People usually have one objective when they open a bottle of wine, drinking it! Of course, I’m all for that!  You  may use a little here and there while cooking (“some for me, some for the sauce”) . Great. But if you stop there, you’re missing out.  So, be adventurous and try these amazing and easy recipes with wine.

1. Brennan’s Raspberry wine over ice cream- Wine and ice cream? Yes! Give the chocolate sauce and caramel topping the night off and drizzle some sweet Raspberry wine over a scoop or two of creamy vanilla ice cream for a sundae all grown up. You won’t regret it.  If you just can’t totally give up your chocolate, shave some dark chocolate over the top for a pretty and tasty garnish.
2. Poaching pears in a sweet Riesling- Riesling makes such a great poaching liquid for pears because a lot of the flavors are mirrored, and the wine adds a perfect amount of zip to each bite. The trick is to get a sweet-styled Riesling, like Hyatt from Washington State. My favorite version of Riesling Poached Pears is served with cardamom cream.
3.  The perfect sauce for your steak- There is no better companion to a steak than a great Cabernet, but it doesn’t have to be in a glass. First, cook your steak in a pan on the stove until done to your taste. Remove it from the pan and let it rest. While it’s resting throw two pats of butter in the still hot pan, and add equal parts red wine ( I like Viu Manent Cabernet Sauv) and coffee. Whisk together, and let it reduce a bit.  Then, pour over the steak and enjoy!  Pair with a glass of the same red wine and taste how the flavors unite .

So, these are just a few of the fun ways I use wine.  While drinking wine will always be #1 in my heart, these are a close second!