You may recall that I told you a few weeks ago that I’m trying to learn more about wine, especially how to pair wine with food. Many of you gave me some great resources – Thank You! I also recently received an invitation to attend a Macy’s Culinary Council event featuring Andrea Robinson, renowned Master Sommelier, author and chef. Just what I needed. (I also got to meet Melissa!)

I can say, without a doubt, that I loved Andrea Robinson. She was engaging and warm without an inkling of being haughty.

I really appreciated her “rules,” the first being that there are no “rules” when it comes to pairing food and wine.

it’s not the protein, it’s the prep that you are matching

body with body – to acheive balance

pair intense herbs with intense, big reds

the fermentation element in foods (vinegar, cured meat, etc.) pairs well with the fermentation process that wine undergoes

everything goes with bubbles

In addition to being one of 16 female Master Sommeliers, she is the author of a number of books on wine and food, (I purchased Great Wine Made Simple), chef and most recently, the developer of a new set of wine glasses, The One. She prepared some delicious food to go along with some delicious wines for us to sample!

First was an edamame pesto that I will be making soon, it was delicious and fresh-tasting. The St. Supéry Sauvingon Blanc that was paired along with it was excellent as well. It was delightfully citrusy and refreshing on a 90 degree day. This pairing was an example of the similar fermentation elements between food and wine (ie. the toasted sesame oil and wine both being aged in a barrel)

While the proscuitto & sage crusted pork was very good, it was the last dish she made that I’m still thinking about. Skeptics of the world, the chocolate & chorizo toasts were my favorite of the evening. Salty & Sweet is a combination I’m sure I’ll never grow tired of, but the creamy chocolate with salty chorizo was the ultimate of sweet & salty. I can’t wait to make this again…I’ve just got to find a crowd with an open mind. Any takers?

I was lucky enough to receive a sampling of stevia products from NuNaturals. I have been a fan of stevia for quite some time, but I have never baked with it before. (Considering that I just started baking last month, could be part of the reason) While I was paging through all of the recipes that they sent along, one recipe in particular stood out. Vegan Peanut Butter Blondies. I’ve seen Mama Pea’s baking skills time and time again, and although I don’t have two cute helpers, I knew I was going to have to try this recipe, even if I was all on my own.

I love the idea of a whole-grain, low-sugar treat that I can feel good about eating. And I love that you can replace some of the sugar with stevia. NuNaturals baking blend is such a genius idea! I would try adding a little less stevia next time, because there was a hint of that stevia flavor that I don’t particularly care for – definitely not enough for me to not eat the remaining bars however! I can’t wait to try some more recipes with stevia and I’m also looking for some samplers, my freezer can’t handle anymore frozen cookies, bars and desserts!

Have you baked with stevia before? What have you made?