recipe

Pouilly-Fumé complements asparagus-prosciutto risotto

Pouilly-Fumé complements asparagus-prosciutto risotto

Posted on by Pat and David
We sang the praises of Sancerre a few weeks ago, lauding its round fruit combined with tart minerality. We are continuing to welcome the spring and summer seasons with other Loire Valley wines. Sancerre's sister Sauvignon Blanc wine, Pouilly-Fumé, certainly has a strong family resemblance. With a bit flintier taste than Sancerre and a haunting smokiness, Pouilly-Fumé pairs wonderfully with asparagus. We had a couple of bottles of Saget La Perrière 2013 on hand when we acquired up a nice bundle of just-picked asparagus from the Connecticut River farms in Hadley, Massachusetts. We immediately thought of our favorite risotto treatment for the vegetable. That recipe was created for Pinot Grigio, so it uses San Daniele prosciutto and Grana Padana cheese. It's easy to adapt the...Read More
A is for Asparagus in new Alain Ducasse cookbook

A is for Asparagus in new Alain Ducasse cookbook

Posted on by Pat and David
It's asparagus season in our neighborhood. The fields of Hadley, Massachusetts are yielding the delicious spears that once made the Connecticut River Valley the asparagus capital of North America. The industry has never quite recovered from a mid-20th century blight, but the farms are producing some stunning asparagus for a few weeks each year. We are eating as much as we can while it is in season. Alain Ducasse grabbed our attention with a brilliant recipe for asparagus and soft-boiled egg in his new cookbook. It's called Simple Nature: 150 New Recipes for Fresh, Healthy Dishes. Ducasse launched his first “Simple Nature” cookbook five years ago. This second installment is, if anything, simpler and more natural. The celebrity French chef penned it with chef Christophe...Read More

Utiel Requena wines conjure tastes of northeast Spain

Posted on by Pat and David
We're convinced that there is nothing like taste to evoke memories of place. A sip of wine will call back the flavor of the food, the sun on our faces, the wobbly leg of the cafe table, and the street life around us. We're just starting to taste several wines from the Utiel Requena region in the northwest corner of the autonomous region of Valencia. As we taste, we're reliving trips to Catalunya, Aragón, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands. In addition to speaking variants of Catalan, these regions feature cuisines that pair very well with the Bobal wines of Utiel Requena. We'll be enjoying them with some of our favorite dishes. As shown in this photo just below, D.O. Utiel Requena sits in the rain...Read More

As spring blooms, Sancerre launches season for whites

Posted on by Pat and David
Pat has fond memories of traipsing through the Loire Valley one summer. As much as the rolling green land and the amazing fairy-tale châteaux, she remembers the food-friendly local wines. Then this winter we encountered some Cabernet Franc that reminded us how good Loire Valley reds can be with fish and lighter summer fare. The valley is home base to some of the greatest French wine grapes not called Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. With summer on the horizon, we realized it was time to rectify our lack of attention to Loire Valley wines—some of which are the quintessential sips at the end of long, warm day. We got a respite from our chilly, damp spring last week in time for the forsythia to burst into...Read More

108 Brasserie redefines British comfort food

Posted on by Pat
The simple but delicious starter of Dorset crab on toast with watercress and apple perfectly encapsulates the style of the kitchen at the 108 Brasserie (47 Welbeck Street, 020 7486 6600, 108brasserie.com) at The Marylebone hotel in London. “It's a very simple recipe and it's all about the ingredients,” executive chef Russell Ford (right) told me. When Ford took over the kitchen more than five years ago, the food was very dated. “We pared it back,” he recalled, “and focused on keeping it simple, with great seasonal ingredients.” Ford works directly with several butchers and fish and produce suppliers. He also has a good relationship with some of the specialty shops in the Marylebone neighborhood, including the marvelous cheese shop, La Fromagerie (2-6 Moxon Street,...Read More

