Picnic: Sunny afternoon at Chateau St. Jean
Barbara Scott-Goodman, the author of the Vineyard Cookbook (suggest a nice Sonoma County picnic spot in the comments for this, or future picnic series posts, before June 1 and you’ll be entered to win a copy) says “Lazy summer afternoons were made for picnics. Eating, sipping wine and relaxing with friends on the beach, on the porch or under a shady tree is what the season is all about.”
Chateau St Jean’s Sonoma County Chardonnay goes beautifully with Scott-Goodman’s recipe for chicken, watercress and walnut salad (recipe below), so we’ve chosen Chateau St Jean’s gardens and picnic area as the site for this sunny afternoon picnic.
The picnic spot:
The Chateau St. Jean winery has extensive, manicured gardens with old world charm (roses, citrus, fountains, etc.) You can buy wines by the glass and take them to one of two picnic grounds, a rose garden in back, the bocce ball courts, or the expansive lawn in front. They have a small deli on the premises that sells Panini, cheeses, salami, baguettes, sandwiches, and pasta and bean salads. It can get crowded on summer weekends, but the grounds are simply gorgeous.
The picnic area is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. Terroir and gardens tours are given daily 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. Regular tastings are $10 Reserve tastings are $15.
8555 Sonoma Hwy
Kenwood
707-833-4134
Many of the local B&B’s give out a coupon for a free tasting, and there is a 15% off purchases coupon that can be downloaded from their website.
The menu:
This is a classy make-ahead menu for a picnic.
- Chilled creamy carrot and chive soup (recipe to follow)
- Buttermilk biscuits
- Chicken, watercress, and walnut salad (recipe to follow)
- Heirloom tomato, basil, and feta cheese salad
- Minted fruit with sugar cookies or biscotti
- Chateau St Jean’s Sonoma County Chardonnay
The recipes:
Creamy carrot and chive soup
Fill up a thermos of chilled soup. Served with biscuits, it’s a perfect picnic starter.
2 TBLS unsalted butter
2 medium white onions, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
6 large carrots, peeled and diced
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2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Fresh chives
1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat and sauté the onions for 5 minutes, until softened
2. Add the broth, 2 cups of water, carrots, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer partially covered, for about 25 minutes until the vegetables are very tender. Remove the pot from the heat and let the soup cool.
3. Puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Return the soup to the pot. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne.
4. Chill the soup in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Serve the soup cold, garnished with fresh chives
Chicken, watercress, and walnut salad
This chicken salad tastes great at room temperature.
½ cup dry white wine
1 onion
2 carrots
2 ribs celery, trimmed and halved
12 sprigs fresh flat leaved parsley
12 black peppercorns
Kosher salt
3 whole chicken breasts, spilt
½ cup toasted walnuts
Vinaigrette:
1 TBLS Dijon mustard
1 TBLS white vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 bunch watercress, stemmed
1-2 TBLS walnut oil
1. Put the wine, onion, celery, carrots, and parsley in a large soup pot. Add about 4 quarts of water, the peppercorns, and 1 TBLS salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
2. Add the chicken breast to the simmering broth, return to a boil. Reduce the heat and gently simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the pot form the heat and let the chicken cool in the broth.
3. Remove the chicken from the broth. Strain the broth and save for another use. Tear the chicken into bite sized pieces and put in large bowl. Discard skin and bones. Add the walnuts.
4. In a small bowl whisk together the mustard, vinegar and sugar. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the chicken and walnuts and gently toss until well mixed.
5. At picnic site, arrange watercress on a plate, and mound chicken salad on top. Drizzle with walnut oil and serve.
Both recipes courtesy of THE VINEYARD COOKBOOK: Seasonal Recipes & Wine Pairings Inspired by America’ Vineyards by Barbara Scott-Goodman (Welcome Books) www.welcomebooks.com/vineyardcookbook.
0 comments
What a nice, sunny blog. I love visiting vineyards and I’m drinking a glass of wine right now.
very nice
A day without wine is like a day without sunshine! And, we have many of these where I live especially during this everlasting winter!
