Vodka is the top-selling spirit in America. Food and Wine Magazine’s Ray Isle shows you how to buy a quality vodka without overspending: one bottle for mixing and a second for drinking straight.
Basiron Rosso Pesto gets its harvest-red
color from the addition of tomatoes and its
exciting flavor from the addition of basil and
garlic. It’s is available from iGourmet.com.
How does an adult food enthusiast celebrate Halloween?
But you may prefer a wine and cheese party with special Halloween cheeses.
We have six special cheeses to make your Halloween party a treat. The only trick is tracking them down. But you can find them all online at iGourmet.com.
Try these spooky Halloween recipes to complement your wine and cheese, including Barbecued Worm Sandwiches, Mummified Mashed Potatoes, Spooky Shepherd’s Pie and a special Halloween Chocolate Cake.
Waffles came to America on The Mayflower in 1620, making them a traditional “American” food. One hundred and sixty-seven years later, Thomas Jefferson brought a waffle iron back from France and “waffle frolics” (that’s waffle parties) began.
Today waffles are a favorite brunch food and a special-occasion food. Many of us get out the waffle iron for Mother’s Day and other occasions. Americans buy almost $50 million in waffle irons annually.
But if the waffle iron is one of your least-used appliances, consider expanding your waffle repertoire to lunch, dinner, dessert and a waffle frolic with an add-your-own-toppings bar.
Lunch & Dinner Waffles
Dessert waffles. Photo courtesy L’Auberge Provençale. Get the recipe.
For a luxurious lunch or a first course for dinner, we make caviar waffles: waffles topped with sour cream or crème fraîche and garnished with salmon caviar and optional smoked salmon.
Dessert Waffles
Try a waffle sundae: top a waffle with ice cream and your favorite sauces and garnishes.
Make “Belgian waffles” topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. For an adult crowd, first marinate the strawberries in an orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier.
Orange Blossom Waffles with mangoes, berries and whipped cream are another favorite recipe.
What’s better than filet mignon? How about a tender filet topped with something equally delicious?
Allen Brothers, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week, has topped filet mignon with lobster, mushroom and spinach-cheese stuffing—essentially using the stuffing one might put into chicken or fish filet and creating a crown for the filet mignon.
The first two ideas are “surf and turf,” with lobster or crab atop the filet:
Lobster Topping: chopped lobster, fresh herbs (try tarragon or thyme), scallions, cream, butter, sweet onions, bread crumbs and a touch of garlic.
Mushroom Topping: Shiitake, portabella and oyster mushrooms and truffles and a splash of red wine in a demi-glace stock.
You can purchase a box of 12 or a sampler of 18 with all three varieties. Since you may not need twelve and/or feel the price ($179.95 to $199.95) is too dear in this economy, you can buy a filet or two and make your own. While the recipes are secret, it’s not hard to combine the ingredients listed.
What part of the steer does filet mignon come from? Why is it so tender, and why is it the most expensive cut of beef?
These and many other questions are answered in our Beef Glossary.
We love these keepsake Halloween boxes from Williams-Sonoma.
Made in Germany from handcrafted papier-mâché, they’re filled with seasonal candies: gummy pumpkins, gummy candy corn and gourmet jelly beans. They’re $14.95 each, a delightful gift or party favor.
If your budget doesn’t allow for the splurge, look in candy stores, card shops, discount stores and other retailers for cardboard, plastic or metal Halloween boxes. Then fill them with your own selection of candies.
FUN FACT: Papier-mâché (pop-YAIR mah-SHAY) means “chewed-up paper” in French. If you’ve ever worked with it, you know why! Torn-up pieces of paper are soaked in a paste of flour and water, then molded to dry.
For your favorite friends and family, a
keepsake box filled with Halloween candy.
Photo courtesy Williams-Sonoma.
