Southern Hospitality: Summer Wine Picks

July is my favorite time of year. Why? Because it's patio season! That means it is prime time to overindulge in some easy-drinking summer wines, which don't get enough love if you ask me. And I don't even care if you turn your red wine-drinkin' nose up, because that just means more for me. Here's what whites you should be drinking right now:

1. Rosé - Don't worry, rosé is not the same wine as the infamous white zinfandel, but unfortunately they do share the same color. To get that stunning pink hue, rosés are allowed a brief dunk in their red grape skins—the longer the contact the more vibrant the shade. Rosés are a fairly delicate wine, with hints of strawberry, cherry, and raspberry. They are ideal for warmer weather, since the refreshing fruit flavors pair so well with food. Not to mention they are a great value for the price, so grab a bottle, or five, for your next picnic or barbecue. (Dixie Caviar faves: Domaine Houchart Rosé, $11 and Robert Sinskey Vin Gris, $30)

2. Sancerre - Sancerre is a famous appellation in the central Loire valley of France and produces a mighty fine Sauvignon Blanc. Sancerre's soil is known for both its high calcium "chalk" and flint content, which translates into the flavors of its wine. A Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc should taste bright and fresh, with a good bit of minerality and just a hint of fruit. This cult-favorite is usually quite subtle, and very different from its New Zealand counterpart, which is known more for its bolder, grass-like tendencies. Although a good Sancerre sits on the pricier end of my "everyday" drinking budget, a bottle of this makes a fabulous hostess gift when you need to impress. (Dixie Caviar fave: Remy Pannier Sancerre, $22)

3. Vinho Verde - If you aren't already drinking this Portuguese white, you are missing out on the ultimate summer sipper. The name "green wine" doesn't stem from the color—which does have a pale green tinge—but that it is "young" wine and should be enjoyed the same year it is bottled. The best part about Vinho Verde is its slight effervescence, which gives it an almost celebratory feel. But the real cause for celebration? It averages around $8 a bottle. Grab as many as you can fit in your cart and drink on up. (Dixie Caviar fave: Casal Garcia Vinho Verde, $7)

4. Albariño - Albariño is the grape used in a Spanish wine of the same name, which is currently enjoying a surge in popularity around the United States—and with good reason. Albariño is clean, bright, and very easy-drinking. Its crisp, lemony flavors make it suitable for slinging back as a summer apéritif; its oily finish make it ideal for pairing with a heavier seafood dinner. A bottle should cost around $10 and no more than $20 for the very best. (Dixie Caviar fave: Nora Albariño, $16)

5. Prosecco - Well I guess I saved the best for last, and it shouldn't need much introduction. Prosecco is the very delicious sparkling wine hailing from my beloved Italy. The Prosecco grape yields soft, peach-scented flavors, while the wine itself tends towards the drier side of the (sparkling) spectrum. This bubbly is best served young and well-chilled, and might I add that it tastes quite nice in a Peach-Thyme Bellini, one of my signature summer cocktails. And when you've got a drink this good, who needs Champagne? (Dixie Caviar fave: Riondo Prosecco, $11)

Peaches and Cream Semifreddo via The Kitchn

  I never get sick of homemade peach ice cream, but I decided to mix things up a bit by making peaches and cream semifreddo. Semifreddo means "half frozen" in Italian and doesn't even require an ice cream maker. You freeze it in a loaf pan overnight, then thaw for 10 minutes before serving, which gives it a fluffy, mousse-like texture!

And leave it to me to share some with a friend, then return it to the refrigerator instead of the freezer. Luckily my melted masterpiece re-froze like a dream. Sometimes I really don't understand how I function at all with this brain...

Culinary Musings (A New Column)

Happy Friday, gang!

Things have been busy this week as I've started hashing out a new blogging schedule (hopefully going into effect next week), in addition to figuring out my day-to-day work/live/play schedule. Having all of this freedom to be my own boss is definitely going to take some getting used to, in addition to learning how to better prioritize my time. After spending a few too many afternoons "tweeting" and "liking" my way past dinnertime, I realized I had better get a reality check, and soon!

