A Life, Lived

Savoury Cheddar Thumbprint Cookies

a gratuitous self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 12 out of 467 photos.

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These appetizer cookies are just liked the thumbprint cookies my grandmother used to make and fill with strawberry jam - only a much more adult version! Those lucky enough to try one of these tasty treats will be surprised to find that these cheesey appetizers, studded with nuts and bejewelled with pepper jelly or other savoury jelly or salsa jam, are not to be saved for dessert. This is one cookie recipe that can be made only in a food processor and should certainly be paired with cocktails.

It is important that you use the best quality cheddar you have for full flavour. We filled our cookies with the 5 pepper jelly we preserved in September.

1-1/2 cups Shredded white old Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1 Egg yolk
1/4 tsp Chili powder (I used ancho chili powder)
1 cup All-purpose flour
1 cup Finely chopped pecans or unblanched almonds
1 cup Hot pepper jelly

In food processor, pulse together Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and butter until smooth. Add egg yolk and chili powder; pulse until blended. Add flour; pulse just until soft dough forms.

Place pecans on plate. Place 1 cup water in bowl. With hands, roll scant tablespoonfuls of dough into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls. Dip in water; roll in nuts to coat. Place on ungreased baking sheet. With thumb, make indentation in centre of each. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Bake in centre of 350°F oven for about 15 minutes or until firm outside and lightly golden. Let cool on baking sheet on rack. (Can be prepared to this point and frozen in layers separated by waxed paper in rigid airtight container for up to 2 weeks; bake in 350°F oven for about 3 minutes to recrisp.) Fill indentations with hot pepper jelly.

Makes about 36 pieces.

Note: For a simpler version just leave off the nuts.

Chocolate Cranberry Torte

a gratuitous self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 12 out of 467 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

Last week we had Paul's chief 'gal-pal' Elise, over for dinner. I asked him what he might like for the dessert and he selected this cake. I must admit that it looked impressive on the cover of the December 2003 Bon Appetit magazine. When I looked at the recipe I felt a tad intimidated by the seemingly never-ending gazillion steps!

Always up for a challenge, I persevered and gave it a shot. I am glad that I did.

In the end the cake was relatively easy to make. The flavour was incredible; rich and very chocolately. While the recipe says it will serve 8 - 10 I would suggest that it might be even more as this cake is so rich you would aonly want a small piece.

Sauce

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Chambord (black raspberry liqueur)

Torte

1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/3 cup Chambord
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze

1 cup whipping cream
10 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup Chambord

Fresh mint leaves

For sauce:

Bring first 3 ingredients to boil in saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium; cook until cranberries burst, about 5 minutes. Transfer to processor; puree. Strain puree into bowl; discard seeds. Mix in Chambord. Cover; chill at least 2 hours or overnight (sauce will thicken).

For torte:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.

Butter and flour 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Stir 3/4 cup cranberries and Chambord in small saucepan over medium heat until liqueur simmers, about 1 minute. Cool to room temperature. Drain cranberries; reserve liqueur and cranberries separately.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until beginning to bubble at edges.

Remove from heat. Add chocolate; let stand 1 minute. Whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Whisk in sugar, then eggs 1 at a time (batter will look grainy). Whisk in reserved liqueur. Add flour and salt; whisk gently until blended. Stir in reserved cranberries; transfer to prepared pan.

Bake torte until top is puffed and cracked and tester inserted into center comes out with moist (not wet) batter attached, about 1 hour.

Cool completely in pan on rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.)

For glaze:

Bring cream to simmer in medium saucepan.

Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Whisk in Chambord. Let stand until glaze is thick but still pourable, whisking occasionally, about 2 hours.

Line rimmed baking sheet with foil; place cake rack in center.

Cut around torte to loosen; remove pan sides. Place 8-inch-diameter cardboard round or 8-inch tart pan bottom on top of torte. Holding cardboard and springform pan bottom, turn torte over and place on rack. Remove pan bottom; peel off paper. Pour 1 1/2 cups glaze over torte. Using icing spatula, smooth glaze over top and sides (re-apply any glaze from foil if necessary). Freeze torte until glaze is set, about 10 minutes. Pour remaining 1 cup glaze over torte and smooth evenly. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup dried cranberries around top edge. Freeze until glaze is firm, about 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to platter. Cover with cake dome and chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)

Arrange fresh mint leaves between cranberries at top edge of torte.

Cut into wedges and serve with sauce.

Eggs Benedict on Savory Waffles

a gratuitous self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 12 out of 467 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up.  The blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. In order to start the New Year off with a 'bang' Kalyn is hosting the round up herself.

When I asked Paul what he might like for his Christmas breakfast he immediately declared - Eggs Benedict. I think that this must be Paul's favourite breakfast of all times. I wanted to make something a little special since it was Christmas breakfast; this recipe came to mind. I had been wanting to make it for some time but hadn't found the perfect occasion; it seems that I finally had.

