I know, I know.. I'm super late with this post. See.. what happened was that when Sunday rolled around, we were all too fat and sleepy to make dinner. And then Monday I had movie plans (Oz 3D... pretty cool). Sooo... Tuesday we cooked. But there were a ton of posts this week, so we'll call it even.
I love all things BBQ. It's not a secret. However - I've never cooked spareribs, always baby back. So we decided we'd try spareribs, and then we changed it up even more by choosing a "non-BBQ" recipe. What the heck, right? Fabulous!
Cocktail - Brandied Apple
Freshly juiced apples (I told you Jenn's hooked on the juicer!), brandy, lemon juice. Simple and fantastic!
Entree - Blue Cheese Souffle with Spiced Figs
Isn't it pretty?!?! This was superb! The only change is the cook time - we had to add about 10 minutes but perhaps our ramekins were a little larger than in the recipe. We also didn't have an orange, so we used dried orange zest and triple sec in the fig syrup. (When in doubt, add alcohol I guess.) The only thing I would say is that the blue cheese definitely mellowed in this souffle. We were expecting more of it to come out in the flavor, especially with 3/4 cup... but it was surprisingly mild. Don't be shy with the blue cheese!
Appetizer Wine - 2009 Lucien Albrecht Pinot Gris
What a great white wine! On the nose, you get strong scents of peach and grass. When drinking, it bursts with honey, peach, and earth, leaving a slightly acidic finish that helps cut the sweetness. A perfect combination with the spiced figs and the tangy blue cheese!
Entree - Braised Spareribs with Fennel
Oh. My. Goodness. Let me start with the easy stuff. We obviously added some quickly sauteed carrots in butter on the side. We followed the spaetzle recipe exactly, using parsley, thyme, and oregano. (If you've never made spaetzle.. do it!) When sauteeing the spaetzle, we sauteed in some shallots, and next time, we'll add some minced garlic. The ribs! First off... this meal is surprisingly light. And because it was a weekday, we used my favorite dish - the Crock Pot! I made the onion/fennel/garlic the night before. The morning of, I browned the ribs, browned the mixture, added wine and let it reduce. Once it was reduced, I transferred to the Crock Pot, added the stock, and let it cook on low for about 10 hours. Fall off the bone goodness! And just wait until you see what we do next week with the leftover onion/fennel mixture! Amazing!
Entree Wine - 2010 Acacia Pinot Noir
This is another Pinot Noir that really took us by surprise. It has intoxicating aromas of spice and dark berries, and on the mouth, it was smooth and initially heavy with ripe flavors of plum and berry. As you drink it, the smooth tannins mellow the wine out and it ends up lighter than initially expected, which just created a fabulous drinking combination. Great find!
Dessert - Honeyed Panna Cotta with Dried Figs and Sauternes
Delicious! If you're not familiar with Sauternes, its a sweet dessert wine that has strong aromas of peach and honey. We made the panna cotta a day earlier, and then just reduced the figs, topped it, and bam! Delicious dessert (although slightly too sweet - and we skipped the extra sugar in the fig topping!) If you haven't experimented with panna cotta, I highly suggest giving it a shot!
Dessert Wine - 2009 Chateau de Cosse Sauternes
Fabulous dessert wine! Very sweet with ripe flavors of honey and tropical fruit, but that is what is to be expected from this wine. So tasty!
So overall, a lovely experience. We made a fantastic meal that ended up being a snap to prepare! I hope you all enjoyed!
Next Week - St. Patrick's Day
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