Now we have something in common with hip hoppers Snoop Dogg and E-40—they drink the same Landy Cognac we received as a gift. Yes, packaging is part of the impact of this lovely bottle of XO Cognac, with its noble, gold-plated greyhound-topped cork; but the Cognac is equally noteworthy.

The Cognac in our Greyhound Decanter is aged to super-smoothness for 35 years. By comparison, a VSOP is aged for at least 4.5 years, although there’s no limit on how long it can be aged; Landy’s VSOP is aged 12 years. For sure, when the last drop of Cognac is finished, we’ll be repurposing this beautiful decanter.

And the XO Cognac? The nose yields plum, leather, sandalwood and tobacco; on the palate the plummy fruit has accents of spice along with the leather and sandlewood, and a touch of tobacco. The Cognac has the balance and long finish that you’d expect from an X.O. The list price is $119.95, but we found it online for $99.99 at WineGlobe.com (and at highly-inflated prices on some gift sites).

Landy’s Greyhound Decanter, filled with
smooth and luscious 35-year-old cognac.
Photo courtesy Landy Cognac.

We sure hope the economy improves in 2010, or we’ll be refilling our Greyhound Decanter with the VSOP.

Panettone photo by Gabriel T. / SXC.

Panettone, a medieval Italian Christmas yeast bread dotted with candied lemon peel, orange peel and raisins, is the Italian version of fruitcake—a popular Christmas gift. Panettone is tall, dome-shaped and airy (some say fluffy), in contrast to the other famous Christmas bread, panforte, which is is short and dense.

The classic Panettone accompaniment is a sweet hot beverage or a sweet wine such as spumante or moscato, but any dessert wine will do. Some Italians add a side of crema di mascarpone, a cream made from mascarpone cheese, eggs, and amaretto (or substitute zabaglione).

If you have more panettone than you can enjoy, cut it into slices and freeze it: After seconds in the microwave, it’s deliciously warm and fluffy again.

We enjoy panettone toasted and buttered for breakfast, or made into a luxurious piece of French toast. Or for dessert at dinner, top toasted panettone with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

• Read more about panettone and panforte. And have a delicious day of feasting with family and friends.

All you need are cubes of cheese (the tree in the photo uses different flavors of Cabot Cheddar), grape tomatoes and some fresh thyme. The star on the top of the tree is a carved mushroom cap.

If you don’t have the ingredients, keep this cheese tree recipe for next year. It’s a crowd pleaser.

Merry Christmas from all of us at THE NIBBLE.

Eat this Christmas tree. Photo courtesy
Cabot Cheese.

It can look great and taste great
without any alcohol.

One option is a “Great Wall,” a combination of brewed jasmine tea and ginger ale.

1. Brew a pot of jasmine tea and cool it in a pitcher, like iced tea (1 teaspoon of tea per 2/3 cup water).

2. Then mix 2/3 cup tea in a tall glass with 2/3 regular or diet ginger ale, ice, and a twist of lemon.

This special drink will make your guest feel special, too…and is a good option for guests who’ve had their second or third regular cocktail.

• Also get to know Golden Star Sparkling Jasmine Tea—a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week, ready-to-pour from a Champagne-like bottle.
• See more ideas in our Cocktails Section.

Participants in a survey conducted by Opinionated About included Dan Barber (Blue Hill, New York), “No Reservations” host Anthony Bourdain, Sean Brock (McCrady’s Charleston, SC), Michael Carlson (Schwa, Chicago), David Chang (Momofuku, New York), Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison Park, New York), Gale Gand (Tru, Chicago), Krista Kern Darjelais (Bresca, Portland, ME), Paul Liebrandt (Corton, New York), Thomas Keller (French Laundry, Napa Valley), Danny Meyer (Union Square Hospitality Group, New York), Daniel Patterson (Coi, San Francisco), Eric Ripert (Le Bernardin, New York), Anna Sortun (Oleana, Cambridge, MA) and Cindy Wolf (Charleston, Baltimore, MD).

Responses range from casual to fine dining establishments around the world. Restaurants named most frequently include:

• Aldea, New York City, Chef George Mendes
• Corton, New York City, Chef Paul Liebrandt
• Ferraro Bociarent, Spain, Chef Paco Morales
• Marea/Alto New York City, Chef Michael White
• McCrady’s Charleston, South Carolina, Chef Sean Brock
• Mugaritz Errenteria, Spain, Chef Adoni Aduriz
• Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark, Chef Rene Redzepi
• Ubuntu Napa, California, Chef Jeremy Fox

A new take on linguine and clam sauce.
Photo courtesy of Chef George Mendes,
Aldea restaurant, New York City.