Saturday, January 23, 2010

Red Wine Valentine Cookies - Take 1 & 2

I really like baking with alcohol. I honestly don't know that much about it, but I'm learning as I go. We had a customer order a bunch of cookies for a wine tasting a couple of months ago. And I thought, "What a great idea!" So with Valentine's Day quickly approaching, I was inspired to create a winy cookie. With some hope, luck, and experimentation, we'll have the perfect pair for wine.
When I started, I was thinking: wine...has notes of citrus and notes of berries...I'll zest a few clementines and throw in some black currants. Yeah, I'll do that.... Don't forget about the wine. I definitely put that in the mix as well.

The dough turned BLUE! BLUE!!! Apparently the bluish red wine mixed with the yellow yolks and became blueish green. This was a "wow" and a "phooey" moment.

But I pressed on. Literally. I pressed the chilled dough into sesame seeds and sliced it up.

What an unusual cookie. Blue...

That color! How unappetizing! Must fix! Must fix now!

So for the next batch, I pulled out a secret weapon - beet juice. I juiced a fresh beet with my handy-dandy juicer that my beloved got me for Christmas. Works like a flippin' charm. You can quote me on that.

Pink. I'll take that over BLUE any day. Thank you beet juice! You vibrant, flavorless food from the dirt.

Aaaaand, not so pink or red. I'll still keep it. It's got hints of red wine and is slightly reddish.... The sesame seeds create a fantastic little crunch. The edges are crisp with a tender center.
Oh, side by side. Who's the winner? Mr. Cookie on the left. I am appeased. Our Red Wine Valentine cookies are ready for Valentine's Day. Are you?

2 comments: