Top 10 Holiday Recipes Featuring Quady Wines
While many of our holiday get-togethers will likely be a little smaller this year, great food and drink will still be a focal point for many. We’ve created and shared a number of recipes over the years which have helped to sweeten up the various holiday occasions of past years. Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas Eve dinner, a New Year’s Eve cocktail party or anything else, we’ve got a recipe for you! Here are 10 of our favorite recipes for the holidays for you to enjoy and share with those you hold near and dear.
Vya Brined Turkey
1. Vya Brined Turkey
Vya Sweet Vermouth makes a fabulous brine. You’ll end up with dark, delicious, caramelized skin. This also works really well with chicken. Start brining the turkey 2-3 days before you plan to cook it.
Ingredients:
12-14 lb. Fresh turkey
2 cups Brown sugar
1 cup Maple syrup
3/4 cup Coarse salt
3 Whole heads of garlic, cloves separated (not peeled) & bruised
6 Large bay leaves
1/2 cups Coarsely chopped, unpeeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups Soy sauce
3 qt. Water
1 bunch Fresh thyme
1 750ml bottle Vya Sweet Vermouth
Olive oil for braising 12-14 lb. fresh turkey
Preparation:
Brine:
Combine all brine ingredients in a stainless steel pot large enough to sustain the turkey and brine. Bring brine to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool. Remove the turkey’s gizzards and rinse the turkey well. Immerse the turkey in the brine (add water if the turkey is not fully immersed.)
Refrigerate for 2-3 days, turning the bird twice a day.
Turkey:
Remove the turkey from the brine, pat dry, brush with olive oil, set aside. Fire up the grill. When the coals are hot, place an aluminum foil drip pan (at least 1” deep) in between the coals. Place the grill rack onto the grill and center the turkey on top of the rack, breast side up directly over the drip pan. Cover the grill with the vents partially open. Keep the coals burning slowly, add coals as needed. Keep the temperature in the grill between 275 – 325 F. The total cooking time is about 3-3 ½ hours. When the internal temperature is 155 F, remove the turkey from the grill. Let cool for 20 minutes.
2. Herb Quady’s Perfect Prime Rib
“This is one of my favorite holiday traditions. It is a traditional Christmas dish, and in my family, my father would make Yorkshire pudding to accompany it, and we would follow with my Grandmother’s brandy soaked plum pudding. We would often pair it with an aged Bordeaux, with which it goes deliciously. In this vein, an older vintage of QN Arsenal or Cabernet Franc would be perfect.” – Herb Quady
Ingredients:
One standing rib roast, 3 to 7 ribs (2 people per rib), bones cut away from the roast and tied back to the roast with kitchen string (your butcher can prepare the roast this way)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Butter
Preparation:
Remove roast from the refrigerator at least 3 hours before cooking. The roast needs to come up to room temperature before it goes in the oven. Preheat the oven to 500F, or as high as it can go. Generously sprinkle salt and pepper all over the roast and rub it down with butter. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast, making sure it doesn’t touch the bone. After 15 minutes on 500F, reduce the heat to 325F. Allow 13-15 minutes per pound for rare and 15-17 minutes for medium rare. Error on the rare side, the roast will continue cooking once you take it out of the oven to “rest” and an overdone roast is a tragedy. Temperature on the meat thermometer should read 120F for rare or 130F for medium. Check about a half hour before you expect the roast to be done. Once the desired meat temperature is reached, remove the roast from the oven and let it rest on a carving board, “tented” with aluminum foil. While the roast is resting, you can make gravy with the drippings. Carve by trimming the meat from the bones and then cutting across the grain.
3. English Toffee
Chocolate rich with a crunchy texture and easy to make! This English toffee recipe is from Terri Prosperi. Terri and Denis Prosperi are our primary grape growers for a variety of our Muscat grapes. Try it with Quady Deviation Dessert Wine for a full flavored experience.
Ingredients:
1 lb. Butter
1 lb. Sugar = 2 1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cup Chopped almonds (1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped, 1 cup finely chopped for topping)
6 to 12 oz. Chocolate chips for topping
Preparation:
Using a heavy kettle, over medium heat, melt the butter. When the butter is melted add the sugar. Set timer for 20 minutes. Continue to cook over medium to slightly higher heat (not so hot as to burn the butter). Stir moderately. As the sugar melts, the mixture sort of thickens, stir in the coarsely chopped almonds. Continue to stir moderately. After approximately 20 minutes, the mixture should start to color.
Measure the temperature with a thermometer. Take the mixture off the heat when it attains the “hard crack” point, 300 degrees on the thermometer. Note: if butter starts to separate, try to stir to combine but do not overheat the mixture. Overheating will make the sugar re-crystalize. Pour off any excess butter before pouring mixture onto the cookie sheet. With a paper towel pat off any excess butter on the cookie sheet.
Sprinkle top with chocolate chips, allow to melt slightly. Using the back of a wooden spoon or a spatula spread the chocolate uniformly over the toffee. Finally, sprinkle the top with the finely ground almonds. Using a paper towel lightly press nuts down with hand. Refrigerate until cool and chocolate is set (2 – 3 hours), then break into pieces. Toffee can be frozen or refrigerated.
