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Gloria Ferrer Glorious Bites ~ Enjoy My Recipe!
Monthly Archives: September 2016
Gloria Ferrer Glorious Bites ~ The Challenge Begins In Washington, D.C.
September 22, 2016 ~ the day of the Gloria Ferrer Glorious Bites Challenge ~ I started the day with a mimosa at Jackson 20 restaurant, downtown Alexandria, Virginia, just to make sure I got plenty of vitamin C for energy. The mimosa was made with Segura Viudas, Brut Reserva, nv, from Spain and was quite tasty with lots of fizz.
Next it was off down the street to brunch at la Madeleine, Country French Café…
We could not resist this breakfast crêpe…eggs scrambled with your choice of ingredients (we chose bacon, mushroom and Swiss cheese), open faced, house-made herb crêpe topped with Gruyère cheese sauce and fresh parsley. The Gruyère cheese sauce made this dish taste like a cross between crêpe and fondue…delicious! The café offered lots of delicate French pastries, Linzer tart cookies, Sachertort and lovely freshly baked quiche.
We finally stopped eating, at least for a minute, arriving at the location of the challenge ~ Union Kitchen in Washington, D.C.
I had a bit of a “deer in the headlights” look on my face as I picked up this magnum of Gloria Ferrer, but quickly relaxed as I met the folks from Gloria who made me feel right at home and my fellow contestants who were as fun and nice as could be.
We noshed on some delicious cheese provided by Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company.
Our judges for the evening were introduced to us at the beginning of the challenge (pictured below right to left)
Dee Dee Kennedy ~ Breakthru Beverage
Chef Jennifer Luttrell ~ Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company
Daniel Lobsenz ~ The Riggsby, DC
Nycci Nellis was our celebrity judge of the evening:
Nycci Nellis is a mother of five; a foodie born and bred; founder and publisher of www.TheListAreYouOnIt.com (The List), referred to by the Washington Post as “one of the DC area’s premier resources for information about all things food and wine in DC and beyond” for more than 36,000 subscribers. Nycci is also the co-host of Foodie and the Beast (along with her husband, David), DC’s only food and wine variety radio show featuring the who’s who of today’s culinary landscape. Additionally, you can hear Nycci regularly weekly on WTOP radio (103.5 FM), America’s top revenue grossing FM station, among many other regular, TV guest spot appearances during the year. Nycci previously spent more than a year as the local, “Fox 5 Foodie” and has appeared on the Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie with James Beard Award-winning chef Michel Richard.
I’ll publish more details about this fabulous adventure soon… including the recipe for my Glorious Bites entry: “Gloriafied Crab Appetizer”.
Pictured above: the photo of my “Gloriafied Crab Appetizer” that I submitted to the Glorious Bites Challenge.
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Guinness Black Lager Corned Beef Hash
In honor of National Corned Beef Hash Day (Tuesday, September 27, 2016) here’s my favorite recipe for Guinness Black Lager Corned Beef Hash…Enjoy!
Yummy breakfast on a snowy winter day…Corned Beef Hash made with Guinness Black Lager…happily reminiscing about sitting in my favorite pub with my favorite guy enjoying our hearty breakfast!
Makes 6 hearty servings
Place raw corned beef brisket (approximately 2 pounds) in a slow cooker. Cover with Guinness Black Lager (2 – 3 bottles) and sprinkle with spice packet that is included in the corned beef package. Cook on high for 4 hours or until corned beef can be cut easily with a knife. Turn off heat and allow to cool. Cut corned beef into small cubes (cut off any fat) and set aside.
