Pear-Ginger Sparklers

Ever since I attended a pear dinner at Rialto, I've been thinking about more ways to incorporate pears in my cooking and baking. And when I won a box of Starkrimson pears from USA Pears just before having friends over, I knew I'd want to find a fun, party-friendly way to use them. And that's how these pear-ginger sparklers came about. Sweet pears and spicy ginger are a perfect match, and bubbly prosecco seemed like just the thing to balance them.

Pear-Ginger Sparklers

Ingredients

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
1- to 2-inch knob of ginger, cut in chunks
Prosecco, chilled
Belle de Brillet (optional)

Preparation

In a large pot, bring water and sugar to a boil, and stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, add the pears and ginger, cover the pot, and let steep 20 minutes.

Discard ginger.

Scoop out pears (reserving syrup) and place them in bowl of food processor. Process until smooth. If mixture is too thick, loosen with pear-ginger syrup.

Pear puree and pear-ginger syrup can be stored separately in refrigerator for a few hours, until ready to use.

To make drinks: Place about 1 tablespoon pear puree in bottom of glass or champagne flute, top with 1 tablespoon pear-ginger syrup, and fill glass the rest of the way with prosecco.

Stir and serve. (If drinks are too sweet for your taste, add more prosecco. For a little something extra, add a splash of Belle de Brillet pear cognac.)

These pear-ginger sparklers would be a great pre- or post-Thanksgiving dinner cocktail.

What fall cocktails are you enjoying?

Sangria Flora

St-Germain is my absolute favorite liqueur, and I have no problem admitting that I am obsessed with it -- not in an I drink it all day every day kind of way but in an it's my drink of choice kind of way. Friends now know that if a bar or restaurant offers a drink with St-Germain in it, that's the drink I'm getting. If I can't figure out what to order somewhere, I will ask if a St-Germain Cocktail can be prepared for me. This is a mixture of St-Germain, sparkling wine, and soda water and is one of the best ways to enjoy St-Germain so you can really taste the liqueur.

If you haven't heard of St-Germain before, it is a French liqueur made from handpicked elderflower blossoms. (And a little research tells me the blossoms are put into sacks and then transported by bicycle.) The resulting liqueur is sweet, without being cloying, and floral, without being overpowering. It's often used in place of simple syrup in cocktails, adding sweetness and a little more.

I like this description of it best:

Neither passionfruit nor pear, grapefruit nor lemon, the sublime taste of St-Germain hints at each of these and then none of them exactly. It is a flavor as subtle and delicate as it is captivating. 

A little like asking a hummingbird to describe the flavor of its favorite nectar. 

-St-Germain marketing materials

So you can imagine that when Emily decided to host a St-Germain party, I had absolutely no hesitations about attending. All of the invitees were asked to bring a drink made with St-Germain and something for everyone to snack on. I went with the Sangria Flora and made some Parmesan crisps with a tomato topping and some almond, elderflower, and lime travel cakes.

Photo courtesy of Bianca

Sangria Flora (adapted from St-Germain recipes)



Ingredients



3 cups Sauvignon Blanc

3/4 cup St-Germain

1 nectarine, diced

10 to 15 strawberries, hulled and cut in eighths

1/4 cup blueberries



Preparation



Mix Sauvignon Blanc and St-Germain in a pitcher or carafe, and top with as much fruit as will fit. Let stand for at least 15 minutes (up to 3 hours), and then serve. Add more fruit as necessary. (I also ended up replenishing the sangria with the remaining wine and a splash of St-Germain.)

I thought this sangria was very balanced. It wasn't overly "winey" or overly sweet like many sangrias are. And it's fun to eat the soaked fruit. You can basically use any fruit you like -- peaches, grapes, raspberries, and so on -- but I thought nectarines, blueberries, and strawberries looked especially pretty in the drink.

Photo courtesy of Daisy

We had lots of other fun drinks to sample too. Amy whipped up St. Honore 75 cocktails to order, Meghan made a pitcher of St-Germain and basil cocktails, Emily made fresh peach syrup to incorporate in a peach and St-Germain spritzer, Bianca served up Limoncello with St-Germain floaters, Daisy made a pitcher of Left Bank cocktails (gin, St-Germain, and Sauvignon Blanc), and Elizabeth provided a palate-cleansing virgin ginger-peach drink made with homemade spicy ginger syrup.

