Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce

Homemade ham and cheese soufflé baked until golden and fluffy
This Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce is very versatile.  I used it with this ham and cheese soufflé (click for the recipe).  Or, try it with my tuna soufflé, my mackerel soufflé, or my salmon soufflé. And, pair it with vegetables (asparagus is the classic), fish and seafood (the lemon acidity helps balance the richness of seafood), chicken and meat (Hollandaise works especially well with relatively lean meats), potatoes and other dishes (a little Hollandaise can turn an ordinary side dish into something special).
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Ham and Cheese Soufflé Recipe – Easy & Elegant

Homemade ham and cheese soufflé baked until golden and fluffy

Few dishes are as elegant, or as surprisingly easy, as a soufflé. This ham and cheese soufflé recipe combines fluffy eggs, savory ham, and melted Cheddar or Swiss cheese in a beautifully risen dish that’s equally at home at breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. I adapted it from a recipe in Craig Claiborne’s The New York Times Cookbook, the first cookbook I ever owned and still one of the best.

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Gran Gala VS Cognac Review

Gran Gala VS Cognac.
Gran Gala VS Cognac. Click here for tasting notes.

Is Gran Gala VS Cognac one of the best bargains in French brandy? Maybe. Maybe not.

When most spirits enthusiasts hear the name Gran Gala, they immediately think of the popular Italian orange liqueur often compared to Grand Marnier. What many drinkers don’t realize is that Gran Gala also produces an authentic French Cognac—a surprisingly affordable bottle. At a time when many well-known Cognac brands command prices of $40, $50, or significantly more for their entry-level offerings, Gran Gala VS often sells for less than $25. That price alone makes it worthy of a closer look.

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Salami Pizza Recipe

Homemade salami pizza

I had some olives and sliced Italian meats left over from a charcuterie board, so I came up with this homemade Salami Pizza recipe to put them to good use. A combination of Calabrese and dry salami, Kalamata olives, fontina, and Pecorino Romano makes for a richly flavored pizza on a thin, crisp, Neapolitan-style crust. The tomato sauce gets an extra savory boost from anchovies and mushrooms, while an optional spoonful of fig preserves adds a subtle touch of sweetness to balance the salty toppings.

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Giambotta Pizza Recipe

This Giambota pizza features Italian sausage , sweet peppers, and onions.

One of the most flavorful Italian dishes is giambotta, a mixture of Italian sausage, sweet peppers, and onions. In this homemade Giambotta Pizza recipe, I have added tomato sauce and cheese. This is a hearty pizza, one that makes a great centerpiece for a pizza party.

THE DOUGH

Start dough at 4p for dinner between 7p and 8p
1 cup warm water (90 to 110 degrees F.)
2 tsp instant-rise yeast
3-1/4 cup bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin not necessary)
Combine ingredients and knead by hand for 10 minutes or machine
for two to five minutes. Coat dough ball in a thin film of olive oil or cooking spray, cover in plastic wrap, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size.

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Mac and Cheese for Adults Recipe

mac and cheese

In addition to being a wine blogger, I am also an amateur chef. All of my friends have fond nostalgic memories of mac and cheese which they enjoyed while growing up. However, I had never had mac and cheese, but finally wanted to try it.  I decided that the Blue Box wouldn’t do, so I  came up with  a Mac and Cheese for Adults Recipe that captures their enthusiasm, but that would appeal to grownup tastes.

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Cava de Oro Tequila Review

Cava de Oro Tequila Extra Anejo

Cava de Oro Tequila Extra Anejo is a tequila produced in Jalisco, Mexico at a facility historically known as Tequilera Puerta de Hierro (NOM 1477), near the town of El Arenal, Jalisco. The brand traces back to founders Gildardo Partida Meléndez and Leticia Hermosillo Ravelero, who began working in the agave fields in the early 1990s — planting, harvesting, cultivating and marketing blue agave (specifically the 100 % Blue Weber agave used for tequila). Over time, the facility expanded, first installing an “alembic” (still), then packaging equipment, and eventually launching the Cava de Oro brand.

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Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza Recipe

Pepperoni, Mushroom, and Banana Pepper Deep Dish Pizza

I didn’t grow up in Chicago, but I’ve lived in the suburbs for over 40 years. Two things that I discovered when I moved up from Texas were blues music and deep dish pizza, both of which I love to this day.  This riff on Chicago Deep Dish pizza, my homemade Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza recipe, is far from authentic, but uses the ingredients I had on hand. It features a cornmeal-enriched crust, Fontina instead of Mozzarella, and a generous layer of homemade tomato sauce.

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Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc 2021 Review

Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc.
Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc. Click here for tasting notes.

Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc 

One fine spring day in 1972, attorney, private pilot, and wine aficionado Fred Fruth was piloting his plane over the Russian River Valley area.  Down below, he hoped he saw what he had been searching for: a property that had the climate and soils to grow first-class wine grapes.  Furth and his second wife, Peggy, purchased the land, named the estate Chalk Hill, and started producing wine about a decade later.  They gradually planted more than 270 acres of vines.  Years later, Furth said, “I have always been interested in wine because my grandfather had vineyards. I’m actually more interested in the working-the-soil aspect, but I have many very talented people in the winery who know how to produce a world-class wine. When I bought this property, I was told it was too hilly to be a vineyard, but I simply planted the grapes in rows going uphill. People said you can’t do that, but I’d seen it done in Germany so I knew it would work.”  After a rich and varied life, Furth died in 2018 at the age of 84.

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Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc 2021 Review

Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc Windy Ridge 2021.
Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc Windy Ridge. Click here for tasting notes.

Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc Windy Ridge 

One fine spring day in 1972, attorney, private pilot, and wine aficionado Fred Fruth was piloting his plane over the Russian River Valley area.  Down below, he hoped he saw what he had been searching for: a property that had the climate and soils to grow first-class wine grapes.  Furth and his second wife, Peggy, purchased the land, named the estate Chalk Hill, and started producing wine about a decade later.  They gradually planted more than 270 acres of vines.  Years later, Furth said, “I have always been interested in wine because my grandfather had vineyards. I’m actually more interested in the working-the-soil aspect, but I have many very talented people in the winery who know how to produce a world-class wine. When I bought this property, I was told it was too hilly to be a vineyard, but I simply planted the grapes in rows going uphill. People said you can’t do that, but I’d seen it done in Germany so I knew it would work.”  After a rich and varied life, Furth died in 2018 at the age of 84.

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Aged Eggnog Recipe

Homemade Alton Brown aged eggnog with freshly grated nutmeg
Homemade Alton Brown’s aged eggnog with freshly grated nutmeg

 

 

WTF is aged eggnog?!  I had never heard of such a thing until I stumbled across a recipe for it on Alton Brown’s web site.  As it turns out, it is indeed a real, if arcane, preparation, even covered by Cook’s Illustrated, which researches all things food.  The idea is that the eggnog ages for at least two weeks, and up to a year.  One potential benefit of aging is that the alcohol can substantially reduce harmful bacteria over time, although aging is not a guarantee of food safety. Pasteurized eggs and continuous refrigeration remain advisable. Longer aging means that the eggnog loses its eggy freshness and becomes aggressively boozy.  I don’t think I will be able to confirm that.  I expect the batch I made to only last a month or so.

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