Monthly Archives: March 2012

Sweet Treats and a Sunny Day

Okay, this post hasn’t much to do with wine. First of all, it’s not 5 o’clock in the Cleve yet -though I know it is somewhere- and I’m enjoying a little sweetie I wanted to photograph and share with you. It’s Cake Balls. I know, for most gourmands, I’m coming into the game a little late. And go ahead, feel free to make the inevitable double entendre. Actually, it’s difficult to choose words to describe them without having to hit delete a few times.

I found this treat at The Cute Little Cake Shop here in Cleveland. I could go on about how delightfully tasty and wonderful they are but pictures speak louder than words. As for a nice pairing, it might be cool to venture back into the world of white: A tasty Chardonnay or Riesling, or maybe a little of both. And I think it might be more fun for a girls’ wine night ~ balls out ~ so to speak.

Until then, I’m going to sit outside, bask in a glorious afternoon and savor my cake balls. One at a time.

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

Maddicted With a Little French Kiss

It’s been said that confession is good for the soul, so I will tell you quite candidly: I’m a Maddict. And I have been going a little batty these past 17 months, waiting on my Victorian fainting couch for the premier of season 5 of Mad Men.

I dusted off my cocktail shaker, rescued my best Betty/Joan dress from its plastic dry cleaning bag, and dug my pearls out of the jewel case.

But what wine-based cocktail could I enjoy tonight? Luckily, I didn’t have to look any further than the Mad Men cocktail guide. With a short scroll down, I found the French 75, a kicky concoction of simple syrup, lemon, gin and Champagne.It seemed like a hip little mix to enjoy while watching the show.

I have to admit that when I make a cocktail, I like to shake it. It feels more…cocktail-y. Even though the recipe didn’t call for it, I shook up the first three ingredients and then topped off the glass with sparkling Dibon Cava Brut Reserve. While it wasn’t a true Champagne, the price point of $9.99 combined with the delicate, bubbly character made it very easy to pop my cork over. To make the simple syrup, I took equal parts water and sugar and…shook. And shook some more. About 2-3 minutes of vigorous shaking did the trick, and gave me a nice little workout. You can make the syrup a little richer with 1.5:1 ratio of sugar to water. That way you can have the same sweetness with less water in your cocktail.

The sparkling wine took enough of the sweetness off the rest of the cocktail, and provided a good balance with the gin, of which I’m not usually a fan. You could probably try this with vodka and it would be really fab.

I’m so excited for tonight’s premier, and I can’t wait to see what will become of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. A few more cocktails and I might even be ready to take their job interview quiz.

Cheers!

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Conflicts, Corks and Cupcakes

Once in a full, blue moon, you may find yourself with a dilemma: How to be two places at once. A while ago, I bought a ticket to the Corks and Cupcakes pop-up event by Emerging Chefs at Shaheen Gallery in downtown Cleveland. I had my ticket, made a mental note and went on to other things. My daughter came home several days later to remind me of when she was going to debut in her school play. Both events were on the same night.

As it happened, I was able to attend both, but to make it on time to the play, I could only stay for a brief moment at the event. To make the most of my time, I balanced my camera, purse, notebook and the first offering: Amuse Bouche: ‘Lure Me In’. This consisted of a strawberry thyme shortbread with lemon curd, red wine caviar.The pairing: A lively BTA  Extra-Dry Prosecco. The Prosecco was a lighter alternative to Champagne; it didn’t seem as heavily sweet as many sparkling wines tend to be. When paired with the lemon curd and shortbread, it gently awakened the senses in preparation for what was to eventually come. The other ‘courses’ included a cheddar cupcake with Lugana Base pairing, cannoli cupcake with Sangue Di Giuda, salted caramel cupcake with Pinot Nero Rose, finishing with a dark chocolate and bacon cupcake paired with Giome.

The menu of delectable sweets and fine Italian wines looked so incredible, part of me wanted to stay just a little bit longer, hoping they’d make a mistake and bring out the salted caramel cupcake with Pinot before they should. They didn’t. And like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight, my faithful friend,Terri, and I dashed out and off to the play.

This event had all the makings of a fantastic evening out; great music, sweet escapes and wine. I hope to find something like it again, and soon.

But while it was great to attend, albeit briefly, it would never be as special watching my daughter step out on stage for the first time.

Cheers!

Ice Wine in the Grand River Valley

The nasty weather held off here in Cleveland, and I was able to check out the WineGrower’s of the Grand River Valley 9th Annual Ice Wine Festival. It proved to be a good afternoon to sample some of their award winning offerings. My friends and I narrowed our trip to two participating wineries: Debonne and Ferrante. Click on any thumbnail to view the entire gallery.

At Debonne, we were treated to some ice carving demonstrations and a taste of their Vidal Blanc ice wine with home made cheese. The pairing was nice and brought out the ‘velvet-y’ qualities of both. My friend, Kell, was quick to point out this term, one he had picked up from our discussions about the wine aroma wheel. Learning can be fun! We moved inside to the tasting room and sampled an off-dry to sweet varietal wine selection. It ranged from a blend (Jazz White) to Razzberry Riesling. My pick from this grouping was the Jazz White; a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Riesling. It was a clear, light straw color, very minimal on the nose, but was lightly nuanced on the palate; refreshing with a subtle honey finish. I thought it could be a great sipping wine on a hot summer day and would be particularly good with a mild, white fish. The Riesling Reserve lot 907 was also light and sweet but didn’t have the same complexity as the Jazz White. The Razzberry Riesling, to me, tasted a lot like a Jell-o shot; very sweet and fun.

Ferrante treated us to their Vidal Blanc as well as a delicious Cabernet Franc. I have a soft spot for Cab Franc because it’s fruit forward with a rich, warm vibe (yes, even for an ice wine). And it has a buttery finish that can cuddle you up like a favorite blanket. Ferrante’s 2010 Cab Franc was no exception; it had a rich cherry top note and, true to form, ended with that beautiful butter kiss. You might say it was almost … velvet-y.

The Grand River Valley Ice Wine Festival continues March 10 and again March 17.

Cheers!