Dinner is when you can get a little wild and crazy with flavors, like putting your favorite wine and foods together. Many people think that because of the strong taste in alcohol, it doesn’t always work well as an added flavor for cooking or as a complement for eating, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Sparkling Moscato, made from the Moscato grape, is perfect for any dinner-time event. It has a wonderfully fruity taste that goes perfectly with your favorite dish. Here are a few food and wine pairings that will elevate the autumn season.

1. Fresh Figs With Blue Cheese and Prosciutto

Figs are one of the most popular fruits in the autumn months. They aren’t only possible to eat fresh, but they can also be dried and preserved. They have a slightly sweet taste that is perfect for getting through those colder months. Most people pair figs with blue cheese and prosciutto because it balances out their sweetness with saltiness, and their size makes them easy to pair with salty foods.

The addition of prosciutto makes the flavor even better. Prosciutto is thinly shaved meat that comes from a pig’s thigh or back, which is then spiced or seasoned and hung to dry for several weeks until eaten or used in cooking. The flavor of prosciutto is robust because it is higher in fat and salt, which results in a more complex taste.

2. Sautéed Spinach and Mascarpone

The creation of the mascarpone cheese was not a simple feat. It took many years for this light, creamy cheese to be made and distributed for public consumption, but the final product was well worth it. This cheese has many different flavors that can enhance the taste of your meal’s preference and give you extra energy because it has over fifty other vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is perfect to pair with your favorite foods like fruit or roasted nuts.

3. Desserts ~ Coffee, Chocolates, Candies, etc.

Coffee and chocolate go hand-in-hand together. It is not only a dessert but also a beverage that goes with almost everything. The sweetness will balance out the strong flavor of the coffee to make it more enjoyable for you and your guests. Everyone likes to have something sweet after their meal, so try pairing coffee with a chocolate crepe cake or a special chocolate truffle recipe. The combination of sweet and salty works perfectly together.

4. Chocolate and Mint Cake ~ Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mint is a prevalent flavor in sweet foods because it has a strong taste, but it doesn’t overpower your food. It has cooling nests that help balance the chocolate and mint flavors. The chocolate chip cookies are perfect for this dessert because the chocolate chips make them a little bitter, which balances out the sweetness of the mint. The combination of sweet and salty works well. Mint is used to balance out the bitterness of chocolate. You can add an optional drizzle of white chocolate over the cake at this point if you like but be careful not to add too much as it can overwhelm your overall dessert taste.

5. Chocolate and Coffee Cake ~ Mousse and Cream-Filled Chocolate Tarts

It is a great dessert to serve for people who like chocolate. Instead of a chocolate cake, use the same recipe for a mousse cake. The mousse is similar in taste to the chocolate cake, but it’s not as heavy. This dessert is perfect because you can put any flavor combination on top of it that you like, such as cookies, nuts, or fruits.

The chocolate cream filling works well with the sweet chocolate cake, which adds more sweetness when paired with mint and coffee flavors. Mint also has a very cooling taste, so it offsets the heat from the heat of your coffee too.

6. Chocolate and Mint Cookies ~ Sea Salt Caramels

This recipe is great because it uses two different types of chocolate. The caramels are made with white chocolate, but half of the formula is filled with dark chocolate. This combination gives the dessert a sweet taste that balances out both flavors. The white chocolate gives you a slight sweetness that offsets the mint flavor and salty sea salt added to the dark chocolate. You can also make these using figs instead of mint if you like.

Try these special entrees and desserts paired with your favorite wine. It may be close to autumn, but they would be good any time of year.