Today’s the day to get out the snifters and the Cognac, and relax at sunset as you relish both (the Cognac and the snifters, that is).

If you’ve never enjoyed a snifter of Cognac, you’re in for a treat.

Two of our favorite recipes with Cognac:

 
 
WHAT IS COGNAC?

Brandy is a spirit distilled from grapes. Cognac is a type of brandy made only from specific white wine grapes; brandy can use white and/or red grapes.

Cognac is produced in the Charente and Charente-Maritime départements of France and is named for the town of Cognac that is in that locality.

Brandy is not a legally protected name and can be made anywhere in the world. The name “brandy” comes from the Dutch branewijn, “burned wine.” There’s more about that in the footnote* below.

Cognac can only be made in the Charente and Charente-Maritime départements.

By law, Cognac must be twice distilled in copper pot stills (alembic stills), then aged at least two years (often considerably longer) in French oak barrels, made from oaks in the forests of Limousin or Tronçais.

Cognac matures in those barrels, the same way that fine whiskey and wines mature.

Every step in the production of Cognac must follow strict rules imposed by the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), can be called Cognac.

> The history of Cognac is below.
 
 
THE DIFFERENT CLASSIFICATIONS OF COGNAC

There are official quality grades of Cognac based on age, established by the BNIC. As with all spirits, prices climb along with the length of barrel aging.

However, in the ongoing game of marketing new products, some Cognac producers release their own expressions (for example, C by Courvoisier and Remy Martin Coeur de Cognac, and the more comprehensible Courvoisier 12 and Courvoisier 21), which have no official designation but can really tax a Cognac buyer to figure out what’s in the bottle.

Regardless, with any Cognac, the final product is a blend of cognacs from the various districts, aged for various periods of time.

Official designations include:

 
There are other age designations, but they are smaller productions and are not typically imported to the U.S.

Many firms bottle older Cognacs under proprietary names such as Anniversaire, Triomphe, or Cordon Bleu [source]. These are typically their top-of-the-line blends, packaged in beautifully designed decanters that are meant to be “keepers.”

Note that the designated age of a Cognac refers only to the time spent in wood. Distilled spirits cease to age after they are bottled.

The older the Cognac, the smoother, more complex, and more refined it becomes. While bottles aged 25 years can be found, it is rare for Cognac to remain in the cask beyond 40 or 50 years.

But you can find bottlings of great old Cognacs like Hennessy Paradis, a blend of a hundred eaux-de-vie‡ aged up to 130 years. Don’t ask the price (O.K., it’s $1149.99 [plus shipping!]).
 
 
Why are the names of some of the different grades in English, rather than French?

Because England was long the primary market for Cognac, the British importers/merchants named them.
 
 
WHAT IS FINE CHAMPAGNE COGNAC

More confusion: It has nothing to do with the wine-producing region of Champagne. There are six different districts (called cru in French) within the Cognac region.

Each has been graded by the government according to the quality of the grapes and Cognac produced there.

The best district is Grande Champagne, followed by Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires.

 
A Cognac bottle labeled “Fine Champagne,” is as good as it gets in its age level.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF COGNAC

In the 16th century, Dutch merchants traveled to the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwest coast of France to buy wood, salt, and wine.

The wine proved difficult to transport, spoiling along the way, so the Dutch sought new ways to preserve it during shipping.

They began to distill the wine, like spirits. This concentrated the wine and gave it a higher alcohol strength which was a greater preservative.

Eventually, those from the Cognac area were regarded as superior to those of its neighbors, and by the start of the 17th century, producers started distilling the brandy twice as it yielded a smoother flavor.

Although the first stills were made by the Dutch, French distillers started perfecting the technique and soon developed their renowned “Charentaise” distillation methods.

Cognac traces its origins to the 17th century when wines of the Charente region were distilled to withstand shipment to distant European ports.

Over time, the brandy from the Cognac district in the center of the Charente was recognized as creating superior brandy.

By the start of the 17th century, Dutch producers were distilling the brandy twice for a smoother flavor. French distillers started perfecting the technique and soon developed their renowned “Charentaise” distillation methods [source].
 
