At the beach, cocktail hour starts a little earlier and lasts a bit longer than the traditional hour. Also, without an ice maker on hand, we are more apt to indulge in crisp and cool white wine rather than searching for ice or waiting for cubes to freeze. Also, boat drinks are much more fun when someone else makes them. In all seriousness, a glass of wine, golden sunlight, and sea air need only one more thing: jalapeños. It appears I am riding the jalapeño train again and happily spreading the gospel of the bacon-wrapped cheese-stuffed jalapeño.
Last night, I was in charge of preparing the jalapeños. I was also in charge of shopping for the jalapeños, bacon, and the cream cheese. I under-bought on the cream cheese end. That is not a good thing, especially if you are trying to get in good with your wife. I went out for chowder while she went out fishing. Whoops. And so I sheepishly looked up from the kitchen counter and asked, “What about cheddar or mozzarella cheese for the rest of the stuffed peppers?” After a short debate, we settled on the mozzarella. And am I glad we did. The mozzarella added a stringy, chewy texture to the peppers, while the cream cheese provided a creamy, tangy counterpoint to the heat.
Having two kinds of cheese in their own peppers makes for a truly great cocktail hour. The Artesa Chardonnay also proved to fit the situation just right. While I still need to head to Newport to make up for my chowder folly, I think the vast quantities of stuffed peppers helped out just a bit. I know the rest of those present enjoyed them, for all that I was left with was a pile of toothpicks, some empty wine bottles, and a stack of used napkins. Now that is a good cocktail hour, and who’s counting?
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