Ginger tart with gewurztraminer

A subtle swirl of ginger is the quality that best signals the varietal of our Wine of the Week, Mill Creek Vineyards & Winery 2008 Dry Creek Valley Gewurztraminer ($19). Initially, the wine is bright and lean on the palate, with refreshing crispness. As the wine lingers a subtle cascade of tropical fruit unfolds, like a melody heard in the distance. Unripe pineapple, guava, pomelo and lychee all make an appearance, paving the way for the ginger that emerges just before the long lean finish.

There is a lingering misimpression about gewurztraminer, an assumption that it is always sweet. Some winemakers do indeed leave the wine with enough sugar to warrant this reputation but many ferment to bone dryness or nearly so, as is the case with this wine. There is just enough residual sugar to give a slight boost to the fruit flavors but not so much that the wine actually tastes sweet. Rather, it is utterly refreshing and elegant, qualities that give it a great versatility when it comes to the table.

One of the varietal’s most appealing qualities is that it engages well with a broad range of spices, making it a perfect companion to both Southeast Asian and Indian foods, especially curries. That it can handle a fair amount of heat, especially the green heat of fresh chiles, makes it a good choice with certain Mexican and Latin American dishes, as well.

It is also a classic Thanksgiving wine, in part because it works so beautifully with nearly all winter vegetables and especially pumpkin, winter squash and sweet potatoes. Sweet potato soup spiked with a bit of chipotle powder and slow-roasted winter squash finished with a dollop of creme fraiche with nutmeg flatter the wine and in turn are flattered by it. It goes nearly without saying that the wine will take you all the way to dessert, as it is lovely with pumpkin pie.

I find it particularly pleasing with persimmons, as well, and if you enjoy traditional persimmon pudding — which is to say, steamed pudding — you should try it with this wine.

For today’s recipe, I have taken inspiration from two sources. The first source is a recipe, one of my most requested recipes ever, a tart that uses both fresh and candied ginger that I usually serve with a raisin-vinegar compote or a rhubarb chutney.

However, on Sunday evening Ryan Pullnow, chef at Matanzas Creek Winery, prepared a lovely persimmon relish to pair with seared pork belly and toasted gingerbread crumbs.

It was a remarkable combination of flavors and with persimmons sitting on kitchen counter, I just can’t resist, as the relish works as beautifully with this tart as it did with the succulent pork.

Ginger Chevre Tart with Ginger-Persimmon Relish

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Crust:

½ cup butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup superfine sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup toasted walnuts

Filling:

10 ounces fresh chevre, such as chabis

½ cup granulated sugar

1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk

3/4 cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

2/3 cup chopped candied ginger

Relish:

2 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 Fuyu persimmons, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice

— Pinch of kosher salt

First make the crust. Put the butter and sugar into a food processor and pulse until evenly blended. Add the vanilla, ginger and flour and pulse again. Add the walnuts and pulse several times until the walnuts are evenly distributed.

Spread a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap on a work surface and turn out the dough onto it, using a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the work bowl. Gather up the dough and press it into a ball; wrap tightly and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Press the chilled dough into a 9 or 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

To make the filling, put the chevre, granulated sugar and eggs in the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the cream and fresh ginger and pulse just enough to mix together; do not over process.

Spread the chopped candied ginger over the cooked crust and pour the chevre custard over it. Agitate the tart gently to distribute the custard evenly.

Bake the tart for 25 minutes or until the custard is set and the top pale golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, make the relish. Melt the butter in a medium saute pan set over medium heat. When it is foamy, add the ginger and the diced persimmon and saute, turning gently with a spatula, for 3 to 4 minutes or until the persimmons loses its raw look and is heated through. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and remove from the heat.

To serve, cut the tart into wedges and set the wedges on individual plates. Spoon relish over each slice and serve immediately.

Michele Anna Jordan hosts “Mouthful” each Sunday at 7 p.m. on KRCB 90.9 & 91.1 FM. E-mail Jordan at michele @micheleannajordan.com.