Savatiano is the predominant grape in the region of Attica where is displays excellent resistance to the dry summer weather there. It leads to the production of elegant, well balanced white wines with an aroma of citrus fruits and flowers.

As the name implies, Roditis is a rosé colored grape that is very popular in Attica, Macedonia, Thessaly and Peloponnese where it is cultivated for the production of AOC Patra wines. It produces the best results when cultivated with low yields on mountainous slopes. Roditis produces elegant, light white wines with citrus flavors and a pleasant aftertaste.

Grown most notably in the mountainous vineyards of Cephalonia, the noble Robola grapes yield distinguished wines with citrus and peach aromas mixed with smoky, mineral hints and a long lemony aftertaste. Robola’s fine character assisted in its qualification as the AOC Robola of Cephalonia.

A distinct aromatic grape from within the AOC region of Mantinia, in the Peloponnese, Moschofilero grapes have a gray colored skin and therefore produce a wine that is a blanc de gris. Its crisp character and beautiful floral aroma of roses and violets with hints of spices can be drunk as an aperitif or with food.

Malagousia originated in the region of Nafpaktos in western Greece. The wine maker Gero assiliou, was the first to begin experimenting with the nearly extinct Malagousia grape, realizing its vast potential for producing high quality wines. It is found mainly in Macedonia and is now cultivated in some vineyards in Attika and the Peloponnese. It’s an especially aromatic grape leading to elegant full bodied wines, with medium acidity and exciting aromas of exotic fruits, citrus, jasmine and mint.

A very promising grape originating in Kalavrita in the Peloponnese. Since its revival, the Lagorthi grape is cultivated mainly on the slopes of Aegialia at an altitude of 850m by the Oenoforos Winery. The Lagorthi grapes produce wines with medium levels of alcohol that have a pronounced acidity derived primarily from the malic acid content of the grapes. Its elegant aroma combine hints of peach, melon and basil together with citrus and mineral flavors.

Aidani is an ancient Greek grape variety and is mainly found in the Cyclades Islands. It produces wines pleasantly aromatic with medium alcoholic content and acidity. It can be successfully mixed with grapes having a high alcoholic content and acidity such as Assyrtiko.

Ingredients:

1 dose of samblé dough
1 dose of almond cream
4-5 medium pears
750 ml sweet white wine (1 bottle)
Sugar and pine seeds for sprinkling

Samblé dough
100 gr caster sugar
200 gr butter from the fridge
1 egg
300 gr flour

Almond Cream
125 gr. fresh butter
125 gr.caster sugar
125 gr. almonds hulled or powder
2 big eggs or 3 small
25 gr. flour
25 gr. black rum

Instructions:

Samblé dough

Samblé dough is used for sweet tarts and desserts. Cut the butter into small pieces and put all the ingredients into the mixer. Knead until thoroughly blended. Leave the dough to “rest” for half an hour and roll out into a thin sheet of dough.

Almond Cream

Put the almonds in the blender and turn into powder. Beat the butter, caster sugar and almond powder in the mixer until they rise and become a white cream. Gradually add the eggs and black rum. Pour out of the mixer and add the flour stirring with a big spoon. Leave the mixture to rest in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Tart with almonds and pears in wine

Roll out the dough into a sheet of about 2-4 mm thick and place in a backing tin of 20×28 cm. Spread a plastic cooking membrane filled with rice (do not worry the membrane will not burn). Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 10-15 minutes. Peel the pears and remove the pips. Boil over medium heat in the wine until they soften. Drain the wine, which should be kept aside and leave the pears to cool. Fill the pre-baked tart with the almond cream. Cut the pears into thin slices and spread over the cream. Bake in preheated oven 160-170°C for 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the sugar and pine seeds over the top. Serve with the wine in which the pears were boiled.

Ingredients:
Chocolate coffee mix

• 500 grams of melted chocolate
• 150 grams of butter
• Yolk from 15 eggs whipped with 150 grams of sugar
• Egg white meringue from the whites of 15 eggs
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 teaspoons Nescafe
• A dash of Vanilla

Lemon cake mix

• 100 grams of egg yolk
• 170 grams of sugar
• 85 grams dairy creamer
• The rind from 3 lemons
• 130 grams of flour
• ½ teaspoon of baking powder
• 50 grams of hot, quality butter

Instructions:
Mix together the chocolate with the butter; add the egg yolks with the sugar, and then the flour and finally the meringue and the remaining ingredients gently mixing by hand.Leave it to cool off.

Blanch the sugar with the egg yolk and mix in the remaining ingredients.Butter and sugar the sides of a coffee or tea cup or a soufflé pan evenly.Fill 2/4 of the pan or cup with chocolate-coffee mix, ¼ with lemon mix and leave ¼ empty so that the cake can rise.

Bake at 180˚ for 12 minutes if you are using a large tea cup. (The smaller the pan or cup, the less amount of baking time needed).

Be careful that your lemon cake has a well-baked crust, whereas the chocolate cake should be gooey in the middle. Serve with a ball of vanilla ice-cream as topping!

Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup milk (250 ml)
• 1 ½ tablespoon crème fresh (20ml)
• ½ cup and 1 tablespoon crystal sugar (120gr)
• 4 cups brown sugar (120gr)
• 2 tablespoons Greek Coffee (25ml), prepared

Instructions:

Preheat the oven. Beat the egg yolks in the mixer and blend in the rest of the ingredients, excluding the brown sugar.

Pass through a sieve and fill the Crème Brûlée moulds. Bake in bain-marie at 100° C for 60 minutes.

When ready, allow to cool, sprinkle brown sugar over them and burn. Use burner or put under blazing grill at 240° C for a couple of minutes. Serves 4