The Spirit World

We are full on into the outdoor concert season and for the last week or so I’ve been planning menus for various upcoming events. One of my favorite venues is at Ste. Michelle Winery. The layout is perfect with the seating area on a slightly downsloping hill with the stage at the bottom. There are no bad seats in the “house”, although if you get there too late you may find yourself out a ways from the stage.

It’s often hot when we arrive to claim our spot and set up our picnic, so one of the wines I love to start with is Sauvignon Blanc. It’s light, crispy and great slightly chilled - just what you need to beat the heat! Plus, it goes with a wide variety of foods.

One of my favorite’s is Ste Michelle’s Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc and when at the winery it’s what we drink. When I’m at home I also really enjoy the Sauvignons from New Zealand, especially those from Marlborough. Two of my favorites are Nobilo Icon and Forefathers.

Choose whatever appeals to you but try to find one that is dry and crisp.

An easy, make-ahead, tasty and slightly “fancy” appetizer to go with this wine is Lobster Salad in Endive. I originally picked this up from Ina Garten from her Food Network show but it is also available in her Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. For the concerts, I make up the salad ahead of time and pack it up in Tupperware, prepare the endive and then assemble once we are situated at the concert.

The nice thing about this is that a little lobster goes a long way yet the idea of lobster seems so indulgent! I often use the small pre-cooked tails I find at my fish market - this cuts down on prep time and mess.

Lobster Salad in Endive

• 3/4 pound fresh cooked lobster meat, small-diced
• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup small-diced celery (1 stalk)
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
• pinch kosher salt
• pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 4 heads Belgian endive

Combine the lobster, mayonnaise, celery, capers, dill, salt, and pepper.

With a sharp knife, cut off the base of the endive and separate the leaves. Use a teaspoon to fill the end of each endive leaf with lobster salad. Arrange on a platter and serve.