Photo: Alfred Schrock
This past week in our 'Ask the Somm' session, I made one of my favorite Thanksgiving Day dessert recipes LIVE with our audience: Chef Mike Shannon's Drunkin Punkin Pie. A dessert I make every year for our Tday feast -- it is that good!
Here's a link to the original recipe: PIE ME!
Yet, this year as I find myself recommending a lot of Vermouth + Fortifieds for the season, I thought...what if I sub'd out the 3 spirits in Chef Mike's recipe for equal parts Vermouth?
So, I tried it...LIVE with our members during our Sunday session + LOVED it!
While the pie will always be one of my faves, a few during the live session asked for the GF version of this delicious holiday treat. Lucky for us, Chef Mike makes the same recipe in a soufflé style!
Here's the recipe! (Pair it to this bubbly for the perfect treat)
Drunkin’ Punkin’ Soufflés
Makes filling for 8 shuffles or one pie
3 large eggs, beaten
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground...
Photo: Bree Felten Leidel
EVERYTHING is Halloween right now! If you're just a little sick of the Snickers and Twizzlers and pumpkin-shaped Reeses, get a load of this adult Halloween treat below—created by my pal Corey Meier of Create Catering—that you can whip up in under 20 minutes. The best part about it? It pairs well with a fizzy little Moscato!
Trick or treat, friends!
PUMPKIN SPICE RICE KRISPIE BARS
*Pair to an off dry Moscato, like the 2017 Foris Sparkling Moscato*
Makes one 9×9 pan
For the Bars
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 1 Bag Marshmallows
• 1Tbsp Instant Coffee Granules
• 5-6 Cups Rice Krispies
For the Pumpkin-White Chocolate Ganache
• 2 Tbsp Pumpkin Puree
• 1 Cup White Chocolate
For the Spice Mix - Make to your liking!
• Cinnamon to taste
• Ginger to taste
• Nutmeg to taste
• Ground Mace to taste
For the Dark Chocolate Drizzle
• 4 Tbsp Dark Chocolate Chips
Method
1. Melt the butter and marshmallows together in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat.
2. Once melted, add the coffee granules and stir to combine.
3. Fold in the...
Photo: Netflix
October is the perfect time to binge watch (again) season three of Netflix’s Stranger Things. I mean, what could be more Halloween-adjacent than a little weird and retro romp through Demagorgon-infested Hawkins, Indiana? Exactly.
Season three of Stranger Things brings the advent of The Mall, that glorious beacon of the 1980s. It’s new, it’s flashy, it’s...strange! Everyone in Hawkins loves it and the Starcourt Mall is really the center of some of the juiciest, most climactic moments in the season.
In the final scenes of the season, the Stranger Things gang splits up into smaller groups to more effectively kick the Mind Flayer's butt. Each group gets a code name to communicate with the others over walkie talkie: The Griswold Family, The Scoops Troop, and Bald Eagle (of course!). So, in the spirit of trying new and strange things, I’m recommending a super off-the-beaten-path wine to pair with each of the Stranger Things factions that face the Mind Flayer in this spooky and totally rad...
Photo: boxerbrand.com
What gets winegrower Fred Peterson out of bed in the morning? “For me, the motivation is that every day is so different in the wine business,” he says. And it’s true. Fred Peterson and his son, winemaker Jamie, never set out to make the same wine twice at Peterson Winery in Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County.
Fred and Jamie thrive on the fact that each day, each year, is a new adventure in the vineyard. They consider it their job to harness whatever is naturally occuring at any given time and put in a bottle for you to enjoy.
This gentle way of winemaking is what the Petersons call Zero Manipulation. This philosophy emphasizes traditional winemaking practices in order to maximize each wine’s naturally occurring flavors and textures. As their website states, “Fred and Jamie celebrate vintage differences and don’t tweak or homogenize the wine to obtain consistency of flavors, a common practice in mass-market wineries.”
Fred says that this delicate balance all starts in the vineyard,...
Photo: Emily Rentsch
It's September and the tomatoes are poppin'! Here's a fast and tasty way to get into the spirit courtesy of my friend Chef Mike Shannon. This quick tomato chutney recipe doesn't even require fresh tomatoes (although you could certainly roast your own and gain some more bragging rights) and it makes a crowd-pleasing appetizer. Spread it on crusty bruschetta, add to fresh ricotta (as seen above) or goat cheese, serve it with fish or on top of a hearty burger. This is an all purpose delight.
Oh, and don't forget the wine! After the recipe below, you'll find some of my favorite pairings to tomatoes and other late summer fare.
QUICK ROASTED TOMATO CHUTNEY
from Chef Mike Shannon
Make about 4 cups
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon smoked salt
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 cans (28 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Heat oil over medium heat in a medium sauce...
