BostonZest

Bollinger Special Cuvée Champagne Wraps Up Our Year of Monthly Toasts with Favorite Sparkling Wines

As our year of monthly toasts with old favorites comes to an end, we will enjoy a bottle of Bollinger Special Cuvée Champagne. It ticks all the boxes for what we love in a Champagne.

We often will compare Pinot-forward sparkling wines to Bollinger when judging what we like or don't like about them. This outstanding cuvée is the perfect choice to complete our goal of toasting each month in 2018 with an old favorite instead of auditioning twelve new contenders. Besides, enjoying time with old friends is always a good idea.

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we've raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month. We invite you to join our Sparkling Resolution and raise a glass of something sparkling on the first of each month in 2019!

Here's what the winemakers tell us about Bollinger Special Cuvée Champagne.

For people like us who just buy a bottle of wine and enjoy it because we know we love it, taking a fresh look at the official notes can actually give us different nuances to look for and enjoy.

Details

"Blend: 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 15% Meunier. Over 85% Grands and Premiers crus. 

Maturation: cellar aged for more than twice the time required by the appellation. 

Dosage: moderate, 8 to 9 grams per liter."

Tasting Notes

"To the eye: a golden colour, distinctive of black grape varieties; very fine bubbles. 

To the nose: a beautiful aromatic complexity ; ripe fruit and spicy aromas ; hints of roasted apples, apple compote and peaches. 

On the palate: a subtle combination of structure, length and vivacity ; bubbles like velvet ; pear, brioche and spicy aromas, notes of fresh walnut."

 

Bollinger is a Champagne to share with special friends to celebrate life's special moments or to pop open when the wine itself is to be the occasion.

We purchased our bottle at Federal Wine and Spirits, but it is widely available and can occasionally be found at bargain prices. Expect to see it in the $60 to $70 range.

Here's to 2019. Cheers!

 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

Toasting December with Another Fave, Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve Champagne

In keeping with our Sparkling Resolution to toast each new month of the year, we'll be raising glasses of a lesser know wine from the great Champagne house of Billecart-Salmon. While their Rosé may get the most press, we love the Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve Champagne.

Trying wines from different places made with different grapes and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! This year we've been drinking down our wine racks, enjoying a different old favorite each month. This is one wine we did not have in reserve but wanted to include. We wrote about it back in 2013 when on a vacation in Provincetown. 

Back then we compared it to the house version of an Extra Brut. 

"We said, “round … mellow … friendly … magical …  drink slowly through the temperatures” (allow to warm in your glass)

Billecart-Salmon said, “harmony … balance … persistent and abounding mousse … freshness … rich bouquet"

Here are a few numbers from the winemakers about this Champagne:

• 30% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne
• 30% Chardonnay sourced from the best Crus in the Champagne region
• 40% Pinot Meunier from the Vallée de la Marne and the southern slopes of Epernay
• 50% to 60% reserve wines
• Ageing on lees : 30 months

We purchased our bottle at Bauer Wine & Spirits for ~$60. And, we can't wait to lift a glass of this old friend of a wine.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013-2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

Look Where We Found a Fastachi Pop-Up!

Walking inside the Prudential Center early one rainy, wet day, Penny snapped this photo of one of our favorite small businesses, Fastachi: purveyors of gourmet roasted nuts & handmade chocolates.

Everyone, like us, who has missed them at the Copley Farmers Market, can pick up holiday gifts for themselves or others of fresh, healthy fruit and nuts.

Remember, they also have a shops on Charles Street in Beacon Hill, in Wellesley, and the main store in Watertown. 

 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

Breadcrumbs Are Golden

Serving a dipping dish of buttery breadcrumbs gives these quickly steamed artichoke halves the taste and crunch of our "much-more-work" favorite recipe of stuffed and baked artichokes. A quick dip in olive oil or melted butter and then the crumbs makes for a delicious leaf.

You may see “pasta aglio e olio” popping up on menus. That seductive sounding Italian phrase translates to pasta with garlic and oil. The surprise when you first meet this dish may be beautifully toasted breadcrumbs sprinkled on top where you would have expected cheese.

We recently enjoyed this dish of pasta with mushrooms and peas topped with breadcrumbs at Eastern Standard.

Evan Kleiman, chef, food writer, and host of the radio show and podcast “Good Food,” wrote an article on the topic for the L.A. Times. In praise of breadcrumbs she wrote, “Toasted with garlic and olive oil, they can lend a textural and flavorful crunch to a variety of foods. You'd never know that something as simple and ubiquitous as a handful of crumbs could be what you're looking for to amp your everyday recipes.” She calls, “... spaghetti aglio e olio (their highest use, in my opinion).”

A sprinkle of cheesy breadcrumbs are the perfect finishing touch to this bowl of pea soup.

Filling in For...

In lean times, breadcrumbs have been used to expand food. They are mixed into chopped protein sources to make everything from meatballs to crab cakes. They add body and protect foods when they are used as a batter coating. The meat in popular dishes like chicken or veal Parmesan is first pounded thin and then bulked up with a tummy-filling coating of breadcrumbs. 

