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Happy Hour: Michlits Frizzante 2006 Rose Burgenland

partysugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:28:19 -0700

If you are looking for an interesting new wine to try, I highly recommend this sparkling Austrian Pinot Noir. I tasted it at a recent party for CandyBar - San Francisco's new dessert-only restaurant - and instantly fell in love with the pink champagne. Fizzy, light, and refreshing, this wine paired perfectly with savory appetizers and small sweets. Flavors of citrus mingle with a mineral undertone making it a complex, yet easily drinkable bubbly.

Michlits Frizzante 2006 Rose Burgenland is a popular wine-list wine, so look for it at your favorite wine bar. An exotic import that retails for only $19 - reasonable for the taste and quality -it's also a great wine to seek out for a celebration.

Flatshare Fridge: Love It or Hate It?

partysugar — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 04:00:38 -0700

Got roommates who steal your food? What you need is a flatshare fridge! This creative fridge consists of a base fridge and four stackable pieces that allow each user to have a private fridge. Made for the Electrolux Design Lab Competition by Austrian designer Stefan Buchberger, the flatshare - which comes in a variety of colors - can be customized to include a bottle opener or whiteboard. I think this fridge is incredibly clever, but wonder if the small compartment could hold all of my culinary needs. What do you think?

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Delicate Chocolate Florentines

partysugar — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 09:18:45 -0700

Florentine cookies make excellent gifts. Wrapped in plastic baggies and tied with a festive ribbon, who could deny such a tasty treat? Despite their name - which hints at an Italian heritage - florentines were originally created by Austrian bakers. These flat cookies are wonderful alone, but taste even better with chocolate sandwiched between two layers. If you prefer dark chocolate over milk, use that instead. For this scrumptious recipe, read more

Milk Chocolate Florentine Cookies
From Very Best Baking

2/3 cup butter
2 cups quick oats
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light or dark corn syrup
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups (11.5 oz. pkg.) milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375° F. Line baking sheets with foil.
Melt butter in medium saucepan; remove from heat. Stir in oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla extract and salt; mix well.
Drop by level teaspoons, about 3 inches apart, onto foil-lined baking sheets. Spread thinly with rubber spatula.
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets on wire racks. Peel foil from cookies.
Microwave morsels in medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on medium high (70%) power for 1 minute; stir. Morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10 to 15-second intervals, stirring just until morsels are melted. Spread thin layer of melted chocolate onto flat side of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies to make sandwiches.

Makes about 42 cookies.

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The Birth Of Chicken Marengo

partysugar — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 01:10:39 -0700

June 14, 1800 was a significant day in French history: at the Battle of Marengo - in Northern Italy - the Napoleon-led French forces drove back the Austrians. This day sealed the fate of Napoleon's successful Italian campaign and a chicken dish was created in honor of the battle. The creation, Chicken Marengo, grew to be one of Napoleon's favorite post war meals, as well as one known around the globe. The dish is just as delicious now, with the chicken smothered in a mushroom and tomato sauce, as it was then. Flavored with fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, and crushed garlic, this is a fragrant must make chicken recipe. Experience a part of history, get the recipe now, just read more

Chicken Marengo
From Whole Foods

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3–4 garlic cloves, crushed
11/2 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes, drained
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 lb portobello mushrooms, diced
juice of 1 lemon
extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup basil, torn
3 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

Sauté the onions and garlic in vegetable oil until translucent.
Coat the chicken with flour, salt and red pepper flakes. Add the pieces of chicken to the pan with the oil and sauté until browned on all sides. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan and sauté the mushrooms until tender. Sprinkle the mushrooms with lemon juice.
Remove the chicken pieces from pot, drizzle with olive oil and place them in a serving dish. Keep warm. Add the mushrooms, basil and chopped parsley to the tomato sauce, pour over the chicken, and toss well.

Serves 4

Nutrition Info: Per Serving (10 oz-wt.): 340 calories (110 from fat), 12g total fat, 4g saturated fat, 35g protein, 23g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 2g sugar), 95mg cholesterol, 580mg sodium

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Happy Hour: Loimer Lois Grüner Veltliner

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 13:58:19 -0700

This weekend I found myself in the wine section of my local grocery store, staring at what appeared to be a green wine. Since St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, I figured I might as well take it home and see what it was all about (besides thanks to global warming, it was really warm out that day and a cold white wine sounded great).

The bottle had a bright green screw on cap and a simple white label with the word "Lois" printed on it. It appeared green, but on futher inspection we discovered that the inside of the label was green, and the reflection gave the wine a nice emerald hue. Lois is an Austrian wine formally called Loimer Lois Grüner Veltliner and is naturally light in alcohol (11.8%). Grüner Veltliner (which is known as "Gru-vee" and happens to be Austria's national grape) is becoming one of the world's new trendy white wines.

Overall Lois was very pale (there was a slight greeny-yellow tint) and was rather tart and dry with hints of green apple, lemon-lime and a tiny bit of white pepper. It was definitely refreshing on such a warm night and was sipped down quite easily.

Is it really a St. Patty's Day drink? Not particularly, but it will look festive sitting on your table and is a great way to start the night. Available for under $15.