The holiday party swirls about you, halls bedecked, guests laughing, dancing, making sparkling conversation. Somebody pours you a glass of champagne.
Pause a moment, says Richard Geoffroy. Consider what’s in your glass.
Archive for December, 2008
Looking deeply into that champagne glass
Published December 31, 2008 alcohol , holidays Leave a CommentTags: champagne, New Year's Eve
An Old Acquaintance to Be Forgotten
Published December 31, 2008 alcohol , cocktails Leave a CommentTags: mulled manhattan, mulled wine
Out with the mulled wine and in with something new, the Mulled Manhattan.
HowTo Make Your Cookies Sing: Butter
Published December 30, 2008 baking , techniques , tips Leave a CommentTags: butter, cookies
The most common mistakes made by home bakers, professionals say, have to do with the care and handling of one ingredient: butter. Creaming butter correctly, keeping butter doughs cold, and starting with fresh, good-tasting butter are vital details that professionals take for granted, and home bakers often miss.
Butter is basically an emulsion of water in fat, with some dairy solids that help hold them together. But food scientists, chefs and dairy professionals stress butter’s unique and sensitive nature the way helicopter parents dote on a gifted child.
Personally, this is one reason why I’m not a baker. A casserole is MUCH more forgiving than a cookie, cake, or loaf of bread.
I realize there are people out there who obsess over yeast, flour, and butter. I am not one of them.
No Grill, No Vent, No Problem
Published December 29, 2008 cooking , meat , techniques , tips Leave a CommentTags: grilling. steak
A lot of hot air is expelled about cooking a steak. A proper steak: thick — preferably prime and dry-aged — and cooked so it’s deeply, crustily browned, almost (but please, not quite) blackened on the outside and juicily red on the inside.
It is possible to cook a steak with a nice crust without risking a kitchen fire.
A Champagne Primer
Published December 28, 2008 alcohol , holidays , wine Leave a CommentTags: champagne, New Year's Eve
Just in time for New Year’s Eve, Epicurious.com has prepared a guide to all things champagne.
Why does Champagne cost more than other wines? You can get sparkling wine around the globe: Spain’s cava and Italy’s Prosecco are also world-famous.
However, the real-deal stuff—wine that can legally be called Champagne—generally costs between $25 and several hundred dollars in the United States.
Why the steep price? First, there’s a limited quantity: It must come from a specific region of France. Second, it goes through a labor-intensive process (described in the production section). Third, you are paying rent on the aging of the bottle, in a sense. Like any good wine, the aging process transforms (mellows, integrates) the flavors. Better Champagnes have been laid down for several years. And finally, there are many special cuvées (blends): Some contain wine only from a specific vintage (harvest), for example.
