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Crostini…Silver Lining

CROSTINI VIRTUAL WINE GROUP

Sometimes you don’t have to look too far for a silver lining. Normally, a neighborhood wine group would be limited to people nearby. Because we had a virtual session, neighbors who were out of town and a friend from Poland  joined the session. It turned out to be a really good time.

CONCEPT (Check out the blog)

The Crostini concept turned out to be a great fit for wine groups and a lot of fun. Crostini are easy to make, shareable, easy to eat and pare really well with wines. Past that, they taste great.

Crostini Menu

  1. Smoked Salmon With Salmon Spread

  2. Seared Sea Scallop With Horseradish Cream Cheese 

  3. Smoked Salmon With Horseradish Cream Cheese

  4. Mortadella With Herbed Cream Cheese And Pepperoncino 

  5. Roast Beef With Horseradish Cream Cheese And Green Onion

  6. Bacon With Herbed Cream Cheese, Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato 

  7. Roasted Brussel Sprouts With Gorgonzola Cream Cheese 

  8. Roasted Grapes With Gorgonzola Cream Cheese And Red Onion 

  9. Walnut, Apricot and Brie Crostini

  10. Sweetened Strawberry With Herbed Cream Cheese And Balsamic

DELEGATION

The idea was to provide the 6 couples participating with a baguette and the option of using the recipe provided or making something that met their fancy.

COLLECTION

We asked everyone to bring their Crostini to our house at 3 pm on Saturday. Trays consisting of 12 Crostini (2 of each) were assembled.

DISTRIBUTION

The trays of crostini were then dropped off at 5 pm to each of the local participants.

FLEXIBILITY

Stuff comes up. One couple was going out of town to their lake house. Since we were meeting virtually, I gave them the recipes and a few baguettes along with the zoom call in number. They were all in. Another couple called from the road. They were going to be late getting home from vacation and while they would be home in time for the call, they wouldn’t have time to prepare anything. Again, not a problem. It was very easy for me to make 24 crostini instead of 12. I was able to use some common ingredients and a different protein  to add a variant that was pretty tasty.

A grilled shrimp and salmon spread Crostini was a pretty tasty last minute addition

CONNECTION

At 7 pm (Elvis time) we got together via zoom. My buddy Lucien Vendome who lives in Poland, saw my blog, heard about our plan for a virtual session and asked to join. The fact that Lucien is a world renown French Chef is special. That he called in during the middle of night was a little different, but a lot of fun. Lucien was enjoying a glass of wine from Georgia, not the state of Georgia, but the country between the Caspian and Black seas. (I had to google it). Lucien and I got to share some old war stories about culinary events we shared in Paris. The promise to celebrate the end of the Covid era with the group on the call together with Lucien in the South of France got us all thinking.

FORGET PARIS (Check out the blog)

Lucien and I got to tell the group about visit to a Paris Market and Picnic feast with Susan Kenny, Steve Williams, Jody Driver,  Charlie Thelluson

THE GLASS IS HALF FULL

At the end of the evening, the realization was that because of Covid, we were forced to do something different. That difference was a silver lining…

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/wine group/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.

 

When Accidents Happen… You Need “Wine Away”

If you serve red wine, and people drink it, it is just a matter of time until there is an accident. We have been believers in the Wine Away product since we saw it in action at a wedding.

Picture this…the wedding is at a spectacular vineyard in southern California. The ceremony goes off without a hitch. The bridal party heads off for pictures as the guests  start enjoying the fruits of the vine. Just as the first picture is taken, the brother of the bride spills a whole  glass of Cabernet Sauvignon down the front of the bride’s beautiful white dress. We are talking major stain. To this day, I don’t know how she did it, but somehow the bride kept her cool. Almost instantly, the wedding planner arrived with a bottle of Wine Away and whisked the bride off to address the issue. Within minutes the bride returned with the wine stain gone. It was magic. I would like to say that was the only crisis du jour, but a short while later, the bride was enjoying a special dance with her grandfather that ended abruptly when Gramp’s pants fell down. Yes, the pants fell to his ankles in front of a hundred guests. Again, the bride smiled on.

