By Laina Carter of McGrail Vineyards & Winery

The versatility of sparkling wine always gets me super excited! It can go with pretty much anything and everything, but it’s also always delicious on its own or in a cocktail. Since we don’t currently have any sweet wines, it’s hard for me to come up with pairings that involve anything even semi-sweet. Berries and spongecake work well with our Gracie Sparkling Brut, because they both contain little sugar. The baked good aspect of the spongecake matches the hint of yeast in the bubbles. And berries with bubbles is always a good idea. I hope you enjoy this summertime grilled fruit spongecake treat that is as tasty as it is beautiful with our equally gorgeous Gracie Sparkling!

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Grilled Summertime Fruit Skewers, Berry Compote Spongecake, Dreamy Caramel, & Whipped Cream

Makes about 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 bamboo skewers, at least 6” long
• 2 1/2 cup fresh raspberries, washed and separated
• 8 large strawberries, washed and separated
• 2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 1 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 tsp. fresh-ground ginger
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 5 apricots, washed
• 6 (1 oz.) spongecakes
• Caramel sauce
• Whipped cream
• Optional: edible flowers for a garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat grill on low.
2. Place bamboo skewers in a shallow bowl full of water. Allow skewers to soak until you’re ready to use them (this prevents them from burning when grilling).
3. In a small saucepan, add 1 1/2 cups raspberries, 3 large strawberries, orange juice, lime juice, fresh ginger, and two pinches of sugar to create the berry compote. Heat on medium. Use a large spoon to mash the fruit and stir ingredients together.
4. Once fruit mixture begins bubbling, reduce heat to low. Continue to stir occasionally. Allow fruit to simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove fruit from heat. Let cool.
6. In a shallow bowl, add remaining sugar. Cut apricots and the remaining strawberries in half. Remove pits from apricots. Dredge your halved strawberries and apricots face-down in sugar.
7. Place sugared strawberries and apricots face up on a plate. Being careful not to remove sugar from fruit, use wet bamboo sticks to create skewers with alternating apricots and strawberries (I used 3 pieces per skewer). You’ll have a few pieces of fruit left over.
8. On the grill, place each skewer face-down. Leave the grill open and grill each skewer for about 1-2 minutes, or until sugar has caramelized on fruit.
9. Place each spongecake on a small plate. Spoon enough berry compote on the spongecake to fill the center of the cake. Top the cake with a drizzle of caramel sauce (optional), a few sprays of whipped cream, and a grilled fruit skewer. Garnish with the remaining fresh raspberries and edible flowers (optional).
10. Serve with a glass or two of our chilled Gracie Sparkling Brut.

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I hope I’ve inspired you to make this pretty pairing at home! Please let us know if you try this one out. We’d love to hear from you!

Cheers and enjoy!