Pairing with Chardonnay Première Reserve

Kabocha is a wonderful vegetable with a lot of character. Its flavors are similar to pumpkin though lighter in body. You may be asking, "What the heck is a pumpkin recipe doing with a summer wine release?" Not to fret. This is an adaptation served cold, gazpacho style, with a velvety richness certainly deserving of Navarro's regal Chardonnay kissed by new French oak and given depth and body by its time spent on yeast. This is a recipe which blends flavors the old and new worlds. Enjoy the elegant simplicity of this out- of-the-world dish.

• 1 lb Kabocha pumpkin
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. mirin
• salt and pepper to season
• 1/4 pound freshly shelled Dungeness crab
• dash of yuzu juice (Japanese lemon)
• Parsley garnish, optional

Cut squash into sections removing seeds and stringy portions, slicing into thinner portions. Heat skillet to medium heat and add butter. Add onion and squash, and sautée for about 3-4 minutes. Add chicken stock and water and cook until soft. Place squash and onion into a food mill and puree the mixture. Add the puree back to a bowl and add in the sugar and mirin, allow to cool a little, then add the half and half. Let the entire mixture chill in the fridge until thoroughly cool. Serve in shallow bowls and pile some crab in the middle of the soup mixture, drizzling a little yuzu juice on top. Garnish with parsley.

Serves 4