I would like to say that was our only experience with red wine spilling, but there is my buddy Joe. Twice he spilled wine on our living room carpet. The running joke became that we needed to seat Joe on a drop cloth. It was all a lot of fun until Karma struck. After making fun of my buddy Joe with a case of the “dropsy’s”, sure enough I knocked over a glass at another friends house. Unfortunately, those incidents were before we knew about Wine Away. I can tell you that from those experiences that using Club Soda to get out a wine stain does not work.

My buddy Joe and the “Usual Suspects”

We have taken to giving bottles of Wine Away to friends and family at Christmas. I strongly recommend having an inventory of this miracle product be part of your wine group planning.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/wine group/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.

 

Crostini

Just about everyone loves a Crostini. They are perfect for a wine group gathering:

  • They taste great
  • You can have a wide variety
  • Pare wonderfully with a variety of wines
  • Range from sweet to savory with every combination in between
  • Can be delegated easily with each participant responsible for an offering
  • Easy to eat in a party setting
  • Fun and informal
  • Easy to make
  • Even leftovers are great.

Crostini (meaning “little crusts” in Italian; singular crostino) are an Italian appetizer   consisting of small slices of grilled or toasted bread and toppings. The toppings may include a variety of different cheese, meats, fruits and vegetables , or may be presented more simply with a brush of olive oil and herbs or a sauce.

Crostini make a wonderful theme for a wine group gathering. You can provide participants with a recipe or simply ask them to get creative. One can stick to store bought ingredients and with a little creativity can come across as a culinary genius.

Crostini Menu

  1. Smoked Salmon With Salmon Spread

  2. Seared Sea Scallop With Horseradish Cream Cheese 

  3. Smoked Salmon With Horseradish Cream Cheese

  4. Mortadella With Herbed Cream Cheese And Pepperoncino 

  5. Roast Beef With Horseradish Cream Cheese And Green Onion

  6. Bacon With Herbed Cream Cheese, Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato 

  7. Roasted Brussel Sprouts With Gorgonzola Cream Cheese 

  8. Roasted Grapes With Gorgonzola Cream Cheese And Red Onion 

  9. Walnut, Apricot and Brie Crostini

  10. Sweetened Strawberry With Herbed Cream Cheese And Balsamic

Clockwise: Bacon With Herbed Cream Cheese, Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato.Walnut, Apricot and Brie, Mortadella With Herbed Cream Cheese And Pepperoncino, Roasted Grapes With Gorgonzola Cream Cheese, Sweetened Strawberry With Cream Cheese, Seared Sea Scallop With Horseradish Cream Cheese, Smoked Salmon With Horseradish Cream Cheese, Roast Beef With Horseradish Cream Cheese, Roasted Brussel Sprouts With Gorgonzola Cream Cheese,

My history with Philadelphia cream cheese steps forward in the menu. In a previous life, I ran the cream cheese business for Kraft Food Ingredients. An old boss at General Foods once said to me that there is nothing more boring than a 5-minute conversation about the coffee business at a cocktail party. The same could probably be said about the cream cheese business. There are a few things I can tell you from my cream cheese experience:

  • It pares amazingly well with both sweet and savory applications. The sweet strawberry Crostini benefits from the rich creaminess of the cream cheese. The savory salmon spread delivers a perfect combination of flavors. Several times I have had salmon haters tell me they don’t like salmon, but they love this spread.
  • European cream cheese is really good as it is half cream and half milk. American cream cheeses have gone with 1/4 cream and the rest milk. Having sold Philadelphia Cream Cheese made both in the U.S. and in Europe I can tell you that product from Europe tastes better. Fat delivers flavor.

Cream cheese certainly helps these Crostinis.

Try a CROSTINI theme at your next wine group gathering.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/wine group/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.