FOOD, WINE, ART

GRACEFUL LIVING
We believe that the path to a gracious lifestyle can be found in the appreciation of wine, food, and art. In our ever fast pace world, take time to explore the pairings of wine and food. We would like to share with you some recipes collected throughout the years.

Please send us your favorite recipe using one of your much loved Benigna’s Creek wines and we will share with the world.


ENJOY!
01. Benigna’s Creek “Patriot Red” Sangria
02. Benigna’s Creek “Berry Blitz” Wine Spritzer
03. Benigna’s Creek Peach Wine Bunt Cake with Benigna’s Creek Peach Wine Glaze
04. Benigna’s Creek Raspberry Wine Cheese Cake with Raspberry Wine Sauce for Glaze
05. Benigna’s Creek “Liberty White” Wine and Fresh Strawberry Cream Dessert
06. Benigna’s Creek Raspberry Wine Trifle
07. Chilled Benigna’s Creek Cab Franc Red Wine Fruit Dressing
08. Benigna’s Creek Strawberry Wine Delight
09. Benigna's Creek Blueberry Wine Lemon Cake
10. Benigna's Creek Patriot Red Wine Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing
11. Benigna's Creek Strawberry Wine Jelly
12. Spiced Applesauce Cakes
13. Benigna's Creek "Sunshine" Wine Cake


Benigna’s Creek “Patriot Red” Sangria by Uncle Andy
1 Bottle of Benigna’s Creek Patriot Red Wine
½ Cup Orange Juice
1 Lemon, wedged
1 Lime, wedged
1 Orange, wedged
2 Apples, wedged
2 Cups Club Soda or Ginger Ale
Pour the wine and orange juice in a pitcher. Squeeze the juice from the lemon, lime, and orange wedges into the wine. Add wedges into the wine. Chill. Add soda right before serving. Include the fruit when serving.

Return to top


Benigna’s Creek “Berry Blitz” Wine Spritzer by Aunt Lisa
- Benigna’s Creek “Berry Blitz”
- Club Soda
Mix 2 parts Berry Blitz and 1 part club soda. Fill wine glasses with ice. Add the mix. Serve immediately.

Return to top


Benigna’s Creek Peach Wine Bunt Cake with Benigna’s Creek Peach Wine Glaze by Sharon Boyer

Bunt Cake ingredients:
1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
4 Eggs
1/3 Cup Oil
3 oz Pkg. Peach Jello
3/4 Cup Benigna’s Creek Peach Wine

Generously grease bunt pan. Mix together all ingredients listed above in a bowl and mix on low for 30 seconds, scraping the sides. Mix for 2 minutes on medium speed until batter is smooth. Pour into bunt pan and bake at 350° about 40-45 minutes. About 5 minutes before cake is done, mix the glaze in a small saucepan and bring to a full boil.

Glaze ingredients:
1 Stick Margarine
½ Cup Benigna’s Creek Peach Wine
¾ Cup Confectionery Sugar

Remove cake from the oven when it is done and spoon the glaze over the cake while it is in the pan. I reserve a few tablespoons to pour over the cake when taken out of the pan. Allow the cake to cool. When ready to remove from the pan, take a knife and loosen the edges of the cake. Remove from pan and take the remaining glaze and drizzle over cake.

This cake could be made with any Benigna’s Creek fruit wine and matching jello flavor.

Return to top


Benigna’s Creek Raspberry Wine Cheese Cake with Raspberry Wine Sauce Recipe for Glaze
Crust:
1 ½ Cups Graham Crackers, crushed
2 TBSP Sugar
¼ cup melted Butter
Mix together; add more butter if not sticking together. Press into bottom and part way up sides of a spring form pan. Bake for 5-6 minutes at 350°. Take out and set aside.
Filling:
24 oz Cream Cheese, softened
¾ Cup Sugar
3 Eggs
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
1 TBSP Vanilla
¼ Cup Sour Cream
2/3 Cup Benigna’s Creek Raspberry Wine
2 TBSP Raspberry Jam, Seedless
1 tsp Sugar
Blend cream cheese until creamy. Gradually add sugar and blend in with electric mixer. Add eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, and sour cream. Blend until smooth and creamy. While mixing this, bring wine to a boil in saucepan, add jam and sugar. Boil until reduced to a thin sauce. Add to cheese cake mixture; fold in gently. Pour into spring form pan. Bake for 40-48 minutes, until top is light brown at 375°.