 
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*To test the purity of the wine, a portion was ignited. If the entire contents were consumed by a fire without leaving any impurities behind, then the liquor was good.

†The term means simply “open field”.

‡Eau de vie (eaux is the plural), pronounced oh-duh-VEE, is French for “water of life.” It’s a clear, colorless fruit brandy that is produced by means of fermentation and double distillation. It is the basis for brandy and Cognac. After the brandy and Cognac are aged in wood, they take on their amber color.

[1] In the Cognac area, a tulip-shape glass is used to enjoy the spirit (photo © BNIC | Aurélian Terrade).

[2] Many Americans are accustomed to drinking Cognac from a snifter. The shape helps to capture and focus the aromas (photo © Crate & Barrel).

[3] Remy Martin VSOP. VSOP is a younger, an “entry level” Cognac. VS is younger still, but too harsh (photo © Andrey Ilkevich | Unsplash).

[4] If you can afford X.O. Cognac, you’ll get an idea of what the “good stuff” tastes like (photo © Hennessy Cognac).

[5] A map of France. The Cognac region is in blue, the Armagnac-producing area is in red (photo © Zipps Liquors).

[6] Cognac pairs well with fine cheeses (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[7] Cognac vineyards grow ownly white grapes (photo © BNIC | Aurélian Terrade).

[8] An alembic (pot) still is used to distill Cognac (photos #8 and #9 © Cognac Official | Facebook).

[9] Cognac is aged in barrels of white French Limousin oak.

[1] Look at that golden yolk! You can tell it’s a pasture-raised egg (photos #1, #2, and #3 © Vital Farms | Facebook).

[2] The yolks before cooking. They have seven times the beta carotene of conventional eggs.

[3] Pasture-raised hens eat the bounty of the land, all year long.

[4] A modern egg carton, with snazzy design from Consider Pastures (photo © Consider Pastures).

[5] The first attempt at a protective carton for eggs, in 1906. A wood box contained a cross-hatch of cardboard pieces to separate the eggs (photo © The Antique Kitchen).

[6] Next came this invention in 1911, which created V-shaped cardboard “slings” to cradle the eggs (photo © Bulkley Valley Museum | British Columbia).

[7] The modern egg carton, of molded paper pulp, has individual cups to cradle the eggs (photo courtesy Geek Philosopher [now closed]).

June 3rd is National Egg Day, and our tip is: If you love breakfast eggs, no matter what style, try pastured-raised eggs. You’ll be amazed at how much more intensely delicious they are. As one of our colleagues, who buys eggs at her local farmers’ market, said, “They’re like a different species.”

They work equal magic in baking and other recipes, particularly egg-focused ones like carbonara, crème brûlée, deviled eggs, custard, hollandaise and béarnaise sauces, mayonnaise, and quiche—for starters.

Pasture-raised eggs are the best you can buy: better than free range, cage free, organic, and other types. Treat yourself to a carton and discover superior egg flavor.
 
 
WHAT ARE PASTURE-RAISED EGGS?

They are eggs are by hens that spend their days outdoors, roaming the pastures and pecking food from the earth. They have much more individual space than both free range and cage-free hens*. They have access to fresh air and sunshine year-round (yes, they peck through the snow to find worms and other tasty morsels.

The hens spent their lives — or portions of them — on a pasture, or with access to a pasture and have grazed naturally.

Egg farmers like Consider Pastures are raising the bar for excellence in the egg category, with focus on environmental stewardship and holistic farming practices. There is also commitment to humane animal treatment, via Certified Humane® certification.

Crack a pasture-raised egg and you’ll notice:

 
And then, there’s the taste. Just try it!
 
 
THE BENEFITS OF PASTURE-RAISED EGGS?

In addition to great flavor, pasture-raised eggs have:

 
Most Americans are deficient in vitamin D. Eating just two pasture-raised eggs will give you from 63%-126% of the recommended daily intake of D [source].
 