I'll share the recipes for the Parmesan crisps with tomatoes and the elderflower and lime travel cakes in upcoming posts.



Do you love St-Germain too?

Seasonal Beer Dinner At The Lansdowne Pub

Earlier this week I was invited to a seasonal beer dinner at the Lansdowne Pub and given a complimentary ticket to the event. Luckily, Meghan and her husband, Jen and her husband, and Daisy and her boyfriend didn't mind paying the $40 ticket price to join me at the dinner. (I would have gotten a ticket for Jeff, but he's allergic to the first course and wouldn't have liked the second course, so it just wouldn't have been a great evening out for him.)

On Monday after work, Meghan and I met up with each other on the green line platform at Park Street and took the T over to Kenmore. In my five years of living in Boston, I had never taken the green line past Hynes before, so it was nice to have Meghan there for moral support! We got off the T, wandered down to Lansdowne Street, and found the Lansdowne Pub in the old Jake Ivory's spot. We thought the flashy lights on the sign outside were a little odd for an Irish pub but loved the straight-on view of the front of the building and the inside decor.

When we arrived, we got drink tickets good for a mini Guinness at the bar and found Daisy and Adam already seated at the bar, sampling their mini Guinnesses. And then Meghan located her husband. Soon after, Jen and her husband arrived, and we all sipped on Guinness and caught up with each other.

We eventually moseyed over to a table and settled in before dinner. The dinner had a slow start, but Malcolm Patterson, a representative from Guinness soon took the stage and started introducing our first food and beer pairing.

Our first pour was another mini Guinness, which Malcolm described as having a roasted aroma and flavors of coffee, chocolate, caramel, and toast. He then quizzed us and asked if we knew what color Guinness really is. Meghan's husband, who is from Ireland, knew the answer: red.  And now, if you hold a glass of Guinness up to the light and look at it, you'll notice the beer that we always think of as having a dark brownish-black color really is red.

The Guinness was paired with oven-roasted Duxbury oysters on the half-shell, topped with garlic-herb bread crumbs, and candied fennel. (Unfortunately, my oysters were missing the candied fennel.) The flavors complemented each other and did not compete with or overpower each other. The oysters were cooked perfectly, and I enjoyed the garlicky bread crumbs.

Next up was a mini pour of Harp. Harp has a dark golden color and smells of green apple, pear, and lemon.

The crisp taste pairs well with anything spicy, so the chef paired this pour with roasted winter squash, native blue cheese, balsamic-infused brown butter, and roasted walnuts spiced with cayenne pepper.

This was my favorite course. Well, the food was. While I liked the Harp, it was my least favorite beer of the night. Hey, it had to compete with Guinness, which is one of my favorites. I loved the sharp blue cheese in this and the hint of spice from the walnuts, not to mention the squash, which was seasoned with herbs and olive oil.

Then it was time for the main course. The beer of choice? Smithwick's. Malcolm explained to us that Smithwick's is actually older than Guinness. The barley in Smithwick's is not roasted as much as that in Guinness so the Smithwick's ends up with more of a chestnut color. It has a caramel flavor, is sweet, and finishes well. It was chosen because it wouldn't overpower the veal planned for our main course.

The veal was not at all what I expected. It was described as a veal breast filled with a wild mushroom stuffing and braised until tender. What came out looked like a veal roulade. I'm not complaining at all; it was just different from what I had pictured.

The veal came with spaetzle, which I have been wanting to make for a while and hopefully will do soon. The spaetzle was herby and buttery and was the perfect complement to the tender veal. There were also some braised greens that I could have done without, and some lovely, glazed purple top turnips.

The dessert course was a Guinness float. Another mini pint of Guinness arrived, this time with a scoop of homemade butterscotch ice cream. I thought the concept was good, but the ice cream was really sweet, which made the Guinness seem really bitter. We all finally figured out that if we stirred the ice cream in, the whole drink got better. All of the guys decided they could have done without the ice cream in their beers.

A good time was had by all, and we left stuffed and feeling like we had gotten an adequate amount of beer even though we had been drinking mini pints all night.

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I don't drink beer very often, but when I do, I usually go for Stella Artois, Guinness, Allagash White, or Sam Adams White Ale. I've also been hearing a lot about Pretty Things lately and am looking forward to trying it.


Are you a beer drinker? What are your favorites?

