Toast Mom with wine that has a feminine side
There was a time when you could count on one hand the number of women working in the wine industry. This Mother's Day, you can drink a wine made by one of them and featuring her mother on the label.
On Sunday, Karen Cakebread, of the California vineyard of the same name, is releasing her own line of wines, named Ziata for her mother, Mary Annunziata.
There aren't exact statistics on the number of women working in wine around the nation, but Cakebread estimates that today as many as 15 percent of California winemakers may be women. The National Women's Wine Competition, launched in 2007, got entries from more than 200 women winemakers last year, most of them in California, says organizer Lea Pierce.
Cakebread is starting her new brand with 250 cases of a crisp Sauvignon Blanc; she plans to release 200 cases of Pinot Noir at the end of the year.
Flowers for Mom: Maybe Sauvignon Blanc is not how you want to toast the day. If a sparkling mimosa is more your style you'll want to try a Motherly Love Momosa.
The recipe calls for Wild Hibiscus blooms soaked in a sweet syrup; you'll find them at Whole Foods Market or Williams Sonoma, or order them at wildhibiscus.com.
To make the cocktail, put a flower in the bottom of a flute. In a shaker filled with ice, combine 1 ounce St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, 1 ounce pink grapefruit juice and 1/2 ounce syrup from the flowers. Shake and strain into a champagne flute; top with 5 ounces dry sparkling wine. Garnish with a strip of grapefruit zest.
If you don't get your hands on a jar of Wild Hibiscus flowers in time for Mother's Day, substitute grenadine for the syrup and garnish the drink with petals from any other edible flower.
Common interests: Celebrity chefs Art Smith, Stephanie Izard, Tyler Florence, Ming Tsai and Curtis Stone will be joined by a host of other Chicago chefs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday, May 23, for Common Threads' Fourth Annual World Festival at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
Common Threads educates Chicago youth on the importance of nutrition and physical well-being and fosters an appreciation for cultural diversity through cooking.
Moet Hennessy USA has paired wines to complement each chef's creation as guests roam through the different regions of the world. Custom cocktails, live entertainment and a silent auction will be featured throughout the night.
Tickets cost $250 at commonthreads.org or $300 at the door.
- Deborah Pankey
• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at (847) 427-4524 or food@dailyherald.com. Listen to her discuss food and restaurant trends on "Restaurant Radio Chicago" from 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560-AM.