Rose Petal-Strawberry Granita with Luc Belaire Rare Rosé for #winePW

Wine Pairing Weekend - #winePW - happens on the second Saturday of the month. And this month - June - Nancy of Pull That Cork is hosting. Click to read her invitation: here. Or, the gist of it is this: we're pairing the rosé of our choice with the food of our choice.

A Garden of Rosés...
It's funny...my initial reaction to the event was that I'm not much of a rosé drinker. Then I searched my blog and realized that I've paired and used rosés many, many times. I guess it's because it's food friendly. And, it's pink. Yes, that is a factor!

Some of the rosés I've poured and paired in the past are...Balletto Vineyards' 2012 Brut Rosé, Cave de Saint-Roch-les-Vignes Côtes de Provence Rosé, Chateau Mattes-Sabran Rosé, Bonny Doon's Vin Gris de Cigare, and Crémant de Limoux.

Donkey & Goat's 2014 Grenache Rosé started off our Tasty Murder Dinner. Don't ask...well, you can ask. Tasty Murder was the themed birthday dinner I made for one of my best friends this year; he's an ardent baconphile and every dish included bacon!

When I asked friends for their favorite rosés, I have a few new suggestions that I wasn't able to get before this event, but those bottles will be in my summer wine pairing line-up, including: Les Abeilles from Georis Wine, Caraccioli's Brut Rosé, and River Run Carignane Rose.

All the Other Rosés...
Here's what the other #winePWers are pouring.

• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla pairs Rose Petal-Strawberry Granita with Luc Belaire Rare Rosé 
• Cindy from Grape Experiences shares Wine and Dine: Galil Mountain Rose and Mixed Olive Tapenade 
• Jill from L’occasion is contemplating Provençal Rosé and a Summer Supper 
• Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog pairs Chicken and Sausage Paella Paired with a Unicorn Rosé 
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm prepares a Seafood Boil featuring Domaine Houchart Cotes de Provence Rose 2015
• Jade from Tasting Pour shares Labneh (Kefir) Cheescake with Strawberries & Del Rio Rose Jolee 
• Michelle from Rockin Red Blog will be Celebrating National Rosé Day 
• David from Cooking Chat pairs Grilled Arctic Char with Pineapple Salsa 
• Lori from Dracaena Wines discusses Are You Impatient? You Could Have Created Rosé 
• Lauren from The Swirling Dervish considers Where Sicily and Mendoza Meet: Stuffed Roasted Calamari and 2015 Perlita Rosado
• Meaghan from Un Assaggio shares Cheeky Pairings: Cod Burger + Rosé 
• Gwendolyn from Art Predator travels Around the World With Rose 
• Nancy from Pull That Cork pairs A Corsican Rosé and Summer Veggie Pizza

Our posts will publish early on Saturday, June 11, then we will gather at 11 am Eastern Time (8 am Pacific) on Twitter to chat about the food and wine pairings we prepared. Please consider joining the conversation by following #winePW on Twitter. Our July event will be hosted by Jeff at foodwineclick, who has chosen Pairings with Sherry as the theme.

Pink and Sparkly...
I like bubbles. And, despite three decades of avoiding anything pink, I really now wholeheartedly embrace anything in the the girly hue. It probably has something to do with being a permanent resident of Testosterone Land. I am totally outnumbered. All. Of. The. Time.

So, when I saw this sparkling rosé, I bought a bottle. I should have picked up two bottles! Hailing from the Cote d’Azur region of Provence, this can't bear the name Champagne, but it has all the drama and elegance of a great bottle of sparkling wine.

I already mentioned that it's pink. But it's not a timid hue. It's rich, vibrant, and beautiful. 

The visual appeal is equally matched on the nose. I got strawberries and roses. Then you taste it and you're in bubbly bliss. Made from France's three most famous rosé grapes - Syrah, Cinsault, and Grenache - it has a perfect balance on the palate. My favorite part: it's refreshing but not too sweet.

My Rosé Offering...
I have cured salmon in rosé, poured it with a Spiced Orange Salad, Tapenade-Topped Sablefish, Balsamic Roasted Strawberries, Sweet Potato Soup, and paired it with Époisses. But, for this event, I wanted to do something refreshing as summer is kicking in here on California's central coast.

So, I asked one of my friends with a great garden if she could spare some organic roses for me. And I made a rose petal syrup for a strawberry granita.

Ingredients

• 1 C water
• 1 C organic granulated sugar
• handful of organic rose petals + a few whole petals for garnish
• zest of one lime
• 1 ½ pounds strawberries, approximately 2 pints

Procedure

Place rose petals in a sterile jar. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the syrup into the jar with the rose petals. Let cool completely.

Heat grill or grill pan on the stove; I opted for the latter as our grill is packed and ready for our move. Thread strawberries onto a skewer.

Grill strawberries until softened and juices are bubbling, approximately 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Once cooled puree grilled strawberries with 1/2 C rose petal syrup. Reserve the rest for some rose petal lemonade!

Pour mixture into a rimmed pan . Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer.

Using the tines of a fork, stir the mixture every 30 minutes, scraping edges and breaking up any ice chunks as the mixture freezes, until granita is slushy and frozen, approximately 3 hours.

Scoop into chilled serving glasses.