This recipe is from Williams Sonoma, I suspect I first saw it in their breakfast cookbook but it is also available on-line. In a clever (and bloody delicious) twist on eggs Benedict, savory waffles made from mashed potatoes and Gruyere cheese replace the traditional English muffins. It was easy to make and the flavour was incredible.

The recipe made far more waffles than we could eat so I froze them for later use, I figure I can just re-crisp them and we can enjoy this great treat all over again!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbs. sugar
2 eggs
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup mashed, peeled boiled potato
3 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 slices ham
8 poached eggs
1 cup hollandaise sauce
Chopped green onions for garnish

Preheat a waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Preheat an oven to 200°F.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter and milk until blended. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until combined. Fold in the cheese, potato, chives and pepper just until incorporated.

Cook the waffles according to the manufacturer’s instructions until brown and crisp. Arrange the waffles in a single layer on a baking sheet, cover loosely with aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining waffles.

To assemble, place each waffle on a plate. Top with 1 slice ham, 1 poached egg and 2 Tbs. hollandaise sauce. Garnish with green onions or more chives. Serves 8.

Chives

One of the key ingredients here are the chives. Luckily chives are readily available in the stores now because with our winters they are one of the first of the herbs to die off (they are also the first harbringer of spring though so I guess I can't complain too bitterly).

This mild-flavored member of the onion family is often considered more of a herb than a vegetable. The fine-textured foliage is chopped and used in soups, stews, salads, and other recipes. The bulb is small and not usually consumed. Chives are also used as a small ornamental. The plants bear purple flowers early in the year, lately these flowers have started popping up in a variety of recipes. I often use them as a garnish.

When harvesting chives from your garden you should be gentle with them - snip them with scissors rtaher thasn hacking at them with a knife. When chopping chives, again I find it easier to snip them with scissors as knives, no matter how sharp, tend to make a mush of them.

Lasagna-Style Baked Pennette with Meat Sauce

a gratuitous self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 12 out of 467 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

Last week (I think it was last week, my lord how the time flies when you are being a complete slug) I was flipping through the December edition of Food and Wine magazine looking for something warm and hearty to make. This recipe seemed to fit the bill.

It was easy to prepare and packed a pleasing flavour. This dish is typical of the subtlety of Italian cooking - not the in-your-face Olive Garden style of over-spiced over-cheesed crap. Hmm, Jerry, tell us how you really feel! *smile*

The article that accompanied the recipe assured us that it was even better the second day - and it was!

1 pound pennette or ditali

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 pound ground lamb

1 pound ground veal

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 teaspoons chopped marjoram

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 stick unsalted butter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 quart whole milk

2 large egg yolks

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well.

In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ground lamb and veal and cook, stirring to break up the lumps, until the meat is beginning to brown, 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, marjoram and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over moderate heat, whisking, for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is very thick and boiling, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir all but 1 1/2 cups of the sauce into the meat mixture along with the pasta and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the pasta into a 3-quart baking dish. Spread the reserved 1 1/2 cups of sauce on top.

Bake the pasta in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until bubbling. Preheat the broiler. Broil the pasta 8 inches from the heat for about 2 minutes, until the top is browned and bubbling. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving

Travel Memories Flood Back at Christmas

a gratuitous self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 12 out of 467 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

Every year when we decorate the tree one of our favourite parts of the process is the travel ornaments. For the past while when we travel we always buy at least one ornament (or three) to commemorate the trip. When we put each one on the tree we talk about the trip, where we were, what we did, and the memories flood back!

This guy was one the of the first. We picked him up on a trip to Nova Scotia to visit my sister. Somewhere we have a sail boat which commemorates our time in Halifax and a light house (with a bit of Cape Breton tartan) which Rose sent us as well.

This 'festive' lobster is from Peggy's Cove - also from our trip to Nova Scotia.

This one was from our week camping trip in Algonquin Park. We had the best time canoing, hiding from the bears, hiking, enjoying the outdoors, and yes, shopping in Huntsville!

This bunch of grapes is from our trip to Sonoma. We rented a house in the Russian River Valley and spent our time touring wineries, visiting art studios, hiking, and enjoying the amazing food! Hmmm - I think that we need to go back!

Here you see two ornaments which are commemorating two trips we have taken with my mother and sister. On the left is the Golden Gate Bridge which we bought on a trip we took with them to San Francisco. We also rented a house in the Russian River Valley and spent a wonderful time visiting wineries, touring, shopping, and enjoying some great times together.

On the right is Pinocchio. If you ever visit Lucca in Italy you will find that Pinocchio is quite common as the author who first created the character lived just outside the city. We picked this ornament up during our trip to Italy in 2006.

While this glass version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa commemorates our trip to Italy in 2006, we actually bought it during a trip to Pennsylvania last December. This was nothing but a shopping excursion to a state where there is no sales tax on shoes or clothing. We LOVE that!

