These fluffy bite-sized beauties are just the thing for an easy buffet.
Mini Vegetable Frittatas
Servings: 6 (2 frittatas each)
PAIRS WITH: Fact 2015 Chardonnay
INGREDIENTS:
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Perfect Pinch® Italian Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon McCormick® Black Pepper, Ground
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 log (4 ounces) goat cheese (chèvre), crumbled
3/4 cup chopped yellow squash
1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat eggs, milk, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in medium bowl until well blended. Add cheeses, squash, spinach and onion; mix well.
2. Spray 1 (12-cup) muffin tin generously with no stick cooking spray. Spoon about 1/4 cup egg mixture into each cup. Sprinkle with tomatoes.
3. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or just until eggs are set. Run small knife or spatula around each cup to loosen mini frittatas. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
*Recipe and Photo Courtesy of McCormick & Company, Inc.
Tasty spears grilled in crunchy-sweet prosciutto are impossible to resist.
Proscuitto Wrapped Asparagus
Servings: 4
PAIRS WITH: le Cadeau Semi-Seco Sparkling
INGREDIENTS:
16 spears asparagus, (about 1 bunch) trimmed
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt
McCormick® Black Pepper, Ground, to taste
2 very thin slices of proscuitto, (about 1 ounce), cut in half lengthwise
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat grill to medium. (These can also be done stovetop on a grill pan.)
2. Toss asparagus with oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Wrap 1 length of prosciutto around the middle of 4 asparagus spears. Repeat, making 4 bundles. Oil the grill rack or grill pan. Grill the asparagus bundles, turning once or twice, until the asparagus is tender and charred in spots, about 10 minutes.
*Recipe and Photo Courtesy of McCormick & Company, Inc.
Sunny apricots lend a lovely tartness to this light and fragrant treat.
Apricot Almond Coffee Cake
Servings: 10
PAIRS WITH: Mariana Vineyard 2016 Verdelho
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground
1/8 teaspoon McCormick® Ginger, Ground
1 large egg
1/2 cup snipped dried apricots
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons reduced-sugar apricot preserves, melted
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat an 8-inch round baking pan with cooking spray; set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger.
2. In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg with a fork; stir in dried apricots. Stir in milk, sugar, applesauce and oil. Add apricot mixture all at once to flour mixture; stir until combined. Spread batter in the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Cut up any large pieces of fruit in preserves; spoon over coffee cake. Sprinkle with toasted almonds. Serve warm.
*Recipe and Photo Courtesy of McCormick & Company, Inc.
Hot and savory, creamy and satisfying - make it the night before.
Baked Brie Strata
Servings: 6
PAIRS WITH: Lumière de Vie Merlot
INGREDIENTS:
2 small zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)
6 cups torn bite-size pieces crusty sourdough bread, (6 ounces), divided
1 4.5-ounce package Brie cheese
1 cup halved grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
1 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed, or 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup evaporated nonfat milk
1/3 cup sliced green onions
3 tablespoons McCormick® Dill Weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon McCormick® Black Pepper, Ground
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a covered medium saucepan, cook zucchini in a small amount of boiling lightly salted water for 2 to 3 minutes or just until tender. Drain zucchini; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, coat a 2-quart rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange 4 cups bread pieces in the prepared baking dish. If desired, remove and discard rind from cheese. Cut cheese into 1/2-inch cubes. Sprinkle cheese evenly over bread in baking dish. Arrange zucchini and tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 cups bread pieces.
3. Combine eggs, evaporated milk, green onions, dill, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour evenly over mixture in baking dish. Lightly press down layers with back of spoon. Cover with plastic wrap; chill for 4 to 24 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove plastic wrap from strata; cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake for 25 to 30 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
*Recipe and Photo Courtesy of McCormick & Company, Inc.
A fresh, cool classic dressed up with dried cherries and crunchy pecans.
Chicken Salad with Pecans and Cherries
Servings: 4
PAIRS WITH: Joy Cellars Riesling
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Black Pepper, Ground
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup dried tart cherries, chopped
1 head Boston or butterhead lettuce, trimmed
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place chicken in a medium skillet or saucepan, cover with water and add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
2. Meanwhile, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl.
3. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces. Add the chicken, celery, pecans and cherries to the bowl with the dressing and toss to combine.
4. Divide lettuce leaves among 4 plates and top with about 1 cup chicken salad each.
*Recipe and Photo Courtesy of McCormick & Company, Inc.
Surprise! This simple pound cake packs lots of flavor into every lemony slice.
Lemon Pound Cake with Raspberry Swirl
Servings: 12
PAIRS WITH: Moderna 2016 Muscat
INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup sour cream
4 eggs
2 cups flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons McCormick® Raspberry Extract
20 drops McCormick® Red Food Color
1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Beat butter, granulated sugar and sour cream in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour and baking soda on low speed until just blended.
2. Remove 1 cup of the batter to small bowl. Stir in raspberry flavor and red food color. Stir lemon extract into remaining batter. Pour 1/2 of the lemon batter into greased and floured 9x5-inch loaf pan. Top with 1/2 of the raspberry batter. Repeat layers. Run a knife through batter to swirl raspberry batter into lemon batter.
3. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.
*Recipe and Photo Courtesy of McCormick & Company, Inc.
OJ in the batter and in the syrup make these slices of heaven.
Mimosa French Toast
Servings: 4
PAIRS WITH: le Cadeau California Brut Sparkling Wine
INGREDIENTS:
4 slices fresh bread
4 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1 tbsp. butter
Zest from 1 large orange
Juice from 1 large orange
For the syrup:
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tbsp. water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup sparkling wine
1 tbsp. orange juice
2 tbsp. powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest and orange juice in a medium sized bowl. Soak bread for a few minutes on each side.
2. Preheat pan on medium-high heat and melt butter. Place soaked bread into pan and cook for about 1 minute on each side until slightly brown. Remove bread from pan and set aside until all bread is cooked.
3. To prepare syrup, melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add water and sugar and whisk to combine. Boil on medium high for 5 minutes until bubbling and thick. Stir to prevent from burning.
4. Remove the syrup from heat and stir in sparkling wine and orange juice.
Fruity, chocolatey, hard to resist and microwave-quick.
Easy Chocolate Fondue
Servings: 16
PAIRS WITH: Nouveau Muse 2016 Rhapsody
INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
DIRECTIONS:
1. Microwave corn syrup, cream and vanilla in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 1 1/2 minutes or until mixture comes to boil. Add chocolate; stir until completely melted and smooth.
2. Serve warm as a dip with cut-up fresh fruit, assorted cookies, pretzels, pound cake or angel food cake cubes.
*Recipe and Photo Courtesy of McCormick & Company, Inc.
Raise a Glass to Mom
Brunch isn't complete without a dash of sparkling! Use our handy cheat-sheet for Sparkling Shortcuts that will have you pouring & enjoying in no time.
Set the Scene with a Playlist of Songs for Mom
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