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Foxy lair

hunt-country-june-2005.jpgMaybe it’s the fox that’s prominently featured in his family crest. Or maybe it’s because he’s married to a foxy lady.

Whatever the draw, I was definitely delighted when my dear husband booked us into the Hunt Country room at The Foxfield Inn in Charlottesville, Virginia last year. And I was even more delighted when he scheduled us for a repeat visit this past weekend.

Southern hospitality abounds at this cozy bed and breakfast. Contemporary by Charlottesville standards, this 50-year-old B&B has been thoughtfully designed by innkeepers John and Mary Pat to include amenities that would have been unthinkable in Thomas Jefferson’s day. From the remote controlled gas fireplaces to the couple-sized Jacuzzis, everything at the inn has been arranged to allow guests to enjoy gracious living only a few miles from Jefferson’s Monticello and his beloved University of Virginia.

Mary Pat is a wonderful cook, and this morning we enjoyed her fabulous Pumpkin Cranberry Coffee Cake along with perfectly poached Eggs Benedict, steamed baby asparagus, and the company of fascinating fellow B&B guests.

To bring the fabulous aromas of autumn into your home, try Mary Pat’s recipe.

Pumpkin Cranberry Coffee Cake

1 1/4 cups flour
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. canned pumpkin puree
1 1/2 c. fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 8-cup ring mold.

Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In a mixer bowl, beat eggs at medium speed of electric mixer until foamy. Beat in sugar, oil, and pumpkin. Add dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Gently fold in cranberries. Spread batter evenly in mold.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in mold set on rack for 10 minutes. Run knife around edge of mold to loosen. Cover cake with upside -down serving plate and invert to release from mold. Continue to cool on rack. Dust with powdered sugar to garnish.

Yield: 12-16 servings

Random act of chocolate

broadmoor_chocolate_small.jpgWhat better welcome than an unexpected piece of chocolate?

Today, when I checked in at the courtesy desk at the Colorado Springs airport, I thought I was just arranging ground transportation to The Broadmoor, a luxury resort where I’ll have the pleasure of spending a few blissfully sunny autumn days.

Imagine my delight when I received a sweet silver-wrapped square of chocolate along with my shuttle ticket. Five-star service, just five steps from the point where I claimed my bag.

Would that more hospitality desks greeted their guests with random acts of chocolate, making the world a sweeter place—one bite at a time.

Velvet rope restaurant

3120151.jpegNo sign. No street number. No doorman.

The only way to find the entrance is to look for the velvet rope flanking the unmarked doors discreetly adorned with double J handles. Even when you pass through the doors, you’ll have to part a velvet curtain in order to reveal the dining room. Inside, your host, Austrian-born chef Johannes Fruhwirt, will be there to welcome you to his private dining room.

Johannes’ eyes twinkle with excitement. He’s been expecting you. You and only a few other guests. You see, there are only 32 seats in his dining room. It doesn’t feel like a restaurant, really. It’s more like being in a private home. Until recently, even the phone number was unlisted.

It was a pleasure having Johannes create our dining experience. I love doing that wherever there’s a great chef in the kitchen. I wouldn’t tell a musician what to play when I go to a concert. I wouldn’t tell an artist what to paint. So why dictate my menu choices to a chef when I can instead put myself in his capable hands and allow him to perfectly orchestrate my evening?

There were six of us, and we were there to celebrate. Johannes graciously permitted me to bring a couple of bottles of wine from our cellar—a ’97 Mauro Veglio Barolo Castelletto and a ‘98 Dolce—which we supplemented with a couple bottles from his excellent wine list. John, our host, found a bottle of ’03 Reynolds Family Winery Stag’s Leap District Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon on the list, which he insisted we try as a nod to my husband who had just helped him wrap up a big case. And I found a fabulous Austrian Riesling to start: an ‘03 Brundlmayer Riesling “Stein”, which delighted Johannes and got the night off to a great start.