In times of food rationing, people were urged to save breadcrumbs and turn them into main courses. Mixed with liquids they became breakfast cereals and desserts. Recipes were created to make meatless loaves and cakes using fine crumbs in place of proteins and flour.

In the book, "Nonna's House: Cooking and Reminiscing with the Italian Grandmothers of Enoteca Maria," we learned another use. "The Nonnas come from different generations and different places, so they have many useful tricks. Simple ones, like a Sicilian Nonna throwing a handful of breadcrumbs into a pan of spaghetti with marinara. ‘What are you doing?’ I asked, as she mixed it in. ‘It thickens the sauce. This is our way,’ she said."

Butter-toasted panko breadcrumbs with a dash of Parmigiano Reggiano and Aleppo pepper add an attractive and delicious finishing touch to simple, steamed cauliflower.

With a bit of imagination, the lowly breadcrumb was turned into something elegant and delicious. England’s famous Queen of Puddings is simply a custard mixed with breadcrumbs and topped with jam and meringue. One hot menu craze these days is roasted cauliflower steaks many of which are topped with garlicky breadcrumbs.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

Ginger as Medicine

On Wednesday we wrote about how we are all using more ginger than in times past and how we love our gingery Asian Chicken broth. While most of our broth is used in cooking, we also use it as medicine.

Ginger as Medicine

The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center maintains a directory of herbs and botanicals with information about their uses. Their report on ginger points out that, “Ginger root contains compounds that may help relieve or prevent nausea and vomiting. These substances can increase the flow of saliva and digestive juices and may also help calm the stomach and intestine.”

Liquid Ginger!

We sip a cup of warm homemade, ginger-scented chicken stock rather than ginger ale for an upset tummy. We share filtered-until-it-is-clear supplies of it with friends who are preparing for a colonoscopy, and we’ve supplied friends with colds, flu, and chemotherapy patients with sips of what one friend called, “your magic elixir.”

Penny loves ginger tea. She often makes her own with ginger from our supply, but you can buy some excellent organic ginger tea.

Some folks swear by ginger mints, ginger gum, or organic candied ginger to combat motion sickness.

In “Ginger Root In Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine,” author Eyton Shalom writes, “There are no panaceas in medicine, but if there were going to be one, it would have to be the humble ginger root.”

Please Read this Important Part!

Even with all these positive recommendations, increasing ginger consumption may not be for everyone. In addition to following the scientific research on each substance, Sloan Kettering also puts side effects and warnings even on everyday items like ginger. If you are planning on adding a lot of any ingredient or a supplement containing that ingredient to your diet, you would be wise to check for interactions with medications and medical conditions.

You should also let your personal physician know if you are using something like ginger as medicine.

Related Post: Ginger Goes Mainstream

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

Ginger Goes Mainstream

In an interview with NPR, food writer Nigella Lawson said, "I think ginger has a heat, a warmth that is often not fully understood because I think people use a small amount. And if you use quite a lot, you really see that it’s like reaching for another form of pepper.

As more of us acclimatize our palates and enjoy foods with stronger flavors and heat, ginger is showing up in unexpected and delightful places. One of Ed’s favorite ginger discoveries is spicy ginger limeade. 

It's always part of our order from Bon Me, and we make it at home with local ginger or ginger syrup from Old Friends Farm.

Each season we buy a supply of local ginger and the ginger syrup made from it at the Atlas Farm stand at the Copley Farmers Market. They bring it to Boston for their neighbor Old Friends Farm. We use some fresh, clean and freeze some, and even make our own pickled ginger!

Using More Ginger

These days we buy ginger in larger quantities. In dishes where we once used a touch of ginger, we might now add a pile! We use it fresh, pickled, and juiced. Penny has become a pro at peeling it with a teaspoon but, in some cases, she’ll just give it a scrub and use it peel and all.

At least half of the homemade chicken broth we make contains ginger along with scallions, star anise, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine. We use this to make quick, pho-like noodle soups and to add to stir-fry dishes in place of a more basic chicken stock.

And, don't limit yourself to savory uses, pour ginger syrup over ice cream, rice pudding, and other desserts.   

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2015-2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

Toasting November with a Special Wine: Guy Larmandier, Cramant Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs in a Special Place

November is a month to give thanks, so we are going to toast it with a Champagne: Guy Larmandier, Cramant Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs at Select Oyster Bar.

We recently had another reason to celebrate, so we shared a half bottle of Guy Larmandier Blanc de Blancs over lunch. It reminded us that this is one of the few all Chardonnay Champagnes that we have on our favorites list. It's from one of our favorite importers, Neal Rosenthal. And, it made the beautifully curated wine list at one of our favorite places, Select Oyster Bar. That certainly qualified it for a place in this year of favorites.

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! This year we have selected a favorite wine for our monthly toast. 

We hope you'll join our Sparkling Resolution. You don't have to buy a bottle. You can go to your favorite place with a good wine list and enjoy a glass of sparkle over lunch or dinner or share a bottle or half bottle as we will today. 

We'll toast all the people along the way, from grapevine to glass, who dedicate themselves to bringing great wine our way!

 

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Here's the original post on this wine.

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast...

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

 

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino