Macarons and Recioto – Wine & Cake #2 Welcome to the second article in an occasional series about pairing wine with cake. This time it’s Macarons with Recioto della Valpolicella, the classic sweet red wine from Italy’s Veneto region. Macarons Who invented Macarons? There are rival claims aplenty. While proto-versions have Arabic origins, France and Italy both claim it as theirs. One …
Pie and Mash – an authentic taste of London
Pie and Mash – an authentic taste of London While I live ever more distant from my London birthplace, that doesn’t wholly quell its siren call. There are many things I don’t miss, but one thing I do is Pie and Mash, proper London food. There is, sadly, an ever-dwindling collection of emporia in London in which to eat it. …
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Wine and Cake – the first of an occasional theme
Wine and cake – the first of an occasional theme Let’s try some word association. If I say the word wine, do you reply with cake? No, I thought not. Pairing wine and cake together only occurred to me on a miserable winter afternoon. Given the current spate of storms battering these shores (Storm Xena Warrior Princess* will be along …
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Artichoke Sauce with Spaghetti – effortless sophistication
Artichoke Sauce with Spaghetti – effortless sophistication Globe Artichoke is tricky to pair with wine, and the usual culinary advice is don’t. Putting them together usually results in metallic or bitter flavours. It’s why the dressing for globe artichokes often employs the sharpness of lemon juice or vinaigrette. Wine-friendly they’re most certainly not. However, marinating artichoke hearts changes their flavour …
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Christmas 2021 – a dozen delights
Christmas 2021 – a dozen delights Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year to you all! Thanks for reading, supporting and encouraging me during this incredibly challenging year. Here’s my present to you all – the pick of the wines for Christmas 2021, together with a Christmas Card. This year there are a dozen delights. All come highly recommended for …
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Gin the Ultimate Companion – New Book Review
Gin the Ultimate Companion – New Book Review Gin, the Ultimate Companion is a new book by Ian Buxton, published on 7 October 2021. The subtitle is “the essential guide to Gins, Flavours, Cocktails, Tonics and More”, and, as we shall see, it lives up to this description admirably. It may be the only book on gin that you’ll ever …
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Nas-cëtta, Part 2 – twelve Novello producers and their wines
Nas-cëtta, Part 2 – twelve Novello producers and their wines Nascetta, Part 1, looked at the rediscovery of Nas-cëtta. Local producers rescued this semi-aromatic white grape variety, which survived only in Novello in Piemonte. In 2010, the Langhe DOC exclusively authorised the production of white wine in Novello using only 100% Nascetta grapes, creating a dedicated subzone called Langhe Nas-cëtta del Comune …
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The Knot of Love and Custoza DOC wines, Part 2
The Knot of Love and Custoza DOC wines, Part 2 Part 1 of this article looked at Custoza DOC and the reasons influencing the taste and quality of its dry white wines. Now Part 2 puts that to the test with six representative Custoza DOC wines presented by the Consorzio. An interactive map below shows the locations of the featured producers, while …
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Summer Pudding – a classic dessert
Summer Pudding – a classic dessert Summer Pudding is a classic dessert for the British summer. Here’s a super-easy recipe that makes a Summer Pudding serving six, inspired by Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book – which is a great read. Redcurrants and Blackcurrants are the two essential soft fruits for Summer Pudding. If you have a handful of Whitecurrants, Loganberries, Raspberries, Tayberries …
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Black Bee Honey from Sicily – tasting with cheeses
Black Bee Honey from Sicily – tasting with cheeses. We all know that bees make honey. But not just honey; beeswax, honeycomb, propolis and royal jelly too. However, this article is about Sicilian Black Bee honey, which, like wine, comes in different flavours according to where the beehives are. And like wine, these can match different artisanal cheeses to a greater …
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