Charles Dickens is often given credit for transforming Christmas into a day of celebration centered on the family, especially Christmas dinner. “Dickens remembered the dinner he had with his grandparents, a dinner that had fallen out of favor in recent years,” says Alice Ross, food historian and author of “A…
This Thanksgiving, don’t let your turkey lay down on the job. Make it stand up and fly (er, cook) right. Yes, cook your turkey standing up. Vertical turkeys cook much faster than those lie-down birds. They’re incredibly juicy. And carving is a cinch. What’s the secret? The Spanek vertical roaster. And if…
In the last newsletter, I highlighted some favorites from Winebow’s fall portfolio tasting. This time, some gems from Weygandt Selections, based in Rhinecliff, NY. (845-516-4175; weygandtselections.com) Looking for some good wines for Thanksgiving dinner? You can’t get much better than Gruner Veltliner and Riesling. Kurt Angerer. This producer makes five…
If it weren’t chicken or turkey, the centerpiece of the Norman Rockwell portrait of Sunday dinner would be roast beef. But oh, how times have changed. “When I shop I see young couples at the meat case of the supermarket looking at the roasts without the foggiest idea of what…
Winebow, an importer and distributor based in Montvale, NJ, has one of the bigger portfolio tastings in the fall. Here are some of my favorites at this year’s tasting in September. California has been getting a lot of press about its 2009 Pinot Noir vintage. But Oregon’s 2009 Pinots are…
Recession or no, Americans’ taste for steak seems to remain as strong as the Goldman Sachs’ bonus program. There’s a lot of steak out there and the good stuff isn’t cheap. A USDA Prime filet mignon can cost $50 a pound; Wagyu (the breed of cattle that produces Kobe beef)…