Sounds like a great place to have a picnic
A beautiful picnic spot near where I live is Viscaya in Miami, I love it there its like the picture about with the spanish statues. Its gorgeous they have lots of weddings there.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Sonoma, but I have very fond memories of a picnic at Sonoma Hortocultural Nursery. Their gardens are spectacular!
We live in wine country, none better.
Thank you for including the wonderful recipies. They sound wonderful, especially the carrot & chive soup, for a spring afternoon.
I love the recipes you provided to get a real sense of the area and environment
A little wine added to anything makes it awesome. (or a lot of wine)
wonderful recipes
I plan on trying one of the recipes this weekend
The recipes are wonderful and this article put me in the mood for Spring. I have never visited there, but we like to have picnics in Battery Park here near the river. Thank you!
Hey, we used to have picnics by a place called Battery Park when I was young. Nice memory. I love that cookbooks always elicit great memories.
Chateau St Jean sounds like a wonderful place to visit.
Definately check out Jack London State Historic Park with a wonderful view of the grapes!
My Husband would love to visit you, he loves a variety of wines.
looks like great place
The wineries in Grass Valley, CA with the big oak and fir trees are a great getaway. The Sierra foothills are gorgeous.
wine and dine is wonderful mverno@roadrunner.com
After reading that i want to pour myself a glass of wine and walk around in th field behind my house!
Growing up my family would go to the San Francisco area to visit my mother’s family. When I was on my own I would go back to the Sonoma area and just go on vacation by myself because I just loved the area. When I was dating my husband I brought him to this area and he too fell in love with the area. We have been back once since we got married (I do not have a paying job due to a health issue and money) but perhaps one day we will go back and enjoy the beautiful surroundings again.
I think I did have a picnic there! My husband was stationed in Vacaville with the Air Force and we would go to Napa and Sonoma all the time. Loved living so near!
I plan on trying some of these recipes too!
i think i would feel like royalty there.
Reminds me of a wonderful trip we took last November to Sonoma/Napa… hope we’re coming back
So wish I was in wine country right now! There is nothing like a day of tasting to make me relax.
We live in the heart on vineyard country on the east end of Long Island.
Wine, my drink of choice at the end of the evening when it’s quiet and serene.
Wine
Yummy 
Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!
I like to camp, so my favorite picnic spot is Lake Sonoma at the end of Dry Creek Road. Picnic-friendly wineries nearby: Dry Creek, Bella, Lambert Bridge, David Coffaro, Preston.
sounds amazing!
perfect place for a picnic!
Picnicing in Sonoma would be great! My husband has a very small vineyard and makes wine for our church. We would love this win! Thanks!
I’ve only been to Sonoma once and it was a beautiful spot. This cookbook would be a great reminder of that weekend.
enter me
Happy Spring!
I am dying to visit Sonoma! I’d love to cook in style before I go.
Great recipes!
The recipes sound wonderful! A nice spot for picnicing is Spring Lake Park. Thank you.
I haven’t been to Sonoma, but it looks like a great place to visit.
My sister frequents Sonoma for wine-tasting events. Her pictures are always so lovely. I would suggest a picnic at Spring Lake Regional Park. My sister advised me it is a BEAUTIFUL park overlooking a lake with the mountain backdrop. Thanks for the great giveaway. The recipes in your review sound enticing. I wouls love to use this cookbook to diversify my menu.
Kunde Winery is a good picnic spot
I would love to make these great recipes.
Looks wonderful!
I am a sucker for great food and wine.. Please enter me
I live in SoCal now, but miss my college years in NorCal. This would be a great win – and what a refreshing blog. Thx!
It sounds very nice.
We like to picnic at Ed Davis Park in Santa Clarita. You have a nice cheery site.
I would suggest a series on picnic spots in Southern California.
I am planning to take my girlfriend to sonoma, find a great place to picnic and asking her to marry me. Any thoughts? Ideally I would like to be picnic’ing out in the open or under some shade with no one around… Thanks
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