Posts Tagged ‘wine’
Posted by Geoff Nelowet / Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
Eva Burns, our stylist and blo gger at So Simpatico, sets the tone to this casual, chic set-up. Here, she gives you the rundown on how you can capture this in your own home.
Styled by Eva Burns • Photography by Kate Bohler
Food Bar Setting - This look is all about layers. Start with the back and work your way forward. Bring in some height by using taller flower arrangements, terrariums and po tted plants that will also tie in with your centerpiece elements. Layer in food items that have height themselves. The last layer in the front is all the shorter items (jars of honey, salt and pepper shaker, a bowl of strawberries, and a pla tter with asparagus and prosciu tto).
Salt & Pepper Ripple Dark Gray, Peacock Road, $32/pair; Olive Wood Spoons, Peacock Road, $7 and $7.50; 9” Small Resin Paperwhite Bulb, Peacock Road, $6.50; Slate Cheese Board, Red Barn Mercantile, $50; Glass bottle, Peacock Road, $8.95; Large Ruled Pitcher, Red Barn Mercantile, $28; 1970s Green Ice Bucket, The Hour, $80; Mini Copper Tongs (part of a bucket set), The Hour, $90; Linden Ecru 60” x 90” Tablecloth, Crate and Barrel, $54.95; Honey Dipper, Crate and Barrel, $2.95; Small Slate Board, Crate and Barrel, $9.95
Centerpiece – Since there were so many elements contributing to the centerpieces, I stuck with one type of flower, the yellow daffodil. The bright yellow works great with the greens in the terrariums and the place se ings. All the terrariums have the same chartreuse reindeer moss. Try increasing visual interest by incorporating unexpected objects (rocks, antlers, mushrooms). Keep centerpieces low so guests can easily converse, but don’t be afraid to fill up the table—zig-zag each piece in one continuous line.
Table Setting – The most important thing when mixing tableware and patt erns is to keep it in the same color family. I chose greens and blues paired with bits of pink. The linens stayed neutral so the colors could really pop.
Linden Slate 60” x 90” Tablecloth, Crate and Barrel, $54.95; Bubble Vase, Peacock Road, $6.50; Nasturium Pick, Peacock Road, $4; Mushroom Cluster of Four, Peacock Road, $32; Pink Swirled Glass Coupes, The Hour, $200/set of 9; Green Tico Glass, The Hour, $200/set of 8; Soda-lime Mugs, Anthropologie, $10/each; Natural World Dessert Plates, Anthropologie, $18/ each; Sissinghurst Castle Dinnerware, Anthropologie, $24/each; Heather Lins Numbered Linen Napkins, designpublic.com, $120/set of 6
Terrarium 101
Making and maintaining a terrarium is easy, as long as you have the proper layers. The most important ingredient (besides your plant!) is charcoal. This helps collect water runoff after you’ve misted your terrarium.
1 Mix a handful of charcoal with a handful of small pebbles.
2 Fill the bo ttom of your vessel about an inch with this mixture.
3 Layer in about an inch of po tting soil and make a well for your plant.
4 Remove the plant from its container, break up the roots, and place it in the well.
5 Gently pour in more po ing soil to cover all the roots and lightly pat down.
6 Add moss or other li ttle found objects for a personal touch.
Grey Terracotta Saucer, Peacock Road, peacockroad.com, $4; • Glass-Domed Willow Serving (2 piece), Peacock Road, peacockroad.com, $45; • Flocked Green Nest, Peacock Road, peacockroad.com, $8.95; • White Egg Cup, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel.com, $1.95/each; • Acacia Wedge Server, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel.com, $14.95; • Mini Glass Creamer, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel. com, $2.95; • Glass-Domed Cheese Board, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel.com, $34.95
The Recipes
Onion “Pop Tarts”
Turn a kid favorite into a savory breakfast treat. Flaky pastry dough fi lled with caramelized onions and bacon is the perfect complement to any brunch.