 
WHERE TO FIND PASTURE-RAISED EGGS

Check:

 
 
THE HISTORY OF THE EGG CARTON

It seems simple enough. But prior to 1911, eggs were transported and sold in baskets or wooden crates—like you’ve seen in many of images of the good old days. While a basket was fine for carrying eggs from the coop to the house, transporting them elsewhere was a challenge.

Whether via horse and wagon on bumpy roads or even bumpy railroad cards, many eggs were broken in this unprotected state, no matter how much straw cradled baskets and crates.

So one day, rather late in the history of selling eggs, one person sat down and invented the world’s first egg carton.

In 1906, Thomas Peter Bethell of Liverpool invented a predecessor to the modern egg box, which he called the Raylite Egg Box. Made from wood with frames of interlocking strips of cardboard that created compartments for each egg, it was the first egg transporter of its kind (photo #5).

In 1911, Joseph Coyle, a newspaper editor in Smithers, British Columbia invented the first iteration of the egg carton as we know it. As the story goes, he was dining at a local hotel when an argument erupted between the hotel owner and the hotel’s egg supplier over the broken eggs in the latest shipment. Curious, he set to problem-solving and in a few weeks, invented the Coyle Egg Safety Carton.

His early version didn’t have cups for each egg, like today’s cartons. Rather, he created individual compartments with V-shaped cardboard “slings” to cradle each egg (photo #6). But it was the same long, narrow shape we know today. Demand was so high that he later designed a machine to automate most of the carton production [source].

In 1921, Morris Koppelman of Brooklyn, New York patented an improved version of the egg carton made from cut, folded, and glued cardboard. The patent emphasized the ability for it to fold flat after use for storage and reuse, a feature no longer important in our disposable lifestyles [source].

In 1931, Francis H. Sherman of Palmer, Massachusetts patented an egg carton formed with pressed paper pulp that is recognizable as one of the modern egg cartons used today. The pulp, or fiberboard, was pressed into the still-familiar gray, cardboard-like containers.

In 1966, polystyrene foam made its debut, molded into cushiony egg cartons (styrofoam is a form of polystyrene). They were white and pastels: blue, pink, and yellow.

In 1969, the United Industrial Syndicate in Maine patented an egg carton developed by Walter H. Howarth, Gerald A. Snow, and Harold A. Doughty. It’s similar to Sherman’s pressed paper pulp carton, with improvements.

 
In the last few years, clear plastic cartons have appeared in grocer’s cases, making the task of opening the carton to look for broken eggs obsolete (almost—we still check). That customers can see through the carton is appealing, although the see-through egg cartons cost double† that of the polystyrene and pulp cartons [source].

So today’s egg packers can choose from cartons made from polystyrene, clear hard PET plastic, or (environmentally preferred) the good old molded pulp paper carton using recycled paper and a mechanized papier-mâché process (photo #7).

And while some cartons are plain, some brands pull out all the stops for shelf appeal (photo #4)—Consider Pastures’ modern take on what an egg carton could look like. Why be a plain Jane, when for a few cents more per carton, you can dazzle customers who are checking out the eggs on the shelf.
 
 
MORE TO DISCOVER

> The different types of eggs.

> What egg color means (and doesn’t): From the shell to the yolk, debunking egg color myths.

> How to create jammy eggs.

*Pasture-raised hens get a minimum of 108 square feet each. Free range hens typically get a minimum of 2 square feet per bird and have limited access to the outdoors. Cage-free birds get a minimum of 1.2 square feet per bird and may rarely if ever, see the sunlight [source].

†It’s 6.5 cents a carton for the foam and pulp, 13 cents for the PET plastic.

A Father’s Day gift that will never be forgotten: a bucket of fried chicken ice cream! (Wait! It only looks like fried chicken!)

It’s a bucket of nine pieces of “Not Fried Chicken” Ice Cream.

What looks just like a fried chicken drumstick is actually an intricate ice cream creation, complete with waffle ice cream, a chocolate-covered cookie “bone” and a coating of white chocolate and crushed corn flakes—and absolutely NO chicken.

It’s crispy, crunchy, creamy, salty, sweet, and as fun to eat as it is delicious.

