Un Apéritif Almost Perfect
Posted: 04/01/2011 Filed under: Gastronomy, Paris, Places, Wine, Wine Pairings | Tags: Apéritif, France, tapas, Wine Leave a comment »
My two favorite meals in France are “brunch,” which deserves a post all to itself, and the famous “apéritif.” I know what you’re thinking, an apéritif isn’t a meal! It’s a drink! …but there’s always food that comes along with an apéritif so in my opinion it counts as a meal, or at least a good first course. Long gone are the days when the apéritif was just a drink with a couple of stale crackers. It’s become a statement – the way people express their culinary creativity (or lack thereof) without having to play it safe. Anything goes. So here’s a short compilation of different apéritifs that I’ve witnessed during my time in France. Read the rest of this entry »
Wine and Chocolate
Posted: 02/06/2011 Filed under: Gastronomy, Paris, Wine, Wine Pairings | Tags: Banyuls, Champagne, chocolate, France, Port, Wine, Wine Pairings, Zinfandel Leave a comment »With Valentine’s Day approaching, I decided to do a little experimenting with wine and chocolate. After all, wine and chocolate are two of my favorite things, so I would have to be crazy to turn down such a great excuse to eat more chocolate and drink more wine. 
But the other night, right as I was about to indulge in a dark chocolate truffle and a glass of tawny port (all in the name of science), I realized that there was something rather unfortunate about keeping such a wonderful experiment all for myself. So I returned the truffle to its box, looked around the empty apartment, and then at the annoyingly loud clock above the kitchen sink. Read the rest of this entry »
Fennel Risotto
Posted: 11/17/2010 Filed under: Gastronomy, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Wine Pairings | Tags: Arborio Rice, Fennel, Recipe, Risotto Leave a comment »
I learned how to make risotto while I was working in a little Italian restaurant in Australia (luckily the owner and chef was a petite Italian woman, because the kitchen was just about as big as my Parisian closet… tiny!) The owner, Laura, was passionate about Italian home cooking, art, and, most of all, conversing with her faithful customers and fellow shop owners in the neighborhood. In fact, she would often disappear in the middle of service and I would inevitably find her chatting away with an old friend around the corner. She made it very clear from the start that, despite her status as chef, she preferred socializing than working. This meant two things. Firstly, that when she disappeared the cooking was up to us…the servers. Secondly, that I learned all of her secrets, including how to make a good, creamy risotto. Read the rest of this entry »
Sweet and Savory “Cowgirl” Cupcakes
Posted: 11/10/2010 Filed under: Recipes, Wine Pairings | Tags: Chili, Chimayo, Cornbread, Cupcakes, New Mexico, Recipes Leave a comment »This morning I received a special package from the States. In the little cardboard box, marked “book” for the customs people (shh…dont’ tell!), I found a bag of bright red New Mexico chili powder all the way from Chimayo. Minutes later, I was putting my apron on, heading for the kitchen and starting to cook.
I had the idea of making cornbread…great eaten with a slab of honey butter or with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner (which is coming up pretty soon). But, I wanted to make the recipe a little different than usual. Read the rest of this entry »
