This week’s recipe is citrus granita with shortbread cookies from Lisa Neimeth. View the recipe at Design*Sponge.

Originally from New York, Lisa Neimeth is a ceramic artist now living in San Francisco. Though she loves her new hometown, she also spends a lot of time in New Mexico, tromping around the land where Georgia O’Keeffe and Agnes Martin have walked. She loves to collect-literally and figuratively-on the beach, in the mountains, in the desert, flea markets and on the street..and incorporate all of these images into her work. Tableware is her passion right now and she spends a lot of time creating hand formed plates, platters and bowls of various sizes impressing vintage and found objects with hand etched details. See (and shop) more of Lisa’s beautiful work.

Suggested wine pairing: Bonny Doon Muscat Vin de Glaciere
Bonny Doon is going to stop making this dessert wine — and suggest you buy it now before it is no longer. The wine has an amazing nose of apricot, spice and jasmine. Apricot, orange blossom and lemon zest on the palate. The citrus components of the wine that are similar to the primary flavors in the granita and pairs well with shortbread.

This wine was served with dessert at every state dinner during the Clinton years. How it ended up being served to dignitaries and heads of state is an interesting story. When Bill Clinton was running for his first term as president, Randall Grahm gave a bunch of wine to the campaign in California. When Clinton won the presidential election, the head of the California campaign called and told Randall he would present the Clintons with a bottle of wine from Bonny Doon. Randall took a bottle of Vin de Glaciere and signed it — “Bill, I trust you will like this wine so much you will virtually inhale it! Randall” — true story as I was the trafficker of the bottle of wine.

Bonny Doon has released a Pacific Rim Riesling Vin de Glaciere that will replace the Muscat, but the phasing out of the Muscat does mark an end to an era.

About the weekly wine pairings with Design*Sponge
I will be providing the weekly wine pairing for the recipes edited by Kristina on Design*Sponge. The In-the-Kitchen-With column appears every Friday at noon, and features the recipes of design*sponge readers’ favorite designers. Design*Sponge is a daily website dedicated to home and product design run by Brooklyn-based writer, Grace Bonney. Launched in August of 2004, Design*Sponge features store and product reviews, sale and contest announcements, new designer profiles, trend forecasting and store/studio tours.