Recent Posts

Perfect Pimm’s Punch

February 15, 2015May 26, 2017 Gin, Pimm's No 1

One of the best parts of living in Florida is the ability to enjoy refreshing tall drinks all year long. So not surprisingly, I first encountered the classic summer drink, the Pimm's Cup, last winter. At its simplest, a Pimm's Cup is Pimm's No. 1 mixed with soda (lemon-lime, ginger-ale,... Read More

Breads and Baking How To Recipe Sweets Testing

Fundamentals: Puff Pastry

February 14, 2015September 1, 2016 baking, pastry

Why do tv chefs tell you to purchase puff pastry? I'm not saying that store-bought puff pastry is bad, quite the opposite, but I've heard Ina Garten, Alton Brown, and countless other food celebrities wax on that it isn't worth your time, it's a painstaking process, it's highly complicated. When... Read More

Italy Sangiovese Tasting Wine

Crazy for Chianti

February 14, 2015September 26, 2016

When I began this whirligig obsession with wine a few years back, I snubbed Chianti. Much like the folks who snubbed Merlot after seeing Sideways, this wasn't based on knowledge or experience drinking it, just my perception of which wines were "fancy" or important. I had this image in my... Read More

NYC Restaurants

Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca

February 2, 2015July 29, 2016 Italian

In 1998, when Babbo opened, I was not yet a foodie. Yes I liked eating, but my college years were spent in school dining centers or slurping down instant ramen in my dorm room. I knew almost nothing about cooking or baking, I hadn't heard of Mario Batali, so of... Read More

Corvina Italy Red Blends/Other Tasting Wine

2009 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Costasera

December 14, 2014September 9, 2016

I've got friends who are Amarone addicts and for a long time, I didn't see what all the fuss was about. Amarone comes from the Valpolicella district in Northeastern Italy's Veneto region, made from a blend of grapes (primarily Corvina) that have been dried. The grapes are picked in bunches... Read More

Recipe Sweets

Almond Tuiles – Elegant Holiday Cookies

December 14, 2014September 1, 2016 baking, cookies, sweets, tuiles

To be perfectly honest, I don't bake cookies very often. Yes, I am obsessed with French macarons, but in general when I'm baking I'm much more interested in experimenting with fancy pastries than drop cookies. It's not that I don't like cookies. From oatmeal or chocolate chip to homemade oreos, I... Read More

France Gamay Tasting Wine

Comparative Tasting 2012 Chateau Bonnet Beaujolais, Saint-Amour and Moulin-A-Vent

December 13, 2014September 9, 2016

I love side-by-side tasting. Nothing makes similarities and differences more apparent than by tasting wines together. I'm a big fan of Beaujolais, especially during the holiday season. People rave about the ease of pairing Pinot Noir to lots of different foods, but Gamay is even easier. Low in tannin, happy... Read More

Recipe Soups and Stews

Italian Wedding Soup

December 13, 2014September 1, 2016 Italian, meatballs, soup

I had my first bowl of Italian Wedding Soup, not surprisingly I guess, at a wedding several years ago. I remember somewhere being told that this soup got it's name by being traditional at weddings to give newlyweds sustenance for their newly wedded bliss (wink, wink) but that story seems... Read More

Beverages

Ginger Citrus Tea Concentrate

December 8, 2014July 29, 2016 ginger, healthy, tea

It's that time of year again. Sniffly, sneezy, coughing, cold and flu season. I don't know about you, but with all the craziness of the holiday season it seems like I have to fight off illness at every turn. And when I feel anything coming on, I make a batch... Read More

France Sauvignon Blanc Tasting Wine

2009 Henri Bourgeois Pouilly-Fume La Demoiselle de Bourgeois

October 30, 2014September 9, 2016

Sauvignon Blanc is an easy grape to love, and when it is grown in the Loire Valley of France, it's even better. I'm a big fan of Sancerre (another region in the Loire) and in general, Pouilly-Fume (not to be confused with Pouilly-Fuisse which is Chardonnay from Burgundy) doesn't disappoint.... Read More