Holiday Wine Pairing Service

Happy Friday! I've got wine on the brain. I took today off and am likely packing or already on my way to Maine with my mom as you're reading this post. It's our shopping weekend, and any good shopping trip pairs well with a nice dinner out and a glass or two of wine, of course! While I'm thinking about wine, I wanted to share with you a fun service that I recently heard about.

As you're planning upcoming holiday parties and dinners, you're probably focusing heavily on the food -- I know I am. And while I can come up with an amazing dinner menu, I'm not so great a picking wines to match. I pretty much pair everything with a bottle of Shiraz or Syrah -- my favorites. That's where the Wine ConneXtion in North Andover, Mass., comes in.

Just email your holiday menu and number of guests to menumatching@wineconnextion.com, and a wine expert will get back to you within 48 hours with wine pairings and the amount of wine you'll need. He or she will also provide you with info about the wine pairings, so you can show off your wine smarts!

If you like the pairings that have been selected for you, simply approve your order, and your wines will be packed up and set aside for you to pick up. The whole service won't cost you a thing (of course you'll have to buy the wine you choose to purchase).

The wine matching service is available until January 2, so you can use it for all of your holiday parties and events, including your New Year's Eve celebration!

Also, the Wine ConneXtion has a new 12-month wine membership called "The Wine Society." It's $175 to join and you'll get one exceptional bottle of wine each month, which will be available for pickup on the 15th of each month. In addition to the wine of the month, members have an opportunity to attend tastings and events. Members will also get to test out pre-inventory wines and help determine whether they'll be put out for sale. This sounds like a great opportunity for someone who loves to be in the know about new and interesting wines.

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Where do you shop for wine? Do you do your own pairings? How do you determine what makes a good match?

Guest Post: Dessert Wines

I'm away on a cruise right now, and I've asked some of my favorite local bloggers to write guest posts for me. Today, Meghan from Travel, Wine, and Dine is sharing some dessert wine suggestions. I always turn to Meghan for wine advice -- in fact, the first time I met her was at a wine shop. She cooks great meals and pairs them with fabulous wines. I hope you enjoy her post. Please check out Meghan's blog when you have a chance!

Now that Halloween has passed, stores — not to mention the airwaves — will be overflowing with holiday cheer. Gifts will need to be purchased, meals planned, travel arrangements made. With everything on your plate, it is easy to not have time for the details, so I am here to help you with one delicious little detail, dessert wine. Dessert wine won’t make or break your holiday meal, but it could be a sweet addition or maybe even become a new tradition.

There are many options out there for dessert wine, from pricey Sauternes to one of my great-value favorites, Trader Joe’s Muscat, so I thought I would share just a few, paired with some popular holiday desserts.

Port- A fortified wine from Portugal, Port is common on dessert menus and is usually a sweet red wine, though there are drier Ports and also white Port. Port is great with chocolate, maybe a flourless chocolate cake. I haven’t tried it, but many people also enjoy Port with soft cheeses such as brie and camembert.

Sparkling Wine- Bubbly goes with just about everything. I really can’t think of a meal or occasion where I wouldn’t drink a little sparkling wine. Something like Mionetto Il Muscato  is a great option for both the taste and the price and is tasty with richer desserts like cheesecake.

Late Harvest Wines – Made with grapes that have stayed on the vine longer than usual, late harvest wines are generally sweeter because, as they hang out on the vine, the grapes dehydrate, removing water and concentrating sugar and flavor. Some of my favorites include late harvest  Zinfandel and Riesling. Some of these late harvest wines are great for drinking with fruit pies or tarts, very common holiday desserts. A nice, inexpensive option for late harvest wine is Hogue late harvest Riesling.

Dessert wines can be expensive, but a little does go a long way. They are usually consumed in smaller amounts; a big glass of dessert wine — like eating too much dessert — can be quite unpleasant!

So this holiday season, as you plan menus and get invited to holiday meals, don’t forget the dessert wine!

Homemade Lemonade Beats The Heat

It's the middle of summer and it's hot, but luckily there's something to refresh you and quench your thirst: lemonade. And what's better than just lemonade? Homemade lemonade! Above 90 and humid (our predicted weather for the next two days) is no match for this summer staple.

To start, you'll need a whole lot of lemons. The first time I made this, I think I only had 10 or 12 small lemons, and that was not nearly enough to do the job. This time I bought 7 large lemons and a bag of small lemons. The large lemons are more expensive, but they provide more juice so it's a tossup over which is better to get. I recommend some large and some small for cost and time efficiency. (And don't worry about buying too many lemons because I'll be posting some more recipes soon that use lemons!)