Benigna’s Creek Raspberry Wine Sauce:
½ Cup Benigna’s Creek Raspberry Wine
2 TBSP Raspberry Jam, Seedless
3 ½ TBSP Corn Syrup (light/white)
Boil ingredients until reduced to a thick syrup, not too thick that it can’t be drizzled. Drizzle over semi-cool cheesecake. Garnish with wine soaked raspberries. Drizzle sauce over raspberries.

Return to top


Benigna’s Creek “Liberty White” Wine and Fresh Strawberry Cream Dessert
by Charlene Hoffman
Cream Filling:
1 Cup Whole Milk
1 Cup Whipping Cream
1 ½ tsp Unflavored Gelatin
1 Cup Sour Cream
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean, halved lengthwise then crosswise
Pour milk into a saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin over milk. Let stand for 10 minutes. Bring milk mixture to simmer, stirring until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat. Stir 1/3 cup sugar. Gradually stir in whipping cream. Whisk in sour cream. Scrape seeds from half of vanilla bean into sour cream mixture; mix well (keep pod). Pour into six custard cups. Refrigerate until set; about 4 hours.
Topping:
2 lbs hulled Strawberries
¼ Cup Sugar
1 Cup Benigna’s Creek Liberty White Wine
Combine strawberries, wine, and sugar in a bowl. Scrape seeds from remaining half of vanilla bean; add pod. Stir and cover with saran wrap about 4 hours. This will get very juicy.
To Serve:
Invert cream filling in a bowl and top with topping mixture. Makes six servings.

Return to top


Benigna’s Creek Raspberry Wine Trifle by Rachel Raczka
6 oz Sponge Cake, cut into cubes
4 oz Benigna’s Creek Raspberry Wine
4 oz Raspberry Jam
10 oz Raspberries
8 oz Vanilla Yogurt, custard style, flavored with 4 TBSP of Raspberry Wine
½ Pint Whipped Cream
Silvered almonds and mint leaves, to decorate
- Spread half of the sponge cake cubes over the bottom of a large serving bowl.
- Sprinkle half of the wine over the cake to moisten it. Spoon over half of the jam, dotting it evenly over the cake cubes.
- Reserve a few raspberries for decoration. Make a layer of half of the remaining raspberries on top.
- Spoon over half of the yogurt, covering the fruit and cake. Repeat layers. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Before serving, spoon the whipped cream evenly over the top. To decorate, sprinkle with silvered almonds and arrange the reserved raspberries and the mint leaves on top.

Return to top


Chilled Benigna’s Creek Cab Franc Red Wine Fruit Dressing by Arlene Felty
1 Cup Benigna’s Creek Cab Franc Red Wine
½ Cup Sugar
2 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)
8 whole cloves
Mix a bowl of fruit such as:
Melons, orange slices, strawberries, kiwis, bananas, grapes – any type of fruit
In a saucepan, combine wine, sugar, red wine vinegar, cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Strain liquid; discard cinnamon stick and cloves. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Pour dressing over fruit and serve.

Return to top


Benigna’s Creek Strawberry Wine Delight
1 pan Baked Brownies
Chocolate Mousse (recipe follows)
2 Cups Whipped Cream
1 tsp Vanilla
¼ Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Benigna’s Creek Strawberry Wine
¼ Cup Skor Bits
Cut brownies into 2 inch squares. Pour Strawberry wine over them. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Beat whipped cream until stiff; add sugar and vanilla. In a glass bowl, place brownies, layer mousse and whipped cream. Put on half of skor bits. Make a second layer of brownies, mousse, whipped cream and skor bits. Refrigerate. Yields 10-12 servings.
Chocolate Mousse:
16 oz Milk Chocolate
2 Blocks Unsweetened Chocolate
5 TBSP Water
2 TBSP Benigna’s Creek Strawberry Wine
2 Egg Yolks
¼ Cup Margarine
1 Cup Whipping Cream
In a double boiler, melt chocolates with Strawberry wine and water. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat, blend in egg yolks. Add margarine. Stir until blended, cool. Whip cream until stiff. Fold in chocolate. Chill one hour.
This mousse could be made with Benigna’s Creek Red or Black Raspberry wine.

