Duck is one of my very favourite meats and certainly my favourite form of fowl. I know some people have the same aversion to this fine feathered creature as they do to lamb, rabbit, and venison — the four of which would be my holy trinity of proteins if they weren’t actually a quartet. I…
Bogle Vineyards Petite Sirah (2011)
As soon as I pulled the cork from this wine, the nose had me on a knee offering the marriage of my lips. Big and full, there was a strength in the vapours that pulled a deep, dark ripe cherry filled with a bit of spice (pepper and mace?) and chocolate mixed with dark raspberry….
Cycles Gladiator Petite Sirah (2012)
Here’s a grape that I quite adore for its huge body and rich taste: petite sirah (aka “Durif” outside California and Israel). This is a wine from a black-skinned grape variety, a variety known for its body and which is often used to embolden blends made from weaker grapes. If you don’t like red wine —…
Duck Magret with Sour-Cherry and Port Sauce …
This creation was me saying happy birthday to Benjamin, my über wonder dog of 18 years. That is to say, I’m not the only one in the family that gets weak in the knees when someone says “duck.” Truly, it’s a wonder that over the years I haven’t been beaned with a softball between the eyes…
18 Forever ….
My boy … my friend … my companion … my muse … my spiritual guide and teacher. My Ben …. On April 25th, Benjamin reached the truly remarkable milestone of 18 years. He has seen two centuries, three decades, two countries, two continents, five cities … and more than anything, he has seen me grow…
Crispy Duck with Persimmon-Mandarin Sauce
There are a handful of things that I’ll order any time I see them on a menu. Thankfully those things don’t often compete in the same restaurants. One of those things is duck … a dish that makes my spine relax with the simple promise of a taste. It might therefore sound odd that I’ve…
The Transcendental Taste – the Foodgasm.
Life is replete with the banal and the ubiquitous. Everyday has the risk of being routine as we slip from slumber and onto the hamster wheel that would otherwise propel us in circles. However, it is the moments in life where we break free of this predictability where, in an instant, in a moment, we…