Reviews of wines and spirits for the curious drinker.
Mackerel Soufflé
The first cookbook I ever got, and to this day is still my favorite, is Craig Claiborne’s The New York Times Cookbook. Not long after getting the book, I was asked to bring dessert to a dinner party. I made chocolate-covered cream puffs. They were a huge hit, and people were amazed that I hadn’t purchased them. Cooking out of this book over the years since, Craig taught me that it isn’t hard to cook and eat well, if you are interested in doing so.
Chalk Hill Estate Red
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.
Is it possible to get a quality XO brandy for $20? If this Dunill XO brandy is any indication, the answer is no. (For just one comparison, Courvoisier XO costs $170. Most XOs cost at least $100, and go up from there.)
I have nine pizza cookbooks, and seven of them have a recipe for Pizza Margherita. In part this is because it is a classic, and in part because the story of its creation is clearly known and iconic. In 1889, the Italian royal couple King Umberto and Queen Margherita paid a visit to Naples. While there, local pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito made three types of pizza for them: a marinara pizza with anchovies; a bianca (white) pizza with lard, provolone or caciocavallo cheese, and basil; and a pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, featuring the red, white, and green of the Italian flag. The queen was particularly delighted by that last one, and when Esposito received a note of thanks from her, he dedicated the pizza to her.
My wife recently came home with a lovely seven-ounce tuna steak. Well, I love tuna, and because of this I thought, “this isn’t going to feed the two of us.” So I began to consider how to stretch it out. The answer? Tuna pasta, Japanese-style!
Garlic Olive Oil is a wonderful and versatile condiment. Sure, you can buy it, but it’s going to cost about $1.50 to $2.50 an ounce. For around 75 cents an ounce, you can easily make it yourself, and know exactly what goes into it as well. Most recipes for garlic olive oil roast the garlic in the oven. My method uses just the stovetop, which is more streamlined but delivers the same amount of flavor. Here’s how to do it:
If you are looking for an easy and delicious week-night meal, you can’t go wrong with Spaghetti Aio e Oio, or literally Spaghetti Garlic and Oil.
Many people like fajitas. Many people like pizza. So, how about … a Fajita Pizza! Ole! Grazia!
Gene & Georgetti is a legendary old-school Chicago steakhouse, founded in 1941, and still with us, happily. On November 1, 1987, the Chicago Tribune‘s food critic at the time, William Rice (excellent name for a food writer, no?), published a recipe for Chicken alla Joe. Like Spicy Grilled Tuna, this is one of the very few recipes I have made many times. (I have about 200 cookbooks and I don’t like to repeat.) Unlike that one, however, I have modified it somewhat, to make it a bit simpler and even more flavorful. (There is a link to Rice’s original recipe at the end of this post. ) And about ten years ago, I realized I almost always made this in January. So, now I must make it in January. Sometimes late, like January 31, 2020, and sometimes early, like January 1, 2021.
If you don’t like fish, Grilled Tuna Steaks is the fish recipe for you. If you do like fish, especially tuna, this is definitely the recipe for you.
These spicy grilled tuna steaks, coated with sesame seeds, curry powder, black pepper, and anise, come from the great Pierre Franey (1921–1996). His recipe appeared in the New York Times and Chicago Tribune in August 1992, and it may well be the greatest tuna recipe ever written.
LVOV [Luh-voff] premium Polish vodka offers excellent value for the money. Crafted in the old tradition from potatoes (and thus gluten-free), it is distilled four times, then filtered four times through an activated carbon and candle process for smoothness. It features a hint of mineral taste with a touch of sweetness, and a slightly herbal aroma. This is a refined, mellow sip to add as part of your favorite cocktail or enjoyed on its own.
Because home freezers don’t get cold enough to freeze spirits, many people (us included) like to stash their vodka there for ready-to-go enjoyment.
–Spirits Contributor Neal Kotlarek
LVOV Smash
2 oz. LVOV Vodka
5 grapes
1 slice serrano pepper
1 lime wedge
1 sugar cube
Dash orange bitters
Directions: Muddle all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and pour everything into a cocktail glass. Garnish with remaining serrano pepper and lime wedge.
LVOV Sparkling Sea Breeze
1½ oz. LVOV Vodka
1½ oz. cranberry juice
1½ oz. grapefruit juice
1½ cups ice cubes
1½ oz. sparkling water
1 lime wedge
Directions: Fill a cocktail shaker with vodka, juices, and ice cubes. Cover and shake. Fill a glass with sparkling water. Strain vodka mixture into sparkling water and garnish with lime wedge.
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Coq au Vin
Coq au Vin is a classic French dish of chicken in wine with onions, mushrooms, and bacon. It is usually made with red wine, but I think white wine makes for better color and flavor. In France, the only side is usually parsley potatoes, but you can add buttered green peas as well. This recipe comes from volume 1 of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Camarena Tequila
Winter is behind us for yet another year, so thoughts turn to relaxed evenings on the deck or patio, steaks or shrimp sizzling on the grill, and something cool and refreshing in the glass. A crisp Chardonnay or ice-cold beer are nice, of course, but it’s hard to beat a well-made Margarita (no sweet-and-sour mix!) when the weather gets pleasant.
Cline Nancy’s Cuvee
As you enter Sonoma county from the south on California 121, one of the first wineries you encounter is Cline Cellars, and there could hardly be a better introduction to the Carneros AVA.
At Milwaukee’s Miller Park, home of the Brewers, the official brandy served at the ballpark is Central Standard distillery’s North Wisconsin Brandy. Your day of baseball can include an iconic Wisconsin-style brandy Old Fashioned made with a spirit produced right there in town.