The Riesling was a knockout pairing with our first course, Belize Conch Ceviche with Pineapple Salsa. The conch was sweeter and more tender than the conch you generally find on South Florida menus, and richly colored. The wine carried us happily through the second course, Mangrove Snapper with Marscarpone-Crayfish Riesling Sauce, another winner.

The Cabernet proved a worthy match for our next course, Brandy Lacquered Duck Breast with Wild Rice and an Apricot Ginger Glaze. The Barolo, which we had our waiter open when we arrived, was beautiful with Johannes’ Lamb Rack with Autumn Veggies and Rosemary Barolo Sauce. I did call ahead and chat with Johannes about bringing an older Barolo, so I suspect he sauced the lamb accordingly. If not, it was a happy coincidence.

I had also asked Johannes if he was doing foie gras, and when he said yes, I immediately pulled a half bottle of Dolce, a late harvest Sauterne-style wine from Napa, to enjoy with the much anticipated fois gras. Johannes’ classically simple preparation of Fresh French Foie Gras seared with Onions and Sea Salt elicited several moans of pleasure from our party—all mine.

Dessert followed, and I did have a bite or two. But he had me at the fois gras. And what better ending to a completely fabulous meal than the last seductive sip of Dolce—liquid gold from Napa Valley.

Shake some action

fa07_193837_w.jpgChristmas is coming, the catalogs are arriving, and I’m already making my list for Santa.

Red Envelope has a fabulous artisanal salt sampler that I’ve been drooling over. A pinch of this and a smidge of that and your culinary creations are sure to sing. I’ve been on the prowl for sel gris—gray salt hand harvested on France’s Brittany coast—and this collection has it, along with 23 other salts from more than a dozen countries. Salt of this stature is tres cher, so having smaller jars to play around with is a definite advantage. Reorder your favorites from SaltWorks.

Here’s what’s shakin’:

Aguni, Premium Japanese Sea Salt: Extracted by filtering sea water through bamboo branches to produce this delicious mineral-dense salt.

Alaea – Hawaiian Sea Salt (coarse grain): Traditional Hawaiian Sea Salt. Hawaiian Red Clay adds nutrients and flavor.

Bamboo Korean Roasted Salt: Produced by roasting sea salt in clay-sealed bamboo stalks, allowing the salt to absorb minerals from these natural elements while being purified.

Bolivian Rose Salt (coarse grain): Harvested at the heart of the Andes Mountains, its natural rose color makes it one of the most beautiful salts available.

Cyprus – Mediterranean Flake Salt: A favorite among professional chefs, its unique pyramid-shaped crystals have a fresh ocean flavor and a satisfying crunch.

Cyprus – Cyprus Black Lava Flake Salt: Mediterranean Sea salt combined with activated charcoal, its dramatic color and delicate texture make this finishing salt ideal for tableside presentation.

Durango, Hickory Smoked Sea Salt: Flaked sea salt, smoked over genuine hickory wood, this salt adds an authentic smoked flavor to any dish.

Fleur de Sel de Guérande – French “Flower of Salt”: Accepted by many chefs as the best finishing salt in the world, its young salt crystals are skimmed from the surface of salt ponds in France.

Flor de Sal – Portuguese “Flower of Salt”: Premium hand-harvested sea salt from Portugal.

Flower of Bali – Tropical Sea Salt: Delicate sea salt crystals that form on the surface of tropical salt beds, this salt is hand harvested and only available in limited quantities.

Fum̩e de Sel РChardonnay Oak Smoked Salt: Premium sea salt that has been slowly smoked with oak wine barrels used for Chardonnay production. Prized for its gentle smoke flavor with a hint of wine.

Hiwa Kai – Hawaiian Black Lava Salt: Solar-evaporated Pacific sea salt, combined with activated charcoal to provide added health benefits. Stunning black color and silky texture.

Himalayan Pink Salt – Fine Grain: Pure, hand-mined ancient sea salt found deep inside the pristine Himalayan Mountains. Crystals range in color from sheer white to varying shades of pink to deep reds, reflecting 84 trace elements and iron.

