Pinwheels and Bubbles

The next in line for Holiday favorites comes from cjsiege, who has a sparkling personality and a penchant for sparklies to match. CJ has provided a recipe for Chevre Pinwheel appetizers, which can serve as a base to be jazzed up, or can be served as-is. I had a thought pop in mind immediately upon reading the recipe that I knew would work perfectly. And indeed, this comes pretty close to being a perfect pairing!

Wine: N.V. Mumm Napa Brut Rosé
Meal: Chevre Pinwheel Appetizers

Before I get into the scoring, let me just preface by saying that this reminded me very much of being a fizzy version of the grenache rose just recently reviewed, so some of the comments may seem quite alike. Also, because this is a non-vintage, I am not scoring on aging. Aging means nothing to a non-vintage, so the overall rating will be out of 10 points.

Color: (5/5)
Rich pink, almost salmon colored with good clarity. Nicely sized bubbles that trail from the bottom of the glass to the top that make really pretty patterns when you twirl the glass.

Nose: (11/15)
Strawberries and raspberries up front. Summery, pleasant, but simple.

Taste: (8/10)
More fizzy in the mouth than the bubbles would lead you to believe. Tastes very much like a raspberry spritzer, very similar to the grenache rose in the previous post. Nice and dry, clean. Really tasty.

Finish: (6/10)
Short but pleasant. Nothing memorable about it though.

Overall: (7/10)
Really good stuff, very easy drinking. Fun to drink, too, with the fizziness!

Total: 87pts

What led me to choosing this was the chevre cheese that is featured in the pinwheels. I knew it would need something with good acidity to counterbalance the creaminess of the cheese. Since it is an appetizer, it was also a great chance to be able to go with a sparkling wine. And how appropriate that this was for CJ, mistress of sparklies! The wonderful thing about this pairing is that the wine really brings out the herbs in the pinwheels. It cleanses the palate of the cheese, and it just works really well.

I made two versions since the recipe makes two rolls - the basic recipe, and one with salami rolled in. Both were just amazing!

Want to make this meal?

Chevre Pinwheel Appetizers

Makes 32 little appetizer things.

2 cans crescent roll dough (the new Pillsbury one that doesn’t have perforations is ideal)
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz chevre (goat cheese), room temperature. (Flavored is good, too.)
Herbs/spices of choice (Italian seasoning, or thyme & sage, or dill, or garlic & chive, etc.)
2 T mayonnaise, divided

Thoroughly mix together cream cheese and chevre until they are well blended. Add 2 tsp (dried) or 2 T (fresh) herbs & spices to taste, flavoring the cream cheese.

Lay a long sheet of wax paper on the workspace – at least 24 inches. Open and unroll the crescent roll dough onto the wax paper. If the dough is perforated, squish the perfs back together again. Make sure the long edge of the rectangle faces you and the short edges are to the left & right sides. Using a silicone or rubber spatula, spread 1 T mayo across the surface of the dough, leaving about 1 inch clear on the long edge closest to you. The aim is a micro-thin layer of mayo across the dough – except for the last 1 inch. (You need that edge clean so you can seal the roll.)

Using an offset spatula, pat & smear ½ of the cheese mixture all across the dough – everywhere the mayo is. You’ll need to pat it into place instead of spread, because the mayo will make the dough base slippery. Starting at the long edge away from you, roll the dough toward you in a relatively tight spiral. You should end at the un-mayo’ed edge closes to you. Re-roll the entire dough log in the sheet of wax paper, twisting the ends closed. Place the roll in the fridge for at least 1 hour before you even THINK about slicing it.

Now, make the second roll exactly the same way you made the first roll. Chill it, too.

After thoroughly chilling the rolls, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 jelly-roll pans with parchment paper. Slice each roll into 16 discs. (Be careful doing this. I’ve sliced my fingers too many times while doing this part. Try keeping the roll wrapped in the wax paper. Sometimes this helps. ) Lay each disc flat to bake. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes, rotating the pans as needed about halfway through. Remove to a cooling rack. Serve warm. These can be reheated if wrapped in Release foil and baked for 5-8 minutes from the fridge.

The mayo is actually a critical part of the recipe. If you don’t put the mayo layer on, the cheese is completely absorbed by the dough, and you don’t get the pretty pinwheel effect.

CJ says: The basic recipe (dough, cream cheese, and mayo layer) is a great springboard. I’ve mixed in parmesan cheese, then put a layer of prosciutto on top of the cheese, rolled and baked. That is yummy. I’ve also used veggie cream cheese, then topped with strips of roasted red pepper and shaved slices of provolone for a vegetarian version. I’ve also used feta cheese and minced kalamata olives mixed in to the cream cheese for a greek version.