Plain or chocolate-covered lebkuchen holiday cookies.
Soft, cakey and a little chewy, they’re fragrant with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice. They taste marvelously Old World, too.
Lebkuchen, German spice cookies made with honey, are especially beloved at Christmas time.
For more than 90 years, Lebkuchen-Schmidt has been baking these popular treats in Nuremberg. Now, you can enjoy them in this country, thanks to New Jersey-based European Deli, its exclusive U.S. partner.
They come packaged in various options, including an embossed blue and gold tin ($49.95) depicting scenes from that German city, of which I received a sample.
Whole roasted sweet potatoes get jazzed up with miso and bourbon.
Although whiskey can be made anywhere in the world, it can only be called “bourbon” if it’s made in the United States.
Who knew!
That’s because Congress passed a law in 1964 that declared bourbon as “America’s Native Spirit.”
You’ll learn that and so much more in “Bourbon Land” (Artisan), of which I received a review copy.
This “spirited love letter” is by James Beard Award-winning Edward Lee, chef-owner of 610 Magnolia and Nami, both in Louisville, KY, who writes both romantically and knowledgeably about Kentucky’s most famous liquor.
Indeed, since Lee opened his flagship restaurant in 2002 and made Kentucky his home, he’s been passionate about drinking and cooking with bourbon.
An amuse of teeny tuna tartare cones greets every diner at the new Eos & Nyx.
These days, when you hear of a splashy new restaurant opening its doors, you’ll be forgiven if your thoughts automatically go to San Francisco, Wine Country, or even Palo Alto.
Eos & Nyx, however, is not in any of those places, but rather in downtown San Jose.
Previously a movie theater, the soaring space has been transformed into a glitzy, two-story, 4,000-square-foot Mediterranean restaurant. Fifteen months in the making, it was designed by San Diego’s Basile Studio, which also did California’s Puesto restaurants, including the one in Santa Clara.
The entrance in downtown San Jose.The stylish dining room.The view from the second floor.
Appropriately named for the Greek goddesses of day and night, Eos & Nyx takes on a different personality from brunch (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays) to dinner (Tuesday through Saturday). During the day, when the weather is warm, the floor-to-ceiling, garage-door front windows can be raised to bring the outdoors in, bathing the leafy dining room adorned with lifelike fake trees and even river rocks underneath the booths with tons of natural light. At night, the vibe is more Vegas-like with moodier lighting that makes the copper accents glimmer and the back-lighted bar stand out.
A holiday-ready 2018 Piazza Del Dotto Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.
2018 Piazza Del Dotto Estate Family Reserve Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
If you’re opting for prime rib or roast duck instead of turkey at the Thanksgiving table, a bottle of 2018 Piazza Del Dotto Estate Family Reserve Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon would make for a splendid partner.
Family-owned for more than three decades, this winery with operations in St. Helena and Napa focuses on small-production Cabernet made from estate-grown grapes. These particular grapes come from the Oakville AVA, known for producing wines of powerful yet smooth textures.
This wine, of which I received a sample, is no exception. Deep purple garnet in the glass, it exudes notes of black cherries, currants, graphite and cedar with a touch of anise, and sage. It has firm tannins, making it a robust wine able to stand up to showy centerpiece meat dishes.
A beautiful looking polenta that couldn’t be easier to make.
With gobs of butter and a veritable snowstorm of grated Parmigano.
That’s usually how I make and like my soft polenta.
But this recipe for “Polenta with Herbed Oil” offered another variation, one stripped of all that cheese, trading it instead for a copious amount of dried herbs found easily in my pantry that are steeped in a mixture of warmed butter and olive oil. In the process, it brought to the forefront more of that wonderful toasty corn taste.
This easy recipe is from “Cured” (Ten Speed Press), of which I received a review copy.
It was written by Steve McHugh, chef-owner of Cured in San Antonio, and Landrace in San Antonio; with assistance from Paula Forbes, a cookbook author, and former editor of Eater and Epicurious.
