New recipe, May 12, 2014

Tonight I did a riff of the Spring Panzanella with Asparagus from the April 2012 Food and Wine. Does it count as new? Not sure, but I used fiddlehead ferns in place of some of the asparagus, and ramps in place of the red onion. I discovered Coosemans Denver today--a great source for restaurant produce! I've been looking for those beautiful watermelon radishes for months! We give this salad a 5.

Wine: Benziger Sauvignon Blanc North Coast 2011--a nice match!

Just to be sure we made something definitely new, we also made The Honey Drip cocktail from the Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart--flavorful, sweet but well balanced. We give this a 4.

New recipe, March 25, 2013

Fennel Risotto with Crispy Lamb Sausage from the April 2013 Food and Wine. Great flavors, this gets a 4. Served with leftover Spring Panzanella.

Wine: Exem Bordeaux 2010

New recipe, March 24, 2013

Our friends Paulanne and Diane joined us for dinner. They brought a lively canapé of smoked salmon and host cheese on cucumber, and a truffled pecorino. We didn't make these, but they get s 5! Served with Pascal Doquet 1er Cru Rose Champagne.

The second course was the Spring Panzanella with Asparagus from the April 2012 Food and Wine. Shows off the beautiful watermelon radishes, and still gets a 5! Served with Benziger North Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2011.

The new dish is the Lamb Roast with Mustard Sauce, from the April 2013 Food and Wine. The filling, made from ground lamb and fennel with spices, makes this dish a 5! Served with a spectacular match, the Labastide Dauzac Margaux 2005 (thank you Anne Trégloze!).

Dessert was the wonderful Molten Chocolate Cake with Caramel Filling from the September 2008 Food and Wine.  5 before, still a 5!
Served with KWV Tawny Port, a great match.

New recipe, April 29, 2012

The new recipe was Seared Sea Scallops with Wilted Watercress and Bacon from the May 2012 Cooking Light, served with the wonderful Spring Panzanella with Asparagus from the April 2012 Food and Wine. The Panzanella gets a 5 (to me the big challenge with this is to defire the onion if it is hot--the onion flavor is important, but it shouldn't be hot). The scallops get a 3.

Wine: Terredora Dipaolo Faranghina Irpinia 2010

New recipes, March 18, 2012

Two fabulous recipes from the April 2012 Food and Wine: Spring Panzanella with Asparagus, and Vinegar Braised Chicken with Leeks and Peas.  We adapted a bit with both--used feta instead of ricotta salata in the panzanella, and used boneless skinless chicken thighs in the chicken, and nonfat greek yogurt instead of crème fraîche.  Both were 5s--we especially loved the panzanella, but they both are great!

Wine: M. Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes-du-Rhône 2007--worked beautifully with both dishes!