Patriots Potluck Recap

          Blog and Tweet Boston hosted our first official event this past weekend in conjunction with the Boston Brunchers! Jen (aka the Boston Bachelorette) invited us to a potluck at her apartment for the Patriots Game. We all brought dishes to share, and enjoyed some amazing wines courtesy of Ninety Plus Cellars and soufflés courtesy of Chef Yves Bainer.
         
          90 Plus Cellars is a Boston based company that bottles highly rated wines from other wineries (90 points or more from wine spectator) selling their wines at a discount due to overstock or other reasons. Although you may not know exactly what you’re getting with each bottle, you know it will be good! Although they generously donated eight bottles, the six of us were only able to get through four!

          Lot 49: Sparkling Rose, Veneto IGT, Italy, NV: This was a dry Prosecco with just a splash of Merlot. The light, fruit flavors were an excellent pairing with Jen’s Gorgonzola and Cranberry Salad.

          Lot 50: Prosecco, Veneto DOC, Italy, NV: This wine was also very light, and I enjoyed it with the cheese and crackers to start.

          Lot 42: Pinot Grigio, Trentino, Italy, 2010: This was a more medium bodied white, which I enjoyed with the crostini and different spreads.

          Lot 4: Shiraz Viognier, McLaren Vale, Australia, 2010: This was my favorite wine we tried; I’ve never tried a Shiraz blended with Viognier, but this worked really well together!

          Chef Yves Banier is a Michelin starred French Chef who now lives on Cape Cod and produces soufflés available at Whole Foods for home consumption. He generously donated several sweet and savory options including:

          Cheese: Aged Gruyere cheese soufflé batter folded with egg whites, broccoli fleurettes, and roasted red onion.

          Cheese: Aged Swiss cheese mixed with a béchamel sauce, folded with egg whites, a touch of cayenne pepper, and grated fresh whole nutmeg.

          Chocolate with Peanut Butter: Rich, dense chocolate with a center of creamy, slightly salty peanut butter.

          Chocolate: Dense, creamy Belgian chocolate.

          Dulce de Leche: The traditional Mexican recipe, reduced condensed milk, dark caramel, and egg whites lightly folded in.

          We had a great time enjoying all of the food and wine, and each other’s company. And even though we had the game on, personally I barely noticed who won!