Girls' Night Out: Billions of Bubbles

I finally got to check out the new Dierbergs Des Peres location thanks to a “cooking” class held there that was actually part wine pairing. The theme was “Girls’ Night Out: Billions of Bubbles” and Chef Marianne Moore selected five different appetizer dishes for us to put together, while STLwinegirl, Angela Ortmann, paired a different sparkling wine with each appetizer.

I was a little nervous since cooking is really not my thing so I volunteered for an activity that sounded easy: stuffing mushrooms. First, we had to “polish” the mushrooms with a towel (I normally wash the dirt off so not sure why we did it without water) and then pull out the stems of the mushrooms. After greasing the pans and placing the mushrooms “holes up”, we then created the stuffing.

Unfortunately, the stuffing was made with pork and was the least tasty of all the dishes. I promise to go back to “not cooking” status for the safety of everyone!

We started out with Shrimp & Avocado Puffs, which are two of my favorite ingredients and it was paired with a Prosecco…the Italian version of sparkling wine.

There were TWO cheese courses, which were among my favorites of course: a Baked Goat Cheese Spread, paired with a Cava, or Spain’s version of sparkling wine and a Baked Brie.

The mushrooms were paired with a real Champagne and of course the wine stood out on that course.

As much as I love cheese, I really enjoyed the Aussie Burgers (lamb sliders), which was paired with a Blanc de Noirs. Meaty and filling!

I was quite full by the time we reached the dessert course: Fillo Nest with Mixed Berry Sauce paired with a Brachetto, which I have never had before.

Resources:

Dierbergs Des Peres = http://www.dierbergs.com/About/News/Dierbergs+Des+Peres.aspx

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com/

Photo by Angela Ortmann