YumSugar

Happy Hour: Inniskillin Sparkling Ice Wine

YumSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:15:49 -0700

At the Aspen Classic, PartySugar and I came across Inniskillin, an ice wine maker from Canada. Their Sparkling Ice Wine was unbelievably delicious and a true dessert wine treat. Although it has a rather high price point, around $70 for a 375ml bottle, ice wines cost more than regular dessert wines because they're produced from grapes that have been frozen on the vine. The labor-intensive technique results in a sweeter, very concentrated wine.

The sparkling varietal from Inniskillin has a light hint of apricot and caramel. The tiny bubbles brighten the body, making it less syrupy. It would pair well with fruits, poundcake, or blue cheese, but it's tasty enough to sip on its own.

The folks at Inniskillin call their sparkling ice wine "liquid gold," and I've got to say, they're not far off. Have you ever tried ice wine? What did you think of it?

Good Things Come in Small Chocolate Packages

YumSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:15:15 -0700

I love to follow up a nice meal with a little something sweet. It doesn't have to be much, just a little morsel at the end. Keeping this in mind, I went out to find a simple, sweet bite and stumbled across this recipe for Ice Wine Truffles. It looks ridiculously easy and wonderfully tasty so I'm going to give it a try. If you want to join me, get the recipe when you read more.

Ice Wine Truffles
From Christine Cushing via Food Network Canada

Note: If you don't have ice wine on hand, substitute with your favorite dessert wine or flavored liqueur.

Ingredients

6 oz good quality bitter sweet chocolate (180 gm)
1/2 cup whipping (35%) cream (125 ml)
2 tbsp ice wine (30 ml)
Finely chopped whole almonds (skin on), to taste
Good-quality cocoa powder, for rolling

Directions

Chop the chocolate very finely and transfer to a medium bowl.
Boil cream and immediately pour over chopped chocolate.
Stir until all chocolate has melted.
Stir in ice wine until blended.
Cover surface with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.
Scoop into small balls with melon baller and transfer to a baking sheet.
Freeze for 10 minutes.
Roll truffles in almonds, then dust with cocoa powder.

Makes 20 truffles.

Print recipe with images | without images

Definition: Ice Wine

partysugar — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 09:58:31 -0700

Ice Wine
A type of dessert wine that is made with frozen grapes. The grapes are picked and pressed when frozen and only the grape juice is used in the wine making process. The majority of the water is frozen so the pressed grape juice is highly concentrated resulting in a very sweet wine. Since they have consistent cold weather, the best ice wines come from Germany, Austria, and Canada.

Do You Ever Drink Wine With Ice?

YumSugar — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:00:23 -0700

Since I never enjoy my wine with ice (sangria doesn't count!), I was fascinated by a recent article in the Chicago Tribune where tasting panelists concluded certain wines actually taste better with a few ice cubes floating around in them. It got me to thinking whether I should start trying this unconventional wine drinking method - especially while the weather is still warm. Do you ever drink wine on ice?

Cranberries Move From Sauce to Sorbet

YumSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:28:15 -0800

Although Thanksgiving is all about tradition, I love to take a quintessential holiday ingredient and add a new twist to it. Cranberry sauce is essential to turkey day, but it's time to move this berry over to dessert - with a white wine and ginger infused cranberry sorbet. Normally sorbet is served between courses to cleanse the palate. However, I like to offer it after the feast for guests who prefer something lighter and more refreshing than pumpkin pie. If you're interested in moving your cranberries from the dinner table to the dessert table, keep reading.

Happy Hour: Codorníu Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé

partysugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:15:23 -0700

My favorite dance scene from the 1963 Ann Margret musical Bye Bye Birdie is entitled "Lot of Livin to Do." In it, she sings of "drinking Champagne as if it were water." But, not just any Champagne - pink Champagne. When I was little, I too, dreamed of drinking pink Champagne as if it were water. Well as luck would have it, sometimes I do!

My current favorite "pink Champagne" is actually a sparkling Cava Pinot Noir Rosé from Spain. It's refreshingly dry with light airy bubbles. It's an elegant, yet playful wine that is both crisp and fruity. The aroma is reminiscent of berries and it has a light body that coats the tongue.

What I love most about this sparking Rosé is its easy drinkability. I've enjoyed it with everything from cheesy rich appetizers to roast chicken to a light green salad. The affordable $15 price is the icing on the cake. Do you sip sparkling Rosé?

