We kicked off the new year in February have a "Wine Pairing" event. Everyone brought a wine to compliment their dishes. Jen opened her home while we were having yet another storm - this time it was rain! There was plenty of it... but with the fire burning, friends, yummy bites and vino the weather was quickly forgotten.
I brought shrimp empanadas with a California Sauvignon Blanc. The spicy full flavored half moon packages were balanced nicely by the fruitiness of the wine.
The combination of the jalapeño, olives and capers with the buttery cream cheese crust makes this a winner. The recipe can be found in the "Recipes" section.
Angi brought Prosecco with two types of crostinis. One was with a fig jam, apples and cheese. The recipe by Giada calls for figs which were difficult to find in February so Angi used fig jam and it was just yummy.The other crostini added a "salty" variety served with prosciutto. This prosciutto fig and goat cheese crostini paired really nice with the prosecco.
Jeanne brought a Sauvignon Blanc with two family recipes. The salad was a celery root and apple salad - crispy and light with a nutty dressing. The chourico puffs - is an old family Portuguese recipe that were fabulous. Both recipes can be found under the "Recipes" link at the top of the blog.
Betty brought an asparagus tart and mushroom roasted garlic crostini. The mushroom crostini had a garlic aioli spread on the toasted bread and topped with baby bella mushrooms that were sautéed in sherry, butter and salt and pepper. They made a beautiful presentation and tasted as good as they looked!
This fabulous colorful platter was paired with a Garnacha ~ a spanish wine made from a red grape that is used in Rioja wines. Nina's beautiful asparagus frittata was a piece of art work! This delicious treat was nicely paired with a fine French rose wine.
Cindy's roasted squash with maple syrup and sage cream, a recipe from the cookbook Stir - a Barbara Lynch book - was fabulous. I found a link from Food & Wine - it seems pretty similar. Cindy cut the squash into rings and roasted them - them toped the squash with the sauce just before serving. My new go-to recipe for Thanksgiving dinner!
The mushrooms Cindy brought were paired with a pinot Noir. She prepared Martha Stewart's bourbon bacon jam and then stuffed it in mushrooms and topped with gorgonzola. They were fabulous!
Jen served squash stuffed tortellini with a brown butter sage sauce. They were amazing!!!
Denise shared her father's recipe - a special cake for Valentine's day. A rich chocolatey black forest cake which she served with Almansa - a Spanish dessert wine. The combination was heavenly.
Cindy made butter cookies dipped in chocolate. This was a recipe from 'Stir' - Barbara Lynch's cookbook.
There was plenty to eat... as always went home full, fat, happy.... enjoying the memories of the evening. Enough about food and wine.... here are some pics of the talented cooks.
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| Nina and Cindy sharing a good story |
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| Angi and Denise |
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| Jeanne, Angi and Denise |
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| Cindy and Betty Ann |
The Scituate Cooking Club group (missing Rita) from the top... Jeanne, Cindy, Angi, Betty Ann, Denise, Nina, Jen and Jen.
