When the theme popped up of 'junk food' pairings for a future wine writers' event, I was excited to dive in. I usually steer clear of typical junk food, but I also feel as if when you make it, it's slightly less junky. I chimed in that I had made homemade Snickers before. Then I asked for wine suggestions. Martin of ENOFYLZ Wine Blog pointed me in the direction of Pedro Ximénez sherry. So, sweet on sweet. Okay.
I decided to re-share my process of making homemade Snickers. Then I tested a storebought Snickers with a dessert wine from Uruguay.
Bodega Pablo Fallabrino Alcyone
Let's start with the wine pairing. I will just say this: Martin was right. This was the perfect pour for a Snickers bar. When I poured the Alcyone for a South American themed dinner a few months back, I didn't care for this wine at all. It was far too sweet with what I tried to pair with it. But, with the Snickers, it was delightful.
At the base of this is Tannat, then it's fortified, made in the style of Italian Chinato. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the owner, Pablo Fallabrino, hails from Italian immigrants to Uruguay. Angelo Fallabrino emigrated from Piedmont in 1920 before planting five vineyards and two wineries in the 1930s. Pablo is the third generation of his family to make wines and he started the current, single vineyard estate in 1997.
The aromas of the wine are rife with chocolate, caramel, vanilla, and a tinge of coffee. On the palate the wine is sweet and syrupy. But that sweet on sweet really worked. Thankfully I did only buy the snack size Snickers as a full size bar plus this wine would have been sugar overkill.
Homemade Snickers
Snickers have a special place in my heart because it reminds me of the day we had R. If you know me in real life - or can probably surmise from my blog and social media - you know that I am a serial planner. Before we went in to labor when I was pregnant with R, I had three copies of my birth plan packed; I made sure my yoga ball and essential oils were ready; I stashed a few CDs of soothing waves and babbling brooks into my bags; and I had a super cute outfit to wear home from the hospital that was bigger than my pre-pregnancy self. I thought I was making a good guess on what size I would need.
I ended up laboring for nineteen hours before I had a c-section. My birth plan that detailed - NO drugs - went out the window and I happily accepted morphine in my IV. I did bounce on my yoga ball. But I definitely didn't fit into my post-birth outfit and ended up wearing pajamas home from the hospital. "No one will notice," promised my mom. Yeah, right.
All of this was just to show how my husband was the polar opposite when it came to packing for the hospital. He packed only five Snickers bars and the list of people's phone numbers he had to call as soon as the baby was born. Seriously.
And because I don't like to buy a lot of packaged food, I learned to make Snickers for him. This process has many steps and must chill in the freezer overnight, but I think it's worth it.
Line a pan with parchment paper. After you make each layer, place it in the pan and stick it in the freezer to chill.
Layer One: Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Butterscotch
1 cup dark chocolate
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup organic creamy peanut butter
Melt all of those together until smooth.
Layer Two: Nougat
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup organic granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1-1/2 cup marshmallow creme (yes, I did buy a jar of Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla paste or extract
2 cups roasted, salted peanuts
Bring 1/4 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup evaporated milk to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
Take off stove and add 1-1/2 cup marshmallow creme, 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 2 cups roasted, salted peanuts. Pour over first layer that was chilling then place back in freezer.
Layer Three: Sea Salt Caramel
1 cup organic granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed organic brown sugar
1/2 cup ginger syrup (you can use maple syrup, I just like ginger syrup)
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup organic heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 teaspoon sea salt
In a medium-size pot, combine sugar, brown sugar, ginger syrup, evaporated milk, whipping cream, butter and sea salt. Monitor the heat of the mixture with a candy thermometer while stirring. When the thermometer reaches 240 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the pot from the heat. Pour over previous layer that was chilling then place back in freezer.
Layer Four: Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Butterscotch (same as the first)
Place this in the fridge to set-up overnight.
After the candy sits in the freezer overnight or for at least six hours, cut into whatever size bars you want. I did most of them bite-size, two bites really. Place the cut bars into the freezer for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, melt dark chocolate in a double boiler. Dip Snickers to coat. Let cool.
That's a wrap for my first 'junk food' and wine pairing. As I mentioned, I am having fun with this theme. Thanks to Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for the nudge to play with some high-low pairings. All of our explorations will be live by Saturday, May 11th. Stay tuned!