After spending an entire day Saturday watching a group of young wine enthusiasts study and train for their Master Sommeliers (if you haven’t seen “Uncorked” on Esquire, its addicting), I was inspired to expand my knowledge of white wine, specifically, Chablis. Chablis is a Chardonnay grape grown in Chablis region in France. I know, you hear Chardonnay in the U.S., and you immediately think “buttery” or “oak”. Chardonnay gets a bad rap (sort of like Merlot after the movie Sideways). There is a shift in the industry to bring a Chardonnay back to a more “natural” state.
I like a crisp Chardonnay fermented in stainless, no oak, more fruit. I chose a Jean Marc Brocard Chablis – Premier Cru. Since I know so little about Chablis, I went with Wine Spectator rating of 91 pts and a moderate price point of $40. It was dry and prominent in apple, a safe pick.
As I get into the heat of the summer, I am looking forward to finding additional Chablis to keep cool
Pairing: I paired this with a Gruyere and a Gouda…two of my favorites!
As I was out looking for some new white wines to try this summer (it has been in the 90’s here, I’m not complaining), I came across a bottle of Champagne and wondered why I don’t drink it more often. I picked it up and decided on a quick pairing with cheese. I already had some Port Salut and a wedge of Brie so I picked up a square of Triple Cream. The champagne, Veuve Clicquot Brut, was very well-balanced, a little dry, went very well with the richness of the Triple Cream. At $50 a bottle, it is great moderately priced champagne for any occasion. Enjoy!
During my last trip to Napa, I had an opportunity to take the Napa Valley Wine Train all the way up to Charles Krug Winery as part of the Live in the Vineyard concert series. We were treated to amazing food, wine and music. We The Kings, went car by car performing throughout the trip (if you haven’t been listening to them you should be).
We were greeted at Charles Krug, the oldest commercial winery in Napa, with a 2015 St. Helena Sauvignon Blanc in the courtyard. Perfect wine for a warm day. I plan on “revisiting” this this summer in Colorado.
We were then escorted inside, where we had the pleasure of tasting the 2013 Limited Release Malbec (my fav), the 2012 Family Reserve Generations and the 2012 Vintage Select Cabernet Sauvignon (all of which were amazing).
All of these wines were paired with some amazing food. I ate these little steak sandwiches like candy. I can’t wait to recreate for my next dinner party!
This vineyard is a highly recommend. If you are in the area, stop in, say hello and enjoy some great wines.
My mother-in-law loves bananas. I mean really loves bananas. She doesn’t cook any more or even use the microwave and bananas are a quick, easy, healthy option. When I’m at the store, I always grab a bunch and yet it seems like I am always out.
Sunday morning, I realize she has stopped eating bananas and they are piling up. I really need to make something with these today. Banana pancakes? Banana bread? Banana smoothie? I decide to go with Banana muffins. The last muffins I made were flourless, so this time, I went more traditional.
In addition to the bananas, I had some raspberries and blueberries that needed to be used and I found a stray package of cream cheese leftover from holiday baking. Expiration was March, but I took the opportunity to use it now, I may not have a second chance.
I used 4 bananas, didn’t measure but guessing it was about 2 cups, maybe a little more. I used my KitchenAid stand to mix together bananas, softened butter and eggs. I added baking soda and baking powder, mixed then added the flour. Batter was pretty sticky, but I didn’t want to over flour or over mix (best thing ever..they were fluffy and moist).
I sprayed my muffin paper with oil before filling (thanks for the tip mom). I filled about 1/3 of the cup with batter then added a small scoop of my cream cheese mix (40z cream cheese softened, 1 tablespoon agave and 1 splash of vanilla extract). I topped some with blueberries and some with raspberries. You can mix the fruit in the batter, but I wanted to make some of each. Then I added a scoop of the banana batter on top of that, securing all the goodness in the middle!
I baked at 325 degrees for about 35-40minutes. They were pretty big, so I adjusted the heat down and let cook longer.
I made 12 so we could have leftovers, but they were gone before lunch!
In a stand mixer, combine bananas, butter and eggs until well mixed.
add baking power and baking soda and mix well.
add flour until combined, do not over mix.
Line a muffin tin with paper cups and spray with oil ( or you can omit the cup and just spray the tin).
Fill cup about ⅓ full with banana batter, then add a small scoop of the cream cheese mixture (combine cream cheese, vanilla and honey until blended). Add raspberries and blueberries if desired and top with more banana batter.
Bake in preheated oven at 325 for 35-40 min or until done.
My mother-in-law loves bananas. I mean really loves bananas. She doesn’t cook any more or even use the microwave and bananas are a quick, easy, healthy option. When I’m at the store, I always grab a bunch and yet it seems like I am always out.