Speaking of time efficiency, some tools were created to make our lives easier. After my first time making lemonade a few weeks ago, I refused to make it again until I had a tool to help me squeeze the lemons. Just thinking about squeezing lemons by hand makes my hands ache.

As is typical for me, I already knew exactly what tool I wanted: this Chef'n Citrus Juicer. OXO had a decent one too, but the bright yellow of the Chef'n one is what drew me to it in the first place and won me over in the end.

If you're making lemonade or some other beverage or treat that requires squeezing a lot of lemons or limes and you don't want to shell out the big bucks for a fancy-schmancy electric juicer, this little tool works just fine. I found it at Williams-Sonoma (any excuse to go in there, right?) for just $19.95, and that's totally worth it for all the soreness and stinging it saved my hands from. (Does Williams-Sonoma have an affiliates program? I could recommend a million products there!)

To use the juicer, simply slice all of your lemons in half.

Place a lemon half in the juicer, cut side down. This will seem counterintuitive based on the shape of the juicer, but that's the way to do it.

And just squeeze the handles together over a large measuring cup. You don't even have to squeeze very hard because the tool is designed to help you get the maximum amount of juice without overly exerting yourself. Repeat until you've juiced all of your lemons. I set a strainer inside the measuring cup just to catch any small seeds or pulp clumps that sneaked through the juicer.

Don't the juiced lemon remains look so funny?

You'll want to end up with 2 cups of lemon juice for this recipe. Set that aside and then in another microwave-safe measuring cup or small bowl, microwave 1 cup of water until boiling (2 to 3 minutes depending on your microwave). Dissolve 2 cups of sugar in the water.

In a gallon (or 16-cup) pitcher, combine the lemon juice and sugar/water mixture. None of my pitchers are quite big enough to hold a gallon, so I used the largest Pampered Chef bowl I have that has measurement guides on the inside. You basically need anything that holds 16 cups of liquid. Add cold water to the liquids in your pitcher, bowl, or other container until you have 16 cups of liquid.

Fill your favorite lemonade glasses with ice, and pour in some of your fresh, homemade lemonade. Top with lemon slices, sip, and feel instantly refreshed!

(I got these summery glasses at Crate & Barrel -- another of my favorite stores with a million products I can recommend!)

Store the remaining lemonade in pitchers in the fridge. Pour over ice, sip, and chill out any time the hot, humid weather starts to bring you down.

This lemonade recipe is adapted from The Food Network.

Have you made homemade lemonade? Have you tried different flavors? I'm thinking about doing a blackberry or raspberry lemonade soon!

Pom Royale - Featuring Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Juice

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Molly, a spokesperson for Pom Wonderful and was a lucky recipient of a case of complimentary Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Juice.  As a child I used to eat Pomegranates (what Nanny called Chinese Apples) all the time.  Nanny would cut it open, expose the seeds and I would bite into the red jewels and chomp on a mouthful.  I mostly liked the juice and didn't swallow the tiny seed.  After reading up on the fruit on the Pom Wonderful website, I found that there is a much easier way to remove the fruit, which I learned are called the arils.  To see a video on how to do this click here.  I also learned that there are many different ways to use the arils and the juice, not to mention the health benefits.  You can read all about it yourself on their website.  Although eating them with Nanny was always fun, I think I actually enjoy it most now in it's juiced form. 

Yesterday I celebrated my brother's birthday with my family.  Steve and I made a yummy cocktail featuring the pomegranate juice and they were a big hit.  If you don't like strong drinks this one is definitely for you, it's sweet and refreshing and goes down very easy.  This is best in a champagne glass but my parents (who aren't big drinkers) don't have champagne glasses (perhaps it would be a good gift for Christmas) so we used a wine glass.  You don't get as many bubbles but it still tastes great!

Pom Royale

Cooking Light Magazine
November 2009

Ingredients:


2 cup water
4 tablespoon sugar
2 cup pomegranate juice
8 cups Champagne or sparkling wine

Directions:

1. Make simple syrup - Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Let cool. Refrigerate.

2. Pour 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice and 1 tablespoon simple syrup into 4 Champagne glasses. Top each serving with 1/2 cup Champagne. Serve immediately.

Salute!