A Tuscan dinner at Long Meadow Ranch

By PAUL FRANSON
Special to the Register

It was many months ago in February when organizers of Music in the Vineyards asked me if I'd play chef for a night and fix a meal to help raise money for that great program that brings chamber music to local wineries. I'd never done such an event but I have a bad habit of agreeing to things that are many months off, so I said "Yes," little thinking of the consequences.

Things started well when Ted and Laddie Hall, owners of magnificent Long Meadow Ranch, agreed to host the event at their home high above Napa Valley. In addition to a stunning home, the Halls' winery is the largest rammed-earth building in America, and they have the only frantoio (olive press) in Napa Valley. Their property, in fact, is like a traditional Tuscan tenuta, a self-contained estate where they grow not only grapes for their wine, but olives from 160-year-old trees, horses, cattle, chickens, vegetables and fruit. To top it off, they make Prato Lungo olive oils, one of the best in the world.

It would be the perfect site for a traditional Tuscan meal. I combined some research with my memories of eating in Tuscany to design a menu for a seven-course meal: bruschetta appetizer, artichoke risotto, grilled prawns, bistecca alla Fiorentina (grilled giant Porterhouse steaks carved at the table for two or four) with cannellini beans, salad, cheese and dessert, all accompanied with suitable wines, notably the Hall's impressive cabernet sauvignon, many courses anointed with the Halls' oil. Fortunately, Vallerga's markets donated a gift certificate to help with ingredients for the feast that couldn't come from the Halls -- their beef is not yet on the market, for example. And my vegetarian daughter, Wendy, donated a gift certificate from Ernie's Meats she had received from her employer at Christmas.

To complement the Halls' wine, I approached local wineries, who get thousands of these requests, but still contribute generously. Acacia donated its new limited edition Sangiacomo chardonnay, Luna its excellent pinot grigio, and Schramsberg its Crémant, a little-known but superb sparkling dessert wine.

Soon, Music in the Vineyards announced the program of benefit functions, and I was flattered to find that my dinner was the most expensive in the lot, higher than the events prepared by professionals and better-known writers. Of course, that might have been due to the desirable venue or to its having only 12 seats, not because of me. Nevertheless, it was oversubscribed and we could have served more dinners, a prospect I now consider with horror. I pushed the event out of my mind for a bit since it was months away.

As time approached, I started thinking about the practicalities. It turns out the Halls' home was being remodeled, and we decided to use their guest cottage, which has unparalleled views of the valley. I quickly simplified the menu, reducing the number of courses and choosing more practical courses to avoid trying to grill shrimp and giant steaks on a portable grill. I decided to grill the prawns over dried grapevine canes in advance, and serve them over the risotto. And to prepare a traditional Tuscan pork roast rather than try to grill seven giant steaks when I knew that many people probably wouldn't like the almost-raw preparation Tuscans prefer. And with all this food, a sweet dessert course seemed excessive as well as untraditional.

When you haven't fixed a meal like this, you don't think about some problems, like place settings for 14 (the guests plus the Halls). After pondering a bit, we realized we could have two tables of seven, so the settings didn't have to match, but then there was the issue of plates: We really needed two small plates, two shallow bowls and a dinner plate. We also needed four small forks and a dinner fork per dinner. We probably should have rented them, but the Halls had two sets of suitable service, and we ended up washing both plates and utensils during the meal, complicating things in the kitchen.

The Halls also graciously rented glasses for the wines. I fortunately had purchased two large tablecloths with maps of Napa Valley at the Wine Auction four years ago, and they got their first use beyond my own home for family and friends.

As we approached the event, I ran around the valley collecting wine and arranging for the meat. The day before, I visited the Friday Farmers Market in St. Helena to see what they had available, then loaded up my cart at Vallerga's for the rest of the ingredients.

Friday night, I prepared the beans and biscotti, and Saturday morning, grilled the prawns, probably making my neighbors wonder what kind of person barbecues at 9 in the morning. My friend Cheryl Woods came over at noon, taking on the task of ironing two large tablecloths and 16 napkins; then we headed up the hill to begin work in earnest. Also helping were Terry Elledge and Joan Crowley, all invaluable during the busy evening. Not to forget the Halls, who helped with every detail and were incredible hosts.

One frustration is that some of the work had to wait until the last minute, so we enjoyed a calm before the storm, putting a last rub on the roast and starting it as we awaited the guests. They arrived at 6, and Ted took them for a tour of the winery and frantoio as well as vineyards, stopping for a little Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs at an overlook above his vineyards. About that time, we went into high gear, slicing tomatoes and mozzarella for the Caprese appetizer that seemed a better use of Laddie's tomatoes than bruschetta, and I started the risotto -- a bit prematurely as it turns out (and I feared).

Suddenly, the hungry and tired guests were there. The string trio of Gail Sharpsteen, Beth Heid and Peggy Brady started playing and we were off. I kept worrying that the guests were waiting, but Terry and Cheryl assured me that they were relaxing and having a good time. Little complications arose -- the wind blew out the candles and it got chilly, but everything seemed to go well until the final wine was poured and coffee finished and our nice guests started down the very dark path to their cars.

We joined the musicians in a bite and some wine, then jumped into the long and tedious job of cleaning up and packing out the equipment and leftover food from the meal. I'm happy to say that almost all the food was gone, but I don't think anyone went hungry.

As we were completing the work we looked out and saw a beautiful orange moon rising over the eastern mountains. It's too bad the dinner guests missed it, but I hope they had a memorable meal nonetheless. As for me, I've resolved to better appreciate the chefs and workers the next time I attend a function. And not to agree to anything so far away I don't think about it carefully.

Menu -- Tuscan picnic dinner at Long Meadow Ranch to benefit Music in the Vineyards

Aperitivo: Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs

Antipasti: Caprese (tomatoes, mozzarella and basil), Pinziminio (raw vegetables and Long Meadow Ranch olive oil), Bread and Long Meadow Ranch Olive Oil, Luna Pinot Grigio

Pasta: Risotto with artichokes and grilled prawns, Acacia Chardonnay

Primo: Tuscan pork roast, Cannellini beans, Roasted new potatoes, Spinach in oil and garlic, Long Meadow Ranch cabernet sauvignon

Insalata

Dessert: Biscotti, fruit, cheese

Schramsberg Crémant sparkling dessert wine

Mineral and sparkling water

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