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen this week, too, for both upcoming projects as well as my regular posts. On Tuesday Walt threw a curve ball request into the dinner pot for Swedish meatballs. Talk about random; I've never once heard those two words come out of his mouth, at least not in the same sentence. Despite being in the middle of a heat wave, I caved and made the man what he wanted. It was actually quite wonderful to cook a meal that didn't involve writing down ingredient quantities or photographing before it got too cold. Just us, Netflix, and a bottle of wine. A girl could get used to that, you know.

Thursday brought me out of the house to celebrate Cooking Channel's second birthday. They threw a pop up bash at Westside Provisions, so I grabbed a couple of girlfriends to help me soak up the scene...both literally and figuratively. The ladies and I pre-partied at Ford Fry's newest venture, The Optimist, where I (over) sampled my new favorite cocktail. The Beach Shanty was a super-refreshing mix of Allagash White beer, Barney's Shipwreck Spiced Rum, lemon, and ginger liqueur. Remind me to beg for the recipe so that I can start whipping it up at home!

Okay, enough of this week's ramblings—just thought I'd share a little bit of the behind-the-scenes in case you were interested. In other news, as you can probably tell from the title, Culinary Musings is the name of my new Friday column. It will be a place where I share what's on my mind, pick your brain, and ponder the deeper meanings of the food world. I know, fascinating, right!? As soon as I figure this thing called Photoshop out (so I can make cool little inspiration boards for you) we will be off and away. Stay tuned, and have a fantastic weekend!

Recipe: Corn & Summer Squash Gnocchi

Need to lighten things up? Try my simple recipe for corn & summer squash gnocchi. This quick and healthy dinner comes together in a flash and is perfect for those lingering nights of summer. (May they never end.)

Recipe: Red Velvet Cupcakes

It was my intention to post these red velvet cupcakes before the Fourth of July. You know, so that maybe one of you could actually make them or something. Instead, life got in the way: I celebrated my final day at work, threw a dinner party, and jetted off to New England for a very-much-needed holiday.

I promised myself I would write a post on the airplane. But I slept. I vowed to steal a few minutes away from my cozy lounge chair by the infinity pool in order to blog. But I slept. Then, just like that, I was home again, where I swore up and down to get the recipe live if my future self depended on it. And what do ya know? Indeed, I slept some more. (Can you tell I needed a vacation?)

So here I am on day one of my new blogging adventure, finally sharing the recipe. Let's just pretend I made these cupcakes to celebrate my new career, shall we. Freedom from England, freedom from a restaurant job—practically the same thing, right? Anyways, it's not like a good Southerner ever needed an excuse to bake red velvet cupcakes.

RED VELVET CUPCAKES
Source: adapted from Cakeman Raven via Food Network
Yields: 22 - 24 cupcakes

These cupcakes were a birthday/Independence Day request, and birthday requests are one thing I do not take lightly. Therefore I spent entirely too many hours researching red velvet recipes both online and in my cookbooks. As luck would have it, someone else did most of the dirty work for me. Thank you The Bake More for both this post and this post. Clearly you are a blogger after my own heart.

I barely tweaked the Cakeman Raven's red velvet recipe (the unanimous online favorite) to make cupcakes instead of a layer cake. Upon further digging, I discovered that Cakeman Raven's recipe is almost exactly the same as the cupcake versions of both Martha Stewart's and Paula Deen's. Whose came first we may never know...

So how were they? I really loved these red velvet cupcakes. Vegetable oil is a very common ingredient in Southern cakes and for good reason—there is nothing worse than a dry baked good. Next time, I may add a bit more cocoa powder and vanilla as many commenters suggested, but otherwise it is a solid recipe. Oh, and the cream cheese frosting is seriously the best I've ever made. It is the only one I will use from here on out!

For the cupcakes:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill two muffin tins with cupcake liners.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla and mix on medium low speed until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and mix on medium low until a smooth batter has formed and no flour is visible.

Divide batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling each 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through cooking time, until the cupcakes are just done. Remove tins from the oven and cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese, sugar, butter, and vanilla on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula).

Frost the cupcakes—I piped my frosting using a large, closed-star tip—and top with assorted summer berries, if desired. Cupcakes will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.

Note: The frosting recipe above yields enough to pipe the cupcakes, a technique that uses more frosting than if decorating with a spatula. If using a spatula (or knife), there will be excess. The recipe quantities can be reduced, if desired.