This week on WG TV Erin shares hints and tips on how to build the perfect ice bucket for chilling wine.
The Velvet Devil Merlot, Washington State
March 11th, 2010If a wine that feels like velvet in your mouth and is filled with the flavours of ripe raspberries, blueberries, black plums, hints of cocoa, violets and roses sounds good, then this a wine for you. Created by Food and Wine magazine’s winemaker of the year for 2009, Washington winemaker, Charles Smith, has created a wine that will have everyone singing the praises of merlot with every sip. On the palate you will find this wine full of delicious ripe red fruits balanced with soft tannins and a rich, velvety finish.
This wine is so easy to drink and enjoy that I highly recommend that you pick up more then one bottle when you head to your favorite wine store, as I think that you just might find added to your must have favorite list.
Pair this wine with grilled meats, hamburgers, ribs, BBQ’d chicken, chocolate desserts, stews, lamb, and anything other dish you can think of that a silky, ripe wine would go with. Also a great wine to sip on its own with good friends or enjoyed quietly with your favorite book.
Currently available in Alberta, British Columbia and around the world. This wine might be a bit of a search as it sells out very quickly but it is well worth the wait so keep searching.
Retails between 22.00 – 25.00
Guinness Stout Chocolate Brownies
March 11th, 2010Here is a great recipe for any chocolate lover!
Try these brownies paired with a pint of Guinness, Moscato d’Asti, Cabernet Franc Icewine or your favorite Zinfandel
Guinness Stout Brownies
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (used a combo of Hershey’s dark and natural)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted room temperature butter, cut into cubes
- 8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup superfine or granulated sugar
- 1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) Guinness Extra Stout beer ROOM TEMPERATURE
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like to add
- 1/8 cup (about) confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Melt butter, bittersweet chocolate and white chips in a double-boiler over very low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat. Alternatively, you may do this in the microwave, microwaving on high and stirring every 30 seconds.( I use the microwave and it works great)
- In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined.
- Beat reserved flour mixture into melted chocolate mixture. Whisk in Guinness stout beer and vanilla. The batter will seem a bit thin. Drop semisweet chocolate chips evenly on top of batter (some will sink in). (I like to mix dark and milk chocolate chips)
- Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes on center rack in the oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
- Let brownies cool, uncovered, to room temperature. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving. Fabulous served with vanilla ice cream.
International Women’s Day at Il Sogno, Calgary
March 5th, 2010Monday March 8th is International Women’s Day and you will find me celebrating at a great event at Il Sogno in Calgary. (one of my favorite restaurants in the city)
The event will run from 6 – 9 and will be a mix of a cocktail party and shopping experience with proceeds from the evenings raffle items supporting the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Tickets for the evening are $50.00 and include to 2 drink tickets, fabulous gift bag, and passed hors d’oeuvres.
Please contact Il Sogno directly for tickets and I will look forward to seeing you there.
Cusumano, Insolia, Sicily, Italy
March 5th, 2010Insolia is an indigenous grape variety from the Italian island of Sicily, and this wine is a delicious example of all the flavours this grape variety has to offer.
The first thing that you will notice when you open this wine is that it is sealed with a glass cork. If you haven’t run across one of these before all you have to do to open the wine is just use your thumbnail to lift up the cork from the bottle – it is that easy. Glass corks are an inert, airtight and fully recyclable closure so they are gaining the praise of wine makers around the globe.
In the glass this wine has a warm lemon colour and will greet you will aromas of tropical fruits on the nose such as mango, pineapple, and papaya mixed in with more subtle hints of peaches, warm lemon, thyme, and oranges.
On the palate all of the flavours that the nose alluded to will delight you as they are balanced with a medium acidity and fuller bodied mouth feel. This is one of those great wines that you can serve at a party and everyone will like it.
This wine is an excellent choice to pair with grilled scallops, halibut, grilled chicken, Mexican dishes, cheese plates, green salads, and pastas with seafood and olive oil based sauces.
This wine retails between $14.00 – 18.00 across the country
The Pajama Party – My favorite girlfriend weekend
March 5th, 2010Next weekend, March 12 – 14th I will be heading out to The Pajama Party at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. This is one of my favorite events all year as it is just so much fun.
