Friday Cheer! Cupcake Vineyards Red Velvet

It's Friday!!!  It's time for some Friday cheer!!! With wine!!!

Though I've enjoyed more than my fair share of vino, I'm far from a wine connoisseur.  My tastes run to dry wines, whether its red, white or bubbly. I typically buy bottles priced between $5 - 10, though I sometimes splurge with a whopping $15 bottle. My choice in wine is based largely upon label appearance (sorry, it's true) and description written on the back of the bottle.  I am most often drawn to Spanish temperanillos but am willing to try any dry wine. Heck, I'll try a sweet wine. It's wine!

One of my friends has tried the Red Velvet wine from the increasingly popular Cupcake Vineyards. They're a California based winery producing a wide variety of wines from grapes grown on the premises as well as grapes imported from around the world.  They produce multiple reds and whites as well as some bubbly.  Recently, they entered the realm of spirits with the release of Cupcake vodkas.  I've eyed the bottles in the store. I've even been enticed by the label's descriptions. But I'd held off trying any of Cupcake Vineyards wines until this week, when I popped open the Red Velvet.

Red Velvet is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah; each variety lending structure, aroma, depth of flavor and a long creamy finish to this wine. 

Our first blended red wine for Cupcake Vineyards has over the top aromas of chocolate, deep rich blackberries, red fruits that follow through the palate to a creamy mocha finish that is unmistakable in its intensity and length, with a hint of coconut. It’s reminiscent of a blackberry chocolate cupcake with a mocha coulis    (Cupcake Vineyards)

My take:  Red Velvet was very smooth and drinkable, with a dark fruit taste that dominated a hint of chocolate.  It wasn't jammy and never brought to mind rich berries or dark chocolate.  Instead, it was a blend of more moderate versions of both flavors.  I never tasted the coconut mentioned in the description, but I preferred it without that flavor.  While I didn't feel like I was drinking a piece of decadent red velvet cake (oh, how I want a red velvet milkshake!), it did bring the dessert to mind in the same way that the Republic of Tea's Red Velvet Cake tea does--all the flavors are there and working in harmony...it's only the actual cake texture and richness that is missing. I'd buy this bottle again, though it won't be my go-to red wine.  I can't abandon the lush juiciness of my beloved temperanillos!

I also tested Red Velvet in two cooking applications.  First, apples baked with molasses, Red Velvet wine, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans.  While the apples were delicious, the wine was not a prominent flavor in the dish.  I definitely enjoyed slurping the wine reduction in the bottom of the cooking pan!!!

Second, I stewed prunes (don't even say Ewww! Prunes are delicious and under-used!) with two cinnamon sticks in two cups of Red Velvet.  The smell of the stewing prunes was positively intoxicating! I may or may not have hovered over the pot repeatedly to inhale deeply.  In this dish, the wine transformed into a sweet, decadent, slightly spicy (thanks to the cinnamon) syrup that I ate by the spoonful.  Over Greek yogurt, the stewed prunes and wine sauce are incredible. Over ice cream, they'll blow your mind.

Prunes stewing away in Red Velvet wine with cinnamon sticks

Happy Friday!  Hope you enjoy some well-deserved cheer!

Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon Marmalade (for the fridge/freezer)

I have two confessions to make.

One: I'm a hoarder. Of blood oranges. I can't go to the grocery store without purchasing another bag of these two-toned delights. Currently, I count 2.5 bags in my apartment, giving come-hither looks at me every time I walk by.

Two:  I am diagnosing myself with the inability to prevent myself from purchasing jams/preserves/marmalades.  It's bad. You don't even want to know how many different jars of these beauties are in various fridges and cabinets. In two cities. (oops...)

When you get to the heart of the these two issues, though, it really isn't all that bad.