Doyle shows Irish hospitality, sip by sip in London

Posted on by Pat
Nothing says “welcome” like a good hotel bar. I certainly found that to be the case at the three Doyle hotels (www.doylecollection.com) in London. (That's the Bloomsbury Club Bar above.) The family-owned collection launched in Dublin in 1964 and made its first foray into the British capital twenty years later. The Marylebone The Marylebone (47 Welbeck Street, +44 20 7486 6600) was the first Doyle property in London, but a recent renovation has given it the most contemporary design of the three hotels. The clean lines and bright, warm colors strike a perfect balance between modern style and good old-fashioned comfort. The Marylebone's 108 Bar has an entrance right off the sidewalk. It's just a short walk from Marylebone High Street, the main shopping drag...Read More

Getting ready for summer with ‘Le Picnic’ recipes

Posted on by Pat and David
Talk about timing! Le Picnic: Chic Food for On-The-Go crossed our desk just as the azaleas burst into bloom and the purple finches laid their first clutch of eggs in the blue spruce outside our desk window. This Australian book by food writer Suzy Ashford is published by Smith Street Books in Melbourne, but it's distributed in North America by Rizzoli. Suzy had us with the cover shot of a roast chicken and Camembert baguette (see above). By the way, the two photos in this post are courtesy of Smith Street Books. The book breaks down roughly into gorgeous sandwiches, baked tarts or flatbreads, salads you want to eat with your eyes, and drop-dead gorgeous desserts that seem a little delicate to transport to a...Read More

Natalie’s winning Butter-Poached Lobster recipe

Posted on by Pat and David
Prepared with grilled maitake and oyster mushrooms along with a corn-parsnip ragout, this is the recipe that won Chris Long plaudits as the 2013 Maine Lobster Chef of the Year. The recipe below and photo above are adapted with permission from Natalie’s Restaurant (nataliesrestaurant.com) at the Camden Harbour Inn (camdenharbourinn.com). (The corn stock directions are ours, so don't blame Chris and Shelby.) Ingredients 1 Maine lobster 1 pound butter at room temperature 2 ounces fresh thyme 1 shallot, minced 1 cup corn stock * 1 cup corn kernels 1/2 cup chopped parsnips 1 lemon salt and pepper to taste 2 ounces wild mushrooms parsnip chips micro arugula basil flowers Directions Boil lobster in salted water, 7 minutes for claws and 3 minutes for tail. Shock-chill...Read More

Compelling CARO marries Mendoza and Bordeaux

Posted on by Pat and David
In November, we wrote about the CARO Amancaya blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon as a bargain big red. (See this post.) On a cold and rainy March weekend, we decided it was time to dust off a bottle of that wine's big brother. The 2013 CARO is a 50/50 blend of Malbec grown in Mendoza's Lujan de Cayo district (above, courtesy of Bodegas CARO) and Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the adjoining Uco Valley. The CARO wines are a joint project between Nicolas Catena and the Barons de Rothschild. In this top wine of the collaboration, intense Argentine fruit meets Bordeaux-style winemaking to great effect. It retails for $50-$60. We pondered what would pair well with such a voluptuous red and decided that grilled steak...Read More
Oceania’s ‘Marina’ features fine dining five ways

Oceania’s ‘Marina’ features fine dining five ways

Posted on by Pat and David
Experienced cruisers expect a Grand Dining Room—and that's exactly what Oceania Cruises (oceaniacruises.com) calls its spacious and glittering Continental dining venue. It has the requisite fine linens and crystal chandeliers. A full armada of water and wine glasses gleam on the tables. The menu borrows a little from Italy and a lot from France. It includes a few Jacques Pepin signature bistro dishes (steak-frites, roast chicken, poached salmon). Or diners can go fancier with lobster bisque and venison medallions. The menu even proffers spa-inspired “healthy living choices,” such as steamed artichokes, chicken consommé, and simple roasted fish. In short, there's a little something for everyone in a very pleasant and lively room with excellent service. Although the GDR is larger than most other restaurants on...Read More