I had to giggle when I peeked at the photos of my latest entree. The sauce is so rich, so bright I thought it just might glow in the dark!

My primary goal in preparing dish after dish is, of course, producing glowing smiles and receiving glowing reviews. I came across this particular dish in Martha Stewart’s latest magazine (OCT 2007). I have been craving the opportunity to try something new, and this recipe appealed for two reasons. First, it had that restaurant quality appeal: meat-falling-off-the-bone served in a pool of hearty sauce, served with bread or potatoes to sop up all that fabulous sauce… And not that I needed a second reason to try this recipe, but I loved the idea that once it all landed in the pot, it went into the oven for an hour, while my feet found a stool for propping and my hand found a glass for swirling… and all the while the meal would be productively cooking in the oven.

Oh, and my family liked it too. I guess that is a third reason that makes this recipe worthwhile?

Coq Au Vin
(apparently, the ability to pronounce this recipe has nothing to do with ability to produce it—at least not in my kitchen!)

8 chicken thighs
2 cups red wine (I used Merlot, the recipe called for Cabernet)
8 oz. slab bacon, cut in 1/2 inch dice
3 T olive oil, if needed
1 medium onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
10 white pearl onions, peeled
1/2 pound small cremini mushrooms
3 T flour
1 T tomato paste
2 T cognac
1 chicken liver, minced
2 bay leaves
5 sprigs fresh thyme (small bundle, tied)

Place chicken and wine in ziploc bag in fridge; marinate 4 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 325; remove chicken, reserving wine. Pat chicken dry, season with salt and pepper. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium low heat until crisp: 20 minutes. Remove bacon, leave drippings in pot. It should be about 3 T; add olive oil if needed. Raise heat to medium high. Cook chicken 4-5 minutes per side. Remove chicken; add onion to pot and cook 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, cooking 2 minutes; add pearl onions and mushrooms and cook 3-4 minutes. Stir in flour and paste; cook 2 minutes. Add Cognac and cook 1 minute. Add bacon, chicken and wine back to pot. Add liver and herbs. Bring to simmer, cover and place in oven for 45-60 minutes. Discard herbs, skim off fat, serve.

Great idea: serve with smashed potatoes, big chunks of rustic bread and a robust red wine. Take note of glowing faces all around.

Here: a little centerpiece inspiration from my blog to your table. COTM, or centerpiece of the month, is meant to provide you with ideas to decorate your table and otherwise set the stage for your mealtime indulgences.

I have been a bit off on timing for displaying centerpieces, but today is as good a day as any to share the latest round of table-toppers:

Anapuma from Food-n-More lights up her table:

Sandi from Whistlestop Cafe brings us a bit of the beach:

Myriam from Once Upon a Tart finds a festive way to bring a wreath from mantel to table:

Meeta from What’s for Lunch Honey? brings us smartly to fall with this gorgeous display:

And fall just wouldn’t be fall without Dayna’s chinese lanterns, en route from her blog Vegan Visitor:

And on my new little cafe table in our new little house, I couldn’t resist a cake plate piled high with fruit:

Calling all centerpieces and fall bits of tabletop inspiration: Sandi, from Whistlestop Cafe, will be hosting October’s COTM. Go visit her, send her your lovely photos during the month of October (okay, anytime between now and end of OCT). Send your photo, name and blog url here: SandiMcMc@yahoo.com; the roundup for OCT will be NOV 7.

Thanks Sandi!

If you know me, you know I like simple-to-prepare, yet impressive food with chef-worthy results. Sometimes I find inspiration when out to dine. My husband and I recently found a restaurant in Seattle—CRUSH—to add to our list of favorites. It is modern and swank; the food was so divine we couldn’t help but take long pauses where conversation waited while we focused on a bite or sip.

We uncharacteristically started our evening with a cheese plate (off the dessert menu; though I have always loved the attitude of ‘life is short, eat dessert first’). With 5-6 different cheeses, akin to the range on a painter’s palate, these cheeses offered creamy, pungent, firm and fragrant experiences…. with an intelligently paired condiment alongside each. A grapefruit jelly, a quince or fig paste next to blue cheese and to my delight, I had found my next experiment for my kitchen: reduced balsamic syrup. It was next to either a firm goat cheese or Manchego, I cannot remember. What I DO remember is happily filing away the idea of a reduced balsamic paired with cheese for a simple, yet elegant appetizer (or dessert with a little port, for all of us who enjoy dessert first AND last).

Place 1/2 to 2/3 cups balsamic in small saucepan over medium heat. When it starts to simmer, reduce to low—keep it barely bubbling—and swirl/stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn. In about 10 minutes it will reduce and become syrupy. Pour over a wedge of cheese (I used Manchego, a semi-firm sheep cheese); I plated it with some almonds and another cheese pairing. Whether starting a meal or finishing it, this is simple to make and the results far outweigh the efforts.

Other balsamic brilliance:

• Salmon steak with orange balsamic glaze
• from Kalyn’s Kitchen, Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar
• from the Mayo Clinic, Strawberry Balsamic Sorbet
• Habeas Brulee’s Balsamic Fudge drops

I do love beverages. Even in college when I would sit to study, I would surround myself with beverage options. I would always have a water and a hot tea or coffee. Perhaps a hot chocolate or apple cider. In those good ole days I would make my own latte at home when diving out the door to the next class. And it wasn’t just any latte; it was the size of a Big Gulp. It was a 32 ounce bow to the coffee centered city I come from, a Seattle icon traveling in my mitts to yet another university lecture.

I thought they were the rage; if I made one of those today I would probably hurl. Or close. In equally coffee-snobby fashion my taste buds are all grown up. Now I scoot past the mega-coffee shops and seek out the boutique, specialty coffee. I no longer drink drip, it is all about Americano’s and French Press. In fact, one of my favorite Christmas presents from a few years back was—I kid you not—a French press insert for my Nalgene bottle (a water bottle and coffee press insert sold by REI; check here if you too find this jaw-dropping awesome).

I don’t buy normal coffee, I travel across town to buy my snobby, fair trade, hard-to-find blends. No doubt the escalation and evolution of my coffee appetite will lead me to import my beans one day.

And with a nod to the environment, I try to use grounds in my garden and make sure to use every last drop of specially made, snobbishly appreciated coffee. So when I have had my morning cup and the karafe has some still-hot coffee at the ready, I pour it into a container with my personalized amount of raw sugar, give it a stir and toss it in the refrigerator. Hours later, when one is at a desk studying or working or whatever it is I do, I will inevitably crave a beverage companion. So I grab the coffee, add a touch of half and half and pour it over ice: fabulously French-and-Seattle iced coffee.

Just remember proportions if you decide to make this: 3/4 coffee (with the sugar already melted in), 1/4 half and half and serve in a glass—or jar—laden with ice.

Current coffee snob faves: FUEL coffee, Cafe Vita, Zoka.