Tag: Champagne

Borrowed Time Chardonnay

Published on by Rebecca2 Comments

When it comes to wine, I can’t think of one that’s more derisive than Chardonnay.  Some people love it while others can’t stand it.  Both sides are adamant about their opinions on the matter and absolutely no one is on the fence.  Thanks to mass production and the Chardonnay “boom” of the 1980s and 1990s, many of us associate the wine with the glasses of golden elixir, ever-present in our tipsy aunts’ hands at family gatherings.  It’s a shame, really, because Chardonnay has so much to offer than to be typecast in such a disparaging roll.  It’s the primary grape in Champagne, after all. Continue reading “Borrowed Time Chardonnay” →

7 Winter Cocktails to Drink Now

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Let’s play a little game.  Imagine, for a second, that it’s a few days before Christmas.  Your significant other has surprised you with tickets to the symphony (or Opera… or John Legend’s Legendary Christmas Tour… you choose!).  It’s a bitter cold evening; snow is in the forecast.  The wind cuts through your jacket with its icy fingers as you walk with your lover, arm-in-arm, toward the warm lights of the theatre doors.  Your partner feels you shiver and presses closer as the doorman throws wide the massive glass doors and you step into a whirlwind of theater-goers; the room is a dizzying and disorienting blur of tuxedo blacks and showy holiday evening gowns.  You arrive a little early so your partner takes you by the hand and whisks you through the swirling crowd to the bar at the far end of the lobby where the smell of tobacco and Dior J’adore hangs in the air like the London fog.  You are handed a beautifully crafted cocktail menu, curated, you’re told, by none other than the theatre manager himself, who dabbles in the art of mixology on the side.  Each drink is designed to chase away winter’s cold and lull you into a state of ultimate contentedness against the symphonic backdrop of the evening’s performance.  The only question now is, which one will you choose? Continue reading “7 Winter Cocktails to Drink Now” →

Red wine poached pears

Poached pears with whipped mascarpone

Published on by RebeccaLeave a comment

Poached pears are the most versatile dessert, don’t you think?  They’re like the perfect little black dress in a wardrobe made up of fall recipes.   Just think about it this way: Poaching them in Champagne is like accessorizing the dress with a pair of satin Manolo Blahniks . . . the ones with the diamond swans lacing gracefully up the side of your foot.  You need nothing else to complete the outfit.  The silk hem of your black dress whispers gently around your knees as you head out the door and slide into the cool leather seat of your Mercedes, on your way to Continue reading “Poached pears with whipped mascarpone” →

French 75

Published on by Rebecca2 Comments

I’ve talked a lot about our Friday cocktail tradition.  If you follow me on Instagram then you know it’s somewhat of an institution and nearly every week I post the recipe for whatever we happen to be drinking at the time.  I have my old standbys, my favorites like a gin and tonic with lime or a wet martini with three olives.  I’m picky when it comes to cocktails.  I don’t like anything too fruity or sweet; anything that can be garnished with an umbrella is automatically out.  For me, the point of a cocktail is to highlight the flavors in each of the individual spirits.  Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to gin – there are so many different flavor complexities.  In time I’ll share the recipes for all my favourites here, but today I want to talk about the French 75, which I think is one of the classiest of the classic cocktails… Continue reading “French 75” →

champagne poached pears

Champagne Poached Pears

Published on by Rebecca3 Comments

You know that one line from that one movie that perfectly and concisely sums up the entire plot?  One of my favorites is from the Audrey Hepburn film called Love in the Afternoon, which was released in Europe under the title, Ariane.  If you haven’t seen it, you must, even just for the glamorous costumes alone!  It’s set in beautiful, mid-century Paris.  Audrey plays the very lovely, but very naïve Ariane.  She’s the daughter of a private detective specializing in affaires d’amour, played by the ever-charming Maurice Chevalier.  By a twist of fate, Ariane meets the subject of one of her father’s investigations – an extravagantly rich, handsome, (and much older) American playboy by the name of Mr. Flannagan (Gary Cooper), and when the two instantly fall for each other, Ariane coyly, and quite humorously, tries to convince him that she is just as well versed in the ways of love as he is, using all the cases in her father’s files as inspiration. Continue reading “Champagne Poached Pears” →