Judith Henderson’s Wine & Country Living

To coin the 1949 Christmas tune by Frank Losser, "Baby, its Cold Outside." I do hope you have plenty of wood chopped and stacked! Old timers I've talked to say they haven't seen it this cold for forty years!

I visited Tucannon Meats today in Dayton. I bought four beautifully marbled grass fed clean beef steaks for dinner. As I drove out to Dumas Station winery for a bottle of Cow- catcher Red, I couldn't decide what to do with the steaks, except I knew I wanted the most beef flavor. Usually this would call for just salt and pepper, but in winter you can go a little further in fresh seasonings with great results.

Local winery Dumas Station's 2010 Cowcatcher Red is a delicious Bordeaux blended wine: 57% Cabernet Sauvi- gnon, 20% Syrah, 12% Cab Franc, and 11 % Petit Syrah. Oaken 18 months and swimming in the perfume taste of crushed blueberries and a savory tongue of tiny Italian Picolino olives, swooshed in big barreled tannins; just $24 a bottle in the tasting room.

I choose this local Tucanon Valley wine to pair with today's regional food recipe in the spirit of supporting our local vendors and because this vintage represents a perfect pairing with beef steaks of all kinds.

Back to what to do with the steaks. While taking a small Cowcatcher taste in Dumas's new warm tasting room, I suddenly envisioned searing the steaks to a medium rare, sauced in a mustard-herb butter sauce made right in the skillet. This time of year the one-pan skillet dish is all the rage, keeping the kitchen warm and the smell of good food cooking throughout the house. Dumas Station: Call ahead for times open, 509-382-8933, 36229 Highway 12, Dayton.

Readers, until next week, "Eat Art, Drink Imagination!"

Mustard Crusted Steaks with Herb Butter

Serves 4

4 ¾-inch thick steaks

½-stick butter

1-teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1-tablespoon each: course-grain mustard, thyme & rose-

mary

In a large wide skillet over medium-high heat, add butter and when melted, add salt and peppered steaks; coarse salt 3-minutes per side only. Platter steaks and keep warm. To skillet drippings and fond, add ¼-cup sweet vermouth to deglaze skillet, add garlic, mustard, thyme and rosemary; sauté to reduce all to a sauce. Add steaks and baste well in sauce. Platter steaks with sauce drizzled over top. For this week's food and wine pairing serve a bottle of Dumas Cel- lars Cowcatcher Red and enjoy each mouthwatering bite!

For more recipes, color photos and Moveable Feasts Ca- tering Menu, see: chefjudithhenderson.com.