YumSugar Gift Guide: Wacky White Elephant

partysugar — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:54:13 -0800

A White Elephant is a type of gift exchange in which each guest is asked to bring an anonymous wrapped gift. Usually, there is a maximum amount of money that can be spent, and oftentimes the gifts are unpractical and eccentric. If you are attending a White Elephant party bring fun shaped ice cube trays. A set of Emeril's spices are hysterical and could provoke conversation about the future of Food Network. However, my favorite gift is this chicken kitchen timer. It's ten percent bizarre and 90 percent practical. I definitely wouldn't buy it for myself, but it would be fun to get at a White Elephant gift exchange.

For more wacky White Elephant gifts, browse below.

Ice cube tray ($1.99)	Chicken Kitchen Timer ($8.95)
Veggie Ornaments ($9.99)	Wine Bottle Gift Bags ($12.95)
Essence Assortment (Set of 4) by Emeril Lagasse ($14.95)	Way Cool Way Hot Mini-Fridge ($130.00)

Happy Hour: Quady Elysium

YumSugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:30:49 -0700

While hosting a spur-of-the-moment dinner two nights ago, I wanted something sweet to end our meal, so I invited my guests to enjoy a glass of liquid dessert: Quady Elysium ($15.99), made with black muscat grapes.

The concentrated, blackberry-hued wine is rich with both floral and fruity flavors, so I enjoyed it in little sips. Because it's so intensely sweet and full-bodied, it's easy to overlook the alcohol content. Although it's detectable on the nose, I was surprised to find it was 15 percent alcohol, and had to pace myself! The winery also recommends enjoying it on ice with equal parts tonic water and wine, with a squeeze of lemon - something I fully intend to try next time I want a sweet sip that won't get me sloshed.

I've been hooked on stickies made by Quady Winery, a Central California-based producer that specializes in fortified wines, ever since I sampled its other dessert wine, Electra. Have you ever enjoyed Elysium or Quady's other dessert wines?

Noteworthy Nibbles - Sept. 1-8, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:30:50 -0700

Even though Memorial Day seemed like yesterday, Labor Day's already crept up on us. If you don't have major travel plans for the long weekend, celebrate Summer's last hurrah with a gaggle of glorious food festivals, big and small.

Enjoy potjie, a three-legged South African cooking pot, in Texas, butterbeans in Alabama, and hamburgers in Pennsylvania.

The two events I'm really dying to attend? The famed Best in the West Rib Cook-Off and upstate New York's yearly Buffalo Wing Festival. Where will you make an appearance this weekend? Let us know in the comments below!

St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Cooks! - Sept. 1
New York, NY: Slow U: Ice Cream, From Sugar and Snow - Sept. 1
Millersport, OH: Millersport Sweet Corn Festival - Sept. 2-5
Sparks, NV: Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off - Sept. 2-7
Morgan City, LA: Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival - Sept. 3-7
Village of Pinehurst, NC: Pinehurst Food & Wine Fest - Sept. 3-7
Sonoma, CA: Sonoma Wine Country Weekend - Sept. 4-6
Kerrville, TX: Kerrville Wine & Music Festival - Sept. 4-6
Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis Rib America Festival - Sept. 4-7
Rusk, TX: Texas Potjie Festival - Sept. 4-7
Denver, CO: A Taste of Colorado – Sept. 4-7
Cleveland, OH: Taste of Cleveland - Sept. 4-7
Fallon, NV: Fallon Cantaloupe Festival - Sept. 4-7
Hamburg, PA: Taste of Hamburg-er Festival - Sept. 5

To see the rest, read more.

Pinson, AL: Alabama Butterbean Festival - Sept. 5
Irvington, VA: Irvington Stomp - Sept. 5
Hatch, NM: Hatch Valley Chile Festival - Sept. 5-6
Millbrae, CA: Millbrae Art & Wine Festival - Sept. 5-6
Buffalo, NY: National Buffalo Wing Festival - Sept. 5-6
Shawnee, PA: Pocono Garlic Festival - Sept. 5-6
Arthur, IL: Amish Country Cheese Festival - Sept. 5-7
Bernalillo, NM: New Mexico Wine Festival - Sept. 5-7
Martin, TN: Tennessee Soybean Festival - Sept. 5-13
New Orleans, LA: The Big Two Revisted: Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz - Sept. 8

Source

Let's Dish: What's Your Before-Bedtime Snack?

YumSugar — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:30:42 -0700

Last month, I shared a dark secret with you: I'm reluctant to climb in between the sheets without snuggling up to a glass of red wine and a hunk of chocolate first. Before I was of drinking age, my favorite way to wind down before bed was with a cup of Blue Bell ice cream or a bowl of chilled, sliced fruit, like watermelon, mango, or papaya.

What do you feel inclined to eat right before you hit the sack?