This ceramic ball depicts the Duomo in Florence Italy. We bought this in 2006 when we were returning to the amazing Tourist House Ghiberti after spending an amazing afternoon at the Uffizi Gallery.

This ceramic ornament depicts the mission in Santa Barbara. I bought it this spring when I was at San Juan Capistrano. I suppose I could have 'bought' that mission but got this one instead because Paul and I would be together in Santa Barbara later in the week.

If you have ever been to Chicago you might recognize this lion. He is one of a pair that 'guard' the entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago. We celebrated Paul's birthday there two years ago (thank you air miles!). We spent a long weekend there with mom visiting galleries, shopping along the Magnificent Mile, and enjoying some incredible food. We also toured the Field museum and saw a performance of Wicked.

Last Christmas was spent in New York. Again we spent an incredible four days visiting galleries, touring, shopping, eating incredible food, and even found time to catch an off Broadway show and see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall.

Hmm there seems to be a pattern here . . .

This summer mom, Paul, and I ventured to Maine where we rented a cabin on Deer Isle, just outside of Stonington. This was a different type of trip - aside from the incredibly long drive to get to Maine, we took things easy. We relaxed at the cabin, ate lots of seafood, visited some galleries and artists studios, and just enjoyed being in this beautiful part of the world.

While Stonington is best know as the home of one of Maine's largest working lobster fleets, it is also one of the premier spots for sea kayaking; hence Santa in a sea kayak. We weren't about to let ol' St Nick have all of the fun. We enjoyed a guided kayak lesson and tour, as shown in the second ornament. I received some more ornaments for Christmas that also commemorate the trip, they will make their appearance NEXT year.

Finally . . .

This ornament does two things . . . it is from my friend Palma so it commemorates my quick jaunt to Palm Desert this fall and it is 'Italia 2008' which represents memories to come when Paul and I head back to Italy in May/June 2008.

YEAH

Christmas Wrap up

a gratuitous self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 12 out of 467 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

Wow - did we ever have a great day yesterday! Thank goodness we have today to recover (actually I have until January 7th to recover, poor Paul has to return to work tomorrow - bah!

Once Paul finally crawled out of bed (I woke him at 8:40), I made another pot of coffee and we enjoyed coffee with Bailey's Irish Cream while we opened up our stockings.

The cats wanted in on the action. They had some help opening their stockings. Once they had their new catnip toys in paw they were in kitty heaven!

Of course, the drug takes its toll, after awhile Victor and Beckett started to slow down.

After opening our stockings and watching the guys make fools of themselves, it was time to move into the living room to open up presents. Apparently we were very good this year because we got wonderful gifts!

This will be known as the 'year of Riedel'; we received a decanter, a set of Champagne glasses, and three sets of wine glasses. I will now need to clear out the old, chipped wine glasses I bought at Ikea eons ago to make room for these amazing new ones.

I also received cologne, books, three cooking classes at the LCBO, cook books, a gift certificate for Linens and Things, a T-shirt, a woolly fleece shirt, a great Christmas tie, Christmas candle holders (with candles), ornaments, a bottle of champagne, five bottles of wine, a guided wine tour, a hand-held Kitchen Aid mixer, three beautiful pieces of pottery, lots of gourmet sauces, dips, and cooking ingredients (I can't wait to try the porcini and truffle oil my sister sent!), enough candy and treats to cause an instant diabetic coma, the cutest Bristol Farms bear, a party planning pad, and some great wine and food trivia games! I don't know what I did last year to deserve such goodies but on January 1 I officially resolve to do it all again!

In fairness, some of the gifts listed above were to both of us, however MY rule is if I'm the one who tears open the package it is mine, darn it! LOL

Paul and his pile of treats

Half of my gifts (they wouldn't fit in one picture) :-)

Palma sent this wonderful Italian flag ornament to 'commemorate' our upcoming trip to Italy in the spring. It will be a BLAST!

Victor and Beckett reminded me that we need not spent money on expensive cat toys. A box with tissue and any old piece of ribbon will do just fine, thank you very much.

We were getting hungry after having spent a few hours unwrapping and playing with our gifts. We generally have a large brunch and then don't eat again until dinner later in the day. Paul had asked for eggs Benedict and a hash brown casserole. Good plan, I thought.

I decided to make a recipe that I had seen in the Williams Sonoma breakfast cookbook, marked  'for future eating', but never actually got around to making. Instead of resting on the normal English muffin, these eggs Benedict are sitting on a savoury waffle made with Gruyere cheese, chives, and mashed potatoes. WOW They were amazing!!!! Breakfast was rounded out with cut up fruit and mimosas (which went right to my head! LOL).

I was tidying up after breakfast while Paul was sitting in the family room flipping through a magazine. I had a wee 'mimosa induced moment' and barked 'we don't have time to lounge around you know!' From then on we were busy, but not crazy, cleaning up, cooking, wrapping more gifts, showering, and getting everything ready for dinner with mom, Doreen, and Ed.

