seeds, if desired; press gently with a rolling pin to adhere.

Using a pastry cutter, trim sides to form a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Cut puff pastry into 3/4-inch-thick strips. Grab each end of a dough strip with your fingers and carefully stretch and twist strip in opposite directions; arrange 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Transfer to refrigerator to chill, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake until golden and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.