Not Fried Chicken is the brainchild of pastry chef Cynthia Wong, owner of Life Raft Treats.

She writes on her website: “We are devoted to sparking joy and surprise through our unique, passionately crafted ice cream and sweets.”

She has a winner with Not Fried Chicken. It will bring a big smile, a happy palate, and a memory that will last.

All of her ice creams are made with high-quality locally-farmed dairy and eggs, and while she’s located in South Carolina, you can order Not Fried Chicken on Goldbelly.

Order your Not Fried Chicken here.

Of course, it’s not just for Father’s Day: You can send it to anybody, anytime.
 
 
> The history of ice cream.
 
> The different types of ice cream and other frozen treats.

[1] Yes, it’s really ice cream (photos © Life Raft Treats).

[2] Bite into a “drumstick.” Each drumstick is three ounces.

[1] El Luchador tequila, featuring a graphic of the famed Mexican Lucha Libre wrestlers (all photos © El Luchador Tequila).

[2] El Luchador Blanco, shown with a Lucha Libre wrestler mask.

[3] A Lucha Libre wrestler. They keep their identities a secret.

When we first saw El Luchador tequila, we thought: Great gift! We purchased several bottles as Father’s Day gifts. Because while any artisanal tequila is welcome to a tequila lover, a bottle with memorable branding is that much better.

The El Luchador portfolio of tequilas was inspired by the instantly recognizable-masks of Mexico’s colorful Lucha Libre wrestlers, whose acrobatic showmanship is a national cultural institution.

So is Mexico’s tequila, so connecting the two is a natural.

The use of the mascara or Lucha Libre mask that adorns the bottles was popularized by Santo, El Enmascarado de Plata (Saint, the Silver Masked Man).

A cultural icon, Santo is considered the greatest Luchador of all time. Here’s more about him.

Santo made his wrestling debut in the summer of 1942 and quickly captured the public’s fascination with his fighting ability and mysterious secret identity. He lied most of his entire life never showing his face.

 
 
THE EL LUCHADOR TEQUILA PORTFOLIO

Made from 100% blue agave with centuries-old artisan techniques, even the unaged Blanco expression is a delightful sipping tequila. The aging of the other expressions adds layers of complexity and sipping satisfaction.

The brand’s portfolio of outstanding tequila expressions includes:

 
A release of an El Luchador Extra Añejo, aged for more than three years, is in the works.
 
 
WHERE TO FIND EL LUCHADOR TEQUILA

Check with your local liquor store, or order online.
 
 
> The history of tequila.

> The different types of tequila.

*The Reposado and Anejo aged expressions rest in French white oak barrels that once held the great white Burgundy wines of Puligny Montrachet.

June 1st is National Olive Day, celebrating what is likely the second-earliest-cultivated fruit (figs were first). The history of olives is below.

Our featured recipe, created by Colavita Olive Oil, is called a “savory loaf cake.”

It’s made with a combination of AP flour and cornmeal, plus olives and olive oil. As a bonus: cheese!

The baked product is called a cake because, while savory, its crumb (the interior—i.e., everything under the crust) resembles a sweet loaf cake, also called a bread (zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, e.g.).

If it were called olive bread—even an olive-semolina bread—you’d be expecting something very different (see photos #3, #4, #5, and #6).

Call it what you like: It is so delicious, that one loaf isn’t enough. Next time, we’ll make four loaves: One for Day 1, one for Day 2, and two for the freezer.

We ate it plain, with breakfast eggs, with soup and salad at lunch, and with grilled chicken and seafood at dinner (it goes with everything).

We ate it buttered or slathered with cream cheese or other fresh cheese as a snack. We even added fig spread, and it was a nice counterpoint to the slight saltiness of the olives.

And if we hadn’t finished the loaf, we’d have tried it with Greek/Mediterranean mezze.

> The history of olives is below.
 
 
RECIPE: SAVORY OLIVE OIL LOAF CAKE

One question to decide up-front is what type of olive to use. Our preference is for full-on Mediterranean black olive flavors, such as Gaeta, Kalamata, and Niçoise varieties. If you prefer a green olive, use Castelvetrano or Picholine.
 
