Since 1954 the French have laws (EU Protected) that state that to have the right to the Margaux appellation of controlled origin, the grapes must come from the area of Margaux, Cantenac, Soussans, Arsac and Labarde. Grape varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec). We found a bottle in our local […]
Duck with Vanilla Bean and Lime Mash
Start by making the sauce (Jus). We find it most economical to buy a whole duck. Remove the wings and legs for duck confit. Remove the breasts (used in this dish) and then you have the carcass for a rich duck stock. First the duck stock. Brown the bones. Add the mirepoix (Onion, Carrot and […]
Dewar’s Whisky Gums
This is a fun variation on the wine gum but made with real whisky and is great for Burns Night. I found this in the Fat Duck Cook Book (Heston Blumenthal). We made it with Dewar’s (our namesake) 12 year old whisky, but any can be used. Ingredients: 15g Powder Gelatine 105g Whisky 100g Corn Syrup […]
Chinese Lemon Chicken with Bok Choy and Sticky Rice
After growing up in New England and adoring the wonderful shellfish our region has to offer, I was terribly disappointed to learn I had a shellfish allergy about ten years ago. This allergy has stopped me from ordering Chinese food due to the numerous fish sauces that are usually used in the preparation of most […]
Blackberry & Red Onion Chutney
This is a great way to utilize fruit that is past its best. Here we used some Blackberries that needed to be used up. Ingredients: Blackberries Red Onion Diced Bay leaf 3 Cloves Balsamic Vinegar (3 Tbsp) Red Wine Vinegar (1 Tbsp) Red Wine or Port (1/2 Cup) Sugar (1 Teaspoon) Salt & Pepper Olive Oil […]
Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (Napa Valley)
This Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautiful wine. It costs about $30 and in our view it is worth every penny. It is a rich wine with all the notes of plum and cherry that you would expect from a good Cab. The tannins are not overbearing and we thought that it had a lovely rounded mouth feel with a […]
Coppola Rosso 2008
This is a great inexpensive rich red wine. It’s a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from California. It has a warm mouth feel and a full body aroma with notes of plum, cherry, mocha and ripe strawberry. We love this as an everyday table wine and we are yet to try any bottle from the […]
Chicken pie with yummy crumbly butter pastry
This is a lovely chicken pie that has a pie crust that crumbles and melts in your mouth. First we need to make the pie crust. Ingredients: 1 Cup AP Flour 1/2 Cup cold (unsalted) Butter – diced 1/4 Cup cold water good pinch of salt Place flour, butter and salt in food processor. Pulse […]