After the death of her adopted mother, Sylvia develops an
insatiable desire to find her birth mother. She becomes a teenage gang member
trapped in a life style of violence and hopelessness. Rick Podowski helps
Sylvia through writing poetry and eventually Sylvia is able to leave the gang. In
this scene Rick sits down to dinner with his girlfriend
“That
night, the table took on a new elegance with the flames burning from the two
long tapers, two place settings of beautifully designed Italian Deruta plates and
cups, and a vase of roses. Soft jazz was playing in the background, as Rick
opened his door to see Elaine Duke, looking lovely as usual, this time in a
blue linen dress of which Rick was especially fond.
"Everything
looks so beautiful," Elaine said as Rick handed her a glass of Hallcrest
2004 Bell Farms Pinot Noir. And, she added, taking a sip, "this wine is
extraordinary."
"The
perfect wine, the perfect place, and the perfect woman." Rick said and
watched Elaine blush. He knew that women of any age enjoy compliments,
especially when they were sincerely meant. "Have some ceviche."
Served in a
glass bowl, the ceviche was a delicious blend of scallops marinated in lime
juice until they were firm and white, along with tomatoes, onions, and fresh
cilantro. Surrounding the dish was a sea of crispy tortilla chips to be used to
scoop up the seafood.
"Once
when I was in Acapulco," Rick told her. "I munched on ceviche while
sitting in a restaurant located on the side of the cliff at La Quebrada. It was
early evening and the divers jumped off the cliffs into the ocean several
hundred feet below while a member of the band in the restaurant did a
drum-roll. Perhaps it was the atmosphere but the ceviche there was
perfection."
"This
is almost as romantic, isn't it?" Elaine said pressing his hand.”
The main
course was a grilled quesadilla filled with roasted asparagus, red onions, Jack
cheese, and shrimp, accompanied by a cumin lime sauce. Also on the table was Mexican rice and refried beans. A simple salad also accompanied the meal.
Hallcrest Vineyards
Hallcrest is located above the town of Felton in the Santa
Cruz Mountains. Chaffee Hall, a prominent business attorney from San Francisco,
planted the first vineyard in 1941, and established a winery four years later
with its first vintage in 1946. At the time, it was one of only three wineries
in the Santa Cruz Mountains and the only one producing varietal wines from
estate vineyards.
After the death of Chaffee Hall the name was changed to
Felton Empire Winery and in 1987, John Schumacher and his family bought the
winery and restored the Hallcrest name. They currently produce around 5,000
cases of Chardonnay, White Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel.
Hallcrest Vineyards also markets eleven wines under the
Organic Wine Works label from organically grown grapes processed in facility
that is suitable for vegan consumption. These wines contain no sulfites. The
Organic Wine Works wines are not only produced from organically grown grapes,
but are organically processed as well.
In the 2009 Santa Cruz Mountains Commercial Wines
competition Hallcrest won silver medals for its three Pinot Noirs.
Leti's Mexican Ceviche and Rick's Roasted Asparagus And Red Onion
Quesadillas with Hallcrest Pinot Noir
Rick and Leti both love these Mexican dishes. This ceviche is made
with scallops but halibut, red snapper, flounder, or swordfish can be
substituted. The asparagus and red onion quesadilla is very easy to make and
the Pinot Noir complements the spiciness of the lime cumin cream that is served
with the quesadillas.
Ceviche
Serves 4 as a Luncheon or Supper Entree
1 pound bay scallops
8 limes, juiced
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2-cup onions, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Rinse scallops and place in a medium sized bowl. Immerse the
scallops in lime juice and chill all-day or overnight until scallops are
opaque.
Add tomatoes, onions, olive oil, and cilantro to the scallop mixture.
Stir gently. Serve with tortilla chips.
 |
I had to leave my guests alone with a large bowl of the ceviche and when I
returned, this was all that remained. |
Asparagus And Red Onion Quesadillas
Serves 4 as a Luncheon or Supper Entree
1-pound asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
and separated into rings
Eight 6- to 7-inch flour tortillas
1/2 pound pepper Jack cheese, coarsely shredded
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Preheat oven to 500°F. In a large shallow baking pan, toss onion
with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil until coated well. Cook the onions and the chopped
asparagus for 10 minutes shaking pans occasionally. Cook until tender and
lightly browned,
Preheat broiler. Grease a large baking sheet and arrange 4
tortillas in one layer and divide vegetables, pepper Jack, and coriander among
them. Cover quesadillas with remaining 4 tortillas. This can be done using two
cookie sheets. Brush top tortillas with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and broil
quesadillas about 3 inches from heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn
quesadillas over and broil until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Make Cumin Lime Cream while quesadillas broil. In a small bowl,
whisk together the sour cream, cumin and lime juice. Cut quesadillas into
wedges and serve with cumin lime cream.
