Archive for the ‘dessert’ tag
Creme Brulee
End Your Heavy Meal With Something Sweet
Perfect Pairings
Bill and Karen Garlough
As Published in the Naperville Sun, Beacon News, Courier News & Herald News
With the holidays approaching, we begin to think of gatherings with family and friends and special meals to celebrate the occasion. While the Thanksgiving dinner is special, it also can be an over indulgent occasion. We decided to focus on a light, sweet ending to this classic meal. As pumpkin pie is dense, we kicked around other options, including pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin crème brule. We liked the idea of pumpkin crème brule paired with a French Sauterne dessert wine, but thought it is complicated to make and a little heavy to finish off a big meal. So, we settled on a pear fruit tart and an Italian Moscato dessert wine, to offer a light, sweet ending to this holiday feast.
Wine Facts
Dessert wines are prized as they are produced in smaller quantities and are more expensive to make. They are served chilled and sipped in smaller glasses containing 2 ounces of indulgent heaven (six 2 oz. portions per 375 ml bottle). They are produced throughout the world, including wines from Sauternes, Barsac, Alsace and Anjou-Saumur in France, the Auslese and Eiswein (Ice) wines of Germany and Austria, late harvest wines from California and New York state, Ice wines of Canada, Australia’s “Stickies” dessert wines and Hungary’s great dessert wine Tokay Aszu. Dessert wines can vary in weight and sweetness level from light to ultra sweet wines that coat your taste buds like liquid honey.
Throughout the world, there are a variety of ways to produce sweet dessert wines, from picking the grapes late (late harvest wines) to allowing a fungal rot to form (botrytis) to allowing the grapes to be frozen (ice wines) to adding scoops of raisins to increase sugar levels (Tokays).
The Asti region of northwest Italy is home to Moscato D’Asti. This Italian dessert wine is generally a limited, small production wine made from premium grapes. It is a low alcohol wine that is slightly fizzy, lightly sweet and fruity. They are meant to be consumed after each harvest, so watch for the dates on the bottles. As they are not as sweet as Sauternes, Ausleses and Ice Wines, they can be sipped from a regular sized wine glass. Moscatos offer apricot, peach and pear notes. A quality, fresh Moscato actually bursts with the smell of apricots when it is first opened. These wines work well as an afternoon beverage or for a light dessert pairing.
Food and Wine Pairing
A key rule to remember in a successful pairing is that the dessert wine should always be sweeter than the dessert. If not, the dessert will actually over power the dessert wine.
With our goal of finishing a big Thanksgiving meal with a light dessert, it was important to pair this dish with a lighter, slightly sweeter dessert wine. With the pear notes found in both the Moscato D’Asti wine and the pear tart, we found this pairing to work well and hope you enjoy this pairing.
Recipe
This is the season where our entertainment turns to the gathering of friends and family in our homes. We want to prepare quality food but simplicity is the key. This is a very simple, rustic dessert recipe that takes about 1 ½ hours of cooking time but very little prep time. It does require an ovenproof skillet or well seasoned cast-iron skillet. The original recipe calls for homemade puff pastry. I use frozen puff pastry sheets which is fast and the quality is not compromised. This tart is a wonderful finish to a heavy Thanksgiving meal or perfect after-theatre dessert served with a lightly sweet Italian Moscatos.
Rustic Upside-Down Pear Tart
Serves 10
5 Each Ripe Pears
6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
½ Cup Sugar
½ tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Allspice
1 Each Sheet of Frozen Puff Pastry
Wash pears, cut in half and remove stems and seeds. In a 10 – 12” ovenproof or cast-iron skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Stir in sugar – mixture will be a little pasty. Arrange pears, cut side up in the skillet. Mix together the cinnamon and allspice and sprinkle over the pears. Cook the pears uncovered over very low heat, without stirring until the sugar forms a deep golden caramel – about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool pears in the skillet.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place frozen sheet of puff pastry over the cooked pears, covering completely. Tuck in any edges around the pears. Bake in middle of the oven until pastry is golden brown, about 30 minutes. When done, remove from oven and let sit for 3 – 5 minutes to let the syrup settle.
Using a rimmed serving plate slightly larger than the skillet, invert the plate over the skillet. Keeping the plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert the tart onto the plate. This is easier than it sounds! Serve tart at room temperature or chilled with whipped cream.
