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Buttermilk Biscuits with Kentucky Ham, Molasses Butter & Creole Chile Jam

“Grazing is a state of being in the South. In fact, many of our community cookbooks from the twentieth century are front-heavy, with so many more hors d’oeuvre and finger-food recipes than main courses (or even desserts) that it makes you wonder why we even bother with the rest of the meal.  It’s actually plain good sense: as any southerner knows, a dizzying array of nibbles in view when your guests arrive is the utmost gesture of hospitality.”

-- The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

One of my favorite Southern appetizers is a ham biscuit -- Kentucky smoked ham on a buttermilk biscuit -- it’s that simple.  However, because it’s only two things put together, the biscuits better be great and the ham even better.

Slow Weekend: Antinori, Fries & Coltrane

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Not much beats a slow weekend in the kitchen.  Pots simmering, chocolate things baking, crispy things frying, corks popping, spices wafting.  By yourself or with someone you love, slow weekend cooking is pleasurable.  Don’t forget to turn on a little Coltrane -- anything is gratifying with Coltrane.  Even sweeping is hot with John Coltrane.

The Fries:

This weekend, might I suggest French fries.  Deep-fried potatoes are delicious and good for your soul -- don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.  Deep-frying is actually quite easy to master.  Once you do, you’ll be deep-frying everything, trust me.  All you need is a heavy-bottomed pot, peanut or canola oil, a deep fat frying thermometer, a few potatoes and salt.  I defer to Anthony Bourdain for the perfect French fry instructions (recipe below).

Convivial Dinner Party: Boudoir Picnic (Not Just for Valentine's Day)

Ooooh, Valentine’s Day -- sexy food, sexy wine, sexy talk, and (God willing, wink-wink) sexy sex.  Now, if you want to fight traffic, curse parking, and really shell-out the cash, go for it.  But, the pressure & obligation of unattainable aspirations never end well.

Hows about a Boudoir Picnic?  Easy prep, easy presentation, easy bites & easy cleanup make an easy lover -- one that has the energy, time and mind-space to focus on more important things.

The Boudoir Picnic

A successful picnic in bed requires plenty of good wine and delicious food that is easy to eat (no cutting, not messy, no dishes) and very satisfying (without being heavy).  Don’t forget a corkscrew, napkins and wine goblets.  Definitely some great mood music; maybe a dvd.  (But, with only two hands, whoever is most limber might need to get creative to control the remote.)

Champagne Food

Begin with Champagne or have various bottles throughout the evening.  Sushi goes really well with Champagne, and so does smoked salmon, oysters, French fries, potato chips, Chinese take-out, popcorn and strawberries (all which happen to fit within the boundaries of easy boudoir cuisine).

Red Wine Food

A serious bottle of red deserves to be the star, complement it simply with fabulous cheeses & a hand-torn baguette, crostini with various spreads, pizza, or kabobs, and then dark chocolate truffles.

Mmmmmmmmmm.

Convivial Dinner Party: Winter Supper for Close-knit Friends

Warm up an otherwise cold January evening by gathering a few close friends for supper.  Stoke up the fireplace, turn on Paolo Conte, light a zillion candles, and feast on Italian comfort food.  

A casual, mostly do-ahead menu lets you be with your guests, instead of the stove:

Bagna Cauda Piedmontese

Vernaccia di San Gimignano

Steamed Clams with White Wine & Fresh Herbs

Grilled Bread

Ratatouille & Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 Nelly’s Garden Dry Rose

Ratatouille is never as good as it is right now. It’s the epitomical late-summer dish. Each ingredient is at its peak -- eggplant, peppers, basil, tomatoes, summer squash.

I became addicted to it in culinary school. While stewing all those vegetables for hours, I wondered if the French had finally screwed one up. Nay. My mouth had an epiphany. Before then, I don’t believe I’d ever experienced such a symphonic meld of beautiful flavors that somehow still allowed each ingredient its character.

2001 Domaine Ste. Michelle Luxe Sparkling with Cod Tempura, Lemon Beurre Blanc & Grilled Cantaloupe

Squeeze every drop of enjoyment out of the last few summery days with a little something grilled, a little something fried and a little something bubbly. Cod tempura with a lemon beurre blanc, grilled cantaloupe, and avocado on a bed of lettuces should do the trick. And these flavors are quite fantastic with the 2001 Domaine Ste. Michelle Luxe Sparkling.

The Pairing:
Honestly, every ingredient just sings with the Luxe’s toasty, lush bubbles. The hot, crisp, rich battered fish is a delightful contrast in both temperature and texture; the unctuous avocado matches the Luxe’s lushness; the grilled cantaloupe’s smoky-sweetness is a delightful surprise; and the buttery lemon sauce not only goes well with the Luxe, but enhances the cod’s flavor and gives a refreshing, lemony lift to the entire dish.

The Luxe:
Luxe is Domaine Ste. Michelle’s premier sparkler, and rightly so. She’s got a toasty, apple and honey nose; flavors of pears, almonds & vanilla; and tight, everlasting bubbles. It’s a very food friendly wine with a great depth of flavor. Many chefs say, when in doubt, serve bubbly -- you couldn’t go wrong with this one.

The Salad:
Cod tempura - dip chunks of cod (dried well on a paper towel and lightly salted) into tempura batter (box-mix with Jean George’s addition of sherry vinegar, salt & sesame oil) and deep fry in 350° peanut oil until crisp, golden and cooked through.

Late-Summer Dinner Party Menu

Taking a few days off after “the summer from hell” will make a girl giddy. Giddy enough to quickly arrange an intimate gathering, swing by the local farm for ingredients, and grab a dusty bottle or two from the wine cellar.

Didn’t take many photos - I was terribly remiss; but if you’ll indulge, I’ll give a few details. The evening was just beautiful -- warm, with a few clouds and a slight breeze; the music was soft Latin jazz; the double-doors to the back deck were opened wide, leading to the table set in Provencial hues with lots of candles, and even more wine glasses; the view was tall evergreens & neighboring horses.

Eric & Renee were the first to arrive on the scene, bearing gifts of wine, chocolate, cheese & a baguette. After the kiss-kisses and hugs, Brett shook up the first batch of ginger-lime martinis. A few moments later, our dear friends Kimberly & Darren, armed with even more wine, appeared just in time for me to forcefully scrape a reluctant first batch of potstickers out of the pan and shatter the martini shaker to the ground -- and it was going so well up to that point. But, knowing that every party has a few glitches, the glass was swept away, the pan was changed, and all was right with the world.

A Study in Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 Marier Sauvignon Blanc

Inevitably with Seattle’s first warm day of the year, I crave spicy nachos & a cold beer on the back patio. It could be a subconscious rite of passage to spring, or maybe I just jump the gun on summer, because (again, inevitably) five minutes into it, exhausted from shivering, I come inside and “warm my nachos” next to the oven that warmed my nachos.

Purple Cafe: Wine & Cheese Pairings

Wine & cheese - it’s still my new favorite thing. Last year’s New York gastronomic tour (or, five-day constant indulgence of soul-satisfying, mind-altering food & wine, actually) reminded me of the loveliness derived from a well-designed after-dinner cheese plate.

Columbia Crest 2005 H3 Merlot & Meatball Crostini with Roasted Fennel

Ever had a wine that just wouldn’t give it up, but the next month its flavors are virtually leaping out of the glass?