How do I make a mean restaurant-style White Wine sauce for pasta dishes?

[E equals MC2]

There's this hidden gem mid-scale italian restaurant in my small town called Lantana Cafe.

Entrees range from $15-30 and I tried their Scallop Florentine... oh my.

Hearty sizes of scallops with grilled marks with sauteed spinach, roasted red peppers with feteccini in white wine lemon sauce..... it was heavenly.

How do I make the sauce? And how do they make their food smell so.... aromatic? It's grilly, cheesy, lemony, winey... all at the same time. So amazing...

 

[yhelothar]

Seasoning like oregano and basil will do it, I think..

 

[dartworth]

allrecipes.com

 

[habib89]

make sure to get good ingredients, and you'll have a good dish.. that's really all there is to it.. usually you'll have to "deglaze" your pan with the wine, then let the alcohol burn off.. i dunno exactly what kind of sauce it is, but it may also include cream.. definately go to allrecipes.com

when you use wine in your dishes, make sure you're using a good wine that you would drink. and you may as well have a glass of it with your dinner too

 

[Strk]

I'd do a Google search, but I fear what might come up with "white sauce."

 

[TripleAAA]

Originally posted by: Strk
I'd do a Google search, but I fear what might come up with "white sauce."

Lol..true

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: Strk
I'd do a Google search, but I fear what might come up with "white sauce."

Yes, because you've never found porn on the internet before..

 

[Fritzo]

Not much of a description to work with, but here's my standard white wine sauce:

1 tablespoon lemon olive oil (flavored olive oils are available at most grocery stores)
1 shallot or 3 green onoins -- roughly chopped
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1/2 lemon

Sautee the shallot (onion) in a frying pan, then add the wine. Boil it until it's reduced be about half (this is important- you have to get as much of the alcohol out of the sauce as possible)

Strain the sauce to get the shallot out, then squeeze the lemon into sauce, add butter and parsley. Stir it and take it off the heat, then let it sit for a few minutes.

Most people screw up wine sauces because they don't burn off the alcohol. That's what makes bad wine sauces taste "skunky".

Now, cooking scallops is an art in itself. They're VERY easy to overcook, resulting in white rubbery blobs. You probably had sea scallops, which can be pretty big. They only take a few minutes to cook- pop them on to a well greased grill (or they'll stick). You can tell they're done by poking them with your finger- if they feel "spongy", they're ready. If the meat gives way, it's not done yet.

Scallops don't hold well. When I used to get orders for them when I did catering, I'd have to set up shop on location and cook them on the spot. They really need to go off the grill and onto a plate. Within 20 minutes they'll dry out and get rubbery (which is why we add sauce to them ).

Good luck with that!

 

[NewSc2]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Not much of a description to work with, but here's my standard white wine sauce:

1 tablespoon lemon olive oil (flavored olive oils are available at most grocery stores)
1 shallot or 3 green onoins -- roughly chopped
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1/2 lemon

Sautee the shallot (onion) in a frying pan, then add the wine. Boil it until it's reduced be about half (this is important- you have to get as much of the alcohol out of the sauce as possible)

Strain the sauce to get the shallot out, then squeeze the lemon into sauce, add butter and parsley. Stir it and take it off the heat, then let it sit for a few minutes.

Most people screw up wine sauces because they don't burn off the alcohol. That's what makes bad wine sauces taste "skunky".

Now, cooking scallops is an art in itself. They're VERY easy to overcook, resulting in white rubbery blobs. You probably had sea scallops, which can be pretty big. They only take a few minutes to cook- pop them on to a well greased grill (or they'll stick). You can tell they're done by poking them with your finger- if they feel "spongy", they're ready. If the meat gives way, it's not done yet.

Scallops don't hold well. When I used to get orders for them when I did catering, I'd have to set up shop on location and cook them on the spot. They really need to go off the grill and onto a plate. Within 20 minutes they'll dry out and get rubbery (which is why we add sauce to them ).

Good luck with that!

That sounds delicious, but I was always taught to include heavy cream and/or a touch of flour to my white sauces. How do you get your sauce white?

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: NewSc2

That sounds delicious, but I was always taught to include heavy cream and/or a touch of flour to my white sauces. How do you get your sauce white?

It's white WINE sauce. it's clear (well, yellowish) and used for seafood and poultry.

If you wanted this a cream sauce, you could make a rue first by melting a stick of butter, then add flour to it until it becomes smooth, then add some cream or whole milk. Heat until it thickens, THEN add your wine sauce to it.

I do something similar when making seafood alfredo.

 

[Dunbar]

I just made scallops last night, I recommend searing them for about 1-2 minutes a side (in 2 tablespoons ofvegetable oil, high heat until it's smoking). Than I'd pour off the excess oil an deglaze with the wine (flame off when adding). Add the lemon and butter or cream and reduce.

 

[Descartes]

Be sure to pick up a nice wine to drink along with it. A French Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie is perfect company for your lighter pasta and seafood dishes.

 

[MichaelD]

Cool thread. Bump.

 

[kogase]

Originally posted by: E equals MC2
And how do they make their food smell so.... aromatic? It's grilly, cheesy, lemony, winey... all at the same time. So amazing...

It's probably the dihydrogen trisyptothol reacting with the partially-modified resistant corn starch concentrate.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Descartes
Be sure to pick up a nice wine to drink along with it. A French Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie is perfect company for your lighter pasta and seafood dishes.

Did you just Google wine and list the first one you saw that goes with scallops? I'm into wine (have my own cellar), and that's a pretty complex beverage. I think a muscadet is a table wine (meaning it's really dry). It's not a vintage that you see too often in the US.

