Yummy Quick Pizza Bites

Why not put that amazing air fryer you have to good use by making a crispy and delightful treat? We think pizza is a food group all on its own and deserves to be eaten as a snack, appetizer, or dinner. Use this recipe as a template and substitute your favorite pizza toppings. Pineapple & ham would be delicious paired with Albariño, Riesling, or Harvest Moon Red. Maybe you have a bottle of Cabernet or Homestead Red, then make your topping pepperoni. Have fun and explore some new wine and pizza pairings. Cheers!

Air Fryer Pizza Bites

  • 2 sheets frozen puff pastry- thawed overnight in refrigerator
  • 1/4 cup pizza sauce (more to taste, but not enough to be soggy)
  • 3.5 oz. shredded ham
  • 8 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice, well drained
  • 2/3 cup shredded pizza cheese
  • Quantities are guidelines, you might want more or less of each ingredient.

Preheat your airfryer to 350°F. Spray the basket of your air fryer with non stick cooking spray. Use a 3in. round cutter to cut 9 discs from each pastry sheet. Or  if you don’t want to waste any pastry, cut into small squares with a sharp knife. Place on prepared basket/tray. Spread evenly with pizza sauce. Top with ham, pineapple and cheese.

Bake for 10 – 15 mins or until cheese melts and base is crisp.

Pro Tip: make sure all your topping ingredients are already cooked before putting them on the puff pastry to prevent a soggy crust.
Enjoy!

Virtual Happy Hour – November 11

Build the Perfect Charcuterie Board

Dress it up or dress it down, we can show you how to build a delicious (and wine friendly) charcuterie board for your every need.

We’ve created a PDF of our outline for this happy hour. VHH Nov 2021-Charcuterie.pdf

We have some announcements about releasing wine and Fall Barrel Weekend and the “Charcuterie” section starts at about 9.40mn.

Recipe – sweet peas and potatoes

We hope you can find some fresh peas, if you don’t have them growing in your yard, frozen peas will work well too.  If you can’t find fingerling potatoes, any small sized potatoes work. We recommend a waxy potato like reds or goldens. Fresh vegetables and light, refreshing, Williamson Vineyards wine, winner for dinner!

Fingerling Potatoes and Peas with Fresh Herbs

•    1 lb fingerling potatoes (or new potatoes)
•    2 cups fresh peas (frozen works in a pinch)
•    1 C packed Italian parsley
•    1/4 C packed tarragon leaves
•    1 garlic clove
•    1/3 C olive oil
•    1/8 c lemon juice
•    1/2 tsp salt
•    1 T whole grain mustard
•    1 T capers
•    5 scallions
•    1/2 C chopped celery
•    lemon zest

In medium pot, blanch potatoes 20 min or until fork tender, in salted water. ( Use enough water to cover potatoes by 1 inch, and add a hearty 1 T of salt)

In a food processor, pulse parsley, tarragon, garlic until finely chopped. Add oil, salt, and lemon juice. Pulse a few more times and set aside.

In small pot, blanch fresh peas 2 minutes, in heavily salted water. (if using frozen, allow to thaw, dump into potato pot in the last 30 seconds of cooking to heat through)

Drain potatoes and peas, and place both in one large bowl.

Add chopped scallions, capers, whole grain mustard and celery, folding gently.

Fold in parsley tarragon mixture and taste for salt, adding a pinch more if necessary. Pepper to taste.

Garnish with tarragon leaves and lemon zest. Serve as a warm side dish with fish or chicken or meat, or serve chilled as a salad.

Enjoy!

Virtual Happy Hour – April 8

Mushroom Madness

We talk about the versatility of these funny little fungi! Learn why you need more mushrooms and wine in your diet!

Click here for mushroom madness video

Join us for a quick and painless lesson on the magic of “culinary” mushrooms!

March Recipe –

What better way to cheer on warmer weather than with a little dose of Irish influence? If you’ve never combined stout with chocolate, here’s the perfect opportunity. A recipe with few ingredients and minimal time spent over a hot stove is our idea of the perfect meal-ender, or late afternoon pick-me-up. We recommend using your favorite stout, we love Guinness. If you really want to get decadent, sip a little Doce or Malbec with your chocolate treat.

Chocolate Stout Lava Cake

5 oz butter , plus extra for the ramekins
7 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa), roughly chopped
1/3 cup golden caster sugar (regular white sugar will work)
3 large eggs
1/3 cup Guinness
Heavy whipping cream, stiffly whipped, to serve (optional)
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Butter four 6 ounce ramekins and set aside. Place the butter, chocolate and a pinch of salt into a heatproof bowl. Set over a small pan of just-simmering water and stir until melted, then remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.

Put the sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale, almost doubled in volume and thick enough to leave a trail when the beaters are lifted up. Gently fold in the melted chocolate and the Guinness. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins, then chill in the fridge for 1 hr. Heat oven to 400°f  and put a baking tray on the top shelf to heat up.

Place the ramekins on the hot baking tray and bake for 18 mins. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips (if desired) leave to stand for a minute, then serve with a dollop of cream, if you like. Ice cream is also delicious.

Enjoy!

Take & Make Dinner Gallery

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Thanks to all culinary enthusiasts who got
adventurous in the kitchen this past Valentines Day!

If these mouth watering images are inspiring you get a little spicy in the kitchen (the wine helps with this, we promise) then watch for our next Take and Make dinner. We are hoping to host another one of these remote dinners later in the spring. Stay tuned for more info soon!

 

 

January Recipe – Mushroom Shawarma

After the rich foods from the holidays, we like to give our tummies (and our hips!) a little break by finding fresh and light dishes to sneak into our menu rotations. This Middle Eastern inspired meal is full of aromatic spices, which will make your kitchen smell heavenly while you’re roasting the mushrooms and onions. There is a long list of ingredients, and feel free to substitute for anything you don’t have on hand. Serve a fresh and crunchy salad alongside and you’re nailing your New Year resolutions. Enjoy this light meal with a light wine! We think either the Dry Riesling or the Lilly White would be amazing. If you’re a red wine fan, go for the Sangiovese or Henry’s Red.   Cheers!

Click here for recipe PDF