We set the table early so that we could concentrate on cooking. Of course, some of the napkins we wanted to use were dirty from our dinner with Elise so we had laundry to do! We have lots of other napkins we could have used but Paul insisted on the Santa ones. Who was I to complain because he does all of the laundry - if he wanted to clean the santa napins so be it.

We prepared most of the food in advance so that we had little to do when our guests arrived.

By 3:30 it was all done. The roasts (we did two, because Doreen and Ed like their meat very well done, while mom, Paul, and I like it rare) were prepped and in the fridge, all of the veggies were cooked, and all of the nibblies were arranged on platters. All we had to do was breathe in and out a few times before our guests arrived.

We had made arrangements for mom to come early, she is notoriously slow at unwrapping gifts and thought that if she had an extra hour we might just finish in time for dinner. Of course, true to form, she was 45 minutes late! Once she finally arrived we enjoyed a chocolate mint martini (I know, I know. It was a cocktail NOT a martini) which we served in martini glasses which had been rimmed in melted chocolate and them dipped in crushed candy cane.

Here she is opening a native painting of a blue jay we had bought her back in 2001. It got stuck in the 'gift closet' and I had not got around to framing it until last year, she finally received it this year. The 'gift closet' is a bit of a black hole at times! *smile*

When Doreen and Ed arrived we moved into the living room to nibble on sausage rolls, cheese and veggies, open the gifts that mom and they had brought, and to open stockings.

We either need fewer nibblies or a bigger table. I vote for a bigger table. Remember, everyone puts on 10 pounds over Christmas, just go with it!

Once we had opened up our gifts it was time for dinner. The first course was lobster ravioli which I served with a very simple scampi sauce. Just before serving we sprinkled on some diced roma tomato and Italian parsley for colour. In keeping with the Italian tradition, there was no cheese served on this ravioli (No self-respecting Italian would ever serve cheese on fish!)

Next up was the main event. We served a thick slice of pancetta wrapped beef tenderloin on an individual yukon gold potato and gruyere galette. The beef was drizzled with a port-balsamic reduction. On the side were honey-thyme roasted carrots and parsnips, and the amazing chippoline onions with apricots and chestnuts that Palma made for the Palm Desert GTG back in October. Mom even had to admit that although it wasn't turkey (traditions RULE our family), it was still 'all right'.

I don't have a pic of dessert. We served a cranberry pudding that we had purchased at the One-of-a-Kind Show. They are made by a company from BC and we have had one every year for the past 8 years. Happily the pudding is low-fat  . . . because apparently we really care about low-fat on Christmas Day! (There, I said it, I know that you were thinking it! LOL) We had an assortment of cookies that we had made, some of the Christmas cake, and mincemeat tarts. Paul and I both had a sip of our ice wine - YUM!

Once everyone had left there was very little clean up to do. We try to wash as many dishes as possible as we go along and had run the dishwasher while everyone was eating their main course. We just had to empty out the first load of clean dishes, put them away, and fill it up again.

It was a nice, quiet close to the busy day. Paul and I sat in the family room with the cats, sipping one last glass of wine (a 2001 Viansa Cab Sauvignon that we had bought during our trip to Sonoma with mom and Rose a few years ago - it had aged nicely), enjoying the fire place, flipping through books and magazines. I briefly contemplated heading across the border to do some Boxing Day shopping but the look I got from Paul said, 'NO'. We will spend a quiet December 26th at home.

Whew!

Merry Christmas

a gratuitous self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 12 out of 467 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

Well, it is 5:45 a.m. ARGH Victor, the 'elder' cat (who should know better because he is the elder), decided that it was high time I was up and feeding him 45 minutes ago. The cats are happily fed and downstairs trying to get their new catnip toys - if all goes well they will not pull the tree down in the process.

Santa has been here!

In my family it is a tradition that each person gets a stocking full of treats. I know in other households stockng are popular but outgrown eventually. My sister and I worked hard to ensure that that NEVER happened!

As a child I was often up at 4 a.m. on Christmas Day. Likely my parents had just gotten to bed after an evening of assembling impossible-to-assemble toys, wrapping, and other preparations that we kids just assumed happened instantly. In order to keep me entertained I was allowed to open my stocking. It always included some book or complicated toy which was destined to keep me occupied for hours. Hmmm - in hindsight mom and dad were far more intelligent than I ever gave them credit for being! *smile*

There are some time-honoured rules about our stockings . . . everything must be wrapped. Things don't have to be well-wrapped though, just wrapped. This is how we use up the scraps of paper that accumulate while wrapping the other gifts. There must be a red delicious apple AND an orange in the stocking. Mom MUST have fritos in her stocking. If these rules are not followed Christmas will be ruined. :-)

My stockings are full. Let's hope 'Santa' Paul remembered the rules.

Paul's stockings are full. I guess that he has been a good boy this year. 'Santa' Jerry certainly remembered the stocking rules.

