Welcome to the Cooking with C.C. Blog. I will be discussing all things food and travel related. Be sure to join me for information from recipes, cookbooks, restaurants and places to visit. I look forward to hearing from you!
Beef Casanova for Valentines Dinner
Yes, it's that time of year again - Valentines Day is upon us. I know many folks end up making reservations for dinner for Valentines, but staying in and cooking certainly has its advantages. Valentines Day calls for a more elegant entree and I've got just the dish for you - Beef Casanova. You can't go wrong starting with a lovely Filet Mignon. We finish is up with a Brandy Port Cream Sauce to go with the steak. This dish makes a stunning centerpiece for a romantic Valentines Day Dinner. I first learned this recipe while assisting at the cooking school at Central Market in Austin, TX. I've got the recipe for you below - but this is a recipe that we did capture on video as well. You can see how easy this is to make.
Wine Scores – Do they help or hurt?
I read an article a couple of weeks ago by Stephen Meuse about the impact of wine ratings on the industry. I hadn’t really thought about some of the points, but I did know that I have questioned some of the “scores” I have seen on wines. I have subscribed to Wine Spectator for a number of years as I have been trying to learn more about different wines, areas that produce wines and wineries since I am part of the food and beverage industry. I have clients that often ask about wine parings and what wines go with what. I hadn’t given much thought about the impact of the “100 point range” on myself and the industry. I received my current issue of Wine Spectator (Jan 31-Feb 28, 2015) and towards the back was “The Year in Wine, 2014 in Review.” What caught me off guard when I looked at the article was the truth that Mr. Meuse stated about the 100 point scale not really being a 100 point scale. Let me explain. Wine Spectator shows that for 2014, they tasted and scored 17,643 wines. Of these, less than 1% scored 50-79 (They didn’t even list less than…
Fish in the Middle of the Desert
Yes, I’m eating Fish in a Desert! (I say that because on one of my first trips to Las Vegas, I was in a cab with a very colorful driver. One of his lines on restaurants was "and don't ask me where to eat fish - in case you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of the desert." For some reason, that has stuck with me all these years.......) As I mentioned in a previous post, Lori and I ended up taking a trip to Las Vegas for our 24th anniversary last summer. Planning the trip was very difficult since there are just so many fantastic restaurants that it would take a long time and a VERY large bank account to try them all. The dinner at Rao’s was a given and the reservations were made. I had a list (a long list) of restaurants that I wanted to try while we were there. I put one restaurant on the list because I had read articles about it in various magazines and reviews. I decided to wait until we were in Vegas before picking the other restaurant so I could ask around. I finally decided to try the Bartolotta Ristorante…
Cork and Crust Review
One of the groups I volunteer with gave me a gift card to Cork and Crust for Christmas. Lori has been wanting to try that restaurant so it the gift card did not last too long before we headed to Cork and Crust. If you aren’t familiar with Cork and Crust, it is a new restaurant in Madison on County Line Road at the Publix Shopping Center. They describe their mission as introducing a world-class eclectic wine list and hand crafted cocktails next to quality house made cuisine. The menu is overwhelmingly Italian with the pizza taking center stage. While we didn’t try the other entrée options (at least on this trip), the pizza was certainly worth the trip. Eric is an International Sommelier Guild Certified Sommelier and has definitely put together an “eclectic” wine list. While I didn’t recognize the particular wineries, all of the “normal” varietals and blends were represented. It’s nice seeing a wine list that isn’t just the same old thing. The other GREAT thing about this wine list is that EVERY wine is available by the glass or bottle. The downside of this kind of wine list is that you may not know exactly what…