Wednesday, August 24, 2016

La Crescent

"We like to think that finding this wine is fate, opening the bottle is your choice, falling in love with her is out of our hands. This Northern Climate charmer will surprise you with hints of sweetness before she whisks you off your feet with luscious body, strong citrus notes and complete finish. Be prepared, she is looking for a serious relationship."

The aromatic structure of the grape is delightful with accents of lilacs and roses- apricot is most noticeable in the filed. Tangerine, Lime, and other citrus are common flavors in the finished wine, some even taste tropical fruits like pineapple and even herbal notes. It is very aromatic and often has the sweet notes makes it a wine that is easy for people to drink. Ours is a semi-sweet, semi-dry variety which pairs with lighter dishes and fruit inspired desserts.
La Crescent wine is similar of Vignoles and Riesling, and now onto our cocktail and food pairings.



Cocktail- Cool as a cucumber mojito









Appetizer- Mini Apricot Brie Bites


prep time- 10 minutes
cook time- 10 minutes
total time-  20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 can apricots-halved
20 mini toast or (5 pieces of bread toasted and cut in 1/4's)
1 package of brie, cut in 20 small pieces
20 leaves baby arugula
1 jar apricot jelly


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Drain the apricots and cut each in half again. You should end up with 20 pieces of      
     apricots. If there aren't enough in the can, just cut smaller pieces til you can get 20.

3. Assemble each appetizer by spreading apricot jelly on each toast, topping with brie, then 
     arugula, then a piece of apricot. Hold together with toothpick. Place on parchment paper 
     lined baking sheet.

4. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt

5. Serve hot or cold.

6. Enjoy!




Entree- Salmon & Cherry tomato skewers with Rosemary

prep time- 30 minutes
cook time-  5-7 minutes
total time- less than 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (extra on side to brush skewers with)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
Kosher salt
Pepper
16 Cherry Tomatoes
1 1/2 lb salmon cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
4 long metal skewers or wooden skewers soaked in water for 1 hour

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk the 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil with lemon juice, mustard, and    
    rosemary. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

2. Heat a grill pan. Thread the salmon and cherry tomatoes onto the skewers. Brush with 
    extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Heat over moderately high heat; turning once, until salmon is cooked thoroughly, about 6 
    minutes. Transfer the skewers to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette. 

4. Serve right away, passing additional vinaigrette at table as needed!




Dessert: Orange and Lime Cake with glaze

Ingredients:

For Cake:

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour                                  3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder                           2 eggs    
1 1/4 teaspoon salt                                             1/2 cup (4oz) vanilla yogurt
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter                  3 teaspoons orange juice
2 teaspoons lime juice                                        1 tablespoon orange zest (about 1 orange)
2 teaspoons lime zest (about 1 lime)                  1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk

For Glaze:

2 tablespoons orange juice, strained
1 tablespoon lime juice, strained
1 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

Instructions:

For Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray (you can use 8x4 pan or different size you will need to 
    adjust cooking time)

3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.  
    In a separate bowl or bowl of a mixer, beat butter until fluffy. Add brown sugar and    
    combine well. Beat in eggs one at time; continue to beat for 2-3 minutes. Add yogurt, 
    juices, zest and vanilla and mix well. Make sure to scrape down sides of mixer every so   
    often. Starting and ending with flour, alternate adding flour and milk.

4. Mix well but don't overbeat-mix until just combined.

5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, put loaf pan on baking sheet and place in oven.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, turn pan 180 degrees and continue to bake    
    approximately 20 more minutes. Check for doneness with a cake tester or a toothpick.  

7. If needed, tent with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. 

8. If adding glaze (see recipe below) poke holes with a skewer in top of cake while still in 
    pan and warm.

9. Pour glaze a little at a time over cake. Use a pastry brush to spread out evenly. Let glaze 
    soak in before pouring more on cake. 

10. Remove cake carefully from pan. If you'd like, pour any remaining glaze over cake.

For Glaze:

1. Combine all ingredients well

2. Adjust juice and or powdered sugar for desired consistency.