Today’s the day to pick up a bottle or two of Robert Mondavi wine.

It’s Mondavi’s 100th birthday (June 18, 1913 – May 16, 2008). The American wine pioneer and innovator made technical improvements and developed marketing strategies that brought worldwide recognition for the wines of California’s Napa Valley. Until then, California wines “got no respect”: American wine buyers were French-wine-focused.

A bottle of Robert Mondavi Winery’s 2011 Fume Blanc is a beautiful warm weather wine and a great choice for a birthday celebration. It’s an exceptionally well-balanced, fruit-forward varietal (Sauvignon Blanc) that is enjoyable on its own or as a food wine, with fish, shellfish and lighter dishes. Fume Blanc, a name Mondavi trademarked, is made in the style of French Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre wines), with citrusy fruit and herbal flavors, minerality and racy acidity. It’s one of our favorite wines.

One of Mondavi’s innovations was to promote the labeling of wines by their varietal names, i.e., Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc/Fume Blanc. The European tradition is to name the wine based on its village, region or other geography (Burgundy, Bordeaux, Port, etc.).

Mondavi‘s father had a business in California that shipped grapes to the East Coast for home winemaking. The family then acquired the Charles Krug Winery in Napa, and after graduating from Stanford, Mondavi joined his father and brother Peter in the business.

You can read the story—a saga worthy of a motion picture or mini series—in The House Of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty.

Today, the Robert Mondavi Winery produces a large variety of wines in multiple lines, ranging from connoisseur wines to everyday wines: Reserve Wines, District Wines, Napa Valley Wines and Winery Exclusive Wines, the latter of which can only be purchased at the winery.

Learn more at RobertMondaviWinery.com. And plan a trip to visit the lovely winery. It’s an easy drive from San Francisco.
  

So we headed to our mental archive of delicious things to make with overripe bananas:

Dolce de bananas (in Italian) or dulce de bananas (in Spanish) is a type of banana pudding. Some recipes are “wet”—the consistency of American chocolate pudding—or “dry,” like a bread pudding.

RECIPE: DOLCE DE BANANAS or DULCE DE BANANAS or BANANA PUDDING

Ingredients

1. COMBINE all ingredients in a saucepan.

2. COOK slowly over low heat for 3 hours. If the mixture becomes too thick, thin with a little water.

3. COOL for 10 minutes. Garnish as desired; serve.
 
MORE RECIPES FOR OVERRIPE BANANAS

Dolce De Bananas Pie. Blogger Kate from OurBestBites.com fills a chocolate cookie pie crust with her own recipe for dolce de bananas, using sweetened condensed milk and cream, plus brown sugar, cream cheese and toffee chocolate bars. She calls it a “naughty, naughty pie that should only be eaten once a year.”

Bananas & Sour Cream. One of our favorite childhood treats with ripe—but not overripe—bananas: Top them with sour cream and brown sugar. We still love this in adulthood. Try it for dessert or a snack.
 
No time to bake right now?

Mash the bananas and freeze them in cup or half-cup portions, in airtight containers. You can add the frozen bananas into a milkshake or smoothie when the mood strikes.

Or, blend in some sweetener and freeze the mashed banana in ice pop molds.
  

House Foods created this tasty recipe, which evokes coconut-battered shrimp:

CRISPY COCONUT TOFU FRIES WITH SPICY
APRICOT SAUCE

Ingredients

For Tofu Fries

*French fries in all their shapes—crinkle, curly, shoestring, steak cut, thick-cut, wedges and others—and recipes such as cheese fries, chili fries, poutine, etc.

 
†Sriracha is a hot chili sauce from Thailand. It is made from sun-ripened chile peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. It can be found in the Asian aisle of some supermarkets, in Asian grocery stores and online.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick baking spray.

2. SLICE tofu crosswise into 4 slabs. Line a plate with several layers of paper towels, arrange tofu in a single layer on the plate, cover with more paper towels and then top with a second plate weighed down by a heavy pot. Set aside for about 15 minutes to dry out, then slice tofu slabs into 1/2” sticks.

3. BEAT together eggs, salt, pepper and lime zest in shallow dish.

4. MIX panko and coconut in a second shallow dish.

5. DIP tofu in egg mixture, turning to coat; then toss in breading mixture pressing gently to help coating adhere.

6. ARRANGE in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crisp and golden, flipping the fries after 15 minutes.While the fries bake…

7. MAKE the sauce by melting the apricot jam with the lime juice, sriracha and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Transfer to a bowl.

8. SERVE the fries hot, with the warm sauce for dipping.
  

If you’re planning July 4th festivities, start with breakfast. Hungry Jack has a patriotic pancake mix for Independence Day: Funfetti Stars & Stripes Pancake Mix.

There are neither stars nor stripes in the mix, but teeny red and blue candy bits* that provide specks of color. They’re too small to add significant flavor or texture to the pancakes, but they are, as the product name says, fun. And the pancakes are delicious.

If you want to make more of an impact, you can make special July 4th pancakes with:

 
HOW MANY TYPES OF PANAKES HAVE YOU
HAD?

Check out all the different types of pancakes in our Pancake & Waffle Glossary.

*Ingredients include sugar, cornstarch, vegetable oil, confectioner’s glaze, canuba wax and color.

The recipe is courtesy of BeefItsWhatsFordDnner.com. It yields 4 servings; prep time 30 minutes; cook time 25 minutes.

RECIPE: BEEFY POTATO SALAD WITH GREEN BEANS

Ingredients

Protein and sides in one dish. Photo courtesy Beef It’s What’s For Dinner.

1. CUT beef lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick strips.

2. COMBINE 1/4 cup dressing and beef in medium bowl. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes to 2 hours.

3. HEAT 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add green beans; stir-fry 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and potatoes; continue stir-frying 4 to 6 minutes or until potatoes and green beans are heated through and starting to brown. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

4. HEAT same skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1/2 of beef; stir-fry 1 to 3 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. Do not overcook. Remove from skillet; add to vegetable mixture. Repeat with remaining beef.

5. ADD remaining 1/4 cup dressing to beef and vegetables; toss to coat thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variations

Steak: One pound beef top round steak, cut 3/4 to 1 inch thick, or flank steak may be substituted for top sirloin steak.

Potatoes: Four cups leftover cooked potato wedges may be substituted for refrigerated/frozen prepared potatoes.