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Holiday Cocktail Couture: Pomegranate-Rosemary Royale!

Looking for the perfect cocktail to serve at your holiday soirée? Well look no further, the delicious and festive Pomegranate-Rosemary Royale is an excellent choice! This creative, yet easy to make cocktail is a combination of rosemary-infused simple syrup (which can be made a day or two in advance), pomegranate juice, and sparkling wine garnished with glistening, ruby red pomegranate... Read More

The post Holiday Cocktail Couture: Pomegranate-Rosemary Royale! appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.

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Holiday Cocktail Couture: Pomegranate-Rosemary Royale!

Rosemary Pomegranate Royale, Cocktail Couture, Holiday, Christmas

Looking for the perfect cocktail to serve at your holiday soirée? Well look no further, the delicious and festive Pomegranate-Rosemary Royale is an excellent choice!

This creative, yet easy to make cocktail is a combination of rosemary-infused simple syrup (which can be made a day or two in advance), pomegranate juice, and sparkling wine garnished with glistening, ruby red pomegranate seeds and/or rosemary sprigs. I love how it incorporates both the flavors and colors of the holiday season.

For this cocktail I like to use Prosecco (for our recommendation please click here); it’s best to enjoy your expensive Champagne on its own and this Italian sparkler is much more cost effective as well. In the interest of time, I like to double the batch, just to be sure I have enough and feel free to experiment with the ratio of ingredients to suit your tastes. Alternatively, if you’re more of a martini person, you can substitute vodka for the sparkling wine and serve the drink in a martini glass garnished with a rosemary sprig. Ah so many options, so little time!

I hope you enjoy this Holiday edition of Cocktail Couture (for other installments, please click here) and I’d love to hear what you think of this drink or if you have a favorite holiday cocktail! Please leave a comment below to automatically enter your name into our drawing for a FREE bottle of Krug Champagne – a $200 value!!! Each comment left on a post on our website will count as a separate entry as will signing up for our weekly newsletter (please click here to sign up)! A winner will be announced Sunday, December 21st at 5pm EST and you’ll receive your bottle in time for New Year’s Eve so make your comment now. Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for more holiday wine recommendations and recipe ideas.

Cheers,

Signature

 

 

Pomegranate-Rosemary Royale

Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
2 cups Prosecco or other sparkling wine
Pomegranate seeds for garnish

1. Combine 1/4 cup water and sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add the rosemary; let stand 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a small bowl; discard solids.
2. Pour 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice and 1 tablespoon rosemary syrup into 4 Champagne glasses. Top each serving with 1/2 cup sparkling wine. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve immediately.
Serves 4

Fast & Fabulous: Provençal Pork Chops & a Delicious Rhône Red!

“If I had to narrow my choice of meats down to one for the rest of my life, I am quite certain that meat would be pork.” – James Beard I am inclined to agree with the late James Beard so this installment of “Fast & Fabulous” features Provençal Pork Chops, a recipe which incorporates the delicious flavors of the... Read More

The post Fast & Fabulous: Provençal Pork Chops & a Delicious Rhône Red! appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.

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Fast & Fabulous: Provençal Pork Chops & a Delicious Rhône Red!

Provencal Pork Chops, rib chop, loin chop, boneless chop, cous cous, herbes de provence,

“If I had to narrow my choice of meats down to one for the rest of my life, I am quite certain that meat would be pork.” – James Beard

I am inclined to agree with the late James Beard so this installment of “Fast & Fabulous” features Provençal Pork Chops, a recipe which incorporates the delicious flavors of the South of France and juicy, pan-seared pork chops. As with all of our Fast & Fabulous recipes, it can be prepared in well under an hour and we’ve also included a Sommelier-selected wine pairing to further enhance your enjoyment of the dish.

Pork Loin chops, Pork chops Provencal, Fast & Fabulous, Recipes, The Glamorous Gourmet

Which type of pork chop to use in this or any other recipe basically comes down to personal preference. Personally, I’m a fan of “bone-in” chops as opposed to “boneless” since meat cooked on the bone is practically guaranteed to be succulent and juicy while boneless cuts can dry out faster resulting in tougher meat. There are a variety of bone-in and boneless choices, for instance pork loin chops (pictured above) are cut from the center of the loin, the strip of meat that runs from the pig’s hip to shoulder, and consist of a small portion of the tenderloin separated from the loin by a T-shaped bone. Pork rib chops don’t contain any of the tenderloin and are taken from the area closest to the rib so the bone is off to one side. Boneless pork chops are cut from the area above the loin chops and the thickness of all of these types of chops ranges from about half an inch to two inches. Cooking time will depend on how thick they are and if they have a bone or not, bone-in takes longer. While this recipe calls for bone-in pork loin chops, feel free to use whichever type you prefer, keeping in mind boneless chops will cook faster.

Pork loin chops, pork chops provencal, Fast & Fabulous, The Glamorous Gourmet

This recipe also calls for Herbes de Provence, a delightfully fragrant and flavorful mixture of dried herbs indigenous to the eponymous historic province in southeast France. The mixture typically includes rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, savory and lavender and is often sold in traditional Provençal clay jars. Herbes de Provence makes an excellent seasoning for chicken, fish or pork and works deliciously well with the flavors in this dish. I like to serve the Provençal Pork Chops over a bed of cous cous to catch all the delicious sauce and pair it with the 2013 Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhône ($15, Wine Atelier), a medium-bodied Syrah from the Southern Rhône with plenty of personality at a very affordable price.

Cheers,

Signature

 

 

“Provençal Pork Chops”
Serves 4

4 Tbsp. good olive oil
4 1-inch thick bone-in center cut pork loin chops
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over med-hi heat. Pat the chops dry and season both sides with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Once the oil in the skillet is hot, add the chops to the pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer chops to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add the sliced onion to the same pan and sauté over medium heat until softened, approximately 5-7 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices, Herbes de Provence, and red pepper flakes to the pan and stir well to combine. Cover the pan and simmer until the flavors have melded and the juice has thickened slightly about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Return the pork chops to the pan with any accumulated juices and simmer until chops are heated through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.