I’m not sure what prompted me to make my own batch of orange bitters, it may have been my success at my last batch of liqueurs or the news of the 2009 Angostura bitter shortage – gasp. My midwestern instincts to stockpile kicked in on the news, and I has seen a few recipes for...
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I learned the hard way, that you can take the girl out of Minnesota snow, but not necessarily the snow out of the girl – if that makes any sense. Having grown up in the Midwest and accustomed to four distinct seasons – I sorely missed my winter precipitation. I find close encounters with...
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When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a doctor-astronaut-princess, oh and in my spare time I thought I could be a kickball playing-ballerina-chef. Of course the only mode of transportation worthy of my elevated status was a stallion, specifically one of those handsome guys found prancing on a carousel. Really, what...
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Like much of life, fortified wines were born from necessity. In this case, to preserve European wines on long trade voyages in the 16th and 17th centuries. Brandy was added either before or during the fermentation process to stabilize the wines, and improve their shelf life. As might be imagined, traditional wines did not store well in the...
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photo from sfgate.com In preparing a recent post on raw fish, I developed a craving for cerviche, and really who could blame me? Living in San Francisco, there was one restaurant on my radar that I knew could offer me an authentic, or at least close proximally, of the Peruvian cerviche I desired: that restaurant...
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When we landed in Brunico, I was confused. Not necessarily a unique state for me, but you must understand, Brunico is in Italy – the map clearly says so. Yet, I felt we had taken a wrong turn at a mountain pass and and arrived at a village in Austria. I knew we had...
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You see that distinctive beige triangular box and immediately you just know its going to be good, and unless you have the will power of Lance Armstrong, you know you are not going to stop with one square, err triangle portion, but settle in for the long haul. You know what I am talking about, resistance is...
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Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a princess who did her part in adding a bit of culture to the Polish court. Princess Bona Maria Sforza was born in Vigevano near Milan in 1494 to her proud parents; Gian Galeazzo Sforza of Milan and Isabella of Naples – and...
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Robert-Gilles of Shizuoka Gourmet commented on my recent post of Dijon and Creme de Cassis that I was remiss in not including his hometown of Chalon-sur-Saôn, which is close to Dijon. I intend to correct that oversight. When my husband and I traveled through Burgundy, we had a mission – we were stalking the Tour...
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Spring + citrus are synonymous to me. The bright colors of the fruit coupled with the wonderful flavors and scents speak of freshness like nothing else. Living in San Francisco, I try not to take for granted my access to the amazing selection that I find in even the smallest corner store. However, having lived...
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