1/3 lb. bacon 1 sweet onion
1 T olive oil
1 T sugar
1 T balsamic vinegar salt & pepper, to taste puff pastry (thawed if frozen)
1 egg
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2 Cut bacon into small pieces, and sauté bacon in a pan over medium heat until browned and crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease.
3 Thinly slice the onion, and place in a pan with olive oil over mediumlow heat, stirring occasionally. A fter five minutes, add the sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until onions are caramelized and tender, about 25-30 minutes. During the last five minutes, add the balsamic vinegar.
4 Add the bacon to the cooked onions, and set aside to cool.
5 Cut 24 discs out of the puff pastry (this will make 12 tarts, top and bo ttom). Place 12 discs down on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and place 1-2 tablespoons of the cooled onion-bacon mixture onto each disc.
6 Whisk an eg with a tablespoon of water to make an eg wash. Brush the perimeter of each disc with the egg wash.
7 Place a top disc on each of the tarts, and pinch edges together with your fingers or with the tines of a fork. Cut a small slit in the top of each tart, and brush the tops with a light coating of egg wash.
8 Bake until tarts are golden brown and pastry has puffed, about 30-40 minutes.
Afternoon Mimosa
A new take on the classic.
2 tsp finely grated orange zest (about one orange)
2 tsp sugar bitters Champagne
1 With a mortar and pestle, muddle orange zest and sugar into a paste.
2 Place about ½ teaspoon of the paste into each Champagne flute.
3 Add 5 drops of bi tters to each glass.
4 Fill the glasses with Champagne. Makes four.
Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus
1 lb. prosciutto, halved lengthwise
2 bunches asparagus Parmesan cheese
1 Wash the asparagus, and trim the ends.
2 Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and season with a handful of salt. Once it reaches a boil, place the asparagus in the water for one minute. A fter one minute, remove the asparagus, and place them immediately into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the asparagus once cooled.
3 Wrap each stalk of asparagus with a halved piece of prosciu tto, starting an inch above the base and wrapping it in a corkscrew up the stalk, leaving the tip exposed.
4 Arrange on pla tter in bunches, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese shavings and salt and pepper. – Recipe provided by Dinner Ma tters; www.dinnermatters.net
Pickled Strawberries: A Spring Recipe
Posted by Geoff Nelowet / Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
Be warned: Our pickled recipe is for serious sour lovers. Eat straight from the jar or combine with goat cheese for a creamy, tart sandwich. Recipe by Sally Traynham.
by Stefanie Gans
Sally Traynham
¼ c. red wine (we used pinot noir)
¼ c. red wine vinegar
1 c. water
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. whole peppercorns
½ tsp. allspice
3-inch piece orange peel
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper fl ake s
1 pint strawberries, stems removed
1 Combine all of the ingredients, except the strawberries, in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2 Let the vinegar solution cool to room temperature.
3 Place strawberries in a jar and pour the cooled vinegar solution over strawberries.
4 Seal the jar with an air-tight lid and place in refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
5 Enjoy within two weeks.
Wine-d Down: News and Events for the Grape-Loving Lush
Posted by Sally Traynham / Friday, April 20th, 2012
While California’s marijuana-laced wine gets smokin’ reviews (Happy 4/20 dudes!), here are some local events for everyone from the beginner to the lush:
Bitch and Whine every last Thursday of the month at Jackson 20‘s special local wine tasting. Next week (4/26) features wines from Breaux Vineyards. [Jackson 20]
Take a trip around the world while adventuring through international wines at Olde Dominion Wine Shoppe this weekend. [Olde Dominion Wine Shoppe]
Get away for the weekend. The Winery at La Grange is hosting a weekend of live music and sangria. Bring a picnic or choose from its own menu. [Winery at La Grange]
Want to get a bit further away? Check out the Blue Ridge Oyster Festival featuring two new wine releases with proceeds from the event and silent auction benefiting the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Blue Ridge. [Blue Ridge Oyster Festival]
Winemaker Wednesday starts next week to get you through the mid-week hump. [The Frenchman's Cellar]
Need a perfect at wine pairing at home so you don’t have to pay the big bucks? Popcorn shrimp is the perfect partner. [VWL Magazine Newsletter]
Have some family fun at Barrel Oak Winery this weekend with live music on the patio, gourmet pizzas and great wine. [Barrel Oak Winery]
Photo: Lichtmeister/Shutterstock
[tips for the food desk]
Happy Hour: Calling All Wine-Chocolate-Pottery Lovers
Posted by Lorin Drinkard / Thursday, April 19th, 2012
Look. Our glasses are touching. / Photo credit: Shutterstock/ Kzenon
Call it the perfect trifecta, the ultimate trio. Tonight at The Cooley Gallery guests will experience all three as Girl’s Night Out commences. With 3 Fox Vineyards providing the vino and MC2 Confections bringing the chocolate goodies, it’s a fabulous way to unwind from a long work week while browsing through the Gallery’s latest work.
