Crab cakes to cupcakes

     Ahhhh spring break: a wonderful time of relaxation and recuperation. However, I did not have same budget as my other collegiate colleagues and could not take a lavish cruise to 27 islands, so instead I enjoyed the comfort of my own home, family and pets for a week. I, of course, persuaded them to embark on another wine dinner! Yay!

Mom, Anna (sister) and Jake (brother)
sampling the appetizer

The appetizer and bordeaux

     The appetizer this time was a cheese and fruit plate. We went for a Bucheron goat cheese with harvest wheat crackers, red table grapes and a bosc pear. The wine was a grand reserve 2014 Côtes de Bordeaux from Chateau La Grange Clinet. It was very dry with a really leathery taste and had flavors and aromas of red berries and jam. It was delightful. Since our appetizer has a lot of parts, I'll go piece by piece. The grapes were so light and had a delicate sweetness that was completely overwhelmed by the wine. The pear was a better pairing (pear-ing...lol) because it was a bit over ripe and had a very intense sweetness that balanced the heft and dryness of the wine. The goat cheese, which is famously salty and tart, competed with the strength of the wine. They were both very intense in their own way and, unfortunately, did not compliment each other. The bordeaux was heavy and not acidic enough to match the tart cheese.

Main course: crab cake, potato
medley and apremont wine
ft. jake's eyes

     I was a very happy camper for this next course as we had found a Savoie Apremont in the grocery store!!! My favorite! More specifically, it was a 2015 Apremont from Les Rocailles- Pierre Boniface. It's a mild, crisp, mostly dry wine with floral flavors and aromas and a honeydew melon taste. My mouth still waters thinking about it. Our meal to go alongside it was crab cakes and a roasted

My family: Me, Mom, Anna, Jake, and
Dad sat down for the main course. 

potato/tomato/onion/basil medley. Crab has quite a light, slightly sweet and fishy flavor, that when tasted alone with the wine, paired beautifully. However, when I dunked it in spicy cocktail sauce, it overpowered the wine. Now, I've known for some time that white wine from Savoie compliments potato dishes nicely. I knew this mainly because tartiflette (potato, cheesy, bacon-y goodness) is the Savoie regions' most famous dish. I was therefore not surprised when the wine went beautifully with the potatoes. 

Tawny port with coconut cupcake

   
     Lastly, I took to the oven again and made some cupcakes. This time they were coconut cupcakes with a hint of almond extract and cream cheese icing. My parents generously shared their W&J Graham's 10 year old tawny port to sample with the dessert. The port was nutty and tasted of caramel and anise. It also didn't linger too long on the palate and complimented the cupcake. The two together tasted buttter and nutty and satisfied my sweet tooth perfectly. Til the next edition of Participatory Parents... santé!