WINE of the month

This month ( I realise we are starting mid month, but we just recieved this wine only yesterday)  we have decided to go with a white wine , why ? – well because its so different & refreshing & hopefully by going with a white wine of the month the weather will follow!!!

This wine is called TEMPS DE FLORS & its Catalan , north of Barcelona , Spain.

Its called after the annual ‘Festival Of Flowers’ in Girona & you can see why the minute you taste this summery wine. Its a very ”Pretty” wine – if you can say that- & not in a condescending way . Its refreshing, crisp & light and I would say its to most peoples taste -It is  a blend of Muscat- Xarel.lo & Gewurtztraminer so it contains that correct amount of sweetness to allow you sip away without feeling someones added a spoon of honey too.

I hope you enjoy this wine sitting in our courtyard with the sun beaming as this is the image that came to mind when we tasted first… come on sunshine -its time : )))

Tapas Board this week 13/07/2011

- Breaded Prawns w’ lime mayo

- Baked Feta ,Chilli & Cherry Tomato w’ crusty bread – ( wow !!!)

- Beef Tagine w’ toasted almonds – Empanadas stuffed w’ spinach , caramelised red onion & feta

- Chicken liver pate w’ chutney

- Choc Chilli beef w’ nachos ( still! a best seller)

Lots & lots more

Also new for desserts

- Sticky toffee Pudding

Baked Choc Mousse w’ ginger mascarpone

Snickers Cheesecake

Frangelico Tiramsu

Wine of the Month

On a rare night off lately we decided to spend it in Galway & while we were strolling down Quay street looking at & for nothing in particular we came across a little Wine Shop which looked interesting, so we just had to have a quick look inside.

While we were browsing , we came across a few wines that we stock  at Mimosa so we got chatting to the Owner  & had a good discussion about the wines we both stock & the suppliers , he then started talking about this SALICE SALENTINO that is a gorgeous wine & is stocked by a supplier that we both use – well we just had to try it , for research purposes of course !!

Well -we both adored it , it’s such a surprising wine for me , full of great flavours but also with the slightest hint of spicy sweetness that is really pleasant, like one review said ‘ you’ll never get tired of this wine ‘ Its not too light or too heavy so its perfect with most meats .

From the heel of Italy -Salice Salentino is a juicy red produced by Masseria Pietrosa from the indigenous Italian variety of Negro amaro.  Largely overlooked, this is a real up-and-coming region to watch.

Thats what I love about this job ,we are learning more every day , and enjoying all the lessons along the way.

This is a wine not to be missed , it will be on our next wine list for sure but if you want a great wine now It will be available for the month of July at Mimosa

€ 24.00 per bottle       €6.00 per glass

Cin cin as they say in Italy

Pork & Chicken Terrine w’ hazelnuts & bacon crust

This is a recipe we came across recently & decided to give it a go – It worked really well hence its on the Tapas board this week

All the ingredients are for an average loaf tin.

25g  butter

5 garlic cloves

I onion

Bunch of fresh Sage,Rosemary & Thyme chopped

1 pack of rindless bacon

225g streaky bacon- chopped finely

700g  minced pork

I chicken breast

I bay Leaf

I large Egg

Handful of dried apricots

Handful of Crushed Hazelnuts

Dash of Brandy or Port

Black Pepper

Put the onion , butter & garlic over a low heat & cook until softened.

Mix all the meat( except the rashers ) , egg , Brandy or Port , nuts , apricots & pepper & also add the onion & garlic when a little cooled. Combine mixture really well . Next line the tin with most of the rashers  leaving enough for the top, then put in1/2 your meat mixture & then slice your chicken breast thinly & place on the mixture , then put the rest of the meat mixture on top of the Chicken Breast.Place the remaining rashers on top, cover the tin with foil & place in a water bath ( Just a roasting tin with water half way up the side of the loaf tin- don’t panic !!) put in the oven at 160 degrees for about 55mins to an hour, but check after 50 mins – a burnt terrine does not look attractive .Finish off without foil for 10-15 mins more .

thats it – enjoy : )))

Tapas Board this week 11/05/2011

* Pan fried Chorizo in red wine & rosemary

* Spinach & Ricotta Frittata w’ cherry tomato

* Chicken a la plancha w’ piri piri

* Seasame Seed Falafels w’ hummus

* Lamb Tagine w’ toasted almonds

* Breaded Prawns w’ lime mayo

& Lots more

Also —Dark Choc Flourless Brownie

Snickers Cheesecake

Mint Crisp Cheesecake

Frangelico Dessert Martini

Wine of the Month

We have been neglecting ‘ Wine of the month ‘ for a while now & have been scolded by some customers !! so , with renewed energy we have decided to bring you a very special wine from our list , we absolutely LOVE this wine , even though truthfully from a wine list Italian wine would not be our first choice , probably more because Italians I think show great respect for Wine & drink it mostly when eating, whereas we like to pop a cork & enjoy at any time ; ), but we did do a very interesting taste test on an Italian Chianti one evening you should try it out if you find yourselves with an Italian wine that you don’t particularly like when you open first.