Even the cats have stockings! Stay tuned for pics of them in their latest Christmas finery. The rules are different for their stockings . . . nothing is wrapped and there is no fruit. They don't seem to mind very much so long as there is catnip and lobster cat food!

This morning we will have a slow start (I will wake Paul at 8 because otherwise he'd sleep through the present opening). We will sit by the tree coffee drinking coffee and Bailey's Irish Cream, opening our stockings first, and then the gifts under the tree. All of this will be interspersed with numerous fun moments when the kitties go crazy over catnip, ribbon, scraps of tissue, and all of the other things that strike their cat fancies! There will no doubt be countless photo opportunities.

After we ohh and ahh appropriately over every gift, Paul will tidy up while I get breakfast ready.

Our breakfast menu?

Eggs benedict (made with savoury waffles instead of the traditional English Muffin)
Sausage patties
Hashed brown casserole
Fruit
Mimosas

After our late breakfast it will be time shower and get ready for this evening's festivities. Paul's role is to clean everything up and set the table while I will cook. It won't be a huge crowd today, just my mom, Paul's mother and his step-father. Five is good (I keep hearing of those who are entertaining 35 - ARGH Run for the hills).

When everyone arrives we'll open more gifts and enjoy various snacks:

Cheese tray
Savory cheddar thumbprint cookies
Cheese ball
Baked cream cheese with pepper jelly
Spinach dip
Artichoke dip
Homemade party mix
Candied cashews

Later, after the gifts are opened and we have enjoyed the pleasure of one another's company, it will be time for the main event - dinner. This is our menu this year:

Lobster ravioli with scampi sauce

Pancetta wrapped beef tenderloin with port-balsamic sauce
Yukon gold and gruyere galettes
Honey glazed roasted carrots and parsnips

Cookies
Tarts
Christmas cake
Cranberry pudding with vanilla sauce

No, we won't be hungry!

I hope that all of you who have enriched our lives - virtually or in person, this year have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends,

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve 2006

a gratuitous self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 12 out of 467 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

Christmas is a time for family and friends. This year we did something we had never contemplated doing before – we left the hustle and bustle behind and went away for Christmas. Actually we just substituted one hustle and bustle for another because as we were to learn – New York is NEVER quiet.

We had never been to New York before. When it became apparent that we were to be deserted by family and friends for Christmas we started to look for travel options on-line. We found a wonderful deal on Orbitz - $ 900 a person for a return flight to New York from Toronto on Air Canada, shuttle service to and from the hotel, and 4 nights at the amazing Westin New York at Times Square. Needless to say we booked immediately.

This is how we spent December 24th, 2006.

It was a far slower daythan the previous one. We had no reservations for anything and we could just wander at will. We slept in, had a relaxing start to the morning. While Paul was in the shower I went to the bakery around the corner from the hotel for breakfast. For $11.50 I got two large coffees, some cut up fresh fruit, and two breakfast bagels. The same from room service would have cost $60. It may have been fancier but the extra $50 is better spent on other things I think.

We decided to head up to the Guggenheim Gallery. We caught the subway across from the hotel at the Port Authority station, switched at Grand Central Terminal and headed north to the 86th Street Station. We walked towards Central Park and ended up just south of the gallery.

Unfortunately the fantastic structure by Frank Lloyd Wright (the last building he designed prior to his death) was under renovations so we could not see the outside of the structure. The interior was stunning with beautiful undulating lines and curves. It reminded me a bit of the work of a Canadian architect: Douglas Cardinal.

We viewed the special exhibit in the main exhibit halls. The exhibit was Spanish Painting from El Greco to Picasso: Time, Truth, and History which brought together works by the great Spanish masters of the 16th through the 20th centuries: Francisco de Zurbarán, Diego Velázquez, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Francisco de Goya, Juan Gris, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, and many others, as well as El Greco and Pablo Picasso. Unlike other overviews that display paintings in a strictly chronological order, this exhibition was broken into fifteen distinct sections, each based on a theme running through the past five centuries of Spanish culture. These thematic displays demonstrated the affinities between the art of the old masters and that of the modern era. Works from different periods appeared side by side within each section, offering radical juxtapositions that cut across time to reveal the overwhelming coherence of the art. It was a fascinating and enlightening way to display the art.

Leaving the Guggenheim we walked down 5th Avenue to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. This gallery is one of the largest in the world and we knew that there was no way we could do it justice in one day. Instead we decided to look at the famous Christmas tree and their collection of modern art. The gallery has a ‘pay what you want’ policy and I shouldn’t have paid the suggested amount $20 per adult (not $15 as suggested in the guidebooks) given that we would only be there an hour or so.

The Museum has a long-standing holiday tradition with the annual presentation of its Christmas tree, a favourite of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world. The brightly lit, 20-foot blue spruce—with a collection of 18th-century Neapolitan angels and cherubs among its boughs and groups of realistic crèche figures flanking the Nativity scene at its base—delights holiday visitors in the Museum's Medieval Sculpture Hall. Set in front of the 18th-century Spanish choir screen from the Cathedral of Valladolid, with recorded Christmas music in the background, the installation reflects the spirit of the holiday season.

