TAOS Activity #7 - Adult Cupcakes Demo and Wine Tasting

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

6:30 - 9:30pm
Open Kitchen
7115 Leesburg Pike #107
Falls Church, VA 22043

From the website:
"Join Open Kitchen for this delicious demonstration class where Chef Matt will delight and surprise you with a variety of “adult” cupcakes, from his famous Guinness Cupcakes to Red Velvet Chocolate Port Cupcakes. You’ll learn how easy and joyful it is to bake delicious cupcakes from scratch. Once these scrumptious treats are baked and frosted, our Wine Expert Andy Hoyle will step in and share his recommendations for pairing them with an assortment of white, red, and sparkling wines. You will learn which cupcakes pair best with certain wines and why."

This activity was not as hands on as previous ones, but with the holidays right around the corner this demo sounded too fun to pass up. We arrived at Open Kitchen and took our seats at the bar which had an excellent view of the

kitchen. We enjoyed a small appetizer plate of meats and cheeses while the handsome Chef Matt demonstrated how to make the first cupcakes on the menu, Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes with Meyer Lemon Chardonnay Frosting. After he was finished with the demonstration, wine expert Andy explained why he chose each wine to go with the cupcakes. We got to taste each of the cupcakes on the menu and the wines together…and each “taste” of wine was a very generous portion! Wine Expert Andy ended each explanation by saying, “Enjoy…and have fun with it!” in his cheerful southern accent.
The cupcakes tasted better as we drank more wine…was this the reason for the generous pours?

Menu:

Blueberry-Lemon Cupcakes with Meyer Lemon Chardonnay Frosting paired with Osborne Pedro Ximenez Sherry, Santa Maria, Spain

White Chocolate Cupcakes Topped with Fresh Strawberries and Basil paired with Segura Viudas, Aria Pinot Noir Brut, Cava Spain

Lemon-Macadamia Cupcakes with Rosemary paired with Sauvignon Blanc, Vermonte, Casablanca Valley, Chile

Dark Chocolate and Chipotle Cupcakes with Candied Orange Peel paired with Banfi Rosa Regale, Strevi, Italy

Red Velvet Chocolate Port Cupcakes paired with Terra d’Oro Zinfandel Port, Amador County, CA

Guinness Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting paired with Guinness Beer

We enjoyed this activity even though it was a demonstration instead of a hands-on class. I doubt if we will ever make these “adult” cupcakes on our own but it was fun to learn about the wine pairings. Chef Matt was so handsome and fun that some of us are considering signing up for his soufflé class!