12 Tasty Ways to Cook With Wine

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I don't know about you, but I often crack open a bottle of wine and find myself with a cup left over by the end of the night. I've splashed some in stir-fries and other dishes, but I've never made anything to write home about.

Well that's about to change. Here are 12 fresh and flavorful ways to use wine in cooking and baking.

1. Wine Popsicles

Serve these very adult roasted strawberry red wine popsicles at your next gathering. To make, just roast quartered strawberries coated in balsamic vinegar and sugar. Pulse half the strawberries in a food processor before mixing with the wine. Spoon remaining strawberries into popsicle molds and fill with the liquid before freezing.

2. Wine Chowder

Use a half cup of leftover wine in this scallop and corn chowder recipe. A dry white wine works best with the light flavors in this dish. If you follow a pescetarian diet, you can easily substitute vegetable broth for the chicken and omit the bacon entirely.

3. Wine Poached Pears

Here's a refined dessert that will wow your guests: red wine poached pears. You'll need three hefty cups of your favorite sweet red wine. Otherwise, the process is quite simple. Pour lemon juice on your pears. Bring wine, sugar, vanilla bean, and cinnamon stick to a boil before adding pears. Cook 12–15 minutes on all sides.

4. Wine Tartlets

These red wine caramelized onions and goat cheese tartlets would make an incredible appetizer. To infuse the onions with the wine flavor, you'll first brown them on the stove. Then deglaze the pan with half a cup of the wine. Add the onions back in and cook with the remaining wine before assembling the tartlets.

5. Wine Mushrooms

Or try these red wine and garlic mushrooms that require only five ingredients to make. Start the dish by melting the butter with olive oil and garlic. Pour in the wine and then toss in the mushrooms. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms are golden on all sides.

6. Wine Cupcakes

Grab a glass of your favorite prosecco and make these champagne cupcakes. You'll mix the sparkling wine with sour cream and then fold it into the rest of the vanilla cupcake batter. Then hollow out the centers of the cupcakes to fill with the pastry creme filling.

7. Wine Beef Tips

Simmer tender sirloin to perfection in this beef tips in red wine recipe. After cooking the beef cubes, add onions and mushrooms until they are browned. Then add your wine, flour, and spices and heat around 20 minutes more on low. Add egg noodles to the dish before serving.

8. Wine Pasta

Start by cooking noodles in water and finish them in wine for this drunken pasta. As with most other recipes on this list, the alcohol cooks off before you eat. In this dish, though, your noodles will soak in a beautiful rose color to make your plate pop. Top with parsley and grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

9. Wine Bread

This olive, bacon, and cheese bread is one of the most interesting loaves I've encountered in a while. It contains five ounces of white wine along with all sorts of robust ingredients. Each slice is so nutritionally complete, you can grab one to bring to work for a simple lunch.

10. Wine Brunch

Rabanadas are Portugal's answer to French toast. These tipsy slices are typically consumed during the Christmas holiday, but they would be a great brunch item no matter the time of year. In this recipe, the wine is in the syrup, so feel free to use the topping on pancakes, waffles, or whatever else you'd like to booze up.

11. Wine Fondue

I usually put beer in my cheese fondues, but this pesto fondue has me itching to try something new. Along with the basil, pine nuts, cheese, and spices, you'll pour in one and a half cups of your favorite dry white wine. Eat immediately for the best experience.

12. Wine Soup

Just in time for CSA season, check out this silky leek and red wine soup. It'd go wonderfully with crusty bread and a good Bordeaux. As always, you can easily make this recipe vegetarian by using vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock.

What's your favorite way to use wine in cooking?

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