Eat Your Wine for Dinner and Dessert

“Full bodied, with a hint of black cherry” or “hazelnut and a creamy dark chocolate finish”—these aren’t descriptions of a new red wine. But they are descriptions of Marché Noir’s brownies, made with wine flour, now being sold in Solvang and Los Olivos.

Wine flour, made from dried and milled grape skins left over from wine-making, retains all the health benefits of a glass of red wine, including resveratrol, iron, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids. With just the right amount of dark Belgian chocolate, it becomes a decadent brownie born to be paired with port. Wine flour also adds a luscious dimension of flavor to Marché Noir’s penne, fettuccini, spaghetti, and rotini pasta. A little olive oil and parmesan are all these noodles need to bring out the subtle flavor of cabernet sauvignon. Pastry chef Rachel Marie Klemek, founder of Blackmarket Bakery in Irvine and the Marché Noir line, is the only baker in the country using wine flour.

Marché Noir’s wine brownies, flour, cocoa powder, and pasta can now be found at The Mandolina Tasting Room in Solvang (1665 Copenhagen Dr., 686-5506) and BiN 2860 International Wine Shop in Los Olivos (2860 Grand Ave., 688-7788).