Pairing: Chardonnay with smoked salmon

Vintage after vintage, Rombauer Vineyards’ chardonnays receive top ratings, typically 90 points and above, and our Wine of the Week, Rombauer Vineyards 2013 Carneros Chardonnay ($36), is no exception. The wine is beloved by restaurateurs, critics and customers.

The wine delivers all that you expect from a top California chardonnay. Its aromas beckon with ripe fruit, especially white pineapple, white peaches and sweet citrus, with suggestions of French toast with lots of butter. On the palate, you’ll think first of ripe pear and custard apple and then delight in the wine’s lush buttery texture. The finish teases, with bursts of sweet spice and acid.

The wine is a fabulous match with scallops, as most California chardonnays are. It is also excellent with roasted chicken, rock shrimp, pork tenderloin and all manner of corn dishes, from corn chowder and corn on the cob slathered with butter to creamy corn porridge and polenta.

For today’s recipe, I’ve paired an old American dish, corn custard, with local smoked salmon and just a whisper of a delicate vinaigrette to tie it all together. Corn is just starting to show up at our farmers markets, where you’ll also find the best smoked salmon.

For more chardonnay-friendly corn recipes, visit “Eat This Now” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.

Corn Custard with Smoked Salmon and Herb Vinaigrette

Serves 6

2 teaspoons chopped shallots

1 tablespoon best-quality Champagne vinegar

- Kosher salt

- Butter, at room temperature, for the baking dishes

8 ears fresh sweet corn (about 4 to 5 cups kernels), kernels cut from the cobs

3 large farm eggs, beaten

11/2 cups half-and-half

- Black pepper in a mill

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon

3-4 tablespoons best-quality extra virgin olive oil

8 ounces smoked wild Pacific King salmon, broken into chunks

- Tarragon or parsley sprigs, for garnish

Put the shallots into a small bowl, add the vinegar and a generous pinch of salt and set aside as the start of the vinaigrette dressing.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill a tea kettle and bring the water to a boil. Select a baking or roasting pan large enough to hold six 8-ounce ramekins. Coat the insides of the ramekins with butter and set aside.

Put the corn into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with its metal blade and pulse several times, until the corn is broken down nearly to a smooth puree. Set a strainer over a large bowl and tip the pureed corn into it, using a rubber spatula to scrape out every last bit. Using a heavy wooden spoon or pestle, press the liquefied corn into the bowl, stirring and rubbing the puree to extract as much liquid as possible.

Fold in the eggs, half-and-half, a generous teaspoon of salt and several turns of pepper.

Add the butter and mix well. Pour the custard into the ramekins and set in the large pan. Set in the oven and then pour enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake until the custard is just turning golden brown at the edges and the custard is just set, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, transfer to a rack, and cool slightly.

While the custard cooks, finish the vinaigrette.

Add the parsley and tarragon to the shallots and vinegar. Stir in the olive oil. Taste and correct for salt, pepper and acid balance.

To serve, set each ramekin on a small plate. Divide the salmon among the portions, setting it on top of the custard. Spoon vinaigrette on top, set a sprig or two of herbs on each plate and enjoy right away.

Michele Anna Jordan has written 21 books to date, including the new “Good Cook’s” series. Email Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.