Usually, I stick with speaking about wine. But if there's one other topic I'm passionate about, it's cookies. And I think I just discovered
the world's best chocolate chip cookies - so I must share it.
WannaHavaCookie is a local, independent and artisanal cookie maker that hand-mixes its cookies in small batches. We will be featuring her cookies at our
Dessert & Wine Tasting Event September 23rd. After speaking with (P)Resident Baker Marisa Angebranndt about her secret (which she's not giving up, btw) I learned that it took her years to perfect the recipe and that it was the first recipe she worked on. What's so great about these chocolate chip pieces of perfection? The outside has a slight crispiness to it while the inside is still moist and chewy. There's a balance between sweet milk chocolate and a deeper dark chocolate. It also stands up well to being dunked into a big glass of milk.
Outside of having perfected this classic, WannaHavaCookie is known for their handmade
Whoopie Pies. Whoopie Pies transport you back to your childhood and the more readily available 'Moon Pies' that don't seriously equate themselves with these satisfactory bites. The Whoopie Pies come in more than 15 different flavors. And in their adorable packaging, I think they'd make wedding guests happy at the end of the night. Just bring along plenty of milk.
Don't fret if you aren't in NYC, WannaHavaCookie ships nationwide. Now, back to more important things like trying this snickerdoodle...
How to Pick a Summer Wine: The Gentler, Lighter Side of Wine
Summer’s soaring temps beg you to step away from heavy Cabernets and check out the gentler, lighter side of wine. When choosing the perfect summer wine for your outdoor engagement party or wedding, think light, crisp, refreshing--and because people tend to drink more in the heat--lower in alcohol. Nothing more prettily suggests summer than a dry (i.e. not sweet) rose. Avoid the simple, syrupy versions and try French roses from the Mourvèdre grape or roses made using the Saignee method for more complexity. Pick wines from countries where you imagine the locals sipping leisurely at sidewalk cafés while basking in the sun, like Spain. A Spanish fave is Albarino from the Rias Baixas region. Made to drink young, Albarino is a crisp, white wine with intense fruit, lively acidity and generally a lower level of alcohol. It pairs perfectly with summer foods from seafood to grilled vegetables. But you don’t need to swear off red wine for summer. Look for light bodied wines like Pinot Noir from Oregon or a Valpolicella from Italy, both capable of standing up to barbequed foods. And don’t be afraid to put a slight chill on your red wine. It is summer after all!
Rías Baixas Albariño from Spain, “Exceptional with Everything” Oh Really?
There's nothing we love more than a challenge. It's in our makeup. We're two women, thirties. One Indian. One Filipina. The first, founder and CEO of a business in the arguably male-dominated wine world. The second, building experience to be a future proprietess of a wine store. Add to this: In New York City. So when presented with the opportunity to play wine and food critic for a night—to pair Rías Baixas Albariño wines, proclaimed to be "exceptional with everything" with Mercat’s offerings —it is impossible and simply against every ounce of who we are, to refuse.
Mercat means “market” in Catalan, the language of the northern Spanish region where owner, Jaime Reixach, is from and where the restaurant’s menu draws its inspiration. The albariños we’ll be drinking also originate from the northern region, and so we’re already anticipating more perfect wine pairings than tragic mismatches.
It’s a beautiful warm Thursday night—and we are tasting two Albariño wines: Alba Rosa from Martinez Serrantes and Pazo San Mauro, both 2006 vintages. We take our time with each wine—assessing them alone and then side by side. At the end, we agree that both are delightful: the Alba Rosa is sparkling with surprising depth while the Pazo San Mauro would bring life to our springtime picnic. Further, we imagine that if each wine were to be personified, they might just be these two ladies, described as such:
Now, we move on to the heart of our challenge: Exceptional with everything? Oh really? How do these two beauties handle themselves in company? After the three and a half hours of glorious sipping, chewing, and chatting, among ourselves and the restaurant staff, here are our findings:
No surprise, our lovely wines get along splendidly with their classic and traditional partners: we have raves for the nicely seasoned patatas bravas—not too spicy, not too garlicky—and the padrones/blistered shishito peppers, the char and oil offset by the tartness of the wines. One of us goes wild for the Canelons de Verdura/eggplant wrapped spring vegetables, manchego, and cranberry reduction. And then Chef Lowder sends over Trencat d’Ous/mushroom with salsa verde topped with a fried egg, which again, goes splendidly with our wines. Even the suckling pig/Cochinillo, which we think will surely clash, in fact becomes the surprise of the evening. Like the beauty and the beast, our wines and the pig make an unlikely but harmonious pair.
We ask ourselves for the last time: Rías Baixas Albariño from Spain: Exceptional with
Everything?If not for being the gluttonous bottomless pits that we are, we would certainly have answered YES with an exclamation point. But since we order those two desserts—Torrades Sta. Teresa/fried bread with lemon yogurt and Pa Amb Oli Xocolata/bread, olive oil, and chocolate, our answer must be: Almost. These two desserts with our two Albariños — are disastrous.
Rías Baixas Albariño from Spain: Exceptional with
almost Everything.
--Anu Karwa and Marie Estrada
Visit
http://www.riasbaixaswines.com for more info on Rías Baixas Albariños from Spain
Outside of having perfected this classic, WannaHavaCookie is known for their handmade Whoopie Pies. Whoopie Pies transport you back to your childhood and the more readily available 'Moon Pies' that don't seriously equate themselves with these satisfactory bites. The Whoopie Pies come in more than 15 different flavors. And in their adorable packaging, I think they'd make wedding guests happy at the end of the night. Just bring along plenty of milk.
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