Blood oranges are gorgeous to look at, messy to play with (just ask anyone who has sliced or juiced them), and delightful to eat in any form.  Sometimes called moros, blood oranges have an orange rind that often--but not always--displays a crimson blush that hints at the deep red flesh inside.  In comparison to your standard navel orange, blood oranges are slightly less sweet (though not bitter) and have a more complex flavor.  Okay, "complex" isn't exactly the best descriptive term to share the rich, juicy, less sweet, slightly tangy, indisputably citrusy flavor that is a blood orange, but it is probably the word you'll most often see paired with the fruit.  Since they are only available during the peak citrus season of winter months, I become an obsessive collector of blood oranges.  I love them plain/raw, I love cooking them, I love mixing them into fruit salads, I love using their juice in drinks...but the best way I've found to keep their wonderful, complex (yes, I said it!) flavor in my reach year-round is to make them into a marmalade.

Which brings us to my other obsession, jams/preserves/marmalades. It's not that eat a lot of jam. I don't have toast and jam all that often.  I very infrequently pack PB+J's for lunch (usually when I'm out of other options).  Only occasionally do I use jams in baking, for a glaze or something.  So my obsessive collecting of jams is caused by something else entirely; I have to try the flavor. I can't resist jams with delectable names like Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam or Orange Cranberry Marmalade or Mimosa Jam.  Pumpkin butter or pear butter is in my hands before you could even blink (I had a huge apple butter stage in college, but seemed to have moved on to other fruit butters).  Unusual combinations of flavors sing their siren song, from raspberry - rhubarb preserves to grape jelly made from wine grapes. And I'm a total sucker for a beautifully written description, like Sassy Radish's Peach Jam with Bourbon and Vanilla.

So when I saw my two obsessions come together in a single recipe?  I had to make it.

And I have made it twice in less than a month. Because I have that many blood oranges and I want to enjoy them well into summer and fall.


Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon Marmalade
Adapted from Sassy Radish 

Don't be intimidated!!! This is a recipe where you make the marmalade, but you do not have to go through the canning process. Instead, put the marmalade into a jar (or even an airtight plastic container!) and keep it in the freezer indefinitely. When you open a jar, keep it in the refrigerator. 

Ingredients:
6 small-to-medium blood oranges
4 small-to-medium Meyer lemons
2.5 cups turbinado or demerara/raw sugar

Preparation:
Put a few small plates or bowls in the freezer.

Wash blood oranges and Meyer lemons thoroughly before slicing. You're going to be eating the rinds, so make sure they're clean!

Cut off and discard the ends of the blood oranges and Meyer lemons (the green or black or white points where the citrus was connected to the tree and the point opposite that).  Cut each citrus in half lengthwise, then slice the half into approximately 1/8th-inch pieces (they look like half-moons).  Remove any seeds and any pieces of exposed membrane (the white pieces you often find connecting the segments at the ends).

Blood orange slices - gorgeous!

Measure your sliced citrus. You should have about 2.5 cups.  Put them in a large heavy-bottomed pot.  Add an equal amount of water.  So if you had only 2 cups of citrus, add 2 cups of water. You get the idea.

Slices of blood orange and Meyer lemon, waiting in the pot

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil for 20-30 minutes, stirring every few minutes.  Boil until the citrus peels are very soft and can conform itself to your stirring utensil.

Fully cooked citrus peels

Once the citrus peels are fully cooked, add the sugar to the pot and stir to evenly distribute.  Turn the heat up to high and return to a boil.  Once you reach a boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer for another 30 minutes, until the marmalade is done.  To test for doneness, put a small dab of marmalade on one of your pre-frozen plates. Pop it back in the freezer for 20 seconds, then take it out and tilt the plate. If the dab runs easily across the plate, like water or liquid soap, keep simmering the marmalade.  If the dab moves slowly across the plate, like cold molasses or honey, the marmalade is done.  If you have a candy thermometer, your desired temperature is 222 degrees Farenheit.

Turn off the heat and let the marmalade cool in the pot for at bit. Ladle the marmalade into clean jars, being very careful not to burn your hands with the marmalade or with the glass jars--they will become very hot! Allow the jars to cool to room temperature on the counter before storing in the freezer (long-term) or refrigerator (immediate use).

Finished marmalade, cooling on the countertop

Notes:
This recipe is fairly forgiving. For my first batch, I accidentally added the sugar before boiling the citrus peels.  I just continued to boil, stirring occasionally, until the marmalade was done according the pre-frozen plate test.  Keep the the amounts of each ingredient equal, and all will be good.

One recipe yielded 2-3 glass jars (half-pint sized).