Return to top


Benigna's Creek Blueberry Wine Lemon Cake by Sharon Boyer
Ingredients:
1 Duncan Hines Lemon Cake Mix
1 small box Instant Lemon Pudding Mix
3 large eggs
½ cup canola oil
½ cup water
½ cup Benigna’s Blueberry wine
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Glaze:
3/4 cup 10X sugar
1 stick of butter or margarine
½ cup Benigna’s Creek Blueberry Wine

Directions:
Spray Bundt cake pan with cooking spray and preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients except blueberries in large mixing bowl on low until ingredients are combined. Then turn speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes. After mixing is complete, stir in by hand the blueberries and pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minute or until golden. About 5 minutes before cake is done make glaze. Put glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring often, then boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Remove the cake from the oven when done and leave cake in pan. Pour about 2/3 of glaze over the cake. Allow cake to stay in pan until cool. When cool invert onto a serving platter and spoon on the remaining glaze. I keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Return to top


Benigna's Creek Patriot Red Wine Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing by Sharon Boyer
Ingredients:
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking powder
4 ounces chocolate, broken into pieces
1 tsp salt
½ cup boiling water
½ cup Benigna's Creek Patriot Red Wine
2 sticks ( 8 ounces ) butter, room temp.
1- 8 ounce cream cheese or mascarpone, soft
1 ½ cups white sugar
4 eggs
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 ¼ cups flour
1 tsp vanilla

Makes 2 dozen regular size cupcakes or 7 dozen mini cupcakes.
Preheat the oven to 350. Line muffin pans with liners.
In a medium, heatproof bowl, combine the cocoa powder and the chocolate pieces. Whisk in the boiling water until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is combined.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and the white sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined. Alternating, add the chocolate mixture and wine in batches, mixing well between each addition, until the batter is smooth. Divide among the muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15- 20 minutes. Let cool.
Lightly beat the cream cheese or mascarpone, then add the confectioners sugar and beat until creamy. Remove the cooled cupcakes from the pan, spread each with the icing.

Return to top


Benigna's Creek Strawberry Wine Jelly by Sharon Boyer
2 cups Benigna's Creek Strawberry Wine
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (3 ounce) pouch liquid fruit pectin

Mix wine and sugar in a heavy saucepan. Allow sugar to dissolve over medium heat. Cook for about 3 minutes over medium heat stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in liquid pectin immediately and mix well. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon. Quickly ladle into hot sterilized jars, leaving ½ inch headspace; seal. Yields about 4 half pints.
I used Benigna’s Creek Strawberry wine. Any of the fruit wines work great!


Return to top


Spiced Applesauce Cakes by Sharon Boyer
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1/3 cup Benigna’s spice wine or water
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. baking powder

Beat butter and sugar together; beat in eggs, one at a time, until mixture is light and fluffy. Add applesauce and Benigna’s spice wine and mix; set aside.
In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients; blend into applesauce mixture. Pour into a greased and floured 6-mold Bundt pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool.
Note: If you use water instead of wine add ½ tsp. of ground cloves to the recipe.
Optional: Caramel sauce
Combine 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup whipping cream, ¼ cup corn syrup, 1 Tbsp butter, and 2 tsp. cinnamon. In a large saucepan, heat all ingredients to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer; uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Makes 1 ½ cups sauce. Cakes can be garnished with sauce.


Return to top


Benigna's Creek "Sunshine" Wine Cake by Sharon Boyer
1 box yellow cake mix*
1 (3 ¾ oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
½ cup canola oil
½ cup cold water
½ cup Benigna’s Sunshine wine
* If using a cake mix with pudding in the mix already, omit instant pudding and use 3 eggs instead of 4 and 1/3 cup of oil instead of ½ cup.

Mix all ingredients with an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Generously grease a Bundt pan. Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 for 45- 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Prepare glaze while cake is baking. Poke some holes in cake with toothpick Drizzle some of the glaze over the cake immediately after getting cake out of the oven. Save about 1/3 cup to pour our when cake is cool enough to get out of pan

Glaze
1 cup 10X sugar
½ cup margarine
½ cup Sunshine Wine

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and boil for about 1 minute.


Return to top