Celebrating Springtime with Lindeman's: #CaptureTheSunshine Challenge

There's a fantastic challenge over on Foodies100 at the moment to create a Spring menu using Lindeman's wine in at least one of the dishes.  Spring to me means fresh, green, and seasonal. So I really wanted my menu to reflect these elements.

And just as Lindeman's is perfect for both everyday moments and special occasions, I wanted my dishes to be simple enough for everyday dining, yet special enough to serve when friends come for a meal.

If we're lucky enough to get some warm weather, the main course can actually be cooked on a BBQ as an added #CaptureTheSunshine bonus!

So here's the full menu with a splash of Lindeman's Bin: 65 Chardonnay in every dish. We love the versatility of this wine and so hope to show how it can run perfectly through my whole spring menu bringing out the best in every dish. Of course, the menu can also be served with Lindeman's Bin: 65 Chardonnay as the perfect accompaniment.

Recipes are shown for 2 but just increase quantities for when friends are visiting. My quantities are usually approximate anyway so it won't spoil the recipe if you add a little more or less of an ingredient.

Starter - Bruschetta with courgette, rocket and asparagus

Ingredients: 2 slices of ciabatta or similar bread, 2 cloves of garlic, olive oil, 150g fresh broad beans (taken out pod), half a courgette, 2-3 basil leaves, asparagus 6-8 stems - woody parts removed, rocket, zest and juice of a lemon, seasoning, splash of Lindeman's Bin:65 Chardonnay.

Method:
1. Crush the garlic, mix with a little olive oil and rub onto the bread along with the chopped basil. Griddle on both sides until browned.
2. Cook the asparagus and broad beans in boiling water for a couple of minutes and drain and run under cold water. Pop the broad beans out of their shells and cut the asparagus into medium sized pieces.
3. Using a peeler, slice your courgette into 'ribbons'.
4. Now prepare the dressing by mixing together the juice and zest of 1 lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, a small splash of the Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay, and salt and pepper.
5. In a large bowl, toss a handful of rocket per person, broad beans, asparagus and courgette ribbons in the dressing to make a tasty seasonal green spring salad.
6. Place the bruschetta bread onto a plate and top with a portion of the green spring salad.

Main Course - Spring salmon on a bed of minty crushed new potatoes
This is a speedy recipe you can make using foil 'parcels' so they can even be cooked on the BBQ in summer!

preparing the ingredients in the foil parcel

Ingredients: Responsibly sourced Salmon Fillets (120g portion per person), butter, handful of baby spinach per person, small handful of frozen petit pois per person, 3-4 basil leaves, 1 tablespoon Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay per person, 2-3 tablespoons creme fraiche, 350g seasonal new potatoes, olive oil, fresh mint, seasoning.

Method:
1. preheat the oven to 200C.
2.Use a large piece of foil per portion. Place it into a container to fill with the ingredients. Add a knob of butter, then a handful of washed baby spinach, then a small handful of frozen petit pois, a tablespoon of Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay, 1-2 tablespoons of creme fraiche and 1-2 chopped basil leaves. Then place the salmon fillet on top and wrap the foil into a parcel.  
3. Repeat for the second portion. Then place both foil parcels on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 20 minutes until the salmon is cooked through.
4. In the meantime wash and boil the potatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on some chopped mint. Season to taste.
5. Serve by lightly crushing the potatoes with a fork and placing the salmon and on top. Spoon on the tasty sauce that has been created with the remaining ingredients in your foil parcel.

Dessert - Griddled Peach Syllabub

Ingredients: 300ml double cream, 25g icing sugar, 4 tbsp Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay, Tin of halved peaches, fresh mint, sprinkle of toasted flaked almonds, edible flowers eg strawberry flowers or forget-me-nots to garnish.

This is such a simple dessert to make but tastes oh so yummy.

Method:
1. Place two peach halves per person along with a little of the juice/syrup from the tin into a pan. Add a couple of tablespoons of Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay. Simmer on the hob until the liquid has reduced.
2. Then move the peaches to a griddle pan for a couple of minutes on each side. Then leave to cool.
3. Using a mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk the double cream and 2 tablespoons of the Lindeman's chardonnay until the cream thickens. Add in the icing sugar and briefly whisk to mix in the sugar.
4. Serve the cream with two peach halves per person on top. Sprinkle with chopped mint and a sprig of mint to garnish. Add a sprinkle of toasted almond flakes and add a couple of edible flowers if desired.

So there is my full 3 course Spring menu using Lindeman's wine. Hope you like it!

You can find @lindemanswines on twitter and @lindemans_wine on Instagram.
This is my entry into the #CaptureTheSunshine Challenge.