O-ho the Wells Fargo Wagon is a coming..

Remember that song from the Music Man? Both the play/movie and music are at the top of Verne's favorite list. I think he knows the entire dialog and definitely all the words to every song. Well, today we had a Fed Ex delivery -- the second this week. How exciting! Verne met the driver at the door and said something about the "Wells Fargo wagon"...the guy didn't know what he was talking about. More and more our references to old music and movies are met with blank stares. Guess that's another side effect of getting old! :(

Back to the deliveries...today it was a huge box of cookies from DeLucious in Hollywood. A big thank you to Bashir for such a tasty gift. So far Chocolate White Chocolate Toffee is my favorite with Chocolate Decadence a close second. What a great gift for a couple of foodies!

Yesterday, the Wells Fargo wagon brought the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, a compilation of over 20 years and 2,000 recipes from the Cook's Illustrated magazines. Thank you, Sally! What an amazing book. Each recipe begins with reasons it was chosen to be included in the book and insight from the Cook's test kitchen. That's right! All Cook's recipes are tested, unlike many books, magazines, newspapers that often include untested recipes. I've started reading the section on appetizers and intend to work my way through the entire book (almost 1,000 pages). This book is definitely going to be my favorite of 2013! I might mention, though, that you should read this book on a full stomach as the recipes are mouth watering and leave you wanting!

One final note: it was Cook's Illustrated that taught me how to bake a potato and that has been in the last ten years. Imagine that, going 50+ years and not knowing the secret of something so basic. For your information, here's how it's done...scrub the potato, rub it with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil, salt it heavily with both a fine and coarse salt. Do not pierce. Do not cover, but place in an open dish and bake at 425-450 degrees for an hour. Serve immediately. The skin will be crispy (and deliciously salty) and the inside will be fluffy.

A Growing Repertoire of Indian Recipes

Verne and I had an opportunity this past weekend to show off our skills at preparing Indian food and, if you can believe Jana and her friend, Bashir, our dinner was delicious and quite authentic! Our first attempt to make naan last month was less than successful. Since then, our friend, Sally Simms, forwarded an article on making naan that was published in Cook's Illustrated. Few home cooks own a Tandoor oven and we're no exception. To cook properly, naan needs both direct radiant heat and convection cooking. Before reading the Cook's article, I'd worked my way through each of the failed alternatives discussed in the article...oven, outdoor grill, stovetop griddle. The winning approach, which I tried this past weekend with great success, is to butter both sides of the naan (using ghee, which is a clarified butter), and cook the flatbread in a very hot, cast-iron pan (I used my new Thermolon non-stick pan) about 1-2 minutes per side with the lid on the pan. Perfection!

Now naan alone is very good, but it is made even better by eating it with the traditional green and red chutneys. That brings me to our second success...Sweet and Hot Tomato Chutney from my new favorite (and only) book on Indian cuisine ("India Food & Cooking"). It took a trip to an Indian market for nigella (wild onion) seeds, but other than that our pantry was well stocked to make it...fresh tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, garlic, bay leaves, and chili powder. After cooking for more than an hour, it reduces to a thick, tasty chutney that pairs well with the more savory coriander/mint/chile chutney (I cheated and bought one that was very good...next time I'll experiment with making my own).

Indian cooking reminds me of our attempts to make Chinese food at home...literally hours of preparation, half-hour of eating, and hours of clean-up! Authentic Indian recipes are even more complex and labor intensive. Preparing a meal with multiple dishes/courses requires hours (in some cases, days) of preparation. But then, it's time well spent when the eaters respond enthusiastically, "Good Eats"!

Twice Baked

The word "biscotto", the singular form of biscotti, is never used, because how could you eat just one? These twice-baked, oblong-shaped cookies are addictive. I've read that they'll last several weeks and have been described as "non-perishable", but I've never tested that quality of the cookies as they disappear very quickly around here. They're a little like potato chips...you can't stop at one.

I made chocolate, almond biscotti today for company this weekend and I'll be making another batch next week for more visitors over Memorial weekend. It's got to be my favorite cookie as it doesn't deteriorate with age (that's two or three days for us) like most cookies that are meant to be moist, but dry out in a couple of days; it makes a great gift (everyone loves biscotti); it's quick and easy to make...now that's the clincher. There's a mystique about biscotti...home bakers often avoid it because they think it's difficult to make. I was one of those people up until a few years ago when I found a recipe for chocolate biscotti in the San Francisco Junior League Cookbook. I made it as a Christmas gift for neighbors and received a great response. My Italian neighbors said they've never had better biscotti! Wow, now that's a compliment coming from an Italian, as biscotti originated in the town of Prato, Italy and Gwen has been making biscotti since she was a young girl.

Here's a picture of the baked logs cooling before they're cut into the familiar oblong shape...

Here they are cut into 3/4" diagonal bars and baked a second time...

I double dare you...try making this delicious biscotti and see if you can eat just one biscotto!

Wine Tasting in Napa

We've just returned from a 24-hour excursion with Jeff and Trish wine tasting in Napa Valley. What fun...another memorable experience! We met around 11 a.m. at the Embassy Suites in Napa. Jeff had planned our day and made reservations for a wine tour at the Chappallett Winery in St. Helena. It was a bit off the beaten path with tastings and tours by appointment only (we all had our doubts as we drove the 30 minutes off the main drag, up into the mountains (2,000+ elevation) to our turn-off, and then another mile, single-lane driveway to the winery), unlike the larger more commercial wineries with more formal grounds and gifts shops that cater to visitors. Our tour was about two hours including a walk through the factory, where people were busy bottling last year's wine (a moderately priced bottle called Cervantes) and then outdoors (where it was about 70 degrees and beautiful...a nice contrast to the 55 degrees of the factory) and into the vineyards to have a lesson in organic and sustainable farming; the differences between Chenin Blanc and Cabernet vines; and a bit of history on the Chappallett family. It was all fascinating and made even more so by the tastings we enjoyed beginning upon our arrival and throughout the lecture. Well, we were so taken with the experience that we joined their wine club, which is about the only way to get their product as it isn't sold in stores. Our membership includes tastings and tours at no charge for up to six people and use of their private picnic area...so plan to join us for a trip to Napa (just a nice drive from Volcano).

There was more wine tasting (a delicious port at V. Satui Winery) along with tastings of cheese, olive oils, and mustards, which served as appetizers to our delicious dinner at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Surrounded by vineyards, the building is one of the prettiest in Napa Valley. It was built in the 1800's for the Christian Brothers religious order. To earn money to fund their school, they produced and sold brandy until the late 1980's, when they sold the brand name and relocated. The CIA now has their school and restaurant in the building. Our meal, made and served by both professionals and students, was outstanding. The highlight, according to Verne and Trish, was the first course of mussels in a chorizo sauce. Verne left with the four-page recipe, which will need to be scaled down some, but is the kind of challenge he enjoys...not sure where we'll find the mussels, as their's were from Prince Edward Island.

I've come to believe there's no better way to spend a day than with people you love, eating and drinking great food and wine. It's made all the better by a beautiful setting, such as the foothill vineyards found in Napa Valley and Amador County. So, on your next visit, let's plan to wine taste...you don't have to love wine to have an inspiring experience. Besides, I find that after a few tastings it's all good and I. DO. LOVE. WINE!