Asparagus Salad with Arugula and Duck Rilette Toasts
Credit for this recipe goes out to my friend Martin who made a fabulous dinner the other night. It was a beautiful evening and we ate a la fresca on his deck that overlooks the city by the bay. I must admit that I am not really a big fan of asparagus, mainly because of the 'stinkle' that it creates, but always the polite guest I gave it a whirl and loved the well paired flavors in this delicious salad. Martin used duck rilette in the making of this salad. In case you are unaware of what duck rilette actually is read on and I will tell you all about it.
Continue reading "Asparagus Salad with Arugula and Duck Rilette Toasts" »
The hottest topic in the world of wine today isn't about vintages, varieties or locations. While Mother Nature's legendary temper makes each year exciting for winemakers around the world, it seems that one of her other wonders has taken precedence: that wonderful tree bark known as cork. Today the big question is whether or not to screw. A nasty little infection called Trichloranisole, or TCA, has made its mark. It occurs during the cork-sterilization process, so little can be done to halt it other than careful bark selection and lot inspection. As many as 5% of all cork finished wines are ‘corked’ resulting in a musty-flavored wine. A significant number of highly regarded wineries in the United States are taking the " Stelvin" closure plunge; aka the screw cap. Plumpjack has been bottling 50 percent of its reserve production in Stelvin. This year look for Calera, Argyle and Sonoma-Cutrer to join in the action. Don’t be an old fart. Screw caps are cool.
I spent the weekend in Fire Island Pines. The Pines is an amazing little town on Fire Island in New York. Lots of time is spent cooking for a houseful of people and this past weekend we cooked up a storm. On Friday night I decided to roast a chicken and serve it with sauteed shitake mushrooms and risotto. Most of the food was eaten, but we had some leftover chicken and mushrooms. So of course I put my money where my mouth is and used the leftovers.
On Cinco de Mayo my good friend Tim hosted a margarita and Mexican food party. He served shrimp, chicken and beef fajitas marinated in tequila and lime as well as a delicious torilla macaroni and cheese casserole. Tim is a master at guacamole and so he whipped some of that up while I prepared a roasted tomato and tomatillo salsa with my friend Nick. As usual, we just kind of made this one up as we went along. The end result was a smoky and deliciously incredible salsa that I highly recommend trying.
Only if you are allergic. Sulfites are a naturally occurring compound that nature uses to prevent microbial growth. They are found on grapes, onions, garlic, and on many other growing plants. No wine can ever be "sulfite free", since they come in with the grapes. (Unless they are removed in the lab, which will make the wine very unstable - it would need to be consumed within weeks.) On average, 2oz of dried apricots have 10 times the sulfites as a glass of wine does.
Whenever I make this cheesy dip people lap it up almost immediately. So I try to keep a second helping on the side so that there is more to go around. My mother makes this dip all of the time and chuckles at the ease of preparation. I must say that most of the dishes mom makes are not only absolutely delicious, but also rooted in simple preparation. Usually this dip is served with toasted baguette slices, but cracker or tortilla chips will do too.