Kala Namak – Indian Black Salt – Fine Grain: An essential ingredient in authentic East Indian cuisine, this salt has a distinctive aroma and flavor of egg yolks. making it unforgettable.

Murray River – Australian Pink Flake Salt: Prized for its gorgeous apricot color and delicate flaky texture. Melts quickly and evenly—a perfect finishing salt.

Peruvian Pink – Mountain Spring Salt: Sourced from a natural spring 10,000 feet high in the Peruvian mountains where the warm spring water seeps into terraced salt ponds. Hand-harvested for over 2,000 years, its strongly-flavored light pink crystals have a high moisture content.

Pure Ocean, Kosher Flake Sea Salt: Unique, pyramid-shaped crystals with stair-step sides give this salt a superb ability to adhere to food—and make it a fabulous choice for garnishing libations served in a salt-rimmed glass.

Salish – Alder Smoked Salt (fine grain): Naturally smoked over Northwest Red Alderwood, giving food a genuine smokehouse taste on or off the BBQ.

Sel Gris de Guérande (fine grain): Hand harvested from the prestigious salt ponds of Guérande, France, this healthy replacement for ordinary table salt is stone ground to make it easier to dispense from a shaker.

Sel Gris de Guérande (coarse grain): An unrefined whole mineral sea salt, hand harvested from the prestigious salt ponds of Guérande, France.

Sel de Mer, Mediterranean Sea Salt (coarse grain): Solar-evaporated Mediterranean Sea Salt, its naturally white, dry crystals are ideal for use in a salt grinder or as a roasting salt.

Trapani, Sicilian Sea Salt: Hand harvested from the salt pans along the famous salt road that runs up the west coast of Sicily from Trapani to Marsala. Delicate crystals, full of flavor.

Velvet, Grey Sea Salt: Stone ground to a fine powder, this hand-harvested French sea salt has a buttery mouth feel, making it a terrific choice for topping savory noshes.

Yakima, Applewood Smoked Sea Salt: Smoked over Yakima Valley applewood, this salt adds delicious natural smoked flavor to foods.

Tastes like money

istock_000001670780xsmall.jpgI adore tasting menus, or degustation menus, as French chefs call them.

From the amuses-bouche to the petits fours, there’s nothing that comes close to sitting back and letting chefs send out whatever they please. Some of my fondest culinary memories revolve around tasting menus: Thomas Keller’s at The French Laundry, Charlie Trotter’s at his namesake Chicago townhouse, and long, long ago Andre Soltner’s at Letuce. We’re talking food so divine it makes me moan with delight.

So when Forbes published their World’s Most Expensive Tasting Menus recently I was all ears. Here’s who made the A-list. Prices per person.

L’Arpege, Paris ($466) Chef Alain Passard – number of courses varies

Alain Ducasse, Plaza Athenee, Paris ($437) – five courses

Guy Savoy, Paris ($402) – nine courses

Masa, NYC ($400) – 25-course Omakase menu

Pierre Gagnaire, Paris ($373) – nine courses

Joel Robuchon At The Mansion, MGM Grand, Las Vegas ($360) – 16 courses

Louis XV, Alain Ducasse, Monaco ($307) – six courses

La Pergola, Rome ($267) Chef Heinz Beck – nine courses

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa, Rangali Island ($250) – 23 courses

Eigensinn Farm, Singhampton, Canada ($250) Chef Michael Stadtlander – eight courses

Per Se, NYC ($250) Chef Thomas Keller – nine courses

Great call

refereeSo, who decides what’s fabulous?

I do! And because I’ve been identifying fabulous finds for years and years, you can trust my recommendations. Mostly, we’ll dish about food, wine, travel, and spas. Because that’s what I know best. On occasion, we’ll go off topic and talk about completely fabulous finds in other areas, like shopping, shoes, and Shih Tzus.

Don’t touch that dial…

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