Gingerbread and Red Wine

Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread from Epicurious.com and Gourmet Magazine

Things slowed down a bit when I got home and poured myself a glass of red wine. The dry tannins stuck to my tongue and slowly lifted away when my eyes began fawning for the sweet gingerbread on the counter. To satisfy the urge to create something for the holidays, I had put together this treat using a recipe from the late 1800's--when beer was often used as a leavening agent. I had made it yesterday by first boiling a solution of oatmeal stout and molasses (I sipped the stout regularly to be sure it was a good fit), and in a side bowl, sifting together flour, ginger, freshly ground nutmeg, cinnamon, and a pinch of cardamom. A few eggs and a giant dose of sugar had then joined the two together, and 50 minutes later, the oven had pulled it to the form of a bundt cake--with the help of a pan of course! I took another sip of my wine and decided to partake in a piece of the gingerbread. My fingers reached for the cold and sticky brown loaf and set it on the white napkin next to the clear glass of warm red wine. With one more sip, the mood was set. My teeth sank in easily. I was not disappointed that the crunch that had characterized the outer crust had softened to the air, because this same softness seemed to have been acquired by the dense and chewy center which now presented itself in quite an elegant manner. This soft sticky gingerbread was all the happiness I was searching for, though to keep my integrity in tact, I must admit that I still finished my wine!