877.812.1137

cooking

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

If you’re obsessed with wings like I am, but are looking for a healthier alternative, try these air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites! Cauliflower has a similar texture to potatoes, but without all the carbs. There are a few way you can prepare these, but I’ve been obsessed with my air fryer lately so that’s what I’ll be using for this recipe.

What you’ll need:

About 5 cups of cauliflower, chopped into florets

Buffalo Sauce – Frank’s Mild Buffalo sauce is my all time favorite!

Unsalted butter

How you’ll do it:

Spray the cooking basket in the air fryer with some non stick cooking spray

Add the cauliflower and cook at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Toss the cauliflower and add back in for about 5 minutes if they aren’t crispy yet. (Try cooking the cauliflower in smaller batches if they come out soggy – I’ve noticed if you over pack the air fryer they tend to not crisp evenly.)

Add cold butter to the warmed buffalo sauce and add to a large bowl, and pour the sauce mixture on stop and toss to fully coat.

Serve with blue cheese dressing for dipping and carrots and celery sticks to serve on the side.

The impossible pairing:

Yes, you can pair a wine (actually, quite a few!) to go with your buffalo dishes. A slightly sweet white wine will compliment the buffalo sauce the best. Reach for a Champagne, Moscato D’Asti or a Riesling. The fruity flavors and the low level of tannins really works with the buttery spice and they also help with the heat!

Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Caramel chocolate chip cookies are a treat definite to make you swoon. The best part? This can be a quick, easy recipe so you’ll be enjoying these sweet treats in no time!

Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

First, you’ll need the ingredients!

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of butter

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 & 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 cup of chocolate chips (I usually use milk chocolate, but you have the freedom to pick which chocolate you like more!)

1 cup of caramel chips

1-2 Tablespoons of sea salt (coarse)

Next, combine and bake!

Firstly, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Secondly, beat the butter and sugars together in a separate bowl. You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a handheld mixer on low speed until combined. Thirdly, Beat the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl until combined and then stir into the flour mixture until well blended. Fourthly, Add chocolate and caramel chips, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and place cookie dough onto a baking sheet spaced two inches apart. You can use a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop to measure out the side of each cookie. Press sea salt on the tops of each cookie. Finally, bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned and allow to cool.

Wait, nothing is complete without a glass of wine…

Have you ever made Port before? It pairs perfectly with these cookies! The rich textures, fresh fruit factors, hints of chocolate, and sweet profile of Ruby Port makes it a no-brainer for pairing with many kinds of caramel, milk, and dark chocolate choices.

How to Make Port Wine:

You can make port from existing wine by adding grain alcohol, everclear, or brandy. First, determine the alcohol level you want your port to be. Second, use Pearson’s Square to determine how much brandy you need to add. Third, add that amount of brandy and sugar adjustment to the wine.

Want to dive deeper? Learn How to Make Port Wine Step by Step with this Video from MWG’s online learning program WinemakingInstructions.com.

Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

Calling all shrimp lovers! We’ve got a recipe ready to knock your tastebuds out of the park. Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp. Oh yeah – we went there. Pair with Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Noir.

How to make it:

If you don’t have an air fryer then what are you doing? Go get one and hop on this recipe ASAP! Air frying allows you to have the experience of oh-so-good friend seafood without all the grease and deep frying. Shrimp can be delicate and you may be skeptical about using your air fryer to cook them, but we haven’t had any issues with it cooking them to anything less than perfect.

We personally love crunchy shrimp, so this recipe will call for these to yield crunchy shrimp. You can reduce the amount of ingredients to your discretion if you prefer them less crunchy! We’ll be using flour, eggs, panko breadcrumbs, and shredded coconut to bread the shrimp.

Firstly, preheat your air fryer to 390 degrees Fahrenheit and set up your ingredients in multiple bowls. You should have a bowl for your flour, beaten eggs, and panko flour mixed with shredded coconut.  We also use fresh, raw shrimp because there’s no need to wait for defrosting and we also believe it cooks better than if you were using already cooked shrimp. Using already cooked shrimp could cause them to shrink and dehydrate.

Secondly, dip each piece of shrimp in your bowls in the following order: First the flour, then the egg, and then the panko and shredded coconut mixture.

