If you’re exploring the delightful world of cooking with wine, prepare to broaden your culinary horizons with everything from succulent mains to divine desserts. Ideal Wine Company brings you four contemporary wine dessert recipes that promise to add a touch of sophistication to any dining experience this year.
Wine-Soaked Pears
Begin with a light yet luxurious dessert of wine-soaked pears. Select a robust red from our Bordeaux selection to bring out the richness this dish deserves. You’ll need:
- 3 cups of red wine
- 4 peeled pears
- ½ cup of white sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
First, drizzle the lemon juice over the pears. Combine the wine, sugar, vanilla bean, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the pears, simmering for about 30 minutes, then cool. Reduce the remaining liquid by half and drizzle over the pears to serve a delectable dessert for four.
Champagne Cupcakes
For a touch of opulence, try making Champagne cupcakes. Select a premium Champagne from Ideal Wine Company. Ingredients for 20 cupcakes include:
- 6 egg whites
- ¾ cup of Champagne
- 1½ cups of white sugar
- ⅔ cup of butter
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 3 tablespoons of baking powder
- 2¾ cups of flour
For the Champagne buttercream icing:
- 3 tablespoons of Champagne
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup of butter
- ¾ cup of icing sugar
Preheat your oven to 175°C and prepare a cupcake pan with liners. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Sift in flour, baking powder, salt, and Champagne. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the batter. Fill the cupcake cases two-thirds full and bake for 20 minutes.
For the icing, beat icing sugar and butter, then blend in Champagne and vanilla. Apply the icing to the cooled cupcakes for a delightful treat.
Wine Popsicles
Perfect for summer, wine popsicles are an innovative way to cool down. Opt for a bold Cabernet Sauvignon and gather:
- 3 cups of red wine
- 3 cups of water
- ½ cup of white sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 8 black peppercorns, crushed
- 6 whole cloves
- 4 cardamom pods, crushed
- 2-inch strip of orange zest
Heat the wine, zest, sugar, cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom. Reduce until you have one cup left, then let cool for 20 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick, stir in water, and pour into molds. Insert a popsicle stick into each and freeze overnight.
Red Wine Doughnuts
For a hearty end to a meal, bake some red wine doughnuts. You’ll need:
- ¼ cup each of cocoa, sugar, milk, red wine, and chocolate chips
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- 1 egg
- Pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons of apple sauce
- 1 tablespoon of canola oil
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- Chocolate chips and gold sprinkles for the glaze
Preheat your oven to 230°C and grease a doughnut pan. Mix the dry ingredients, then incorporate the wet ingredients and chocolate chips. Pour into the pan, bake for 10 minutes, then prepare the glaze by melting chocolate chips and adding sprinkles. Apply to doughnuts and serve.
Embrace the Art of Cooking with Wine
These four recipes are just the beginning. Explore various resources, from specialised wine blogs to comprehensive culinary sites, to find more innovative wine-infused dessert recipes. For the wines needed, look no further than Ideal Wine Company, where you’ll find a curated selection of fine wines from around the globe at exceptional prices.
