2020 Winzer Krems Kremser Sandgrube Gruner Veltliner

2020 Winzer Krems Kremser Sandgrube Gruner Veltliner

Gruner Veltliner wines are great food friendly wines that are also a good option served as an aperitif on their own. In anticipation of warmer weather, I bought several of these inexpensive wines by several producers to have on hand for outdoor sipping. I paired this Austrian wine with oysters on the half shell then […]

[Continue reading...]
Quebec Old Fashioned Doughnuts         

Quebec Old Fashioned Doughnuts         

Growing up in Quebec, many families had their traditional recipes for homemade doughnuts that they would make primarily around the holidays. Some families, especially the large ones, made doughnuts year around as they freeze well placed into freezer bags and can be thawed for impromptu visitors (or just because). My mom made this giant batch […]

[Continue reading...]
2006 Daniel Etienne Defaix Chablis Premier Cru

2006 Daniel Etienne Defaix Chablis Premier Cru

About Château de Faix and Daniel-Etienne Defaix Daniel-Etienne Defaix is a 14th generation winemaker whose ancestors were vignerons in the 16th century at the Château de Faix, near Chablis. Etienne-Paul Defaix installed the family as vignerons in Chablis during the eighteenth century. Daniel-Etienne Defaix is excelling at continuing his family’s winemaking tradition. Daniel-Etienne Defaix only […]

[Continue reading...]
Champagne Louis de Sacy NV Brut Originel

Champagne Louis de Sacy NV Brut Originel

I purchased this wonderful grower Champagne at my favorite wine shop, Amanti Vino, in Morristown, NJ. The owner always has special finds and small production bottling that one cannot find at other stores. If you’re a fan of quality, small producer wines, check out her website. Creamy, refined, fresh and elegant wine with flavors of […]

[Continue reading...]
Easy Pork Schnitzel

Easy Pork Schnitzel

My husband’s Dutch and loves a good schnitzel. We often make this popular German dish using veal or chicken, but perhaps our favorite version is to use pork tenderloin. Pork tenderloin isn’t a cut of meat I purchase often, like its beef counterpart, I just find it too low on fat to produce a juicy, […]

[Continue reading...]
Lemon Mustard Cream Sauce

Lemon Mustard Cream Sauce

This lemon and mustard cream sauce is perfect on basically everything. I originally made this easy mustard sauce to put on a pork schnitzel dish, but it’s equally great on fish and chicken. It’s creamy from the béchamel, tangy from the lemon juice and mustard, and a little licoricey from the tarragon. Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. […]

[Continue reading...]
Reverse Seared Roasted Prime Rib

Reverse Seared Roasted Prime Rib

This is the ultimate prime rib technique. I’ve used it the last two Christmases and it produced superior results and I highly recommend it. I very skeptical when I saw the beef would roast at 150 degrees Fahrenheit, but, it’s simply brilliant. Reasons to love this technique: Technique: The fabulous person whose method this is, […]

[Continue reading...]
Josee’s Beef Stroganoff

Josee’s Beef Stroganoff

In our family, my sister makes the very best beef stroganoff. Hers is the recipe my grandma used and it’s rich, comforting and perfect on a cool night. Beef Stroganoff was invented and named after Count Stroganoff, a member of a Russian elite family, by his personal chef. In the original recipe, beef bouillon granules […]

[Continue reading...]
Best Dishes 2021

Best Dishes 2021

Fortunately for my annual Best Dishes recap, I was back on the road for work and leisure quite a bit in 2021. This allowed me to experience many outstanding meals along my journey. This year’s list includes a combination of fine dining and casual dishes, which were truly the ‘best’ dishes of the last 12 […]

[Continue reading...]

Gilding the French Onion Soup

At our home, we LOVE French onion soup. When we moved into our new home recently, we unpacked everything we owned, no more bins in the attic, no more boxes in the garage, we literally unpacked the equivalent of two full kitchens! In the process, I realized that we have 10 French onion soup bowls, […]

[Continue reading...]