Spring Dinner Party Menu with Wine Country Recipes
Spring in Sonoma County delivers a burst of color—mustard fields bloom and wildflowers grow as tender green grape buds make their first appearances on the vines. It’s the start of the season of celebration in wine country, when dinners, art openings, and winery open houses load the calendar. We love throwing spring dinner parties with menus featuring the freshest produce of the season. Throw your own celebration with this delicious spring dinner party menu to bring a wine country twist to your Easter dinner table and other meals this season.
Recipes for Your Spring Dinner Party
Our dinner party recipes draw on the abundance of seasonal produce available in the spring, starting with a light spring salad and ending with a refreshing spring dessert featuring the last of the Meyer lemons as well as fresh lemon verbena from the garden.
Spring Appetizer Idea: Fava Bean and Fruit Blossom Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
You know spring has sprung on the Jordan Estate when our fruit trees and fava bean vines blossom. This delicious spring salad incorporates beautiful flowers along with tender fava beans and a tangy citrus vinaigrette. If you can’t find fava blossoms, don’t fret; you can substitute them with edible flowers like violets or nasturtiums. Jordan 2015 Chardonnay is the perfect pairing for this refreshing, seasonal salad.
Spring Dinner Party First Course: Grilled Sand Dabs with Braised with Morels and Cipollini Onions
Sand dabs are a Northern California culinary treasure. The delicate fish, which is a member of the flounder family, is perfect for sauteing or grilling. If you can’t find sand dabs where you are, substitute sole or flounder. This seasonal recipe balances the acidity of lemon juice, richness of butter, and the earthiness of morels. Sweet Cipollini onions brighten the dish and grilling adds a hint of smoke. Pair with Jordan 2015 Chardonnay or Jordan 2012 Chardonnay.
Spring Dinner Party Main Course: Sonoma Lamb with Spring Peas
Sonoma County produces some of the finest lamb in the world, and it’s a staple on spring dinner party menus here. This recipe pairs the flavorful meat with fresh spring peas. Pair it with Jordan 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon or Jordan 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Spring Dessert: Meyer Lemon and Lemon Verbena Ice Cream
Spring marks the tail end of the Meyer lemon season, when the last of the sweet-tart fruit falls from the trees for the year. This ice cream, paired with fresh lemon verbena from the herb garden, delivers sweet, refreshing, lemony flavor as a perfect ending to our spring dinner party menu.
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