The Museum's towering tree, glowing with light, is adorned with cherubs and some 50 gracefully suspended angels. The landscape at the base displays the figures and scenery of the Neapolitan Christmas crib. This display mingles the three basic elements traditional in 18th-century Naples: the Nativity, with adoring shepherds and their flocks; the procession of the three Magi and their exotically dressed retinue of Asians and Africans; and, most distinctively, a crowd of colourful townspeople and peasants. The theatrical scene is enhanced by a charming assortment of animals—sheep, goats, horses, a camel, and an elephant—and by background pieces serving as the dramatic setting for the Nativity, including the ruins of a Roman temple, several quaint houses, and a typical Italian fountain with a lion's-mask waterspout. We spent more than an hour admiring the tree and delighting in all of the details that we were able to see in the Nativity scene. It is amazing to think that each of the more than 200 figurines must be individually posed. I can understand why New Yorkers feel such love for this display.

We wandered around the European galleries and spent some time examining the modern art. There were some excellent canvasses by Jackson Pollock. We don’t always ‘understand’ modern art but we enjoy trying to figure out just what the artist was trying to depict. After our three weeks of viewing medieval art in Italy this fall we still needed some time away from ‘Madonna and baby’ scenes.

We spent some time in the museum’s excellent gallery shop and headed out into the sunshine.

We continued walking down 5th Avenue until we came to the entrance to Central Park. I understand as well why New Yorkers feel such love for this amazing urban park. It was an oasis of calm and tranquility in the midst of such mammoth urban energy. We wandered through the park identifying the sites we had seen in movies and TV shows set in New York.

Even though it was near the end of December (although the weather gave little indication of this) New Yorkers were enjoying the park in droves. There were joggers, bikers, walkers; young and old. It was wonderful to see children chasing squirrels, playing with their toys, and enjoying being outside with their parents (or nannies as the case may be).

We spent some time remembering John Lennon at Strawberry Fields and contemplated the senselessness of murder. It was a quiet and fitting memorial to such a great artist.

Leaving the park we walked down Central Park West admiring the wonderful apartment buildings. We contemplated how wonderful it would be to live there should we ever come into multi-millions of dollars.

We were hungry by now (the pretzel’s we had bought from a vendor outside the Met had held the hunger off for a bit) so we headed down to Columbus Circle. We decided to get something to eat in the Whole Foods in the Times Warner Centre – I think that half of New York had the same idea. Paul filled up a container at the Indian food bar and I selected two slices of pizza. We grabbed some drinks, and some cookies for dessert. The total was $23; we paid and were able to find two seats together in the eating area.

As always I was amazed at how rude some people can be. The pace was hopping, and people were tired and hungry. The lady beside me insisted on using two seats for her bags of purchases! Finally the dirty looks she was receiving registered and she put her bags on the floor like the rest of us. People applauded and I am pleased to report that she was suitably embarrassed.

After lunch we headed up to the third floor of the Times Warner Centre to check out the Bouchon Bakery. This is for Thomas Keller fans on a budget! The famous chef opened Bouchon Bakery one floor down from his famed Per Se restaurant. The café offers the same quality, panache -- and view -- as the Michelin-starred restaurant above, at prices ranging from $11 to $17. The menu includes soups and eclectic sandwiches such as cashew butter and apricot jelly. There were amazing baked goods. We stood in line and bought some baked goods for our Christmas Day breakfast.

Leaving the Times Warner Centre we took the subway back down to the hotel. There we did something we rarely do on vacation – we napped! The slowtravel website has taught me that you don’t have to be on the go all of the time.

When we woke up three hours later we enjoyed two pomegranate martinis mixed by yours truly and thus fortified headed out for dinner. We had decided to try a restaurant that was recommended in many tour books: Virgil’s BBQ. You may wonder why we would choose to go to a restaurant like this when there are so many excellent restaurants in the city. The truth is that we love BBQ! In Canada it is difficult to get good Mexican food or good BBQ so whenever we are in the US we look for this.

We had no trouble finding the restaurant – it was actually beside the restaurant we had enjoyed so much the night before! Virgil’s isn’t fancy but the service is quick, efficient and the food was good. Like so many restaurants in the US the quantities were HUGE – keep this in mind when ordering your appetizer. We made the mistake of ordering the appetizer sampler, we couldn’t finish it and we were already full! It had a sample of their ribs, famous smoked wings, fried catfish, southern corn dogs, and hush puppies. Paul ordered a pulled pork sandwich and I decided to try the fried chicken. We took more than half of our dinners back to the hotel. We passed on dessert. The bill with beers and the tip came to $75.

