UNWOODED CHARDONNAY

Chardonnay to a winemaker is like a blank canvas to an artist.
The base flavour of Chardonnay is generous but relatively neutral thus the wine makers’ individuality can be expressed through the winemaking techniques used. Oak usage or no oak, (such as unwooded), yeast lees contact and malolactic fermentation are just some of the ways to influence the style of Chardonnay the winemaker desires to produce.

To complement the above Terrine recipe I suggest an Unwooded Chardonnay,
with a delicate and crisp style revealing melon & passion fruit aromas and some rounded citrus fruit flavour with a long refreshing finish.

Ricotta, Basil and Prosciutto Terrine
served with a glass of unwooded chardonnay

Serve it as an entrée or as a light meal with some hot crusty baguette on the side
or with your favorite bread.
Preparation time: 45 minutes maximum
Refrigeration time for terrine to set: 3 hours or until set.

375g ricotta cheese
280g feta cheese
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 teaspoons gelatine (granule form)
½ cup chicken stock
Cracked pepper
½ cup chopped fresh basil
½ cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 red capsicums
roasted, peeled, seeded & chopped
or bought in jar,
50g canned anchovies, drained & chopped
120g black olives, pitted & chopped
2 tablespoons chopped capers
1 small Spanish onion finely chopped
200 g thinly sliced proscuitto

Process ricotta & feta in food processor until smooth, add oil & garlic and process until combined. Sprinkle gelatine in chicken stock and dissolve over simmering water. Add to the cheese mixture and process until combined, about 3 seconds.
Transfer cheese mixture into a bowl and add the herbs, some cracked pepper and mix well. Set aside. Place capsicums, olives, capers, onion, anchovies in a separate bowl and mix well. Grease and line with glad wrap a 25x10cm round bottomed log tin or bread tin. Line the tin crossway with the proscuitto slices to cover the bottom and the longest sides of the tin, some slices may hang over the side of the tin if very long. Make sure slices overlap and leave no gaps,(the two end sides of the tin will not be cover with prosciutto). Spoon evenly ½ the cheese mixture in tin. Gently spoon evenly the vegetable & anchovies mixture on top of the cheese mix, and then spray the remaining cheese mixture evenly over this layer. Fowl over, any proscuitto that may hang from the side of the tin. Cover with glad wrap and refrigerate until set.

To serve: Turn terrine out, remove glad wrap, gently slice with a sharp knife, place one slice per plate, spoon dressing around each slice.

Serve with a Tomato & Red Wine Vinegar Dressing
Purée 500g peeled tomatoes in food processor with ½ cup olive oil & ¼ cup red wine vinegar. Pass through a fine sieve to remove seed, season with salt and pepper to taste, refrigerate until serving time.

Constable Estate Vineyards

Constable Estate Vineyards