By Meg Barkley
Spring is a favorite season at Clif Family Winery & Farm. The vine rows are filled with a rainbow of various cover crops like brilliant red clover, delicate wildflowers, and nutritious fava beans. Our chicks start laying eggs at a fast clip, ready to be enjoyed by our Tasting Room and Food Truck guests. You will never see a brighter and more glorious yolk than from an egg laid by our Clif Family chickens. Our latest spring wine releases beg to be paired with delicious dishes at the table inspired by the bounty of product from our farm.
With spring produce in mind, we’ve curated the perfect Easter menu for you.
Spring Starters
Don’t forget the appetizers, this is where you can flex your culinary artistry. Begin the meal with this easy dish. Try out these Six Minute Eggs for the perfect egg. Select a colorful platter and add Clif Family’s Organic Spanish Pimenton Almonds and fresh prosciutto from our friends at La Quercia. Your guests can graze on these bites with a glass of Mendocino Rosé of Grenache.
Greet your guests with a taste of spring with Chef John’s Spring Sweet Pea, Ricotta & Mint Bruschetta. Bright flavors await your palate. It’s the perfect ode to the new season and another great pairing with the Mendocino Rosé of Grenache.
The Main Attraction
Chef John recommends serving his Roasted Lamb & Figs with Red Wine Sauce as the main course. A quintessential Easter dish that complements our Rhône-inspired wines. Enjoy with either our Sonoma Valley Grenache or our Bici Red Blend. The bright fruit and spice-layered wines match up well with the rich and earthy lamb flavors.
If you’d like a lighter main course, we suggest Pan Roasted Trout with Meyer Lemon Salsa Verde. If it’s hard to source Trout where you live, you can substitute with Salmon. Both fish dishes are best enjoyed with our Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc.
Simple, Yet Satisfying Sides
Easy to make ahead, we recommend our crowd-pleasing, Fagioli e Grano side salad. This is a favorite dish found on the Clif Family Food Truck that works well with any spring menu. If you’d like to add some more green to your table, we suggest a salad of Butter Leaf Lettuce with a quick and easy dressing. Whisk together Clif Family’s Organic Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil with some Champagne vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and a dollop of our Organic Meyer Lemon Marmalade.
Sweet Tooth
If you didn’t get your fill of chocolate bunnies, try this easy and nutritious Chocolate Avocado Pudding. The dish features our Solar Grown™ Cacao Honey Spread and can be made days ahead of time. Pop the cork on a bottle of Kit’s Killer Cabernet and linger at the table for some great conversation. And if you need a gift for the adults at your table who didn’t get an Easter basket, our Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels come in a beautiful recyclable box with no gift wrapping needed.