1 small onion, diced
24 fingerling potatoes sliced into thin slices
4 ounces butter (+ more butter if needed)
freshly ground black pepper
12 eggs
Rye, whole wheat or French bread toast
Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion and sauté until onions are transparent and…
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Gloria Ferrer Glorious Bites Challenge ~ Fun Times In Washington, D.C.
in 1982, José Ferrer purchased 250 acres in Sonoma-Craneros countryside in California and opened a vineyard that he named after his wife Gloria. Gloria Ferrer is the first sparkling wine house in Sonoma-Carneros. This lovely bubbly has been my “house sparkling wine” for years, so I was very interested in creating a “glorious bite” to pair with Gloria Ferrer Brut when I noticed this challenge…
Gloria Ferrer received 1,800 entries in their Glorious Bites Challenge and 18 of those entries were selected to compete in their regional cook-offs in Los Angeles, California, Washington, D.C. and Austin, Texas. I was honored to be among the 6 semi-finalists that competed in Washington, D. C.
My wonderfully supportive husband and I had a bubbly fun time and I look forward to sharing my experience with you in the next few posts. Spoiler alert! I did not win the regional contest but I met some fabulous new friends, dined on delicious food and enjoyed lots and LOTS of bubbly!
Many thanks to my fabulous neighbors for tasting my “Gloriafied Crab Appetizer” prior to the Washington, D.C. event.
The evening before we left for D.C. we decided to relax, get me out of the kitchen and enjoy some grilled spareribs with a nice Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The smokey black cherry notes of the wine pair perfectly with the charcoal grilled flavor of the ribs.
On Wednesday morning, on our way to D.C., we stopped by the Scratch Biscuit Company, Memorial Avenue (Grandin Village) Roanoke, Virginia, for a breakfast biscuit…yum! These are “cat’s heads biscuits”…flaky, good size and very delicious down home southern flavor! (Traditionally cat’s heads biscuits are called thus because they are as big as a cat’s head!)
We arrived at our hotel in Alexandria, Virginia and decided to enjoy a “before dinner toast” with Yann Alexandre Champagne. Well balanced with a fine bead, notes of toast and delicate pear. Fabulous way to begin the evening…
We stayed in Alexandria, Virginia and enjoyed noshing on charcuterie ~ house-made duck prosciutto, chutney, figs and house-made crackers at the La Fromagerie restaurant.
http://www.lafromagerieonline.com
Domaine Terre de Mistra Rosé. 35% Syrah, 50% Grenanche, 15% Rolle grapes in this French Provence Rosé was a refreshing pairing with the charcuterie.
I was looking forward to the Gloria Ferrer Glorious Bites cook-off event and decided no matter what the outcome, I would…
I’ll publish more details about this fabulous adventure soon… including the recipe for my Glorious Bites entry: “Gloriafied Crab Appetizer”.
Please visit my Facebook Page: Bubblybee
Patrick Henry High School Band To Preform At Carnegie Hall
Dear Friends,
This blog post is different from my usual champagne and recipe posts. However, it is about something to celebrate and as I always say, “Don’t wait to celebrate!”. On Saturday we attended a Food Festival at Dr. Pepper Park in Roanoke, Virginia, sponsored by the Patrick Henry High School Band Boosters, raising funds to help the band members achieve the dream of performing at Carnegie Hall, New York City, NY. (Now that is something to celebrate!) As a former high school band member I was impressed by the parents and students that worked so hard to put this event together to support what will surely be a life-changing event for some of the band members. And since I recently saw the movie Florence Foster Jenkins starring Meryl Streep, Carnegie Hall was fresh on my mind! (Loved the movie by the way!)
http://www.phpatriotband.org/carnegie-hall-trip-2017/
The Food Festival featured local food vendors and trucks. We enjoyed delicious pork barbecue (the chef pulled the pork at 4 a.m. that morning!) from Bent Mountain Bistro, Bent Mountain, Virginia. This farm-to-table bistro serves delicious wood-fire pizza too!
http://bentmountainbistro.com/
My husband enjoyed a refreshing Deschutes Beer while I enjoyed Viva La Cupcake! Lots of yummy flavors…they even have a Dr. Pepper cupcake (second from the left in the photo below).
If you find an opportunity to support the Patrick Henry High School Band in their endeavor to perform at Carnegie Hall, please do…thank you!
Bravo Patrick Henry High School Band!
Weekend Surprises With Dom Pérignon Vintage1992 and Franciacorta!