We walked back to the hotel where I made still more pomegranate martinis – I wish that I could remember where I bought this mix because I’d like to take a few bottles home with me. I went down to the lobby where I joined many other people wrapping gifts. If I ran a hotel I think that I would offer a gift wrapping room for hotel guests to use on Christmas Eve.

When I returned to the room Paul was engrossed in Christmas movies. He was disappointed that there wasn’t any station showing Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ – in Canada there is a version playing on just about every station on Christmas Eve. He made do.

I made us each a Kir Royale and we enjoyed the shortbread we had purchased yesterday at the Garden of Eden. I had brought one of my Christmas Cakes with me so we had some of that as well. Off to bed we went hoping that Santa would find us in our hotel in NY!

Casa Emma

a gratuitous self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 13 12 out of 467 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

In the fall of 2007 we travelled to Italy. We spent just under three weeks exploring Rome, Venice, Florence, and then plunking ourselves in the heart of Tuscany. It was from this spot that we made day trips to explore the wonders of Tuscany. Before we went I asked all of the group what tey wanted to do or see on the trip. My sister Rose identified wineries as one of her 'must sees'. This presented me with a dilemma because I wasn't that familiar with Italian wines.

In the interest of trip research I started to explore the Italian wine section of the LCBO. Now, I didn't go to the general listings, I went to the Vintages section where they have their higher end bottles or limited release. Say what you want, when this boy does his research he really dedicates himself to it!

It was here where I discovered the wines of Casa Emma. We tried a reserve Chianti Classico which we loved. Sadly it was a limited release and was soon sold out - likely to never return to the shelves of the store. I did some research into the winery and discovered that it was located not far from where we had rented a villa for a week. I knew that I had to visit this winery! After contacting the winery over the Internet I was able to make an appointment for a tour.

Leaving Castellina I took a wrong turn (what a surprise) and we ended up in Poggibonsi. Grr. Finally we figured out where we were and where we needed to go and we managed to get going in the correct direction.

Casa Emma is located in the heart of Chianti, amongst the breathtaking scenery of the rolling hills of San Donato in Poggio. The winery is surrounded by thirty-four hectares of carefully cultivated land. Twenty-one hectares are cultivated with vineyards (mainly Sangiovese, about three hectares of Merlot, and small sections of black malmsey and canaiolo), three hectares are devoted to olive groves and the final five hectares to a botanical park which completely surrounds the historical farm house. Within the farmhouse the family has built a sate-of-the art wine making facility and cellar.

The Bucalossi family bought the company at the beginning of the 1970’s from the Florentine noblewoman Emma Bizzarri, whose name remains attached to the property. Since then, they have been dedicated, with the patience and passion that agriculture demands, to the production of wine (Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Reserve, Soloio and Vin Santo), oil, extra virgin oil, Grappa, vinegar, and a series of delicious gastronomic delights: wine gelatine, rose syrup and cooked wine.

We were late for our tour but it didn’t matter. Paolo, the oldest son of the owners took us around the winery and showed us their wine making process. I have been on many winery tours before but I learned more from this one than I ever had. I think it was because he wasn’t an employee, he was an owner, and wine making was in his blood. He loved wine and was suitably proud of what his family had created here at Casa Emma.

The winery was in the last stages of the crush. We watched the small Ape trucks laden with ripe grapes dump them into the crusher, the stems shot out the end to be used for compost, and the precious juice trickled into a vat below. Paolo showed us how the juice was collected and placed in fermentation tanks. I saw something in that room I had never seen before – a worker was shoveling dry ice into the tanks to slow down the fermentation process which would increase the depth and fullness of the wine.

Back in the tasting room Paolo sat us down and talked about their wines. He told us about the time when the family was almost split asunder because the younger son wanted to try growing a non-traditional grape. Happily they went with the plan and their amazing Super Tuscan wine was the result of this bold experiment. They have experimented with new varietals of grapes and vintages while at the same time as they were perfecting the traditional Chianti wines.

Paolo led us through a tasting of five wines and their vin santo. The vin santo was the best we had ever had – I can see why he admonished us that one should never dunk biscotti in fine quality vin santo. We would have to bring a bottle of this home with us.

He then asked us if we had ever tried grappa. We hadn’t so he poured us some clear liquid. Grappa is a fragrant grape-based pomace brandy of between 40% and 60% alcohol by volume (80 to 120 proof), that is unique to Italy. Literally a word for "grape stalk", grappa is made by distilling pomace, grape residue (primarily the skins, but also stems and seeds) left over from wine making after pressing. It was originally made to prevent wastage by using leftovers at the end of the wine season. It was strong stuff. I politely took a sip and slipped my glass to Paul. I wouldn’t be able to drive if I drank it all. Mom, Rose, and Paul dutifully finished off their grappa. We all bought some wine and headed back to the car.

I must say that the grappa affected some of the group far more than others. One of us, who shall remain nameless, sang a raucous song about a lemon tree for a period of time and then fell into a snore-filled slumber for the remainder of the ride back to the villa.

