Aloha, dear readers. Obviously (and not surprisingly) I failed miserably on my promise to actually post during my week-long vacation on Kauai. I did the “work,” mind you. I just couldn’t bring myself to sit down in front of a computer when the other option was to enjoy my lovely lanai (aka patio) with a chilly glass of wine and a pu pu platter (aka hors d’oeuvres). Can you blame me? Didn’t think so.
As a reminder, the three wines for this week were (in no particular order):
1) 2005 Fauna Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
2) 2007 Mt. Nelson Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand (I believe I previously said it was a 2008 but was mistaken)
3) 2008 Saint Clair Vicar’s Choice Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
First off, all three wines were delicious (J and I drank 2 of each over the course of our vacation) but very different.
We first had the Vicar’s Choice. We took it down to the beach near our vacation rental and watched the sunset over the Pacific. And this wine was perfect for this. It’s light, easy and clean with lots of citrus notes. While there wasn’t anything about this wine that really stood out to me or J, it’s a solid choice for an early evening glass of wine on a hot day. Good stuff.
Next we tried the Fauna. Given the age on this bottle, I was certainly expecting it to be more complex than the Vicar’s Choice, but it sort of blew us both away. At first taste, neither of us were huge fans. It’s not that crisp, light Sauvignon Blanc most of us are used to. That said, we drank it with Mahi Mahi with a spicy coconut milk sauce, and it was perfect. The bold flavors of the fish and sauce really stood up to and complimented the complexity of the wine. Wow. So, while this is not a wine I’d really recommend for sipping on its own, it’s a great wine to go with food, especially if you’re making something with some strong flavors.
The following night, J and I again headed to the beach to watch the sunset with a bottle of wine – this time the Mt. Nelson. As soon as I smelled it I knew I was going to like this wine. It had a lot of pear in the aroma and a hint of cheese (which was awesome since we’d brought some local chevre and crackers with us). J thinks this wine is slightly effervescent (possibly due to some residual yeast in the bottle).
J and I talked pretty extensively about how we felt about each of the wines. J was sort of rooting for the Fauna just because it was SO good with the Mahi. But I insisted that the winner had to be a wine that was good not just with a particular meal but that could be had on its own as well. And with that in mind, we both agreed that the Mt. Nelson was the one.
We instantly thought about what to cook with this wine and settled on pork. We originally talked about a pork tenderloin with some grilled pears skewered with rosemary (dish I’m sure we’ll be making soon), but decided that, given our tropical surroundings, we really should do something with more local and tropical ingredients. I wanted to stick with the pork, and J’s been somewhat obsessed with making sauces out of coconut milk, so we decided on grilled pork tenderloin with a spicy coconut-mango sauce. Here’s the basic recipe:
Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin (we actually couldn’t find one and had to use a regular pork loin, which was also delicious)
A couple of cups of some sort of tropical fruit juice (we used passion fruit/guava)
1 large mango (we had a gargantuan mango and only used half, but given the size of the mangoes in mainland grocery stores, you should probably use the whole thing)
1 can coconut milk
Crushed red pepper to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Good quality salt to taste
Preparation:
Place the pork in a ziploc bag along with the fruit juice and allow to marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat grill.
Dice most of the mango, but leave a few nice slices for garnish. Heat up the coconut milk and add the diced mango. Heat to combine the flavors and then puree in a blender or food processor. Put the pureed mixture back in the saucepan and continue to cook over low heat. Add the red pepper, black pepper, and salt to taste. (Note: The coconut milk seems to suck up a lot of the spice from the red pepper, so don’t be shy!) Allow the sauce to reduce slightly, stirring regularly.
In the meantime, remove the pork from the marinade (but save the juice!) and prepare with some salt and pepper. Grill the pork on medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until done (about 150 degrees for a loin). Use the marinade as a basting liquid. This will help to keep the meat moist and tender. Yum.
Once the pork is done, slice and plate it and drizzle with the coconut-mango sauce. Place a couple of slices of mango and/or avocado on top for a nice tropical touch. (J insisted on pouring the sauce over the mango and avocado, which makes the flavors meld nicely but doesn’t exactly create the most photogenic plate.) Serve with grilled bread (of course) and a simple salad of greens, thinly sliced red onion, and diced avocado with a light red- or white-wine vinaigrette.
View the entire CorkPopper Calendar here to see where I’ve been and where I’m going.