We got a customer to blind taste the Chainti without eating & she hated it, we then gave her a small cracker & cheese , got her to taste the very same wine & the result was astounding , she adored the wine!!! & would not believe it was the same one , so our rule of thumb since then when drinking Italian wines in particular it’s always best to eat too.

Try it & let us know if you agree

Anyway , back to’ Wine of the Month ‘

This is a very smooth Spicy wine with a very long finish , as it explains below It is a wine level between the Valpolicella & Amarone and considering that Amarone is not easy to get below €60.00 this is a fantastic wine for the price & that’s the reason we have decided to make it this months Wine . Try it out I promise you won’t be disappointed : )

‘Ripasso‘ literarily means ‘revision‘, is an old technique used byValpolicella winemakers to enrich the normal Valpolicella wine with the flavors of the Amarone. After harvest in September, the best grapes are dried for four months before they are processed to become Amarone, normal grapes are vinified soon after harvest to make the normal Valpolicella. At the beginning of February, the five months old Valpolicella wine is put on the grape skins left at the end of the Amarone making process so that they can get some of the flavor of the Amarone. The resulting ‘ripasso’ Valpolicella is a medium bodied wine which stands between the normal Valpolicella and the Amarone.

Following fermentation, the wine is aged for just over a year in a mixture of large oak and small, French oak barrels prior to bottling. Deep colour, restrained and concentrated nose with perfumes of fresh and dried cherries, a hint of spiced fruit compote and good depth of cherry and chocolate on the palate which comes from the dried grapes. A lovely balance between concentrated, juicy fruit and just the right amount of structure supporting it

€28.00 per Bottle

€7.00 per glass

New Tapas

After a week offline because of computer problems : (((

I thought it was about time to post more yummy news on what Tapas are on the board & going down a storm in Mimosa lately.

Over the past few weeks we have been trying out a lot of vegetarian recipes & this new Falafel recipe that we came accross recently is just about perfect.

I’m sure there are a lot of people out there that are unsure what exactly are in falafels , well here we go …

Firstly you have to soak overnight one pack of chickpeas , then the next day drain them , add fresh water & bring them to boil & simmer them for about an hour, thats the worst bit over : ))

Then you drain the Chickpeas & whizz them in a food processor next add 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic, coriander seed , black pepper, chopped parsley & a few tablespoons of sesame seeds & hey presto thats your falafels, you may need to add a few drops of water to make the mixture moist enough-  Once you get used to making them you can add or subract any spices you feel like , as we often do.

You then shape the falafels to whatever shape you like , sprinkle them in flour & deep fry.

They are delicious served with hummus or Tzsaiki

Frangelico Tiramisu

This is a great new dessert & one of my favourites, you can of course replace the Frangelico with whatever Liqeur you fancy !

You soak Savoiardi ( I think they are also called lady fingers???) in half Frangelico- half Espresso, lay one layer of them in a glass , next whizz 2 egg whites until frothy .

Mix 2 egg yolks in a seperate bowl with 75grms of sugar & 4 tablespoons of Frangelico Then add in 500grms of Mascarpone cheese & mix well, finally fold in your Egg whites into the Mascarpone mix & scoop a layer of this ontop of the Savoiardi Biscuits you then add another layer of soaked Savoiardi Biscuits & lastly another layer of Mascarpone mixture .

You may  then top  with crushed chocolate or nuts or a mix of both , I have whizzed a couple of chocolate bars and scooped a good spoonful on top.

Refridgerate for a couple of hours before eating

Enjoy : )))

Tapas Board this week 06/04/2011

* Crispy Sticky Pork Belly w’ hoisin crust

* Chicken a la plancha w’ piri piri

* Tiger Prawn & avocado w’ raspberry drizzle

*Figs & Serrano Ham in blue cheese sauce

* De Cecco Gnocchi & pancetta in cider , cream & mustard

*Crispy Calamari w’ garlic mayo

* Lamb Skewers w’ yogurt & mint

* Choc Chilli Beef w’ nachos

+ lots more : ))

Tapas Creating Day

So.. todays usually the day where we try different Tapas to see if they’ll make the board or not!!

So today I think on the to-do list is gonna be–

De Cecco Gnocchi w’ pancetta in a cream & cider  mustard sauce

Prawns & Avocado w’ raspberry drizzle

& calamari that will knock your socks off( hopefully)

The only one that we have done before is the prawn & avocado but we want to try it a bit different this time – so thats what our Wednesdays are all about usually but its what keeps us interested & loving what we do ,.

Stay posted to facebook to see if they made the board or not …. hehe