Our four bottles of Casa Emma wine and the vin santo were carefully packed and made there way across the Atlantic. In fact, we still have 2 laying in the wine cellar awaiting a suitable occasion.

Someone posted on the slowtravel message board recently about how wine was wine, if you couldn't find one particular brand there were many other good brands that you could buy. True, I suppose. To us there is romance and passion in wine. When we open a bottle of wine we had enjoyed first at a winery we aren't just pouring a liquid into a glass, we are reliving a special time. Memories, feelings, thoughts, and emotions pour into that glass along with the wine.

Imagine my surprise when I was in the LCBO a few weeks back and I say a bottle of wine from Casa Emma on the rack. It was that same Chianti Classico that had inspired our amazing visit to Casa Emma last fall! I scooped up all of the bottles that our neighbourhood store had left. Later when mom was next over for dinner, we decanted a bottle, poured the brilliant ruby-coloured wine into glasses, and we were transported back to Tuscany, if only for a short while.

Our Icewine Arrives

a gratuitous self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 13 out of 467 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

Long time readers may recall this post from January 20th this year when Paul and I (and our equally brave pal Catherine) got to participate in the ice wine harvest at our favourite Niagara winery, Malivoire. Now ice wine, while originally discovered in Germany, is a unique Canadian treat (recognizing a cash 'cow' when they see it, other nations are jumping on board). Canada remains the largest producer of ice wine in the world.

Icewine (or, in German, Eiswein) is an expensive type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, so the result is a concentrated, often very sweet wine. In the case of ice wines, the freezing happens before the fermentation, not afterward. Only healthy grapes keep in good shape until the opportunity for ice wine harvest, which may be in the next calendar year. This gives ice wine its characteristic refreshing sweetness balanced by high acidity.

Most ice wines are harvested at night (after midnight) when the temperature is - 8 degrees Celsius or colder. Because of the cold temperatures it was easy to snap the frozen clusters of berries off of the vines and place them in the bins on the ground below.

We made quick work of the harvest and traveled back to the winery where Martin, the owner, had cooked up chili and stew to help us warm up. As we slowly got the feeling back into our hands, we watched Shiraz, the winermaker, start the process of pressing the grapes.

About a month ago we received an e-mail from the winery saying that the wine was ready and we could pick up our complimentary bottle. Additionally, we could purchase additional bottles at a picker's discount of $ 35 (normally this liquid gold retails for $ 50 for a 200 ml bottle). These were special bottles - not only did we assist in the harvest, but our names were printed on the labels! I ordered 5 additional bottles and made arrangements with the winery to come in and pick them up.

Oh oh. I received another e-mail indicating that they had spelled my name wrong so they planned on printing 6 labels with it spelled correctly just for me. Additionally the winemaker was going to sign the bottles because of my inconvenience. I wrote back saying not to bother, it was likely my fault for having written my name messily! But they insisted.

Last week I received notification that the special bottles were ready and I could go and pick them up. When I arrived at the winery on Thursday, Eric, the manager of the tasting bar, insisted that I try the wine which I gladly did. I also managed to taste their recently released reserve pinot noir which shows great aging potential. When he brought my wine to me it was in a special canvas bag, and included with the 6 bottles of ice wine was a bottle of rosemary wine syrup (amazing with salads) and a bottle of their verjus - all because of my 'inconvenience'. This is why I adore this winery and those who work there!

 

These bottles are special. Not only did we assist with the harvest but because of the name fiasco, these are the only 6 bottles like this in existence. Additionally, you'll notice that they have been signed by the winemaker. Recently when Palma was asking for donations of door prizes for the great Slow Travel get together in Savannah April 4 - 6, I offered one of these precious babies as a prize.

If you should be so lucky as to win this prize you'll notice Paul's name on row 4/5 and mine on row 10. I didn't have the heart to tell them that it was still spelled wrong!

Ice wine is served well chilled in small glasses. It is sweet so a tiny bit goes a long way.

While we haven't tasted any of this vintage yet, I can share the tasting notes from the winemaker:

2006 Cabernet Franc Icewine VQA

The classic full flavours of Cabernet Franc stand out in our icewine. Aromas of strawberry glaze and apricot, followed by a surprisingly fresh and lively palate, expressing ripe strawberry and caramel.

Winemaker's Notes:
Sourced from the Eastman Vineyard, these grapes were hand harvested by friends of Malivoire between -9 and -10C in the early morning hours of January 21st, 2007. Pressed in vertical basket presses delivering juice at 38.6 degrees brix and 11.4 g/l titratable acidity. This juice was then fermented cool in stainless steel. The finished icewine has 11% alcohol and a residual sugar of 212 g/L.

Food Pairings:
Enjoy in place of dessert or with blueberry or apple-based desserts. Also excellent with hard cheeses such as fontina, aged raw-milk cheddar or washed rind cheese, with a reduction of Rosemary wine syrup.  For adventure, bring on the 64% cocoa butter white chocolate.