Everybody’s talking about all of the leftover candy they have because

COVID meant kids didn’t go trick or treating like usual.

Even with ingenious methods of delivery.

Yes Liz Barrett and Lani Lawrence, and others, you know what I mean!

Instead, friends report doing scavenger hunts in their communities, neighborhoods, or pods.

My teen opted to stay home as did we.

Where nobody visited and took our candy.

Do you think my welcoming committee above scared them off? Our lights were on!

So what should you pair with all that leftover Halloween candy?

You need something super sweet, rich and creamy so if it’s high quality chocolate candy, you could try port as suggested here, or go for Harvey’s Bristol Cream, as described and paired below.

Five fun facts about Harvey’s Bristol Cream:

One: There’s no cream in it. Unlike Bailey’s Irish or other “cream” drinks, this refers to the creaminess on the palate. It’s creamy like a caramel can be creamy or an oaky chardonnay can be buttery.

Two: It’s a blend of Oloroso sherry, so it’s rich and sweet plus Fino and Amontillado sherries for florals and character.

Three: It’s a blend of  80% Palomino and 20% Pedro Ximenez. Before phylloxera, over one hundred varieties of grape from Spain went into the production of sherry!

Four: Harvey’s Bristol Cream is the most popular sherry in the world.

Five: Drink it cold. The label on the bottle will turn color to let you know! Try it neat or on the rocks with a twist of citrus. Pairs well with desserts from lemon cake to chocolate pie to chocolate covered almonds (yes we tried them all!). It’s sweet so yep, for those people who want to pair chocolate and wine, go for it. I love Belgian chocolates with Oloroso so I bet they’d work well with this.

Harveys Solera Sherry The Bristol Cream
ABV 17.5%; SRP $15

Color: Golden orange sunset, deeply hued

Nose:  Orange Christmas chocolate, mostly vanilla and orange, the creaminess of milk chocolate, sarsaparilla, citrus flowers.

Palate: Rich, sweet, lingering sweetness.

Pairing:  I tried it with plain and peanut M & Ms and preferred the peanut ones. I also did three kinds of Dove Chocolates — milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate with caramel; definitely go with milk chocolate with caramel. On Facebook a friend asked for a pairing for PayDays bars– guessing that’s what he has leftover — and I could certainly see those as well as Baby Ruth’s as going well with Harvey’s.

Once the Halloween candy is gone, enjoy Harvey’s around a socially distant campfire and do s’mores. Or, be amazed at how good this sherry is with these dark chocolate s’mores cookie balls that are so easy to make.

Unlike regular white wine, keep it cold and it will still be good for a month or two or three, but unlike liquor, you don’t want to keep it around much longer. Remember also that it’s high alcohol so one glass will do you!

Chocolate S’Mores Balls

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cub of 1/4 inch cubed marshmallow
• 4 oz cream cheese softened
• Mix all ingredients together and form 1 inch balls
• Place in a refrigerator to cool for at least 30 minutes.
• Melt 16 oz of quality chocolate in a double boiler
• Roll balls in melted chocolate to coat.
• Put 1/2 cup powdered sugar and add  1/2 to 1 tsp water. Place in a ziplock bag and squish to mix. Clip the end of the bag with scissors and drizzle over chocolate covered balls.
• When cool, drizzle with icing, chill again, serve.

Now you’re all ready for Sherry Week 2020, which starts tomorrow, Nov. 2!

Note: Here we are on 11/1 and this is post #991. On the homes stretch to my Bloggoversary and Post #1000!