a winter menu to pair perfectly with aperol spritz

I often feel like I develop some of my best recipes for sponsored content. I know that may sound annoying.. fair. But when developing a concept for a brand partnership, there is usually a very specific objective, and we all know operating within tight boundaries can feel easier than creating something with the “world is your oyster” mindset.

SO, when asked to develop a menu to pair perfectly with an Aperol Spritz… this is what I came up with.

FOR THE MAIN

A lovely leek and parmigiano risotto. I skipped the scallops tonight to keep it vegetarian… and I love this recipe because it uses the entire leek! no waste… how fun!

FOR THE SIDES

A winter citrus and radicchio salad with bacon fat vinaigrette..and I know it might sound a bit on the nose to pair an aperol spritz with more citrus… but the bacon fat vinaigrette is just divine and really transforms the flavor of the citrus that comes through in the salad. This one is gonna be in rotation heavily this winter.

I also made some roasted japanese sweet potatoes with a rosemary gremolata.

FOR DESSERT

It was time for some chocolate. People don’t realize how easy it is to make chocolate truffles… I made one batch as written and added a tbsp of instant coffee into the second batch for coffee-chocolate moment.

I also made some chocolate snacking bark by melting some dark chocolate over a double boiler, spreading it over a parchment lined baking sheet, and topping with dried tart cherries, potato chips, pistachios and orange zest (endless combinations of toppings for snacking bark!!!). Allow to harden at room temperature, and then crack into bite size pieces for serving.