Richard Busch’s “Hippie” photos are still on display this month. The former LIFE magazine staffer/photographer captured the shots during the ’60s and ’70s and his collection demonstrates the original flower power. Justin Rothshank’s pottery is also available for viewing. His ceramic work has been shown across the world as well as in publications like Ceramics Monthly, The Log Book and Studio Potter.
The Cooley Gallery, 5:30 to 8 pm; 12 S. King St., Leesburg; 703-779-4639; www.thecooleygallery.com.
– Lorin Drinkard
The (New and Expanded) Curious Grape
Posted by Sally Traynham / Thursday, March 29th, 2012
The Curious Grape is back.
The retail section for wine.
After shutting its doors Memorial Day weekend last year, The Curious Grape opened this Monday just around the block from its previous address. The multi-functional space serves as a coffee shop with grab-and-go options during the day, a wine bar with a full menu at night and a retail space with a selection of wine, gourmet cheese, single-origin chocolate and gourmet food products.
Among the new elements to the shop is the private dining space that doubles as tasting room for educational seminars. Suzanne McGrath, co-owner and pastry adviser, presses how important food and wine education is at the Curious Grape—a favorite pastime of Curious Grape regulars—and is excited to have a larger space to use.
While the amount of options might seem overwhelming, the vision is clear for guests: to make wine and food more accessible and to learn how to enjoy them together.
Bar seating where patrons can interact with the cheese expert.
The wine bar is meant to encourage and facilitate wine and food pairings and get the diner involved. Unlike most wine and food pairings where the menu recommends a certain wine with each dish, the Curious Grapes’ menu recommends a style of wine that would go with each dish. Then the customer can go to the list of that style of wine and pick one that he or she would like to try.
McGrath explains that this gives the customer options and let’s them explore. “Most menu items and wines come offered in half-portions and half-glasses so the diners can enjoy multiple wine and food pairings over the course of one meal,” says McGrath.
“The menu and cafe pastries will also feature items sold in the retail store, which will show people how to use some of the lesser known products,” such as the log of Parmesan Butter—made from the milk used in making Parmesan cheese—that McGrath will add to popovers. She is also excited about a coffee and chocolate pairing that would allow participants to taste coffee and chocolate from the same origin together, ultimately showing the nuances that geographical location imparts on flavor.
As I was walked around the store, I could hear the gasps from Curious Grape regulars as they walked into the new store for the first time. The Curious Grape is back.
>>>Click for more photos.
Straight From the Source: Paradise Springs Introduces Barrel Wine Tastings
Posted by Joey Hernandez / Friday, March 9th, 2012
Barrels are a huge part of the wine making process but we rarely get to drink straight from them.
Paradise Springs Winery opens up the barrel room for its Barrel Tasting Weekend series. During this series, tasters will sample not-yet-bottled wines from the 2011 vintage and learn about the process and production of wine. The wines will be poured straight from the barrel to the glass allowing each taster to get a sneak peak of that wine while still in production and before it’s available by the bottle.
Tasters will learn the different stages of wine and deciphering the notes, flavor profiles and aromas of each wine at that particular stage of development and painting a picture of what is to be expected of the final bottled product. Wines available at the tasting: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier, Petit Verdot, Tannat, Norton and fortified Port.