Ingredients

Prep time is 10 minutes, and cook time is 45 minutes.

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*Substitute Emmental, Gouda, Gruyère, or Provolone
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Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Oil a 5″x9″ loaf pan.

2. WHISK together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

3. LIGHTLY WHISK the eggs in a medium bowl, then whisk in the milk and olive oil.

4. FOLD the wet ingredients into the dry with a rubber spatula, just until barely mixed. Fold in prosciutto, olives, and cheese. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.

5. BAKE the loaf until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 45 minutes.

6. COOL the loaf in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to release. Allow loaf to cool on a rack for about 30 minutes before slicing.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF OLIVES

The olive was first domesticated in the Eastern Mediterranean between 8,000 and 6,000 years ago, according to new research, which indicates that they were probably first cultivated from wild olive trees in Asia Minor, at the frontier between what is now Turkey and Syria [source].

From there it spread to Iran, Palestine, and the rest of the Mediterranean. As mentioned earlier, among the world’s cultivated trees, it is second only to the fig. It was grown before the written language was invented. That’s perspective!

 
 
Olives Come To The New World

The Spaniards took olive cuttings to the New World in the mid-sixteenth century, first to Peru. From there, Franciscan Monks moved northward establishing missions and taking olives to Central America.

In 1769, they planted the first olive cuttings in California at the San Diego Mission (hence, the name Mission olive). Olives thrived in California’s climate.

Over the past several hundred years the olive has spread to North and South America, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand [source].

In the U.S., Franciscan monks establishing missions in California also planted olive groves. Southern California saw the first olive trees.

But all of the California olives were pressed into oil, which was used for food, fuel, grooming, medicine, and religious rites.

Thousands of acres of olive trees were planted in response to the high demand for olive oil in the 1800s. When the market became saturated (ironically, with monounsaturated oil), prices dropped, and farmers were tasked with finding an alternative use for their olive trees.
 
 
Olives Become Food, Not Just Oil

A grower named Freda Ehmann came up with a resourceful solution to the industry’s problem. After consulting with a U.C. Berkeley professor about processing methods, she began experimenting with pickling methods and discovered a formula that resulted in table olives (i.e., those eaten directly or used in creating recipes), that could be sold loose from containers or prepackaged. product. Thanks to her initiative, the condiment* olive industry was born [source].

The olive, Olea europaea, is a member of Oleaceae, known as the olive family, with 27 extant genera. Botany geeks can go up one level, to the order, Lamiales, one of the largest orders of flowering plants, which includes the ash tree, basil, garden sage, jasmine, lavender, lilac, mint, olive, rosemary, sesame, snapdragon, and teak.

> Here’s the history of olive oil.

[1] This savory olive loaf cake is delicious for a bread basket, for snacking, and anything in-between (photo © Colavita).

[2] We used black olives in this recipe, shown here, ripening on the branch. Beautiful, aren’t they (photo © Sule Bas | Pexels)?

[3] A loaf of Italian-style olive bread (photo © Vincent Ghillione | Unsplash).

[4] Olive sourdough rolls. Here’s the recipe (photos #4 and #5 © King Arthur Baking).

[5] Greek olive and onion bread. Here’s the recipe.

[6] Another traditional loaf of olive bread. Here’s the recipe (photo © Foodness Gracious).

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*What is a condiment? A condiment is an auxiliary food product that adds flavor to another food. While we normally think of capers, chutney, gravy, hot sauce, mayonnaise, mustard, oil, tartar sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce as condiments, the category includes “standalone” products such as olives and pickles, as well. The definition in Merriam-Webster is, “something used to enhance the flavor of food, especially a pungent seasoning.” They pinpoint the first use of the word in the 15th century. The term condiment comes from the Latin condimentum, meaning “spice, seasoning, sauce,” and from the Latin condire, meaning “preserve, pickle, season.” The term originally described pickled or preserved foods, but its meaning has changed over time.