Bill’s Wine Picks (with suggested retails)
Lighter, sweet Italian Moscato D’Astis :
Saracco $13
Michelle Chiarlo’s Nivole $14
Stefano Ceretto $19
Medium sweet dessert wines:
Brillo Riella Moscato D’Asti $9
Santa Julia Tardio – Argentina $12
Very sweet dessert wines:
Chateau Doisy-Vedrines French Sauterne $17
Kracher Auslese – German Late Harvest $22
Chateau Suduirant – French Sauterne $30
About the Author
Bill Garlough is a Level 1 Master Sommelier and an owner of My Chef Catering in Naperville, IL, the winner of the U.S. Chamber’s 2007 Small Business of the Year award. Bill can be reached at My Chef or wineparings@mychef.com
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BonJour Chef’s Torch with Fuel Gauge, Brushed Aluminum $23.75 BonJour’s Chef’s Torch allows you to make restaurant quality desserts at home. Not only is the Chef’s Torch an essential tool for preparing the classic Cr??me Br??l??e, but it also has a variety of other great uses in the home kitchen including browning meringue and melting cheese on onion soup gratin??e. Die cast aluminum body features a fuel level indicator window so you know when it’s time to r… |
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Godiva Creme Brulee Coffee, 16-Count Pods (Pack of 6) $35.04 The Godiva creme brulee single serve coffee pods, 16 count, 3.66 ounce bags (pack of 6) is a delicious marriage of sweet caramel and vanilla with the smooth taste of fine coffee. Godiva creme brulee coffee is a smooth symphony of sweet caramel and vanilla blend with a rich full-bodied Godiva roast.This creates a truly inspired coffee experience, Godiva blends exquisite flavors with expertly roaste… |
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Chicago Metallic Commercial Creme Brulee Set $17.95 From Chicago Metallic, this set comes with all the essentials needed to make an elegant creme brulee dessert – everything, that is, but your ingredients. The set comes with an 8-in. square aluminized steel pan, four 6-oz. porcelain ramekins and a rack that fits inside the square pan. To use, place the rack inside the square pan, fill the pan with water then place your filled ramekins in the rack. … |
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Victoria’s Secret Garden Merry Vanilla Twirl Hydrating Body Lotion 8.4 fl oz (250 ml) $8.50 Victoria’s Secret Garden Merry Vanilla Twirl Hydrating Body Lotion 8.4 fl oz (250 ml) The sweet fusion of Creme Brulee, Vanilla, and Starfruit. ‘Tis the season to be party perfect. Dazzle them with lasting, festive fragrance and soft, smooth, hydrated skin. Moisture-rich lotion conditions with nourishing Aloe, Oat, and Grapeseed Extracts, plus antioxidant Vitamins E and C…. |
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Victoria’s Secret Garden Merry Vanilla Twirl Refreshing Body Mist 8.4 fl oz (250 ml) $7.99 Victoria’s Secret Garden Merry Vanilla Twirl Refreshing Body Mist 8.4 fl oz (250 ml). The sweet fusion of Creme Brulee, Vanilla, and Starfruit. ‘Tis the season to be party perfect. Dazzle them with festive fragrance and a touch of softness. Sheer body mist refreshes skin with moisturizing Aloe Vera and calming Chamomile…. |
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Philosophy Creme Brulee(TM) Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath What it is:A high-foaming multipurpose cleanser with a delectable scent.What it does:Get downright indulgent in the bath or shower with Philosophy Creme Brulee Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath. This ultra-rich formula, inspired by the creamy decadence of the ultimate sophisticated dessert, generates a gentle, moisturizing lather that will cleanse and soften your hair and skin to silky, scrumptiou… |
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Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 – Creme Brulee Gold $14.92 Enjoy smooth optical performance from the #1 best-selling mouse, with High Definition technology. Work easily on the go, then simply snap in the receiver to automatically turn off the mouse, saving hassle and battery life.ife…. |
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Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 – Creme Brulee [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging] $29.99 … |
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BonJour 53752 Professional Creme Brulee Set BONJOUR PROFESSIONAL CREME BRULEE SET WITH 4 RAMEKINS…. |
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JUST DESSERTS $9.49 Learn how to prepare delicious desserts from around the world! Just Desserts is an easy-to-use collection of delicious and streamlined recipes! From baking a flaky tart tartine to creating a delectable cheese souffle, these flexible recipes are filled with useful tips and techniques and accompanied by video demonstrations by expert chefs. Belgian Chocolate Raspberry Tart |