Wine & Country Living

Feeling a little blue this weekend having not been able to celebrate the holidays with family in California due to booked engagements, I pulled myself together and caught the 7:45 out of Pasco to Phoenix.

I had agreed to speak to a room of guests at a Cancer Foundation Benefit in Scottsdale. Next day, I rented a car, put the case of Walla Walla wines I'd lugged along with me into the trunk, and headed out across the desert for Hollywood's winter playground, Palm Springs.

I was booked to present a demonstration class to celebrities on the making of flatbread and chutney at an Alice Cooper-hosted golf event, and in my class were actor Kurt Russell and musicians Glen Fry and Huey Lewis, which I found a pleasant surprise.

Back in 1982-1987, I'd worked for Huey Lewis and The News, as on-location coordinator. The next time you see me at jimgermanbar, in Waitsburg, ask me to tell you a story or two about those hazy dayshellip;

As for this particular Palm Springs evening, I pulled out the Walla Walla wines and began pairing them with the chutney and flatbreads and speaking about the nuances. The "oohs" and "aahs" could be heard round the table, and I can't say I blame the participants. I drool every time I sip a glass of either one of these wines.

First up: Winemaker Steve Brooks' '08 Trust 100 percent Syrah, rippling in macerated black fruits, swabbing the mouth in orange zest, crushed rosemary and cardamom. Second wine: The incomparable L'Ecole No 41 Chenin Blanc, a big, round wine riddled in chopped citron and muddled alfalfa. I pulled out a bittersweet chocolate bark I'd made earlier in the evening with dried apricot and macadamia nuts, and the crowd devoured the entire 15x20-inch slab in moments.

To Trust winemaker Steve Brooks, whose Syrah is a dreamy little sophisticate bathed in spice and just-baked bread, you have mastered something wonderful, making this Syrah bigger than life, earning you 98 points from Wine and Country Living. Congratulations Steve!

Bittersweet Chocolate Dried Apricot Macadamia Bark

1-cup chopped dried apricots

1-pound chopped bittersweet chocolate

1½-cups macadamia nuts, rough cut

2-yards wax paper

Method: In a microwaveable bowl, melt chocolate. Pour chopped apricots and nuts into chocolate and pour out onto wax paper. Completely cool. Break into desired pieces, and store cooled candy in plastic gallon resealable bags in refrigerator until use.

Hear Judith Speak! @ www.chefjudithhenderson.com