Each year the Wine Pairing Weekend Group celebrates Black History Month by showcasing wines made by BIPOC owned wineries. This year I am sharing a bottle of Chardonnay from Brown Estate in Napa Valley.
I chose this winery as it is the first and only Black-owned Estate Winery according to an article that I read in Thrillist. This article led me to look up the Brown Estate Winery where I learned that the Browns
purchased an abandoned estate in 1980 and began growing grapes to sell to local wineries. In 1995 their children decided to make their own wine. They now have a tasting room in downtown Napa Valley that opened in 2017.
Brown Estate wines are palate driven using sustainably grown fruit. I purchased this bottle of Chardonnay from Totatl Wine for $20.49. There is no oak in this Chardonnay and it is clear, bright and crisp. It is medium bodied and delicious. Very juicy with hints of melon lingering on the tongue.
I decided to further celebrate Black History Month by choosing a recipe from a wonderful cookbook containing 2 centuries of African American Cooking. Jubilee by Toni Tripton Martin is a wonderful book that I use quite often. You will find recipes for Coffee Scented Short Ribs and Red Beans and Rice previously posted on this blog.
The recipe today, however, is not Toni's but a recipe she shared from Soul Food Cookbook by Jimmy Lee, circa 1970 for Pressure Cooker Fried Chicken. I was intrigued and decided to adapt the recipe to use the Instant Pot.
I first cooked the chicken in the instant pot in a little water. I removed it from the liquid and allowed it to cool, reserving the liquid to use for gravy. When the chicken has cooled, you dip it in egg wash and then into a mixture of seasoned bread crumbs before frying it in butter. I had never used butter for frying chicken but let me tell you, not only did it crisp up a gorgeous golden brown but after frying that butter, mixed with flour made a great roux that turned into an amazing gravy with the addition of the cooking liquid and needed no further seasoning.
David of Cooking Chat hosts this event Celebrating BIPOC Winemakers and Winery Owners each February. You can learn more about David and this event, including how to join us for a fun discussion on Saturday, February 11th at 11 AM ET in his invitation post. I hope you decide to join us and learn more about these wineries and wine owners. You will find some amazing wines for your cellar.
Here is a list of the topics we will be discussing with links to the articles.......
- Linda from My Full Wine Glass will share "Celebrating BIPOC wine: Maison Noir paired with mushroom pizza"
- Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm is "Celebrating Black History Month with #WinePW"
- Camilla from Culinary Cam is writing about "Tehran to McMinnville: Maysara's 2015 Jamsheed Pinot Noir + Joojeh Kabab with Mast-o Khiar"
- Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley is "Feeding the Worms with Winemaker Susanna Vasquez at Lodi’s Peltier"
- Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles is pairing "Longevity California Chardonnay and Creamy Garlic Chicken with Spinach"
- David from Cooking Chat will be pairing "Jerk Chicken Pasta Recipe with Wine from Maison Noir"
Should you not be able to attend but are interested in learning more about this topic please visit my posts from previous years where I shared wines from John Legend, Mary J Blige, and Longevity. These posts not only contain recipes to pair but links to other great wine posts from our groups.
Yield: 4 servings
Instant Pot Fried Chicken
Chicken parcooked in the Instant Pot before being breaded and fried to a crisp golden brown.
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 20 Min
Ingredients
- 8 bone in, skin on chicken pieces of choice
- 1 cup water
- 1 egg
- 1 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- pinch of garlic powder, chili powder, thyme, salt and pepper
- 1 stick unsalted butter
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces and 1 c. water into an instant pot. Press manual cooking at high pressure for 10 minutes. When chicken is done cooking, use quick release method to open the instant pot. Remove the chicken to a plate to cool, reserving the liquid to use for gravy, if desired.
- Whisk the egg with 1 Tablespoon of water in a shallow bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the bread crumbs and additional seasonings in a separate shallow bowl. Set aside.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a cast iron skillet until hot but not smoking.
- Dredge the chicken pieces first in the egg wash, then in the bread crumbs.
- Cook in the hot butter until crispy golden brown on all sides.
Notes
Adapted from a recipe found in Soul Food by Jimmy Lee.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
830.26 kcalFat (grams)
60.43 gSat. Fat (grams)
25.24 gCarbs (grams)
20.65 gFiber (grams)
1.47 gNet carbs
19.18 gSugar (grams)
1.78 gProtein (grams)
48.86 gSodium (milligrams)
594.02 mgCholesterol (grams)
275.36 mg
I have not yet had a Brown Estate wine. It's on my list!
ReplyDeleteI think you will be very happy with them Robin.
DeleteI opened the Brown Estate Chardonnay two years ago for this same theme. Loved it! Thanks for the cookbook recs. Will be checking them out.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Linda.
DeleteI've enjoyed some Brown Estate wines before, this sounds like a good one. Sounds like a great cookbook, too!
ReplyDeleteIt is David.
Delete