Your kitchen will be filled with the most wonderful aroma of citrus.

My favorite way to enjoy this marmalade?  On a scoop of plain Greek yogurt, sprinkled with walnuts.  I also hear it makes a delicious tea if you put a teaspoon or two in the bottom of a mug and add hot water. I bet it is even good with ice cream or on top of a polenta cake.

Friday Cheer ~ Lychee Jello Cups with Rum

It's Friday. Hooray! We've survived another week of work and chores and getting to bed too late/waking up too early. To start that weekend off properly, you really do need a drink. Okay, you don't actually need a drink...but it certainly is nice to sit back and relax after leaving work on Friday. The way I practice that action is most often with a drink in hand.

Today, my Friday Cheer is inherently fun--an adult (read: alcoholic) jello cup with some unique flavors...Lychee Jello Cups with Rum.

Lychee Jello Cup

Lychees are the fruit from a tropical tree originally native to Asia.  On the tree and immediately after harvesting, the lychee looks like a small pinkish-red sphere, about the size of a ping-pong ball, with bumpy, hard red skin that must be removed before eating.  Inside the protective skin, the flesh of the fruit is white, succulent, and highly nutritious (vitamin C, copper, phosphorous, potassium, polyphenols).  Fun fact: the white portion of the fruit is called an aril, just like pomegranate seeds!  In the center of the fruit is a single dark brown seed that is inedible. Lychees have been consumed in China and other parts of Asia for centuries (back to 2000 BCE!) and are known for their delicate, perfume-y flavor, though the perfume-y flavor is typically lost when the lychee is canned (so try it fresh for maximum impact).  

I've been intrigued by lychees and wondered how to use them. Honestly, I imagined they'd have the crunchy texture of a water chestnut, but they're actually a great deal softer and squishier. I stumbled across a recipe using lychees in jello and decided that was my chance.  So here we go...

Lychee Jello Cups with Rum

Adapted from Ingrid Hoffman, Simply Delicioso.

Ingredients:

2 small boxes of jello mix (preferably flavored with pineapple, lime, or tropical fruit)

1 tbsp. granulated sugar

1 can of lychees (preferably in juice, but mine were in heavy syrup), with 1 cup of juice/syrup reserved

1 cup water

1/3 cup white rum

To make:

-Bring the water to a boil.

-While that happens, combine the jello mix and sugar in a heatproof bowl.

-Add the boiling water to the jello-sugar mix and stir until the mix is fully dissolved (you'll know this has happened when you can no longer see or feel--with your spoon!--any gritty pieces of jello mix or sugar on the bottom of the bowl).

-Add the lychee juice/syrup and rum, stirring to combine.

-In each serving container for the jello (go for something heatproof here, like ramekins or glass cups), put a few lychees, cut in half.

-Ladle or pour the jello over the halved lychees.

-Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. 

Notes: 

-Thinking a bit ahead is key, since you need to refrigerate to set the jello. I make mine the night before I plan to eat them, though this is simple enough that you could make it in the morning before work.

-You could also use fresh lychees (skin and seed removed) and substitute a fruit juice in for the lychee juice/syrup.  Or you could use a fruit other than lychee entirely. 

--Depending on your taste preference, you could swap the white rum for vodka.  Or you could make it non-alcoholic; maybe add some seltzer or sparkling water for a fun, fizzy texture instead.

I only used half my can of lychees, so I'll be testing some other lychee cocktail recipes in the near future!

Happy Friday!

See the Sexy Oatmeal

Thanks to my incredible new camera, I can share pictures of my previously posted Strawberries & Cream Oatmeal recipe. It has the magical ability to get me to eat every last bite of my oatmeal...and to enjoy it. So while you may not think it has the greatest looks, trust me on the taste and give it a try.

Instant oatmeal cooked (ahem, microwaved) in milk, with a strawberry-citrus sauce and chia seeds. 

Chia seeds are one of my more recent food discoveries, and remind me in size and texture to a poppy seed. But they have excellent nutritional value. Try some. You'll never notice them!

The strawberry sauce spreads out under the surface of the oatmeal, so each bite yields that delicious strawberries and cream flavor...

More food and pictures soon!