Vino Gelato Inc. is the proud and enthusiastic New England Distributor of the only wine infused ice cream produced by Mercer’s Dairy. This true wine ice cream is the blending of two great pleasures, ice cream made with 15% butterfat and wine made from grapes harvested from wineries in the USA. The melding of these two greats, result in a luscious, adults only, elegant dessert made in the USA.A trip through California’s Napa Valley inspires a red wine and fennel combo that takes roasted figs to an indulgent new high. Frozen into ice-cream, they make a figgy freezer favourite that has a satisfying gelato-like texture My husband and I and our 7 month-old baby arrived in California last week for an extended stay. We are sharing parental leave and it’s his turn to take over. My work happens to bring me back to my home state, so we are making the most of it, starting with a little holiday in the Napa Valley wine region. Driving here from the coast north of San Francisco, I am struck by the dry, golden grass-covered rolling hills.

Most of the area we drive through is agricultural. We go by grazing beef cattle and dairy cows and chicken caravans for facilitating free-ranging before we pass olive groves and finally vineyards. All along the way, the wide open roads are lined with wild fennel with feathery leaves and asterisk-like yellow flowers filling the air with their heady anise scent. Wild fennel is really a weed –transferred easily on shoes and hooves – that has invaded this area of California the same way it has invaded the British isles. Wild fennel can be found in Britain along waterways and hedges, and now is the time it shines. I have long loved what its flavour does when paired with wine, so it is reassuring to see the two growing alongside each other here in Napa. The fig is having a moment now too, and roasted figs in red wine with fennel tastes as good as it looks. I choose ripe black figs with deep ruby and yellow-flecked centres, then drown them in a red wine that I like to drink, finishing them with a constellation of bright sunny fennel pollen.

Fig ice-cream is another of my favourites. Using a generous amount of fruit gives it that gooey gelato texture and the popping of the seeds is really satisfying. These recipes work together, so that you can make the roasted figs one day and serve them on their own with creme fraiche, or let them cool down and puree them up to be made into a delicious ice-cream. My favourite is to make them twice and serve warm roasted figs over the frozen figgy ice-cream. Wild fennel and red wine roasted figs Serves 4-610 ripe black figs100g raspberries150g red wine50g caster sugar2 fronds wild or cultivated fennel leavesHoney2-4 wild fennel heads full of yellowpollen 1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Select a ceramic or other heavy roasting dish that will hold the figs snugly – about 20cm in diameter. 2 Trim the tough tip of the stem on each fig, but try to maintain the lovely fig shape. Slice the figs in half through the tail and stem, then put in your baking dish, cut-side facing up.

Scatter with the raspberries and pour over the red wine. Sprinkle evenly with caster sugar and gently lay the fennel fronds over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the figs have puffed up and the wine has reduced a little. wine and beer recipesRemove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.best wine shop in west los angeles 3 While the figs are still warm, drizzle with honey and sprinkle over the pollen from the heads of fennel, by gently pulling the flowers. best red wine flavorDo this over the figs to catch all the falling goodness. where to buy denbies wineServe right away with creme fraiche or ice-cream.best cheap wine in bc

Wine roasted fig ice-cream (main picture) It is much easier to make this recipe with an ice-cream maker. If you don’t have one, simply follow the same steps, but put the finished mixture in your freezer, removing every half hour to stir and break up the ice crystals to the desired texture.great red wines under 20 dollars Serves 4-6350g whole milk175g caster sugar4 egg yolks650g double creamA pinch fine sea salt2 tbsp honey4-6 portions wild fennel and red wine roasted figs, cooled and pureed 1 In a heavy-based saucepan, warm the milk and sugar until just under the boil. Meanwhile, separate your yolks in a bowl (reserve the whites for another use) and whisk to break them up. 2 Measure the double cream into a large container that will fit into your fridge and put a sieve over it. 3 When the milk has come up to temperature, temper the yolks by pouring a little bit of milk into them, whisking as you go.

Pour this mixture (scraping with a rubber spatula to get all the bits stuck to the bowl) back into the saucepan. Stir constantly with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon over a medium heat until the custard just starts to thicken – a matter of minutes. You can test this by periodically bringing the spoon or spatula up out of the pot to check. Once it has started to thicken, remove from the heat and pour through the sieve into the cream. Cover and chill completely. 4 Stir together the ice-cream base and fig puree, then freeze in your ice-cream machine. Serve with more roasted figs and their red wine juices. Claire Ptak is a pastry chef, author and food stylist and owns Violet Bakery in London. She is the author of the Violet Bakery Cookbook (Square Peg); Photo cred - womenwholovewineWhen you're depressed after a bad breakup, you have two cures: ice cream, with all of its comforting fat and sugar, and tons of alcohol, which may make you more sad in the long run but does allow for brief moments of "who gives a fuck that bastard sucked anyway."

Normally you'd have to enjoy one and the other, but Mercer's Ice Cream in New York has fused the two in their own line of Wine Infused Ice Cream.Many thanks to Petit Petit Gamin who opened our minds to the magical world of wine infused ice cream, which, we want to make sure you note, is not wine "flavoured" ice cream. No, this is the real deal, with a pint of Mercer's special blend containing a legit 5% alcohol content. So yes, you can eat a big bowl and get a serious wine-buzz on.Many say that Gelato is better then Ice Cream... Well: It’s Official, Montreal Has “Wine Gelato” !!Mercer's wine infused ice cream comes in 7 different flavours: Cherry Merlot, Chocolate Cabernet, Peach White Zinfandel, Port, Red Raspberry Chardonnay, Spiced and Riesling. All sound amazing, and we'd love to get our spoons in a bowl of at least one flavour (dibs on Chocolate Cabernet) but, unfortunately, Mercer's "winecream" isn't available outside of their upstate New York store. International vendors are apparently "coming soon," and Athena knows we'll be waiting.