Winedown March 2018

Back with the first 2018 edition of Winedown!! Yes it has been almost four MONTHS since our last one – the holidays really did us in but we’re back and in action. If you’re new to Winedown you can read about it here!

The winner last winedown was John and he chose the theme of PIE for this Winedown (fitting, considering it was just a couple weeks after pi day!). As you can guess this could’ve been a heavier than usual Winedown, but the crew was a bit smaller than usual. It was sad to miss some friends but we enjoyed the more intimate crowd! Here’s the lineup – can you guess who won before skipping to the end?!

I started things off with a twist on pie – literally! I wanted to do something different so I picked this recipe that used pie crust (puff pastry in this case) and lots of other delicious ingredients – cheddar cheese, cayenne, brown sugar, rosemary and of course, bacon! Umami, sweet and savory all together. I paired it with a prosecco since bubbles are supposed to complement the savory + sweet combination and fats of the cheese. Both were SO good!! I’ll definitely make this again for a treat.

Mckinsey came next with a delicious hand pie appetizer – raspberry and brie wrapped in pretzel dough!! I loved this take on a different kind of dough. She paired it with a slightly sparking red wine – a frizzante Lambrusco!

Up next was Pedro with a veggie inspired pie – vegan tomato, asparagus + kale pesto quiche. The secret ingredient to make it quiche like was chia!! I was totally skeptical of this but it turned out really well. Paired with a chardonnay – I liked this combination but I might have gone with a Gruner Veltliner or less okay-y white.

Ray led the charge with our main dishes  with a curry chicken pot pie. YUM!! I loved this – a tad sweet from coconut milk, savory and a bit spicy from the curry. Paired with a German Riesling. Plus, a double crust!

Our desserts were up next – Lauren started with a strawberry pie with a chocolate shortbread crust. Little whipped cream dollops on top! Paired with sparkling white. I loved the crust and ate lots of it. A good shortbread goes a long way 😉

Rachel wrapped things up with apple hand pies – note the flaky crust. I loved the crust, as always!! Paired with a sweet white.

And the winner was…ME!!! I think everyone really enjoyed the sweet + savory + spicy mix of allt he ingredients in my dish (and so did I!).  So excited to choose the next Winedown theme and not cook!! It’s going to be great 🙂 Stay tuned for the next iteration!