4. The Fall Fizz
While this vermouth cocktail is the perfect accompaniment to the fall leaves and cooling weather, it’s really good enough for anytime of year!
INGREDIENTS:
2 oz. Vya Sweet Vermouth
1 oz. Unfiltered apple juice (freshly pressed preferred)
1/2 oz. Fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Brown sugar
Club soda, chilled
Garnish: Lemon zest
PREPARATION:
Add brown sugar to a rocks glass. Pour lemon juice over the brown sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour in Vya Sweet Vermouth and apple juice. Fill with ice. Stir gently then top with club soda. Garnish with lemon peel. Serve.
5. Elysium Hot Chocolate
Elysium adds a delicious layer of dark cherry flavors to this homemade classic!
Ingredients:
3 cups Elysium Black Muscat
1 cup Bing or rainier cherries, halved and pitted
1/4 cup Sugar
1 Cinnamon stick
1/2 cup Cream
1 1/2 cups Milk
pinch of Salt
3 oz. Dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 oz. Milk chocolate, finely chopped
Whipped cream
Preparation:
Place all ingredients except cherries in a saucepan and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add cherries and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon stick (makes 3 ½ cups). Separate the Elysium Cherries from the Elysium sauce. Place to the side. In a separate bowl, add milk, cream, and salt to a saucepan and place it over medium heat. Heat up the milk. Occasionally, stir and scrape the bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula to prevent the milk from scorching. Bring it to a simmer so that bubbles appear along the side of the pan. Once simmering, remove the pan from the heat. In a bowl, add both chopped chocolates. Whisk together until the chocolate has melted. Whisk in the Elysium sauce until the drink is creamy and smooth. Serve warm with whipped cream and Elysium cherries.
Tip: Chocolate can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, to be reheated by stove or microwave when ready.
6. Mulled Vya
A tonic for the cold: warming for the body and stimulating for the senses. Guests will want to linger. Created by Mixologist Dana Fares.
INGREDIENTS:
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) Vya Sweet Vermouth
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) Vya Extra Dry Vermouth
One Orange peeled and sliced
1/2 cup of Essensia Orange Muscat (or ¼ cup brandy)
8-10 Cloves
1/3 cup Honey
3 Cinnamon sticks
1 tsp. Fresh or 2 tsp. ground ginger
PREPARATION:
Slowly warm ingredients on low to medium heat (avoid boiling), for 20-25 minutes in a large pot. Stir occasionally. Once the honey has dissolved and the stew is steaming it is ready to serve. Serves 4-6.
7. Vya Egg Nog
Full of the baking spices- cinnamon, cardamom, clove and ginger, Vya Sweet Vermouth will turn your traditional nog into a nostalgic wintertime treat. It’s perfect for the holidays!
Ingredients:
1 Part Vya Sweet Vermouth
1 Part Egg Nog
Preparation:
Combine Vya Sweet Vermouth and Egg Nog in a glass, pitcher, or bowl. Garnish with nutmeg and/or cinnamon stick. Enjoy!
8. The Social Hour
A grapefruit infused twist to the always delicious and easy vermouth and sparkling wine cocktail.
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 oz. Grapefruit infused Vya Sweet Vermouth*
2 oz. Sparkling wine
Garnish: Grapefruit peel
PREPARATION:
Pour Vya infusion into a flute. Top off with sparkling wine, zest, garnish and serve!
*Vya grapefruit infusion:
Peel from one grapefruit
12 oz. Vya Sweet Vermouth
2 tbsp. Superfine sugar
Gently stir grapefruit peels (no pith), Vya, and sugar in a bowl. Let stand for an hour. Stir occasionally. Strain. Refrigerate.
9. Jingle Juice
In this sparkling punch, fresh pomegranate juice marries well with the cherry-berry-peach zest of Red Electra and the spicy orange-apricot-pear characters found in Essensia, to create a flavor-packed beverage that is sure to make your guests’ taste buds sing.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. Sugar
1 cup Pomegranate juice
1 bottle Sparkling wine
1 bottle Red Electra Moscato
3/4 cup Essensia Orange Muscat
2 Oranges
1/4 cup Pomegranate seeds
Ice cubes
Preparation:
In a punch bowl, dissolve the sugar in the pomegranate juice, stirring vigorously. Add the sparkling wine, Red Electra Moscato and Essensia Orange Muscat, then add the orange slices and pomegranate seeds. Serve over ice.
10. Merry Christmas Punch
The deep rich cherry flavor and rose-like aroma of Elysium creates a little holiday romance in this easy-to-make recipe. Festive and bright, Merry Cherry Punch is sure to spread love and cheer at your holiday party.
Ingredients:
4 cups Elysium Black Muscat
1 bottle Pink Champagne or Sparkling Rosé
1 2-liter bottle Cherry 7-up
Cherries for garnish (optional)
Preparation:
In a punch bowl or large pitcher filled with ice, combine all of the ingredients. Stir well. Serve over ice and garnish with cherries.