Next weekend will be filled with great seminars – I do one on pairing wine and chocolate, so I will see you there – amazing food, a Pajama Cocktail Party on the Friday night and a dinner/dance party on the Saturday evening so, to sum it up, it is just a fabulous girls weekend that everyone should enjoy. If you have been looking for a way to get the girls away for their own weekend then look no farther, this is your weekend.
For more information on how you can hang out with me at the Pajama Party please click here. See you all there in Pajama’s!
WG TV – How to create the perfect ice bucket
March 5th, 2010This week on WG TV Erin shares tips and hints on how to create the perfect ice bucket for chilling wine.
Easy Guacamole
March 5th, 2010Guacamole
Submitted by Kim
Wine pairing ideas: Insolia from Italy, Sauvignon Blanc from around the world.
Ingredients
4 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 – 1 cup of your favorite salsa
¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 – 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or 1 tbsp garlic powder
hot pepper sauce (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Cut avocado into large chunks and mash coarsely in a bowl with a fork.
Add remaining ingredients and blend gently. Taste as you add the ingredients and adjust to suit your tastes. The guacamole does not have to be absolutely smooth. Leaving a few small chunks is fine and some people prefer it that way. Serve with chips and vegetables.
Cheesecake Factory – Onion Ring review
February 26th, 2010If you have ever been to a Cheesecake Factory restaurant in the United States you will understand when I say that the menu is overwhelming large and filled with too many tasty dishes to make choosing just one an easy choice for anyone. Luckily, I have a bit of a “thing” for onion rings so as soon as I saw them on the menu I knew I had to have them.
As you can see from the picture these are not just your ordinary onion rings. They come served piping hot and stacked on top of each other with a side of ranch-like dressing on the side for dipping. I should let you know that you will probably want to share an order with someone as the serving size is quiet large and I also highly recommend using a knife and fork to eat them with as there are big pieces of onion in the center of each one. The batter is cake-like and lighter then it looks and when dipped into the ranch dressing I have to say that these are some of the most decadent onion rings that I have ever enjoyed. If you are an onion ring lover like me then these are ones that you will have to try the next time you visit a Cheesecake Factory restaurant.
After the onion rings and some fish tacos (which were also great) I unfortunately had no room left to try one of the amazing looking cheesecakes so I have no review on those but that leaves me something to try next time I visit The Cheesecake Factory.
If you happen to be visiting the United States then I suggest planning a visit to the The Cheesecake Factory as I am sure their vast menu will have something to your liking – just be sure that you go when you have a hearty appetite. Enjoy.
Pierre Sparr Cremant d’ Alsace
February 25th, 2010I am always looking for a great bottle of bubbles and when that bottle also happens to be a very well priced one, than that is even better, so you will be happy to know that this weeks wine review fits into both of these categories.
The first thing you will notice when you pour a glass of this wine is it’s golden colour and lively bubbles and once you pick it up and smell it, you will be greeted with a wonderful nose filled with warm vanilla, butterscotch, ripe apples, pears, and a hint of lemon. On the palate this wine delivers all that it promised on the nose with each sip bringing all the rich flavours together mixed in with delightfully soft bubbles.
This wine is a fuller bodied style of sparkling wine and so it will pair wonderfully with heavier dishes such as, roast poultry dishes, eggs benedict, popcorn with butter, grilled cheese sandwiches and macaroni and cheese.
Retails between $22.00 – 28.00 across the country
Shrimp and Snow Peas
February 25th, 2010Shrimp and Snow Peas
Submitted by Sandy.
Original recipe sourced from www.myasiankitchenny.com
Wine Pairing ideas – Your favorite Riesling, Gewurzatramier, Prosecco, or Pinot Gris would all be great choices with this dish.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 small sliced shallot
1 pound 21/30 size shrimp, shelled, deveined and butterflied
1 pound snow peas, topped, tailed and de-stringed
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons dark Chinese cooking wine
1/4 teaspoon each of salt & ground white pepper, or to taste
Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger and shallot and stir-fry until just beginning to turn color, about 15 seconds. Add shrimp, snow peas, cooking wine and oyster sauce. Continue stir-frying until shrimp are just cooked through and snow peas are crisp-tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Season with the ground white pepper and salt. Serve immediately along with jasmine rice.
Variations
This dish is very versatile. You can substitute the shrimps with chicken, beef or pork. Vegetarians can omit the oyster sauce and substitute it with black bean sauce and add tofu and cashews as protein.
