CAV Wine Bar & Kitchen
My husband recently took me to dinner at CAV Wine Bar & Kitchen in San Francisco. CAV started out as a wine bar but has developed into both a wine bar and a noted kitchen. The concept behind the...
View ArticleFARM at The Carneros Inn
FARM Restaurant at the Carneros Inn in Napa Valley is worth a visit. I recently had occasion to dine there with some of my guests from Canada. When we stepped out of the car, I was immediately drawn...
View ArticleLamb Shanks with Root Vegetables
Ingredients 6 lamb shanks, split in half cross-wise Olive oil Fresh herbs – parsley, thyme, tarragon, etc., chopped Coarse sea salt Freshly ground pepper 1 cup white or red wine 1 large sweet onion,...
View ArticleJean Grogne
I recently discovered this luscious triple cream pasteurized cow’s milk cheese from the Ile-de France region. It is a subtle cheese with a gentle mushroom flavor. It pairs well with a sparkling wine....
View ArticleValencay
Valencay is a raw goat’s milk cheese from central France. It is in the shape of a pyramid without its top. (Legend has it that Napoleon took his sword and cut off the top because it reminded him of...
View ArticleSumi
Sumi is a goat’s milk cheese from Goat’s Leap Dairy in St. Helena. It is shaped like a truncated pyramid and coated with ash. Inside it is firm and tangy with a long rich finish. It is aged for only...
View ArticleSalad of Mache, Beets and Walnuts in Walnut Vinaigrette Dressing
Ingredients 6-8 medium beets, washed and tops removed 1 ½ T lemon juice or nice vinegar (such as Vinaigre de Banyuls 4 T walnut oil Sea salt to taste 6 cups mache 1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped...
View ArticlePotato Gratin
Ingredients 3 pounds potatoes (You can use russets or a yellow waxy potato, such as Yukon Gold). 1 quart whole milk Freshly grated nutmeg Sea salt to taste 2 T butter 1 c heavy cream 2 c freshly grated...
View ArticleBeef Bourguignon
Ingredients 4 oz. (250g) thick bacon, cut into strips 4 lbs (2kg) stewing beef, cut in 2-inch cubes 2 onions, sliced 2 carrots, sliced 3 T flour 1 bottle Burgundy wine (Pinot Noir can be substituted,...
View Article2002 Falcor Le Bizou
We recently enjoyed another wine discovery brought to us by Marcy Roth of Bacchus and Venus Wine Shop in Sausalito. This time it was 2002 Le Bizou from Falcor Winery in Napa Valley. This wine is a...
View ArticlePersimmon Scones
Ingredients 2 cup self rising flour 2 T brown sugar 1 stick (4 oz.) cold European-style butter (such as Plugra), cut into 8 pieces 1/2 cup hachiya persimmon pulp 1/4 cup creme fraiche or buttermilk...
View ArticleSweet Potato Hash
Ingredients 2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” pieces 1 T bacon drippings or olive oil 2 medium sweet onions, cut into ½” pieces 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced 1-2 sprigs of marjoram,...
View ArticleRaspberry Crisp with Creme Fraiche
Ingredients 4 cups ripe raspberries, rinsed For the topping: 1/3 cup (approx. 5 Tablespoons) butter, softened 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup old fashioned oats 3/4 cups brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup...
View ArticleSouthern-Style Cornbread Dressing
I grew up eating cornbread dressing for special occasions, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. This dish, baked in the oven in a casserole-style baking dish, is made with savory homemade cornbread and...
View ArticleSouthern-style Holiday Candy – Divinity
When I was growing up in Georgia, I made a candy called Divinity every year for Chistmas. I would give plates of it away as gifts. Somewhere over the years, I stopped making it. This year, I...
View ArticleNew Year’s Day Good Luck Soup
I grew up in Southeast Georgia, and our tradition for good luck for the New Year was eating Hoppin’ John. To us, Hoppin’ John was a big pot of dried black-eyed peas cooked with hog jowl or ham shank....
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Boysenberry Cobbler
Baking a cobbler is a perfect way to showcase seasonal fruits. I found sweet, juicy boysenberries at the market this morning and could hardly wait to get home to use them. Although I chose...
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Old-fashioned Strawberry Shortcakes
I loved this dessert as a child. We made it often in the summertime to feature the wild strawberries that grew near my grandmother’s farm. We used whipped cream for the topping then, but I have...
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Fresh Coconut Buttermilk Meyer Lemon Custard
Fresh coconut is always a treat, but you can use frozen or packaged unsweetened coconut instead. This very simple recipe came about when my husband bought a coconut so that he could drink the coconut...
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Salted Caramel Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate and Toasted Almonds
Growing up in the South, we had homemade ice cream often in the summertime. Our ice cream had a very simple base of cream, milk and sugar. We did not use eggs in it, and we did not cook it. We...
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