The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Talking with my 3-year-old grandson Maxi is like Christmas in summer. I love his silly wiggle and non-committed rhetoric. For instance, I never knew that bees fly backwards and trucks are "pluper." My son interprets, "He means purple, Mom."

Yesterday, Maxi pushed a chair over to the counter, much like his dad did when he was 3 years of age, and climbed up to help make a salad. Of course, he ended up putting olives on his fingers, making them dance like puppets, and gobbling them up one at a time just like his dad did.

In fact, this kid looks and laughs like his dad - straight from the belly, laughter that can be heard all through the house and is music to my ears. Each evening, for the entire weekend, we'd make Smores over the open fire pit, and chocolate was everywhere, including in Maxi's hair! "Bath time," his dad would yell, and by the time Maxi was asleep and the house quiet, my son and I were able to find time for that long-awaited visit.

To celebrate our visit, we opened a bottle of '07 Pepper Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon and sat out on the patio. Throughout our conversation, we could not stop admiring the wine. This Walla Walla Cabernet is packed in polished tannins, a mouthful of subtle cassis and ripe plum, riddled in elegant notes. In moving their wines from tanks to barrel, Pepper Bridge Winery is blessed with gravity flow rather than using thrusting pumps. Gravity flow tends to make wines more subtle, and this definitely is true of this bottle. Pepper Bridge Winemaker Jean-Francois Pellet is kind by nature and it shows in his winemaking effort, earning his'07 Cabernet Sauvignon 10 Barrels from Wine and Country Living. Thanks Jean Pellet for your winemaking philosophy. It is remarkable and pairs well with the recipe below.

Robust Cinnamon Chicken Figs and Apricots

Serves 4

4-half breasts chicken

1-teaspoon cinnamon

1-tablespoon olive oil

2-tablespoon butter

1-cup dried apricots

1-cup dried figs

1-sweet onion diced fine

2-cloves garlic minced

1-teaspoon salt and pepper

1-cup Porto wine

Method:

In large pot, add oil and butter; brown chicken. Add onions, garlic, fruits, cinnamon, salt and pepper; sauteacute; to caramelized, about 15 minutes. De-glaze pan with wine and simmer three minutes. Cover pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over rice.

Contact Judith @ www.chefjudithhenderson.com