Written by Rosemary Mantini | 07 April 2011
Posted in KitchenMama

I can't really get enough pasta. It's comfort food for me, warm or cold, any season of the year. This week, my gluten-free-dairy-free pledge has caused a little consternation in the pasta department. Most of the time, I've been cooking meat-vegetables-grain-type meals for dinner. Those kinds of recipes are, by far, the quickest and easiest to toss together. They make great lunches, and, if you have some crêpes or rice paper on hand, meat and veggies are great breakfast fixings, too. But, going gluten-and-dairy-free has its challenges. What do you do when you're craving bread, cake, pasta … you know, all of those gluten-laden foods you used to depend on? Remember, challenges are surmountable if you look at them from a different angle. Right … enough with the platitudes. Sometimes, alternatives just don't come close to the real thing. Rice pasta in tomato sauce just doesn't work for me. So, while nothing will have that same subtly sweet, biscuity taste of wheat pasta, I can find a way to make alternative pasta taste just as good. Packaged gluten-free pasta can work if you match it to the right sauce. If you're more inclined to try experimenting and making your own pasta, I'd love to hear about what kind of flour combinations or recipes have worked for you.

Written by Brenda McMillan | 30 March 2011
Posted in The Best You Never Had

As a lover of Chablis (and similar fresh whites), I was in my glory at the Burgundy Wine tasting last week. The 2008 Cote de Lechet 1er Cru from Domaine Bernard Defaix was teasingly described as, “the summary of Chablis in a bottle.” Pale straw with flinty-mineral flavours and a crisp, clean acidity, it begged for king crab legs teased with butter. That Chablis would not have remained long in the bottle at my house. Represented here by Lamprecht International.

Another delicious example was a certified organic Chablis made from vines planted in 1946 after the war. The Jean-Marc Brocard 2009 Vieilles Vignes is as elegant as Catherine Deneuve and as racy as Jules Bianchi. The company is unfortunately not represented in Canada so to drink this superlative wine, we have to go to source. Quel dommage.     This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

At the Hobbs & Co. Wine Merchants Inc. portfolio tasting, I was happy find their lovely 2008 Gilbert Picq Chablis. Enticing floral and peach notes were followed with fresh acidity, a clean minerality and a lip-smacking finish. All that’s missing is an excuse to pull the cork. Does waking up in the morning qualify? hobbswines.com

Stay posted for more on fresh, exciting whites, the best from Burgundy and other yummy wines.