Our very bubbly, very special friends shared a bottle of vintage 1992 Moët & Chandon Dom Pérignon champagne with us. A super special treat and a fabulous surprise! 45% pinot noir, 15% pinot meunier, 40% chardonnay grapes this champagne is everything one would expect from a fine wine and more! Richard Juhlin rates this champagne with 91 points. The price point is $215.
This is one time I wish I had a bottomless glass! This bubbly is superb. Buttery, toasty, smooth, perfect little bubbles. Thank you sweet bubbly friends!
https://www.domperignon.com/ww-en/
The next evening we tasted Franciacorta Barone Pizzini Nature for the very first time. Italy’s best-kept secret from the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Franciacorta Barone Pizzini Nature is made with the methodo classico, just like champagne and cava has a second fermentation in the bottle which results in fine consistent bubbles in the glass. 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot nero grapes. 2012 singular vintage. $43 range.
Lots of lemon notes. A bit of grassy notes on the finish not unpleasant. We paired this sparkling with an avocado salad and it was delicious!
http://www.baronepizzini.it/en/
My bubbly sister-in-law introduced me to these FABULOUS oatcakes. Oh my goodness! They are delicious with soft spreadable cheese such as Saint Angel triple-creme cheese or spreadable Brie. Make sure the cheese is very spreadable because the oatcakes are delicate. Top the cheese with a big of fig chutney or your favorite preserves. Enjoy with a glass of bubbly or a cup of hot tea.
Happy Refrigerator at the beach! Bye-bye summer, we will miss you!
Love, Love, Love This Sparkling Limoncello Cocktail! Snap!
Fabulously bubbly time celebrating Autumn wine and citrus with Natalie and Brittany on Daytime Blue Ridge this week. Enjoy this recipe for Sparkling Ginger Limoncello Cocktails and enjoy the show: http://wsls.com/category/daytime/
Sparkling Ginger Limoncello Cocktail
A fun spritzy cocktail with lots of citrus flavor…perfect cocktail to welcome Autumn with a hint of ginger and a light aroma of woodsy rosemary.
For each cocktail:
Place champagne flute in freezer for about 15 minutes to get the flute icy cold. The key to this refreshing cocktail is to make sure it is served very cold.
Place a sugar cube in a champagne flute. Pour 1 tablespoon Snap liqueur over the sugar cube and stir gently. Snap is a ginger liqueur: http://www.artintheage.com/our-spirits/snap
Pour 1/2 jigger limoncello liqueur over the sugar cube.
Fill champagne flute with sparkling wine. Stir very gently just to combine ingredients. Garnish with lemon wheel and fresh rosemary sprig.
Fun appetizers to pair with your Sparkling Limoncello Cocktail:
Pan-fried Prosciutto
Pre-heat a skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Cut thinly sliced prosciutto into 1/2-inch wide strips.
Brown the prosciutto in the skillet for three to four minutes, until it becomes crispy.
Serve fried prosciutto pieces as an appetizer or crumble fried prosciutto to use as a topping for your favorite pasta dish.
Crabmeat Cocktail With Fried Udon Noodle Garnish ~ Thank you to my bubbly neighbor and one of the best culinarians I know…for sharing the Udon noodle garnish idea with me!
Udon noodles are thick wheat flour Japanese noodles available in Asian food markets or on-line.
Fry udon noodles in the same oil (with a little extra vegetable oil added to the pan just to cover the udon noodles) as you fried the prosciutto. These noodles fry very quickly…remove them from the pan just as quickly as they begin to brown. Bend the noodles a little as they are cooking to make a fanciful garnish. Place noodles on plate lined with paper towels to drain and sprinkle noodles lightly with sea salt immediately after frying.
Place jumbo lump crabmeat (picked over to remove any bits of shell) in appetizer size cocktail glasses. (Place glasses in freezer with cocktail spoons to chill before service.) Top with your favorite seafood sauce – I topped my cocktail with Thomas Fish Camp Crab Cake Sauce (available at Fresh Market or on-line) and a little spritz of fresh lime juice…enjoy!
