HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - Chef Patrick Evans Hylton introduces us to some great summer wines and French pastries.
VIRGINIA EATS + DRINKS UNCORKED
FULL POND WINE FROM HICKORY HILL VINEYARDS
Full Pond is one of the recent offerings from Virginia Wine of the Month Club. The wine is crisp and dry and made from Chardonnay with a touch of Vidal Blanc. It comes from Hickory Hill Vineyards, which is located in Smith Mountain Lake, Va.
Virginia Wine of the Month Club offers a number of wine shipment options
This wine is great with sushi and seafood, as a summer sipper, or for a cocktail like a sprit
We make our spritz with 3 parts wine and 1 part sparkling water, but others folks enjoy ratios of 2 parts wine and 2 parts sparkling water, and even 1 part wine and 1 part sparkling water. I find using natural sparkling water without any added flavors works best. If you want to add an additional splash of flavor, consider adding just a bit of real fruit juice like citrus or cranberry.
To accent the spritz, I like to add a handful of frozen grapes and a sprig of fresh rosemary to the glass. You can add any grapes. While shopping at The Fresh Market, I found some lovely Concord grapes, noted for their color and flavor. They were smaller, so I decided to freeze them overnight in small clusters that I cut off the larger bunch.
Wine comes from Virginia Wine of the Month Club, www.VaWineClub.com
For more on Hickory Hill Vineyards, visit www.SMLWine.com
Some ingredients comes from The Fresh Market, www.TheFreshMarket.com
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIA CHILD
CELEBRATE WITH JALOUSIES FROM CAFE STELLA
Happy Birthday to the original celebrity chef, Julia Child, whose 108th birthday is August 15. To celebrate Stella Pomianek of Cafe Stella has created a special pastry.
Jalousie is a French pastry similar to a turnover and a strudel. The recipe is found in Child’s Mastering The Art Of French Cooking Vol. 2, but you don’t have to make yours, Cafe Stella is selling them to celebrate the day
Pick up one of the flavors this Friday, Aug. 14 through Sunday, Aug. 16. Varieties include Apple Brown Butter, Guava + Cream Cheese, and Strawberry Pistachio
Cafe Stella is in Norfolk’s Downtown and Ghent. A portion of proceeds benefit VAEATS free virtual programming.
For more on Cafe Stella, visit www.CafeStellaRoasters.com
FABULOUS FOOD FINDS
Weekend brunch at Press 626 Wine Bar
We recently enjoyed brunch at Press 626 Wine Bar in Norfolk’s Ghent. Brunch is offered on Saturday and Sunday, starting at 11 a.m.
A wide assortment of chef-driven dishes are offered. Creative cocktails and a well-curated wine list round things out
On our visit we enjoyed an amazing Steak Frites and deliciousShrimp + Jalapeno Cheddar Grits; a perfect Charcuterie + Artisanal Cheese Plate was a great ending
For more on Press 626, visit www.Press626.com
VAEATS WEEKLY MAGAZINE
Get all the information from today’s Virginia Eats + Drinks on Coast Live segment plus more: giveaways, recipes, tips, and tricks in our free weekly magazine that can be read online or downloaded as a PDF.
For information and an online link, visit www.facebook.com/groups/VirginiaEatsAndDrinks
To subscribe and have a link delivered directly to you, visit, www.VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.com/subscribe