Barrel Tasting Weekends began just last weekend and will continue for most of March. The $25 tasting (which includes light fare) lasts about an hour. Check Paradise Springs Winery for more information.
Photo: shutterstock/JirkaBursik
[tips for the food desk / follow @JoeyHndz]
Green Roost – We’ll Toast To That
Posted by Lorin Drinkard / Thursday, March 8th, 2012
Happy happy hour!
Parties just make the world a better place. / Shutterstock_Candybox Images
We just love birthdays, don’t you? Any excuse to wear a silly party hat + nibble on chocolately cake is a-okay in our book. Tomorrow night Green Roost, a lovely earth-friendly store in downtown Culpeper, is making it a splendid affair to ring in their third anniversary.
Posted by Sally Traynham / Tuesday, February 28th, 2012
NoVA has three gold medalists (even before the Olympics begin): Potomac Point Winery, Sunset Hills Vineyard and Tarara Winery.
This past Thursday, the Virginia Wineries Association’s Governor’s Cup Gala kicked off the 5th Annual Virginia Wine Expo, a one-stop shop for tasting the many liquid libations of 75 Virginia-exclusive wineries.
The gala honored the 2012 top twelve, highest-ranking wines in Virginia (out of the thirteen that received gold medals). Three of these gold medals belong to wines that are NoVA grown.
Which wines won?
Potomac Point Winery: 2009 Heritage Reserve Meritage Blend
Sunset Hills Vineyard: 2007 Cabernet Franc
Tarara Winery: 2010 Honah Lee White Vinifera Blend
Check out upcoming events at these wineries and more on our March Food & Wine Calendar!
Photo: JirkaBursik/Shutterstock
[tips for the food desk]
5 New Ways to Food on Valentine’s Day
Posted by Sally Traynham / Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
The stress of Valentine’s Day may be looming on your shoulders as February kicks off tomorrow. This year, plan ahead and avoid the craziness of Valentine’s Day goers looking to drop loads of cash on fancy dinners.
Instead, stay in, simplify life and enjoy the evening with your loved one by doing something different than selecting items off the traditional prix-fixe menu.
Need Ideas? Here’s my list:
1 . Have a Movie Night with a Kicked-Up Snack.
Customize a movie list for the perfect evening with you and your beaux, but don’t forget the popcorn. Because you are not eating out this year, splurge by making some truffle butter. Buy some truffle salt and sprinkle it over perfectly popped and buttered popcorn. [William Sonoma - truffle salt]
2. Pack a Picnic.
Since Mother Nature can’t make up her mind, this year might be a perfect year for a picnic at sunset. However, even if you decide to take the party inside and enjoy the warm fire, open up that blanket and indulge in a spread that includes wine, food and sweet treats. [World Market - cozy blankets]
3. Taste New Beers and Wines.
If beer and wine is your thing, set up an at-home, customized tasting for the evening. Try a few glasses from new breweries or vineyards and pair them with chocolate or cheese. [The Hour Shop - modern glassware/barware]
4. Dip Strawberries.
Nothing is more delicious and sexy than a chocolate dipped strawberry. Buy strawberries and dark and white chocolate at the store and set up a strawberry dipping bar. Eat them right away or let them set up and feed them to each other after dinner for an exceptionally sexy Valentine’s Day. [Frans Cake & Candy Supplies - tools for dipping strawberries]
5. Make S’mores.
Cozy up around a fireplace or an outdoor grill and roast marshmallows that will sandwich perfectly in between two graham crackers and some dark chocolate. [The Dairy Godmother - homemade marshmallows]
Photo: Shutterstock/bonchan
[tips for the food desk]
When You Want to Work Out and Drink: Sips & Sneakers
Posted by Lorin Drinkard / Thursday, January 19th, 2012
Pre-race. / Photo credit: Lorin Drinkard
Have you ever walked through a shopping mall and thought, “Why not be drinking adult beverages while doing this?” Meet Washington Wine Academy (WWA), the brains behind making that notion a reality.