Now, lightly spray the basket with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Line up your shrimp in the basket in a single layer, they will cook evenly this way opposed to on top of each other. Spray a small amount of oil on the shrimp and cook for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, reopen the air fryer and flip the shrimp, spraying another small amount of oil on the flipped side of the shrimp to ensure even cooking. Close the air fryer and continue to cook for about 4-5 more minutes. Once finished, serve with sweet chili sauce for the ultimate flavorbomb! This Panda Express Chili Sauce you can find at Target is pretty good!

Interested in Making Your Own Wine? Give us a call (877-812-1137) or email us (sales@juicegrape.com) and we will help you get started!

Brasato al Barbera (Beef Braised in Barbera) Recipe

Brasato al Barbera (Beef Braised in Barbera)

A Piedmont style braised beef recipe cooked in red wine.

Brasato al Barbera (Beef Braised in Barbera)

Known as “the people’s wine”, Barbera is an everyday drinking wine from the Piedmont region.

Barbera is a palate pleaser because it is easy to drink, well balanced and affordable.

Our 2017 Barbera has flavors of cherries, strawberries and raspberries, and intense aromas of blackberries. This Barbera is very low in mouth-drying tannins and high in acidity, which makes it the perfect wine to pair with rich foods like cheeses, meats and earthy mushrooms.

What you’ll need:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 (3-pound) boneless beef chuck roast, patted dry
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 ounces pancetta, diced
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 4 medium carrots, diced
  • 4 celery stalks, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 bottles (4 1/2 cups) Barbera
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

 

What to do:

  • Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
  • In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper.
  • Add the beef to the pot and cook, turning every 2-3 minutes, to brown on all sides.
  • Once browned, remove the beef from the pan, add the pancetta to the fat in the pan and cook until browned, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the onions, carrots, celery and a pinch of salt; cook until caramelized, about 15 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Return the beef to the pan and add the wine, 2 cups of the stock, rosemary, bay leaves and cinnamon stick.
  • Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium-high heat, then cover tightly and transfer the pot to oven.
  • As it’s cooking, turn the roast every 30 minutes until fully tender and a meat is starting to fall apart when poked with a fork (3 1/2-4 hours). Remove the meat from the pan and tent with foil to keep warm.
  • Remove the rosemary, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick, and place the pot over high heat. Cook about 10 minutes.
  • Ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot sauce into a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the hot sauce then add slurry back into the sauce in the pan and cook another 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened a bit.
  • Adjust the seasoning to taste and turn the heat off. Place meat onto a platter. If it has not completely fallen apart, thinly slice the beef across the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices. Serve the beef ladled with the sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Want to make your own Barbera? Musto Wine Grape Company is New England’s largest supplier for winemaking products and services. From home winemakers to wineries, we’ve got you covered! Give us a call at 877 – 812 – 1137 to speak with someone to get you started.

Christmas morning popover and Champagne pairing

There’s nothing quite like the smell of popovers fresh out of the oven on Christmas morning.

Have you ever had popovers before? Maybe you have, maybe not… if you haven’t found yourself so lucky as to try one of these heavenly gifts from the baking gods, then maybe this holiday season is the time to try making them!

The following recipe for popovers is a very basic version of these baked goods. You can either add things like butter or jam to them, use them for sandwich bread, or even try baking something inside. The possibilities are endless!

You will need:

  • 8 eggs

  • 1 qt bread flour (all purpose will work fine, but bread flour is preferable)

  • 1 qt milk

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup oil

  • 1/2 T salt

Directions:

  1. Beat flour, milk, butter, and salt. Add the eggs one by one and continue beating while doing so.

  2. Lightly oil popover pan.

  3. Fill each section 3/4 full with popover mix.

  4. Bake for 15 minutes at 450F. Then continue cooking for 20 minutes on 350F. (Don’t open the oven door while they’re cooking! Keep the light on to watch them and take them out once they have turned golden brown.)

  5. Remove from oven, let cool, and ENJOY!

Note: Serve with butter, and a glass of Brut Champagne. Trust us. Primary flavors of apple, cream, almond, and toast are a perfect pairing with these warm, toasty baked goods.