Rick's Polish Cheese Crepes with MJA Winery's Rose
In Death of a Foster Child Rick Podowski, his
wife Elaine and the Hefty Trio (Erin McGinty, Teresa Spinelli and Leti Rios)
are sitting in the living room discussing the brutal death of Rick and Elaine's
former foster child.
"It
doesn't matter," Erin interjected, her face growing red with anger.
"The reality is that the cops don't think that way. Because the girl lived
in your home, you automatically became a suspect."
"But
that doesn't make sense," Teresa said. She was the oldest of the three and
had a veneer of calmness. "It's not Rick's fault that someone stabbed her
to death."
"I
think that I can speak for all of us," Leti said. "The police are
suggesting that you broke the rules as a foster parent when she was in your
home and that had something to do with the girl's death."
After
another twenty minutes of talking, it was, they all agreed, time to take a
break from speculating about what would happen, particularly since it was clear
that Rick was becoming more upset by the moment. It was, as it usually was in
moments of tension, time to eat.
"The
cheese crepes are ready," Elaine said as she placed the dish of
beautifully browned Polish crepes, plates, forks, napkins, and a bottle of MJA
Rose on the coffee table.
"I
usually don't drink rose," Leti said. "But this one is full of the
flavors of strawberries, cherries, and peaches. Great choice."
"MJA
is a new winery in our area," Rick said, since he was always ready to talk
about his favorite topic. "The owner made his fortune selling Kona coffee
and then he turned to growing grapes and producing wine. When you go to the
tasting room, they serve chocolate covered coffee beans with the heavy
reds."
"I
love these crepes," Teresa said, dabbing a napkin to her lips. "The
taste of the cream cheese and vanilla is outstanding. Thanks for making such a
great dish, Elaine. We can always count on you."
"The
recipe is from the website of Rick's favorite Polish restaurant," Elaine
said as she took another sip of wine.
"Polish
crepes out do French crepes every time," Rick said as he tried to continue
to be the center of attention.
"I
agree," Leti said. "But the best are Mexican crepes made with cajeta.
The creamy caramel made from goat's milk makes them soooo good."
The room
went silent as they began to eat, an occupation, which they always took very
seriously.
It was a
Friday night, and most people would simply be celebrating the start of the
weekend, but here were three people coming to the aid of their two friends. No
matter how difficult things became in terms of the death of the foster child,
the five of them would remain united and strong.
MJA specializes in Napa Valley Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc and Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir. They produce about 3500 cases a year.
Rick's Polish Cheese Crepes with MJA Winery's Rose
Unfortunately the Bona Polish Restaurant is no longer in business.
However, these crepes are just like the ones they served at Bona.
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups of milk
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Make the dough by beating the eggs until they are light. Add milk
and water and beat again. Next, add the remaining ingredients and scrape sides.
Heat a small frying pan and then coat the pan with one melted
tablespoon of butter, add 3 tbsp. of batter and roll it around to make it even.
Cook over moderate heat. When the crepe is done, remove it from the pan and
continue making them until the batter is gone.
Filling
2 cups of cottage cheese
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cream
pinch of salt
vanilla
2 tablespoons sugar
To make the filling, mix all of the ingredients together and put 2
heaping tablespoons of the mixture on each crepe. Roll up in a jellyroll style.
Place filled crepes in a buttered pan and cover with foil. Put the pan in a
250-degree oven for 30 minutes. Dust with a little brown sugar and serve with sour cream.
Serves 4
MJA Vineyards
Marin Artukovich, MJA Vineyards' owner, comes from Croatia
where he grew up with his relatives making wine and having a wine cellar and
barrels in his own home. He got his start in the Kona coffee business in 1990
by purchasing a coffee plantation high in the Kona Coffee belt in Hawaii. After
sixteen years in the business, having decided to move to Napa Valley to focus
on wine, he bought an estate on the side of Howell Mountain where he is now
producing and marketing his own wine. Artukovich purchased a vineyard in the
Santa Cruz Mountains and the new MJA Tasting Room was opened in March 2010. He started planting Pinot Noir on the vineyard property in the Santa Cruz
Mountains in the spring of 2011.
MJA specializes in Napa Valley Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc and Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir. They produce about 3500 cases a year.