I'd actually to a Chardonnay with this. It goes well with meaty seafood.

 

[ActuaryTm]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Did you just Google wine and list the first one you saw that goes with scallops?

From the few wine threads we've had in Off Topic, I think it's safe to say Descartes has at least a strong working knowledge of wine.

The word enthusiast comes to mind.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: ActuaryTm

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Did you just Google wine and list the first one you saw that goes with scallops?

From the few wine threads we've had in Off Topic, I think it's safe to say Descartes has at least a strong working knowledge of wine.

The word enthusiast comes to mind.

Heh...I said that jokingly, as his suggestion isn't one someone would normally come up with unless you really know your stuff.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: Descartes
Be sure to pick up a nice wine to drink along with it. A French Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie is perfect company for your lighter pasta and seafood dishes.

Did you just Google wine and list the first one you saw that goes with scallops?

No sir. I've been drinking and studying wine for quite a few years, and I generally go through at least 2 bottles a week. I've been making wine for about 4 years (not from kits), own a considerable interest in a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir vineyard with two labels that I will be helping to develop, and have worked various harvests around the US and Europe, including Alsace and Germany's Mosel and Rhine. I've also attended numerous wine tastings (verticals and horizontals) and have my own tasting notes for about 150 bottles.

I'm not saying that to float my own boat. Just answering your question so you can perhaps consider me a worthwhile resource rather than just someone that Googles answers. Read here,here and other wine related threads for reference.

On a side note, there is one thing about my character that is certain: Everything I talk about I know about. I don't pretend to be anything I'm not on this forum or in real life.

I'm into wine (have my own cellar), and that's a pretty complex beverage. I think a muscadet is a table wine (meaning it's really dry).

Most French whites are fermented dry. Muscadet also happens to be the traditional white that those around the Loire drink with seafood, thus the reference. It pairs exceptionally well. The 'sur lie' on the label means that it had additional resting time on the lees, and this tends to give it somewhat of a bread character that you might expect. It's wonderful.

It's not a vintage that you see too often in the US.

You should be able to find it in any worthwhile retail store. It has the added benefit of being fairly inexpensive. I can pick up a bottle for ~$12 usually whereas a white Bordeaux might run me ~$20+.

I'd actually to a Chardonnay with this. It goes well with meaty seafood.

Hopefully not a California Chardonnay that's undergone malolactic fermentation. Of course, it depends on the seafood. A lot of French use a butter base that would go horribly with a malolactic Chardonnay as you'd have a cloying sensation; they just don't pair. You need something crisp, some acidity but not too much, and little to no tannin. You could even go for a Bordeaux and get a Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc blend that would go well. They often have brighter character that can give a nice balance to your more flavorful fish like salmon.

Truthfully, in the end there is only one thing that matters anyway: What do you like? If you like it then it's perfect.

:thumbsup:

[edit]Also, just wanted to say that I didn't take your statement as being rude in any sort of way. I know you weren't trying to insult me.[/edit]

 

[Fritzo]

:thumbsup:

[edit]Also, just wanted to say that I didn't take your statement as being rude in any sort of way. I know you weren't trying to insult me.[/edit]

I cook with Chards a lot because they seem to blend with with butter/oil. Is there another white wine that would work better than you know of? I don't care for sherry.

You're right, I wasn't trying to insult you, I was just suprised that someone would pull out a Muscadet reference. It's not very common at all in the midwest (the coastal cities are more trendy and I'm sure it's available all over there). I had a bottle sitting on my mantle for years and ended up drinking it during a New Years dinner in 2002.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

:thumbsup:

[edit]Also, just wanted to say that I didn't take your statement as being rude in any sort of way. I know you weren't trying to insult me.[/edit]

I cook with Chards a lot because they seem to blend with with butter/oil. Is there another white wine that would work better than you know of? I don't care for sherry.

If it were my meal I'd probably go with a Pinot Noir. Specifically, I'd likely go with a village-level Burgundy from Cote de Beaune. There are a lot of great offerings from Pommard, Volnay, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, etc. There are a lot of great producers at the village level, including: Louis Jadot, Drouhin (they actually have vineyards in Oregon as well), Mommessin, and others I'm forgetting. Mommessin in particular producers one of the best village Burgundies that I've ever tasted for the price. Their Pommard is fantastic, and their Cote de Nuits Gevrey-Chambertin is even better.

Beyond that it's hard to say. Cali Pinots are generally too powerful, Santa Barbara Pinots especially, imo. I think the most balanced Pinot example in Cali is in the Russian River Valley area, and there are great some great producers.

Finally, Oregon is a place of personal passion even though I don't live there. There are a lot of great producers there: Drouhin, Domaine Serene, A-Z (they're a good value), Van Duzer, Ponzi, etc.

If Pinot isn't your thing then I would likely go with a Beaujolais. Properly chilled, a Beaujolais is just about right for your lighter foods. Fruity, a little acid, and almost no tannin to speak of.

If it has to be a white a Chardonnay isn't a bad thing, but just make sure it's unoaked at least, imo. I also don't think you can ever go wrong with an Alsatian Riesling.

You're right, I wasn't trying to insult you, I was just suprised that someone would pull out a Muscadet reference. It's not very common at all in the midwest (the coastal cities are more trendy and I'm sure it's available all over there). I had a bottle sitting on my mantle for years and ended up drinking it during a New Years dinner in 2002.

:thumbsup:

So much wine... so little time.