Santa Margherita Wine

Ready for a new food and wine recipe that will give you a sugary goosebump? Here is a wonderful pairing of delightful maple pecans and our Santa Margherita Prosecco.

Don’t simply read this…let it wash over you.

Let yourself “taste” this pairing before you ever step foot into the kitchen for that corkscrew and apron!

1 lb. pecan halves
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup pure maple syrup
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. sweet paprika
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Spread the pecans in a large roasting pan and bake until lightly roasted, about 8 minutes.

Combine the corn and maple syrups. Pour over the nuts and toss to coat well. Bake, stirring occasionally until the nuts have absorbed most of the syrup (about 10 minutes).

Mix the sugar, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt and cayenne. Pour the nuts into a bowl. Toss with spoon, gradually adding the sugar mixture, until the nuts are coasted with the sugar.

Cool slightly and break apart any nuts that are sticking together. Pour onto a baking sheet and cool completely. Store in an air tight container.

Suggested wine pairing: Santa Margherita Prosecco.
The spice in the pecans is a great way to start a meal, waking up the palate. The sweeter notes in Santa Margherita Prosecco neutralize the spice and cleanse the palate.

AND DO NOT FORGET!!!

While The Great Taste Challenge 2010 is now in its final weeks, we are now awarding prizes FOR EVERY ENTRY! That’s right…everyone who submits a wine and food recipe video to our contest will become a winner.

Here’s just some of what you WILL WIN BY ENTERING:

While the world speeds out of control with technology at light speed, there has been a real resurgence in what is real in our lives. That goes further and further until we find those very honest things that we love no matter what the time or the place…and great food and wine recipes are that and so much more.

Doesn’t matter a lick if you’re reading this on your new iPad in your hybrid while Tweeting to your masses. What matters day in and day out to so many of us is that very rare combination of great food and the perfect wine, enjoyed with family and friends, that create a meal that is deserving of a memory.

The food and wine recipes that are inside of your head, maybe even the ones that have been passed down to you, the recipes for food and wine that you KNOW set a meal apart, now want to see the light of publicity.

In fact, that’s exactly why we created The Great Taste Challenge…so that you could submit your best food and wine recipe on video for the chance to win some rather delicious prizes.

In its second year, the Santa Margherita Great Taste Challenge really is a celebration of
how foods and wines are paired in the kitchens of America…and trust us, we want to see what you’ve got.

Judging this year is famed chef Fabio Viviani,  the co-owner and Executive Chef of Café Firenze Italian Restaurant and Martini Bar in Ventura County, California. Needless to point out his careful attention to wine and food detail, chef Fabio cannot wait to sink his teeth into your entries…as he knows (like we do) that more and more people have become far more savvy with how they pair foods and wine to get the perfect tastes and meals.

A word about the contest.  Keep it simple. You don?t have to prepare your dish during the video. Just show the finished entrée, which wine you paired it with and tell us a little about why you brought them together.  Tell us anything.  We want to hear your inspiration.

Ok, The Great Taste Challenge is on.

The call for amazing food and wine recipes is on.

You only need a simple video camera and the will to win.

Santa Margherita wants to know what food and wine recipes YOU think will win!